How One Mom Turned Nap Time into $25k Flipping Furniture

The nap-time entrepreneur: How Kim Schottland built a $25k furniture refinishing side hustle working only while her kids napped

By Tina Tang

September 12, 2025

10 min read

The mama who turned nap time into a $25k furniture refinishing business

Kim Schottland, NJ furniture refinisher @madebykimkaps and proud mama of 2 boys

When Kim Schottland transitioned from a demanding career as an ER nurse to becoming a full-time mom, she found herself in an unexpected place: struggling with postpartum depression and desperately needing a creative outlet. The shift from the high-stakes, fast-paced world of emergency medicine to the quiet, sometimes isolating days of motherhood left her searching for something that could pull her out of the darkness. In the sparse moments when her boys were napping, Kim began refinishing furniture, turning those precious hours of "free time" into a thriving $25,000-a-year side hustle.

From ER Nurse to Full-Time Mom

The transition from saving lives in the ER to managing the daily chaos of motherhood proved more jarring than Kim anticipated. "We moved during COVID and furniture was scarce and expensive," she recalls. "I was also home alone with my COVID baby and in the throes of postpartum depression." Standing in her dining room one day, Kim envisioned how a navy blue buffet could transform her space. "I had this crazy vision of having a navy blue buffet and my husband knows when I have a crazy idea… I typically don't let it go."

And that's how it started. Kim found an old buffet cabinet, watched tutorials about how to refinish furniture, and dove right into her first project. By the end, she had the buffet table of her dreams and the entire refinishing process had her hooked. "I really just love the work," Kim reflects. "I love the process of taking an idea from my mind and bringing it to life. It's sometimes still a surreal feeling to see an idea come to life, because some ideas don't always pan out but when they do… it feels pretty awesome. The fact that my piece of work ends up in someone's home usually for many years is such an honor I will never take for granted."

The Navy Blue Buffet That Started It All

The buffet table of her dreams

The old buffet cabinet that started it all

Giving Her Own Home More Character

Among Kim’s favorite projects are pieces that decorate her own home. "I love this table," she shares, "It's an old conference table that I turned into our dining table and 4 years later, it's holding up well and I still love it! I also flipped all of our dining chairs because, as most know, I'm obsessed with cane."

The Conference Table Project

The forgotten conference table with potential

4 years later, still holding up beautifully

The dining table project exemplifies everything Kim does best: taking something functional but forgotten and transforming it into a renewed gem that brings a unique, elevated aesthetic into someone's home – in this case, her own. Four years later, it's not just holding up - it's become a beloved part of her family's daily life. This is precisely why her clients return to her time and again: Kim possesses the rare gift of seeing beyond the ordinary to create extraordinary pieces that don't just fill a space, but elevate it into something truly special.

Giving Antique Radios A New Purpose

Kim's artistry extends far beyond table makeovers. She has the ability to completely reimagine how furniture can function, taking pieces whose original purpose no longer serves modern life and breathing new purpose into them. Consider the stunning antique standing radio she transformed into an elegant bar—a perfect example of how she honors the craftsmanship of the past while creating something entirely fresh. "I love bringing these amazing wooden pieces of art back to life by giving them a different purpose," Kim reflects. Each transformation carries forward the stories of its previous life, proving that the most beautiful renewals happen when we respect what came before while boldly embracing what could be.

Turning Nap Time into Profits

As a mom of two young boys, Kim built her business around nap schedules, doing everything she could to make the most out of those “free time” hours. When her kids went down for their afternoon nap, Kim headed straight to her garage workshop, equipped with all the tools she needed to transform beat-up furniture into beautiful pieces. Kim learned to keep an eye on market trends and focus on flips that would sell quickly for high prices. For example, this year, lighter wood finishes sell faster and command higher prices.

When you only have 2-3 hours of uninterrupted work time, every tool that speeds up the process becomes crucial. Kim bought tools like orbital sanders and a hydraulic lift to speed up the refinishing process and software that could help her visualize designs, streamline her workflow, and make every minute refinishing furniture count. Last year, her furniture refinishing side hustle brought in $25k of extra income for her family.

How to Pre-Sell Pieces with Mock-ups

The sold-out MCM dresser that Kim turned into 2 more sales

Sometimes Kim received multiple offers on a piece she listed. This was the case when Kim listed a stunning MCM dresser that she had adorned with decorative veneer semicircles in a unique geometric pattern. Not surprisingly, this beautiful piece she refinished sold quickly! When a second buyer reached out right after the piece had already sold, she didn’t turn him away.

The beauty of her craft is that she can recreate the same design on another piece of furniture. She showed the buyer what a few pieces in her inventory would look like refinished in a similar design by creating mock-ups using Bristles AI. He loved the mock-ups and ended up purchasing not one, but two pieces, giving her the opportunity to create a lovely pairing for her client while tripling her sales that originated from one design idea. Here's her process illustrated:

1. TAKE PHOTOS

Take photos of available pieces in your inventory and mock up similar designs on those pieces.

2. SHARE MOCK-UPS

Share design mock-ups with potential buyers to show them how pieces in your inventory can be transformed.

3. MAKE SALES

Get a clear understanding of what your client wants and pre-sell with design concepts before starting the work.

"I use the Bristles app for customs all the time. I am such a visual person so I understand how clients can have a hard time visualizing their ideas. Seeing their pieces in different colors or hardware or even a new design is much easier with Bristles."
— Kim Schottland, on using Bristles for client mock-ups

How Kim Plans Creative Projects

When it comes to hardware updates and simpler furniture refinishing projects, Kim uses the new Rekind design app for its speed and efficiency. "It does save a lot, a lot of time. All the hardware updated all at once, as opposed to changing it one by one for a six-drawer piece," she explains.

"I think with the changes that most furniture makeovers need - new hardware, new paint, new stain – Rekind works great and it's fast. But, when I do extra things like changing the legs, adding cane or dowels, I don't want to buy all the materials unless I know it will look good. So, if I want to try cane or wood paneling or even, you know, like the craft Moon pieces, I'll mock it up in Bristles first so I know it's going to look good."

Art Deco Curvy End Table Makeover

In this YouTube video, Kim mocks up a classy art deco design on this curvy midcentury end table using Bristles AI. Watch how she erases the old base, adds new legs, paints, stains, adds decorative wood details, new hardware, and wallpaper to make this piece a showstopper.

Kim's MCM Curvy End Table Art Deco Makeover

started as dated yellowed wood before being refinished! #furnitureflip
Watch on YouTube

When it comes to her most creative projects—those that require custom designs, unique materials, or experimental techniques—Kim uses Bristles to visualize her ideas before committing to the work. "I like to do special designs on my pieces and this is a great way to visualize crazy ideas in my head and see if it works," she explains.

Kim's Most Creative Projects

Console with Arched Wooden Dowels

Pair of End Tables with Cane

Bar with Leather Weave

Grand Art Deco Bar Cabinet

Kim's Advice for New Refinishers

Kim shares this advice with those just getting into furniture refinishing: "I would say enjoy the process. Not just the process of the business but the process of the art, the sanding, the staining, the cleaning, choosing the paint, making the mistakes."

Kim's philosophy centers on embracing the journey rather than rushing to the destination. "I have always been creative and always wanted to be an artist. This wasn't the way I thought it would happen but it is such an honor to be able to share my creative thoughts this way. So, my advice is just start. Start small or go big. Don't be afraid to make mistakes."

Her success proves that you don't need endless hours to build a meaningful business. With focus, efficiency, and the right tools, even the smallest windows of time can be transformed into a successful side hustle.

Kim continues to prioritize her kids first while figuring out how to maximize her free time to make the most of her furniture refinishing passion. As her children grow and change, so too does her business. "Compared to last year, I made less money because they don't nap anymore!" Kim laughs. But the foundation she's built—her refinishing skills, her process, her creative vision—remains solid, ready to adapt to whatever comes next.

Kim is an inspiration for anyone looking to grow a furniture flipping side hustle during small pockets of time. Her ability to turn nap time into a $25,000 side hustle proves that constraints can fuel creativity rather than limit it.