Second Chapter Restorations

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Second Chapter Restorations

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I make old things new. This may be furniture or beautiful home decor. Everything and everyone deserves a second chance!

11/02/2026

AN AMAZING COMMUNITY
I know. It’s been a few weeks. But I need to finish out some notes on my big restoration before taking things local again for a bit. We got A LOT done in a week. BUT, we did not do it alone. There were SO many people from within the community of Asbury Grove who were truly answers to prayer during our trip.
Starting with Rose, a new neighbor in her 80s who left her door open for us to have access to running water and at time HEAT! Beyond that she cooked for us, offered us food and drinks all day long, and shared stories about the Grove from its centuries of existence!
Then there was Paula and her sister Liz. In morning #1, Paula saw me moving furniture etc out of the cottage, introduced herself and offered to help me get rid of everything. By the end of the day, she had FULLY DELIVERED. Even the mattress and box spring found a home, allowing us clear floors to paint. As the week went on, she and her handy sister (also a new cottage owner) lent us tools, helped us with trash and gave us loads of invaluable advice!
My friend Melissa, who introduced me to the Grove, and also a full-time resident, was incredible, receiving packages for us before we arrived, and taking countless measurements. She even managed to help me get the old stove into my car to dispose of and came back after the fact to pull in our dresser and kitchen countertop that Carissa and I couldn’t get before we left.
And my new friend Amy, who works in the office, not only helped us tremendously through the process of purchasing the cottage, but went so far as to be willing to meet the appliance delivery truck for us when the new stove arrived after we had left.
And that’s just the people who live in the community! Heather and Brad let us use their house and snuggle their puppies in Marblehead for a few nights. My sweet godmother and her husband fed us and lent us power tools. My friend Stephanie took her one day off from work to come and help with the design and put in many hours of work, along with her daughter Maya, IN ADDITION to housing us and feeding us the other nights.
The trip was long and we worked really hard, but the kindnesses and support we received made me even more excited about heading back up there this summer to continue to enjoy being a part of this amazing community!

10/26/2026

BACKSPLASH
I have never, even done anything resembling tiling. BUT I figured that this was a great place to give it a shot. There is nothing fancy about this cottage, so it’s a great opportunity to take some risks.
I’ve been eyeing this particular backsplash for quite some time. So I ordered it, along with a much more simple one made up of small rectangles. When I showed my friend the options, she told me I had to do this one. Even though it would be much more difficult, adding that round curve would do great things for the aesthetic. Of course, she wasn’t wrong!
She helped me figure it all out. There were little mistakes and only one extra tile to work with. Part of the problem was that nothing in this cottage is straight or square.
It’s not perfect, but I am proud of the risk and excited to see it as part of the finished kitchen!

10/23/2026

LONDON
I can’t tell you the amount of planning went into just PACKING for our trip to Massachusetts. I have been collecting items since we “went under contract” on the cottage. So I needed to pack as much as possible for this plane ride.
Initially I thought both Carissa and I would get two free checked bags since we used our delta credit card. But after packing four large bags and one carry on I got concerned that they wouldn’t all fit in our compact rental car. So I decided to do 3 large bags and 3 carry on sized bags, checking one. But when I went to check in online I learned we could only get 3 checked bags for free. So I had to go back to the bags and move from 3 carry on’s to two.
I was very proud of my packing. That is, I WAS, until my carryon got sent to the wrong side to get checked in security and I realized that this was the carry on I had planned to check, and it contained ALL the sealing and painting supplies I brought- over $120 worth!!
And Carissa reminded me that THIS was why we got to the airport early. So we did the walk of shame back from security to bag check and paid the $55 to ensure we had the supplies we needed.
The paint I brought was London. It seemed like just the right color for our kitchen sink cabinet. But I decided to make the most of this extra expensive in every way paint. It ended up on a kitchen cabinet, bathroom cabinet and two side tables as well. We definitely made the most of that quart of great paint! 🙃

10/22/2026

PAINTING FLOORS
I have obviously done quite a bit of painting in my life- three houses…countless furniture pieces. But one thing I have not pained until last week is floors!
I knew that at least two rooms and the porch HAD to be painted, as they were kind of a mess. But I thought perhaps I could get away with just throwing down some rugs in the living room and bedroom and calling it a day.
However, in my design consultation (read Panera date with a good, smart friend), she convinced me that I would regret it. I have learned to trust those wise voices in my life and of course, she was right!
I made sure to get the right paint and the right primer. However, there were several obstacles we did not expect and had to roll with. The first was that we could not prime the living room on the same day as the bedrooms because the person picking up the bed couldn’t come until the evening.
Then, the next day when we planned to prime the living room and paint the first coat in the bedrooms it was raining. And because these sweet little cottages are 150+ years old and not at all winterized everything was damp. Tape wouldn’t stick to walls and drying time was much longer than expected. It was also very cold- 40’s to low 50’s so we were often painting with half numb hands.
Luckily, day 3 boasted dryer skies and dryer walls and floors. However, a wise new neighbor insisted that the 4-hr between coats gap the paint store employee suggested was not nearly long enough. She said we should wait at least 24 hrs. Of course, she was right. But that made the job take a lot longer and left Carissa and I doing whatever we could in the tiny remaining kitchen and bathroom- a challenge indeed.
But as my friend Debra insisted, this was all the right decision. I am in love with these blue floors and I know that it was well worth all the bumps and frustrations.

10/19/2026

Day LAST!

10/17/2026

Day 3 Cottage update!

10/14/2026

Cottage Restoration Day 1

10/12/2026

DRUMROLL PLEASE…
The big thing that I haven’t told you yet because it wasn’t official until this week is that we have purchased a cottage! Yes, that quaint little community north of Boston is soon to call the Brisbois family their newest seasonal residents.
Located about 45 minutes north of the city and 15-20 minutes from the ocean, this community is just a few miles from
1) where my mom grew up and I spent MANY glorious days with my grandmother as a child
2) where my aunt, uncle and cousins live
3) where my magical godmother lives
4) the seminary where Clay and I met and fell in love
5) the country club where I mastered my tennis game, learned to ride AND where Clay and I had our wedding reception.
I have been planning (and shopping) for the last month and I am excited to say that on Tuesday, my daughter Carissa and I are leaving on a jet plane to get to work. So be sure to follow this page because this next Second Chapter Restoration is the biggest one yet!

10/09/2026

IS THERE ANYTHING HAPPENING?
It’s a legit question. If you went down into my shop today it would look almost exactly like it did a week ago. While Second Chapter has its own box in my to do binder, the other boxes seem to be eating it up!
It has just been a season where I’m needed elsewhere, and because I do not NEED to be bringing in a certain income every month, there can be weeks like this.
Right now kids are busy with sports and hobbies and business aspirations of their own. I have been called in to help with things like changing out the sign (which by the way, I find HIGHLY satisfying) for church. The barn has been as busy as can be and is taking a lot of focus and attention. And my sweet friend Ashley is running for school board and I am doing what I can to help her election (who wants a sign?!).
And there is one other thing that is taking up a lot of my time, my excitement and my energy…. And you are going to have to stick around until Monday to learn exactly what that is! 😉😉

10/05/2026

THE PULL FACTOR
We had our bathroom vanities repainted before I began my refinishing business. I had no idea what I was doing. I loved (and still do love) the lights I chose. I wanted to match the drawer pulls to them, but I failed. What I didn’t realize then was that my light fixtures were not “gold”, but rather, ch*****ne bronze.
So in my ignorance, I purchased three sets of “gold.” pulls and let my husband decide which one he liked the most. He did not choose my favorites, but marriage is all about compromise, right?! So I went with it. And year after year, I have come to cringe more and more at those darn mis-matching, “too gold” pulls.
Finally yesterday, I decided I had had enough. So I went down to my shop, grabbed my electric screwdriver and went digging through my “ch*****ne bronze pull box” to see what options I had in stock that I had at least 13 of. And THIS was the answer.
The moment I looked at the finished product, I breathed a sigh of relief. I love my bathroom vanity now!
Drawer pulls are SUCH an easy and relatively inexpensive way to update a space. This particular update cost me about $40 and literally took about 20 minutes.
And folks, just don’t forget “ch*****ne bronze.” It is my absolute favorite gold. You are welcome 😉😘.

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Fayetteville, GA

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