Always Expect Something Wonderful to Happen

I have a journal that I pretty much keep with me all the time and written on the cover are the words, "Always Expect Something Wonderful to Happen". To be honest over the last six months it's been hard to hold that light in my heart. In February I received the notice that I could not have any more sales or events in our renovated barn. After various meetings, applications, tears and prayers it seemed all we were doing was taking one step forward and being forced two steps back. I could barely look across the road and look at the barn without feeling sick to my stomach. We even at one point considered selling our house and renovating the barn and making it our home. It was the worst feeling - I loved it so much but at the same time I hated the situation we were in. 

I guess the most frustrating part was looking around and seeing so many others doing exactly what I was doing but now was being told I could not. I've never been the kind of person who gives up on something I love so I kept researching and figuring out a way to make Carolina Moon more than just a hobby but a legitimate farm operation. (More to come on that in the spring of 2018). And then one day an email came to me and a meeting was set up and all of a sudden ..... I'm good to go. You can call it what you want .... a miracle, patience, magic, luck - whatever you want to think. I'm just thankful and so excited for the future of my hobby. My business - Carolina Moon. 

I can't even say I wish it all had never happened. The old adage, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger" definitely applies to this. I may have never had the feeling of loss that I had when I thought my dreams would not even have a chance to come true. Now I know Carolina Moon will be stronger, better and sustainable as a business. 

So now I'm abuzz with the excitement of planning for a barn sale on November 25th, a wedding show in January and "sowing the seeds" of something wonderful growing in the spring. There will be missteps and mistakes and failures along the way but now I know for sure if you always expect something wonderful to happen then it will. 

Five Days 'Til Christmas

Five days 'til Christmas 

 

So, I finally got the guest bedroom back to looking like a place someone might actually want to sleep. Not like we have a lot of overnight guests but my mom does sleep here when she comes and helps with the Carolina Moon sales. Mom deserves a beautiful place to sleep (and occasionally I wind up here when the "hubs" snoring shows no end in sight. This little cabinet is actually a piece my mom found and it didn't sell at the December show. In fact almost everything I decorated with were leftovers. (Y'all left some amazing stuff behind :)

It's a little record cabinet and it is perfect to store all my flea market decor magazines! 

 

I can sort them on the four shelves by season and pull them out for inspiration. This room is full of inspiration and Christmas cheer. 

 

I'm not a "put a tree in every room person" but this room needed some love. I absolutely love the way White artificial trees look after they have sat s while. I added some cream beaded garland and several of the old window candles like my Grandmas used to put in the windows of their houses. The stocking was an inspiration by Sarah Coffey Designs. I bought several from her a couple of sales ago so I made some for gifts. There are actually three on the mantle now but I took the pictures before I finished the project. I'm actually going to give one away to any new instagram followers I get today 12/20/16. Details to come on Instagram and Facebook in a bit. 

   The old doors filled up a blank wall behind the bed and I love how they turned out. 

 

Whenever we go on a trip I always look up antique stores. I try to find old feed sacks. These are from our trips to Pennsylvania, California, and Florida. 

 

That mantle!!!  It was a score from Salvage Sisters in Burlington. Complete with the tiny window that was salvaged from my Grandma and Granddaddy's house and some vintage celluloid reindeer. 

Next blog post will be the kitchen. I have my eyes set on doing something to the window over the sink and sharing my favorite vintage fruitcake tins. 

Merry Christmas! 

Regina 

 

Seven Days Til' Christmas

Seven Days 'til Christmas

This was the pantry door in my Grandma and Granddaddy's old house in Richlands.  

To say I'm a sentimental old soul is an understatement. So, at Christmas my tender heart beats with the memories of Christmases past and the people that are attached to those memories. I had a dining room rearrange after the Carolina Moon sale last weekend. The catalyst for the rearrange???  An amazing old 1800s church pew I acquired from Sarah Coffey Designs. So after I moved things around I had room to add in some pieces I had collected and saved, including the little pantry door from my Granddaddy and Grandma's old house in Richlands. 

The moment I saw this church pew I was in love. It reminds me of the old pews in my childhood church, Whaleys Chapel Free Will Baptist Church. I loved singing Christmas hymns the weeks leading up to Christmas. My Grandma couldn't sing a lick but her off key voice was music to my ears.  

I also included the ceramic Christmas trees I've gathered since my junking adventures began. These two were some of the first I found and I knew immediately they would stay with me. I've found better ones over the last couple of years but these were the first and I remember how happy my heart was at the memory of helping my Grandma decorate for Christmas. 

 

This is another piece I acquired from a vendor at one of my shows. Homestead Furniture and Design. The tiny "putz style" church reminds me of my little hometown church and the old fruitcake tin reminds me of a cake my Grandma would make for my Granddaddy. It was called "Icebox Cake".  She would mix up all the ingredients and then pack it into an empty ice cream paper box and put it in the refrigerator. Granddaddy would slice off a piece and share with me. The cake was filled with nuts. It was delicious. I wish I had the recipe. 

So during this Christmas season I hope your heart and home is surrounded with the memories of Christmases past and that you share these memories with your loved ones that didn't have the chance to have them too. 

Merry Christmas!

Love, Regina 

  

The table at Grandma's house was always filled with potatoes, cabbage or collards, skillet cornbread and ham. It was always the same dishes but they tasted so good!

This dresser was in my Grandparent's bedroom. Now it holds baking pans and cake decorating supplies.  

Christmas Dreams Come True

A Christmas Wish Come True

I had this whole plan to post updates of the barn as it was in progress but .... I didn't. 😐. Well, actually I did but .... it wasn't on here. Facebook was my go to social outlet of choice. So for anyone that hasn't seen my dream in living color .... here it is. 

 

I absolutely LOVE it!!!  There are still a few things to do and there have been changes since this picture. There are lights outside. Hoping to get the large sliding barn doors on her after Christmas. And if you think the outside is beautiful wait until you see the inside. I have had two sales since I opened the doors. The next sale will be on December 9th. I'm currently decorating her all up for Christmas!  🎄

The next sale after this one will be in March. What will I be doing between December and March?  Getting ready to start hosting weddings and receptions. 

Many exciting things to post about. Hopefully I will be more diligent about posting. 

 

The Future Belongs to Those Who Believe in the Beauty of their Dreams - Eleanor Roosevelt

So much has happened in almost a year. The last post I made was in September of 2015. I'm not much of a "sharer" but there are so many exciting things happening with this hobby of mine that I actually feel like someone might be interested in reading abut it. 

So I'm not going by the name Three Roses Red anymore ... Long story but maybe for another post. My business name is Carolina Moon Vintage. I have thoroughly enjoyed having once a month sales since October of 2015. I was fortunate enough to set up shop in an old general store in Kipling,NC. I had 7sales in that building and each gets bigger than the one before. But my time there has come to a close and it's time to move forward. I am so excited about renovating  and expanding an old pack house on our property and turning it into my showroom/shop. Grand opening should be August 6th.  I want to post updates on the progress of the renovation. Thought I'd start with my "artist rendering" of some of my ideas. 

This is the outside plan complete with little bushes and patio lights. 

This is my idea for the checkout area!

So many ideas running through my mind. Can't wait to see if it all comes to be. If it's meant to be it will happen. Meanwhile... 

 School is almost out and I'm ready to do some serious junkin'. 

- Regina

The Story Behind the Name: Three Roses Red

People have asked me, "Why Three Roses Red?  Is that grammatically correct?  Why not Three Red Roses?"  Well, as with much of my life, the name is tied to a memory ... well actually a lullaby.

Let me preface by saying my mom is amazing.  I owe so much of who I am to her.  When people say they don't want to grow up to be like their mother, I just don't "get it".  I want to be just like her.  One of my favorite childhood memories with her was when she would tuck me in each night before I went to sleep.  She wrote me my own special lullaby that she would sing to me most nights.  I remember my clean sheets pulled up around my shoulders, her hands rubbing my hair away from my face, and her sweet voice singing words she made up completely out of love.

Today, I sing this song to my own son.  I have sung it to him since he was a baby and even though he is eleven and in middle school, he still asks me many nights to sing, The Flower Song.  I changed the story to include a little boy rather than a little girl.  I hope one day he knows the love for his children is far stronger than the worry of an out of pitch voice and that he too will sing The Flower Song to them.

The Flower Song

Once there was a little flower

that grew all alone.

It had no friends around it;

no one to call its own.

But then one day,

a little boy came running through the field.

He saw that pretty flower

and his heart beat with glee.

He knelt beside the flower,

and touched it tenderly.

He thought how pretty it would be

his mother it to give.

He picked that pretty flower,

and ran home so swiftly.

He gave it to his Mommy;

who smiled happily.

They went out to the garden,

and picked three roses red.

They put them with that wildflower;

who held up its pretty head.

But in that lovely meadow,

still no friends it would have

But now it has three pretty friends;

Three Pretty Roses Red.

Wait ...... that's not red! Is it???

One of my most favorite things to do when I was a child was to color.  Getting a new coloring book was like winning the lottery to me.  I colored everything in order and hoarded my favorite coloring books away from cousins that came over to visit so they wouldn't skip around and color the pages I was excited about coloring when I got to them in the book.  I guess my obsessive coloring book behavior explains my personality even today.  I still love to color/draw/paint/sketch (insert random art word here) today.  I even have my own crayons that I don't even let my own son use.  At my fingertips I have 152 crayons in the most beautiful colors Crayola could create.  Just to read the names of the colors makes me happy - Purple Mountain's Majesty, Wild Strawberry, Sunglow, Inchworm .....

Even though there may be 152 vivid colors to choose from in the box, the wrappers only come in 18 different colors.  Which brings me to the subject of this blog.  The color RED.  How many times when you were coloring as a child did you pick up a crayon you believed to be red and realized instead of coloring the little rabbit's umbrella red you were coloring it magenta?!?!  You began searching around for the one crayon with the shortest name in the box - only three letters - RED.  Like the black crayon, its tip was blunt and rounded and you had to peel the paper back to be able to use it.





I had a very similar experience with the color red yesterday.
I found a couple of 70's era wooden arm

chairs destined for the furniture graveyard.  They had been well loved.  Someone had painted them with black chalkboard paint.  I could still see faint pictures drawn by young hands all over the seat.  Their new life with me however was going to have to be in another form.  (I think I'll pass on chalk dust all over my pants.)  The chairs just seemed to plead with me, "Please paint us red!"  So ... I decided to go with it.  Why not?

I found the perfect shade of red - candy apple.  It was not exactly a simple process.  It took many color samples being held up for me to view at a distance (much to my son's dismay) before I decided on a red that wasn't too orange, too brown, too pink, etc, etc, etc....




With the first swipe of the brush I was doubtful.  It looked fuschia.  Exactly like picking up the wrong crayon!  I kept going.  After all,  I was painting over black so it was going to need a lot of coats .... right???.  After 4 coats I was still not convinced and was growing increasingly frustrated.  The color got even worse when I distressed the corners and edges to reveal some of the black and yellow underneath (I put a coat of yellow on the corners before painting red)  After sanding, I decided to wax them with antiquing wax. If this didn't work, then the next plan was to grab some 40 grit sandpaper and fire up the sander.  They could always be painted white.

I didn't even use soft wax first.  I wanted every groove in the wood to soak up the dark tint of the antiquing wax.  This was either going to be magical or depressing.  I began to rub the wax into the wood like I was moisturizing my legs in the winter time.  Voila!  Definitely magical - the perfect shade of red.  Exactly what I was looking for!

And I hope it is exactly what someone else is looking for.  These chairs will be part of my booth I will have at the Flea Market in Raleigh in September.  (exact date to be announced soon)  I have plenty of refurbished furniture and accessories to begin the transition from summer to fall in your home.  Even if the "perfect shade of red" doesn't fit into your color scheme inside your home, these chairs are affordable enough to greet any trick or treaters or Thanksgiving guests on your porch.  At only $30 each, you will have enough money to buy some mums to put on the seat and some pumpkins to put at their feet.

Tricked Out Chair

Looking back the chair was a lot like a dog.  An old dog spending its last few days at a pound hoping someone would just take a chance. Waiting for someone to look past its battered edges and worn hide and take it home to start a new life. Enter me 😊 (Come to think of it the similarities are uncanny. The upholstery smelled like a wet dog and there actually may have been fleas involved as well). 

I was excited beyond measure with my "new" $20 addition to the family. After all, I had pinned and tried every homemade chalk paint recipe I could find on Pinterest, but I had finally splurged and bought the real thing .... Annie Sloan chalk paint and soft wax. My "old dog" would soon be all tricked out. First thing to tackle was that pungent upholstery. I wanted the perfect new covering to bring this old baby back to life. 

I had also found an old tobacco fertilizer sack at my favorite antique store in Selma, the Country Peddler, for $6.50. I had to have it because it had NC State stamped on the sack!!!  Perfect for this Wolfpack alumni and her new chair 😀. 

So ... After cleaning years worth of dust and grime off of said chair I began painting. I must say I was not impressed after the first coat of paint.  I started liking it more after two coats. However, after waxing and then sanding I became a true believer. It was magical. The finish was so smooth and really made it look like a chair that had been lovingly sat in beside a sunny window at grandma's house. A big improvement over the chair that looked and smelled like a dog had slept (and peed) on it on the forgotten side porch at Uncle Ferney's house. 

I used the old upholstery material for templates to cut my fertilizer sack to the correct sizes. (I used plenty of ventilation ... probably should have worn a mask 😷). I saved the old upholstery tacks to reuse and bought some new trim at Joanne's Fabric and Crafts with a 50% off coupon so I had $12 in the trim. 

I'm thrilled with the end product. I have a true one of a kind chair that I love for so many reasons. One, I love giving old things new life. Two, it has a connection to my alma mater. Three, it provided me with a Sunday afternoon project. Four, it cost me less than $40. And five, it's beautiful. 

Sure glad everyone kept walking by when they saw (and smelled) that little chair at the thrift shop. Cause .... now she's mine. 😍

Life's Defining Moments

There have been many defining moments in my life but one in particular has always stood out to me. My dad owned a little country restaurant outside of my hometown of Richlands, NC.  I convinced him to let me work there one summer to make some extra money. After all, I was about 14 and of the age to want to buy the "right kind" of clothes. (Those clothes incidently look a lot like clothes that are popular today - Sperry Top Siders, neon, Converse, preppy shirts, hair bows, etc). Of course those clothes cost twice as much as what my mom was willing to spend.  She was a hairdresser and worked hard for every penny she made.  Enter the summer job. Friday evenings and Saturday mornings 6 am until around 1:30 pm. I only worked there that one summer. I made good money and realized that everyone at some point in their life needs to work as a waiter or waitress. The standard tip of 10 to 15% did not apply (and to some people never will) at that time and in that little hole in the wall. I remember cleaning off many a six top and being rewarded with 2 dollar bills for serving plates of hamburger steak, chicken and pastry and filling up enough glasses of sweet tea to float a small boat in the New River. It was hard work trying to keep everyone happy. To arrive and be ready to open at 6:00 am, I had to get up every Saturday morning at 4:00.  Hence comes the defining moment. The sun was still asleep on that particular Saturday morning and my comforter pulled around my head was serving me just fine instead of that super attractive hair net I was supposed to wear.  I had been at the restaurant until after 10:00 pm the night before getting tea ready and waiting for my dad to finish counting the money. Needless to say I didn't want to serve anyone pancakes, grits, or country ham with red eye gravy.  So ... when my dad walked into my room and said, "Gina .... Get up and get ready. We've got to go". I was ready with the excuse. It was quite an ingenius excuse actually.  I just knew it was going to work and that my relaxing morning in bed eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch was just around the corner. 

 "I don't feel good.  I don't think I can go in today."  Real original. Now remember ... my dad owned the restaurant. He could have babied me, told me to rest and feel better soon, that he would call and tell them I wasn't going to be able to make it. But that's not how I was raised. It's not how we have chosen to raise our son. My dad's decision at that moment helped shape me into the dependable person I am today. He came into my room and told me unless I was dying that there were two women at that restaurant that were depending on me to help them that morning. They didn't get a choice to stay home or not.  They had children at home that needed to eat and the job for them was more than extra money to spend on wants. They needed the money to pay bills. I got up and went to work that day and I can say with 100% honesty I have never skipped work one day in my life. If I call in sick you better believe I'm "bad off". I know my Dad's decision that day sent me down what Robert Frost would call the road less traveled. The harder path. The path where you think about more than yourself and what makes your life easy. I am a teacher.  An absence for me affects over 100 young people a day. They deserve me to be there and give them my best. I love being a teacher, (and not for June, July, and August) but have always had a dream of owning my own antique shop. I've loved rummaging through junk since I was a kid digging up old glass medicine and face cream bottles in the field behind my Grandma and Granddaddys house. I hope to use this blog to chronicle a new/old idea I'm trying to see become a reality - my own little shop. I know countless others have the same vision. Hopefully the defining moments I have had in my life have shaped me into someone that can see it through. What  defining moments do you remember in your life?

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