Oy Vey!! Q&A!! Tuesday!! and Finishing Amy's Shop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to the 7th question part of OY VEY!! Q&A!! Tuesday.

This is how it works.....

On the first Tuesday of the month

You ask some design questions,

and I answer them for FREE!!!!

Just remember-----

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

(Just sayin')

So ask your question at the end of this blog post.

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I can't believe how much fun I've had helping Amy at her new shop

 Maison Decor.....

I love working when I'm not getting paid.

It takes all the pressure off me.

No bad attitudes.....

No client wondering about any hidden agenda.....

Just the 

pure joy

of design.

remember this space?

it used to look like this....

When I first started helping our fair heroine (Amy)....

she had the paint cans tucked in the corner of the shop on a black industrial type shelf.

I felt it looked like her supply area, and that no one would realize it was featuring the paints, even though there was the chalk board sign hanging on the corner.....

I had just seen the most recent episode of

Bethenny Ever After

(I LEARN EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW FROM REALITY TV!!!!)

(And while we're at it.... WHAT'S WITH TERESSA!!!!! Is she one of the stupidest people on the boob tube????)

(But I LOVE Caroline Manzo!!!!!)

OK where was I?????

Oh yeah!!!!

Bethenny

When she was working with the designers on her new condo, they wanted to put the booze in an armoire, hidden away.

She pointed out that 

booze bought that condo.

she wanted a shrine to booze!!!!

So, I says to Amy, says I....

"We need to set up a shrine to Annie Sloane Paint! "Cuz that's what you're selling. Don't stick it in the corner. Make it a central element in the shop!!!!"

So Amy had the 

absolutely brilliant idea....

of bringing in her cupboard from her house that she had in her workroom.

And she set it just by the front window, so now folks walking by on the street can see 

Annie Sloane Chalk Paint!!!!

Amy had had her drapery panels that she sells, hanging on this wall.

I felt that it wasn't clear that they were new and folks could order as many as they wanted.

The extra panels were in baskets on the floor.

I was too stupid to look down.

So I did't see them.

I wanted to make it obvious even for the intellectually impaired

(like me)
that these were new and you could buy multiples....

Amy already had a valance treatment hung over the bricked up window that she had uncovered when she first started working on her new store.

I wanted to set up a better display, 
and she had the idea to take down the valance
(since she wasn't selling it)
and hang the drapery panels there!!!!!

I know, I know, I've already shown this picture, but 
I LOVE THIS SHOT!!!!!
The love seat creates a perfect space to display the wire baskets holding the drapery panels.
NOW IT'S OBVIOUS (even to someone like me) that she's selling new ready to go window treatments!!!!!


So here's the view down her shop.....

and here's a view up her shop....

And this is the view looking in the window...
(I had to go out in the rain to get this shot, I am an intrepid styler!!!!)

Amy sells some wonderful vintage looking folders.
I looked at the package 
AND HAD NO IDEA WHAT THEY WERE.....
So I opened one up and set it in this terrific wooden box she had...

The front window on the other side of the shop needed some work.
Amy had had it set up with a table and chairs and place settings.
PEOPLE KEPT COMING IN AND ASKING IF IT WAS A NEW RESTAURANT!!!!!
WELL.....
we fixed that.
I took the table cloth off the table and arranged some more of her pretty linens.....

Then we moved the angel wings to the front, as they are big sellers, and should get top billing
(plus they look great with the bunny!!!!)


I moved Amy's work space to the back wall, and we hid it by placing an antique display piece across the isle.
This way, when someone looks into the store, they don't see a messy area, but 
MORE STUFF TO BUY!!!!!

Now this is the view looking in the other window....

(ignore the ladder on the right, that's not supposed to be there....)

I'm not crazy about this sofa, 
Amy knows that.
BUT
it will make a great area to display the pillows she's going to sew out of all her vintage fabrics!

Just on a random note....

how cute are these tins!!!!!

And finally.....
We set up a flea market area for the really well priced one of a kind items.....

So, if you're in the area...
(AND EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT)
go see her shop, it's 
DELIGHTFUL!!!!!
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Now for this months Q&A

This is a question and answer party!!!!!

Only questions, please you guys. 

If it isn't a question, I'm taking the @#$ link down.

 link up to the "party" by linking a particular post's url, add your question to the end of your post with a link back to my blog. My button is on my sidebar. 

It looks just like a button!!

For those of you who don't have a blog, you can email pictures with questions.

email me at:  betsyspeert@gmail.com.

If you just have a question, with no pictures, leave it in the comment area, below.

IN ORDER TO GET AN ANSWER, YOU GUYS BETTER BE A FOLLOWER!!!!!

It's easy, just click on the blue box at the right; over the pictures of my members.

I would also love it if you became a subscriber.

I will then post your pictures with my suggestions and answers on the following Tuesday.

I may not be able to answer all the questions.

If there are a lot of them, I will choose the ones most likely to interest the other folks in the class.

So link up below!!!!!

Click  "Click here to enter"

partying at:

A Visit to Maison Decor!!!!!

Before I get to the story about Amy's shop.....
Let me first give a shout out to
RESTORATION HARDWARE!!!!!!

source
As much as Target treats their customers like @#$...
Restoration Hardware stands behind their product and treats their shoppers like valued friends.

source unkown
I have had a problem with a drawer not opening all the way on my father's bathroom vanity.
I let them know about it late last summer. 

Since I go away for the winter, by the time they sent me a new slide, it was too late to schedule a service call back.
Now this was a vanity I purchased for my folks 4 years ago.....
So when I first let Restoration Hardware know there was a problem, it had been three years since I had bought the cabinet. 

I explained that my Dad had lived with it for a while, and had not thought to tell me about it.
(I confided in them what his age is)

source

This spring, when I came back up to Massachusetts, I called the service department.
I got 
NO ATTITUDE ABOUT THE DELAY!!!!!
They understood that I had been gone for the winter.
They sent their service person, Kelly right back out.
AND TODAY IT IS ALL FIXED!!!!!!!


Now compare that attitude to the one at Target, and that is why I 
LOVE TO SHOP AT RESTORATION HARDWARE!!!!!
AND WILL NEVER 
SHOP AT TARGET AGAIN!!!!
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Now....
back to my story.....
My buddy Amy Chalmers (fabulous blogger of Maison Decor), seemed a little overwhelmed with her new entrepreneurial escapade. 

She's opened a store at

 50 Summer Street, Malden, MA.

Sometimes, you just need a design buddy to bounce ideas 

off your frozen noggin.....

She felt the store looked junky....

Wanted it to have an Anthropology vibe.....

SOOOOOO.......

I dug into my clothing closet and found my 

SUPER DECORATOR CAPE!!!!!

(hmmmm.....which one to wear?????)

and flew over to her shop with my sidekick (and bidness partner) Kris!!!!

When I first arrived, I spent some time just walking around the store, and absorbing all the stuff.

There was a lot of stuff.

some was over here.....

some was over there.....

But it wasn't playing together nicely.

When arranging stuff for merchandising.....

I like to do it by similar groupings.

First I attacked the Annie Sloane paint....

Amy had this cute wooden tray sitting on the floor

 under her church pew bench.

I pulled it out to use to corral the paint chip samples.

I cleared off the dresser, and arranged a shrine

 to the goddess of chalk paint.

Amy had these great containers for her brushes. 

I don't know where she had them hidden.....

but now everything is easy to see

 (and hopefully buy!!!!!)

The dresser is between two of her Mora clocks, so they work as wonderful examples of what can be done with the paint......

Then I moved over to the church pew.....

She had some of these pillows on it, some of that stuff on it.....

I wanted a more cohesive look.

She sells great grain sack fabric pillows, so I said!!!!!

"Let's put them all here!!!!"

Then we grouped some of the wonderful wire containers around the area and jumped around in joy.....

Next I moved over to her little glass doored bookcase.

She had china and silver and who knows what else in it.....

So I says, says I.....

"Let's only have silver in heah!!!"

Then I mixed in a little of her rustic stuff (which I love, love, love...)

Stood back to check how it looked.....

was liking it.....

I just may buy that wire obelisk on the top of the bookcase, but I don't know where I would have the room to squeeze it in.....

So then I moved on to her chest of drawers that she had set up with perfume bottles and perfume stoppers and other @#$.
It wasn't bad, it just didn't grab your eye....
So I grabbed a plate stand she had sitting on the floor, and set it on the dresser.....

Put some pretty vintage linen napkins in it.....
hummmmm.....
not bad.....
What else can I cram on top of it?????

I know!!!!!
how about some crowns??!!

Amy informed me that these were table top decorations.....
I didn't know!!!
So, we're getting there....
what else can go here?????
Kris suggested the stoppers in a silver tray.....

And we hung the sign from the mirror....

(Amy is also selling these chalk board signs, I love it. I love it. I love it.)


So.....
Now it's lookin' jamin'!!!

ON TO THE CHINA!!!!!!
I pulled all her "vintage" linens out of an armoire.
We made the decision, only pristine fabrics would be sold.
Lovely old napkins....
bedspreads.....
table cloths.....
But it wouldn't be a priority.
We needed the display space for other stuff.
LIKE CHINA!!!!!
I just realized that I didn't take a picture.....
OOPS!!!


OK, then let's go onto the 
NAPOLEON table!!!

This table had a lot of different @#$ on it.
I organized it to have black and gold royal type stuff.

And I took the gold candles out of the gold and crystal candle sticks.
I was trained to only use white or cream candle sticks.
I'm sorry.
I know I preach not to blindly follow decorating rules.....
But GOLD CANDLESTICKS SUCK!!!!!


Let me end with the funkiest thing we attempted accomplished!
Amy had an angel floor lamp.
I wanted it to be tongue-in-cheek....
so she whipped out a great lamp shade that was only made out of wire.
Amy sells these wonderful rolls of wired viney ribbony stuff,

 and she had the
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT IDEA
of covering the wire lampshade with the vine ribbon.....

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO PHOTOGRAPH SOMETHING!!!!!
It looks pretty good in real life.
It looks like@#$ in the picture.....
BUT I HAD TO SHOW IT TO YOU 'CUZ IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!!


Anyway,
We aren't done yet, so I'm going back over tomorrow
 to help her finish.
I am so tired, I'm surprised I could type this blog.
BUT I AM A TROUPER!!!!!!


Latah, Gatah

Pain in My @$$

I'm not one to

COMPLAIN.....

source

(Actually, I love to complain...)

(I consider it to be an ART FORM)

BUT.....

Target really 

FRIED MY GOAT!!!!!

This is my story.....

Grab a cup of coffee, or whatever your favorite stimulant is...

(I don't judge)

(Not much, anyway)

Yesterday, I was reviewing my American Express statement,

and I noticed I hadn't been credited a canceled Target order.

I had ordered a pair of outdoor chaises for my parents through Target's on line store.

My dad LOVES to lie in the sun.

source

He turned 97 on Wednesday!!!!

(That's a picture I took of him on his birthday!!!!)

(Happy Birthday Daddy!!!!!)

Wait....

I'm getting sidetracked.....

I'm being sweet, and I want to complain.....

oh yeah!

TARGET!!!!

So, I ordered these 2 chaises and had them shipped to my brother's house, as I was still down in Flerida, and he would then be able to set them up for my folks.....

I got an email that they shipped.

I got an email with the tracking number.

I got an email from my sister-in-law asking....

WHERE THE HELL WERE THEY?????

source 

So I contacted UPS, and it turns out that they had never left the Target warehouse.

Sooooooooooo.....

I called target......

YEP!!!

They had never left the warehouse.

The nice lady told me that I had to start from scratch and reorder them, she would cancel out the current order, and credit back my charge card.

I said

 "Wait, you can't just send out the original order?"

source

and she said....

 "No, it will now be entered as a lost shipment."

 (even though it never left their warehouse.)

So I had to log back onto their website and start from the beginning.....

Sooooooo......

I reordered them.

By now I was back up in Massachusetts, so I had them shipped to my home as I live

RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO MY PARENTS......

They arrived and they were fine.

Did the job.

Look OK.

End of story,

or so I thought.

So yesterday, when I saw no credit for the first charge, I called target.

THIS IS WHAT THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THAT @#$ COMPANY TOLD ME!!!!!

Since I had paid with paypal, I could only get a gift card back in the amount of the credit.

source 

Are they out of their @#$ minds?????

Let me see if I've got this right.....

If you buy something from them, and it's a piece of crap so you don't want it and return it.....

YOU THEN HAVE TO BUY SOMETHING ELSE FROM THEM?????

source

What a great racket!!!!!

You order something.

They don't ship it.

They force you to cancel the order and reorder it.

And they take your money for both orders!!!!!!

She said that it states on their website, that if you use paypal and cancel or return an order, you don't get a credit on your charge card, but only a gift card that can 

only be used at Target!!!!

OF COURSE THEY HAD SCREWED UP SHIPPING ME THE GIFT CARD TOO!!!!!

(So, I have not received the card, because they haven't sent it,

 even though it's been a month.)

I sweetly (not) pointed out to her, 

THAT

I 

HAD

NOT

CANCELED

THE

ORDER!!!

THEY HAD!!!!!!!

And she gave me the corporate line....

"I'm sorry, that's our policy, there's nothing I can do about it."

WELL, THERE'S SOMETHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT!!!!!

source 

I told on them!

I told on them!

I told on them!

I called American Express, and they are going to bat for me!!!!

And I'm blogging about it!!!!!

They just turned a loyal Target customer 

into someone

WHO WILL NEVER SHOP THERE AGAIN!!!!!

Latah, Gatah