Time Flies!

Time flies by so quickly, sometimes it feels that I have had just enough time to blink and everything has changed. Its been about 2 months since I've sat down to write, and that is because we have completed a PCS (ok actually a homeport change..) move. My signs were in the June 2010 issue of Military Spouse magazine. My niece came to visit. And all the while you wonderful people are purchasing signs left & right!

The move went very smoothly, even though I had to do it on my own. My sweet sailor was of course 'out in the field', during the 3 days of packers, moving, & cleaning. We LOVE our new house and feel very lucky to have found it! AND....my workspace has gone from a small 4'x3' closet (ok maybe it was a tad bigger, but not much), to half of the basement! Its also been a lot of fun being in a touristy-beachy town, instead of the college-ghost town that Brunswick had turned into! We spent the past 2 weeks exploring and really having a great time!

The magazine was AWESOME! It happened to be the same issue where they announced the military spouse of the year which was a totally wonderful Air Force Spouse, Lori Bell. (http://www.nammas.org is her organization)

___________

So that was my personal update. As for the shop, my grand-reopening sale took place between July 1 & 4th and was quite successful, Thank You!! Keep a look out for another sale coming up in August!! (Its time to start thinking about Christmas!!)

Wowsa!!

I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to keep up with my blog, but a little bit of super excitement has headed my way! A couple of days ago the Art Director of Military Spouse Magazine contacted me to ask if I would mind if they added my sign to their "Faves" page for the June 2010 issue! Mind, me? Absolutely NOT! I am actually quite HONORED to have been selected for this, and will be buying many many copies of the issue!

This little project that started out as a hobby on Etsy has really turned into something that I never expected!

March for Babies

Looking for a great reason to buy a sign? I've got one! For the entire month of March, I'm donating $5 from every sign sold to help sponsor the South family in their March of Dimes, March for Babies Walk! So now's the time to visit my shop: http://www.perfectlydistressed.com and get a sign and help a good cause!!

Why March for Babies?
When you walk in March for Babies, you give hope to the more than half a million babies born too soon each year. The money you raise supports programs in your community that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies. And it funds research to find answers to the problems that threaten our babies. We’ve been walking since 1970 and have raised an incredible $1.8 billion to benefit all babies.

A little window shopping!

So as you know I sell stuff on Etsy....but I've also done a little shopping (and wishing) from the wonderful shops there too!

My first buy was a great little notebook from TheChameleonsAttic that really helped me keep my lists organized this past Christmas (and will be used again for next Christmas too!)

I have my eye on one of her rugs too!

My second find was a great little invention, from FrayBabyBibsandMore to keep the sippy cup off of the floor while we're out and about! With a few extra links this nifty little sippy cup sleeve attaches to anything and keeps the cup clean!!

My third buy on Etsy is this heavenly set of candle and reed diffuser from Lilac Ave! These are so much better than any of the things that I have found in the over-priced primitive and candle shops!


And the thing I love most about these shops (aside from their high quality products) is that these sellers are all members of the Homefront Team!

Take some time and check them out! You might just find the perfect gift or even a little something for yourself!

Today's Project

I've had these two shelves sitting around the house for about a week now and I haven't really had the time to attend to them, so today I am making myself get started.

One I'm going to keep (because I really like them), and the other will go up for sale as a OOAK.

I don't know that I'll ever find these particular shelves again, as they were something I stumbled upon in the first place.


I have decided to paint one barnyard red with an 'early American' wood top and quilt bar. Distressed of course, cause that's what I like to do!

The second (and one you'll see in my shop) is going to be left open to the buyers discretion!






It is so exciting when it comes out the way I pictured it in my head!


Now I have to find the right quilt (or something else good!) to hang on it!


And of course this will mean a trip to my favorite Tate's to find some goodies to go on top of it too!!

dE-stressing!

Today I differ. Today I de-stress. Wait strike that. This WEEK I dEstress! This past 2.5 weeks I have been working on a huge order for the Dolphin Store in Groton, CT. This order included a whopping 44ft. of wood. It was a little overwhelming looking at it all sitting on my desk, but today as I'm putting the final eye hooks in and cutting the ribbon to tie around them and get them off in the mail tomorrow, I feel a great sense of relief!

One day I might go back and calculate how many letters I painted on this whopping forest of signs!

Here ya go....42 ft (there's another Proud US Navy Family sign that didn't make it in the picture!

Voila!

Its been 2 of 'those' weeks. Those weeks are weeks where I am so busy getting so much accomplished yet I feel like nothing has gotten done! So crazy where I intend to paint my stool barnyard red and yet it somehow ends up black! But VOILA, here is the finished Salvation Army saved stool! (Still haven't gotten around to the other one, but I am determined it will be barnyard red!)

Distressing!

I'm so excited! Why, you ask? Because yesterday I decided to skip past Target and instead roam over to Salvation Army. This is a usual stop for me to make because you can find some very interesting items that just need a little attention to be brought back to life.

Yesterdays adventure was to find a new chair for my new workspace. And my stop over yielded this lovely stool (and another that looks exactly the same.)

These things go for $15.99 at Target and while that's not exactly highway robbery, Salvation Army only asks $4.99!!

So today, I distress! :) I am sanding and painting, and hoping to turn these two lovelies into something beautiful! I will add finished product pictures asap!

Let's get Distressed!

It's amazing the places that friends can take you and the doors they can open. A shopping trip with two of the most wonderful friends ever, turns into, "Laurie Projects" (distressing furniture to fit into the 'primitive' look), which becomes a bit more and WordBoards is born!

WordBoards was my first venture. It took me into the world of handmade things, and then it surprised me by being successful! You can still find WordBoards on Etsy, and I will continue to add items to this site, but as of this posting you'll find it on vacation mode. Because now I am feeling Perfectly Distressed!

I've taken my most popular ideas and put them in a place where I have more control over their presentation and how they are sold. I hope that you will enjoy this new site and continue to follow as I take off on the adventure of starting this small business.

And as time goes on we'll see what else I can distress aside from myself!