A Vintage Secretary in Blue

Isn't this the cutest desk!! I loved it even when it was in its original dowdy opaque shellac, and let me tell you, that honey colored surface was doing the piece no favors. My best friend alllllllmost commissioned me to refinish this piece custom for her amazing new house that she's closing on at the end of July, but she has all these weird ideas about "budgeting" and "self-control". I know, right?!

       It worked out because another friend, who already has her new dream home snapped it right up for custom refinishing. We went with a medium denim blue for the exterior.  It's the color of the hydrangea that blooms in front of my house every year, which I purchased from this friend's family nursery, I've named it "And Sandy's Too". I cut the color with an antique cream for the interior. We swapped the pulls with another set of Chippendale brasses that had a bit more character and substance then I sealed the entire thing with dark wax.

           Every spring  and summer my garden and window boxes overflow with the wonderful flowers and shrubs I've bought from Paul and Sandy's nursery, and every winter my Paul and Sandy's lemon and lime trees fill my home with the heady scent of citrus (and the fruits are AWESOME for cocktails!). Their wares fill my home with joy, and it means so much to me to help fill their homes with my own humble crafted contribution.

           So for your weekend assignment I'm going to gently prod you to go out and support a local business in your community. If you were wondering how to make America (or any nation- shout out to all my international readers!!) great again, that's the answer. Invest in your community. Small business owner's aren't going to go out and buy a hundred foot yacht (I have no idea how big yachts are), or a fifth vacation home in Ibiza, they're going to support other businesses in your town. Give back where you can see the results. Just like with any hard problem, we need to start small and work our way up. I promise you that every sale I make, every client I meet, means the world to me. And I remember every single one of you. I wonder if Walmart can say the same...