Show season is nearing an end.......

I love this time of year.  And I prepare for it all year long.  But I also love it when show season is over.  Every year I say.....I will not over-book.......but every year, I do.  So, this year I have done:  Holly Days Fall show, Unique Boutique fall show, Grandmother's House fall and holiday boutiques, Red Rocks Country Club holiday boutique, Christmas in the Country, Applewood Arts in two locations, and Conifer Newcomers and Neighbors holiday boutique.  I have had to cancel two shows because of scheduling conflicts.  I plan on doing a couple of small shows in December.  So after all of this, I ended up sick in bed.  Not usual for me, but a warning, I must heed.

Best sellers this year are:

Sold a ton of my paintbrush Santas

 These candy canes are always a good seller!

 My ornie wreaths were a big hit!

 I always sell many pumpkins

 My best all time seller is my crescent santas.  

 These lighted rag swags are a huge hit

 These are made from dollar store plastic candy canes.  I sell for $1 each.  Its a great way to use up scraps of fabric

 I nearly sold out this year on my ping pong ball snowmen

 Clothespin snowmen were a hit again this year

 I sold every one of these clocks that I made

 I love this litte tree in a pitcher.....so did someone else.

 Another crescent Santa

My canned snowmen were a hit!

 I only got three of the suitcases done......all sold.....gotta get busy for next year!

So, as you can see, I am sitting here with a lot of empty boxes and totes.   I just love what I do!  And there is such a satisfaction when others like it too!

So this weekend, I have the last Applewood show and Thanksgiving is close behind it.  I have a  head full of ideas already for next year....and I can't wait to share them with you....Stay tuned!

To Grandmother's House I Go....

I am getting ready to set up at Grandmother's House Boutique tomorrow.  This is a huge show for me. It begins on Wednesday and runs through Saturday at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum.  This is a huge hanger that displays WWII planes and other artifacts related to the aerospace industry.  This museum is a great place to take your kids and grandkids and this week, it is a great place to come and shop.  I have a couple of new items to show here:

I bought this spindle when I was on the 127 sale.  It stands approximately 3 feet tall.  I simply added wings and a base, crackled and embellished.  I love the way she turned out.  I have four more spindles and can't wait to get started on them.

These little raggedies are adorable!  They are from a pattern from Craftaholic Creations.  Only 13" tall, they will fit into a small cubby or a little girl's hand perfectly.  I love making raggedies, but they are pretty time consuming.  I think these will be great sellers!

My daughter, Heidi, and two of my granddaughters, Brooklynne and Addyson, came down from Cheyenne this weekend.  We try to spend October 4 together each year.  This is my daughter Brandi's birthday.  We lost her nearly six years ago to Melanoma.  This year we decided to go to the National Forest for a ride on Hub's new toy.

Well, a busy week for me.....so if you are in Denver, stop by and see me!

One show down.....10 to go!

Last week I had my first show of the fall season.  It was a great time!  My sales were good, especially since it is so early in the season.  This week I have another show.  Holly Days will be on September 25, 26 at the First Plymouth Congregational Church, corner of University and Hampden, Englewood, CO. (Email me if you need directions)

So, I am busily trying to replenish Christmas stock, and add some additional items.  Here are a few of the things I have been working on:

I bought this sled at a garage sale.  Simply added pip berries, bow and bells.

 I got these little tart pans while on our trip.  They were new.  I drilled a hole in the top and strung bakers twine, painted the snowmen faces and glued on a little bow.

More suitcases:  These are from our trip.  They are so much fun to do!  These were in tough shape so I actually had to paint the exteriors.  I sprayed with sealer and topped it off with glitter blast.

I also wanted to add a copy of my fall schedule.  If you plan to attend any of the shows, email me and I will send directions.  A couple of the shows have admissions and I have coupons for $1 off as well.

Well, my peeps, I'm off to do laundry and dishes so I had better get in gear!  Have a great week!

Fall is here.....

It has been nearly a month since I last posted.....but I haven't just been sitting around on my tushie.  This is the season for harvesting, and I have been hard at work.  Here is some of my handiwork.

So a recap is:  applesauce, baking apples, peaches, pickled beets, dill slices, sweet relish, dill relish, pickled jalapenos,candied jalapenos, salsa, pineapple chunks, dilly beans.  I also froze cabbage and freezer slaw.  I love doing this but, whew!, I'm pooped!  I also made a dozen of my canned snowmen, and a couple of these sleds:

 And a few more ornie wreaths!

And it is already show time!  My first show is Friday, Saturday of this week.  Come see me!  I will be at the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church and School.  Admission is free and there are always fun things to sample, buy, and admire.  

Canning........Snowmen!

So I have a bunch of galvanized lids that fit on mason jars.  These are from a lot of "stuff" that I bought last spring.  The lids have small holes in them.....what to do, what to do.  Well, since I love canning and I adore snowmen, I thought........

I admit, I saw something similar on Pinterest, but I really love how this little guy turned out.....now to do more.....

I also made some bobblehead witches and scarecrows.  I made four of the witches, one scarecrow, with two in process:

Well, today, I am off to finish the other scarecrows and work on some other projects.  Gotta catch up on some of the things I need to get done before my fall shows!  Have a great week!

Home at last!

What a great trip we had!  This was so much fun!  I would absolutely do this again.  But, it was sure nice to get home as well.  I am spending today unpacking, trying to find homes for my treasures and re-inventorying my purchases (also laundry, etc)  I promised pics, so here goes:

I got four suitcases and two train cases, never paying more than $4 ea

 I love this little pewter child's plate that I bought!

 I bought spindles and loads of spools of all sizes and shapes.  I got a great buy on the shoe stretchers for only $4 for the pair.

Three sifters

Some Christmas bulbs

Some spoons, a couple of amber baby bottles and some crocheted doilies

                                        This is a lap quilt that I picked up for a meager $3!

 This quilt was only $20 and I picked up two rotary phones for $6 ea (wait till you see what I am going to do with these!)

Five Graters

I loved these two little wooden cats!

Smoky was curious just to see what I brought home.  You can see the enamelware pans, baby shoes, small cabinet, coffee pots, silver tray, kitchen utensils, etc.

And more pot lids, salt and pepper shakers, wooden sconces and rolling pins.

For eight days, car rental, hotels, gas, food, admission to Graceland, out of pocket, not including purchases was around $1100 each.  I only spent $200-250 on all the things that I bought.  I think that is a pretty reasonable vacation!  If you want to do this next year, here are some things I learned:

It is hot.  And I mean really HOT.  Take water and stop often for cold drinks.  Bring sun block and rain wear.  Shoes need to be comfy and well broken in.  Many of the places were muddy and I heard some people complaining about mud getting in their sandals.  Pack some snacks.  If you don't want to eat from the barbeque vendors that are at most of the locations, you will find restaurants are few and far between, with long lines and crowds. Most locations have porta-johns, that are hot and stinky at best.  Take some butt wipes with you as well as hand sanitizer.  We also found disinfecting cloths useful.

Before I left for the trip, I purchased a pull behind shopping cart.  You know the wire ones that fold flat and can hold a couple of shopping bags.  Well, I used it once and decided it was too much of a hassle.  It was hard to navigate through the booths and the mud.

We did research.  Sue was much better at this than me, printing maps, state info on attractions and lodging, and lots of info on the sale itself.  Sometimes there is not great signage, so all that info helped.  And use your cell phones.  We were able to find lodging at the best prices at nearby locations as well as navigating to restaurants and attractions.  Hotels were relatively inexpensive and with one exception, we were pleased.  Check out Pinterest for tips and suggestions on the best shopping locations and things to bring.

For the most part, vendors were pleasant and expected and rather enjoyed negotiations.  Sometimes I found that I could not negotiate the price that I wanted, but I would explain to the vendor that I am going to repurpose this item and then resell it, so they would either come down to my price point or explain why they couldn't.  Treat the haggling as a game and have fun with it.  It was also fun for us to ask questions.  If we didn't know what something was or how it was used, we asked.  It was very entertaining.

I think part of the reason that we enjoyed ourselves so much is that we didn't set any limits.  We didn't have a particular item we were "needing" or a specific budget to adhere to.  I guess if I had been buying furniture or big ticket items, that might have been different, and I might have felt some frustration if I didn't get what I wanted.

My last and best advice is this:  Do this with someone you care about, someone that you share likes and dislikes with, someone you respect.  My sister and I are different, but have similar values and travel well together.  Make it fun!

Well my friends, off to the grocery store and to finish my laundry.  Have a great week!

Day 7, Our last day

It's kinda sad to see our great adventure come to an end.  On the other hand, I am SO ready to get home and to sleep in my own bed.  I am looking forward to a very warm bubble bath, seeing hubs and the pets, and unloading and relishing each of my treasures.

We started out in Kentucky today at the yard sale that was advertised to have over 400 vendors.  At first, we drove by it, since most of the vendors are indoors.  Many of those vendors have permanent booths at an auction house, but many others were resellers, a few crafters, and a whole lot of crapola.  Now, I don't know if the "good stuff" was all gone or if there was never any to begin with, but we were very disappointed.

So much of the merchandise, including clothes was dirty and just thrown around on the ground.  I did find some wooden spools of all sizes and shapes, a couple of coffee pots, and a few block signs.  Sue also found a wooden step stool and some Christmas stuff.  But we had grand plans that went unfulfilled.

Hot and tired, we started our long trip home.  I am suffering tonight with allergies and swelling.

We ended our night in Blue Springs, Missouri.  We have travelled in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Arkansas, and Missouri.  By the time we get home tomorrow night, we will have driven over 3400 miles.  So stay tuned later this week for pics on our purchases.  But for now, time to get these swollen feet up!

Day 6, Hot and Humid

Today we started out in Crossville, Tn.  There were alot of vendors along the 127 route in this area. We went to a total of four or five sales, including the Cumberland General Store in Clarkrange, Tn.  We had a really hard time finding a room this time and had to travel about 100 miles off of 127 to find an affordable bed.  In fact, I called one place and she said she had a room, "but its gonna be expensive because of the yard salers."  Great.....
Here are a few pics of some of the great things we saw this week.......Lots of windows.

 Pedal cars of all ages, sizes, and makers were throughout.

Tractor seats came with a hefty price tag.....

 As did lanterns......

 And some things were, well, just weird...

 This sign seemed to have "Linda" written all over it.....lol








 And the prize for the nastiest goes to this stand that was selling used undies.......

As for us, we bought some things but since the van is getting fuller, pics of our stuff will have to wait.  I bought another quilt, some spindles, more suitcases, another rack, pot lids, Christmas ornies, doilies, scrabble pieces, sterling salt shakers, and more stuff that I really can't remember.  We are bone tired and heading for an early night.  Tomorrow we are heading off to Laurenceburg, Ky
for a huge sale that supposedly has around 400 vendors.  Then we plan on taking our tired buts home.  Would love a cooler day tomorrow!