i absolutely love

flea markets … estate sales … garage sales … thrift stores as a kid, “hitting the sales” was a favorite past time all of my favorite people and some of my most cherished memories are woven in and around spending that time with them

not just at the sales … but the entire process

yep … we had a system

remember … when I was a kid we were doing this the old fashioned way … no technology

it started with the sunday edition of the newspaper

yes … an actual newspaper

the night before we would go through the ads … again we had already gone through the list … and circled our favorites with a pencil … on Sunday but this time we confirmed our final selections … with a red marker and made our list of stops … in numerical order we woke up at the crack of dawn … grabbed our pre-packed bag of snacks and off we went … filled with HOPE … and EXCITEMENT … on a mission to find nothing in particular

but with a solid strategy

we always started with a new neighborhood or the sale that was the furthest away because if you start close to home and things were going well you could run out of time … and not make it to those

but the doors are always open at HOME so it doesn’t matter how late you get back

by sharing this love of theirs with me I eventually began to understand … the real treasures

were never the stuff we

found

now mind you - sometimes we got lucky and stumbled upon something funky … super cool … totally unique … a one-of-a-kind

those things always came home with us … but

the thrill of the hunt … that is really about

… the adventures we would go on … the people we would meet along the way

things will come and go

sadly, I have lost most of those incredible people but I know they are with me … always … and especially while I’m treasure hunting

I successfully bought and sold for many years and YEP … I’ve acquired some really cool stuff … BUT stuff isn’t how I’ve defined my LIFE or filled my HOME (my heart)

I live life OUT LOUD … and with INTENTION

and believe that

life is meant to be lived

and shared with others … that’s the real treasure … and for me … it’s priceless

the life we build

the memories we make

the story of our lives

it was a normal day

I was not on a mission … out seeking … “on the hunt” I was simply driving home from work but on this day … some folks had their garage door opened

and there it was

the inspiration for my next chapter

ok … I understand the apprehension … and it’s hard to explain but I could HEAR her begging me to take this chance with her

and so … the adventure began

I’ve always had a “thing” with numbers

they are displayed in every room of my house so while playing around with possible names for this new venture … which my husband lovingly agreed to be my partner in I took our wedding date - 12.19.1998 - and removed all the duplicates - and we became

@designsby1298

custom designed/refinished furniture

if a piece was solid … and had good bones

we fixed any damage customized with paint or stain added unique hardware and accessories and delivered it to its new home where it could continue to share its story for years to come