first of all let me explain how i got the name for my venture! my last name is lovejoy (thanks jeff ;) i wanted to incorporate that into my business so people could put 2 +2 together....it all started on a piece of scratch paper....this stuff is important!! you want a name that lasts, thats catchy, something people can remember and relate to....i have to say though, not everything i have created is love and joy...sometimes theres a little hatred in there....LOL....i'm not always "in love" with my project while its getting the best of me...
i've been painting furniture and other things for as long as i can remember...i bought my 1st house way back in 1994 and thats when the painting began...i was young then...i didn't have a clue about decorating but i knew that wood paneling was not the look for me...thats when i first started painting walls and trim...(antique white....woo hoo...)most people can do that...since then i can't even count how many times i've changed the colors in my present home...
i currently live in my childhood home...my parents bought a house that was built in 1864 and offered this one to me, rent free...how could i pass that up? thats when i sold my little house and moved here...this house was built in 1973...we moved into it when i was about 2 years old from a single wide trailer...coming back here was very comfortable since i had spent the majority of my life here...it was my mothers style though...things were not very modern...we still have alot of things to do but its a slow process...i'm getting alot of practice with painting and decorating here...i'm still cleaning out my moms junk in the attic that she left almost 14 years ago!!
fast forward to about february of this year...i saw an advertisement on a local facebook page that we have here in my town...it was for a french provincial dresser...i was instantly in love...i picked it up for $40 dollars...i had longed for a buffet in my dining room...i've never had a hutch, buffet, or china cabinet since i've been on my own...i did tons of research on how to paint furniture the right way, not the ashley way....i realized that the top of the dresser was not wood, it was laminate....so i prepared it and started painting....now i have a nice piece of furniture that people comment on all the time...finally a buffet that i never had....
this really got me to thinking...for almost 15 years i was in a career that i didn't really care for...i hated going to work...i had to work holidays....the worse part is that i missed out on so many of the things that my kids were doing...on top of that i was throwing $135 a week down the drain for daycare of my youngest ones..
i've always heard people say that you should do things that you like to do...i've come to the conclusion that this is where i want to be...i love transforming furniture or junk as my family calls it...im no expert, thats for sure...i know i have the ability to learn and i can see improvements in my own work since that buffet project....i have big things planned for myself...i have already been approached about doing some furniture painting by several different people...also, i have been asked to work in a shop in my local town painting furniture with my own clients provided for me....all of this is in the works right now...my dream is slowly becoming a reality....
i want to say thank you to everyone that has put up with me and supported me...my family mostly, for having to endure the junk in my dining room/studio and having to deal with the moving of furniture, paint, junk, glue guns, fabric, etc...the lists goes on and on...without family and best friends you are nothing....
so thats my story in a very condensed version...i created this blog to show tutorials of the things i do...i also have a facebook page that you can find over at Creating Love & Joy and i would love for you to follow me in my adventures! i also love, love, love, all of the wonderful comments that everyone has left for me...i promise that i read every single one of them...
Peace, Love, & Joy
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