July 24, 2016

Succulent Case Study: Overwatering

July 24, 2016/ Ashley Daly

One hot summer afternoon, a worried customer brought in a succulent (pictured below) with hopes of a diagnosis and treatment plan. We Ashleys were happy to oblige and showed her to the Plant Bar.

The Symptoms: Some leaves appeared rubbery, yellowish brown, and were starting to fall off. Note that it's normal for a succulent's lower leaves to shrivel and fall off as it grows; however, this rubbery look was not consistent with normal leaf shedding.

July 17, 2016

Retro Den Featured Pick: Hutch with a History

July 17, 2016/ Ashley Daly

When Susette and her husband brought this mid-century modern hutch into the shop to sell, they had barely made it in the door when they proclaimed, "This hutch survived a tornado."

I was all ears. It's an exciting occasion (at least in our lives) to learn that a vintage hutch isn't just a pretty face, but has a colorful history too.

The hutch originally belonged to Susette's aunt and rode out the 1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak in her home. Luckily, Susette's family members came out uninjured and the hutch remained intact although other property was damaged.

July 03, 2016

Easy Kitchen Update: Removing Palmer's Dated Upper Cabinet Doors

July 03, 2016/ Ashley Palmer

I love many things about our 1953 ranch home, but the kitchen isn't one of them. Aside from a couple appliances and the faucet, this room hasn't changed since Elvis topped the charts. I know it could be way worse, but c'mon. Look at that vent hood.

Although my husband and I have been toying with the idea of renovating this space, we haven't quite committed. In the meantime, we've began to make small improvements like removing the giant spotlight that used to hang above the sink and selecting new hardware for the cabinets.

June 26, 2016

How to Get rid of things

June 26, 2016/ Ashley Daly

This post is about getting rid of things in exchange for a better life. I live this every day, folks. I lived an especially tough version of this recently with our baby's nursery. Her room had always been "my room." I stored crafts in there, as well as a makeup station, and a large computer where I used to do photo work and spend quality time on facebook. I spent hours in that room watching tweens on Youtube condescendingly tell me how to apply eyeliner for a sophisticated party look. Those were the days. It was basically a room to store my passing interests. Between us friends, it was a packed room that became easily cluttered and often caused me anxiety.

June 19, 2016

Hand-built pottery by Suzanne Burden with Mud House Studio

June 19, 2016/ Ashley Daly

We Ashleys have a firm business rule: we only work with nice people. Everything you buy from us not only represents our Retro Den commitment to beautiful aesthetics, but it speaks for the hard work of someone who is nice. You're supporting the success of local goodness. And today, we are happy to share with you about the lovely potter we work with, Suzanne Burden. Enjoy this question and answer session with her below.

Where are you from? Born in Georgetown, Texas, I've called many places home. From way down South, all the way up to the Pacific Northwest. My immediate family now lives in Northwest Arkansas, and I've spent a good deal of time there. It's an area I'm glad to have ties to.