Sometimes, when we want to get out of our comfort zone and try something new, we have to simply go for it. While there may be insecurities about not knowing what to do and fears of failure, overcoming those feelings can lead to great rewards. Bellingham’s Annie Blackburn is one who pushes past those feelings — and the results have been beautiful.
While forced to stay home during COVID, Annie decided to make her son a tackle box as a gift. With no woodworking experience, she made her way down to a little workshop in her condo building, borrowed some tools, and embraced the power of YouTube to learn.
‘Let’s Just Figure It Out’
“I came from that era of if you want something, you have to figure it out,” says Annie, who comes from a big family. “If you wanted something fixed, you would figure it out. So, that’s what I say all the time: ‘Let’s just figure it out.”
After taking something many would toss and turning it into something to be cherished, Annie was hooked. She began to buy pieces online, mainly little boxes, and give them new life. Each piece she worked on and every video she watched led to a growing confidence that she could make something old and worn into a new, original piece of art.
Annie’s learning process was good old fashioned trial and error.
“I learned by seeing and doing it at the same time,” Annie says. “If somebody told me how to do it, I would just go blank; if I read a book, it would just be gone. I have to really touch the stuff and just get into it.”
As Annie’s passion grew, so did the number of items she worked on. Little boxes grew into full-blown pieces of furniture, and she quickly outgrew the small space she was now using more than her fair share. She decided to move into a shop she and her husband used to store their RV. While he was away, she snuck in a few pieces. She eventually took the whole place over and had it converted into a woodworking space designed specifically for her needs.
As word spread about what she was doing with this old furniture, Annie went from buying pieces online to people giving them to her. Her new problem became not having enough time to get to all of the pieces and having to turn some away. She was still learning and struggled with the fact that she would have a vision for a piece but lacked the knowledge or ability yet to bring that vision to life.
Pulling It All Apart
“My favorite part is stripping off the finish covering up whatever is underneath,” says Annie. “Because some of these pieces are so old, and the stain has gotten so dark, and the varnishes go yellow. You don’t really know what’s underneath there. That’s what I really love: to pull it all apart.”
While growing her nonbusiness business — which she named Fresh Flair Furniture Artistry — Annie decided she needed help. She recruited her neighbor Cliff Parsons to lend a hand with the little details. After a few trips to Annie’s shop, Parsons brought his tools, and they carved out a space for him to work amongst all the pieces waiting for a home or to be given new life. With a little more horsepower in the shop and some added experience, the team has been able to get through a few more pieces, digging into the projects that call to their different personalities.
With Annie’s shop filling with completed furniture and a backlog of projects waiting in the wings, she needed to find ways to rehome her work. As much as she loved the artistic process of restoring furniture, she disliked the process of selling it.
After occasionally selling furniture on Facebook Marketplace and holding a friends-and-family sale at her shop, Annie still sought a different way to get her creations into new hands. That outlet turned out to be local nonprofits looking for auction items. She has partnered with groups in Whatcom and Skagit County, donating her pieces so they can be auctioned off at their fundraisers.
Fortunately for everyone who gets to enjoy her furniture, Annie is all about loving the process. “Once I’m done with a piece, I’m done with it,” she says. “I don’t have a sentimental attachment to things, luckily. I’m really happy to let it go on to its next life.”
If you’re interested in putting one of Annie Blackburn’s pieces in your home or just enjoying her work, you can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and on YouTube, where you can see her in action.
