WHAT IS FADED VELVET?
Faded Velvet, in a nutshell, is my "STYLE"; a style that is a rich medley of color, texture, sparkle, flair and kahunas! Faded Velvet Style evokes a sense of nostalgia, quirkiness, warmth, welcome and home! Faded Velvet Style has an origin like no other.
Velvet has always reminded me of my first red velvet Christmas dress. On my way to church I kept rubbing the fabric and was so intrigued with the unique plushness of my fancy dress. I was hooked forever on rich colors and textures! BUT, I was raised Mennonite (my parents were raised Amish) and there wasn't a whole lot of fancy going on in my life, as plainness and simplicity were a virtue. Add to this crazy mix, I am Puerto Rican (I was adopted at birth). Yeah. Puerto Rican Amish! So, while I was raised in a relatively quiet home, my desire was to be loud, dance, wear shiny jewelry and wear fruit on my head. At that time there were no Jennifer Lopez's around to make me feel normal.
While trying to keep me under control, my parents were busy working, entertaining, moving (on my parent's 25th anniversary they had moved 26 times) and traveling the world (unusual for most Mennonites). I, of course, thought this was the norm. We had company every weekend or went to someone else's home and often had houseguests for days. My mom would introduce us to the visiting children and we were expected to entertain strangers for the entire evening. No TV allowed. On the swing side of that, we would visit relatives in Kansas and stay at my Amish grandparents home where the house was lit with kerosene lamps, we went out to feed the hogs and slept under the softness of homemade quilts. We made the effort to visit all family members in their homes at some time, which is no no small feat as I have 34 Aunts and Uncles. Through it all, my mom did everything on a TIGHT budget. I, of course, thought we were rich
This unusual background gave me a multicultural foundation and fostered, at a young age, an appreciation for entertaining, antiques and home décor. At age 5, I came home from kindergarten and my mom had transformed my "store" under the stairs with new hand sewn curtains, shelf paper and a rug. I promptly vacated the premises and set up shop in a different corner. At age 12 I bought my first antique. A rocking chair for $40.00 (from my meager savings)..
This decorating itch has always been inside me, but I went to college to become a nurse, because back then a woman's only real options were to be a teacher, nurse, secretary or stewardess (I was 2" too short for that). I didn't finish college, but I did get married and have kids! Everyone asks if Faded Velvet was my dream, but I didn't have a lot of time to dream about much of anything. As any mother knows, there is little time to even sleep! However, whenever I got a couple bucks, I would always go to auctions. I'd pack lunch for us (no wasting auction money on food) and off we'd go. I shamelessly gave the kid s my bidding number to hold up if I really wanted something (word to the wise, that only works once per sale, so pick a great piece to use it on). I remember the feeling of coming home with only one piece, but to wander around and find that PERFECT place for it was pure BLISS.
This hand-picked, piece by piece collection of inexpensive things created a homey atmosphere that people soon asked me to re-create. I started staging people's homes for the" fun of it'" and was asked to pick colors and furniture for churches, homes and businesses. Through all this I was entertaining people all the time, but noticed not many other people did. My mind hummed incessantly with decorating and entertaining ideas but the timing wasn't right; all my kids were still in school (and every activity known to teenagers) and still needed me at home. I was still logging hard time on hard bleachers, bumpy bus seats and feeding every sports team known to man. There was certainly no time to pursue my passion.
Fast-forward to when all the kids were out of the house and my husband pushed me to start selling my things at Antique Shows, Markets and Antique stores. He had an ulterior motive because HIS 4-car garage had room for ZERO cars. So, I did that, even learned how to drive an 18 foot diesel panel truck. That was the very humble beginning and now it has grown into a thousand square feet store filled with things that I love (and sometimes have difficulty parting with)!
It has become such a blessing and this very crooked, meandering path has been full of surprises. The biggest was the friendships I have made. I have had customers call and ask if they can pick up lunch for me, I've had many gifts given to me, I have many women come in to just chat or because they need prayer or feel led to pray for me. I feel blessed to be able to do what I do and am truly amazed at God's plan for my life. While the path has not been smooth or always easy, I am grateful for each lesson learned along the way. I feel blessed that I can pray with a customer or help someone who is struggling. THAT is really what the store is all about. When you come into my store or visit my page, I pray you feel welcome and know that only by the grace of the Lord am I here. May God Bless you!
Donna
Velvet has always reminded me of my first red velvet Christmas dress. On my way to church I kept rubbing the fabric and was so intrigued with the unique plushness of my fancy dress. I was hooked forever on rich colors and textures! BUT, I was raised Mennonite (my parents were raised Amish) and there wasn't a whole lot of fancy going on in my life, as plainness and simplicity were a virtue. Add to this crazy mix, I am Puerto Rican (I was adopted at birth). Yeah. Puerto Rican Amish! So, while I was raised in a relatively quiet home, my desire was to be loud, dance, wear shiny jewelry and wear fruit on my head. At that time there were no Jennifer Lopez's around to make me feel normal.
While trying to keep me under control, my parents were busy working, entertaining, moving (on my parent's 25th anniversary they had moved 26 times) and traveling the world (unusual for most Mennonites). I, of course, thought this was the norm. We had company every weekend or went to someone else's home and often had houseguests for days. My mom would introduce us to the visiting children and we were expected to entertain strangers for the entire evening. No TV allowed. On the swing side of that, we would visit relatives in Kansas and stay at my Amish grandparents home where the house was lit with kerosene lamps, we went out to feed the hogs and slept under the softness of homemade quilts. We made the effort to visit all family members in their homes at some time, which is no no small feat as I have 34 Aunts and Uncles. Through it all, my mom did everything on a TIGHT budget. I, of course, thought we were rich
This unusual background gave me a multicultural foundation and fostered, at a young age, an appreciation for entertaining, antiques and home décor. At age 5, I came home from kindergarten and my mom had transformed my "store" under the stairs with new hand sewn curtains, shelf paper and a rug. I promptly vacated the premises and set up shop in a different corner. At age 12 I bought my first antique. A rocking chair for $40.00 (from my meager savings)..
This decorating itch has always been inside me, but I went to college to become a nurse, because back then a woman's only real options were to be a teacher, nurse, secretary or stewardess (I was 2" too short for that). I didn't finish college, but I did get married and have kids! Everyone asks if Faded Velvet was my dream, but I didn't have a lot of time to dream about much of anything. As any mother knows, there is little time to even sleep! However, whenever I got a couple bucks, I would always go to auctions. I'd pack lunch for us (no wasting auction money on food) and off we'd go. I shamelessly gave the kid s my bidding number to hold up if I really wanted something (word to the wise, that only works once per sale, so pick a great piece to use it on). I remember the feeling of coming home with only one piece, but to wander around and find that PERFECT place for it was pure BLISS.
This hand-picked, piece by piece collection of inexpensive things created a homey atmosphere that people soon asked me to re-create. I started staging people's homes for the" fun of it'" and was asked to pick colors and furniture for churches, homes and businesses. Through all this I was entertaining people all the time, but noticed not many other people did. My mind hummed incessantly with decorating and entertaining ideas but the timing wasn't right; all my kids were still in school (and every activity known to teenagers) and still needed me at home. I was still logging hard time on hard bleachers, bumpy bus seats and feeding every sports team known to man. There was certainly no time to pursue my passion.
Fast-forward to when all the kids were out of the house and my husband pushed me to start selling my things at Antique Shows, Markets and Antique stores. He had an ulterior motive because HIS 4-car garage had room for ZERO cars. So, I did that, even learned how to drive an 18 foot diesel panel truck. That was the very humble beginning and now it has grown into a thousand square feet store filled with things that I love (and sometimes have difficulty parting with)!
It has become such a blessing and this very crooked, meandering path has been full of surprises. The biggest was the friendships I have made. I have had customers call and ask if they can pick up lunch for me, I've had many gifts given to me, I have many women come in to just chat or because they need prayer or feel led to pray for me. I feel blessed to be able to do what I do and am truly amazed at God's plan for my life. While the path has not been smooth or always easy, I am grateful for each lesson learned along the way. I feel blessed that I can pray with a customer or help someone who is struggling. THAT is really what the store is all about. When you come into my store or visit my page, I pray you feel welcome and know that only by the grace of the Lord am I here. May God Bless you!
Donna
