Thursday, May 31, 2012

Spanish Influence

Thursday's Featured Product


What do I love best about this versatile console table? The fact that hidden on the bottom of the piece, is what we believe to be the furniture makers signature, the date, and the place: Virgil Robinson, Nov. 24, 1961, Hazelwood, North Carolina. Isn't it wonderful when you discover a little bit of history? Such a great find at the local Volunteer Rescue Squads annual yard sale, it was drab, brown, dusty, and dejected. Just sitting amongst cast-offs no one seemed to be paying any attention to. Ahhh, we were not quick to judge this old girl, we opened her doors, discovered she was sturdy and well built and we thought, maybe, just maybe, we can give her a new look for today's GLOBAL INSPIRED interiors.

Two coats of Annie Sloan Barcelona Orange, Aubusson Blue dabbed in the background of the front paneled doors, an application of Annie's Brown Wax, hand buffing and rubbing, and WOW, mission accomplished! What a transformation, this multi-functional cabinet is warm, vibrant, and brings the look of a world traveler to your home. Reminds you of a piece you might see in Turkey, Spain, or Greece. But no, made right here in the USA near the furniture capital of High Point, NC! The cabinet has one shelf inside that is adjustable. This piece is VERY heavy and solid. Could make an incredible coffee table in a smaller sized living room or apartment. Or a great night stand or end table as well!

My new puppy, Harper, modeling next to the table!

Please visit our Etsy site or send us an email if you think this table is right for you!




Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Abell's Diner


Today's local establishment that we love is none other than the delicious Abell's Diner. Located at the 4-way stop where Rt. 242 and Rt. 234 cross, Abell's Diner is a landmark in its own right. Sometimes referred to as the Greasy Spoon, the diner serves Breakfast and Lunch daily. Personally, I am a big fan of their breakfast menu, the "Bushwacker" in particular. Nothing tastes better after a long morning of yard saleing or a night out on the town than a big plate of greasy, homemade breakfast. (Try the biscuits and gravy, you won't be disappointed.)

Their lunch menu isn't too shabby either. As a child, I remember frequenting Abell's with my Dad and siblings, cramming into a booth and chowing down on a freshly baked pizza. My mom, Donna, who works about 5 minutes down the road from the diner, enjoys a cheeseburger and fries for lunch for only $5.50. In this economy, what a bargain!

Abell's is a small, family owned diner, started years ago by Carl Abell. I believe it’s their old school atmosphere and family run vibe that gives it such success. For example, in the cooler months when they make their signature vegetable soup, Carl’s daughter Terri, who now runs the show, will call the company my mom works for, just to let them know it’s a soup day. Another personal touch that caters to the community is during the Catholic Lenten season when they serve fish and other seafood exclusively on Fridays. There may not be a ton a businesses located in the Clements/7th District area, but you better believe that Abell’s parking lot is nearly packed almost every day for breakfast and lunch with all walks of life!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Back to Your…

Regularly Scheduled Programming!
Welcome back to all of our lovely followers, we apologize for the week long delay, but we were busy soaking up some Georgia inspiration. That’s right ya’ll, we hit the sunny shores of Tybee Island, GA for a week of fun in the sun.
We planned this family vacation back in the winter and had been looking forward to the summer getaway ever since. With our cars loaded down and our new puppies comfortably resting in the back seats we made our way to Georgia. While browsing the Internet for the places to stay in Tybee, we came across Mermaid Cottages. They were great to work with and the pictures online were adorable; we were sold. But the pictures online and the rave reviews didn’t compare to seeing our cottage, “Basking Under the Tybee Sun” in person. In a word, precious.

During the one rainy day we experienced, we were sitting around the living room just relaxing, and I couldn’t help but think, what great inspiration for our business. There was no detail forgotten in this home, from the laundry room to the front porch, the bathroom to the master bedroom. Each room had a unique style, but all somehow managed to flow perfectly with the rest of the house.
We all took note of the painted furniture, with the use of tropical tangerine and lime colors, as well as the adorable and updated slipcovers for the furniture. Everything meshed perfectly, and it gave the Point Breeze team lots of coastal inspiration for some of our upcoming pieces.
While riding our bikes through the historic side of town, we saw the old Mess Hall turned rental cottages that one of our favorite blogging and design teams tackled last year; The fabulous Kev and Layla Palmer from The Lettered Cottage. Check out the makeover they did HERE!
We're glad to be back, and looking forward to working on some Tybee inspired pieces!

-Mindy, Donna & Marci

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Out of the Blue

Thursday's Featured Product

Back in early spring our yard sale pickings were slim; The thrift shops were depleted, and craigslist was right down pitiful. It seemed there was absolutely no one with anything good to get rid of! After a disappointing Saturday morning we decided to detour and make one last stop, at the local Habitat Re-Store. There were the usual building materials, light fixtures, floor tiles, sinks, etc. and then we made our way in to the “furniture room”. Didn’t see much at first, but as we rounded a corner, there it was, an absolutely wonderful credenza/buffet straight out of a late 60’s or early 70’s dining room. Clean lines with a touch of pizazz? Check. Solid, sturdy, and well built? Check. Drawers and doors in good working order? Check. Is the price right? Well….maybe.





We all looked at each other, and nodded in approval, THIS could be the makeover piece we have been searching for.  You see, all three of us LOVE the way credenzas and buffets are being repurposed in to gorgeous places to house today’s Flat Screen T.V.’s. Storage abounds in these cabinets for DVD’s, games, puzzles, books, just about anything you would use in your family or media room.  We have also noticed a trend for using them in entryways as a place for keys, gloves, mail, purse storage, cell phone docking, etc.  We went up front and asked the very friendly clerk if we could purchase the credenza (or buffet, we still are not sure exactly which it is, although it has a silverware compartment so I guess it is technically a buffet?) She said, “Sure! If you buy the matching china cabinet I’ll give you a discount.” Hmmm we hadn’t even thought about taking on a china cabinet, but what the heck, if Sweet Bubba will pick it up and haul it for us, we’ll give it a whirl!
Bubba picked both pieces up and brought them home for us. We needed muscles, lots of muscles to wrestle them in to the shop, but boy oh boy were they worth the effort. Blue was the unanimous color choice, and not just any blue. Annie Sloan’s Aubusson Blue was what we were all drawn to. So we got to work, painting, and waxing, and waxing some more, buffing, and buffing some more, and the results are so pretty we are having a hard time parting with them. I actually had a scary moment of considering changing the entire décor of my living room just to accommodate the credenza, but sanity prevailed (and my husband Jeb’s look of disbelief kind of  brought me back to my senses), because I just repainted and refurnished my living room!


Let us know what you think of our two lovely pieces. We have enjoyed bringing a shot of color and fun to their somewhat boring original finishes.  You never know, sometimes a wonderful piece of furniture comes your way “Out of the Blue”. We certainly weren’t expecting to find these that dreary morning, but are we ever glad we did.









Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Traditions



Every Wednesday, we would like to take a moment to recognize some of the local businesses in Southern Maryland that we love. This weeks "We Love Wednesdays" feature is a local shop that I've frequented for many years, and was a source of inspiration for starting Point Breeze Cottage; Traditions of Loveville.

Traditions is a rustic little shop located in St. Mary's County that actually used to be the home of the Loveville Post Office. You can read more about it's history by visiting their beautiful website: http://www.traditionsofloveville.com/. Everything about the store is thrilling for me; the old building it's housed it, the way the merchandise is displayed, enticing you to wander through each room, the light background music, and the friendly staff. The folks at Traditions have truly done it right.

It's not only the atmosphere I love, it's the merchandise as well. The unique pieces of furniture, the incredibly beautiful artwork, the locally inspired dishes and glassware, and of course the ever popular Vera Bradley selection! As a teenager, going to Traditions of Loveville always made me wish I could own a shop similar to theirs. My goal is to one day turn our online PBC enterprise into a bustling and beautiful shop similar to the business model of Traditions.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Selling in the Right Light

Tuesday Tip: Better Photography = Better Sales

In writing these "Tuesday Tips" I am by no means claiming to be an expert Etsy vendor, business woman, or photographer. I simply want to share with you a few quick tips and tricks that I've learned thus far.

1. Photography is important. Quality, price, and description are all important too, but without a favorable photo, your product may not sell quite as quickly. Providing a potential buyer with a true to life photo of your product can only help you sell your product, as you're showing them as much of it as you can.

2. You don't need a professional quality camera to professional results. A simple point and shoot digital camera can get the job done just as effectively.
-Natural light (ie: shooting near a sunlit window or moving your piece outside) always improves a photograph.
-Avoid a "cluttered" background. Try to find a solid or simple background without too much going on in the background to keep the focus on your product.
-Use different angles. While it's nice to have one head-on shot, try shooting from a lower vantage point, each side, and from above. Show off every angle of your product!

3. Resize huge photos. I've found with Etsy that when uploading your photos, it helps to reduce their size if you're using an exceptionally high resolution photo. I like to resize my photos from the 4000 range down to about 1000.

4. Be creative! Are you selling a shoe rack? Try adding some props, such as your favorite pair of pumps. Show the buyer that your product actually works for what it was created for!

Here are a few of my favorite photos that we've used on our Etsy site:






Monday, May 14, 2012

Bakery Bliss Table

Welcome to Monday's Featured Product: The Bakery Bliss Table!


This "sweet" piece was designed especially for the youngsters in your life. With a purple/fuschia finish, a decoupaged top and pull out drawer, this table is sure to inspire many fun moments. It is versatile, with a large cubby for books, toys, blankets, or any other child favorite, as well as smooth sliding drawer with large white knob for easy access. The top has a large, flat surface for tea parties, a place to practice drawing or even a board game. If you are looking for a funky, unique piece to compliment your child's bedroom or playroom, look no further!


The history behind the Bakery Bliss Table: After a long and hot day of yard sales in St. Mary's County, we were on our way home when we saw an "off the beaten path" sale. Those kinds of sales are typically hit or miss, with either tons of treasures or tons of trash. At first glance, this stop appeared to be trash. And lots of it...Then, just as we were about to leave, I noticed the table that some of the old toys and clothes were displayed on. It was pepto bismol pink and very dirty, but something about it seemed to be calling out to me. As we loaded it on the truck, I began to brainstorm about the possibilities, what colors I'd use, and if I'd be able to find the perfect fabric.


Well, we happened to have some fuschia colored, mis-tint paint from Lowes, and I found the perfect scrap piece of dessert themed fabric from JoAnn's as well as a strip of lime green ribbon. A couple coats of paint and decoupage later, and this precious little Bakery Bliss Table was born! To purchase this table, please email us at ptbreezecottage@gmail.com or visit our etsy site, HERE.


Wednesday, May 9, 2012

"Saling" Do's and Don'ts

Today’s post is one that I feel confident in writing because I have “saled” on Saturday’s since my teenage years...yes, a very long time. I hope you don’t mind my do’s and don’ts for yard sale shoppers.  I’ve discovered a lot is written out there in blog land and in magazines about how to have a successful sale and how you should conduct yourself as a seller, but not quite so much is written about the other side, the buyer, or as I refer to us, the “saler”. Nothing irks me more than a totally rude and obnoxious person plowing through a yard or estate sale.  Most of the time everyone is having a good time and people are really nice, but there is the occasional jacka** that really puts a damper on the fun!

Luckily for PBC, St. Mary’s County, Maryland is home to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station as well as local countians whose family roots go back several hundred years to Maryland’s founding. Yard Sales abound every weekend from April through September.  

Oftentimes military families have to “pick up and go” and they just can’t/or don’t want to take all their “stuff” with them.  I can understand how they may not want to haul the teak garden bench from the Phillipines to their new post in Newfoundland, or their snowboarding gear to their new station in the Florida Keys. We, the loyal and faithful yardsalers benefit greatly from these brave, courageous, friendly, and TRANSIENT military members of our community and are ready to relieve them of these items for a fair price!

The locals like to have yard sales too, and occasionally a fantastic estate sale comes along. When the estate is that of a St. Mary’s County family who had been living in the same home for 50+ years, you are likely to find treasures galore! Estate sales are emotional for many people, as the sale is often a result of the loss of a loved one. We always try to keep that in mind and show respect for the property and kindness toward those having the sale. This is difficult enough for them as it is, making snide remarks about their loved ones taste in home décor (i.e. velvet paintings of card playing dogs, green shag carpet) will not win you any points when you find that rare Spode gravy boat that the family never used, collecting dust on the “knick-knack shelf”!

Some things to remember when yard saling:

·    The early bird gets the worm. So true! You cannot sleep in on Saturday’s and expect to get the good stuff!

·    Dress for the task at hand:
o   Sturdy shoes, not every yard sale is on a nicely paved cul-de-sac.Who knows what terrain you will be walking on? Flip flops on wet grass? Ugh, no thanks!
o   Pants with pockets to store your money and your car keys (NO PURSES! This is hands free shopping!!!
o   Reading glasses (for the over 40 group), very important to see the details of what you are buying!
o   Dress in layers. It may be chilly at 6 a.m. but by 10 o’clock it is warming up quickly and you may getting’ sweaty from lifting all your loot!

·    Bargaining is expected most of the time, and most people price accordingly. HOWEVER, be reasonable and fair in your offers and most of the time the seller will do the same.
·    If you do not own a truck or large vehicle and have to call someone to come and pick up a large purchase, make sure it happens fairly quickly. Most people do not want to have to wait around all day to move a buffet out of their driveway. I bought a rocking chair once and couldn’t get my husband’s truck for a couple of hours. When I went back to get it, the seller had forgotten I had bought and paid for it earlier that morning and was getting ready to sell it to someone else! 

·    Stock your vehicle with hand sanitizer, bottled water, some snacks, some boxes, bags, and an old towel or blanket to protect purchases, a good map or GPS to find those out of the way addresses, and last but not least plenty of One’s and Five’s. It works out great when they see you have a 5 dollar bill in your hand and you want a 7 dollar item and you can say “will you take 5?” 9 out of 10 times they do!

·    I am not trying to sound anti-social, but keep you yard-saling companions to like minded friends and family members. There are two types of “salers” the ones with no particular agenda, who like to browse, chat, and hang out at sales for a VERY long time. And there are those who are on a mission, as we usually are, scanning for particular items of interest. So if you are on a serious hunt for furniture and furniture only, I would NOT recommend you travel with the folks who like to look at every knick knack and every piece of clothing at sales. One Saturday I went “saling” alone, and was back home in 1 hour with a 1940’s Hard Rock Maple chest of drawers with mirror, a sofa table, and a very unique plant stand!


Monday, May 7, 2012

Bar Cart, Goodbye!

The time has come to say goodbye to one of my most beloved pieces so far, the beautiful blue and white bar cart!

The blue bar cart, resting perfectly on the front porch of Point Breeze Cottage!

Though we've had this item for sale for a couple of months now, it's still hard to see it go. This bar cart holds a special place in my heart as it was one of the first pieces that I did entirely on my own.

My husband works for a government contractor who happens to do a lot of work out of Virginia Beach, VA. Last fall he was sent there, spur of the moment, on travel and I decided to take a mini-vacation and tagged along. As I was driving him to work one morning, I noticed a couple thrift shops along my route. So once I dropped him off I went to scope them out and see if I could find any thrifty pieces that were calling out to be made "refabulous".


Ready to check out some of the local thrift stores in the VA Beach area.
 Obviously not use to being out thrifting during the week, I arrived at the first one around 7am...and they didn't open until 9am. I used that time to drive around town, make a plan of which shops to hit and in what order, and of course, snap a picture of myself preparing to thrift!

My first stop was a Disabled American Veterans (DAV) sponsored thrift shop, and it was great! The first thing I noticed was a sign that read, "All prices are final. Proceeds are benefiting Disabled Veterans." Who can argue with that? Anyway, I wandered around for a while and finally made my way back to the furniture section.

And there she sat. A funky, but sturdy, 1970s or 80s wood and metal bar cart that had just been marked down. I instantly saw the potential of the piece and knew exactly what I wanted to do to spruce it up. But this was the first store I'd been in and we still had 2 days left in the area. If I bought this, would I have room for anything else? Would our suitcases still fit in the car? I didn't waste too much time on those questions, because I grabbed the price tag off of it and headed to the front of the store to pay.  Thankfully it fit in the back seat of my sedan and I didn't end up finding any other large items I wanted to purchase anyway so it all worked out. Upon returning to Maryland, I cleaned the metal, painted the funky wood white, and decoupaged the shelves with a vibrant blue and white flower fabric. Talk about cleaning up nicely!




Due to the size of this item, shipping was somewhat outrageous. The piece didn't come apart, so our only choice was to ship it as is in a VERY large box. We had a ton of interest in the cart from people in Canada to California, but no one was ever willing to pay the shipping costs. UNTIL last week, when I got a message from a very friendly, fellow Marylander, who just loved it. We've recently added a new policy at PBC that states that for any purchases within a 25 mile radius, we'll charge $25 for shipping and deliver it to you ourselves. And with that, the bar cart was sold!
 
SITE DESIGN BY DESIGNER BLOGS