Bonjour friends! I am starting a “nouveau” series each Wednesday….
BLOGUEUR D’INVITE!!
I am so pleased to welcome Monica and Elaine from Decorating Insanity. Each person in this biz has a different story on how they began. Monica’s story is very similar to mine, and I love that we all end up with a different take on it.
Hello, my name is Monica and I run a small business/ blog called Decorating Insanity. I’ve always kind of had an eye for decorating and I’ve always loved color. I also like to switch around my decor quite often so the fact that I can paint as I want change really sparked an interest in me wanting to redo furniture. Karen has invited us today to share our story. We love Karen’s blog Redoux, she is so our people.
Two years ago, I found myself living in a new state 2200 miles away from my friends and family. I had 2-year-old twins and was working for a large home builder. I worked every weekend and only got bits and pieces of my family, but we were never all together. That’s when I knew things had to change. So I quit my job, pulled my kids out of daycare, and started shopping for furniture… some for myself and some to redo and sell. Of course things started off slowly because I had to work mostly during nap times or when my husband was home, but I pulled it off at least enough to supplement our income. During my time in Cincinnati projects like the Trois Chic Dresser,
and The Emma Dresser were born.
I always name my pieces, something about a name gives it a sense of fun, whimsy, and personalization. Call me insane? Well we do call ourselves Decorating Insanity.
Naming our pieces also helps us remember our finishes, so most of our pieces are named after the finish. If you order something custom with The Trois Chic finish you will get a piece of furniture painted in fern green with a dark stain on it. I am no longer alone in Cincinnati, my husband and I are back home in California and I work with my partner in crime Elaine.
When we look for pieces we look for nice solid wood (preferably vintage) pieces with dovetail construction. Our “thing” is good working drawers, because although fixable, sometimes repairing a drawer can be time-consuming and quite frustrating. We like to avoid drama when at all possible.
Putting our heads together we have come up with some fun finishes from Metallic overlays to rustic vineyard inspired charm.
The Meadows Of Provence Dresser
The Blue Riviera Dresser has become one of our most popular finishes, and has not only been used on other pieces of furniture, but also in my own kitchen.
Everyday is an experience and a growth opportunity. We love experimenting with different mediums, paints, and products.
Lately we’ve been trying out decoupage and faux barnwood.
Now that my kids are almost 4 and in preschool, I have much more time to focus on furniture projects and this hobby of mine has turned into a full time business. What can I say? I do what I love.
Thank you again Karen for having us share some of our furniture creations.
mONICa
decoratinginsanity@gmail.com
www.decoratinginsanity.com
www.etsy.com/shop/decoratinginsanity
Thank you so much Monica!
Love all the finishes!
monica is so fun and talented! i always enjoy the use of color over there!
Wow, she really steps out and makes bold choices. Those are not the wall flowers in the room now are they? I suppose I could venture away from white… but, I like it. LOL. I think the very first, in LIME, was my favorite =) Wishing her continued success!!
Thanks again for having me Karen.
xo…mONICa
I have learned so much from ya’ll. Thank you Karen, you always showcase / share such amazing talented individuals.
Thanks for sharing, Happy Easter, take care and enjoy! Cheers SpecialK XoXo
Well I think it was the smartest thing you ever did to quit and not just because your furniture is awesome.
~Bliss~