Hi there, my story goes way back to none other than the queen of Shabby Chic, Rachel Ashwell. When I first bought her book back in 2000, I was instantly in love with Shabby Chic! I had always been a great fan of Victoria magazine and subscribed religiously for up to 15 years. Once I looked at all the beautiful pictures in Rachel's book, it seriously changed my life. Since then, she has inspired me to get in touch with my buried creativity and I challenged myself to start creating. I first began my new love by taking an oil painting class for 6 weeks and very much loved it. Then I began painting roses on canvas, painted household items like a broom and dustpan in the pastel colors along with a some decoupaging. Also, my husband and I would go to yard sales and auctions and then rented a booth in an antique store and began to sell. I'd also buy vintage furniture, paint and distress them and have yard sales every spring and summer. We always sold much of our treasures and always made a great deal of money. I also love talking to and meeting new people at our yard sales. Which was something that is very interesting and fullfilling to me. My husband and I had a side business going for a couple years and then I had to give up my dream due to finances and had to get a fulltime job. My dream is to continue to pursue my crafting business and do this full time . Thank you so much for stopping by, and may all your dreams come true too!

~ Stephanie Bradley