Women of Got Good Bones

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Growing up in Uganda, a small country in Africa, I learned to appreciate color and the use of raw material. I was intrigued by the national theater, container village that had stall-like compartments of a collection of artistic work that was beautiful and always full of tourist. From sandals made out of tires (yes car tires), to baskets made out of dry grass, which we call a vintage market here in America.

Fast forward my journey to America, I was opened to a new different world that unbottled the creativity in me. But to be very honest, my gift wasn’t sparked through all glam stuff… lol, it was propelled from a place of survival things were tight and we were trying to make ends meet. I went to Goodwill a lot… you know for deals. Well one day, I saw this coffee table and I thought how beautiful and unique it was and when I got closer the price tag said 5 dollars. I immediately got it, struggled with it to the counter because I couldn’t afford for anyone else to take it. Got home and had some sample paint in my garage, got to working and that was the time OfferUp had launched. I posted it on OfferUp and immediately, I got an offer from the CEO Nick who wanted it. He picked it up that day. You have no idea, I didn’t even realize I had Nick in my house (my husband had to ask if he can take a pic ) I was excited my table had sold for 150 you guys. I was in tears because the water bill would be paid. You know what happened next………. goodwill became my friend. The guys there knew my name too LOL   and I just created and let my brain bring those ideas out as I created. My pieces represented the rebellious, daredevil, and carefree spirit side of me and I sold these like hot cakes. Before I knew it, the OfferUp team invited me to meet them at their new office in Bellevue because of the number of sells

I love refinishing pieces because it never gets old when you pick up a piece ( sometimes from the trash) and with some love, give it a new lease to life. I have made long lasting friendships, money, and because my kids are growing up I know I have passed on a skill that they will have for a life time. Refinishing is an outlet for me to embrace my crazy creative side and is always so therapeutic to me.

Lastly, I made my family believers when I ask them to jump in that dumpster with me they do it in a heartbeat BECAUSE ALL THEY SEE IS POCKET MONEY.

I’m 40yrs old and started woodworking a little over 5yrs ago because I needed a coat rack.  Fast forward to now, and I build custom barn doors, furniture , refinish kitchens, and knock down walls!  I’ve been a member of GGB for  thru the years  This girl don’t need no knight in shining armor to rescue her!  Check out Ruby Lilly Designs to see more about Sara. 

Kate&Barrel Designs is a locally owned small business in Tucson, Arizona that specializes in vintage and antique furniture artistry in which unique one-of-a-kind designs are created.
Kate&Barrel Designs was born in June of 2017. I saw a video tutorial done by another artist called “Rustic Skye” I found a French provincial dresser for sale in Facebook, picked it up, and did the technique. I was hooked! That was one of the very first pieces I sold through Facebook.  
I love to experiment with techniques and have an appreciation for many styles of furniture and furniture artistry and I am a lover of all styles. I appreciate a French Provincial as much as a Mid Century Modern Piece, Farmhouse to rustic Boho Chic. I love to do it all and continue to push the boundaries of designs and my skills and technique as an artist. Classic and clean and then I can also push to the rustic and naturally distressed and aged. As I do so, I also try to respect the style of furniture that I am working on staying in tune with the generation and history of the piece as much as possible while still being inspired and creative in order to continue to grow as an artist."
I love being able to create a new piece of functional art out of a piece of furniture. Also, I don’t always feel that a refinish means the piece needs to be painted, instead, I like to incorporate natural wood and paint into a piece of furniture. Each piece I touch gets the repairs and refurbishments needed before moving forward with painting or staining."
I tend to obsess over pieces of furniture, sometimes for months. Raw pieces that I have in inventory sometimes sit for quite some time until I find the right approach, colors, and technique that I feel will be the right fit. I think a lot of times people think each and every piece just speaks to me immediately. I wish they all did. Sometimes I agonize over a piece and continue to analyze an idea over and over before I jump in. At times there is an instantaneous, 'I’m going to jump in' attitude where I do know exactly what I want to do. Either way, it’s an adventure to see how it all turns out."
I do commissioned work on raw pieces in my own inventory as well as customer owned pieces. It is a passion of mine to work with a customer side by side in order to create the vision of their own one-of-a-kind design for their home.
Kate&Barrel Designs offers both local delivery and nationwide shipping options for an additional fee.
Facebook www.facebook.com/kateandbarrel
Instagram www.instagram.com/katenbarrel
Website: www.kateandbarreldesigns.com 

I moved to Las Vegas in 1994, working retail for many years and was very unhappy about that. Through the next 20 years I did  a number of things around town, delivering pizza, working in the grocery business, 2 years with TSA at Mccarran airport, I then secured a position in the insurance business & did that for 9 years; but still was not satisfied with a job well done. I decided that I would take some time off to discover my passion and that’s when my husband came home with a beat up old dresser that he found on the side of the road. I had no idea what to do with it, but I knew it needed some love! That’s where this whole thing started & it took off from there!  I feel the need to make distressed furniture feel better. Whether it’s just paint, lots of rebuilding, new stain or just a cleaning & some oil, it’s what makes me happy! 

Crafting handmade wreaths and other home decor is what keeps my hands busy when I can’t work on furniture.  That has been soooo much fun and is also one of my passions.  I hope I have made the new owners of their furniture that  I redo happy as well.  Thank you for letting me relive this journey through words, it made me smile! 

 Hi. Im Holly with Restoreology.  I have been painting and bringing new life to furniture for over 6 years now.  I call it my “therapy”...  it takes me away and lets me be creative with color.    I love trying new things, new products and new techniques.  The fun part is learning as I go.  The other fun part is the “Pickin” part, the hunt for that perfect treasure.  I am Brand Ambassador for Dixie Belle Paint Company and I have thoroughly enjoyed partnering with this wonderful company and using their fantastic products.  I really gets me and my completed pieces seen and can show the public what amazing transformations that can be done by just using color, whether it be updating old furniture or bringing new life to new pieces.  I will be doing live videos soon to show off different techniques and Dixie Belle products and I can’t wait to share. 

My name is Brittney Aquino and I’m a lover of old furniture.  I grew up in the country in East Canton, Ohio.  My dad and grandpa were both carpenters.. so I guess you could say I grew up around a lot of wood working, old houses, old barns..  but it wasn’t until much later on in my life that I realized how much I truly appreciate and love the idea of creating or recreating something that has your own personal touch to it... kinda like adding another chapter to an old book..     You know, “you thought it was over, but the story continues”... I like that. My passion for these transformations or creations came at the perfect time.  I was moving and needed to be a little frugal with what I spent to furnish my house, so I started experimenting with inexpensive pieces on Offer Up. I’d fix them up or transform them entirely into something else. They started turning out pretty good and a few people started taking notice and asking me to do things for them. Well heck yes I will!  So after about 3 years of countless projects for customers and furnishing my entire home, I now have my own business, From Dust to Dreams. So, if you have an old eye sore lingering around the house, it may not be as bad as you think.. just let me take it home for a few days. 😉

Here is the bio 

Just your typical furniture flipper minus the typical. I have always had a eye for what I thought was cool and unique. I started working for a contemporary furniture store a few years back and on my lunch break or really anytime I had free time I was out picking looking for cool stuff for my clients so with the passion for furniture and thrifting I started Deceased Vintage. I also collect the strange and unusual from haunted items to old Victorian Bubble Glass Photos. I can’t see myself doing anything else 😉