I have put off writing this blog for months.  Fear has perched on my shoulder and anxiety has caused me to wait.  This morning in my quiet time with the Lord, I clearly heard, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”  Jesus IS the Way, the Truth and the Life.  So what does that all have to do with Burlap & Lace?

I know that everything I do with this business, and in this life, is to bring God glory.  It is because of Him, and it is for Him that I can do anything at all.  Even breathe.

I wrestle with how I can make Him known through Burlap & Lace, and honestly, I don’t have that one figured out yet.  But this I do know….it’s not about the “stuff”.  If what I do puts a smile on someone’s face, that is enough.  If something I’ve made entices a conversation with the customer, my heart is happy.  I am here to serve.  It’s that simple.  And God has blessed me to be able to do that through Burlap & Lace.

One of the desires of my heart was to work at a Bed and Breakfast.  Nearly three years ago, God granted me that desire by giving me a job at Bed & Breakfast on Tiffany Hill in Mills River.  My journey there has been a delight to my soul.  But in January of this year, God began to speak to me that it was time to leave and to fulfill another dream and desire….to make Burlap & Lace into a business unto itself.  So with this blog, I announce just that!

I will be opening Burlap & Lace on March 30 in a location in Pisgah Forest, just around the corner from Shabby Shack Antique Mall.  And I cannot wait to share my Vintage Home Goods collection with you there!

But first….

Vintage Market Days of Asheville is just around the corner!  And I have been so busy working on my creations that I have not taken time to fill you in on the goodies that weekend will hold!  So let me give you a preview here if I may….

These are two of the larger pieces I will be bringing to market. And if you know me at all, my love is really in the decorating more than in the finds themselves.  Nevertheless, one cannot take place without the other!

Spring is on the way!  And that means fun things in store…flowers, fancy table settings, wall art for redecorating, throw pillows for fanciful beds and couches.  I can’t wait to enjoy it all with you!

So stay tuned…. and put these dates on your calendar….

March 17-19:  Vintage Market Days of Asheville at the WNC Ag Center in Fletcher

March 30:  GRAND OPENING of Burlap & Lace: 470 Asheville Hwy, Unit E – around the corner from Shabby Shack Mall and Love That Yogurt.

See you soon!

~Blessings,

Connie

 

The question I am asked the most is, “Where do you find your items that you sell?!?”  My answer is always the same….my grandma’s attic, my neighbor’s closet, yard sales, estate sales, flea markets, antique stores, Goodwill even.  Surprised?

For me, it’s all about the thrill of the hunt.  I love a good find as much as you do!  And what that means is that you rarely find two-of-a-kind items in my shop.  If I succeed in finding  two or more items that are alike, I am likely to re-purpose them or display them in totally different ways.  So if you see something you like within the walls of Burlap & Lace, don’t think you’ll see the same item again in a month or two, because when I tire of something, then I give it to Goodwill or find another way to re-purpose it even better than the first!

To be clear, that is why my prices are my best offer to you, the buyer.  I like going into a shop and knowing I will find quality items at prices I can afford.  I want you to find the same.  And if you see two things that do happen to be identical or nearly so with different prices, likely I found them at different locations and paid different prices for them, thus bringing my best price to you.

My mantra is that you will not find a NFS sticker in my shop, or a “not for sale at this time” sticker.  If it’s not attached to the building, it’s for sale!

My focus this month is on wall art….can’t wait to bring you my favorites at Vintage Market Days of Asheville  March 17-19!  Until then…

~Blessings,

Connie

The cabinet…would you call it vintage?  Cottage?  Shabby Chic?  Farmhouse?

Or what about these items?  Which category would you place them in?

Ok, you get what I’m doing.  Obviously, the lines between vintage, shabby chic, cottage and farmhouse can be a bit blurred from time to time,  But the style speaks the same language….rustic, salvaged, renewed, even a bit enticing to the senses, yes?

As I have been packing my boxes for Vintage Market Days of Asheville, I am labeling them in three different ways:  Day 1: Farmhouse, Day 2: Cottage, Day 3:  Garden.  My husband grins, but doesn’t dare ask.  And then he can stand it no longer….

“It all looks the same to me!  What’s the difference?!?”

Giving him full credit, the lines do tend to blur.  Suffice it to say – the more worn, tattered, distressed and/or rusty, the more valuable to me!

Given that nondescript description, let me be clear about this.  As my rack cards read, “Burlap & Lace is a unique style….”  Enough said.

See you in March at Vintage Market Days!  Come blur the lines with me and enjoy whatever you wish to call my style.  I lovingly call it a sickness I hope I never get over!

~Blessings,

Connie