TGIF! I'm wrapping up another busy week with a quick DIY project that anyone can do at home. I want to inspire you to look for ways to repurpose the old, especially with all of the estate liquidations we have on the calendar next week! There will be 3 opportunities for you to come and dig for treasure at homes in the San Francisco Bay Area! I'm always finding fun scraps of wood and odds and ends at my estate projects. ... Keep Reading >>
Paint Makes Perfect
Without an estate sale this week I've had some extra time to finish a few lingering projects around the house. Don't get me wrong, I've still be really busy with my organizing clients. It's just that each estate sale brings in hundreds of emails and dozens of calls that I usually have to tend to until the wee hours of the night. On Wednesday I shared my updated "Thumb" sign and received great feedback, especially from those of ... Keep Reading >>
A Happy Reminder That I’m From “The Thumb”
I've lived in California for a little over 4 years and I am noticing that I'm slowly becoming a west coast girl. I mean, my fridge is full of kale, we own a hybrid, I recycle just about everything and my dog has a carseat. It's getting to be a little much! When I saw this sign at the Alameda Antique Show I knew it would be a happy reminder of my roots. If you are a Michigander you will know exactly why I love it! When you are ... Keep Reading >>
DIY Plate Wall Tutorial
Thank you all for the kind comments on last week's happy kitchen post! As promised, today I am sharing the secrets behind my fabulous painted plate wall. I'll admit that the idea for this project didn't jump out at me right away. It was my assistant Taylor that suggested that these spic-and-span trays from 60s could be transformed into something great. I decided to save them from going to Goodwill and racked my brain for ideas. ... Keep Reading >>
My Happy Kitchen
I've been working on jazzing up my kitchen for the last few months. We've lived in this house for almost 3 years, the longest we've ever been in a house since we were married in 2006. When we moved I thought I could tolerate the floral wall paper in the kitchen but after a few months it was starting to drive me nuts. I'm glad my landlord let me take it down, it makes this house feel more like home to me! A little paint, some ... Keep Reading >>
Antique Door Turned Rustic Headboard
I've been working on our master bedroom update for the last few weeks. The whole project started because of an antique door at the Kuzak's Closet demolition sale last month in Palo Alto. My assistant Al and I were brainstorming DIY (do it yourself) ideas of what we could do with the doors and I suggested that I could make a bed out of one. The measurements were perfect for the king size bed that I've had on my wish list so I ... Keep Reading >>
Hayley’s Nightstand Makeover
My friend Lori's daughter Hayley helped out with a three Estate Sales in August before heading back to high school. She really enjoyed organizing and setting up the sales (no surprise, her mom is also a professional organizer!). She and Jennalynn (my trusty assistant) really hit it off and worked well together, here they are merchandizing a puppet show, gotta love their energy! ... Keep Reading >>
Spray Paint Is A Wonderful Thing!
My friends, I am writing today about a fabulous little invention called spray paint! I use it all of the time and I'm amazed at how quickly it can transform just about anything! At my Los Altos Estate Sale over the weekend there was an adorable set of black wicker nesting tables that didn't sell and I was shocked... seriously shocked! They were so darn cute, I thought they would sell in the first 20 minutes but they sat and sat. ... Keep Reading >>
Vintage Glider Transformation
As I revealed in last week's She Cave project reveal, the only time that I buy things from my estate sales is when they don't sell. This vintage glider was a popular set at a sale I had in Los Altos Hills earlier this year but at the end of the sale is was unsold. I think buyers struggled with the same thing that I did, how will find new cushions to fit it? I suggested that buyers made a pattern based on the existing cushions ... Keep Reading >>