This is Africa.

In light of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd take this chance to reflect over the blessing this shop's been. Spurned on by our trip to Ethiopia, we started Redesignation in the first place so we'd have more to give. With your support, we've been able to fully support a little boy named "Hulu" every month. Also, while we were over there, Tony (my husband) discovered this amazing field about a mile trek behind the school we worked at. To reach this field, we hiked down this narrow dirt road which in parts was like a dried up river bed from a previous flood. It took what felt like forever, but once we got there it opened up into the huge field with grass as far as I could see and mountains beyond that.
"This is Africa" was all I could think.
On Tony's first trip to the field he met a young man named Kebede. He was 16 and crippled from Polio. He had a second grade education because he couldn't make the long walk to school. His clothes and shoes were torn up. Tony went to the market bought some new shoes, and we had clothes just his size that would fit him. What's more is that the school we were partnering with was only a mile from his house (an easy donkey ride for him). It's a private school, and there were some worries at first with him being so much older, but he was willing and ready to finally receive his education. We've been paying for him to go to school ever since and the teachers say he's a joy to have.
All this to say, we appreciate your business. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
We'll be closed for the holiday, but opened again on Friday from 1:30-6:30, and then Saturday 11-5 (like normal).
Be sure to join us Friday for special discounts of up to 30% off!!! 

Wrought Iron Paint

Ever since I saw this door in Martha Stewart's Living magazine, I knew I had big plans for this paint color.

Door in "Wrought Iron" paint by Martha Stewart

Although I've yet to paint an actual door this color, I did go out and purchase this paint to liven up my stairway. You see, I can't paint the walls because they're so thickly textured (it took me ages to repaint the dining room). So my solution? Paint the banister, of course. The result? 

Please excuse the abundance of messiness to the side.

I think I will paint the door behind it in the same color to add some more interest to an, otherwise, very bland hallway. But all in all, I think it added just the element of interest I was going for with half the work. My kind of project! 

We've also been busy switching our master bedroom to the room next to us. I used this color and a lighter gray to paint horizontal strips on an accent wall. It turned out very French, nautical. I know that's not a true decorating term, but I'm coining it now because it's the only way I can think to describe such a thing. I'll post pictures soon, friends. 

Completely unrelated: some nice lady came in today and informed me that she saw my commercial. I had no idea I even had a commercial! Supposedly she saw us on t.v. yet could not think of where. Did anyone out there see this? If it's true, I'm really excited! 

p.s. because buying furniture and teeth go hand in hand... I have a sweet friend in her final year at Pitt's dental school. If anyone knows of someone who needs a full or partial set of new dentures, let me know. They're very affordable, and usually covered by insurance. Merci beaucoup. 

Husbandly Blog

I took a "day off" yesterday to refinish some furniture. While I was redoing this baby dresser

my husband was manning the shop, and writing my next blog post.

So for my first guest-celebrity blog, I would like to introduce a man unlike any other.  A man who once claimed to fight crime on the weekends.  No cape, but yes he can achieve flight (he claims capes to lack aerodynamics).  I am speaking of a man with male pattern baldness and a penchant for all things preposterous.  Some may know him as my husband.  Others know him by his birth name.  Either way, he has been recently compelled to grace my blog with nonsense.  Without further adieu, my husband…

Hello People of the Dark Reaches.  I have a child, T, and she is almost 10 months old, and is unable to crawl, walk, or speak English.  Thank you Jesus for another day of freedom!  I frequently think on the day when she will be able to complete any of these tasks and wonder how I will be able to have time to eat and go to the bathroom.  As it stands, my wife and I are already wrapped around this baby human’s  finger. When she goes mobile,  I envision my life to be that of a zombie’s, chasing her around mindlessly and gorging food in the small windows of time allotted by her distraction of shiny objects.  I do not think she needs sleep like most babies.  Three in the morning is when most of the battles are fought.  The baby always wins.  Stop by.  We are usually the ones crying, while our daughter is cackling between us in bed.  In thinking about the future, I hope she learns to speak first.  At least then, I can negotiate about life after crawling/walking.  The negotiation would go as follows:

Mediator:  “Mr. Deane, Miss Little Deane, we are here today to achieve a common goal.   Sanity.  I would like to be first in saying we are all on the same team.  Nothing is unachievable with two hearts set on compromise.”

T:  “Who is this person?  How bout you change my diaper and I will compromise by peeing on your arm up to just your elbow.”

Tony:  “T, focus.  Remember the promise?  At 3 am last night, you promised me you would sit through this if I let you pull Jordan’s hair in her sleep.”

T: “I have the attention span of a goldfish in those moments of compromise.”

Mediator:  “At least there is a willingness to compr….”

T:  “Looking at this mediator’s face makes me want to swallow a nickel.”

Tony:  “Moving on…T, as you know, I would like to discuss the terms of your behavior after you take your first steps.”

T:  “I promise to only light things on fire that have already been designated as garbage, IF you tell me the secret of how to open the child-locked kitchen cabinets.  Then, I demand full access to said cabinets at my discretion.”

Tony:  “Absolutely not!  How bout this?  IF you promise to stand still and not move one step for an hour or two when I am tired or hungry, I will give you the physical address to Santa Claus’s storage unit.”

T:  “I am no idiot.  Santa Claus doesn’t need storage.  Everybody knows he has his elves build carports in the summer for storage.”

Tony:  “Do we have a deal?”

Pause

T:  “Fine!  If I have it right, I promise to light the kitchen cabinets on fire and stand still for 2 hours watching everything burn.  In exchange, you will give up all intel on Saint Nick’s whereabouts.”

Tony:  In a defeated tone, “Yes.  That’s right.”

T: “Now pay this mediator, so I can pee on his arm.  I keep my word!”

While the details may change in time, this is how life as a parent seems to go.  I don’t know.  I am new at this, and I wouldn’t change it for the world!

One Desk Down.

I wasn't in the shop yesterday when it sold (doctors appt. for baby T), but to the girls who bought the little green desk (and for those who liked it, but didn't buy it) I just wanted to share this little tutorial:

There's a whole post on Design Sponge dedicated to refinishing boring old desks and turning them in to something wonderful, like this one, and not unlike the green one we sold yesterday. If you've always wanted to redo a desk, D*Sponge gives complete directions. Or you can just keep your eyes peeled for more desks here at Redesignation.

Also, on the horizon is a new chalkboard wall that I'd like to use for you as a wish list. Feel free to write on it...when it's finished, that is.

p.s. If you're going to use chalk paint, don't wear a nice shirt and skirt :) It's super runny!