Transformation Tuesday: Do it for the "After"

Good morning!

It’s been a while since my last post and boy do we have some catching up to do!  I’ll get to the personal life changes in a later blog, but what I wanted to touch base on today was the power of a good #TransformationTuesday.  

People will often ask me why or how I got into distressing furniture and the truth is I love comparing the before and after.  Growing up one of my favorite shows as a preteen was TLC’s What Not to Wear.  You know the show.  Some administrative assistant from Brooklyn, NY who owned 5+ cats and some bad velvet maxi skirts from the 80’s would get an extreme makeover/shopping spree with the best personal shoppers around! The process was kinda painful as you watched a 45 year old woman battle with fashion icons Stacy and Clinton on the pros of keeping her crochet kitten sweater, but man those afters were so worth it! I would be so fixated on each episode waiting patiently for those reveal shots when they turn the person around to get a peek at their new look.  

That’s the same feeling I get when I refinish furniture.  Every piece that comes into my workshop whether it be a client's’ or a piece I purchased to flip has a back story.  It was either very sentimental to someone and needed to be kept, an inspirational piece for a new decor scheme, or absolutely awful and tossed aside as trash (these are typically my favorite).

Before

As I think about the process I go through, stripping the furniture down to prep it for the painting, I can’t help but relate the process to life.  Often times we strive for the “after” and don’t realize how much work goes into the approach or the transformation.  Sometimes situations happen in our lives that “strip” us down and make us feel like we are starting over. I know I’m guilty of feeling it! We are under constant pressure to seem like accomplished individuals who achieved the original goals we set out for.  It gets a little discouraging when you have to take a step back and evaluate where you are to where you thought you’d be.  That’s where faith comes in.  Knowing that whatever occurs in my life is all part of God’s divine plan for me gives me a Cloud 9 feeling day in and day out.

After

Do you feel the same way?  Striving for that transformation whether it be furniture, fitness, career, or relationship is a whole lot easier knowing that it doesn’t all happen at once.  Embrace the transformation phase! Take small steps and pretty soon you will be comparing your own before and afters in whatever you decide to spruce up.

XOXO,

Katie