Celebrating Easter with Spring Handmades

Welcome Easter Welcome Spring

It has been a long winter here in Michigan

and we are ready for the joy of all things new

It gives us and extra bounce in our step

We scheme and plan a bit more

of our garden

of flowers

of summer shows

party dresses!

Shop our spot @ Blue Door Grand Rapids, Then & Now in Petoskey and our ETSY shop seen on the side bar here.

And have a wonderful blessed Easter!

ps..... I just made this sweet bunny for Olivia our first grand daughter :-)



A few pictures of Bluedoor

Picked up a few of these industrial, galvanized tray/drawers this past week. They can all be found at Bluedoor here in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

We also have a grow collection of light fixtures. This is one of the things we are looking to add more of to our space.

We also picked up this week an interesting collection of picture frames made out of vintage house trim. These would make great mirrors or frames for pictures.

Cj's has also been working on some new designs for her repurposed clothing. It always interesting what she turns out of her studio.

 Currently Bluedoor is open seven days aweek. So if you are looking for something to do this afternoon stop by and check us and the other vendors in the store. The store is locally owned and stock by your friends and neighbors here in Grand Rapids.

Indie Arts & Vintage Marketplace: March 9th show details!

Indie Arts & Vintage Marketplace: March 9th show details!: Indie Arts & Vintage Marketplace- March 9th at the Fountains in Carmel. Hours- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Address- 502 E Carmel Drive, Carmel, ...


This is a great new show for us and are set up at this one day show on coming Saturday. We are bringing lots of product and have a double space to fill. Tony and Melissa VanderArk who are set up across from us at Bluedoor will also be at the show and should be set up close to us. So stop by and check us out!

Pale & Interesting

Dan & I have been quite taken by this book, Pale & Interesting bu Atlanta Bartlett & Dave Coote. It is decorating with whites, pastels and neutrals for a warm and welcoming home. It seems to be our "winter" theme in our booth lately here in Grand Rapids at Bluedoor so I thought I would share a few photos with you. Please contact us for pricing on any piece that you see here. Always glad to help.

Thanks for taking a look!

Dan & CJ

Dreamy Bedding

Fall & winter are always a time of nesting for me & I have always loved fine cotton sheets, down feather beds, pillows and comforters, quilts and wool blankets. As the days grow darker and colder I burrow in.

As an Interior Designer I find great joy in dressing a bed, working with the fabrics to create that inviting aaaaaahhhhhhh bed. Once a few years ago my Mom was helping me put clean sheets on my bed and making the bed. With the poofy layers of a down feather bed, down pillows and a down comforter she couldn't resit turning around and falling like a snow angel into that marvelous mound of down!

 I carry a couple of lines of favorite bedding through my Interior Design studio and one of them is Traditions Linens. I was reminded again this week what an awesome company this is when a new package of fabric samples and bedding catalogs arrived in the mail. They are a bedding company that sells custom made duvet covers, shams, bed skirts & shower curtains as well as coverlets in a wide range of patterns and colors, beautiful wool blankets, towels and incredible sheets. Here are a few images of their products that I sell.

Another really great thing about this company is that I can purchase fabric by the yard for upholstery, window treatments etc. from them. I have done that as much as I have ordered bedding.

These are a few of the new fabric samples that arrived this week - so pretty!

Also this super cool stripe linen market bag has been discontinued and there are a few left. Any one interested contact me. They are available @ a close out price of $45.00 plus tax and shipping.



Harvest Tables out of repurposed vintage materials

For the last couple of years we have been building harvest tables. All of our tables are constructed out of vintage materials. For the tops of these tables we use doors, flooring and even salvage existing table tops. The legs are salvaged from table legs, stairway newel posts, or porch posts.

 Most of our tables have painted bases with natural finished or stained tops. However we have also sold a few tables that are completely painted. Since this summer we have sold such a large number of tables that I now find myself on the prowl for more materials. I currently have a waiting list of people wanting tables. This Fall I even had three people buy my tables and cut them down for large coffee tables.

The small tables that are thirty inches wide and five to six feet long are the easiest to find materials for. The larger tables that are forty two inches wide and seven to ten feet long are the hardest to find materials for. I do my best to accommodate peoples requests for certain sizes however I am limited by what I can find. I have thought about using newer wood but I just don't enjoy the finished results. I love the feel of wood that has a history and that has the look of a real primitive table.
The latest table currently at Bluedoor here in Grand Rapids already has a sold sign on it. As I can find more material and time I will be building more and try to keep at least one or two in our current spaces at Bluedoor here in Grand Rapids or up north in our space at Then and Now in Petoskey. This is one of the largest repurposed projects we do that I have a real passion for. It is very satisfying to see the character of the finished wood top that was at one time a barn door or the legs of the table that were at one time a porch posts on a porch come to life as a table that loves like it has been around for one hundred years.
Of course with each one I build CJ always asks me when she will be building her harvest table. This winter I might just have to make time to make one that comes home with me.
If you have interest in having a table built don't hesitate to contact us. Prices vary with the size and type of materials used. All tables are finished in the same primitive way we finish all of the furniture we work on. If you have materials you think we could use please contact us as well. We are always on the lookout for interesting wood that we can use to build these tables. 

Happy New Year's Eve

Happy New's Eve everyone! Be safe out there tonight!