Shipping Day - Couriers & Carriers

With four items of furniture to be shipped out, our first priority had to be to ensure each was fully protected with bubble wrap for transit.

Victorian Dressing Chest Painted in
Farrow & Ball Lime White

A dressing table destined for a Manor House in Cornwall, a Georgian tea table to Wales, a students bureau to Sussex and a bookcase to Baldock which we were delivering. The beauty of Ebay is that it reaches the parts that other websites dont, and we can ensure items are delivered door to door thanks to our reliable Nationwide courier service. We also have the added advantage, thanks to our volume of business, to be able to offer this service at an affordable flat rate.

Regency Mahogany Folding Tea Table

20th Century Students Bureau

Ercol Vintage Bookcase

Since we work from home, as a concession to our neighbours, we rendezvous with our courier at the local A1M service station to hand over the items, rather than have a regular collection outside our cottage. Anything to keep the peace, since early on, our immediate neighbour objected to a courier van being loaded on a weekly basis next door to her house.  Despite the fact she looks out on a beautiful church in a country lane - a commercial vehicle calling once a week was, for her, a blot on the landscape and just unacceptable.

We also sent a parcel off via our local post office, as well as one via Hermes - a brilliant courier employing local people to collect and deliver parcels, hold on to them all overnight until they are collected by a main van and taken to the depot. This keeps their charges to a minimum and provides local employment too. The Post Office could learn from them.

While Mike took charge of packing and despatch, I completed painting an Edwardian washstand in Annie Sloan's Duck Egg which I finished in dark wax fading to lighter tinted wax.

I also painted a Victorian pine table base and two chairs in Duck Egg, with tinted wax to create an aged effect, as well as a bookstand. For the latter, I used the paint effect suggested by Annie Sloan in her book, Paint Transformations - two contrasting shades on the same brush. In this instance, I used Antibes  Green and Aubusson. Delighted with the end result. Photos to follow.

Meeting our Buyers

Its always nice to meet buyers who come to collect. Frequently they ask if this is our full-time business and we confirm it is. They then say, "I would love to do what you do instead of working 9-5pm.

This always makes us smile because, in fact, we work 24-7 and are available 7 days a week. While we love what we do and wouldnt go back to our former careers - even if we could -it takes total commitment to do what we do to ensure we maintain our 100% positive feedback score.

There is never a dull moment and very little time to relax. Painting and restoration of furniture is, in itself, therapeutic, but there's also the tedious times and today produced one of those annually recurring ones - the tax return. Relevant documents to be produced, annual accounts checked and re-checked. The accountant's bill to be settled. Not fun, but necessary so we can run a legitimate business and make our small contribution to society.

However, there was still time for me to start painting a marble top French Victorian  cupboard in Farrow & Ball's Lime White. I picked out the carvings and mouldings in  dark wax and the whole piece was finished in clear wax and polished to produce a soft sheen. No photos yet but watch this space.

Met a lovely lady today who called to collect a blanket box. It met her requirements perfectly, she said, as she wanted a coffer with drawers and had even asked her husband to make her one! With their first baby on the way as well as a new puppy, they were both delighted to find their ideal and she drove over from Essex to pick it up the day after purchase. That is what makes our efforts all worth while.

You are welcome to browse our Ebay Store by clicking on this link