{Chalkboard Series}

We've been working on some new frame designs lately at RIC & we are excited to start showing them to y'all!  If you follow us on Instagram or Facebook you've seen some sneak peeks of what we've been up to! If you aren't following us you should be!

Our goal is to add a variety of frames over time that meets the needs and price points of everyone!  We have some amazing things in the works for y'all & cannot wait to share all of our new frames and patterns! 

We are in love with these frames! And we hope y'all are too!

The first of our chalkboard series is a solid chalkboard frame with a burlap bow!  

These frames can be made in any size & any color chalkboard!

We will be adding some colored burlap as well! 

I love the versatility of this frame!

You can write anything & doodle as much as you want! 

These frames range from $20-$40! 

The next frame is probably one of my absolute favorites!

You are seeing this pattern for the first time!

Her name is Tania! 

We added a colored wood piece behind the glass that gives the frame a little pop of color! 

We can add these wood pieces on all 4x6, 5x7, 8x10 & 11x14 pieces of glass.  

At the bottom we added a small chalkboard piece.  

It's large enough to write a name or date on.  

These frames will range from $27 - $42 and can be painted in any pattern & color combo!

We love doing custom pieces so please don't hesitate to ask for something you don't see!

We hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday!

{Changing Our Focus}

It's been a while since I last posted & for good reason!  We are beyond SUPER busy! We never expected to be this busy but we are so beyond blessed to be able to do what we love!

When we started our business it was all about giving new life to old furniture.  I loved being able to find pieces of furniture that people tossed away & giving them a new purpose.  Then we developed our frame line.  We always had the expectations that we would do both because we loved doing both.   And then out of no where our frame business exploded.  We had over 50 orders at one time and now have 6 wholesale clients.  It's been such a blessing to our business and our family.  So we sat down and started looking at our investments.  We realized that we were spending so much time & money on finding & refinishing the furniture plus carrying pieces to our booth an hour away that it wasn't financially making sense anymore.   With that said we knew that we had to make a really tough decision.  From a business perspective, we knew that we had to focus on the area of our business that was getting the highest return - our frames!

This is our last month at our booth & it's bittersweet.  I truly love painting furniture & I will probably continue to do so for friends, family & myself but on a small scale.  It will be hard to not pick pieces up on a whim but for now it's the right thing.

Right now I'm literally hanging-on-by-a-thread and flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants & I love every single minute of it.  We've learned a lot of lessons along the way & are thankful for our customers who are loyal & patient & supportive.  We know there is so much more to learn & we are ready for the journey!

There's so much more that we want to do with our business.  We definitely want to get a more specific look and that's where Bliss & Tell Branding Co comes into play.  We cannot wait to work with this amazing company once we get some ideas down & a more definite idea of what direction we are going in.  We have ideas for new frame designs, color schemes & so much more!

In the next few weeks our FB page will be changing along with our blog look.  We are excited about the changes & cannot wait to see what else is in store for Raised In Cotton!

{Giveaway Over at Home By Ally}

Meet my talented & gorgeous friend Ally!

She's a super talented DIYer and she's the face behind the awesome blog Home By Ally. 

She is graciously hosting an amazing giveaway over at her blog! 

 The giveaway is live right now & there is a chance for THREE people to win a custom frame courtesy of Raised In Cotton!

So what are you waiting for?

Head on over to Home By Ally & enter!

{Dresser Before & After}

I bought this piece several weeks ago at one of my favorite places.  I knew when I saw it that it had great potential despite the horrible stencil job & hideous colors & bad antiquing job.  It was a steal so I snatched it up quick & brought it home.

It's the perfect size for a small bedroom or beside a couch.  The drawers are pretty deep so this piece offers a great amount of storage.

I knew what I wanted to do immediately with this piece.  I found my inspiration from this piece done by Miss Mustard Seed.

This has always been one of my absolute favorite pieces of hers!  

I wanted to do something similar but not as distressed.  My distressing confidence is a tad bit low & honestly I was just too scared to try this much distressing.  

I started by painting the base in ASCP Aubusson Blue.  It is one of my favorite ASCP colors.  It's a beautiful shade of blue.  

After two coats of Aubusson Blue I painted two coats of ASCP Old White.  I wanted the blue to come through the white when I distressed the piece.

You can see here how subtle the distressing is.  It's so pretty how the blue peeks through the white.  

I painted the drawers in the Aubusson Blue.  I didn't distress the drawers at all.  I preferred it that way & for no particular reason.  

The hardware dated the piece so I changed it out with some beautiful glass hardware.  The bad part I totally forgot to take a picture once I finished the piece.  

Here's a picture that the shop owner took of my booth.  You can see the finished piece in all it's glory along with some other pieces I just finished.  She really turned out beautiful & she will make a beautiful addition to any home.  If she isn't bought soon she might be coming back home with me!

We've been busy filling our booth after being wiped out during the holidays.  I have several more pieces to take & a slew of frames.  My goal is to have the entire back wall of our booth in frames.  It needs something & I think the frames will be the perfect touch! 

Please bare with me as I try to organize this blog a little better with regular posts, better before & after pics & several giveaways.  

I have neglected this blog for a variety of reasons & none of which are truly good.  

Thanks for being patient and for following along!

Happy Thursday!

{Heavy Heart.}

I am at such a loss for words about the senseless tragedy in Connecticut.  

Our prayers are with everyone affected. 

"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for

of such is the kingdom of Heaven."

Matthew 19:14

{Monograms}

I never knew how important monograms were until I moved to North Carolina 9 years ago.  Monograms is a southern thing.

A must thing if you live in the South. 

I started doing monogram frames a few months ago.  

They've sold like crazy.

I really love how they turn out.  

There's something really pretty & classy about a monogram. 

Here's an example of the single letter monogram. 

This frame was a special order for a family Christmas photo.  

I love the ASCP Antibes Green up against the red chevron.

The 3 letter monogram is probably my absolute favorite!

I love the look of a monogram.

I've been working on several monogram frames lately!

 I love creating beautiful pieces for our customers!  

I will be taking a break from making frames soon so that I can focus on the wholesale side of our business.  We've had tons of inquiries about wholesale & it's something we offer but want to perfect.

If you would like to order a custom monogram frame please check out our Etsy shop for more information on ordering!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

{Meeting Miss Mustard Seed}

Saturday I had the amazing opportunity of meeting Miss Mustard Seed.  

She was doing a book signing at SuzAnna's Antiques in Raleigh, NC & I wasn't missing it no matter what!

My awesome husband accompanied me on the 2.5 hour drive & even chatted Marian up about farming cotton! 

MMS is the reason I started my business.  I have followed her blog for years & even tried a few of her DIYs like her German glass glitter letters & ornaments.  She is a constant inspiration & her words of wisdom & truth gave me the push I needed to open Raised In Cotton Interiors.  

Marian is a real genuine person.

Her accent is adorable!

And that new short haircut is totally her!

My husband actually asked me when I was going to cut mine like that.  What? 

He was as smitten with her as I was.  

She wasn't in a rush as she signed our books.

She talked with us.  Asked us questions. 

It's what I love most about her.

She is a real person.  Just like you & I.

I could sit & talk to her for hours.  

I am so thankful she shared her talents with so many of us through her blog, paint & book!

If you get the chance to attend a book signing please do!

You won't be disappointed!

I look horrible in this picture mainly because I was so nervous.

I mean I'm standing next to Miss Mustard Seed!

She said to me, "Anything is possible." 

She is so right!

What a great day it was!

I am seriously still pinching myself & re-reading what she wrote to me in my copy of her book. 

What an honor to meet someone like her....

{Happy Thanksgiving!}

{RIC via Instagram...}

I've been so swamped lately with custom orders for frames {one huge wholesale} & with restocking furniture that I just haven't had time to blog. 

Through this process I've learned that I am not the most organized person & I seriously need to work on that in the new year. 

One thing I am good at is taking pictures with my phone.

So while I am waiting on some frames to try I thought I'd post a few pics from Instagram!

If you don't follow me please do!

You can find us at jessicasingle.

{Ornament frames}

{Chalkboard Ornaments}

{Single Letter Monogram Frames}

{3 Letter Monogram Frames}

{Embroidery Framed Verses}

I've had a lot going on & am just so thankful to be able to do what I love.

I will be off Wednesday until Saturday as we give thanks for all that God has blessed our family with this year. 

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

{We've Moved In}

Ever since I started this business it was always a dream of mine to have my own shop. 

 I knew it was a big dream.  

I mean the overhead of owning or renting a space is huge but I was up to the challenge.

Or so I thought.

After looking at several buildings & hearing about rent, utilities, etc. I decided to start I needed to go a different route.  

So I started searching for a different route.  

A lot of the blogs I read are ladies who rent booth spaces & I knew that was the route I needed to go.

It was perfect for a beginner like myself.  

I could do what I love while staying at home with Landry.

So today I made the leap. 

I took a risk on ME.

I started moving stuff into my booth at The Shops at 123 Hay Street in downtown Fayetteville.

I am so excited.  Like a kid on Christmas morning. 

We moved the big stuff in today {thanks to my amazing husband} & on Thursday I will move all the little things in. 

I hope that every thing works out & my stuff sales. 

I'm nervous that I will fail but that fear is what motivates me too.

Here are a few shots I took today with my phone. 

Once everything is set up I will take more pictures with the camera. 

And just a Instagram picture of our tags!  I LOVE them! 

 My dear friend over at Restoration House Interiors hooked me up with Paper Monkey Press.

Amazing products and amazing customer service! 

I will check back in later this week with some more updates on the booth space.  

I will be getting ready for our Holiday Open House the 16th-17th.  

Lots of exciting stuff going on at RIC Interiors!

If you aren't following us on Instagram please do for sneak peeks!

{jessicasingle}

Happy Tuesday!

{RIC Giveaway Over at Liz Marie Blog}

I met Liz Marie several months ago & I am so glad I did!

This gal is super talented & super sweet!

She is hosting a giveaway this week for Raised In Cotton!

TWO winners will win a custom frame of their choice & entering is simple!

Head on over to her blog for more information!

{image courtesy Liz Marie Blog}

{It's Been a While}

It's been quite a while since our last post & for good reason!  We've had so much going on lately with family stuff & working out some business stuff that I just haven't had time to post here.  I also have a personal blog that I post on quite often but I'm trying to balance the two!

When I started this business venture it was really as a hobby to give me something to do to make a little extra cash for our family & to give me an outlet for my creative side!  I never imagined that it would be anything more than me painting furniture in our laundry room or making frames on our dining room table.

A few days ago I was given the opportunity to be a vendor in an amazing shop in downtown Fayetteville.  I jumped at the chance & now I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get pieces painted, frames made & I'm working on some special projects too.  I am renting a booth at The Shops at 123 Hay Street.  My space is a 7x12 & I am super excited about staging it.  I open on November 1st which means only 17 days away!  And to top it all off the Holiday Open House is November 16-17th!  Eek!

I am super excited though!  I am actually typing this while a piece dries.  I am working into the wee hours of the morning but I am seriously loving every single minute of it.  God has blessed me in so many ways & I am going to embrace each moment.  God and bad.  I've learned a lot since starting this business & I know I have so much more to learn.  And I'm ready.

First thing first is we are changing our name just a tad.  I guess more like adding to it.  We are now Raised In Cotton Interiors.  We will be offering so much more than just furniture & frames!  We will be sharing all of it as we go & will be even offering some tutorials along the way.

We are leaving on the 25th for a mini vacation to Nashville to see my cousin perform & it couldn't have happened at a better time.  I will definitely need a getaway after all the work we are doing to prepare for the opening.

I am working on a schedule so that I can be a bit more productive as a business woman but also still be an amazing mom to Landry.  It's challenging but I know in the end will be so rewarding.  Well back to work but here's a sneak peek of a few of the pieces we've finished!

{Awesome News}

Today we got our first wholesale client!  We were beyond excited as we stood nervously closing the deal with a local boutique owner.  We are working on her custom order & cannot wait to form a lasting relationship with such a wonderful boutique!

I'm going to be a bit honest & tell y'all how discouraged I've been lately.  I have been working like crazy on furniture {that I have no problem selling} because the frame business hasn't been going so great.  We have several orders for family & friends but I want to reach a broader crowd.  Our Etsy shop has had tons of views but no orders.  We did a giveaway on the blog and Facebook page & no comments.  It's been so disheartening because we've invested so much time & money into this  business.  My husband, who is the greatest, told me today that he was proud of me & reminded me that most businesses like ours don't make any money the first two years.  I have no idea if that's true but it did make me feel better.

I know that I have to be patient & trust God in this journey.  Is that always easy?  No.  I hope I'm not alone in this feeling.  I love making the frames & being able to be creative.  Today was a sign for me to stay focused & driven.  To never give up.

I'm excited about the future of this business & what it will mean for our family.  It feels good to be doing something I love.  My grandfather told me tonight that this is only the beginning of the wholesale clients so I better buckle up.  I think he might be on to something & I'm super excited about it.  Now off to work on some frames....

{A Giveaway}

Everybody loves a giveaway!  

We reached 50 likes on our Facebook page so we are giving away one free 5x7 frame of your choice!

Yes, we realize 50 isn't exactly a huge number but it's a start for a small company who is just getting their feet wet!  

All you have to do is leave a comment & tell us which frame is your favorite.

The giveaway will end Monday, August 6th at 10 pm EST.

Winner will be announced Tuesday, August 7th.

Good luck & thanks for your support!

{Simply Gorgeous...}

I purchased this piece a few weeks ago & finally got around to painting it.  

It's a solid piece. 

Made by Thomasville. 

It didn't have dovetailed drawers but I bought it anyways.  

I loved the lines and it sort of looked like some of the popular bamboo pieces I've seen lately. 

This is what she started out as

She was a dirty ugly cream color with pink highlights. 

 The hardware is amazing!  It just needed some sprucing up so I gave it a fresh coat of white spray paint. It's as good as new now.

Here she is all dressed up....

This piece turned out beautiful. 

I'm going to hate letting it go but it's going to be for sale. 

Here's a sneak peek of the piece I'm working on now....

{Furniture, Frames & Paint... Oh My!}

You may have noticed that we changed the name of our blog & I'm super excited about the changes we are making here at Raised In Cotton.  I have had a long love for refurbishing furniture & until recently I was just doing it for myself.  There's something extremely rewarding about taking an old ugly piece of furniture & giving it new life with a little TLC.  

We have purchased over 25 pieces of furniture that I cannot wait to get my hands on!  

We met with a wonderful lady yesterday about renting a booth in her shop in a quaint little town. 

Unfortunately I waited too long to go visit because all the spaces are filled but I am first on the waiting list. 

We also checked out a building for rent at a crazy ridiculous price! 

It's a steal for the space & location so we have a million decisions to make. 

We are also looking into some flea markets like Luckett's & Round Top. 

So until we decide what we want to do we are going to just continue to make frames & paint furniture!

I know that God has an awesome plan in store for us & being patient isn't always easy but I'm trusting Him & waiting on Him this time.

So just a little teaser of the piece I'm working on today....

Happy Tuesday!

{Frankie Makes Her Debut}

I took a break from frames because I went to Texas to visit family for two weeks & then came home to a stomach virus.  It was not fun as it hit my husband first, then Landry & then myself!  We were all pretty pitiful for a week.  We are feeling much now & so we've been back to cutting frames.  I have several that have been ordered & I'm working like crazy to get them done.  

One of my favorites is Frankie! 

 She's a bit modern with a sassy flare.  

And no matter the color combo she's amazing! 

This one is painted in AS Chalk Paint (TM) Louis Blue, Pure White with trim done in Old Ochre. 

 It can be done in any color & we can match fabric colors as well.  

I hope y'all love Frankie as much as we do!

We will be expanding our business soon to refurbished furniture as painting furniture has always been a love of mine.  Tomorrow we are meeting a wonderful couple about renting a shop space in a town not too far from us.  It's a big undertaking but we truly feel like God has put this opportunity in front of us for a reason!

We hope everyone had a great weekend!

If you haven't entered the amazing giveaway at Restoration House Interiors please do so now as the giveaway ends tomorrow!

Restoration House Interiors Giveaway!

We are super excited to be part of an amazing giveaway over at my friend Kennesha's blog

  Restoration House Interiors!  

She's giving away some pretty cool stuff so hop on over to enter!

The giveaway ends July 23rd!

Winner will be announced on July 24th!

And while you are there browse around her blog!  

She's a genius with a paint brush & some paint!

{Tracie... The Newest Member}

This frame happens to be one of my favorites! 

When I was asked to design a frame for a Mother's Day gift I knew this one would be perfect.

I've met Tracie many times & she's a super sweet, classy gal who loves browns & blues! 

I used a cane basket weave stencil to create this 8x10 frame.  It's painted in BM Texas Leather & White Linen with the trim done in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (TM) Provence.  I distressed this frame lightly & then glazed in a mocha tint.  

I was really happy with the way this frame turned out.  I can't wait to free up some time to make some frames for our own home!  

Tracie loved her frame & so it only seemed fitting to name it after her! 

This frame can be made in any size up to an 11x14.  

All of our frames come with glass, backing, framers points and hanging hardware! 

We are in the process of working with some local boutiques to sale wholesale to them!

Talk about being super excited & nervous! 

We are so blessed to be able to do something we love & cannot wait for the journey this business will take us on!

Happy Monday!

{Huge Thanks to TMC}

I've worked with Elizabeth over at The Mustard Ceiling before & she's a joy to work with.  She did an amazing job designing this blog, along with our Etsy banner & FB timeline cover!  This woman truly is a design genius!  

If you are looking for a blog makeover please check her out!  

Thanks so much, Elizabeth!