secrets of a stylist: how my garage sale find led to a new friend.
I rent my house out for photoshoots to other creative professionals in my industry on Home Studio List. It's pretty cool and I love doing it! I feel it's an honor that people choose MY house to be their backdrop for their images or in their ad campaign.
It has it’s benefits: extra income, meeting new people in my industry and sometimes they leave me snacks. It's also pretty funny when I'm on set chatting with someone and we discover that they've been in my house (without me!). One Art Director I worked with had a ton of pictures on his phone of my home! He said he walked around and looked at EVERYTHING. Ha!
It also has it's downsides: cleaning my entire house before (and sometimes after), wear and tear on my walls, floors, and treasures, and the dogs and I have to usually be out of the house for 8-12 hours on the day of the shoot. But again, I love it!
I bought this set of antlers at a garage sale for $15 many years ago. I had them hung in my old house in the dining room (unpainted) for at least a decade.
LOVED my house in 5 Points in Denver! My antlers are on the brick wall above a painting my great great aunt painted.
When I moved here, I decided to paint them white so they would fit in with the brick on fireplace but still add texture and depth. I like the how clean and fresh all white looks.
The antlers in my new house painted white.
I rented my house out for a shoot for a lovely company called Society 6 that represents artists from around the world and creates all sorts of items from their art: coasters, bags, mouse pads, mugs, wall art, wall paper, etc. It’s a pretty cool concept!
Right before they were finishing up, they removed my antlers to get a clean shot of the brick above my fireplace. As they were putting them back up, they missed the screw in the wall and they fell to the ground. My poor antlers shattered into about 18 pieces. :(
The woman that rented my house was horrified. I actually felt bad for her! She offered to replace them so I searched the internet. I found a few that I liked on etsy but nothing as much as I loved this super cheap amazing garage sale find!! She had looked too and couldn't find anything either. She allowed me to pick anything from their website!
There is sooooo much art to choose from it was hard to pick a favorite. I ended up going with this piece by the artist Frank Moth. It's called Standing at the Threshold of Time. I was instantly drawn to all the colors and the turquoise ties in with my entryway. The little boy reminds me of my dad when he was a kid and the words spoke to me: Believe, Remember, Dream and Go. I chose the 5x5 wood art style (the art is printed on Baltic Birch wood).
It makes a great backdrop when your dogs are being especially cute.
Surprisingly, my dear friend Jeff was able to put my antlers back together using epoxy, dryer sheets, glue, a bunch of clamps, and a little magic. The antlers are a little more spread out now but I love them just the same. Maybe more.
The new and improved antlers repaired with love.
stylist tip: Always try and picture what you find in YOUR space whether you are shopping at a garage sale or in a store. It can feel less special in a different environment (especially a big box store) so imagine what it will look like in your home. AND, go garage saling! I love the hunt and you never know what you will find or who you will meet. You know what they say, someone else’s trash is another person’s treasure.
Also, find yourself a hunky man that can fix anything.
my secret: The woman and I ended up chatting for over an hour after the shoot and when I got off the phone, I thought to myself, "I want to be her friend." LOL. Making new friends as an adult is much more difficult that when you are young!! We just had our first brunch together last weekend! Cheers to many more!
Thanks for reading! Do you like to go to Garage Sales? What's your favorite find? Please leave a question or comment below!
Until next time...cheers! xo tina