My Name is Laurie... and I'm a Hoarder

Okay, maybe that's a little extreme. I'm not really a hoarder in the true, psychological sense of the word. But I have realized that I could very easily get there if I don't start USING some of the great things I've been buying and putting aside to make awesome stuff with.

Here's how it works...
1. I stop by a thrift store/yard sale/estate auction during lunch/after work/on a weekend.
2. I find a Sweet Treasure that others have passed up and I know is a brilliant piece of awesomeness.
3. I take it home and stash it in my craft room, after staring at it for a bit and doing a happy dance about the amazing things I know I can make with it.

Here's where the problem comes in...

That Sweet Treasure will sit in a basket, languish in a drawer, or just remain piled on a shelf... taunting me. It says "I thought you loved me! I thought you boasted about finding me on Twitter! I thought you commented on images on Pinterest about how you were going to make Amazing Creations with me! What happened??"

Busted...
I am a hoarder of Sweet Treasures that have the potential to be Amazing Creations... and which I am afraid to use.

I love the thrill of the hunt. I love the excitement of finding something and watching a dozen awesome ideas scroll through my mind's eye. But then I freeze up. I am afraid that when I cut into that sheet music, or use that vintage photo, or restyle that vintage pom-pom fringe, the Sweet Treasure will be gone. I wonder if I will ever find one like it again.

What I think needs to happen is that I need to just jump in and get busy... when I get some creations made I'll feel better about using the treasures I find. I have to remember that there will always be Sweet Treasures to be found. I have had a good eye thus far, so what's keeping me from thinking that the luck will continue, you know?

And, if I only get a few items made out of each Sweet Treasure, well that makes them more valuable. Everyone loves a one-of-a-kind! And I am an easily distracted creator anyway... so having a need to find new things to create won't be a bad thing. I'm sure that if I just get started I can be cranking out stuff as cute as Miss Mustard Seed in no time! (Look at that garland on her tree!!)

I'm going to have many days over the holiday break to spend organizing my vintage and craft stash, and I plan to get some creating done as well. I'll report on the results.

Happy holidays everyone!!!

Holiday time!

It's December 1st, so it seems appropriate to turn the talk to things that sparkle and smell like cinnamon and evergreens. Or, if you're me, the things I keep in that storage closet in my house that has never lost the New Carpet Smell. I look forward to digging out the things that I or my family have made over the years to decorate for Christmas... something about the season just makes me more sentimental than, say, July 4th.

One of my favorite things to put up is a advent calendar that my mom made for me when my first child was small, a replica (mostly) of the one she made when I was little and which hung in our house during December every year. My siblings and I eagerly awaited our turn to pick an ornament from the selection and put it on the tree each day, counting down to Christmas eve. Except for Erin... she was practically an only child by the time she was 7 since the rest of us were "all grown up", so she got to put ALL the ornaments on. Lucky. She also got to design the Halloween Jack-O-Lantern all by herself... unlike we Original Three, who had to actually compete to see who got to have their brilliant artistic stylings carved into the gourd. I believe it's due to the emotional scarring those Halloween contests left on my psyche that I buy all three of my kids pumpkins at Halloween... I mean, they're only $4.00 each, right???

Oh, sorry... got off track a little... breathe...

So, back to the calendar... each little ornament is made from several colors of felt, and adorned with sequins and beads and tiny little woven trims. So tedious detailed! There are wise men and angels and snowmen, candy canes, stockings, a candle... pretty much anything you would associate with the season. You can imagine how excited I was when, while sorting through mom's belongings after she died, I found a plastic bag full of felt scraps, trims, and tiny little patterns for the advent tree ornaments! My oldest daughter has a little girl now, and it won't be long before I'll have to make time to create a calendar for her. I'm not sure if I'll recreate it exactly, or put my own spin on it by using some vintage fabrics... I guess I'll ask her what she prefers.

Along with the holiday decorating traditions, I'm also trying to "shop small" this year. I purchased a couple of things online, but from small independent companies, and I have been making lists of things I want to get for others that can be found locally and (hopefully) from small businesses. A perfect opportunity to get some things knocked off my list will be at the many holiday markets happening near me this weekend.

I'm a vendor at a new craft show, The Little Craft Show, happening at Vintage Fellowship in Fayetteville on Saturday, so you know I'll be checking out the awesomeness there. It's a small event with 25 local folks selling handmade goodies, vintage treasures, and also some yummy treats and music. Come out and help make it an annual affair! If you can't be there this weekend, take a short trip over to Tulsa on the 17th to The Alliday Show. There will be more handmade and vintage vendors there, and I'm thrilled to be able to be a part of it this year.

There is also the annual Holiday Market at the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks happening Saturday, which features crafters and others from the Fayetteville Farmers' Market. There will be fresh greenery for decorating, handmade pottery, soaps, and more for giving, and probably a few things that you may need to just stick under the tree for yourself.

Take some time to get your hands busy this year and make something special to decorate your home, or for the people on your gift list. Or, support local folks by buying what they made instead. The handmade things you pull out of the closet each year will become your favorite things to put on the entry table or mantle, I promise.

Good grief.

It's Tuesday, and I have several projects that have to be addressed this week, and I sat for 2 hours on my derrier watching a movie with my daughter tonight. Not the most productive way to spend precious non-grandbaby-sitting time, to be sure. But I tell myself that I still have time left in the week. Hope springs eternal, right?

One project has to be completed by Thursday, so not as much time left there... it's a 5x5" art piece for a fundraiser held by the Arts Center of the Ozarks. I am excited about making it, and I have been putting some ideas together in my head, but the hangup is that I can't find the canvas to actually make art on. I know I brought it home... lord help me and my messy house. I may just have to suck it up and go pay for a new one. It's only $10, so I figure I can skip a couple of lunches. Not that that's a bad idea on any given day! The piece I'm planning involves stichery and vintage fabric and maybe some gesso and spray glitter for good measure. We'll see how it turns out... I'll post pics.

One of the other projects for this week is for Girlfriendology - a website where I've been named one of their latest "Girlfriend Gurus". My thing is going to be creating thrifty decorating ideas. The first is a vintage chair that's going to become a planter for the patio or front porch. I have this adorable chair I drug home from my mom's place after we had the final sale there, and all I need is an hour and some supplies. I will be taking pics as I go and describing the whole project in a post on their site. They asked to get it by mid-month, and tomorrow is the 14th... I'm cutting it close. I'm going to work on it Saturday afternoon. I considered painting the chair, but the more I look at it, the more perfect it seems to be. The rung on the front has been worn bare by feet... just so sweet! Hopefully I'll be able to find some decent plants to put in it at this time of year.

Finally, I am needing to spend some quality time with a dust-rag and vacuum cleaner. I have my book club coming over Sunday afternoon, and the house needs a complete de-clutter. We still have furniture and boxes and such in the den that will eventually go in the Hubster's music room (oh yeah, the baseboards are also on my list...) but if surfaces are just clean I'll be happy.

Wish me luck - and send me some extra time on the clock!!

We have a (lucky!!) winner!

So.... I didn't have use a random number generator or anything to determine the winner of my first blog giveaway. Apparently this blog is not nearly as popular as ThriftyDecorChick or FunkyJunkInteriors... :)  But I do appreciate each of you five who skipped over here to read my post, browse CraftGossip.com and tell us what your favorite project was! It really is a neat site, don't you think?? The Hubster drew a number from a jar, and he even closed his eyes first. It was completely fair, I promise.

First, I'll share the loot list:

(Everything is from ek success brands... but they have several brands under that umbrella)

• set of K&Company Brenda Walton gauze flowers
• set of K&Company Brenda Walton floral tags with metal edges
• set of K&Company Life's Little Occasions' fall themed stickers 
• a sweet Jolee's Boutique 3-D "mon amour" sticker set
• neon-colored hippie-style Sticko gel stickers
• Vol. 1 of Martha Stewart Crafts' Party Essentials craft guide
• Blingy set of Martha Stewart Crafts' wine-bottle labels for personalizing gifts  
• an ek success edge puncher with a lovely scroll/wave design..

WOW!!!

And the winner is......

Julie of "bright little buttons"!

Congrats, Julie!! I'll be in touch!

I also want to just tell you a little about the workshop... those few of you who are reading. hehe...

It's never a bad day when a road trip with my sister is involved, so I'll just put that out there. We got to Little Rock a little early, and didn't want to be goobs and arrive before the registration table was even set up, so we decided it was a must to follow a few yard sale signs... I picked up a couple of cute little milkglass jars for my collection that only cost me $.25 cents each. I use them next to my bathroom sink to hold cuticle doo-dads and jewelry and such. Erin picked up some glass candle sticks that will soon become beautiful dessert  stands.

After another not-so-great yard sale stop, we spotted an estate sale sign and, obviously, we had to go. I have been to some estate sales. And I've seen some collections. But this house was absolutely A.MAY.ZING. The woman running the show told us that the lady who owned the home had been an antique dealer, and that explained everything. Every single room in her home housed a collection of some kind. The overwhelming theme was primitives and colonial antiques. There were even stencils of pineapples around the tops of the walls. She collected so many different things - everything from period furniture, to dollhouse furniture to framed silhouette art to antique needlepoint and cross-stitch samplers. Basically, anything that was published in Country Living Magazine between 1980-1985 was in this house. While that style is not MY style, the sheer mass, and the obvious love that this woman had for her collections was humbling and impressive. We didn't buy much, because everything was priced appropriately (read = not in my budget). I did pick up a couple of vintage black and white snapshots and a book called Arkansas Folkways that I think will be fun to do something with.

We finally tore ourselves away and got to the workshop just as the organizers were introducing themselves. We ate some tasty lunch and went around the room and introduced ourselves, and then the fun began...

We all got split up to sit with bloggers we haven't met and each table was tasked with creating a fancy top hat using some crafty items spread out on a table. Our table selected a Mardi Gras theme based on the colors of some plastic beads that were available, and we won! The judge said it was the little mask that we added that put it over the top, and I'm kind of proud to say that it was my idea. That's right, I'm tooting my own horn - what of it?

Next we each got a little kit to play with and went to work creating fabric flowers. We used a Laliberi kit that contains enough supplies to make at least 6 flowers. You can make them into pins or hair pins, or rig them to be both. I made one teal flower and it was super-easy and quick to make. The directions have illustrations included, which made it a snap to figure out.

After we all completed our flowers we were free to pick up the swag bags and start going through them. Listen, when they said we got some great stuff, they were NOT exaggerating!!! HOLY COW! They crammed a string bag full of stuff, and had to put the overflow in a grocery bag. There were 20 bloggers there, and those bags contained at least $200 worth of supplies and goodies. I was beyond impressed with CraftGossip's support of their bloggers and editors!

Some of the items in the bags will be used right away - like the eyelet paper balls from Martha Stewart Crafts that will be hanging in my grand-daughter's room within the week, and some stickers and permanent pens that will be used to create a piece of art on canvas that I am making this week as well. I am more of a sewer and repurposer than a traditional "crafter", so I will be putting my thinking cap on to figure out ways to use some of the items in the bag. For example, there were lots of lovely scrapbooking bits like 3-D stickers and paper punches that I am going to figure out how to incorporate in some mixed-media art and/or on some repurposed picture frames. But I actually think that's more fun - anyone can just slap some stickers on a scrap book page - but what ELSE can you do with it?? :)

Before we headed home we stopped by a vintage mall one of our friends in Little Rock recommended, and we found some fun things. My favorite was this table-top card catalog. It had just come in that morning, so it was meant to be mine! Unfortunately, someone had refinished it - probably to make it more "sophisticated" with the dark stain and all - but I'm planning to paint it and use it in my sewing room to hold ribbons, notions and such.

Isn't it sweet!?

Dinner at Star of India was as good as always, and the drive home flew by. I'm looking forward to sharing some of the projects I come up with here in the next couple of months. Hope you enjoy the pics - and come back to visit!

Who wants a treat??

I'm excited about a little road trip I'll be taking with my sister this Saturday! We have some awesome friends in Little Rock who are editors for a website called Craft Gossip, and they invited us to an "invitation only" blogger event. Not only will we be hanging out with some very creative and mighty funny women, but we'll also be eating tasty lunch at Trio's, playing with crafty kits and supplies, and bringing home some swag bags that include items from craft lines like Martha Stewart, Dimensions, and American Girl.

What's the catch? Stoopid easy: we have to blog about our day and the products we use. Uh, whuuuut??? Don't hate me because I have better friends than you... ;)

You may be asking how this little trip of mine makes its way into a treat for you? Becaaaaaause... I'm going to pick a few goodies out of my swag bag to share, of course! Here's the deal - go to Craft Gossip's website and take a look around. Come back and share your favorite project or post or hint with the rest of us. There is a TON to choose from. No matter what kind of crafting you like best, you'll probably find it on Craft Gossip. Feel free to share this giveaway on your own blog, or with your Facebook friends, whoever you like! The more the merrier!

I'll report on the workshop this weekend, and will announce the winner Monday.

See you this weekend!

I'm a Guru!

Around my office there are a few people who choose to call me a Social Media Guru. I looked up the definition of "guru"...

1. Hinduism & Tibetan Buddhism A personal spiritual teacher.

2. a. A teacher and guide in spiritual and philosophical matters.

b. A trusted counselor and adviser; a mentor.

3.

a. A recognized leader in a field: the guru of high finance.

b. An acknowledged and influential advocate, as of a movement or idea: "In a culture that worships slimness, he was the Guru of Lean" (Erica Abeel).

I am fairly confident that I'm not looked upon as any kind of spiritual leader, unless social media and online networking could be seen as a spiritual journey. I suppose that for some, it is... but anywhooo, that's not what my co-workers are talking about, I'm sure. Although... I did round up a few to go with me to see the Dalai Lama this spring... hmmm... Okay, no, probably not. 

Instead, I'm thinking 2.b. is possible, or, on a very small scale (i.e. my office) 3.a. is more likely. I manage the Facebook page, Twitter account, electronic newsletter distribution, and weekly blog for my employer, and based on my level of understanding of social media functions and analytics, I guess I am comfortable being called a Guru. I kind of dig Goddess a little more, truth be told...

But all that is irrelevant, really, to the Guru status that has now been afforded me by a completely new group of people. I follow a website called Girlfriendology that is aimed at - you guessed it - women. It's a place to find advice on everything, articles, chat forums... all just for women. (They will actually delete requests for membership from men.) The other day I saw in their Twitter feed that they were looking for guest bloggers. Well, you know me, I don't pass up an opportunity for fame and fortune! I read through the requirements and decided that I'd rather ask them more about the Girlfriend Guru program than guest blogging...so, I sent in a propopsal. You see, a Girlfriend Guru is someone who, as the definition implies, is an expert at something and writes regular blog posts about that thing they are expert in. I do feel I am an expert in a LOT of things... and I like to write, soooo....

I tossed them the idea of letting me write a monthly column that offers DIY tips and projects centered around decorating with rethunque junque (clever, no??). One project a month, and I'll take photos and walk the readers step-by-step through the projects from start to finish. The way I see it, this endeavor will kill two birds with one VERY large stone. I'll get more of my writing out there AND I'll get a ton of projects that are waiting in my garage DONE. MAJOR Win/Win. My husband would like to do a happy dance, but he's playing it cool. 

I've sent a few ideas to them to post on their Facebook page to let fans vote on; four ideas for my first project that I could tackle over the next few weeks. I'm really excited about this new thing... I need a bit more focus for my writing and my project-completion, so even though this is a pro-bono thing (okay, that's a bummer), it's going to be a great addition to the resume and it will get some space cleared in my garage. Not a bad trade-off. Plus, how could I pass up the opportunity to post another awesome orange badge on my blog??

Head over to Girlfriendology yourself, sign up, and tell them I sent you. Then be sure to check back to read my posts and get some great DIY ideas!

Crazy times.

I am so envious of those awesome bloggers that I follow who blog every day. I realize that most of them are running decorating or design businesses, and that they make updating their blog part of their daily work schedule. I realize that I work outside my home for 8 hours a day and that makes doing a daily update a little more difficult. But given the fact that this blog hasn't been updated since early July, I still feel like a ridiculous slacker. But enough whining...

So, my sister and I had an aMAYzing trip to Chicago!! The DMB Caravan was out of this world. So worth the trip, even with the dirt (see below...) and heat and crazy people. Dave and crew presented completely different concerts each of the three nights - and the other bands on the schedule didn't disappoint at all. Some favorites: Gomez, David Gray, Tim Reynolds, Ray LaMontagne, and Michael Franti. The festival food was even yummy AND priced reasonably. We discovered a food company called .evol that made really, really yummy little burritos (and we didn't even have the munchies!). They were handing them out for free, and we had more than one each. Maybe more than two... I think they sell their products at Whole Foods, and they're worth looking for.

Of course, we had to do some treasure-hunting on the way to and from Chicago. Let me tell you, the flea markets and antique malls between here and there did NOT disappoint. We were bummed that we only had a trunk and not a truck or even a covered trailer to fill up. Next time... We brought home some lovely things for ourselves and for sharing with our fans, and have plans to make a road trip every few months to bring back some things that we just don't find around here very often.

On the way back we stopped at a flea market called The Pink Elephant that not only added to our stash in the car, but also had a little ice cream stand outside that was worth stopping for in and of itself.

Today we stopped by a little shop called Red Hill Gallery owned by a great couple of ladies in Fayetteville. We have been wanting to sell some Junque Rethunque things there for a while, and finally talked seriously about it. Erin left some of her upcycled dessert/cake plates for them to sell, and I have been asked to create some buntings and other items out of vintage fabrics. After spending about an hour with sweet Cari, we are both really excited about creating some new things and getting the Junque Rethunque brand in front of more people.

"Awwww...." moment: While talking to a friend of ours today we mentioned not having spent any time together since the road trip and needing some "sister time". Our friend said that she is the opposite when it comes to her sister - that she's usually ready to get away from her. I'm so glad that I can say that my sister and I truly don't feel that way at all. We share so many interests, we have so much to talk about, and we have so many things that we want to do together... siblings like that are truly a wonderful thing. I'm so thankful to have brothers and a sister that I would like to spend more time with, not less.

So, did anyone get in on the action at the Bargains Galore on 64 this weekend? We had hoped to go check it out, but just didn't make it. There's always next year... If you went, what fun things did you find??