Take Down That Wall! Marietta Renovation

If you've been to the Marietta store, you know that our dealers that sell fine art, custom pallet art, wall decor and photography currently occupy space on a gallery wall in the center of the Marietta store, between Meeting and Queen Streets.

We've started 2017 off with a bang as staff and volunteers tore down the gallery wall on Sunday, January 29th, making way for bigger shop spaces down the center of the store, wider aisles and more visibility!

Art and home decor dealers have relocated to a newly designed "Art Gallery" on East Bay Street.

The new, expanded street will be called Meeting on Queen Street. Stay tuned for more photos of the expanded street, and to watch the video click here! We are looking forward to a better and brighter Queen of Hearts Marietta!

Labor Day Spotlight: Queen of Hearts Leasing Managers Jeannie, Vickie and Jenny

The Queen of Hearts prides itself on our savvy dealer-merchants. They are so creative and talented and we thought you would enjoy learning about the three wonderful women behind the scenes that are responsible for leasing space in our stores and getting to know a little bit about them. If you are interested in becoming a dealer in one of our stores, fill out the online application by going to our website at www.queenofheartsantiques-interiors and clicking on Become a Dealer!

JEANNIE RICHEY – LEASING MANAGER FOR ALPHARETTA QUEEN OF HEARTS

Jeannie grew up in a small town near Pittsburgh, PA, and has been married to her childhood sweetheart for 47 years and they have 4 children and 7 grandchildren. She loves spending time with her family, interior decorating, and cooking.

Jeannie graduated Cum Laude from Fairmont State University with a degree in education and taught computer science at Woodward Academy and Pace Academy in Atlanta and The Episcopal School of Dallas, Texas. After retiring from teaching in 2002, she followed her dream of having an Interior Design/Gift Store called Simply Sophie in Dawsonville and Alpharetta. She became a dealer at The Queen in 2010 after closing her stores, and later became part of “The Queen” staff because of her love of retailing and we are so glad she did!

As leasing manager, she feels like she is the interior designer of the whole store and every month is a unique puzzle of placing new and veteran dealers in the perfect spot to showcase their merchandise. She looks for dealers who are serious about having a business and who are willing to work at their business several days a week. This means not just “fluffing” their booth, but regularly changing their merchandise. Jeannie knows with all her experience in retailing the hard work involved for dealers to be successful, so if dealers are looking for a little part-time hobby, the Queen may not be the place for them.

Jeannie is always looking for dealers with different or unique merchandise, especially wonderful antiques, whether that is vintage, retro, or repurposed, and is constantly in awe of the creativity of all our dealers. Her stewardship and commitment to finding the perfect dealers for our Alpharetta store is a major component of our success and has helped to make "The Queen" the best antique mall and why our customers return week after week!

VICKIE ROBINSON – LEASING MANAGER FOR BUFORD QUEEN OF HEARTS

Vickie has been married for 38 years and grew up in Snellville, GA. She has 2 daughters, 1 granddaughter and 1 grandson. She previously worked for Barrow County Schools for 20 years and has owned her own store called Vintage Grace. She enjoys collecting sea glass, shells and spending time with her grandchildren.

Vickie started working for the Buford Queen of Hearts in 2011 and is one of the main reasons the store has become the success it is today. Her favorite part about leasing space at the Queen is trying to find the best dealer-merchants for the Queen. She says that the dealers who are most successful at the Buford Queen are the ones that come in the store and work their booths at least twice a week, attend our free dealer-merchant training classes, and ask for help when needed. Dealers who get involved with the Queen’s events and promotions are also successful.

At the Buford Queen, she would like to see more vintage, antiques and primitives and less DVDs, CDs, and dollar items. She looks for dealers who work hard to adhere to Queen policies to make their business a success and who take advantage of the advertising the Queen of Hearts provides with their own social media. Vickie knows what it takes to be a dealer at the Queen because she is a dealer herself and knows that hard work pays off in great sales.

What advice does she give to potential dealers? Be dedicated, enjoy what you do, be involved with The Queen of Hearts activities, take advantage of Thursday late nights, Meet and Greet and the 1st Sunday of each month when we are open for dealers only from 9 to 12 to provide dealers time to work without customers! The Buford store has blossomed under her experience and leadership and she has done a great job of leasing booths to an assortment of dealer-merchants for every style and preference!

JENNY RAY – LEASING MANAGER FOR MARIETTA QUEEN OF HEARTS 

Jenny Ray was born in Mesa, Arizona and moved to Alabama when she was 2 ½ years old. She grew up on a farm in Fredonia, Alabama raising cattle and hay. She is currently single and has a son who is 37 years old. She worked previously at Kimberly Clark before starting her own business at the Queen of Hearts in 2003. She began working as staff for the Marietta Queen of Hearts when the original Marietta store opened on Canton Road in 2006, and helped to move the Marietta Queen to its new location on Sandy Plains Road in 2014. Her efforts and hard work paid off when we opened the Marietta store in November, 2014 with all spaces filled and a waiting list of dealers wanting to come in!

Besides finding treasures for her own booths at Alpharetta and Marietta, Jenny enjoys hiking and reading good books.

Her favorite part about leasing space at the Queen of Hearts is matching booths to dealer’s needs. All booths are individual work spaces and all dealers have their own individual looks and finding that perfect spot for them to showcase their merchandise is important to her. She finds that her most successful dealers are the ones that carry furniture and work their spaces 2 to 3 times a week. She encourages dealers to bring in more furniture, fill their booth spaces and keep stock rotated.

Over the years, her slogan has remained constant - Part time work equals part time pay. The Marietta Queen is lucky to have her expertise and guidance and she works hard to find the best fit for each dealer-merchant at the Marietta Queen!

We love our staff, dealers and customers - this Labor Day we give a big thank you to everyone who does their part at the Queen to make it a wonderful place to work & shop!

Queen Dealer Spotlight: Bob Bartow of Clock Repair Service in Marietta (CLOCK)

Each month we will be doing a blog about one of our dealer-merchants from each of our three stores that offers unique, one-of-a-kind antiques and merchandise for your home and garden. We have a lot of creative, savvy and talented dealers and we thought you would enjoy getting to know them!



Bob Bartow (Dealer CLOCK) of Clock Repair Service sells and repairs clocks. Their showroom is located at the back of the Marietta Queen of Hearts along Court Street and they have been there for the past 2 ½ years. They also have a clock repair shop at the back of the store and he or his staff is usually there, if you have any questions.



Bob offers a full line of Howard Miller, Ridgeway, Bulova and Seiko clocks and he has several on display at the Marietta Queen. He sells grandfather clocks, mantle clocks, wall clocks, and clock parts, but really enjoys repairing and selling grandfather clocks. Clock Repair Service specializes in grandfather clock repairs, and they rebuild, preserve, and restore grandfather clocks, ranging from 250 years old to new. They even have a Mobile Repair Van so they can come to you for on-site preventative maintenance and repair by appointment. 

Bob says that he loves being at the Queen of Hearts because he loves being a part of a family amongst friends and customers. Bob has been married to Meredith for 31 years, and has two daughters, Lauren and Kenzie. He was originally born in New York but moved to Georgia at an early age. Prior to repairing and selling clocks, he was an electrician. Besides repairing and selling clocks, he enjoys reading and watching old black and white movies.

You can usually find Bob at the Marietta Queen most days. You can contact him by phone (678-462-7856) or by email at bob@clockrepairservice.com if you have a problem with your clock or just want to pass the time! 

Be sure to stop by the Marietta store during our Spring Fling on Thursday, March 19.  He will giving a demonstration on how to Clean Grandfather Clocks from 6:30 to 7:30 pm!

Visit him on the web at www.clockrepairservice.com or LIKE him on Facebook at Clock Repair Service. 

Queen Dealer Spotlight:Scott and Milinda Griggs of Lindy's Trains

In 1975, Scott started his first model train business in his parents garage in Findlay, Ohio and his love for trains has continued through the years. Scott says his wife, Milinda, has been amazingly supportive through the years and is an unbelievably supportive and patient person and great wife. "I don't know how she has put up with me all of these years, but we recently celebrated our 25th anniversary. That's the story from when I started at eight years old to where I am now. I still really enjoy trains and just thoroughly enjoy the business and bringing happy train memories to new generations." 

Scott and Milinda have done everything from selling on EBay, going to train shows, having their own stores, even working in the corporate world – and now currently are in 11 antique malls and run a specialized train website, Trainz.com. Their life is busy travelling and keeping all the antique booths stocked and organized. 

Melinda says, "We have been busy opening up a network of booths in the best Antique Malls we could find. We typically restock each booth two or three times per month and we have hundreds or thousands of items at each one. Every Mall we are in has at least 15,000 square feet and dozens or hundreds of other dealers, so come out to see the trains and toys, but plan on much more! Make a weekend out of it and follow the Georgia Antique Mall Trail – Lindy’s way."

Because they spend so much time traveling between their booths, they especially love that gas prices are going down!

We are proud to have Lindy’s Trains in all three of our Queen of Hearts locations. They have thousands of model trains, die-cast cars and trucks, plastic model kits, Hess trucks, vintage toys, Nascar items, Department 56, ceramic buildings and other fun and collectible toys. Come and learn about them!

Come visit them in all three of our Queen of Hearts locations! Like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LindysTrains or visit their website at www.trainz.com.

Decorating your Home for FALL! Guest blog from A Bit of Décor

When we think about decorating our homes for fall, we think of heavy fabrics and darker colors. When we come out of the summer heat, we want to cool down; we want to change things up.  Don’t get me wrong we love the summer and the bright colors, but there is something about fall that makes us want to change it up and bring that sense of home and comfort back into our lives. So what do we do it? How can we make our homes reflect ourselves and the themes for the fall?

Darker fall colors can be added in the throws or pillows that you use, or through decorative accents you might add to your home. Throws can add texture through knits like cable, faux fur, or even a depth in the nap of the fabric. A pillow can be something that you can throw on a chair, or on the floor even, close to the fireplace. Look at the basic colors that you have throughout your home, and pick a darker color to coordinate with those colors in your rooms. Many decorate or update just a room, or a few rooms, you can easily do it throughout your whole home. Think about it – add a throw to your bed, or the chair in your room, or even in your home office. Just add one ruby red, mustard yellow, bright orange or deep purple fall colored pillow or set of decorative items on your end tables.

Many of the decorating books and magazines serve up examples with each season. There are always the predictable, but use your creative side and sense of whimsy to update your home. It doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult to do, especially if you know what you're looking for. Here are some ideas:

Better Homes and Gardens presents this view with the addition of fabrics, throws and pillows.

Adding just a fall themed pillow will add that sense of whimsy and accent for your home. Check out the dark colored ruby red chair and we LOVE this acorn pillow!

A Bit of Décor at Queen of Hearts – Antiques & Interiors in Marietta, GA offers a variety of throws, accents, along with pillows and general ideas to help with your decorating for fall.  All of the dealers at Queen of Hearts have many things available as well to accent your home for fall and the upcoming holidays - come in and take a look!

This blog was written by dealer Amy Ahrens, of A Bit of Décor (WACL) on Calhoun St in Marietta - like her page on Facebook to see all of her fabulous finds!

https://www.facebook.com/ABitOfDecoQueenofHeartsMariettaWACL

Fascinating Finds & Tremendous Treasures - MARIETTA

This guest blog is by Cindy Rich, a third generation picker of antiques/appraiser and loves all things vintage. She has been interested in antiques for as long as she can remember, and feels that every piece she finds comes from somewhere and was loved by someone! She will be visiting each store once a month for an Appraisal Night With Cindy Rich from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Bring your treasures and meet Cindy Rich, a certified appraiser. Please limit your items to 3 items and a voluntary $5 charity donation is requested for each item!

Upcoming Dates are:

• Marietta: SECOND THURSDAY of each month - July 10 - August 14
• Alpharetta: THIRD THURSDAY of each month - June 19 - July 17 - August 21
• Buford: LAST THURSDAY of each month - July 31 - August 28

Thursday night at the Queen in Marietta was nothing short of a "take my breath away" visit. I was blessed with so many smiling faces, and beautiful things, I was in awe. My time began a bit early at 5:15 PM and stayed on 'til the last customer just before 7:45pm.

I saw some vintage rugs that were easily over 80 years old, and while one was a bit more "cherished" than the other, both were spread out on the floor, and everyone who saw them were amazed, and appreciated the fine quality, texture, and life that each of them brought to the room. You could just imagine the space it took up, those who walked upon it, and how many holiday gatherings it saw.

I also had a gentleman who brought in a Tiffany piece that was an old bowl from the 40's and it was well worth the $6 find he brought to me.. I had done a bit more research when i returned home, and found it right in the amount i shared with him - which was approximately $250 - 350. Given time, it could well command a prettier penny. Although, I think he will be holding on to that one with both hands.

I had some gorgeous paintings, some pencil charcoal drawings, and even a bit of ivory jewelry. I was pleased to see a piece of Gorham silver from early 40's - 50's... it was a child's yoyo. Yes, I said, yoyo. It held up its beauty and stood the test of time. That gentleman had a wonderful eye, and a heart of true gold - he is one who treasures the past, and stops his finds from finding their way to the scrap yard. He is truly a preservationist of History.

As my night ended, I listened as the folks left me, and i was taken aback in how much i love what i do, how much i enjoyed my first time in Marietta, and just how much i love seeing the people come out and share with me all their findings... It is my pleasure to be able to touch pieces of the past, learn from the people, listen to the stories, and treasure all they have for me. It is truly a precious gift.

I have always enjoyed my trips as a customer to the Queen, and have purchased many items lately from the various stores to add the beauty of the rejuvenation of my kid's rooms. Each piece we have hand-selected tells a story all it's own, and now, it will include its time in our home.

What does the Queen of Hearts provide it's customers Pleasant shopping, fabulous finds, and tremendous treasures.

What does the customer gain from those pieces? A new piece of history for their family and added warmth and charm for their home.

See you next month! - Cindyanna

Dealer Feature: DPC Marietta, Debbie Camp

Each month we feature our great dealers in our blog, to give a little background on them, how they got started at The Queen, and what trends they are seeing! Meet Debbie Camp, a dealer who has been at the Marietta Queen of Hearts for almost a year, and is located on East Bay Street, dealer code DPC. Visit her Facebook page DPC Queen of Hearts, to see all of her gorgeous items and Like her page to be updated on new arrivals!

 

 

A little over a year ago I retired from Delta Airlines after a 34-year career as a flight attendant. Everyone kept asking me, "So now what?" I really did not have any concrete plans to have another career. I enjoy volunteering, gardening, re-purposing things and thought, "hmmm, what can I do with those interests?" One day I was at the Queen in Alpharetta and I ran into a friend who has two booths there. She spoke very highly of the owners and the staff and suggested I might like to join the team. I began praying about it, and plugged away preparing for a booth to become available. In July I moved into the Marietta location on East Bay St.

 

 

Coincidentally, my inlaws were downsizing and planning to move into an assisted living. Their basement was full of vintage treasures. I got busy cleaning up, painting, and re-purposing items, and low and behold I had a plethora of furniture and fun treasures. They were both raised in Paulding County (West Cobb) on farms. They had furniture, tools, dishes, and garden accessories stored in their basement from their parent's homes. My husband would say,"You are not selling Mama's favorite yada yada!" Oh we had numerous discussions about those forgotten treasures. I must admit he and my son have been very supportive helping me repair and haul "Mama's treasures" and my husband has a workshop in our basement that has now become "ours" (and has created more discussions!)

 

 

I moved into my booth in Marietta on East Bay last July. It has been a "stepping out of the box" experience for me working in a retail setting. The creative part of having a booth is totally up my alley. I enjoy the hunt for vintage treasures as much as the re-purposing, and helping people find something they love. Yes, I have been known to go into dumpsters looking for old windows being discarded, and you fellow dumpster divers are probably nodding your heads. I have enjoyed going to auctions and estate sales collecting antiques and picking through vintage items - you never know who's trash might be someone's treasure.

 

 

Furniture has a great story to tell with it's finishes, lines, and character marks. I just like to add more to its story with my creative flair. Stop by and visit me at the Queen of Hearts in Marietta, dealer code DPC on E Bay St, and Like my page DPC Queen of Hearts! I'm always refreshing my booth and filling it with vintage treasures for your home. I'd love to help you find what you're looking for. - Debbie

Dealer Feature: Odds & Ends, Lesia Williams

Each month we feature our great dealers in our blog, to give a little background on them, how they got started at The Queen, and what trends they are seeing! Meet Lesia Williams, a dealer who has been at the Marietta Queen of Hearts for one and a half years, and is located on Meeting Street, dealer code ODDS. Visit her Facebook page Odds & Ends at Queen of Hearts, to see all of her gorgeous items and Like her page to be updated on new arrivals!

Being a small business is hard in today's retail climate. Being a tiny business is even harder. But at the Queen, sometimes tiny is better and can be a lot of fun! It's very fulfilling to purchase an item to resell and then have a customer buy it, leaving happy and satisfied. It makes me proud to make an item from scratch and have a customer take that home, or better yet give as a gift to a good friend or relative. I love to create and make items for Odds & Ends that others may want to own. I love to search out discards, rejects, and unwanteds to give them a new life. I am fulfilled and proud and get to do what I love. My tiny business lets me do all this. The Queen of Hearts makes it possible for me to have this tiny business, and those are the reasons I love being a dealer.

I became familiar with the Queen from selling vintage jewelry at the East Cobb location, then I was persuaded into becoming a dealer again by a friend. We partnered for a few months until she moved to an antique market closer to her home. Odds & Ends has become my tiny business to run and lots of decisions have to be made all the time, like what types of items to offer - as long as the quality is good, then I like to offer them. I also think it's important to offer a variety - new lines, as well as those that have a "vintage vibe." It's fun to see what works for my customers and what doesn't, and to bring in more of what they like.

I have spent most of my working life in the retail environment and enjoy talking to customers when I come in to add new items. Resale is a wonderful business, as you are reusing and repurposing items that might just be thrown out. Recycling is very important in our environment and I like to reuse instead of having to purchase a brand new item. What I love about the Queen is you can save money on quality items shopping here, it's not just a flea market or junk to sort through. The dealers care about the quality of items they bring in, and making them feel like brand new - we hope our customers feel this way also. My best advice to customers is to try to be a savvy shopper. Buy what you like and make sure it is of good quality and a design that suits you. I like the furniture items I sell to be sturdy, made well and have a stylish look, and am constantly changing and filling my booth.

Stop by and visit me at the Queen of Hearts in Marietta, dealer code ODDS on Meeting St, and Like my page Odds & Ends at Queen of Hearts! I'm always refreshing my booth and filling it with things like vintage jewelry, antiques, and modern items for your home. I'd love to help you find what you're looking for and give these recycled items a new home. - Lesia

Family Ties & Butterscotch Pies: Guest Post from Appalachian Vintiques

As we approach the holidays, my mind wanders back to my grandparents' house in the holler of Western North Carolina in a town called Waynesville. At Thanksgiving especially, the house came alive with family, laughter, music, jokes, football, and the smell of turkey and homemade biscuits. And then there was my great grandmother’s delicious butterscotch pie that we ate on the "special occasion only" dishes on her mahogany table. I cherish these memories, but if I could change anything it would be to make those moments happen every day, not just once a year.

As I prepare for this year's Thanksgiving, I'm changing traditions. I'm investing in china, decor, and furniture that won’t be reserved for one day a year, but are timeless, quality pieces that I can enjoy every single day. I don’t want to lock up the "special occasion only" pieces because every day that I spend with my family is special.

At the Queen of Hearts in Buford, the ability to find quality pieces that remain timeless is an easy feat. Your most difficult task will be narrowing down the fantastic options. At my booth, Appalachian Vintiques, we specialize in high quality, primitive pieces found locally in Western North Carolina.

This fantastic buffet is made by Lexington and is made from a beautiful mahogany; it reminds me of one in my grandmother’s dining room and would make a beautiful accent for any of your family meals. The antique gilded mirror and the delicate stemware is traditional and classic.

Don’t let a small space prevent you from finding a timeless and functional piece that will be a great conversation starter. This fantastic dining table with four chairs, also found at Appalachian Vintiques, makes entertaining easy while practical.

Dealer SJ at the Buford location offers this exquisite dining room set with quality china pieces. Add a centerpiece like this and make your dining room festive year round.

Dealer SPCA in the Buford location offers this unique serving platter. Perfect for your Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas ham, but can be used year round - what about your next Superbowl party? This platter could hold enough wings to feed the team!

Dealer MNELW at the Buford location is offering this amazingly unique buffet. This classic French accent is sure to be a conversation starter at any gathering, and beautiful to admire when you are just eating dinner with your family.

I could post hundreds of photos from The Queen of Hearts in Buford. No matter what your style – traditional, modern, classic, romantic – there is something here for you. As you approach this holiday season, I hope that you will remember that people are what makes the moments special, not a date on the calendar. Whether it’s Sunday dinner after church with just your kids or entertaining your entire family for Christmas, choose pieces that you can create memories around that will last a lifetime. I will always remember my Nanny’s butterscotch pie...leave your family and friends with their own special memories.

Jennifer Turner is a dealer at the Buford Queen of Hearts and her booth is Appalachian Vintiques, dealer code LIVJC or VINTQ, located on Court St. Follow the link to like her on Facebook and see all her amazing finds!

Guest Post from HALO: Parisan Room Makeover Reveal!

Hello Queen readers! My name is Lori Hollaran and I am the owner of Halo Design & Interiors. I have a booth space (HALO) at the Queen of Hearts in Marietta and am located at the end of King Street. I am so happy to be able to share with you my second blog post for the Queen! If you happened to miss my first post, it was titled "Decorating with Doors". I had such a great time sharing my knowledge, creativity and custom design work that I could not wait to post again and am happy they wanted me back!

Besides spending endless hours painting, repurposing and revamping furniture for my booth space, I also have a full service interior design company. Needless to say, I am busy! It is quite rare when I actually have the time or the opportunity to redesign a space in my OWN home. Today, I am very excited to share with you my daughter's new Parisian themed bedroom. It is filled with easy DIY projects, thrift store find makeovers and many design ideas for mixing and balancing vintage pieces with new ones. Plus, the best part of it all is that many of these pieces or ideas can be found with items purchased from all of the three Queen of Hearts locations. Keep reading to see how it all came together!

Here is the before picture of her room. Super cute but very playful and youthful. She was turning 9 soon and I wanted her to have a room that she could grow into. As you can tell, I had already started to take things off the wall (almost a year and a half ago) with the intention of getting it done within a week. Ha Ha, who was I kidding? Life got busy and so another home project was put on hold!

Finally, after much patience on my daughter's part, I finished her room and LOVE how it all came together. Here is her new space... Parisian chic with touches of vintage glam!

I knew I wanted to use black, white and gray as the basic color palette but being it was for my 9 year old daughter, I knew I had to add a splash of color. So, with only 2 seconds of deliberations, PINK it was!! The entire room design was based around a canvas I found at Hobby Lobby for 50% off. (HINT - remember I love mixing new with the old ) Score!! You can see it here...
  

I always like to start decorating a space by figuring out the biggest pieces of furniture first. One of largest pieces in this room is her 10 drawer black dresser. Check out the before pic... not much character to it, huh?

Yep, she was an old, beat up vintage piece that I found. Amazing what a few coats of gloss black paint and a revamp of the hardware can do to a piece. Love it now. Pieces like this large dresser are SO easy to find at the Queen of Hearts. There are so many dealers just like me that find great vintage pieces that just need some TLC.

Here is a nightstand I found for $5. Yep, you read that right...FIVE BUCKS.

A few coats of white paint on the body and some black paint to the hardware and she is like brand spanking new!

The last big piece I was looking for was a vanity. I first thought that my daughter would need a desk, but then thought again. A vanity seemed to go better with her Paris theme. I looked for a few months for the perfect one and finally bought this one from a friend. I did not take a before pic (I think my memory is clogged from all the paint fumes I inhale!) But trust me, it was old and not in that great of condition. I do know it was from 1920's and was a dark cherry wood. It had one of those old trifold mirrors that came with it. I decided to continue the theme and paint it a gloss black. I opted not to use the mirror and instead found this one from TJ Maxx. Again mixing old with new is always a great balance. Then I changed the fabric on the stool to coordinate with one of her lamp shades and now she has an adorable place to admire herself. So many dealers at the Queen have vanity sets in their booths. You can find them in their original finish or some that have been painted like this one.

Next, I needed a headboard. At first, I was going to have my hubby construct one for me and then I remembered how readily available and plentiful old shutters are at the Queen. Check out the ones I found and re-purposed into my daughter's headboard. Super cute and very simple to do...just hinge the shutters together, that's it. A great first DIY project for anyone out there.

So, now that the basics of her room were complete, all that was needed were the accessories. Enter this sad and worn out piece of luggage and outdated rack. Yep, you guessed it, another Queen purchase for me. Gotta support my fellow consignors! Once I saw this I knew immediately what I wanted to use it for...a place to house all my daughters books.

After a few coats of gloss black paint, some stenciling and a new inside lining this is the end result...

  

No, I did not stencil the word "livers" on the top like my 9 year old daughter was convinced I did. It is "livres" which is french for books! I also added a cute luggage tag to make it look like she was a well traveled little girl. Now, I can honestly say that she loves going to choose a book to read each night . Makes it all worth it!

Windows are another great way to bring a vintage feel to any space. I found these 2 windows at one of the Queen of Hearts locations awhile back. They were exceptionally perfect for this project because they were not your traditional multi-paned windows. They only had two panes and I thought they had a more of a Paris apartment feel to them. They were originally white, so of course I painted them gloss black. My intention was to just hang them as is on the wall to resemble windows, but then I had the idea to repurpose them into picture frames. Check them out with these black and white family photos...makes me so happy my daughter wanted them on her bedroom wall.

Here are a few other accessories you could find in your hunt through one of the Queens locations...

Vintage perfume bottles, old cast iron lanterns and rusty old metal signs. I got lucky and found this replica of an old iron lamp post at Hobby Lobby. I know, Hobby Lobby rocks! I was walking to the checkout and saw it standing there in the aisle. Without even stopping or caring what the price was, I just scooped it up and carried it to the register. It was perfect. Again, I love finding new pieces that have a vintage feel to them. Funny thing is, that a few days later, I saw one similar for sale in the Marietta location!! I swear you can find just about anything you want at the Queen.

Lastly, I want to share this great black trunk at the end of my daughters bed. It could not be more perfect... adds beauty to the room with it great silver nailhead design while it serves as a great place to store all those things you don't want everyone to see. Trunks come in so many shapes, sizes and finishes. They are great when used as storage units and even better when repurposed into things like coffee tables. The possibilities are endless with these babies.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my daughter's new Parisian room as much as we enjoyed creating it! It was a long time coming and a lot of work but so worth it in the end. I love to lay with her on the bed and look around at all the different pieces she has and remember the journey each one took to get to where it is now. It is truly amazing what a creative mind, a little paint and some elbow grease can accomplish. Remember, a balanced mix of new and old is always a good design move. It can really bring a room together. Thanks again for reading and happy shopping!

Lori Hollaran  is a dealer at the Marietta Queen of Hearts and her booth is Halo Design & Interiors, dealer code HALO, located on King St. Follow the link to like her on Facebook and see all her amazing finds!