Monogram-a-holic!

My name is Nikki and I’m a monogram-a-holic. Not long ago, I was not comfortable talking about my addiction. I tried to hide it from my family and friends; but, when my three favorite letters started popping up on pillows, towels, silver spoons and trays, my husband was quickly on to me.  I think it was the large embroidered “B” on my shower curtain that compelled him to ask – what’s with the obsession? 

The answer was simple.  Monograms and initials, in every form, are beautiful.  They personalize your home, they are great conversation starters, and gosh darn, I just plain love them!

My personal philosophy on monograms follows traditional schools of thought:

• The monogram in your home should always represent the woman of the house
• A traditional monogram is:
• small initial of your first name, large initial of your last name, small initial of your middle or maiden name

I think there is one exception to the rule. I love the idea of embroidering a beautiful "married" monogram on a European size pillow to display in the middle of your bed. Follow this pattern:

• small initial of wife's first name, large initial of your shared married last name, small initial of husband's first name
  

 It's a wonderful way to visually depict two becoming one.

Happy monogramming!

Friday Finds!

Welcome to "Georgia's Friday Finds" where we will share with you a few things that have inspired and delighted us during the past week. At Georgia's, we believe in celebrating life by fully living in the moment and, on Fridays, we'll share some of the sights, sounds, tastes and, of course, one-of-a-kind finds that thrill us!

We love this vintage Hungarian server found at the Texas Antiques Week show. The original butter yellow paint is so warm and charming, isn't it?      

This time of year brings us fabulous fall foliage. How about this gorgeous Sugar Maple!

We love our sweet dogs! Meet Ally, a rescue from Paws Chicago. Ally's happy-go-lucky personality brings Nikki and Mark joy every day. This pupster loves to cuddle! 

Johnny, also a rescue, is a lovey, too! He is quite timid, afraid of thunderstorms and loves coffee and tea. There's nothing like the unconditional love that dogs give.

What inspired you this week? Tell us in the comments!

One Door’s Past, Present & Future

As many of you know, I am newly married and I used my wedding day as an opportunity to combine my love of all things vintage with my love of repurposing. The culmination was a day I will never forget, and a ton of great repurposing ideas I can share with all of you! 

It’s hard to say what my favorite repurposed item was. But, for the sake of this blog post, I am going with the 100 year quarter sawn oak door that I found at a local salvage warehouse. Man, did that door have character and I fell in love with it immediately. 

After thorough investigation, we determined this relic needed a good cleaning and a little TLC to take care of some light water damage. Georgia’s Crew was up to the task!

We used Formby’s Furniture Refinisher, a fantastic product that allowed our team to easily redistribute the original stain without affecting the patina. After a coat of tung oil we had our result - a fabulous vintage door ready for repurposing.

To me, doors are symbolic. On our special day, we positioned the door front and center as guests entered our wedding ceremony and reception venue. Adorned with a large moss “B” (for Bechtold, my married name), the door welcomed our guests and symbolized the entrance to our future.



Photo Credit: Carasco Photography 

But that’s not the end of the story for this great piece. After our wedding, we brought the door back to our new home: a modern loft with bright white doors, 12 foot ceilings and expansive hardwood floors (except for white carpet in the bedroom - something I would like to change, but that's a topic for another blog). We immediately tore down our white, boring master bedroom door and replaced it with our 100 year old vintage one. The transformation to our condo was immediate. To this day, the new door is not only a great conversation starter, it warms up our condo and brings me such joy when I enter my bedroom each night. We'll take this door with us every place we move because it is something we truly treasure.

Brimfield Antique Show

Georgia's had a blast! Brimfield was brimming with antiques, collectibles, primitives and all things time-worn! This show truly lived up to its reputation as the largest and best-known outdoor antiques show in the country. There were literally thousands of dealers selling everything imaginable. I knew immediately that this was going to be a shopping experience like no other. Although I had help, I had to call for more reinforcements - Georgia's tech guy drove up from New York to help scout and ferry purchases to the car. Oh, and did I mention that it rained cats and dogs! We weren't deterred; no, we donned ponchos, over-looked our soaked shoes and reveled in the hunt for treasures. Georgia's was inspired at every turn; my best memories, though, the helpful, friendly people that we met, both dealers and fellow shoppers, and the fried dough. More about that later.  Have a look at some of our fab finds and candid moments! These items and so much more will be available for purchase soon! 

Vintage Bread and Dough Boards

Shopping for Antique Wooden Spindle Spools

Vintage Knife/Tool Caddy

Vintage Printer's Drawers

Vintage Spooners

Where’s Your Wedding Guestbook?

Photo Credit: Carasco Photography

No really, where is it? Displayed on your mantel or a bookshelf for all to view or packed in a box buried in an attic or basement without hope of ever seeing the light of day. My gut tells me the latter is the final resting place of many a wedding guestbook. Last year, I planned my own wedding with the dedicated support of Georgia’s Crew, and when faced with the decision of “to guestbook or not to guestbook,” I decided to take a stand. I refused to let my wedding guestbook face the fate of so many others that have gone before it.  No,  20 years from now, I don't want to open a dusty box only to find this memento from my big day moldy or moth-eaten.

So, I went in a totally different direction.  I opted for a guestbook that I could cherish every day. The theme of my wedding was vintage (you’re shocked, I know), yet organic and "green."  I decided to have my wedding guests help me create a piece of artwork that I could proudly display in my home.

I started with a great design of a leafless tree which was printed on 18x20 acid-free paper that was then mounted on foam board.  I framed the tree, without glass, in a beautiful, old gold frame that I found at a salvage warehouse.  At the wedding, I positioned the frame flat on a table, along with green stamp pads, hand wipes and instructions on how to add to my soon-to-be masterpiece. The instructions I provided asked that each guest add a leaf to my guest tree by adding a thumb or fingerprint and then initial or sign their name near it.  Let me pause here because I know what you are thinking… and the answer is no, no one accidentally put a green print on my dress; the hand wipes which I re-labeled with my wedding colors and logo worked like a charm. 

Photo Credit: Carasco Photography

Photo Credit: Carasco Photography

After the wedding, I properly framed my guestbook wedding tree by adding glass.  Now, my guestbook work-of-art is hanging in my guest bathroom as an everyday reminder of the many family and friends that made our wedding day so truly special.

Do you have a great guestbook idea? We want to hear about it!