Artist at work...

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview to life's upcoming attractions"

Speaking of imagination...If you are in town on Fridays, stop by and say Hello to someone with lots of it!!!. Andrea, our "Friday Girl" has been one of our Dealers for about four years now. She makes all the beautiful canvas transfers that we carry in our store and that you ladies love so much.


From sexy M. Monroe to enchanting Tuscany, from fun surfboards to chic Paris pictures, she brings us a little bit of everything, but her talent doesn't stop there! With a background in Interior Design and a love for everything vintage and feminine, Andrea loves funky pillows, mosaic, and giving old jewelry a new life.

Every Friday from 10 to 5 you can find her in our store, behind a pile of gorgeous vintage fabrics or surrounded by sparkling rhinestones while creating her fab pieces.




Andrea loves special orders! You can bring her one of those rhinestones pins you got from Grandma and she will make it into a stunning piece of jewelry. Got some mink coat from your dear Aunt? She will mix it with vintage materials and you will have some killer pillows! She has created one of a kind pieces for Wedding and Engagement gifts using our customers' pictures and invitations that were the hit of the party...

So, don't be shy...stop by on Friday and meet out talented Andrea. We know that her talent and imagination will inspire you!

Hard times?....Get creative!!

Did you know that the cottage style that we love so much was born during very hard economical times? Expensive, 'grand' furniture was built from costly woods such as mahogany, satinwood, cherry or walnut. Cottage style furniture was made from local timbers like maple, pine and birch and was then painted to 'disguise' the poorer character and make it more durable.

The less privileged turned to their gardens for color inspiration. Soft yellows, blue, pink and white pigments gave furniture a new life and made dark cottages cheerful and cozy. Remember that glass was a luxury and pane windows and doors were far in between!

Just like then, today can be a little challenging as far as budget goes, but one thing remains the same: most of us have a need to keep an inviting, warm nest. To help you achieve that, we will be posting fun, easy to conquer projects that hopefully you will try and brag about!

Here's our first: is the back of your chair looking old and tired? Is the cane on the back broken like ours?

Don't throw it away...just dress it up!

We painted our chair crisp white (you can brush or spray it) and using a vintage monogrammed guest towel we covered the back. Satin ribbon on each side (you can sew or hot glue gun it) tied in pretty bows, keeps it in place and makes it very feminine!

The chair went from the dumsper to Clara's office in less than a couple of hours and no money was involved!...You can add your own twist: an old tablecloth, remmants from your last project, a vintage cutter chenille bedspread, they all can work!

Remember "re-imagine, re-create, re-purpose, re-new" are a lot more than just words these days!

Between Dr Laura and Sarah Palin

OMG... It's been so long since our last post!!!...Time flies when you are having fun! And after some time of thinking and deciding what to do with our business, we can say that we are finally having fun again.

The addition of new vendors and the fact that they all work one day a week in the store has given us not only time to catch up with our own lives but also a totally renewed creative energy.

During our time away from the store, we have completed old projects, finished new ones, redecorated rooms in our own homes, watched our girls win a soccer tournament and let us tell you: it feels pretty darn good!

We even got the "creative juices" flowing again, we have stocked up the store with lots of wonderful cottage furniture and for the first time we are ahead with the seasonal merchandise: fun Halloween decorations are being created and displayed every day.

These days when many of us are having conversations about women doing it all, juggling work, kids, housework, helping run a country, it's pretty safe to say that Clara and I can't do it all.
We can't run a 10 to 5 business and be home with our families, we can't work every day and refinish furniture at night, and trust us: we tried! Our new schedule (we work 2 half days a week each) is what we call the perfect balance between Dr Laura and Sarah Palin!!

Our lives are really about Cottage Charm and Family Inspiration (not necessarily in that order), and our new schedule allow us to enjoy it all....

A whole new flavor!!

Great news here at Nice & Easy! We have decided not to close our store, (we are not ready to retire yet!) and instead have made some changes that we hope all the customers will enjoy.

We have a new vendor, Marilyn Sanders, who has added a whole new "flavor" to our store. She carries a line of gourmet appetizers, spreads, organic honey, teas and delicious chips. Her tableware and aprons make beautiful hostess gifts and for the wine or cooking lovers: a great selection of books with the best photographs!



Marilyn will be working the store every Thursday and Andrea, our wonderful jewelry and canvas transfers artist, will be here on Fridays. Make sure you stop by and introduce yourself to these wonderful and talented ladies.

A couple of more vendors are joining our store pretty soon, we will keep you posted!



All these changes are giving Clara and I the opportunity and the time to do a lot of furniture shopping...one of our favorite things to do! We'll make sure to continue to bring the best cottage chic pieces.

We have also being busy creating one-of-a-kind- party decor...from invitations to Party Hats and fun Crowns. Want to make your party special? We can personalize any item!...Just stop by or call us and let us know your needs.

Well, the weather's still fantastic, so call a girlfriend or drag Dear Husband out of the house and spend a day by the beach...we look forward to seeing you! If you don't want to miss the Olympics, you can also shop online: www.niceandeasyantiques.com, by the way, we bet Michael Phelps will win it all!!!!

Congrats, Tiffany!

We are happy to announce that our July Giveaway Winner is Tiffany from "RicRacSally". Tiffany is a freelance writer, a mixed media artist and an active member of Etsy Cottage Style, one of our favorite groups.

She will receive a beautiful Journal made by Clara and we wonder if she will use it to write stories inspired on her old photographs, a collection that keeps growing since she can't leave an antique store without purchasing some!

Congratulations Tiffany!!