Ella Violet Antiques - The Beginning

My name is Eva.  Ella Violet was the name I had planned to give my daughter so that my Grandma Violet could have a namesake.  I had a boy's name chosen too and that's the one we used.  I had planned to have a second child but that was not to be. 

My grandmother, Violet Williams was an incredible woman.  She was the oldest daughter of 13 children.   She had 9 children of her own.  By the time I was born, she was in her early sixties.  Still, she had the energy to run and play with her 33 grandchildren and countless great-grandchildren.  She grew her own vegetables, apples and canned them all.  She sewed, quilted and read the bible every night.  She welcomed everyone into her home and tried to feed them.  I loved her dearly.  She passed away in 2008 at the age of 99, seven months shy of her 100th birthday.  I think about her every day.  I loved my Grandpa Paul very much too and he was an amazing man in his own right but this blog is not called Ella Paul.  :-)

I have dabbled in antiques/vintage/shabby chic for years now.  I've decorated my own homes over and over just for fun.  I've had antique booths in Oklahoma and Texas.  They were harder and harder to keep up with between work and raising my little guy so I eventually had to give them up. 

A couple of months ago my husband, son and I decided to sell our house, leave Texas behind and make a crazy move to Montana right before winter.  Maybe it was because we both turned 40 this year but we wanted a different life, away from the hustle and bustle of a major metroplex.  We wanted to be surrounded by beauty, milder summers and outdoor recreation opportunities.  I had worked in Montana 10 years before for a summer but my husband and son had never been, so they are the brave ones. 

So, here I was, in Montana without a full-time job for the first time in years.  I had decided I wanted to spend more time with our 8-year-old son.  I'm so glad I did it.  I'm really enjoying it, but it left me with a lot of free time on my hands.  I needed something to do.  I decided to open a booth here in Bozeman in a local antique mall.  I opened Ella Violet Antiques a week ago after repainting it from a "blah" color the week before.  I haven't sold much...yet.  Interestingly enough, Shabby Chic style hasn't necessarily caught on in our neck of the woods.  I have the only Shabby Chic booth in the entire antique mall.  I have faith though.  Love, Eva.