Notes from A Cottage Industry

Weekly words to live by.

Weekly words to live by.

Finishing touches.

Happy Friday!

I spent last evening down at Camas Antiques revamping and tweaking my booth for the big 14th birthday event that begins today at the shop. After filling up my ladder shelf a couple of weeks ago, it became obvious that I needed a bigger sign up there. You might recall that I had already moved the smaller sign to my new case space on the next aisle, and with no sign up there at all, there was a glaring need for a new sign.

I found a six foot board in my garage, and painted it with some of the paint leftover from my bathroom. Then, I went to work painting the words on. Much better don'tcha think?

Serenity now.

Truth is, it's oh-so-much-harder-than-I-feared it would be, and daunting, and frankly, scary as hell.

I'm talking about my attempt to pass the real estate licensing test for a possible new career. (Remember? I shared it here a couple few weeks back.) At this moment, I am not sure if it's the one thousand pages of legal speak and formal jargon I need to read, digest, and remember for the three hour (?!) test to get licensed, knowing that the test pass rate is approximately 45%, or if it is that I am just plain too old to learn all of this online, and maybe I need to sit in an actual classroom in order for the information to have a chance at sinking in.

The number of words and terms used that I have honest-to-God never heard of before, (often times meaning the same thing) in the first 110 pages alone, got me so jacked up that I had nightmares all night long last Wednesday night. I have tried to calm myself down by giving myself little pep talks in my head, and by taking short breaks from reading. (Picture me chanting, serenity now"" like they did on Seinfeld years ago...)

I've been making flashcards for words and terms I need to know, but often cannot pronounce, (Escheat, for example...) as well as highlighting points to come back and study, as I am sure they are important. (At this point, more of each book page is highlighted in yellow than now, and I am thinking that just can't be right.)

I know that I tend to get a little overly dramatic (have you noticed?) about pretty much any big-ish event in my life, and, this is clearly not going to be an exception. I am utterly and completely holding on by a thin thread, hovering between keeping-it-together, and giving myself a nervous breakdown.

I share this today for a few reasons. First off, in the name of keepin' it real, I want you to know how am doing on my unsteady path down the wacky world of real estate, and second, I'm rather hoping that by sharing, I can get a grip on things and reel myself in a little bit. (Like Dr. Phil used to always say, "You've got to name it to claim it.") Lastly, I am sharing it so that, if I seam to have fallen off the face of the earth for a few weeks, you will know why. (I'll be deep in study-webinar-and-quiz mode, mumbling "serenity now" under my breath....) 

Wish me luck, peeps. I need it.                                                                   

Weekly words to live by.

Another anniversary themed goodie bag for an airplane ride.

I'm at my daughter's home for a few days, staying with the little men while their parents are off on a trip to celebrate their ten year anniversary. You may recall that at this time last year I was in the biggest little city with my other grands while their parents went on an anniversary trip.

I made up a similar plane ride goodie bag for the happy couple, just as I did a year ago for my son and daughter-in-law, and I thought I'd share it here today. I filled the bag with their favorite candy, some pretzels, a deck of playing cards (for on the plane and around the pool) and some money for inflight libations...

It's always fun to make a little something unexpected up for the people I care so much about!

A new little case at Camas Antiques is starting to shape up.

I've added an additional bit of space at Camas Antiques to showcase my party goods, and it's starting to shape up, even if I a doing it slowly.

I had the idea to rent a case space in addition to my booth at Camas Antiques so that I could focus on my paper party goods in the case.March first arrived and a case opened up for me. Here its how it looked when I arrived to fill it with my things...

I decided to begin with a vintage children's look, complete with antique high chair and my shabby dollhouse, and by the end of day one last week, I had sold the high chair. (Here is a photo of the case midway through set up...)

That wasn't what I was expecting to sell on my first day, (It both thrilled and terrified me at the same time, as I didn't feel like I had a suitable and ready-to-go backup at that moment...) so I scrambled to add a replacement piece, which turned out to be a vintage enamel cupboard, in an absolutely perfect shade of strawberry ice cream pink. 

(How sweet could this be on a patio for a summertime ice cream social, or set up as a bar for a girls night out on the patio?)

I finished off the case by adding my signature book page scalloped border to the top of the case so it matches the look of my booth on the next aisle...

I'll be taking my ice cream banners and flags down tomorrow, as well as adding more party hats, horns, and little animals in tutus cake-toppers, and then I'll see how things go. What do you think? What am I missing? Anything you can think of that I need to add to my case? or take away? I'd love your input!

A thrifted tub inspires a whole new look for the top of my booth.

The Other Tracey and I hit the Goodwill bins (two days straight!) while she was here visiting, and we were quite successful. The first day we scored two incredible metal toolboxes, (one of which was a chippied french sunflower yellow (complete with original tool tray!) and a perfectly patina'd wicker bench, which we took directly to my booth.(And it sold by the day's end!)

The next day we returned, and while there, we wandered around, not finding much of anything. Suddenly, I spotted a generously sized heavy cardboard sugar container. At first I couldn't think of anything to do with it, but the Other Tracey was sure it could be fabulous. We strolled around with it in our cart, and then came across a vintage tulle bridal gown slip. The Other Tracey scrunched it up and popped it into the sugar tub, with the ruffles spilling out of the top.

We stood there and ooh'd and aah'd, and admired the sheer beauty of it, in true Junker's fashion. We knew all it needed was some decopauged sheet music on the tub and it could be the the crowning glory up on the ladder in my booth space.

We got home and set to working on the tub. In less than twenty minutes it was complete.

And it was fabulous.

I could hardly wait to get it down to my booth. I took it down to my space yesterday, added my dress form, a vintage suitcase, and readjusted the white paper lanterns I had already put up there on the ladder.

I'm thrilled with the results! How do you like it?

Junker's Jubilee.

I had a completely fabulous whirlwind visit with the Other Tracey, and I am just now getting time to share some of the details...starting with a little something I whipped up for her before she arrived for our girls extravaganza.

(With not too much effort at all, even a four day girlfriend visit can be catapulted into something extra special, and oh! So memorable!)

So....Back when I was trying to decide if I should change the name of my business to something else, The Other Tracey and I discussed the topic in depth, and somewhere in there she shared that one of her favorite words was "Jubilee". She liked what it meant, and how it looked written out on paper. I knew right then and there that I needed to build out something for her with her word.

That's when the idea hit me. 

I could make the girls weekend even more fun by creating and sending her a fun present, outlining all of the many possible activities in store for us during her visit! It was easy to come up with a word to go with Jubilee, since we are both so passionate about junk, and thrifting, and crafting...I named the event the Junker's Jubilee.

Before I knew it I had come up with an entire flip book of sorts to send to her. (I called it an "Attendee Packet".)

(Ohmygosh, it was so fun to make!)

I made a cover page, and an introduction page as to what this little packet was all about...(Places to go, things to do, people to see...)

 

...a what to pack page, a value proposition page (like a very old American Express ad, for those of you who just might remember them...) and a fun little page to wrap it up.

 

 

I punched holes in the pages, and connected them with a ring and a round label, which I customized, and I filled the box with an added surprise of Robin's egg blue taffy. (My nearby Winco Grocery Store has candy in bulk, and in the mixed color bin of taffy I pulled out enough of the perfect shade of Robin's egg blue taffy to work my magic!)

The mailing box packaging needed to be spot on as well, and then I noticed that my HP Ink cartridge boxes were exactly the size for a large postcard.

Perfect!

 

 

I continued on with my signature Robin's egg blue and and some vintage black and white photos on the box. (Okay, even I think I got a little bit carried away here...oh, well.)

 

 

Once I had my prezzie ready, I scampered down to the main post office and mailed it to The Other Tracey.(here is where I hit a road bump.) I mailed the package on Sunday, and she was arriving Thursday. I then realized when tracking the package that it would arrive at her home the very day she was leaving for my home. (and of course, she was flying in the morning, long before the postman would arrive at her home.)

Argh.

(Oh, I was so mad at myself!) 

This was not happening. The Wednesday evening before her arrival I whipped up an exact duplicate kit for her, and then gave it to her when I picked her up at the airport.

(Another lesson learned the hard way. This seems to be an ongoing pattern with me.)

Oh well. (On the bright side...Double the taffy!)

The Junker's Jubilee Attendee Kit turned out to be a big hit, and we had a few good laughs over the fact that I shipped it a day too late. 

Weekly words to live by.