The Christmas Spirit...

 Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm NOT a
huge fan of Christmas...
But, this year I found the perfect fireplace
surround that matched the patina I was looking for...

 It's a combo of primitive and gothic...perfect...

 So naturally I decided to hang my stocking AND...

 put up the tree...WHAT...that's the spirit...right...

 They say that if you have more than three of anything,
it's a collection...well...

 Wellll...what can I say, I own an antique store...AND...

Hee hee...

Paint or not to paint...

 BEFORE...

 AFTER...Annie Sloan, Chateau Grey...

 BEFORE...

 AFTER...soap n candle display...

 More 'after' Chateau Grey...

Can't find the before, but this piece
was dark varnish, partially stripped golden oak

Rustoleum flat black...love this paint for a black...
two coats on the outside, one inside and
it naturally crackled itself.

 BEFORE...

AFTER...a flat white paint on legs...
and a white wash on fabric.
It shrinks the fabric back from saggy
and cleans up the spots...
so much to be played with, with just
random coats of paint...just play with it...

A walk on the wild side...my store...The Wild Thing...

Yeah, we got dis...

Life on the prairie...

 My lil' pink shack...the source of my joy
and the food source for my bees...

 My hive...I only have one hive, just
enough honey for me n my family, the
rest is reserved for the bees...yummo...

 Working, working, working, busy as bees...

 As I turned around, there was someone
standing in my path...scared the crap
outta me...my dad looking for me...

So I took a selfy...
me, my pops and the bees...life is good!!!

Michael, the story of a boy, a brother... a man.....for Joan...

 My cute lil' brother...siblings...

The day our beloved grandparents moved to Florida...
it was a sad day for us grands...

 The 60's...who didn't love them...siblings gone wild...

 The man, my brother Michael...

 Living the life in Santa Rosa, Cali...with his cat Otis...

This was the day he met the love of his life...Joan,
courtesy of his best friend Mark and a little finagling
on Marks part...it's a great story!!!

A cold day in March, we took our dad on an airplane
ride over our home town...dad always wanted to be a pilot,
a dream never fulfilled...he got us instead...lol.

Our fair city, Muscatine, Iowa on the
mighty Mississippi...it was an awesome day...!!!

This photo journey is for Joan and her kids...
we lost my lil' bro to coronary artery disease April 26, 2015.
We love and miss you Michael...
until we meet again...!

A day in the life...river city USofA...Muscatine Ia...

 New piece just in...black is still hot...
some pieces are screaming for it, this piece was
originally painted a periwinkle blue...NOT...
however, the top is walnut...I never paint walnut, but
since it was already painted...nuff said...

 Cute lil' parlor table, it was already painted
white, all I did was freshen the paint...sweet...

 This cute lil' tiered stand had the most
awful orange-ish stain on it...so now it's
adorbs painted white with just a hint of a
brownish wash...stunning...

 Love this lil' Eastlake side table,
it has it's original finish, though somewhat
battered, it still makes a statement...

 We have a new dealer in the store,
Jacey from 'A Beautiful Purpose'...
we share a lot of the same tastes and
both struggle with TO KEEP OR NOT TO KEEP...
some pieces just make ya sigh...

An order just in of our new coffees...
Sasquatch Coffee...it's YUMMO...
we're gettin' Squatchy in SE Iowa...

Can we get some Spring goin' on already at 'The Wild Thing' 122 W.2nd St, Muscatine, Iowa

 Well, we got the front of my daughter's shop painted last fall...
then proceeded to mine....

 Got the sign up, ceiling painted black...
I think it's time to get started inside...

 Lotsa furniture painted...

 and staged...

 soaps still comin' in and selling well...

 and more staging...

and yes, I'm still doing my 'Cracked in the Head'
nightlights...and actually have an entire room
filled with them and other oddities as well...

plus, we're now selling the most awesome line
of coffee in store, "Sasquatch Coffee"
it's the bomb...sooo addicted...

and we are adding vendors to our fledgling
antique store, making it a worthwhile trip to
our lil' river city, with 3000 square feet of shopping,
soon to be 5000 feet once the grotto is opened and
the Candle Shed is added into the mix...
are we having fun yet...YUP...
can we get a little SPRINGTIME already...
let's get this ball a rollin'

and at the end of the day, the closed sign
says it all...