Garage Sale Heaven!

On Wednesday, my Mom and I drove to Beaumont to preview and help out at the Wesley United Methodist Church annual garage sale. My aunt and her daughter, my cousin, are volunteers in charge of this amazing garage sale, and they work on it off and on all year, sorting and hand pricing every single item! (they have lots of help though when it comes to transport and set up time for the actual sale)  We were able to do a bit of pre-shopping on the day before the garage sale started, then we got to work helping out with the massive job of set up...it was sheer garage sale heaven! Here's just a taste of the amazing selection...

My aunt and cousin are amazing merchandisers - they work table by table grouping the merchandise by type, and color-coordinating the selections wherever possible...

They also like to make special displays throughout the floor like these vintage toys all grouped together in a vintage bassinet...

My mom and I got to get in to the merchandising fun when we set up the "boutique" area of the sale...here's just a little taste of that...

I couldn't possibly capture the amazing breadth of the sale - there was a whole room, the fellowship hall, completely filled with clothes and shoes, and so many tables and tables and tables of everything from vintage office supplies to tools, from vintage cookbooks to framed art, and more pieces of furniture than you can count...and all at great prices! Garage Sale Heaven indeed!

In case you live in the Beaumont, TX area, the sale started today 5/23 and goes through Saturday 5/25 - here's a link to the location: http://events.beaumontenterprise.com/beaumont_tx/events/show/326649043-church-wide-garage-sale

My mom talked to my aunt today - they had a fabulous turnout, and they continued to receive new merchandise all throughout the day...sounds like another long night of sorting and pricing! (wish we could be there...sounds like crazy fun!)

Oh, I almost forgot...yes, I did buy some goodies...I didn't go crazy, but I got some fun stuff that will be heading to the Etsy shop soon...

Back to the Drawing Board

Hey y'all - I had to put decorating at the Woodland Cottage on the back burner for about a week or so because I've been doing some seasonal designing back at the old drawing board for a client. Here's just a few little snippets of what I've been up to...

I also made a little Scripture art that I posted to Facebook recently just for fun...

"...you have been called to live in freedom...
use your freedom to serve one another in love."

Galatians 5:13

Do you remember this daisy trim from the 60's/70's...?

When I was about 8 years old, my Mom gave me a small vanity table that she had skirted in lime green dotted swiss fabric and trimmed with this daisy trim. I LOVED that vanity...it looked so grown up and so cute. I guess I've loved that daisy trim ever since. It seems to be growing in popularity again along with lot's of other 70's icons and images. Here's a cute example from Etsy that I saw on Pinterest...

 These adorable tea towels can be found in SureLeeQ Designs' Etsy shop - 

thanks Shirley for permission to post your photo! 

If you'd like to Pin this photo, please pin from the SureLeeQ link - thanks!

Meanwhile, even though I had to take a bit of a decorating break, I've still done quite a bit since my last post. I just have not had time to take good photos. I promise I will very soon - the cottage is looking so sweet and cozy and colorful and comfortable - just like I dreamed it could be!!  I'd LOVE to have you all over for coffee and cupcakes - wish I could!!

I'll leave you with this one little tease - this garage sale dresser hutch ($4.00 is what the tag says) is an important part of a big repurpose project I did for the living room at the cottage - can't wait to show you how it turned out!!

Have a great week friends - I'll be back soon with more reveal photos!!

Oh - not to forget - prayers for all those affected by the extreme heat, the wildfires, and the mess that tropical storm Debby is already causing...Lord please keep your children under the shadow of your wing!

Cherry Pickin'!

Don't hate me...Garage Sale this morning - CUTE Kate Spade Cherry Purse - 50 cents!

(you can click the Kate Spade link above to see how expensive her handbags are!)

I haven't been pickin' in earnest for quite a while now. After our last flea market show at Winnie in November and the wedding I styled in December, there's been precious little reason (or opportunity because of the cold weather) to go to garage sales. But reason goes right out the window when dayglo orange and green signs pop up on street corners everywhere like so many dandelions in Spring, beckoning you with words like "GIGANTIC Moving Sale!", "HUGE Multi-Family Yard Sale", or the heart-stopping "Estate Sale"!. What's a junk-loving girl to do?

Actually today was a lousy pickin' day overall, but this one little .50 gem saved the day from being a total loss. And isn't that why we keep our eyes peeled for those crazy signs in the first place, and go to garage sales when we have no business going?...because of the HOPE that there may be a hidden treasure in a fifty cent junk box...?

Well, the cherry purse got me to thinking about other fun cherry stuff, so I thought I'd top off the post with a few cherry images to sweeten your day...

Birdie illustration based on Kathy's sweet stuffed birdie-in-a-teacup...

EASY Cherry-Pineapple Dump Cake Recipe

No-Sew Cherry Valance Tutorial

Thanks for stopping by friends - BIG Texas HUGS to all of you, and...

Happy Weekend...with a cherry on top!!

How Far Will $20 Go?

(click any image to enlarge)

Last week we hit a nearby yard/rummage sale put on by a couple who were former Round Top sellers...they are getting out of the junk business and were pretty serious about liquidating their massive stash. Don't you just love the sound of those words!  :o)

So here's what a single $20 bill bought us that day (the above photo is only about a third of it!!)

LOVE these cute shutters with the red fabric - there are 2 complete sets with 8 sections total.

I was instantly smitten with the wire lampshade form covered with lace...here's a closeup of the rusty metal form, ornamental clips and lace...

I always need glass candlesticks for making cupcake platters...the wooden box they were in was thrown in with them...

You can never go wrong with milk glass...

...or chippy wood finials...love the chippy drawer they came in too...

...crusty metal candle holder...I'll repurpose it into something...not sure what just yet...

There were three of these cute ceramic collector ornaments - I have quite a few vintage and other ornaments gathered for the upcoming sale so these will fit right in. There was also a pile of these green grape cluster ornaments...I'll do something with them...

All of the above piles were just a third of the $20 haul - the next several photos are primarily laces and trims that were piled into a big plastic bin...there was also a pretty glass lamp and vintage framed photo in the box...

 ...yards and yards of this stuff...I love it!

Here's a closeup of the lamp - I am a sucker for lamps, I admit it...

Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the final third of this $20 haul, but it was a huge shopping bag stuffed with hand crocheted doilies and embroidered linens! Fun!! My sweet Mom is washing and ironing it all...thanks Mom!!

It was definitely a stellar "pick" as Mike and Frank would say...

So, are you planning on doing some picking this weekend...?

This is one of my favorite fun Scriptures in Proverbs - now tell me this isn't true...

"The shopper says, '"That's junk—I'll take it off your hands,"' then goes off boasting of the bargain."

Proverbs 20:14 (The Message)

Too true. Ain't the junk business grand? Have a great weekend!

As if on cue...

Just as the make-ready on the Studio is winding down (photos coming very soon), a great opportunity has presented itself...! I was just wondering (OK, fretting) out loud on this post about not having a clue as to what to do with all of this...

...and this...

...and this...

...and this...

...well, now I know what we are going to do!

This past Saturday, Hubby and I paid a visit to the new home of Whispering Willow Gifts and Antiques (you may recall, that was the shop in which we had vendor space last Summer...but it closed early in October after sustaining damage from Hurricane Ike). The owner and many of the vendors regrouped and opened a new shop in nearby Tomball, Texas with MUCH better exposure and MUCH greater traffic. But, during that time, I was just finding out about my corporate job being outsourced, and our whole focus necessarily shifted to downsizing - rehabbing the mobile home, leasing our home, etc, and there was just no way to be able to carry on effectively in the new shop...there was just no time.

Sometime last Spring I stopped in at the new shop to say hi and I heard that business was brisk and that they had a waiting list now for vendors. I was happy for them, but it just was not time yet to pursue shopkeeping again...I was fully focused on illustration and we were still knee deep in remodeling.

Well, now, as if on cue (illustration work going well, Studio rehab winding down, mobile home restoration virtually complete), a SWEET spot in the FRONT room of the new shop is coming available October 1st and we are IN!! Goodness, we are just so excited!! I met with the owner today and we discussed the space and all the particulars (price is very reasonable...just a bit more than what we have been paying at our storage unit...plus there are just 2 workdays per month required, which I can now easily do since I don't have a "day job")...I left a deposit, so we are a GO!! She was so very sweet and told me how excited they were that we were ready to shopkeep again and how much they liked our merchandise, etc. I was so humbled and happy to hear that...

SO, we have the direction from the Lord that we had prayed for...thank YOU Lord!! I truly did not know what to do with all the stuff we had...there were a number of possibilities, but none of which seemed the right path. But now, for reasons only the Lord know fully, we are stepping on to THIS path by faith and with great peace and joy! We can't wait!!

Needless to say, September is going to be a BUSY time around here as we finalize the Studio, unpack all the goodies that have been packed away since last year, sort, fix, shabby and fouf it all, price and inventory it all, and pack it back up for moving to the shop..whew!! But it's going to be so much fun!! I will be sharing photos and updates of all of this as we go! I hope you'll follow along the path with us!!

______________________________

"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." Proverbs 16:9

Progress and a Peek at my Week

Hello - I'm still here!! Goodness gracious, I'm so sorry to have disappeared on you for over a week now - yikes! But, I've been a busy girl (and hubby's been a busy boy) and I thought I'd stop long enough to give you an update on my week...

The studio is coming along nicely...but the unrelenting heat has made the work much more difficult and time consuming. My husband is a saint, and the hardest worker...here's a bit of the progress...

The windows are all in...love the light!! And it's hard to see, but just above the back window is the all important air conditioner!!!

It's really neat to be married to an electrician...I can't even fathom what all this would have cost if we'd have had to pay for an electrician...or a carpenter for that matter!! I LOVE my sweet, handy hubby!! As of this post, he has just completed all the wiring, and so once he turns the breaker on, he'll be able to run the AC, which will allow him to work during the hottest part of the day too. What a trooper!!

This week the radiant barrier goes up on the ceiling and insulation goes in on the walls...we're getting close!!

______________________________

I summoned every bit of self-control I had (not much I'm afraid) all throughout the Spring to try to avoid the many, many garage sales we have around here because there's just something so wrong about buying junk when you are in the middle of a big downsizing effort (I still looked though :o)...BUT, in the last few weeks, I have begun to crack, then crumble and I've made a few purchases...here's a few of the latest finds (some of which were on a free table, and some of which my Mom picked up for me). I LOVE the vintage strawberry tablecloth...although it is in good enough shape to use as a tablecloth, I will likely use it as a cutter for several projects I have in mind...one of which will go in our red, green and white vintage country kitchen...


Although this dusty box of faucets looks like a mess, that is three complete Moen brand faucet sets...the entire box was only $3!!! (Moen faucets new are pretty darn expensive). The two brushed nickel-finished ones in front will go in each of our bathrooms in the mobile home when we tackle those later in the Fall - this buy alone saved us well over $200!! Seriously, this is the kind of buy that keeps me drawn to garage sales - you just never know what kind of incredible bargain you'll find...

______________________________

And finally, this is what has really been taking up all of my time this past week or so - I am oh so close to launching my first ever digital scrapbooking/clipart kit at Aimee Asher Elite: Country Fair Fun!! I'm just having a couple of small issues with uploading everything, but we've almost got it. As soon as it is available in my new shop at Aimee Asher I will share the link here. It's a really neat, BIG kit (I got kinda carried away designing for it)...it has 46 separate graphic files including 21 cute sticker-doodles (my cut-out, sticker looking graphics), 9 yummy, colorful textured background papers, 2 complete ready to print recipe cards, and SO much more. This is the "cover" for my kit and gives you a pretty good idea of the type of things I have included...once it is all launched, I'll share the other sampler page so you can see all the images...I can't WAIT!!!!!

Oh yeah...you may have also noticed my new blog banner....that's part of an overall effort to update and coordinate all my websites and the new shop too...there will be even more blog updates coming very soon...

Well, I'm heading to my Mom and Dad's house today to work on the upcoming lingerie shower for my nephew's bride-to-be (yikes, it's this Saturday!!). The invitations were a big hit...they came out so cute...and now it's crunch time on all the decorations. I'll be taking photos every step of the way and I'll share those soon!

Thanks for your patience during my extended absence...I'm so grateful for you...thanks as always for stopping by!!! HUGS!!!