Life Updates: New-ish Jobs

I cannot believe it's July and I haven't updated you all on some major life changes that came my way a few months ago. It's high time I let you all in on a blogger secret I've been keeping since March (yes, March). It wasn't that I didn't want to tell you, I just put off writing the post and then had to wrangle up some photos and before I knew it, it was July. Whoops.

But anyway, drum roll please....

I am no longer working as a government contractor! In March I started working part time as the Design Assistant for Arlington Home Interiors. The firm is a residential design firm owned by Suzanne Manlove (my new-ish boss). I knew that in a field like design, where everyone covets that precious unpaid internship or busts their butts to get a job at a big architecture and design firm, experience would be oh-so-important upon graduation from grad school. So when a position for a paid design assistant came across our student listserv, I jumped at the opportunity to apply. And I got it!

 We work out of Suzanne's home in Arlington and have our hands in projects throughout the Arlington community. I have been loving every minute of it. I am learning a TON about the inner workings of a design firm, which can only really happen through an experience like this. When I took the job a few people asked me if I was worried about working with only one other person all the time, but I'm learning that I really enjoy working in a small firm. The cool thing about working in a small firm is that I have so many opportunities to learn directly from the business owner, and I get to witness every project's challenges and successes first-hand. I think I'd like to own my own business someday, so watching Suzanne do it successfully while balancing family and maintaining a good work-life balance is an extremely valuable learning experience too.

Via Arlington Home Interiors

Via Arlington Home Interiors

Via Arlington Home Interiors

Side note: For those of you who are serial to-do list makers, this type of work is incredibly satisfying. It seems so minor and somewhat superficial, but I love spending a day ordering an entire living room's worth of decor and seeing it all crossed off my list when I'm leaving the office. Working in interior design provides a nice combination of working on something medium-long term to satisfy my desire to work towards something "big", while also requiring a host of discrete, quick tasks that give me some immediate gratification and help build momentum during the work day. 

So that's my first update. My second update is that when I left my government contractor job and started working at Arlington Home Interiors, I ended up with a second job too. Since March, I've also been working in the Stylish Patina vintage home decor shop in Falls Church on the weekends. I connected with Kelly, the owner, prior to snagging my position at Arlington Home Interiors. When I was presented with opportunities in both places, I knew I couldn't choose just one.  Kelly has built a successful business on her love for acquiring and refreshing antique and vintage furniture, which is where my love for design was born. I knew there was so much to learn from her, and since the shop is only a few blocks from my house, working there is a great fit. Plus, who am I kidding? I'm in grad school, I can use the extra moolah. 

via StylishPatin.com

The Stylish Patina shop is loaded with cool vintage furniture and treasures, and has a great assortment of new items like cards, candles, books, and other accessories. It also has an entire section dedicated to DIY, so you can come in and purchase Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint among other paints and materials. If you come by on a Saturday afternoon, chances are you'll find me there. I love to help people think through their projects and talk to them about the various paint products we sell, and I also love to help people imagine various uses for the furniture we have in the shop, so definitely come visit me if you're in the area. Stylish Patina is also doing a vintage "Rough Luxe" warehouse tag sale in Falls Church the third weekend of every month in our warehouse down the street from the shop. So you can hit up Sweet Clover and Rough Luxe all in the same weekend!

via Stylish Patina

I have more updates for you, but I think this is enough for today. Has anyone else made a major career move lately?

Grace and Gratitude in 2013

When I wrote a similar post a year ago, I was really ready for 2012. 2011 had been a turbulent year for me, and I was very much looking forward to making 2012 a good year. And it was a good year, and one that made me appreciate the lows of 2011 that pushed themselves into the highs of 2012.

via Inspireuart

When I entered 2012 last year, I had a general idea of how I wanted to feel in life but no clue how to get there, and little appreciation for the portions of my life that were already there. Besides buying Fiona and somehow mending things with the boy, I wasn't really going anywhere. In 2012, I finally got a firm grasp on what makes me happy in life and what I want, and I took control of my professional growth in a way that I hadn't quite imagined I would a year ago.

Among the things I learned in 2012, those that I think made the most difference have been my ability to take more pride in my accomplishments and my attempts to carry myself with a greater spirit of gratitude and optimism. So, in that spirit, I decided to make three (grammatically incorrect) lists to round out the year and start 2013.

Things I am Proud of in 2012
1) Taking a chance on my furniture hobby and selling it at the Lucketts Spring Market.
2) Applying to, starting, and finishing my first semester of interior design school (and all the many mini accomplishments involving that along the way).
3) Making a conscious effort to be happier in my everyday life.
4) My brother graduating from high school.
5) My sister graduating from college.
6) The boy getting a new job (and multiple offers!).

Things I am thankful for in 2012
1) A job that affords me the flexibility of pursuing interior design without going totally broke.
2) The boy, who has been incredibly encouraging and supportive in my not-totally-practical pursuit of happiness.
4) Roommates who didn't blow a gasket when our house was turned upside down during my not-so-organized prep for the Lucketts Market.
5) My ability to provide support and strength to the boy when we lost his wonderful grandfather this summer.
6) Parents who think that having three children with arts degrees is more nifty than terrifying (or at least hide their fear well).
7) That my parents got to get the new basement they've been dreaming of for years and years.
8) A sister who works a J.Crew.
9) Many other things that I am forgetting to mention.

Things I am looking forward to in 2013
1) Completing more interior design school.
2) Taking a "How to Start a Business" class at the local community college.
2) Dedicating more time to my blog and furniture/design business.
3) Exploring the idea of doing the Lucketts Market again, and trying to figure out a way to make it happen without turning our house/my life into a disaster (and selling as much as possible!).
4) Helping my brother redesign his bedroom.
5) More of my own house-beautifying projects.
6) Reading the design books I got for Christmas and adding to my collection.
7) At least two weddings to attend.
8) Family vacations.
9) Making a new Christmas Eve tradition (per my Grandma's request).
10) Visiting my sister's new(ish) place in Brooklyn.
11) Going to the Lumineers and Mumford and Sons concerts with the boy.
...and many, many more things that I don't even know about right now.

What are you proud of and thankful for in 2012? What are you looking forward to in 2013?

On Going for It

Source: imgfave.com via Sarah on Pinterest

There are very few things that I can do for eight hours at a time and not get bored. But for some magical reason I can spend 8 hours sanding and be disappointed that I need to stop, shower, and, you know, be social on a Saturday night. I have the hardest time dragging my butt out of bed in the morning, but the prospect of snagging a great piece of furniture at a yard sale will get me moving.

I’ve always maintained that I will not be the person who spends 40+ hours of my week in a job in which I'm not content. I know that’s a huge departure from many mindsets, and that it’s a little entitled—many people don’t have an option and do what they can to put food on the table, and I respect that.  But it just seems to me that if I can somehow do something that I love instead, I should do everything to make that happen. And I should do it while I’m young, before I have a family and my priorities change. And keeping a family in mind, I should set myself up with something that could allow me to work and do something I love even when I do have a family.

No, I’m not quitting my job. No, I’m not going back to school to pursue a dream career. I don’t even know what that would be at this point. I do know this: I am completely happy when I am acquiring, fixing, refinishing, and painting furniture. I am so, so, so content to make things. So happy that I had this conversation with the boy, who had a (very good looking, ladies) friend coming to town on Friday:

Me: Soooo…what are you guys doing tonight?

Boy: Not sure, picking up [good looking friend], getting some dinner, and then probably going out.

Me: So you guys probably want to have a guys’ night, right? Because you can totally have a guys’ night if you want to have a guys’ night. I know you haven’t seen each other in a while.

Boy: Uh, yeah maybe. Did you want to go out this weekend?

Me: Uh yeah, sure, I just, you know, wanted to give you guys some time together tonight because I figured you would want a guys’ night and then maybe I’ll see you tomorrow night after my brother’s play.

Boy: What are your plans for tonight?

Me: Well…I was kind of going to sew some curtains. 

Hi, my name is Sarah, I am almost 25 years old, and I want to rush home from work on a Friday night so that I can start a project. It’s a good thing I already have a bf, because I think my chances of picking up a new stud muffin would be pretty low if I continue along this trajectory.

My bf is sweet. When I go home after work and debate between going to the gym and painting furniture, he tell me,“do what makes you happy.” That is almost always furniture/crafting/sewing (which I reason burns some calories and has me in some very muscle-straining positions sometimes anyway). His advice makes me more aware of what I enjoy doing, and prevents me from feeling guilty about letting the floor of my room become overgrown with dirty clothes and my letting my butt get a little bit bigger.

When friends from college ask me what my plans (for life?) are, I don't generally have an answer. I saw an old friend last fall and told him that I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do with my life, and that I had some ideas but didn’t know how to pursue them and blah blah and I was being mega wishy-washy about it. And he wasn't having my wishy-washiness and told me that I could do a lot, I just needed to be more confident in myself. I knew he was right.

This blog has helped me gain more confidence. The wonderfully positive comments on my projects, which have been featured on other sites, made me think, “Hey, I might actually be good at this.” I’m participating in a community of bloggers and furniture people, which makes me feel more professional too. I am by no means an expert, but when friends ask me how to refinish something, I find myself spouting off tons of information to them.

via The Old Lucketts Store

About two weeks ago I came across some information about the Lucketts Spring Market. Lucketts is a really cool “Vintage Hip” store near Leesburg that sells antique furniture from the likes of Miss Mustard Seed and other people who I unfortunately don’t know. I highly recommend a visit if you haven't been there already. Anyway, Lucketts was selling booths for their spring market for $75 apiece, first come, first served. I decided on a whim to fill out the application and mail in my check, thinking that they were probably full of vendors already, but who knows? Friday night, while I was sewing my curtains, my roommate said, “Oh yeah, there’s this big envelope for you that came in the mail.” It was from Lucketts; I’m in! Mark your calendars to come see me at Lucketts on May 19th and 20th!

I have a little under three months to do enough furniture to fill a 10x10 booth and--oh yes--prep for all the businessy stuff that comes along with it. It feels amazing. Finally, for the first time since I was in college, I am working towards a concrete goal. I'm also taking a risk on myself, which I haven’t really done in a while either.

I don’t know if this is the beginning of a selling-furniture on the side thing, whether I could turn it into a full-time gig, or where my career is going. But I know that at least I’m taking a professional step into doing something that makes me incredibly happy, and that’s worth something, right?

Source: etsy.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Have any of you sold at the Lucketts Spring Market before? Any tips? Does anyone have a 10x10 tent they need to get rid of? I better stop writing. I have SO much work to do.