BEFORE AND AFTER

Don't you love before and after photos? I do and I have a few to share with you.

This past July my favorite stationery shop, M & Co. Papery, closed its doors. The darling and talented Marlene Dunn had been the proprietress of one of the few bright spots in downtown Mesa for ten years.

I stopped by a few times during the month of July picking-up discounted items including stationery, a chair for my library, and this beauty (see below). I badly needed lateral filing space and more shelves for books for my home office. And then one day I walked in to her shop (again) and saw this in the back. This is what Marlene used for her daily office needs. I bought it immediately.

I knew I wanted to lighten it up for my home so I called Martha Forzano of Forzano and Son she sent her guys to pick it up and together we figured out the perfect sage green glaze.

This is one of those great moments when what I envisioned is exactly what I got. I love this piece! Martha even had one more shelf made for me and you can't tell the difference between the original and the extra piece. It is a lovely solid and functional piece. It even has lights inside the top of the bookcase and they all work. And I love that this was well-used for a worthwhile business.

The books aren't yet artfully arranged but all of these books (and a few more) have been in piles scattered around the house. It is nice to see them in some order.

So then as I was waiting to talk to Martha (who has the best design sense) I spied this little table stacked up on two other tables. I immediately loved it and bought it. Martha had designed it herself and lucky me, it hadn't sold yet.

Picturing this in my family room, I opted for a black glaze with a little rubbing. Martha agreed and once more I was thrilled with the result.

Below is the table placed and ready for action. The pics on the table are of my cute Mom and the smaller picture is my Dad eating an ice cream cone walking along the Rhine River.

The next before and after story is about my front door. It badly needed a freshen up and although I have a design idea for a new door it will have to wait. Isn't paint a great invention?

I love this color (Bon Nuit by Frazee in Low Sheen).

This color works great both inside and outside. Believe me, I wasn't up to the challenge of selecting two different colors.

It looks great, doesn't it?

The next project for the front entrance is to replace the glass block with some type of beveled glass. But for now, I'm happy.