Hey y’all. I’ve decided to start a blog to share some of my DIY projects and home styling ideas. Since as far back as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be an Interior Decorator. But life happens, and somehow I ended up in nursing school. Don’t get me wrong, nursing has been good to me and I’ve been able to meet and help many amazing people (the littles are my favorite). But after 17 years of nursing, I still have this longing in my soul to be an interior decorator. Not that I want to go back to school ever again (I already went back once to get a Master’s Degree in Nursing). I mean like, NEVER. But maybe I can live this dream in another facet. Last fall, my husband and I were browsing through a local antique mall and on a whim, I decided to put my name on the waiting list for a booth. I got a phone call in late February asking if I was still interested in the booth. I froze. Should I do it? Can I do it? I don’t have anything to put in an antique booth. And I have a full time job. And three littles. This was a crazy idea. So I ran the idea by my sounding board (my hubby, of course). And he said, “absolutely, this is what you love!” He is my biggest cheerleader and somehow makes me feel like I can do ANYTHING (which is totally not so). But I said yes anyway. So the next weekend, my hubby and I gathered the littles and hooked the trailer up to the pickup and went on a junkin spree to fill a booth in an antique mall. Yes, the littles tag along. Sometimes they like it, and sometimes, not so much. I tell them it’s like going on a treasure hunt.
This was one of the “I like it” times. Yes, there were pony rides at the flea market. And a petting zoo.
And this was a “not so much” time. It was rainy, hot & humid. It was Texas, y’all.
Anyway, I had no idea what to buy. What do people like? What will people buy? Does it have to be an “antique” to go in an antique mall? So I decided, hey, I’ll just buy everything that I like and if it doesn’t sell, then yay, I get to keep it. Simple enough, right?
This is what we had when we opened our booth. Pitiful, I know. But it was a start.
Not sure if I should be happy or sad, but I didn’t get to keep anything. Sometimes that’s the hardest part. Parting with all of my treasured finds. Since I have opened the first booth, which has now turned into 3 in just 3 short months, I feel like I am living my dream and fulfilling my purpose. My favorite is giving old things new life, which is where the name “Beauty For Ashes” derived. When I buy a piece, my brain immediately goes into overdrive thinking what can I do with this? How can I repurpose it or give it new life? And that just builds an excitement inside of me and drives me to push myself beyond limits. I come home at the end of working all day as a nurse and have a renewed energy to work on projects { I’ll talk more on how I balance it all in a future post }. I’m looking forward to sharing some of my projects and ideas with all of you and hope you will follow along on the journey.
We bring in new finds weekly and sometimes I’m sad to see them go. These were some of my favorites
What a beautiful start! I’m especially happy for you, Heather! I can hear the excitement in your voice and absolutely adore your enthusiasm. Prayers for many more beautiful blessings to come your way, my dear friend. I look forward to browsing “Beauty for Ashes” really soon ❤️?
Thank you, my sweet friend! God is so good!
Love your story. Keep it up Heather.
Thank you so much, Mrs. Tammy!