missing in action…

I know, I know…I haven’t written in ages. There are a lot of reasons really, but most of them you’ve heard before. Busy with the shop, slammed with paint projects, running my boys around, blah blah blah…

That’s all true…but not entirely. I love writing this blog, It never feels like work and trust me, I would squeeze in a few minutes at midnight to type away on my laptop if I felt inspired. But this blog has definitely been put on the back burner, neglected…flat out kicked to the curb.

Why? I can’t keep it a secret any longer… there is a fancy new one in the works! YIPPEE! I have been working with the amazing Reni from BLISS AND TELL BRANDING COMPANY on my new website and blog that will be launching soon! Reni also did the branding for the shop and I just love her style and vision. She has been incredibly patient with me through the design process. What started out as a fairly simple blog design…turned into a complete website for my new shop with requirements that seem to change and evolve with each week I was open. But with a couple of months into this crazy ride,  things are starting to find a rhythm and what we need to incorporate into the website is starting to take shape and make sense.

So as much as this first blog I hodge-podged together on my own has been an incredible experience, I have to admit I can’t wait to get to work on a professionally designed site. There have been many – MANY – times I’ve hit technical challenges and frustrations that nearly had my laptop flying through the nearest window.

So stay tuned. Hang in there with me as I drop off again for awhile…it will be worth it when it’s done!

You can also follow the shop on Facebook! www.facebook.com/beachglassbykmillerinteriors

Paint Workshop!

 Vintage Market & Design Furniture Paint Workshop!

We are offering one day of classes before the holidays!

Learn the great transformation of chalk-based paint, distress, wax and accent using Vintage Market & Design Furniture Paint.

Thursday, December 5th at 10am and again at 6:30pm.Class is $85 per person, approximately 2 – 2.5 hours long and includes the following:

• Wood Storage Crate (to paint, distress, wax and take home!)
• All paints and waxes needed for class provided.
• Paint Brush
• Small group instruction on how to layer paint, distress, wax and accent with the new Grunge It! product.

Light snacks and beverages will be provided.Special 10% class discount on all paint and paint supplies purchased on the day of class.Please call the shop to reserve your spot. Only 6 people per class – so space is limited!
# 425.374.2694  (payment required to reserve)Can’t make this date? Don’t worry, BEACHGLASS will be starting  off the new year with more classes to help get a jump start on those 2014 projects!

Want to get your 6 of your “besties”  together for your own class? Contact the shop at 425.374.2694 to discuss details!

Decorating the shop for the holidays

BEACHGLASS by: K.Miller Interiors will be officially four weeks old tomorrow. Really? Four weeks?!! It feels like it could be four years!  That sounds bad…and I really don’t mean it that way, but wow – it has been busy.  I can’t say I wasn’t warned, but I think until you decide to jump into something like owning your own business, you just can’t grasp how all-consuming it truly is until you are knee deep in the thick of it.  But I’m learning everyday and in spite of my current poor eating habits, non-existent exercise routine, and some sort of teenage bad skin flashback I am currently experiencing… I am loving it.  I’m getting the opportunity to experience and expand on the things I love to do (design & decorate)  and struggling through some of the things I will never learn to love. (did someone say taxes?)

But last Sunday was such a great day. I came down to the shop, turned on some Christmas music, locked the door, and tore this place apart until it was completely transformed. I had so much fun! Sure, I’ve always gone a little over the top decorating for the holidays in my own house, but not the same way you can go crazy in a retail setting.

Here is a little peek at some of the displays…

Have you decorated for the holidays? With the short time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, time is definitely ticking!  I’m afraid that with all the hours I’m spending down at BEACHGLASS, our own house may not achieve it’s usual holiday sparkle. Although, our whole family loves Christmas and all of the traditions involved, so I doubt my boys will let me cut too many corners around here. I’l find a way to get it done…I usually do.  I just wish I could find some Christmas elves to pick up after me when I’m done!

Come share some holiday spirit at  BEACHGLASS! We are open M-F from 9am-3pm and Saturday from 10am-5pm.  And from now until Christmas we will be staying open Wednesday nights until 7pm!

meet “Belle”

I’ve been in the market for a well-used truck for awhile.  I needed a shop truck – something inexpensive to haul furniture and all of the other great “finds” I come across for BEACHGLASS. My car just isn’t big enough –  and when the Mister bought a new SUV this summer, I could tell right away his hauling days were over. He gives me a crazy look when I ask to go through the Starbucks drive through in his fancy new ride, so I knew my next rusty, dusty piece of potential was NEVER going to fly.

So I put the word out that I was looking for an old truck. You know, “grandpa’s truck” – far from new, but well loved and driven little.

Well about two weeks ago we found her. My dad spotted an old Chevy for sale in the neighbor’s yard out at the lake. A sweet little blue and white “cream puff” as he described it,  that had belonged to his parents.

Hmmm…didn’t sound like the tough chick vintage truck I imaged. You know, the kind of cool truck that has that look like it has stories to tell?  But with the price tag under $3,000.00 – it was more important that it didn’t provide the kind of stories that started with me on the side of road.

my favorite plant

If you have followed my blog for awhile you most likely know that I’m not much of a green thumb when it comes to indoor plants. I do okay outside, but I have a tendency to torture any plant I try to keep indoors. I completely admit to the fact it’s my fault…I stuff them places where I think they look good from a design perspective – completely ignoring their “care” instructions. You may recall the unfortunate Christmas poinsettia from last year.

Needs lots of sunlight? But I really like the way it brightens up this dark corner.

Water regularly? That’s a little tough when it’s placed 9 feet off the floor on top of that empty shelf that needed something green.

Then I discovered air plants.

When I first saw them in a shop I thought they were fake. They were just sitting here and there, tucked and stuffed….just the way I like them. But where was the dirt? How do they live? I had to buy some.

And then I bought some more.

I have airplants scattered throughout our house. In a centerpiece on our dining room table, tucked in with some starfish on a coffee table, on the counter in the powder room, and nestled with some seaglass bottles in our master bath. I spray these little guys with water about every two weeks (don’t completely hold me to that timeline…) and that is it!! It’s been about a year and I promise I haven’t killed one yet!

Air plants or “Tillandsia” come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes.  They don’t require dirt so the display options are almost endless. They are such a fun and inexpensive way to add some color and texture to your space and I knew I needed to have them for the shop.

It’s been two weeks since I’ve opened and I already had to order another 32 plants! Well they have arrived and are beautiful. Here are  some fun ways we have them displayed at BEACHGLASS.

meet Stephen

I’ve been meaning to write a post on this dresser for awhile now…but with all of the craziness of opening the new shop it just seemed to take a hit on the priority list. Poor thing, he really is pretty cool.

Most of the pieces painted with chalk paint have a layered look that looks amazing. I love that look as well, but sometimes a certain piece just seems to call for something different.

That was the case with this old maple dresser. We’ve all seen his guy around before…if you are like me, your brother maybe even had a bunk bed in the same style. So maybe it was a little of me reminiscing or just the influence of my all-male household…but this dresser needed to be painted more masculine.

Here is a photo of the dresser before:

 

But with this simple combination of FrogTape and chalk paint in OXFORD by Vintage Market & Design …

look at him now!

 

Stephen is for sale at BEACHGLASS for $375.

first day

Today was my first official day open at BEACHGLASS! I had an amazing Launch Party on Wednesday night to celebrate my new venture with friends and family, but today it was official.

It was a perfect day. I opened the doors at 9am to a fun couple visiting Mukilteo from Austin, TX and my last sale was to a another group visiting from Florida. Who knew Mukilteo in October was the tourist hot spot? 🙂 I assured all of them that there really were mountains out there behind the fog….geesh, we have to be the only place where people shout “look! the mountains are out!!”

I had a steady flow of locals all day and some great friends popped in… it really was so much fun! It felt good to have all of the “grunt work” of getting the shop ready to open behind me and just enjoy helping customers throughout the day. I was even able to squeeze in a little time to post some pictures on my Facebook page and place some much needed orders to replenish what flew out the door on Wednesday night.

Today was just what I hoped for…this is one happy girl.

Meet “Rucker”, the round table

As I started filling in the shop it was obvious I needed a round display table for the center of the space. I have this amazing industrial cart in my garage that is just begging for a cool round reclaimed top, but I just don’t have the time right now to track it down. It would be crazy cool…but it will have to wait patiently for the proper makeover.

But when I was down at Home Inspirations to start to pack up to move my space, I was chatting with another vendor friend that I needed a round table. A customer overheard and offered to sell me hers. “It’s solid, round …but it’s oak and really needs to be painted” was how she described it. Hmmm…I may just be able to do that!

We arranged the deal and on moving day swung by her place on Rucker Ave and picked it up. It was the perfect size, but she was right…it was that yellow colored OAK – that was just screaming for a makeover.

chasing deliveries

Shipments are arriving nearly daily and it has been interesting trying to stay a step ahead of them. When I placed early orders I made sure they were shipped to our house since there was so much work to be done at the shop and I knew any inventory would just get in the way of  the remodeling progress. But as things have started to come together, I started directing deliveries to the shop address. Particularly, the large ones.

How has that worked? Pretty much as you would guess. If I’m at home – they arrive at the shop. If I’m at the shop…I come home to the front door blocked with boxes. It’s just the challenges of opening up a new shop, so luckily it’s an easy fix once I’m officially open for business.

Countdown!

It’s October! Let the countdown to OPEN begin!