The Sweetest Goodbye

 photo by rhoadeecha

 Do you ever feel like a kid in a candy store? Well, lately I do! I feel like there are new opportunities coming into my life adding to the other ones that are already so sweet.

 Almost a year ago, I made the huge jump to get an office in Alameda, CA. While it was GREAT to move all of my colorist supplies out of our home office, it also became the prime location for my second business.  As you can see from the last post, I am a passionate thrifter.  My second business was born when busy friends offered to pay for designer and vintage items I found for them.  Following my passion, a fledgling part time business was born called Port 16 Pop Up Boutique (named after my first little office in Alameda).

 View from my current window

While I continue to do color consulting, I am also working on this side business. Now I am moving my office into the village where I live to make it more convenient for me and my clients. I will miss the view of San Francisco but I will love being able to walk to work! So much good stuff but something's gotta give! 

 As I sat down tonight to write a post on a recent, wonderful kitchen remodel I worked on, I realized that while I love to share my projects and thoughts on color, I have lost the passion (and time) for blogging.  I still love to write and assemble pretty pictures, but I realize I DON'T love the time that must go into a decent blog post.

 Blogging is for many designers is nearly a full time occupation. And so many in the color/design field are brilliant at it! Some of my fellow colleagues over the years have decided that blogging is simply too distracting and takes away time from other projects, work, and life.  So I have decided to leave the blogging to the professional bloggers and make time for all of the other fun color and clothing projects I've gotten into. 

However, this is far from goodbye!  I really hope you will "LIKE" my little page on Facebook. I will be posting before and after pictures here as well as colorized pictures of how I'd like to redo architecture given the chance (one of my favorite things!)  I am also on Pinterest and have a board related to color and one about design.  Feel free to meet up with me there! 

 
Facebook: Architectural Color by Marie
Pinterest: Pinterest
Port 16 Pop Up Boutique:Port 16 Boutique

 Many of you have followed me for nearly 5 years and for that I say a profound and grateful THANK YOU!!!! 

Marie

Happy New Year and Happy Thrifting!

 Happy New Year!  Now that we are one month into 2013, I thought I'd start a new blogging year with another passion of mine....thrifting! 

I have been thrifting on and off for over 30 years, uh, before it was cool to be seen in a thrift store. This started for me and my best friend in high school when money was too tight for clothing from our local mall. It was a huge secret we kept from our classmates out of fear of ridicule.  Now the teens I know consider it a point of pride to show off their latest finds!  There are now blogs, websites and even songs devoted to thrifting!

Thrifting has seen a huge uptick since the economy tanked. It also makes environmental sense to reuse what others cast off and keep it from landfill.  Let's face it, with so many home bloated with way too much "stuff", it's no wonder most thrift stores are busting at the seams with many great ...and yes, tacky, items. So many of us have tired of getting yet more stuff from big box stores and yearn for something with a little history and quirk.  From a design and color point of view, it's a great way to add some personality and interest to your home.  There is nothing more boring than a home that looks like it came straight out of one company's catalog.  Anyone can do that!

What I love about thrift finds is that it makes you take a harder look at the color, design of an object and incorporating it into you home more so than if you simply plucked it from a magazine where it's already featured.  

My personal taste runs to mid-century modern which, sadly, is very sought after these days! Here are just a small sample of some of my favorite finds:

 Any sort of mid-century glassware or bowls. If I find only a single glass, I use it at the bedside as a water glass.

 Little tile trivets and plastic Melamine type plates are another favorite for display

 The fireplace mantle usually houses many of my finds. The red 1960's lamps (only one shown here) were a gift from a friend while the metal candle holder, mini globe, and chrome auto piece were thrift finds.

The turquoise Philco radio was being overlooked at an estate sale in a house flooded with people!

Only after I purchased it, did some people admire it as I walked out. 

 This is one of our all time best finds and I have to give my husband full credit for this.  It even came with an 8 track tape still jammed inside!  Poster in background is from IKEA.

I've been admiring cane-back chairs lately and found this lovely orange one on Craigslist....but I have seen a few in thrift stores.  They are very popular right now so they move quick!  I took some Aura paint left over from my office and got rid of it's 70's vibe.

And don't even get me started on clothes!  In fact, I started a little side business with some of these clothing finds, but more on that another time.  Below are some of my typical finds.  It's not unusual to find a Prada sweater and pair of Marc Jacobs shoes!

 Here are some other great ideas I found online:

This dresser transformation is simply amazing!  So often, there is older furniture out there with great lines.  Just a little paint can make it the focal point of a room.  And you'd be hard-pressed to find better built furniture for three times as much at your nearest big box store!

 Billie Monster

 As I mentioned earlier, Craigslist is also a great resource for finding items.  I can't tell you how many lovely velvet couches I've run across online!  Often these 30 or 40 year old couches are in colors that have come back into vogue.

Same idea with glasses; sets of dishes that you like may be difficult to find, but combining one offs together like this is an amazing idea!

 Lisa Congdon

The beauty of combing new items and used finds are reflected in some of my favorite photos:

 

All of the Above Blog

While most of the art at thrift stores is pretty easy to pass on, you can sometimes find some great stuff or at least nice frames.

 Hilda Grahnat

 You certainly don't have to go crazy with used items.  Just a couple of piece can really make an impact.

Even music is reflecting the love of thrifting!  Here is Macklmore and Ryan Lewis with their hilarious song Thriftstore (warning; strong language).