I know. You don't hear anything from me for a month then I inundate you with pictures and information!! Imagine how my spousal-unit feels!! :)
Now then... I was in Lake Charles with a friend. An acquaintance had mentioned a place there with vinegar and olive oils. I am a HUGE fan of both so convinced my friend, who is not nearly as big a fan, we should check it out. We were both VERY glad we did. They do not have a web site that I can find, but they are on Facebook. I'm not, but you can find them there. This place is more than just a vinegar & olive oil tasting spot (although that's my fave reason to go!). They have a TON of great gift items AND they will put together a basket for you to give as a gift that the recipient will love. A few quick photos to get you interested:
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| VINEGAR SAMPLING !!! THIS IS JUST ONE SIDE. THERE ARE MORE ON THE BACKSIDE!!! |
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| JUST ONE WALL OF OLIVE OIL SAMPLING!!! THERE IS A WHOLE 'NOTHER WALL. YUMMMMMM. |
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| GIFTS GALORE,,, |
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| ... AND MORE!!!! |
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| CAN YOU SAY SPECIALTY FOOD OVERLOAD?!?!? OH MY!! |
Now then... just three doors down, in Suite 400, is a WONDERFUL place owned by two sisters. Haven Home Furnishings does have a minimal web site (click on the name which will take you there) but you really need to visit the store to get the full effect of the items and the sisters! Or you can visit their Facebook page.
We stumbled across it after visiting Crave one day. We had a wonderful time chatting with Kathi who gave us the lowdown on her history, the store, etc. She also told us about the painting of many of the furniture items in the store. Her sister, Shirley, had done it. That led to a discussion about the paint and the technique. Next thing you know, she is telling us her sister will be holding classes in the technique soon. Uh. Okay. Being a severely left-brain individual, the thought of trying to paint something really cool (other than the kitchen cabinets which was a VERY long project but relatively simple) was just daunting.
The next time I was there, however, I wandered in to see if I could beg or cajole Shirley into painting a couple of items I have that would really look great with some of the techniques used on some of the items for sale. She was very sweet and understanding but kept telling me how EASY it was to do what she did to a piece of furniture. Finally, we struck a bargain. I would attend the one-day class IF she would agree to do the pieces should I fail miserably at achieving the look I wanted. Done. We reached agreement. It was this that saw me heading to Lake Charles early one Saturday morning for a furniture painting class. Oh boy.
Well, I will tell you this much. The class was great fun. There were three other attendees (all of whom were far more right-brain than I am!) who were very kind to me... encouraging me and taking care of me throughout the ordeal. I actually found myself having some fun with it by afternoon! The fear had abated. Now I just wanted to get crazy!! :) So... armed with new knowledge, I am now thinking about exactly what treatment I want to give the telephone table and the two huge chests-of-drawers that belonged to my parents. They are great pieces but the old blonde wood look just doesn't work for me. Oh... and there will eventually be an "advanced" class with more techniques! Dare I consider it? We'll see.
At any rate... here are some photos of the items that inspired me and one of my mentors in class (Thanks, Linn!). Please try to get by there when you are in Lake Charles. You'll be glad you did!!
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| TAKE AN OLD DOOR, A SMALL TABLE, A SHELF... CONNECT & PAINT... VOILA!!! |
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| ONE OF MY MENTORS!!! THANKS, LINN!! |
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| WHO DOESN'T LOVE A PINK FLAMINGO POWDER ROOM?!?!?!?!? |
Until next post...
2 comments:
I haven't been to Haven yet, but Shirley is my step-mom......she has always been talented, you should see some the stained glass pieces she does.
Felicia Stewart
She is definitely talented! I really enjoyed the class. She mentioned her stained glass work. Would love to see some!
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