Keeping it Real

I have three wonderful children...and they love this business, too, almost as much as I do...(OK, that might be a little bit of an exaggeration). But, they actually love to watch design shows...always help me rearrange furniture...know all about sorting through paint swatches...and don't mind the regular browsing for vintage finds. So when I brought home a new addition to the family, I knew they would be delighted...they love beautiful things too...

I had arrived home, with my u-haul full of treasures, to a house full of company and amidst all of the hub-bub...I made a huge mistake...

I brought in my unique find and held it up in the space...It looked AMAZING...but since we didn't have time to hang it right then...I set my new pretty in the middle of the down comforter in our master bedroom. My husband and I went outside to finish unloading. (You know where this is going don't you??!!)

Not even 10 minutes later, as I was walking into the house, my heart stopped when I heard my seven year old daughter ask in a very strange voice, "Mom, is that mirror you just got an antique??" (Smart girl...I told you she loves this business!!) I immediately took off toward the bedroom. Somewhere in the back of my mind I could hear my three year old crying in the direction of the kitchen...

I was literally nauseous as I ran into my room and saw my once pristine, antique mirror in pieces...I am not even kidding...

I was stunned...completely and utterly stunned...I wanted to rewind the clock...I hadn't even thought about it...hadn't even considered something like this as a possibility...

My husband quickly took over as I was unable to think, let alone speak clearly. As he sorted through the crying children...the story went something like this...my daughter had walked into the room and seeing the beautiful mirror, called my three year old into the room...being a curious little guy, he had crawled up onto the bed. He had decided he wanted to see himself in the mirror...this is where it gets a little unclear (no pun intended)...but somehow the mirror ended up on the floor.

My emotions in that moment surged...from "I can't believe this" to "It's just a mirror" ...then "I am sick" to "In the grand scheme of life this is nothing"...

How do I look at those sweet faces and say, "I love my beautiful mirror more than your little hearts right now..."

They were both so distraught...

Once again my amazing husband stepped in and saved the day...his words..."I am pretty sure we can fix the mirror" took me from despair to hope...and you know what, he was right...

A little glue, some stabilizing rods and a bit of time and the crown jewel of the entry is finally at home...once again, above another fabulous find...but that is a story for another day...

Varney's Salina FINISHED & Open!!

Varney's is excited to announce their new Salina location! After months of planning their beautiful new store had their grand opening yesterday! Eryn and I were excited to help in their design process. We worked closely with BHS Construction and the Varney's team to transform this optometry store into their new West Varney's location.

Here are some before and after photos!

Old flooring and wall color

Entrance looking out to mall

Removed the wall and counter to give more sales floor space.

Added slatboard for vertical display

THE NEW VARNEY'S

Wanted to give a similar look to the Aggieville Varney's location.

Jon and Steve Levin, Owners

Jon Levin & I at the grand opening

Christopher Miller, VP Rocking M Radio, and Steve Levin, President and Owner Varney's

We did a metal and wood mix on the finishes to give an updated modern look, but didn't want it feel or look cold, so having the warm wood tones softens and warms up the space.

The cashwrap, custom made from Timberline Cabinetry in Manhattan, turned out outstanding! The metal top gives a contemporary look and feels great!

Locally made metal work!

Easy Made Pillows

If you have a sewing machine or can borrow a friends you can make a pillow! Here's how:

Supplies:

Pillow insert

Fabric (s)

Cording (if you want a welt)

Sewing supplies:

measuring tape, pins, scissors, sewing machine, needle & thread, iron

Step 1: Fabric

Measure your pillow inserts seam to seam. Take the inches and convert it into yards. Fabric is sold in yards. If you want accent trim or welt measure all sides of the pillow. I buy enough yards so that I can cut one large strip of fabric, if you're doing a large pillow you might need more than one yard. Iron or seam your fabric before sewing.

Step 2: Welt

Cut three inch strips down the length of your welt fabric, long enough to go around the entire pillow. Fold in half and lightly iron. Insert cording (you can buy cording at a local craft or fabric store, I buy clothesline cording at a box store-it's half the price!)

Pin your cording at the top so it doesn't slide down into your fabric once you start sewing. Sew a straight stitch close to the cording.

Step 3: Cutting and Pinning

Cut two pieces of fabric for the front and back of your pillow. Make sure to measure twice and cut once. Don't forget to allow for the seam, add 1/4 " of fabric to each side.

Step 4: Sewing

Take one piece of fabric and place your welt/cording on the "right side" or the pretty side of the fabric and pin together. Sew your welt to one piece of the pillow fabric. Make sure to crisscross or overlap your welt and sew it into the seam to give you a finished edge.

Tip: When you're ready to overlap your cording, cut the cord so the ends are butted together inside your welt fabric casing. This allows for a cleaner edge and it's much easier to sew- DON'T attempt to sew over two layers of cording your sewing machine won't do it.

Once that is sewn, place the other piece of fabric right sides together so the pretty side of the pillow is on the inside and sew the front and back of your pillow together. MAKE SURE to allow a large enough opening to insert your pillow form.

Step 5: Finishing

Turn right-side out and make sure you've caught all your fabric edges, if not, go back and sew the place you missed (no one will ever know!) Clip or cut rounded / square corners so the pillow corners will lay like you want them to and not buckle or feel bulky.

After you've double-checked your seams, insert your pillow form. Tuck in your raw edge 1/4" and press it with an iron to give you a neat edge. Hand stitch your pillow closed! Depending on the size pillow you can make a couple in an afternoon!