Lisa's Wild Rose

September Photos

2011-09-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

September is over, and it has been a crazy busy month. I was offered a spot at our sister store, Paris Flea Market, and decided to try it. I had always wanted to have a spot there and it seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up. I was also was invited to share a spot with Mandi, a fellow Roomie, at a show in Livermore. I had a lot of fun with both things, but unfortunately it was all a bit much for me health-wise. So, no more shows for
me and I will only do the Paris Flea for another month. It was a tough decision to make, but I know it was the right one for me at this time.

One good thing that came out of being at Paris Flea was that I meet the most amazing and talented collage artist. Her name is Sharon, and she had a spot briefly at RWAP, but she left before I could get a chance to meet her. Sharon also does classes, teaching others how to do some of her beautiful projects. I find her work very inspiring. She graciously gave me permission to take picture of her space.

I also wanted to share this photo I took of Aileen modeling some vintage fashion at the Paris sale. doesn't she look amazing?

Another bright spot in my month was that I was honored to be chosen as "Consigner of the month", for RWAP. I was given a photo and blurb in the newsletter and on the website. You can check it out at roomwithapast.com. You can also see the new group photo, and if you look closely you can find me on the right, right behind the 2 ladies in front. I feel like an official Roomie now!

I don't have the dollar amount for last weeks RWAP sale, but I know it was a pretty good month. I was there for the first time on a Thursday night opening and it was amazing, with long lines for check out and completely wall to wall with customers. I can see why only the more experienced vendors work that night. It was a lot of fun, but I think I prefer my somewhat quieter Friday shift.

Pillows, Pillows and More Pillows.

2011-08-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

Chip has been away the last 2 week for job training. He managed to get back east just in time for the earthquake and the hurricane. I miss him and it's been pretty lonely here with just me and the cat but I have managed to get a lot of projects done.

I was in the mood to make some pillows and I managed
to crank out 10 pillows in just 2 days. After taking a break from burlap, I have been doing it again in a big way lately. I found some better quality burlap in Sacramento when I went to see my daughter last week, so I picked it up and used it for these pillows. Just your basic square pillow and my french stencils, very easy

I also did some pillows using vintage linens. These can be found at most estate sales and they are usually very inexpensive - only a dollar or two. They are so beautiful, with such great hand work and I love to re-pupose them and give them a new life. I used this wonderful product called steam-a-steam to apply the linens to the pillow. So fast and easy - I love that. Some have my twisty roses for more interest. I also did a pillow using Sheer Heaven to transfer an image of a vintage postcard

Finally I did some collage pillows using the vintage linens plus velvet flowers and vintage images (Graphics Fairy). I make a basic pillow and then tack on the linens creating a small pocket for the images, then add on the other things. I have also put cabinet cards (vintage photos on cardboard) in the pocket. The gold cherub on this one was given to me by my friend Linda. You could even put in a photo of your child instead of the vintage images.

The ribbon bows are actually rayon seam binding. You can find this on Etsy for about $10 for a 100 yard roll. To give it a vintage look, I wet it down, scrunch it up and let it dry. For this project I then tied on several bows in 2 different colors. I think these are so sweet.

August Sale

2011-08-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

The July Roomy sale was crazy. I sold 8 pieces of furniture, which is amazing in my small space. Just so things wouldn't be on the floor I had to find, bring home, paint and move furniture in, all in the same day. I was happy to have the sales, but very very tired by Sunday.

Fortunately, Chip and I were able to get away for a mini-vacation to celebrate our 11th anniversary. Chip had also had a stressful month job-wise, so the peace and beauty of Mendocino was just what we needed. We stayed in a nice B&B and browsed through the galleries and shops, and enjoyed the many fine restaurants.

This months sale was a lot easier. I started painting early, so I didn't have to do it all at once. I also hit a few very good sales, and had a few fruitful trips to the thrift stores. This was good I haven't been feeling to well and wasn't able to do as much as usual. It funny, as it always seems I won't be able to get enough done, but it always works out in the end.

I was really happy with this burlap pillow I did. My friend Lainey told me about this fantastic thing call Sheer Heaven. With this product you can apply any image onto fabric. You print your image on your printer with the special paper, and then spray the image with alcohol, place it on the fabric, burnish a little and the image transfers right to the fabric. Unlike t-shirt transfers, there is no hard plastic finish. I printed the image onto muslin and then applied the muslin to the burlap using steam-a-seam.

I hope to have time to do more of these pillows next month and doing other things with this fantastic product. I 'm doing a few shows with a fellow Roomie in September, so I better get going!

Before and After Part 2

2011-07-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

I ran into some really great furniture pieces this month and I couldn't wait to get them painted and set up for the Room sale, which starts Thursday night. We are supposed to be set up by Tuesday, so I moved everything in, including this small buffet - here it is in it's "before" state. I was thinking I was in great shape this month I had a full space and 2 backup pieces, plus another that I could paint if I had to.

So I fluffed and primed, hung pictures and staged until I was happy with how it looked. Have I said this business is a lot of work? Well, it is sometimes a ton of work. But fun, and I'm always happy to see the finished project.

I drove home, tired, but thinking I could relax for the next few days and work on small, fun projects. I won't go into the details of how this happened, but both the night stands from my previous blog and the small buffet with the french stencil shown here have been sold, along with the mirror above the buffet, the lamp and a few smaller pieces. Now, I'm not complaining, a sale is a sale, but at this point I was kind of tired of painting and I was really happy with my display, so I did have mixed feelings. Like I said, it's all a lot of work.

Today I was feeling better about everything and I was able to finish the last piece of furniture and get it and another loaded into the car, ready to restage my space tomorrow. It went so well I had time to do a few fun projects and I did get a chance for a short thrift store outing with my friend and fellow Roomie, Linda. I"ll post pictures again, once I re-stage

Before and After

2011-07-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

I've been busy this week getting ready for the next Room With A Past sale. I wanted to share a before and after of one of my projects and I also wanted to share a little bit on my paint techniques.

These night stands started life as a vanity. When I found them, the mirror and middle part of the vanity were long gone. They were in sad shape, with missing veneer and lots of little dings and dents. As you can see, not pretty.

But they had great style, they were basically sound, the drawers all worked, and they even had the original hardware. The best thing about them was the price - only $10 each. I am always looking for furniture like this - great lines, basically sound, but with a rough finish - and because of that, cheap!

So I patched the missing veneer with Spackle. Spackle is a plaster that comes in a powder form and available at any hardware store. You just mix it with a little water into a thick paste, then spread it on with a putty knife. After it dries, sand until smooth. I don't usually worry about smaller dings, as it just ads character in my opinion. I also sanded the stands all over, to smooth out the rough finish and help the paint to stick. Pre-sanding isn't always necessary, in this case it was needed

After sanding I painted with primer. Primer is essential with older pieces like this. It adheres better than paint and makes the paint go on better and last longer. I then painted them a pale blue grey. I can't tell you the color, as I just mixed up some white and grey paint I had on hand. I was going for a very distressed look, so I sanded quite a bit, especially on the edges. Finally I brushed on a glaze coat and then rubbed it off, leaving a little more in the crevices. I used a Ralph Lauren Technique glaze that the former owners of my new house left behind when they moved. It's great for finishing projects as it adds an aged look and is also a protective finish. I've been using it a lot.

June Roomie Sale

2011-06-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

We just finished the June sale yesterday. We were very busy and sales were quite good - I don't have the sales numbers yet, but I'm pretty sure it will be my best month so far.

My favorite thing this month is this huge sign. It was originally a drafting table top that I got when I was still in Colorado. I loved the patina and the price was right, but I wasn't sure what to do with it. My friend Lainey gave me the idea to make a sign out of it, and it couldn't have been easier. It was one of the first things to sell.

I did two of these french chairs and they both sold, and I sold all my tables as well. I hope I can find some more of these chairs for next month.

I finally am starting to feel creative and I did some very nice, small collages this month. I do these just for myself, following what ever muse is inspiring me at the moment. They were small, the size of a bingo card. I put them in the sale, not expecting too much (I didn't even take pictures of any of them!). To my surprise, I sold every one.

The inspiration for most of them was some new scrapbook paper and stickers by Tim Holtz. The paper is brown kraft paper with various images and the stickers coordinate with the paper.

It went very well with my style and other things I have, including a box of vintage photos. At first I wasn't sure about doing these, as it just seemed like cheating somehow - I mean, is it my art or Tim Holtz's? But the ideas just seemed to flow and I was happy with the result, and I was just glad to be creating again. I used some of the same ideas on these journals here.

A Few Easy Projects

2011-06-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

I'm busy this week preparing for the June Roomy sale. I thought I would share a few projects that would be great for the beginning crafter. The first project is an altered kitchen cabinet door. These are fairly easy to find at garage sales, thrift stores or architectural salvage dealers. I never pay more than $5, and it's usually less than that. The older the door, the better, but even newer doors look fine - this one was a sample door of recent vintage.

I prime and then paint the door in flat white house paint, usually one or two coats will do. Once dry, sand the edges and sides well, exposing the bare wood. For this door I used some scapbook paper (Tim Holz), and an image from Graphics Fairy. I use Super 77 spray adhesive, and I've found the best way to apply the adhesive is to use a paper grocery bag. Put the image face down in the bottom of the bag and either go outside or stand by an open window. The bag captures most of the excess adhesive - you don't want to breathe it, as it's pretty toxic, so be careful. I apply the image to the scrapbook paper and then apply the paper to the door, use a good solid coat of adhesive - you don't want it going anywhere. Next I sprayed the image with a clear sealer to protect it, and then I applied a glaze coat, first brushing on all over and wiping off with a paper towel. I used Ralph Lauren technique glaze in a taupe color. You could also make your own using a mixture of white glue, water and a taupe paint in equal proportions. Finally I drilled 3 holes in the bottom and added some knobs. These great clock knobs are from Hobby Lobby, but you could also use glass knobs or leave them off.

The next project is even easier. I found these metal plant pots at the thrift store. You see these all the time, and they are very inexpensive. There wasn't anything wrong with them, but I wanted to give them a fresh look and to blend better with my other inventory. I painted them white using a spray primer and flat white house paint. I then sanded all over, which revealed the bare metal and highlighted the details. I then applied the images (Graphics Fairy), using the Super 77 method above. I used used a clear sealer and also applied the same glaze as with the door project, brushing on and wiping off, leaving more glaze in the crevices.

So there you have it - 2 very easy projects with a great vintage look.

May Sale

2011-06-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

I moved in April so, I've been pretty busy with getting the house all set up, and then I took a trip to Pt. Townsend, Washington, to see my granddaughter Lain. I am ashamed to say that I hadn't seen her in almost a year due to the move, health issues, etc.. After many, many games of hide-and-seek (she cheats!), and many books and trips to the park, I think my grandmother card has been re-instated. I wanted to share a picture of her that I took. She will be 3 in July and is just a little bundle of energy.

So, considering I only a few days to prepare, the May sale went well. All my furniture sold by Friday and I had no backup. Fortunately another vendor lent me a table (thank you Helen!), otherwise my things would have been sitting on the floor. I seem to do well with these French chairs. I use canvas drop cloth fabric that I get at the hardware store. The drop cloth fabric is sturdy, takes the stencil paint well, and is very inexpensive. You do have to wash it first, to remove the sizing and give it that vintage look.

With the move behind me, I hope to get back to my business, which has been neglected of late. I am getting physical therapy for my pain issues and I'm feeling much better, I bought some fabric last week, and I hope to make some runners and pillows this week.

2011-03-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

I've been busy getting ready to move in to our new house, as we close in 1 week and actually move in 2 weeks. I'll work next week on getting ready for the next RWAP sale, as once we move I will be focusing on the house.

In the meantime, I wanted to share some pictues of the other vendors. There are some really talented vendors, that's for sure. This little burlap pocket is from a vendor who does the most fabulous collages. They are so good it makes me a bit sad - I don't think I'll ever be that good. I would tell you her name, but as we are only open 4 days a month, I haven't met all the vendors and even with those I've met, I'm struggling with putting together names and faces and spaces. As Chip would say, I have CRS (Can't remember stuff)

There is also a really nice jewelry vendor. Don't you love the tape mesure bracelets?

And here is a picture from my neighbor, Cisco - Hey at least I remembered one name.

March Sale

2011-03-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it's Room With A Past sale time again.

I've been busy planning and buying furniture for our new home, then last week I had a minor surgical procedure. With all that and because I had a hard time finding things this month, I didn't have an many things as I had hoped for this sale.

I found some things late last week and was able to get a few things done. My space looks pretty full, but if I sell much, I'm going to have major holes. Oh well.....

Next month won't be much better, as we close on the house on April 1st. But then, look out, I'll have a dedicated work space again. I'm already planning my new "studio" and I'm so exicted about it and can't wait to get going.

My Wild Rose Cottage

2011-03-07T17:41:00.000-08:00

We finally got one of our short sale offers accepted, we close April 3rd. This will be 1 year after Chip first applied for his transfer, 8 months after learning he got the job and 5 months after moving. I am happy to be in California and happy to finally be in a home, but if I had known how long this would take, I'm not sure I would have had the courage to pursue it.

We had first looked at this home back in January. We had made an offer back in November on another home and this was supposed to be a backup. We loved both homes, but thought the other house would get approved first. To our surprise the other property never got approved, and after only 6 weeks (short sale refers to the sale being less that the amount owed - not to the time it takes to buy them) we were told the sale was approved.

So this is our new home. I went out to see it again and I was thinking - hmm....I think I'll plant some climbing roses on either side of the front porch. Then it hit me; this is my wild rose cottage! Wild Rose Cottage has been my business name and the place in my head and heart that has been the inspiration for my creativity, and now it has taken physical form and become reality.

Frankly when we started looking, we had hoped for one of the Craftsman bungalows that were also in the neighborhood. I now believe that this cottage is the place were were meant to be, it is in a beautiful and quiet neighborhood, within walking distance of some nice restaurants and San Pablo Bay. It has a great floor plan that perfectly fits our lifestyle. The house and yard are not too big, not too small, but just right. The window upstairs will be in my new creative space and studio. The ceiling matches the roof line, so it is a really great space. I can't wait to fix it up.

It's Sale Time Again

2011-02-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

It's that time again - my sale at Room With a Past starts Thursday night. I'm so excited, I'm all set up and ready to go. I was very happy with my sales last month, so I have expanded into a bigger space

I thought I posted a blog on my spot last month, but it's not there - I must have forgot to publish or something, so I'm going to post lots of pictures this month.

The star of the sale this month has got to be the french grain sack bags made by my friend Lainey. They are nothing short of fabulous. A fellow vendor thought they must be the real deal, and could hardly believe they were newly made - they are that good. I'm going to be offering them on my website as well.

I have a lot of other really nice things too, so I am hopeful I will do well again this month. I love the concept of re-inventing my space each month and it help me keep creatively challenged. This month I tried to do some spring oriented things with some birds and nest images.

I used the existing fireplace mantle that was in the space - it's beautiful and a great display piece. We have a lot of oak trees around the property and with the recent storm a lot of them fell to the ground. They are quite beautiful, covered in moss and all bent and gnarly. I used some of them in my display to bring in a touch of nature.

Paper Wreath

2011-02-15T07:36:00.000-08:00

We still haven't heard anything on our short sale purchase.

It's been almost 3 months, and while this is not unusual for a short sale, it's beginning to get very discouraging. We are in temporary housing and all our things are still in storage, so that is getting pretty old, as is not having a full kitchen.

After seeing 5 doctors in the last 5 months, I finally got a correct diagnosis for the problems I've been having. It's Interstitial Cystitis, otherwise known as painful bladder syndrome. Basically it feels like an infection, and if you've ever had one, you know what that feels like, it's horrible. I'm getting a minor surgical procedure done next month, so I'm hoping that will help, as I've been in a lot of pain, plus I've had to give up Wine, Coffee, Tea and Chocolate - yes that's right - all the things that make life worth living. It's not fun, I have to work really hard to stay positive and focused. I try to remember that my life is so blessed in many ways, and that other people have even bigger burdens to bear. As with anything some days are better than others.

The next sale at Room With A Past is this Thursday, so I've been busy getting ready. When dealing with problems, it really helps to have a creative outlet like this and I'm very grateful I have that. I'm setting up today, and that is really the fun part, staging everything out and seeing how it all looks together. I will take pictures once I'm done and post that later in the week. In the meantime, I did want to show one of my favorite things for this month, a paper wreath.

I know, I know, this has been done before, they are all over the creative blogs, but I like the way mine turned out. I used 2 round 6" craft wood circles. One was the base for the wreath. I rolled the book pages and hot glued them to the base, layering on until it was nice and full. Then I took another wood circle and applied music paper to it, using spray adhesive. I don't try to cut the music paper first, I just glue it on, flip it over and then cut out using a snap off bladed knife. Then the crown (Graphics Fairy) was applied. The final step is to use a stamp pad (Tim Holtz distressed ink in burlap) to darken the edges.

A day in Berkeley

2011-01-30T16:36:00.000-08:00

Having just moved to the Bay area, Chip and I have been exploring different areas on the weekend. We especially like Berkeley, as there are all kind of creative shops, good restaurants and interesting vintage homes. We had a little trouble getting out of our neighborhood though. There is a small lake near our place that has some resident geese. The were in the middle of the road and didn't really see the need to move. As we got closer they would waddle down the road a bit and then stop. I had to get out of the car and nudge them gently off the road so Chip could drive through.

I wanted to go to Berkeley estate sale, so we headed over there first . The estate sale was in a great old rambling Victorian house, with what appeared to be the original furniture and fixtures. I bought a sweet french chair to reupholster and a vintage oak mirror with carved detail. Both had some "fix-it" issues, but the prices were right (cheap!). I'll show pictures later, I'm going to do a before and after.

After that we went to the Berkeley Bowl. I had heard that they had great produce, and wow, what a selection, they had way more fruits and veg tables than I had ever seen in one place. I was planning to made Cassoulet in order to use up my leftovers. It's a french stew, usually made with chicken, sausage, and beans. I had the meat, so I bought the onions, parsley carrots, garlic and the beans I needed.

Then we headed over to Home 101: Urban General Store, a great shop at 2530 Shattuck Ave., in Berkeley. The San Francisco Chronicle had an article about the store in the Sunday paper today, so I wanted to check it out. One of the owners, Allison Etchison, graciously let me take some pictures (all pictures, except the geese, are from this store). The concept of the store is reasonably priced vintage.

They have a great mix of vintage and hand made, with nothing made in China. I loved the vintage black phones on the walls, the fab jewelry made from hand dyed ribbons and vintage beads and brooches, and the great soaps and candles. I also couldn't resist the Tayberry/Lemon Verbena syrup by June Taylor.

We are back at home now, it's raining outside and the the cassoulet is bubbling in the oven. I'm sipping my Tayberry/Lemon Verbena Spritzer (I just mixed the syrup with sparkling water). It was a great weekend. Tomorrow I will start painting my furniture for the next sale at Room With a Past.

RWAP Vendors

2011-01-20T18:50:00.000-08:00

The Room With A Past sale starts tonight at 6:00 PM, and I am so excited! I finished fluffing my space today and put in some more of my burlap runners. I met a few more of the vendors and they made me feel so welcomed. I did some swapping of items with a few of them and got some really nice things. One of the benies of being a vendor is you get first look at the goodies!

I thought you all might enjoy seeing some of the other vendor's wares. The first photo is from Cisco's space. He is right next to me and it's great because our colors are about the same. He does a great mix of furniture and primitive garden items.

The next photo is from Rhonda's space. She has a real flair for display I think. She had some nice wicker chairs, wish I had bought them, but maybe they will still be there tomorrow.

I can't remember the name of the sweet young lady who has this space - but I love her style - we traded a few things, I got some fab trim and she got a canvas bag I had.

I work my first shift tomorrow afternoon - can't wait.

Room With A Past

2011-01-13T15:56:00.000-08:00

I am very happy that I have found a place in California to do business. It's called Room With A Past (roomwithapast.com). It's a monthly 4 day show in Walnut Creek. I am happy and excited to be a part of this creative and talented group of ladies. The next show will start on January 20th, so I am a very busy bee trying to get ready. At this time of the year there aren't many garage or estate sales, even in California, so I am hitting the thrift stores hard.

I wanted to share a few projets for my show debut, but first I have to tell about an amazing find - thrift store wise. Last week I found a nice grey - linnen drapery panel. I thought it would be a great backdrop for my new space. I was wishing there were 2, but that's how it is with thrift store shopping - you get what you get. Then today, I found the exact same drapery panel in another town at a different thrift store! I'll take a picture once I get my space set up.

The first project is a chair I found. I painted it a nice cream color, covered the seat in Osnaberg, which I stenciled with black stencil paint using a stencil I got on Etsy. I made the stripes using masking tape. I was inspired by Amy Smith of Whitewash, who sells chairs like these by the dozens. I wouldn't have looked twice at this chair before I saw what could be done with them.

I used the same stencil on this bag. I have to give credit to my friend Lainey, for pointing out the possibilities of this bag. We were shopping at Hobby Lobby before I moved to California, and she knew it would make a great stencil project. I coffee stained the canvas and aged the leather with brown shoe polish before doing the stencil.

The last project is a vintage 50's table runner. Nice fabric, in good shape, but a little plain for my tastes. This fix couldn't have been simpler. I used a black and white image from Graphics Fairy and iron on transfer paper. The hardest part was figuring out how to mirror reverse the image so it would look right when ironed on. I'm pretty sure that used to be setting in the print options, but no more. I got the same effect using the drawing tool in excel and doing a horizontal flip. I just cut out the image and then ironed it on.

New Uses for Old Silverplate

2011-01-08T17:27:00.000-08:00

I'm meeting with Susan Goodman on Monday to talk about doing her show, Room With a Past (roomwithapast.com) in Walnut Creek, California (she also does Paris Flea Market in Livermoore). This a monthly, indoor show and sale of all things shabby and vintage. I went to one of the sales on January 1st, and it seems like a really great bunch of creative and talented ladies. On New Years day, all the vendors were dressed in PJ's and they had a great brunch for the customers. I'm pretty excited about it, and I may even get to do the show on the 2oth. Needless to say, with most of my inventory still in storage, I'm busy trying to get ready. I've found a couple of good thrift stores and that has really helped.

There was a time, in our mothers and grandmothers day, when it was a must to have a silver or silver plate tea set and serving trays. Because of this, they can easily (and cheaply) be found at garage sales, flea markets and estate sales, and I always pick them up when I can find them. Unfortunately most people these days don't really see a use for them. I found two recently and decided to repurpose them.

The first tray was only $4.00 . I bought a clock kit at Michaels for about $4.00 (using a 40% off coupon). Since the numbers and hands were brass colored, I sprayed painted them black, which was the hardest part of the project. I did come up with a great way to spray paint small objects. I opened up a paper grocery sack, laid the pieces in the bottom of the bag and sprayed away. This kept the pieces from blowing away (been there done that!) and kept the paint from going everywhere ( have also done that) . I drilled a hole in the center of the tray and put the clock kit together. I didn't even need to add a hanger as the clock mechanism has one.

The second was a really nice, heavy, oblong tray. It had some large tarnished areas, and so was only $6.00 at another thrift store. I liked the tarnish, so I left it as is. I taped the edges and painted the center with blackboard paint. Add some wire to handles to hang and you have a functional and beautiful blackboard to post menus, schedules or appointments.

The small dress form was also a thrift store find. It originally was blue and pink, and was a little tired looking. I covered it in tan tissue that I had crumpled up and then smoothed out, adhering it with watered down white glue. When that dried, I added a twisty fabric rose, some ribbon, some crochet trim and a little paper collage. If you haven't done the twisted fabric roses, they are very fun and easy to do. Freckled Laundry (freckledlaundy.Com) has a great tutorial on making them.

Xmas Decorations on The Cheap

2010-12-16T16:42:00.000-08:00

I'm in tempoary housing right now and all our stuff is in storage. We had hoped to be in a house by Christmas, but that is not happening. So, no tree, as we don't have any ornaments. We have tons of Xmas decorations in storage, so I didn't want to buy any more, but I did want to do something to celebrate the season

First, I bought a fresh evergreen wreath with pinecones from Trader Joes for $12. TJ's is one of the things I love about California - they started here and are now in many states, though not Colorado. I'm glad to be back in the land of Two Buck Chuck (their signature wine, $2.00 a bottle, which is actually called Charles Shaw), great, cheap cookies and many other gourmet foods at great prices. Cleo is crazy about their cat food and has gained weight (a good thing as she is usually too skinny).

Anyway, I hung the wreath on my wall above the couch and it was nice, but a little dull. I tucked in some glitter snowflakes that I had, and it looked better. Yesterday I made a paper chain, just like we all did in grade school, but out of vintage music sheets. I added a few cards I had made and the wall looks nice now. Then today I took a walk around the lake near my place and the city was trimming the spruce trees. I asked for the clippings, and of course they were glad to let me have them. I just laid them on the coffee table, and added some ivy and some other greenery I found on the property. As a finishing touch, I added some bronze wired ribbon and glitter leaves that I had bought previously, intending to use for gift wrapping. I also put some greenery outside in the planter by the front door.

So our little place is ready for the holidays and I hardly spent anything.

Xmas Ornament

2010-12-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling better (Finally!) so made some burlap runners today. Then I decided to do a just-for-fun project. I saw an ornament on Brag Monday from Graphics Fairy that I just had to try myself. I used the same image as Gail from Little Beach Designs, but I changed up the colors and techniques. Last week I found a neat fabric shop that was fun to rummage through and I found some rayon seam binding and some crochet trim. Neither was new, but looked like they were and they went with the color of the image. Very easy to do and nice, as all our ornaments are in storage and we won't be in a house by Christmas (Maybe next Christmas???).

Made it to California

2010-12-03T15:34:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while, it has been a crazy month with the move to California. I wanted to show this cookbook my friend Lainey made me as a going away gift. She is a talented baker who once had her own bakery and these are her best cookie recipes some of her own and some from her German grandmother who also had a bakery. She collaged every page in this lovely book and it it something I will always treasure.

The move has been very stressfull. First the packing and loading of our things, then a 4 day drive from Colorado to California with Chip and I and our two cars and our cat Cleo. We originally stayed at an Extended Stay America (or as Chip called it "The Discomfort Inn"). It seemed like a nice place from the website, but when we got there found out it was less than promised. Rock hard beds, stinky halls, and just a little seedy. Then we found out buying a house would be way more complicated than we thought. The area we found that we liked has mostly short sales and it takes a long time, with no guarantee you will actually get the house in the end. Add to that I've been having some health/pain issues and, well, it was not a good time for me. I was homesick and starting to think it had been a big mistake to decide to move to California.

Then things got better. We managed to find a much nicer, temporary furnished place in Orinda, which is a lovely community. We are in a nice small apartement that is part of a larger, single family home. It is surrounded by oak and pine trees and there is a lake nearby. We are very lucky to find this place, as we might be here a while while we buy a home. We did find a place to buy, made an offer and are hoping for the best and working on plan B if it doesn't pan out.

Meanwhile, Chip and I went for a drive last Saturday. It was raining and we set off for the little nearby town of Crockett as Chip had heard there were antique stores there. We didn't find any, so moved on to a the very tiny town of Port Costa. We were driving down the street and I was about to tell Chip to move on as there didn't seem to be much there when I saw a very cute storefront that said "Theater of Dreams". I had Chip stop and got out to investigate. Turns out it's the studio of Wendy Addison, the well known collage artist. She does a line for Tinsel Trading and was in the "Where Women Create" book. What a lovely surprise to find this place which just happened to be open that weekend. I looked around at all the beautiful things and actually saw Wendy. I bought this lovely Xmas piece and since all our Xmas things are in storage, it's so nice to have.

Today I went to a sale called "A Paris Flea Market" in Livermoore. A group of talented ladies have a sale once a month with all things shabby and chic. I bought some things and inquired about selling there. I hope that works out - it would be nice to have a little space, and do shows once a month. I'm not up for a full time thing (like The Barn), but once a month would be nice.

So things are looking up, Chip is settling into his new job and I am starting to feel better. I am trying to remember to be grateful for all the things I have in my life, a loving husband, friends and family, and not worry about things that I don't have.

Halloween Table Scape

2010-10-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

We are moving November 13, so I went down to my workshop this week to see what I could finish up. I had a lot of vintage posts and spindles, so I decided to make them all into candle holders. I cut square bases and screwed those onto the spindles. and topped them with candle pans. Then I painted all them white and added a little sawdust in with the paint to give them all a rustic look and meld the different woods together.

That gave me the idea for this Halloween table scape. We have invited all the neighbors to our house on Saturday evening for Cider and Cookies. We thought it would be a convenient way to give everyone a chance to say goodbye as most will be out with the kids trick or treating anyway.

I wanted to do a cream, silver and black color scheme, so I used the candlesticks, A vintage crochet tablecloth, and all the old silver plate that I had. I created the Boo Garland (from the Graphics Fairy), and also printed out some other vintage Halloween images onto brown craft paper. I bought some small pumpkins, spray painted them black, and added some black votives, and a skull on a pillow I found at Michael's (only $2.49!).

Whitewash

2010-10-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

I took some pictures of my friend Amy's shop, Whitewash at The Barn. She has quite of few things of mine in her shop and I just love her look, so pretty! She is a dynamo, with a huge shop upstairs, plus a half shop downstairs, and is one of the most successful vendors at The Barn. Plus she does the Paris St. Market and other shows. She has always been one of my best customers - even when we both had shops at The Barn.

The burlap runners are made by me and are available on my website. I also have wholesale pricing available for this item for those who have a shop. Amy has been doing quite well with them and has ordered more.

The website is doing well, I have an ad going into Romantic Homes for the January issue. Hopefully I'll be settled in my new home when it comes out in December. We are looking to move mid November, but we will be in temporary housing for a while.

Paris Nights Train Case

2010-09-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to finally be back creating again. I'm thinking of advertising in Romantic Homes magazine, so I'm working on an ad and also things for my website. This is a great samsonite train case I found recently. It was in excellent condition, inside and out. I painted it a soft grey, then covered it in paris themed papers, adhering with white glue (watered down). After it dried, I did some more distressing with a paint/glue mixture, adhering any loose pieces. As a finishing touch, I added the tulle ribbon, vintage glove and Eiffel Towel Picture (Graphics Fairy). I also added some tulle ribbon and a sachet on the inside. This item is available for sale on my website.

Back From California

2010-09-09T10:28:00.001-07:00

We just got back from a househunting trip to California. It was exhausting, and interesting. We can't really make an offer on anything until our Colo home sells, but we did narrow down the cummunities we are interested in and got a feel for the market.

It's good to be back and have some time to do something other than look at houses. I had the idea for this collage while I was gone and couldn't wait to give it a try. I'm still on the learning curve with Paint Shop Pro, so I can see all my little boo boo's, but I'm still happy with the results. It was a picture I took of Lain when I was last in Washington state. She was so happy, just to be walking around in the yard, and feeling the sun on her face.

Digital Collage

2010-08-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it feels like I will never finish getting the house ready for sale. Chip and I worked in the basement yesterday, much progress, more still to be done. Then we went to see "Eat, Pray Love", great movie, see it if you get a chance.

Chip got me Paint Shop pro for Xmas, but I am just now starting to get to use it. I couldn't sleep so I got up early and worked on it. Still on the learning curve, but I tried some manipulation of a photo I took at Redstone Castle. I made it Sepia and added some postmarks and butterflies from Graphics Fairy.

French Ad Canvas

2010-08-09T08:17:00.001-07:00

I'm finally getting close to having the house ready for sale, so I got a few hours to play. This is a canvas I did using the same image as from the french heart. The image is available from the Graphics Fairy, of course.

I just take a plain artists canvas, wrap it with burlap (stapled on the back), then paint on black paint (I used blackboard paint because a) that what I had, and b) it's very opaque, and sticks well. Then I took the image (I had a few extra that came out the wrong size for the heart), and tore around it, very unevenly. I used the usual Super 77 adhesive and my worn out ink pad to add extra dimension. A little clear spray finish and done. Super easy.

I was surprised to get a wholesale order for the french hearts from a fairly well known website - I'm pretty excited about that. I've wholesaled them to friends here in Colorado, but this is my first wholesale order from outside the state. Yippee!

Crazy Busy

2010-08-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

Things have been crazy busy the last few weeks. I've been trying to get the house ready to sell, inverviewing real estate agents, and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. I've given notice at The Barn and will be out the end of August. I put everything on sale 50% off and have sold quite a bit already. So, I'm busy finishing projects and rounding up inventory in the basement.

My grandson Ian was here for 9 days in July, and since it will be his last trip to visit us in Colorado we took him to Rocky Mountain National Park, the Rennasaince Festival and lots of movies and dinners out. This is a picture of Ian (tall one on the left) and his Colo friend Justin, at the Ren festival. It was a great visit and I look forward to living closer to him.

Then Chip and I went to Redstone (small town on the western slope of the Rockies) to celebrate out 10th anniversary. It was a really nice get a way, stayed in the historic Redstone Inn. the picture of us is from the grounds of the Redstone Castle where we did a tour. It's not really a castle, more of an old English manor home, but very nice anyway. Did a drive through the mountains to Crested Butte. That area of Colorado is so beautiful, that's one thing I will miss.

After that is was back to work on the house. I took a few days off to make some things for Amy to take to the Paris Street Market today. I did some really fun things, but forgot to take picture - doh! Hopefully soon I'll have the house ready and can take a break - then it will be off to California to look for houses.

Big News

2010-07-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

I was suprised (to put it mildly) to find out that my husband was offered (and accepted) a position with his current company in Oakland, Ca. I've been wanting to go back for quite a while and it just seemed like it was never going to happen. This particular job was offered to someone else and he was told he was second. Then, months after he applied, he was offered the job. It's a promotion and pays full relo expenses.

I'm a native Californian, and while I've enjoyed my 10 years here in Colorado, well, there's no place like home. Plus I have a daughter, grandson and other family there. I missed gardening most of the year, and I never really got to like the cold. Add to that, Chip doesn't like his current job and his office had moved, making the commute more difficult, this is just fabulous.

But, wow, so many things to think about. I have to wind down my Barn store, get the house ready for sale, continue to work on my website and get that going. We will be traveling there to look for a house. We have to decide where we want to live, etc. Yikes, My head is spinning.

Corsets!

2010-06-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

The theme for the week seems to be corsets. I met my friend Lainey, for coffee and she mentioned she would like more images from a corset stamp I have. She made a wonderful little gift pack for me of some of her treasures, so of course, I will be glad to do that.

Then I fell in love with and purchased a collage I found on Etsy, featuring roses and Butterfly wings from landofenchantment. I've made a few things with this image, here is a one. I often use old frames and put a piece of beadboard in the center, and I used this to decoupage the image onto. I've been experimenting with different paint techniques and colors, this is a mixture of watered down grey paint and Old English furniture polish.

Finally I found a great vintage hat from another Barn vendor that had a bunch of millenery flowers. I used the flowers on some wire corsets I had, added a gold tulle bow, some velvet leaves and a french image from Graphics Fairy. Tres Chic!

On the home front the chicks have hatched! I realized though that they are not mountain bluebirds, but Barn Swallows (they often use the name nesting spots). Whatever they are, they are welcome. Mom and Dad are now busy flying back and forth bringing food to the hungry chicks. We also got a new addition to the yard, a beautiful honey locust tree. We lost 2 of our bigger trees to the harsh Colorado weather, so we bought a new one, and it looks just great.

On the down side, I had to take my cat Cleo to the vet - she has an abcessed tooth. I just had one a month or so ago, so I understand how she feels. She got pain meds and antibiotics and will go back Thursday to get it extracted and the other teeth cleaned. She's a trouper, though and took the whole thing in stride and is feeling much better now. Considering this is the first time in the 10 years I've been in her life (she is 16), I've had to take her to the vet for anything but check ups - she's doing pretty good.

Summer on The Front Range

2010-06-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

Now that warm weather is (finally) here, the garden is bursting with color. The peonies and roses are blooming and it's quite pretty. Now that Chip and I have decided to stay in Castle Rock, at least for now, we are putting some time into our garden, which has been a little neglected the last few years. Today we weeded and planted some new perennials, mostly grasses and succulents (everything here must be very, very drought tolerant).

We are enjoying the many birds this year. They are attracted by both by our bird feeders and our pond and waterfall. We have a meadow lark nearby and he can be heard most of the time. We have a bluebird house and a pair of mating mountain bluebirds are nesting this year. It's fun to watch them. Mom and Dad take turns sitting on the eggs. They don't leave them alone for a second and It's a graceful dance, as one flies in as the other flies out. We expect the eggs to hatch any day now, and then mom and dad will be busy fetching crickets for the hungry chicks.

We also have a new critter in our yard this year, a toad. We have heard him on recent nights (he is quite loud), but I had not seen him until today, when I accidentally disturbed him while weeding. I hope I didn't disturb him too much, and Mr. Toad decides to stay.

2010-06-15T14:19:00.001-07:00

I've very busy the last few days, finishing a wholesale order and also giving my space at the Barn a complete renovation. I made a wainscot in one section out of cedar fencing painted to look like barn wood, added some burlap to make a wall on top of that and painted the entire floor. I'm almost through with that, I will post pictures when I'm done.

I did have time to do a quickie project. This was very simple, just a thin wood heart shape I got at the craft store (8-1/2 inches), a vintage advertising image (The Graphics Fairy), and A little ink around the edges. You will have to decrease the margins of the page when you print the ad so that it's as big as possible. The paper still be a little short at the bottom, but with the inking, you won't see that. I used spray adhesive, applied the paper and cut out with a craft knife around the heart shape. I used an old brown ink pad and just rubbed the pad directly onto the edges, then angled up onto the paper. My friend who ordered the burlap runners, also wants some of these for her show.

Towne and Country Market

2010-06-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first "Towne and Country Market" here in Castle Rock. This was a joint effort between The Barn and another local business and will be once a month through the summer. Although the rain kept away some vendors and customers, we still managed to put on a good market for those customers who braved the rain. We had a good time, trying to stay warm and dry and buying from each other. Bling!, a local dress shop put some sales items out - everything was $10.00 - so we all bought lots of cute clothes. I hope to do the market again next month.

My favorite vendor was A Bushel and A Peck. Owner Jeanne Oliver (who happens to a neighbor of mine), just rocked it with her mid century modern hand mades. She has an Etsy shop and her blog is abushelandapeck.typepad.com. We did some swapping - she got some of my antiques and I got a fab handmade dress for Lain. I also bought her a pink tutu from another vendor.

My friend Cheri showed up to check out the market - she may do it next month. So she and Alice and I got to visit for a bit.

Adventures in Burlap

2010-06-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

I've been busy gardening as it's gotten hot here on the front range of the Rockies. We seemed to have skipped spring and gone directly to summer. Since the season is so short, it's a mad dash to get those annuals and pots planted out. Now that that is done, it's on to projects.

I saw this idea somewhere (Sorry, can't remember which blog), and wanted to try it myself. Basically you are printing directly onto fabric (a cotton muslin). You cut the muslin to size, then spray with adhesive and apply to cardstock, then run through the printer. I really didn't think this would work, but it did. None got jammed in the printer and all came out beautifully. All graphics are from Grapics Fairy and are all in the Black and White image section.

After that I pulled the fabric from the paper, then ironed it on to Steam A Seam. Then I could trim each image down using a paper trimmer, so they are nice and even . I then fused the image onto burlap. The Steam a seam bonds to the burlap and keeps the edges of the muslin from fraying, so no sewing necessary. Then I finished as either pillows or table runners.

I made these for my shop, and as soon as I carried them into The Barn, another vendor spotted them and asked me to do some for a show she is doing. So I've been busy today doing 12 runners and 12 Pillows. Tonight I'll have burlap nightmares!

2010-05-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

I just got back for a trip to Port Townsend, Washington. I was spending some time with my son, his wife and my grandaughter, Lain. I was also exploring Port Townsend, as Chip and I are thinking about retiring there.

It's a beautiful town, people are very friendly, and the pace of life is slower. Being in the "rainshadow" of Mount Olympia, it gets quite a bit less rain than the rest of Washington, the climate is mild, and there is an abundant supply of fresh seafood and organically grown vegtables. It has a historic waterfront downtown, a thriving tourist trade, and lots of victorian architecture. think I could really like living there.

It was great spending time with Lain, she is a delight, very happy and loving child. I took lots of pictures, but I really like this one as it shows her personality. We played many games of Itsy Bitsy spider, pattycake and little piggy, and read many books. I also got to relax quite a bit, read a lot of books and was very lazy. So I'm ready to catch up with my business and get creative this week.

Heart Shaped Box

2010-05-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while - I've been in a creative dry spell. Now that ideas are flowing again I decided to do something with this heart shaped box I had. I covered it with pretty scapbooking paper, put vintage crochet and some ball fringe around the edge and then made a silk rose for the top, some more vintage crochet, velvet leaves and some ribbon. I finished it off with an image from The Grapics Fairy.

Update on the knee replacement - I don't need one, at least not yet, so yeah! I'm on some new meds, which seems to work better. No news on the California jobs, we have pretty much give up hope and are working on plan b. It's hard, because I am really ready to move out of Colorado, but it doesn't seem to be happening, so I'm trying to get my head around staying. Bloom where you are planted and all that. We will still have to sell the house, but will move to Denver to be closer to Chip's work.

It doesn't help that it has been a cold, snowy spring. Sunday was beautiful, and it looked like we would finally get a break, but now snow is forcast for Wednesday, and I am really, really sick of snow at this point. Mother's day is usually when it's considered safe to plant your annuals, so I did all our pots on Sunday, now I'll have to cover them all up. Oh well.....

All By Myself

2010-04-02T16:56:00.001-07:00

Good and bad news this week. First, for the bad, it looks like a knee replacement is in my - not too distant - future. The good news is that Chip is getting an interview for a job in California. He had applied, but we hadn't heard anything in a month, so I was sort of starting to give up hope. So that is good news.

Sales at the shop have been fairly good recently, so I treated myself to the new issue of Somerset apprentice. I was inspried by a collage from it called "Not so Sweet" by Kate Crane. I loved the pink and green color scheme, the book pages as a base, the use of a little girl image, the polka dots and the measuring tape, so I also used those elements.

For my piece, I selected the theme of independence. I was a very independent child and always wanted to do things by myself and the picture of the little girl (Graphics Fairy) reminded me of myself at that age. I had just bought the pink and green clips and couldn't resist using them on the top, as the colors matched perfectly. I also added some metal images from Making Memories, and the diamond crystals.

Child's Easter Dress

2010-03-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I dropped in at Stash, our local knit and fabric shop (also on the web fystash.com). Stash used to be located in The Barn and a magazine had been sent there, so I wanted to drop it off. It was nice catching up with Crystal, the owner, and I couldn't resit this yummy blue and green fabric and green ball fringe. I thought the colors would be great on my little grandaughter, Lain.

I finally got inspired to make the dress when I saw the little chick image today from The Graphics Fairy. I printed the image onto T-shirt transfer, cut it out and then ironed it on a patch of white woven cotton fabric. This was then ironed onto a white t-shirt using steam-a-seam. I then cut off the bottom 5 inches of the T-shirt, sewed the edges of the fabric, hemmed it, and gathered and stiched it onto the T-shirt. The ball fringe was stitched on from the outside.

The dress was the perfect finishing touch the Easter Basket for Lain. I've also used this basic idea with pillow cases. I try to find vintage pillow cases with nice embroidery or a nice scallop edge. I then just cut off the bottom part of the pillow case, gather the top and stich to the T-shirt. I made a few like this last week for Lain and they were adorable and so easy.

Happy First Day of Spring!

2010-03-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

Well this is my back deck today - one of the reasons I'm jonesing to go back to California. It actually wasn't that bad. The warm weather before the storm meant the snow didn't stick for a while, so we were able to get out and get a few errands done before things got bad. Then we enjoyed staying home the rest of the day (Chip had a snow day from work). Today the sun is out and this snow will be history in a day or two.

I wanted to show one project - it's a variation on the projects from a few days ago - again with the torn fabric - this time with a bird print and a gold wash. Image from Graphics Fairy. I used a canvas and finished it off with decorative tacks.

TTFN - I'm off to the Barn to work again today.

Wedding Cake Footstool

2010-03-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

One of the treasures I found at yesterdays estate sale was a lengh of pink satin pleated valance. I didn't know what I was going to to with it, but the color was sublime and I couldn't resist it (and it was only $3!) . As soon as I got home I decided it would be perfect for a footstool I had waiting to be done over. This project couldn't have been simpler. I covered the footstool in a cream chiffon and topped that with some cream lace (part of an inexpensive poly lace curtain, that I also got at an estate sale for $1). I then just hot-glued the valance all the way around.

Then I made little rossettes from more of the lace curtain. I just cut 3" along the side. I cut it int0 4 equal peices, then threaded some french seam binding through the hem and tied in a bow, forming the rosettes. Then I just hot glued one to each corner. The project took less than 1 hour. This is one of those projects that you may never find something like that again, but who knows? Now that I know what I can do with it, I will be looking out for more valances.

It was Good Day Junkin'

2010-03-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today is beautiful here in the front range, sunny and 60 degreees. Tomorrow, however, a storm is expected to bring between 5-10 inches of snow (This is normal weather for this time of year). So Alice and I decided if we were going to do any estate sales, it had to be today. The only sales advertised were in Golden, a good distance from our home in Castle Rock, and only 2 of them. But we set off anyway, hoping for the best. The first sale was a total dud - nothing much to buy. But the second made up for it. Prices were reasonable (rare these days), and it was 25% off day - woo hoo! It was just the kind of sale I like, lots of things to rummage through, so I bought a lot. Everything from a vintage Cheongsam , to vintage men's ties from the 40's to a puffed grouse planter to a great rustic trunk. We loaded up the truck, stopped for luch at a great BBQ place and toted our treasures home. I've cleaned, repaired and priced it all and it's ready to go into my shop. I worked at The Barn yesterday, so I'm exhausted at this point, but pleased with my purchases and glad I went. I think my favorite thing is the one chalk cowgirl bookend. There's only the one, and it's chipped and worn, but still, I love it!

No project today - however here is a nice bird chromo-lithograph advertising picture I scanned in that you can use.

French Music Train Case

2010-03-15T15:34:00.000-07:00

I was surprised - and pleased - to see that The Graphics Fairy featured my Easter Cones on Brag Monday today. Quite a few of you have visited my blog and commented, so thank you, thank you thank you.

So I decided to do another project today, just so there would be more to see for you all. I occasionaly find vintage train cases as Estate or Garage sales. Once, I found one sitting at the curb with the trash, and I snatched it up! They are fun to decorate up. This one I decided to do a music/french theme. I first sprayed the outside of the case with primer and then off white spray paint. Then I cut old music sheets in various sized of rectangles, and decoupaged then on with a mixture of white glue and water (50/50), overlapping to cover. I then left this to dry for a while. After it is dry you can cut around the smaller areas (Like rivets and handles) with a wallpaper blade.

Next I printed out some music sheet covers and french ornaments (The Graphics Fairy, of course). For these I first sprayed with a clear finish, then cut up and adhered randomly using Super 77 spray adhesive. After that I used a gold tone glaze which I rubbed on then wiped off, leaving more in the corners. I then wrapped the handle in cotton twill tape and attached a netting bow, a french seam binding bow in brown , and for a finishing touch a velvet rose. I make these myself out of old velvet, but you could use a silk rose as well.

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Nordic-French Project

2010-03-07T15:16:00.000-08:00

Everyone is going crazy right now for all things Nordic-French -ala Jeanne D'arc magazine. So I was ready to try my own interpretation of the style - characterized by muted, soft, greys, whites, blues and tans, and worn rustic finishes. I came upon a wonderful piece of natural linen fabric, originally inteded for needlework, at an Estate sale. If you do not have that, any textured, white or tan fabric will do. I tried this technique on three different things, a book, a book box, and a small scrap piece of wood.

The first step is to tear (you want the edges raggedy) the fabric into rectangles that are just smaller than the dimensions of your book, box, or plaque. I then adhered the fabric with watered down white glue (I used about a 60% glue to 40% water ratio.) I then immediately brushed white paint (you could use white craft paint or even wall paint), over everything.

After the paint had dried, I printed out french print ornaments and labels from The Graphics Fairy. I cut out some pretty, muted scrapbook paper in sizes just larger than my grapics. Using spray adhesive. I adhered the grapic to the paper and the paper to the object. You will need to use a very heavy coat of adhesive when gluing to the fabric, as it soaks up the glue. Give the glue a little time to work, then test to make sure it's all adhered. If not, just apply a little more glue. A very easy, quick project - I'm very happy with how it came out.

Sweet Easter Project

2010-02-26T13:35:00.000-08:00

Well I've been working hard since I got back from California. I worked several days at The Barn, and I've also been working on my basement, cleaning and organizing to get ready to sell our house. This was a major job and it feel good to see the light at the end of the tunnel there. I've gotten rid of a lot of junk, moved my work space and started painting the unfinished floor. I've been working so hard I decided I deserved a little play time, so I made these Easter Cones.

In cleaning out my basement I found this pretty pink and white crepe paper streamer which gave me the idea for the project. I cut some pretty scrapbooking paper (KC and Company) in a 1/4 arc, then shaped it into a cone and hot glued it Then I put the crepe paper all around the top edge and a little spot of it on the bottom. I cut a small hole on both sides and tied on some wired ribbon for a handle. I got the images from The Graphics Fairy (link on my blog). I sized them down to about 2" X 3" and printed out. I cut more scapbook paper into a rectangle about 1/4 inch larger than the images. I used a scallop edge cutter on my paper cutter, but you could just cut them straight. I then sprayed the front side of the scrapbook rectangle with spray adhesive (I used Super 7777). I placed the image on top of the scrapbook rectangle centering it and pressing to adhere. Then I sprinkled Glass glitter on top. The glitter will adhere to the edge of the scrapbook paper which has glue, but not to the image. Dust off any extra glitter and hot glue to the front of the cone.

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Hello from California

2010-02-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while - sales at my Barn shop have been better than I expected (which is a good thing), but I've been scrambling to keep things moving there. I on a little R&R trip to Sacramento to see my daughter for a few days and then house/kitty/grandson sit while she and her hubbie go to Trinidad. My grandson Ian and I have been hanging out and catching up. He is 15 this month, and about 6 feet tall. Wow, how did that happen so fast? He's a great kid and it's wonderful spending some time.

I've mostly been loafing, watching TV and petting the cats, but I've made a few expeditions. Today I went to historic Folsom. I used to live in nearby El Dorado Hills so this is old home week for me. There are several really great shops there. My favorite is Katrina's . It's a great shop filled with vintage european ribbons, trims and fabric. And the owner, Katrina is really nice. We had a great time talking about our businesses and I got some great french seam binding, some velvet flowers and vintage grograin ribbon. I've been sewing up some little ribbon roses and thinking about what I will do with them when I get back. She is at 701 Sutter St. in Folsom if you are ever in the area.

Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera (doh!), so, no pictures.

I'm Ba-a-a-a-ck

2010-01-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged lately as I was busy getting ready for my move back into The Barn. I moved in yesterday and I am sooo happy to be back. My 6 month hiatus gave me some time to think, re-focus and find my passion for my business again. I am way happy with my small spot upstairs and very hopeful for the future. I found I missed the other vendors, the customers, and even cranky Gerry (but don't tell him). Although I never totally went away (selling on consignment), I missed being a working vendor and missed having my own spot. So I face the new year with a new sense of purpose and outlook.

On another subject, I was surprised when I opened up my new Victoria magazine, to see my friend Joy's shop, Patina, featured in a 4 page spread. Joy had told me the shop was to be in the magazine, but they had originally said it wouldn't be until June. She also was originally slated to be in a feature on the shops of Denver, with some other shops in the area, but they changed their minds and gave Patina a full spread. Congratulations Joy!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2009-12-16T15:21:00.000-08:00

I am happy to say I have finished my Christmas shopping. What a nice feeling, I can relax and enjoy the rest of the season. In my life, I've run the gamut of not doing Christmas at all (long story) and going all out crazy baking, decorating buying gifts, etc. This year it's a balance. Since my kids live out of state most gifts were purchased on the internet and what a great time saver that is. I do like buying some gifts and sending them, so I sent each family a small box. Thank goodness you can do your shipping via the internet - no standing in line at the post office.

My stepson Arik will be coming home, which I am looking forward to. Saturday, Chip and I host our annual cul-de-sac Xmas Party, with Chip doing Santa duty. I used to make all the food and buy all the gifts for the kids, but that was just too much. The last few years, it's strickly bring a dish and a wrapped gift your kids. No one minds and it's a lot easier on me. This will be our last Christmas in Castle Rock, so it's something I will miss.

Meanwhile, on the business front - I am going back to The Barn January 1st! Sinch I hadn't heard from the manager about a specific space, I assumed it wouldn't be until February. So I was surprised to find out it was still a go. But, I am exicited about being back and working on things for my "new look". Today I made a potting bench out of some things I had hanging around the basesment. Turned out pretty well, I think.

I also made a few journals. I saw an ad in a magazine with something similar, and couldn't wait to do my own version. I used the vintage velvet from Caviano to make roses and added some vintage trims.

Baby it's cold outside

2009-12-11T08:18:00.000-08:00

And pretty cold inside too! This is the coldest fall I've experienced since moving to Colorado 10 years ago. Being a California native, I've gotten used to, but never really grown to like the cold. I know, I know, if you are from Minnesotta, or some place like that, Colorado weather is great. But, trust me, if you are from California, not so much. And to top it off, our heater went out last night. Aparently I'm not the only one around this has happened to, as the first heater repair place I called was booked up for a week. At least they returned my call, most did not. I finally got someone who would come this morning - Yeah! At least this didn't happen 3 days ago, when it was -3. An overnight low of 13 is warm, in comparison. So I've thermeled up, got the gas fireplace going and it's a bearable 61 degrees in the house.

Business wise - I'm still waiting to hear if I will get a space at The Barn. If it does happen, it won't be until February, which is fine, it gives me more time to prepare. I did a swing though the Aurora thrift stores on Monday. I did very will at Unique, found some nice things, that will fit in with my look. My best find was a vintage florist basket in tones of white and taupe, still with the original zinc liner. And the price was right $1.61 (less the 25% Monday discount). Cant beat that. Florists baskets aren't exactly a hot commodity, but I love them and it will look great in my space, so still a nice find.

I had a few things in with Rae Ann at the Paris Christmas market las weekend. I did pretty well considering the few things I had. I really appreciate that Rae Ann let me do that, and I was glad to help her with set up and help out with customers. It was packed both days and I had a lot of fun doing it. Next year, I hope to have a space of my own. I also did well last week at French Twist. So between that and working 1 day a week for Rae Ann at Caviano, I have enough to do a little Christmas shopping and put some away for next year for my business, and I am happy about that. It does seem that everything is working out for me to have my own space again. It seems that from the moment I decided and told people I was ready, that things began to fall into place. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith.

It's Great to Be Back

2009-11-14T11:06:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted much as I was up in Washington State visiting my son, daughter-in-law and my 1 year old grandaughter, Lain. It was a nice get-a-way, I spent a lot of face time with Lain and got to see more of Pt. Townsend, my son's new home town. It is a beautiful town, on the Olympic Pennisula, surrounded by the waters of puget sound. There are a lot of beautiful old buildings and homes, you can see both the water and mountains in the distance. And of course being Washington state, lots of lovely trees. Although very pretty and green, it doesn't rain as much as the rest of the state as they are in the "rainshadow" of Mt. Olympia (the mountain squeezes most of the moisture out before it gets to them). And the best thing about the town is there is no Wal-Mart or Target. Not that I have anything against those companies per se, but it's refreshing to see a town that is committed to support local businesses and not letting large corporations take over and run small businesses out. There are wonderful small shops in the downtown that are thriving due to this.

Before I left, I had completed a bunch of table runners. Some I put with Amy in French Twist, and 2 of them at Caviano. I'm glad to say I sold two from Amy's shop and one at Caviano while I was gone. I even got a fan e-mail from the customer at Caviano! I am busing buying more fabric and planning more runners. They are very unique and fun to do, with lots of applique work and fancy trim. I have some on my website as well, so hopefully people who buy them will then order more from the website. We have another snow storm on the way this weekend, so I will be busy sewing while the snow flies.

TTFN

Patience is a Virtue

2009-10-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

Colorado got socked by a huge snowstorm - we here in Castle Rock got about 18", there was much drifting of blowing snow - somewhat unusual this early in the season. Chip got 2 snow days from work and was happy about that.

I had been planning to make some table runners, for my web site and to sell at French Twist. I've been stockpiling fabric and trim so it was the perfect time to sew, sew, sew. I got many done and some are already posted on my website, wildrosecottage.com. Runners are great to add some drama, color and softness to your tables during the holiday season. For this batch I did a lot of red, green, gold, brown and blue for a rich look with plenty of trims and tassels.

This week, I have been trying to practice the virtue of patience. I am, by nature, an impatient person. I always thing things should be going faster than they are. I don'k know why I am that way, but it has caused problems for me when I do things too fast. So for this week, I tried to go slow, and really focus on the details. In sewing, as in many other things in life, you can't rush and expect to have a nice thing in the end. So, I practiced being patient and letting things take the time they needed. I'm pretty happy with the results, and I did enjoy the process more. Hmmmm...., maybe you can teach on old dog new tricks.

Caviano

2009-10-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

This week I worked on some of those microsope slide pendant necklaces - I hope to finish them and get them in French Twist and my web site this week (Pictures to come) . I also started working on a lot of table runners. And I've spent the last three days working at my friend Rae Ann's shop Caviano, while she did the World Wide Antique show. At the risk of sounding like a commercial, It always fun working there as she as the most amazing collections of vintage european antiques. Lucious velvets, belgian lace, silver, fantastic carved furniture, vintage jewelry, and much more, many items from France and Italy. Rae Ann has been collecting all her life and makes frequent buying trips to Europe. Rae Ann's regular empoyee, Christopher, trained in design in Paris, does most of the displays, and they are amazing. It's fun to watch people come in for the first time, look around and say - "I've got to come back when I have more time!". This time I helped out a little unpacking and setting out the Christmas things - what fun! During this slow time for my business, it's nice to be able to make a little money, and get to work with such beautiful things. If you are interested in European antiques (as opposed to my plain old American Junk!), check out Caviano.com.

2009-10-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

Chip and I took a long weekend and went to Taos. It was a nice getaway and espcecially since we were able to avoid some cold, nasty weather hitting Colorado. We stayed at a nice B&B and met some nice people. I always come back from Taos inspired, as it's a very creative place, full of art galleries and museums. So today I worked on some Christmas things, some velvet sachets and a few fall items. I recently picked up the magazine Jeanne D'Arc. It is a European magazine, but is now being published in English for the first time. I was inspired to do this box by an article on fall decorating that was in the magazine.

Home is Where The Heart Is

2009-10-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

I am a real homebody and when Fall rolls around, I always start thinking more about my home, making it warm and nice for the upcoming cold weather. I start planning on making soups and stews and I lay in those baking supplies. I purchased a cozy new throw for my bed - perfect to curl up with on a winter afternoon. I found this neat vintage postcard this weekend that expresses my feelings about my home - it truly is where my heart is. I am showing it here and also adding it to my free image collection - Enjoy!

We had a nice weekend with perfect fall weather, Sunny and nice, but not too warm. Chip and I took advantage and went for a long walk along the Platte River and attended the Castle Rock Octoberfest. We had a great time, eating brats, drinking beer and listening to Polka Music.

2009-09-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

I continue to feel better and better and I have been quite productive. I had a sale event last week and did fairly well with my window creations. On Monday Alice and I went up to Joy's storage as she was wanting to make room for some things coming in. I swapped out a finished peice and some things I had for some small tables and things, and I have been busy today painting them. I also did well at the garage sales on Saturday. On the whole, sales have been getter fewer and fewer as the season winds down and it's getting increasingly difficult to find decent things. So I was happy to hit a few good sales.

It's becoming clear that wholesaling will not be enough to keep me busy though the winter. So I've enrolled at Arapahoe Community College and am planning to take a few classes with the goal of a certificate in E-commerce and web design. Kind of scary, as I haven't been in a classrom in well over 30 years! I'm also looking into other retail opportunities, but I am taking it slow. I feel good now, and I want to keep it that way, so I don't want to get in over my head. It's all about balance and I'm trying to remember that, I'm meditating every day, taking my vitamins, and doing my daily walks.

2009-09-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a fairly productive week. I've been working on some windows I bought last week at a garage sale and also working on some things Alice swapped with me (she traded me her unwanted raw material in returned for finished items). These are some windows I did. I found a great scrapbooking paper pad that has some wonderful papers, some of which look like wallpaper. I used the paper with the window and I'm happy with the way they came out. One I did as a memo board with fabric and padding.

The Cymbalta withdrawal problems are almost gone, just very minor at this point - it appears I am well over the worst of it. My fibro appears to be somewhat worse, but whether that is the lack of Cymbalta or just one of the normal cycles of fibro it's hard to say. I am happy I am off that drug for sure, whether the fibro comes back or not. In any case I feel postive and creative and that's the important thing. Alice suggested I try walking in the late afternoon, so I tried it today and enjoyed it very much. I've been trying to think of a time to do some regular excercise and I think that will work.

I'm hoping to have a wholesale event at my house next week. Items are starting to pile up. The consignment items are doing OK, a few small things and I sold a desk on Monday. I swapped out all my things at the Colorado Antique Gallery so I'm hoping that will pick up - it's pretty slow unless I have a major sale. I put in mostly primitive and fall items, and it looked good, but who knows - it's pretty hit or miss there.

I've been working on a web site for my Brother in Law, Chris, in California. He is producing "Bum Steer" t-shirts (Bumsteergarments.com) that have a picutre of a steer and the saying "Don't let anyone give a bum steer". The steer has one wacky curved horn and is very cute. I thought I had made an agreement with a vendor at The Barn to carry the shirts but the vendor changed her mind. So I am thinking about carrying them at the Gallery instead. This is the second time this person has made a verbal agreement with me, only to back out. Both times I went through some effort based on the agreement and wasted my time. If you aren't sure - say you aren't sure, don't say you will then back out, it's irritating. OK, deep breath, let it go - that's just how some people are. I will know better not to do business with that person in the future, 0 for 2 is not a good track record. She wanted a ridiculous 50% commision anyway, which wouldn't work, so it's probably for the best.

I have a new computer - yeah!

2009-09-13T19:01:00.001-07:00

I am typing my blog from my brand new computer. It's a good news bad news kind of thing. Bad news - my old laptop died. Not unexpected as it's been having problems for a while. An iddling issue that ate up memory, keys falling off, plus it was a hefty weight that was hard to lug through airports. What can I say - it was time for a new computer.

My husband Chip volunteered to not only buy me a new computer but do all the stuff that a new computer needs - many, many hours of set up, virus protection, etc . So I am up and running - at last. I promise Chip I will treat it very gently - no letting the cat sleep on it, no dropping it, I promise!

Stuck in Cymbalta Hell.

2009-09-09T18:48:00.001-07:00

For the past 3 months I have slowly been weaning myself off of the prescription medicine Cymbalta. This drug which seemed like it would help me a lot, actually helped very little and the side effects were intolerable. Unfortunately, stopping Cymbalta is not easy. The company that makes this drug recommends you not stop abruptly. HEY REALLY, YA THINK! While I was on this drug, even missing one dose would result in unpleasant consequences, including irritability and nausea. So I gradually started lowering my dose. However even that does not protect you from withdrawal symptoms. I did some investigation on the company's web site and buried within a 24 page Prescibing information document is the following sentence.

Following abrupt or tapered discontinuation in placebo-controlled clinical trials, the following symptoms occurred at a rate greater than or equal to 1% and at a significantly higher rate in duloxetine-treated patients compared to those discontinuing from placebo: dizziness, nausea, headache, fatigue, paresthesia, vomiting, irritability, nightmares, insomnia, diarrhea, anxiety, hyperhidrosis and vertigo.

Since this document seems intended for Doctors, I did not read it. Even if I had, I don't know that that I would have realized that when I stopped this medication I would have all these symtoms, whether or not I tapered or stopped abruptly. At first glance 1% doesn't sound like such bad odds. But it says greater than or equal to 1%. That could mean 1% or 100%, it doesn't say. If I had known the problems associated with stopping this drug I never would have started it in the first place. BTW I looked up hyperhidrosis. It means you sweat a lot. Yup, have that too. Paresthesia is tingling or numbness - I have that too. It's more than tingling though. Many who have it, including me, say that it feels like electrical zaps in my brain.

From reading other posts online, I am not alone. I tapered off as slowly as I could. The company doesn't even make a 10MG dose and doesn't recommend breaking the caplets. I suffered problems when going from 60 to 40, and from 40 to 20, it took about 3 weeks each time to gain some normality in my life. I have been off totally for one week I am suffering most of the symptoms described as well a few others they don't talk about. Like being cranky as hell. I can only hope that I will be better in another few weeks. Right now, it feels like I've going through this hell for a long time and it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I feel I have been mislead by Lilly and by my doctor. I am mad I have to go though this suffering. I would warn anyone contemplating taking this drug to think twice.

Earth to the Mother Ship

2009-09-08T18:06:00.000-07:00

Chip and I went up to Fort Collins for the labor day weekend. We stayed at a B&B (the Edwards House) and had a great time. We didn't know when we booked the trip that it was the annual 'Tour De Fat" a bicicle race/ride put on by New Belgium - Brewers of the famous Fat Tire Ale. Everyone dressed in some kind of outrageous costume and it was pretty fun. I saw a lot of neon colored hair, lace underwear worn at outerwear, wings, short skirts and wacky make up. The women were dressed pretty weird too! There were hundeds of people in costume. The fun continued after the tour at many of the downtown pubs. We met some friends for dinner then went out for martini's to do more people watching

At one point, 4 women with giant insect heads acosted Chip and I was afraid they were going to take him back to the mother ship. Apparently they just wanted him to take their picture and he was released unharmed to drink more martinis. I swear this is true (and we didn't have THAT many martinis. ) The rest of the weekend was fun (but not as exciting) We drove up the Poudre river, hit some antique malls and thrift shops. I went to a great collage shop (The Creative Underground) and bought some nice things. We left Monday and came back by way of Estes Park. All in all a nice weekend.

My Crazy Week.

2009-09-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

It's been an evenful week. I've been busy making things for my friend Amy, as she is doing the Paris St. Market on Saturday (the one here in Littleton, not the one in France). I also was getting ready to do a small consignment area in Amy's shop, French Twist. Amy is not only a talented artisan and shop owner, she is a dynamo. She has 3 Barn Shops (Bluebird Cottage, French Twist and is partnering with another vendor on a Third shop). She also is a power seller on Ebay, and has done all the Paris Markets (Monthly) since May and is doing another market this month. I truly don't know how she does it, kinda makes me tired just thinking about it. It's been good for me though as she has bought a lot of things from me the last few months.

Anyway, in trying to make a drawer glide for a dresser I had a slight mishap with the table saw and had to go to emergency to get it checked out. Not serious, just took off a quarter size patch of skin from my finger, ouch. Also makes it a little harder to do things with only one good hand. To add to the fun I got a UTI yesterday and I have a huge sore on my tounge from my orthodontia. I've also finally took my last Cymbalta this week (I've been weaning off of this bad drug for 2 months) and am having a few, final, withdrawal issues (nasua, dizzyness brain zaps and just plain cranky). With all that I didn't sleep well last night, so by this morning I felt (and looked) like 10 miles of bad road.

I got up at 5:00 AM, as I've been selling a lot of wire hat stands on my web site so I had to print labels and box up 3 shipments. Then I had to take Alice up to Littleton to pick up her minivan. Alice hadn't slept well either, so neither of us were going to win a beauty contests today. We set off at 7:30, hit some garage sales (with potty stops every half-hour), stopped for breakfast,then by the Antique Gallery to stock my small space there. Alice got her minivan and we went our seperate ways. I went by the bank, dropped off the hat stands at the Post Office, then I headed home to load the car with the consignment items for French Twist. Chip helped me schlep everything up the stairs, then I spent the most of the rest of the day setting up. I really wanted to make sure my displays were as good they could be and that took a while. After working in the dust and heat for several hours I looked more like 20 miles of bad road. One nice thing was, while I was there, a customer stopped to tell me she had bought many things from me before and was glad I was back. That really made me feel nice. The other vendors were happy to see me too - what can I say I'm feelin' the love!

I finally finished and came home and took a long hot bath. So I am completly exhausted, but happy. I feel I've made some real progress on getting my business back on track. After almost giving up the whole thing, it feels nice. Baby steps, baby steps.

Tomorrow, Chip and I are going up to Fort Collins to stay at a B&B and have a few days of west and welaxation, as Elmer Fudd would say. After my week, I need it. TTFN

Summertime and the livin' is easy

2009-08-29T17:33:00.000-07:00

Since Chip and I have been working hard all week we took today as a "play day". We went to one of our favorite places, Boulder. First stop was their fantastic farmers market. Bought some lettuce to plant and some fruits and veggies. Chip never met a cheese he didn't like and as they had several local cheese vendors there we ended up with 3 different kinds. We stopped for lunch and watched an improvisational dance group while we ate. Then we meandered through the Pearl St. Mall district, the best and funnest place to shop in Colorado. We watched the street vendors, went by my favorite shops, Two Hands Paperie , and The West end Gardener. Chip bought be a handmade paper pack at Two Hands. After a stop for iced tea, we walked back down the mall to our car. I always get inspired to do something creative after I've been to Boulder, so I'm sure I'll be using some of that new paper tomorrow. I'm showing a photo of a Pearl St. Shop. Tonight we are having a light meal of the cheeses we got at the farmers market, some bread from the bakery, some leftover steak and fruit, Plus a nice red wine - Durigetti Bonarda. Live is good.

Pause

2009-08-25T05:36:00.001-07:00

I read something recently that has really resonated with me. In the midst of your busy day, when your thoughts are going a mile a minute, when you are pushing to get this or that done or somthing irritates you - just .....pause. Stop, breath deeply and move on. It creates a momentary contrast between being self-absorbed and being self aware. We all get so caught up in our day to day lives, that sometimes stress builds up, you forget to breath, forget to think, just do do do. Today I am going to try to remember to pause, take a deep breath, and just ....be.

Dirty Pretty Things

2009-08-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

After Monday's excitement, the week went pretty well. I was able to work on some projects and get a few things done. Last night we stayed in and barbequed steaks and watched a Netflix movie - Dirty Pretty Things - it was very good. Today we cleanned our very dirty carpet and house but I did get a few minutes to do a silk arrangement. I found a small silver chafing dish at the thrift store and bought somesilk roses to go in it. I will be putting it on my web site for sale. TTFN - off to the movies - The Time Travelers wife this week.

2009-08-20T18:33:00.000-07:00

We had a little excitement around the neighborhood on Monday. We were in bed, reading and relaxing when I about fell out of bed as a lighting strike and crack of thunder hit nearby. I was recovering from that when the doorbell rang. I answered the door and found a very wet and scared young man who was walking by when the lightning hit. He fell down in the street as the lightning was so close he was afraid it would hit him. My husband went to drive him home and reported he babled all the way. I was just settling down from that, when I heard sirens. I went out and there were 2 or 3 fire trucks on our street - the house just next to us was hit by lightning. Fortunately there was no fire, however the lighting knocked a hole right through the eaves into the house. We've have a lot of lightning here in Colorado, but never this close before.

2009-08-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted as we were on vacation and my hubbie didn't want me to annouce that to the world, which is probably smart. So we had a wonderful two week vacaton to Washington state and California. I got to see my grandaughter, Lain, who is now 1 year old. We also spent time in Seattle, then flew down to California for a wedding, visited family and spent time at the beach and wine tasting. What can I say - it was nice.

First we flew to Seattle and took a shuttle to Sequim (pronounced Skwim), on the Olympic Pennisula of washington state. We got to spend time with my son, his wife and our grandaughter. She is adorable! Not that I'm biased or anything. We also toured Port Townsend, a lovely town, that has wonderful Victorian buildings and some neat shops. Phil and Carrie have found jobs there and hope to move there soon from Sequim. It's very beautiful and green with wonderful trees. We then went to Seattle where we spent 4 nights in a lovely B&B. We did the Seattle tourist thing (space needle, pikes market, Seattle Art museum, ferry to Bainbridge) and ate lot's and lots of seafood. Chip went crazy for the oysters and is still talking about the cafe Viennese at Uptown Expresso (he's a coffee nut). We loved Seattle and are considering moving there. We mostly walked everywhere or took the bus, so that was fun.

Next we Flew to Santa Barbara and attended a lovely wedding at Fess Parker's winery in the Santa Ynex Valley. Chip wore his linen suit and panam hat and we enjoyed the good food and wine and dancing under the stars. Next we moved up the coast to Shell Beach. We toured San Luis Obispo, went wine tasting and walked on many beaches. A highlight was a wine tasting in an old 2 room schoolhouse right on the 101. I actually attended that schoolhouse when I was in first grade. It was wonderful to see that this historic building had been restored and given a new life. The weather was a little cool and sometimes foggy, but still very enjoyable. The last night, the sun was out and we had a nice dinner overlooking the ocean as the sun went down.

We traveled a little further north to my sister's house in Atascadero and spent the day with them and experienced our first dose of hot, California weather. They fixed us a nice Tri-tip barbeque and we drank some of our wine from the wineries. On Thursday we drove south to Ventura and spent the last two nights with Chips Parents. It was great to catch up and see our old hometown (Chip and I met in high school in Ventura, although we didn't become a couple until 28 years later.)

We flew home Saturday which made our cat Cleo extremely happy. She's hasn't left me alone since I got back and it will probably take a few days until she calms down. As wonderful as the vacation was, it's always nice to get home to your own bed and back to your regular routine.

2009-07-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

I had my third wholesale event at my house today. It went very well, I am happy and very, very tired. As usual I tried to do too much and ended up with a lot of unfinished projects and a messy house. Yikes, why do I do this to myself??? Anyway, I finished up the sale, and was able to re-organize my garage and clean my house, so all is well. I am also feeling much better both mentally and physically, so life is good! It was great seeing all my friends. Today is also the 9th anniversay of our marriage. Chip and I celebrated last night at our favorite restruarant, Siena. Tomorrow I will celebrate with a little "me time" I read the book simple abundance every day (it has a little motivational essay for every day of the year). Author, Sarah breathnatch encourages women to do "creative excursions" to get inspired. I may go to a craft store and browse and buy some coveted thing, or go to a great shop, just to browse and be inspired.

It was a fun week!

2009-07-25T16:33:00.001-07:00

Well our week that started out with Mojitos and lounging on the deck continued to be full of fun. Tuesday is our usual library day. What's fun about that you say? well we used to go get ice cream cones after the library, but the ice cream shop closed, so now we get martinis at Siena. While we don't do this every week, we've done it often enough that the bartender said -" must be library night" Wednesday was the concert in the park - we usually have 3 or 4 concerts during the summer at a park near our house. Everyone brings lawn chairs, or blankets, some food and their kids and dogs. Very casual and fun. Sometimes it gets rained out but this time the weather was perfect, the band was great (rockabilly) and we had a great time.

Finally today we went to the Castle Rock wine fest - a showcase for Colorado wines. We've been before and what can I say - it's not California. But the wines this year were a big improvement and the weather was not as hot as in prior years. We tasted and picked a few bottles to buy. We are planning a casual dinner with one of the wines we bought - a great way to end the day.

Summertime and the livin' is easy

2009-07-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

I painted like mad yesterday to make up for lost time due to my sore back, so by last evenng I was ready fo relax. Chip and I lounged around all evening on the deck drinking Mojitos. The weather was perfect but later it stormed like crazy - lightning, hail, wind and rain. I've never seen lightning like that - one right after the other. That's Colorado - you never know what the weather will be. I'm getting ready for my next wholesale "event" so I'll be busy all week.

2009-07-16T17:38:00.000-07:00

I'm still having back problems, so life is pretty dull right now - lots of playing spider solitare, my new addiction. I felt a little better this afternoon, so I managed to paint some furniture I got last week. I hope to hit the garage sales hard and heavy tomorrow. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude and remember all the good things going on in my life. Summer weather right now is great - hot but not too hot. I'm grateful I have many friends at this time in my life. I'm looking forward to my vacation next month to Washington state and California, just made the reservations to spend 3 days at the beach. And I'll get to see my grandaughter for the first time since December.

2009-07-07T14:35:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted in a while - been very busy and my ac adaptor for my laptop died, so I am having to use Chip's until the part comes in. Wow - where to start ? I did the Sweet William Show and unfortunately it was not very good. Nice show, a fair amount of people, but they didn't appear to be antique buyers. Plus there was a loud band playing the whole day (good band but not music that was condusive to sales and way too lound). Also I got sunburned - ouch.

All was not in vain, however as I met a dealer there who was interested in buying wholesale - she bought some things at the show and then came by my house on Sunday and bought a bunch more. And my second wholesale show was very good. Chip and I decided that even if doing shows was more lucrative we just don't have the time and energy it takes - so no more shows for Lisa. All that hucking furniture around finally caught up with me and I am having back pain - another reason for not doing shows. Seeing the massage therapist today - hopefully Dave can fix my back.

I've done a lot of cute things - as soon as I feel better I will post pictures - ideas are flying.
On the home front - The baby bluebird hatched out and are keeping mom and dad busy catching crickets for them. They are making their first attempts at leaving the nest and will soon be gone. As we were looking at them one day we say a young cayote not 20 feet from our back fence. That's all for now.

2009-06-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

Haven't blogged in a while - I've been soooo busy. Last week I was helping Joy do some things she wanted for the Old Glory show and then I helped her set up and take down. This week I am madly making things for my upcoming show - The Sweet William Market. I've only done that market onece a few years ago, but I am excited to be doing it this summer. I have so many really cut things. I'm also closing my barn shop this week and next and hosting another wholesale event at my house. Run, Run Run. As soon as I can, I'll take pictures to give everyone a "preview".

2009-06-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

All the rain we've been getting lately has paid off in a bountiful show of green hillsides and wildflowers. My humble bungalow is adjacent to an open area that is just beautifull right now. My own garden thriving as well, with a few blooms and promise of many more soon to come. We have a lovely pond and waterfall that adds a soothing sound. This is the time of year when I love living in Colorado.

I had my first "wholesale" sale and tea at my house. Since I am closing my shop, I invited a few friends who are in the business to come and buy for their own shops and upcoming shows. It turned out really well. We all had fun, ate scones and lemon bars and drank tea and lemon/cucumber water. If you've never tried lemon/cucumber water you are in for a treat. Just add sliced lemon and sliced cucumber to a pitcher of water, let site for a few hours, add ice and voila! Very refreshing and calorie free.

Today I am very thankful for my friends and for this lovely weather.

Home Again, Home Again

2009-06-02T15:49:00.001-07:00

Well my road trip came to an end at last. It's always nice to get away, but it's always nice to get home too. I did some thinking on this trip and I have decided to give up my space at The Barn. This was a hard decision to make, as I have been there 5 years and it has been such a big part of my life. But things change and decisions must be made. I hope to keep in touch with everyone there as I plan to do only wholesale now. I have scheduled my first wholesale event on Thursday with only one or two people for now. I am also looking for a job :( . Chip just called and wants to take me out to dinner to celebrate my getting back. We are going to Siena, our faviorite Castle Rock restuarant.

2009-05-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

On monday, my sister and I wanted to get a pedicure, but all the salons were closed due to Memorial day. So yesterday Sandy treated me to a pedicure and a manicure. I had actually never had either. It was very nice, I feel so pampered. I work with my hands a lot and my nails are always horrible. And I felt sorry for the poor girl that had to do my feet - they were awful. So now I have pretty pick toe and finger nails. Then we went to In and Out burger for lunch. I love their burgers so it's a must do on every California trip. Today was just relaxing.

Le Secret

2009-05-25T09:51:00.001-07:00

The sun has come out here and it's beautiful My sister lives 5 miles from the little town of Atascadero on the central California coast. The house is on a hillside with a large deck accross the back of the house. The land is rolling hills studded with large oak trees. Thre are deer and wild turkey. Being from this area originally, it always feels like coming home. Today I am trying to work on digital collage. It's slow going as I am still learning. Here is a collage I did called "Le Secret". My sister and I are off to town to get a pedicure.

Another Nice Day Junking

2009-05-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

Today I headed for the 101 Drive-in Flea Market in San Luis Obispo. I made a wrong turn getting there and came accross a street sale and found the most beautiful mirror, huge, gilded with an oak leave motif. The seller said it came from the Madonna Inn. That could be true as the Madonna is known for excessive use of gilt and is near there. I then proceeded to the flea market and found another great, gold, ornate mirror, as well as some silverplate, clothes pins, photos, a neat tin box. I decided that was enough junk for one day and skipped another flea market further up the road. Instead I wandered around downtown San Luis, which brough back many memories as I lived there when I was about 10. It's a great town they have a beautiful Mission, and a creek runs through town with paths and benches all along it. What a nice day.

Lisa on The Lam

2009-05-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

In Atascadero California today at my sister's house. As it was Saturday we went garage saling. I may be having a mid-life crisis, but junk buying has to go on! We had a pretty nice day. Being fairly close to the ocean, my sister's house sometimes gets coastal fog. It rolled in last night and was still there this morning. By mid-morning it had burned off and turned into a nice day. Garage sales were so-so, but we went to an antique mall that was having a parking lot sale - score! A vendor was selling out and gave me some great prices. After a stop at Trader Joes, we are well stocked with wine and chocolate. My sister's house is on a hillside overlooking the central california hills - Oak trees everywhere. It's very beautiful and I am very happy to be here. Tomorrow - the Nipomo flea market???

2009-05-22T21:34:00.000-07:00

Finally made it to California. I stopped last night at Mesquite, Arizona. I stayed at a Casino as it was really cheap ($30!). So I checked in and decided to do a little gambling. I'm not that big on gambling, really, but figured I'd kill some time. I put in $20 and figured I'd lose it within an hour and go to bed. I was down to $5.00 and getting bored, I raised the bet to the maximum as I thought I would lose faster. Instead, the machine went crazy, giving me free spins and when it was all done I had won $300. So a nice little surprise and I can sure use the money. But I still don't get why people spend hours and hours at those machines. I'm now at my sisters place near Atascadero. It's beautiful here and I'm hoping for a little R&R and visit time with my sister, my brother-in-law and newphews and their families.

On The Road Again

2009-05-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

Well after my trip to Iowa I wasn't expecting to do a road trip anytime soon. However I found myself with itchy feet and some heavy thinking to do. So I am in Grand Junction tonight, on my way to California to visit my sister. Very last minute, threw my clothes in a suitcase and hit the road. I'm hoping to make it to at least to St. George, Utah by tomorrow, if not further. Life sometimes throws us a curveball and this is one of those times. So I find myself yearning for the company of family. My sister, Sandy is 10 years older than me so kind of a mother/sister, as our own mom is gone. I don't know what I need from this trip, or what she can do for me, but I find myself needing her company - simple as that.

2009-05-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great mothers day. I had a very nice week and a nice mother's day.

The week was hectic but productive. I priced and cleaned all my What Cheer items, and then put them in my shop. I then redid my whole space. It was quite a chore, but needed to be done. Saturday I worked at my friend Rae Ann's shop Caviano. She was doing a market and her usual employees couldn't cover. It was a lot of fun, the customer's were nice and I got to look at all the wonderful things in the shop. The space is bursting with European antiques, vintage jewelry, china, glass, asian antiques, chandeliers and too many other things to list. To get a taste of what is available, check out her web site (done by moi) Caviano.com.

Today, Chip served me breakfast in bed (eggs pesto benedict). Then we went out for cofee (Chip has to have his Latte) and then did some shopping. I checked out a great shop at the Park Meadows Mall, Called Callie and Mo's. Then I bought a nice summer scarf. We had lunch at Tokyo Joes - and they were giving mom's a free lunch - what a surprise. After lunch I went shoe shopping. I normally dread shoe shopping, as my feet are very fussy and won't let me wear most shoes. I typically try on between 20 and 30 shoes before I find any I can wear. Sometimes I cannot find any. But today, the first pair I tried on were perfect. Score! And I had a loyalty card with the store so I saved an additonal $5.00. Shoe shopping doesn't get any better than that. Finally I got to spend a few hours doing collage - my favorite activity. All in all a good end to a good week.

2009-05-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

Well we (or I should say Joy and Alice) managed to get most of everything in the minivan. Alice had to leave a few coat racks behind at her daughter Susie's house. We didn't have enough room to make another What Cheer stop, however we did have a short stop in Walnut, Iowa and found just a few more things. The trek from Cedar Rapids to Castle Rock took 14 hours. We were all pooped out by the time we got home, but happy to be back in our own beds. We also were all blissed out when we thought about our many purchases and how great they will look in our shops.

We also have many great memories. The beauty of Iowa in the spring, the commraderie of sharing time with fellow junkers, the many laughs as we compared stories of junking. For me it was also quite an education, spending time with Joy, who has been in this business for 30 years. It will certainly be a trip I will never forget. More Photos of the trip can be found at http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii279/LisaWynnMorris/

Now it's back to real life and laundry, grocery shopping and pricing and cleaning our treasures.

2009-05-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

We all got up this morning, and amazingly, we were ready for another day of junking. And what a beautiful day it was. After a slight delay while we figured out how to attach our car carrier to the top of the car, we were off and running. We went to the little town of Swisher, as they were having a town wide sale. Our first stop was a bonanza - and antique dealer who was getting rid of inventory. we all bought big. We hit some more sales there, and had lunch.

We then went to a shop Alice and I had visited before called Cross Creek (Simply Iowa). It's hard to describe this shop. You kind of feel like you are Alice of Alice in wonderland and you have fallen down a rabbit hole. A maze of a shop with every nook and cranny bursting with shabby treasures and eye popping displays. Barb Conner , the sweet woman who owns the shop was wonderful to us (even though we decended upon her like a swarm of locusts). You can read about Barb in her blog (http://simplyiowa.blogspot.com/) Joy bought an enormous amount of Ironstone. Alice got some great glass pieces and I found vintage trims, an Ironstone teapot and some vintage fabric. We are planning to leave in the morning so Alice and Joy are figuring out how to cram 4 days of junking for 3 people into 1 minivan. And we are praying there will be a little room left when we are done to stop back by What Cheer on our way home. Check back for news on how that is going.

2009-05-02T05:41:00.001-07:00

Friday we got up early and drove to What Cheer, about an hours drive. It was cold, windy and rained a bit, but because we are experienced junkers we came prepared with rain gear. I did stop mid morning for pie and coffee and to get warm. Joy corned the market on watch faces, something she had been specially looking for. I hit the $2.00 table and found some tattered treasures. Alice bought 3 coat racks. At the end of the day we were tired, but happy with our treasures.

2009-04-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

Alice, Joy and I drove from Colorado to Cedar Rapids IA. Although we left at 5:00 am, due to stops along the way for junking, we didn't get in until after midnight. We stopped in Grand Island, NE, and went to a few shops. Joy scored big with several Watering Cans. Then we stopped around Lincoln at the Aardvard Antique Mall. Joy found some vintage ironstone and stome vintage store display sign holders, I found a great picture frame and Alice found a great scale. After that we had dinner and continued on. The last 3 hours were in pouring rain, and in the dark. hooray for Joy who drove the whole last leg of the trip. Finally we made it in and went to bed. We spent a total of 18 hours on the road and shopping/eating. Friends, junking is not for wimps!

But, after a good nights sleep, we were ready to rock and roll. Alice's daughter Susie was our chauffer as we hit a few garage sales and a lot of thrift stores. I found a silverplate t-pot for only $2.38 at the Salvation Army. We hit a garage sale where an antique dealer was clearing out. I got vintage crochet lace, vintage glasses and some vintage pictures. Joy found some great chippy ironstone, Alice found great glassware.

We are getting to be early tonight as we have to drive to What Cheer in the morning for the big event of the trip - the collectors paradise flea market. We are praying it won't be rained out and we can all buy, buy, buy.

Tomorrow I will upload pictures.

2009-04-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning totally out of sorts. To say I was grumpy would be putting a good face on it. I needed to go visit my little space in the Antique Gallery and I really didn't feel like it. I I met with my friend Rae Ann of Caviano to talk about the website that I maintain (caviano.com). We discussed the problems of running a business in this economy and it helped to unload a little.

Then I and moseyed on over to the gallery. My day took an unexpected turn when I met Cheri who has a space near me. We hit it off instantly and decided to go to lunch and talked for 2 hours. Cheri was familiar with my space at the Barn and also likes Alice's space. She was very encouraging to talk to and we had a great time and plan to meet up again. In this business sometimes you just get discouraged and you need a kind word. I was thankful that today, those kind words were from 2 friends, one new and one old. Thank you Cheri and Rae Ann.

2009-04-25T15:54:00.001-07:00

Today I took my first crochet lesson. Although I sew, do collage, woodwork, framing and floral, I have never learned to knit or crochet. The wonderful ladies at Find Your Stash, a yarn shop in the Barn (www.fystash.com ), brought in Carol to teach a class and I eagerly signed up. I felt like all thumbs, but Carol was very patient and I think I will get the hang of it.

After the class I did some collage work, an altered dress form and an altered wire shoe.

2009-04-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

Alice and I went garage saling today. At first we we seeing nothing interesting and began to get discouraged, but finally we hit a few good sales. I found some nice coral and shells, which I was happy to pick up as I have a little shell display going in my mini-shop. Alice got a great deal on a some beautiful green satin glass . Then I found some long panorama framed photos from early in the last century. I got a good deal, and then took them by my fiend Amy's shop, Patina. She was happy to buy them from me, so I made a little money for our junk jaunt next week. We also hit an estate sale on the way where I got a couple of nice pictures, two pretty painted plates and some nice books. So it ended up being a pretty good day.

2009-04-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

Last week we had winter here on the front range - this week its summer. We had 18 inches of snow on Friday and Saturday but today it's in the 80's. It was beautiful this morning, but a thunderstorm has moved in this afternoon, which is more typical of late summer. Weather here is never boring!

I've been working on some pillows and table runners today, and then I worked on wind chimes made from old junk silverplate. I'm getting very excited as Alice and I are going on a Junk Jaunt to What Cheer, Iowa. What, you've never heard of What Cheer? Well its usually pronounced as wa-cheer and it is pretty small, just a small dot on the map (Pop. 678). But twice a year they have the Collecter's Paradise flea market. Alice and I have been several times before and always come back with what Alice calls a "Joad Load" (as in the Joad family of The Grapes of Wrath"). Alice's daughter Susie lives in Iowa and usually joins us. We take loads and loads to the truck, stop for homemade pie, then shop some more.

With my husband applying for a job in Germany and Alice losing her husband this year, we figured this might be our last chance for a road trip. We will be leaving next Wednesday.

This picture is from last Saturday

2009-04-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

I just love vintage magazines. I came across an old Ladies Home Journal from 1914 and I just find it interesting to see what products were advertised and what the fashions were. Dresses were just changing from the fullness of the Victorian era to simpler, sleeker shapes, but still quite elaborate by today's standards. The blue serge dress was being touted as the "best for the average woman". But just like today, women wanted to look nice, took pride in their homes, and wanted their children to be healthy and happy. I am uploading some of the images and ads, as I have time, free for you to use in collage or scrap booking.

2009-04-05T16:25:00.000-07:00

My best friend called me this morning to tell me her husband passed away this morning. This was not unexpected, as he had lung cancer and went into hospice care Tuesday. It's sad but it is, in some ways a relief, as he was in pain toward then end. At least his suffering is over and Alice can start to put her life back togeather as she has been caring for him for 3 months since his diagnosis. This whole thing has really made me think about life and death and living your best life, as you never know what will happen. I don't know if thre is life after death, I don't think there is, but if there is, I hope Jim is somewhere hunting for pheasants, his favorite dog by his side.

2009-03-31T15:26:00.000-07:00

Put some more vintage fashion into my shop, some great 1942 brown suede shoes, a great vintage hat, some paris items, fashion picture, vintage jewelry and the mink hat. I did a whole paris/fashion display and I think it turned out pretty good. Also did a fashion and beach/shell display with vintage hawaiian shirt, rattan bag, shells and the book "gifts from the sea" by Ann Morrow Lindburg.

2009-03-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to a great estate sale. My timing was perfect, as I got there at 11:00, it was the last day and there was still lots of great stuff. And it was 25% off, but by the time I got done making my pile, it went to 50% off. I got vintage books, clothes, dishes, barkcloth, a mink hat and a sweet little bookcase. Took me all afternoon to unpack, wash, sort, log and price. I'm posting a picture of some of my booty. Sometimes you go to a dozen estate sales without finding much of anything to buy and sometimes you get lucky.

2009-03-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

I got a call early this morning from my friend Alice. Her husband Jim, who has cancer, was too weak to get up so she was going to have to call 911. Chip and I went over to lend moral support as she made the call. He's in the hospital now. This was a man who 6 months ago was playing golf most days and going hunting for pheasants with his Visla, Hank. It just makes you realize how quickly your life can change and how important it is to value the people you love in your life, as you never know what tomorrow will bring.

2009-03-27T15:19:00.000-07:00

After a very mild winter we had the first real storm of the season - a foot of snow - yesterday. Today is cold but sunny and I've been busy making a few things for my shop and getting ready or company tonight. We are having Tri-tip steak, salad, beans and garlic bread. We like to do this menu or company as most everything can be done ahead. Now I can relax and enjoy the evening. I took a picture of our pond as it looks very pretty in the snow. Meanwhile Cleo is in her favorite warm spot - my laptop.

2009-03-24T15:07:00.001-07:00

Today, I was thinking about all the choices we have today as opposed to our mother's day. Usually this is a good thing, but sometimes I think we have too much choice. I'm sure my mom, when she was my age and noticed her skin was dry, just went to the store and got some Pond's cold cream or Oil of Olay.

I went to the store today as I needed some moisturizer. The number of choices at a typical drug or grocery store is incredible. Most all promise to make you look 10 years younger, and well, don't we all want to look 10 years younger? The thing is, I haven't tried one yet that REALLY made me look 10 years younger. They asked me at the Thrift store the other day if I was old enough for the senior discount. You have to be 55, and I'm ONLY 54, so obviously my current cream isn't doing it's job. But hope springs eternal is an aging woman's mind, so we keep buying into the promise held out to us, maybe this one, this new one, the latest, more expensive thing will do it. You never know, it could happen.

But First I have to decide, regular or organic? SPF, yes I need that, right? Then I have to know what I want this miracle elixir to do. I mean, do I want to plump, define, fortify, lift, firm, rehabilitate, illuminate, deep penetrate, correct, hydrate, regenerate, fight free radicals, treat, reduce fine lines, repair wrinkles, nourish or self-adjust? What works best? Retinol, collagen, elastin, shitake complex, peptides, Pro-xylane, pomegranate, or paracres? Do I want a lotion, a cream, a mask, an eye-cream a night cream, a serum? Do I need them all? Yikes, I just want a little mousturizer, and I have to make all these decisions. And do I really want to spend half my food buget on my face? It was overwhelming

I went home, discouraged and wrinkled, un-illuminated, un-fortified, un-firmed, un-corrected, un-nourished. *sigh*

Tomorrow I shop for toothpaste. Don't get me started.

Lisa

2009-03-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

Alice and I went to a sale at one of our favorite shops, Patina. One of the owners, Joy, is a former Barnie and friend and we LOVE her shop (and her!). I always come away with a million ideas, that I usually promptly forget due to my CRS (can't remember s---). Joy has a blogspot that is on my list and Victoria magazine was in recently to take pictures of her shop becasue it is so fantastic. They were having a special event, so we sipped champagne and walked around getting inspired.

I've been having a great time with some of the vintage images available from other blogspots (two of which are listed). So I thought I'd try to scan and put some pictures on mine for others to use. The first one is from an old magazine. Feel free to copy and use as you wish.

2009-03-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I've gotten all the tests done, cariograph, echocardiogram, IMT, and while in the emergency room, blood work and a stress test, not to mention several EKGs (all costing thousands of dollars). My heart is perfectly healthy, thank you very much. I'm sure glad that is over and there is nothing wrong, except the WPW, which is minor and not an issue. I am also celebrating that I went on a job interview for a temp agency and passed with flying colors, including a typing test. I hadn't gone on a job interview or taken a typing test in 20 years. The bad news is that the agency is new and has no jobs yet. Still, It was nice knowing I still have it! Hopefully by the time the jobs are there my business will be doing better and I won't need it, but it's better to be safe. Not much acomplished in my business this week due to all the appointments, but sales have improved some. so things are looking better.

2009-03-10T17:47:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day here on the front range so I asked my friend Alice if she wanted an outing. Alice has been nursing her husband Jim as he has lung cancer, and I knew she needed a break. So off we went to Downtown Littleton to check out a few shops we had heard about and have lunch at Tres Jolie, a nice tea and lunch place. The shops were great and so was lunch. After that we went to the Colorado Antique Gallery as I was thinking of opening a space there. While Alice shopped the Gallery, I made arrangments for my new space. I really liked the location of the space they offered me, so I move in April 1.

2009-03-07T15:17:00.000-08:00

Our 70 degree high in Colorado of a few days ago is qucikly forgotten as a cold front with snow moves in. Chip and I are camped out in bed reading and working on our laptops. Cleo is beside me purring and trying to get on the keyboard. A nice way to spend a snowy afternoon. I posted my first item on Etsy, a cowgirl jean jacket I altered. Todays quote: "A little of what you fancy does you good" - Marie Lloyd

2009-03-06T14:59:00.000-08:00

Well this week turned out pretty well considering my rotten Monday. I did a lot of work on the Caviano website. I think Rae Ann will be pleased. I'm learning how to use Meta tags and finding which terms are the most popular using Wordtracker.com. Very interesting. I also made quite a few things for my shop and for the upcoming Paris St. Market. I've been doing a lot of Bulletin/Memo boards lately but was having trouble finding suitable corkboard. My friend Alice, told me there is a thing called homosote that is good for this, but I could never find any. Well I walked into the local Loews on Wednesday and low and belhold - Homosote. Score! It works great and I made several boards.

On a down note, I got braces on my bottom teeth yesterday. OUCH! FYI, I've had braces on the top since last April, as I still possess two baby teeth. The baby teeth are wearing out as they were not intended to last 54 years! So the orthodontia is to make space for the permanent teeth, then I will have surgery to attach chains to them and they will be pulled into place. Sounds crazy and it is. It took 2 years for my dentist to talk me into this and frankly, I wish I hadn't done it. But I'm halfway there so there is no going back. Anyway, as it worked out they had to put a "bite blocker" on one of my molars to prevent the top teeth from hitting my bottom braces. Basically, they glued a small rock to the bottom of one of my molars. The end result of this is none of my molars connect and I cannot chew solid food at all. The Orthodontist said it would take "some getting used to". No Shit. This is the understatement of the year. I cannot chew solid food at all. And even soft food is a pretty miserable experience at this point as A) I'm pretty sore from all that work and B) I keep biting my lip when I try to eat. So, liquid diet for Lisa. Hopefully I will at least loose some weight out of all this misery. The funny thing is my grandson will soon be getting braces as well. I wonder how many grandmothers are getting orthodontia at the same time as their grandchild? Not many I would think.

2009-03-04T17:47:00.000-08:00

Well things are looking up. I feel much better, and work is going smoothy. Got some new picture of my grandaugter on Flicker http://www.flickr.com/photos/33579623@N00/ so that cheered me up. I've been working on a friends webstore putting on items for sale. I've made some things for my shop. Unfortunately sales this week are abysmal. My stepson Arik is visiting. He's in the Marines on the East Coast and came out to go to a wedding. I hadn't seen him in a while so that's been nice. Nothing exicting to report and sometimes that's a good thing. A very good thing

2009-03-02T17:34:00.000-08:00

Well I try to stay positive, but some days it really doesn't pay to get out of bed. I didn't sleep well, so things are not looking good at the getgo. I had to get a refund from a wholesaler because their product was defective. I got my refund but they acted like they were doing me a favor. Sheesh, I wish I could be treated as well as I treat MY customers.

I'm trying to list some things on Ebay and the internet keeps dropping, losing all my work. I had to go to Michaels craft store and of course one of the things I bought didn't ring up correctly. The clerk was cranky because I insisted she get the manager to fix it. I was correct and the price was wrong. So there, surly clerk neenie, neenie, neenie.

The only bright spot in the day was taking to Amy (fellow Barnie). I was going to back out of doing the Paris St. Maket this summer, as things are going so bad for me I didn't know if I could do it and I didn't want to leave her in the lurch. Amy was so nice, and wants me to try to do it and is Ok if I can't. Now i'm looking forward to making some things for the market. It was so nice taking to her, she is always so positive and supportive. Thank you Amy!

As Scarlett says. "Tomorrow is another day"