ONE DOWN...ONE TO GO

Worked real hard, set up a beautiful booth for my first "vintage" market.

 

Although, my first was a small "market" I did extremely well and my inventory is now very low so I have a lot of work to do in the next month.  In just about a month I will travel for a two day "market" that I am quite excited about.

 

Now that I have my feet wet I am feeling centered and focused, so am super excited to work on all my new auction finds and get ready for my next experience.

TIME CRUNCH......

Since market season is upon us and my first show is in a few weeks I have been feeling like I'm in a time crunch, so it only seemed fitting that I would find the "time" to add another piece.....

I used the bottom of the old spool I had purchased, added a clock face, concho and clock parts and now I want to keep it (ugh !!!!!).....

GETTING READY FOR MARKET SEASON ........

Having committed myself to a few vintage market sales this year I have been working hard to not only gather but ready inventory for my booth.  This little table is one of a few I was fortunate enough to pick up at an auction last week and you know me, they were super cheap.

This is what it looked like when I brought it home......

And this is how it looks now.......

 

I even added a little surprise on the inside and painted it red.  This one will have a sister when I finish it.  The two did not start out as a set, but with any luck they will end up in the same forever home.

AND THE NEW SEASON BEGINS !!!!

Have been working very hard the past few months to get inventory together for the Belt Mercantile and Art Gallery. 

I did a lot of sewing and painting

 

Anne worked hard rounding up some really talented artists and craftsmen and then we cleaned, moved a lot of heavy furniture organized and opened this little store I am just so dang proud of.

 

 

A "fine" art gallery was added.

 

 

The "mercantile" has been moved and this little store has something for everyone from a greeting card to large bronzes, decorative pillows to the perfect piece of jewelry.

 

I am so looking forward to this season and the success I'm certain Anne will see with her vision.

 

HOW TO SAY GOOD-BYE !!!!

It has been sometime since I have posted anything, but life gets busy and things get thrown to the back burner.  We had the hubby's big art auction and once again he made me so proud.  His work continues to get better and with that comes more recognition.  It's a crazy busy time and this year we did all our celebrating with mixed emotions.

We were blessed many years ago with our little "buddy", who decided he wanted to live with us.  He picked us !!!!

 

He has never been everybody's "cup of tea", but he has been our cup of "cup of tea".  He has never discriminated, he knew who he would get close to you and to everyone else he would instantly let them know how he would feel. 

 

Now as he is nearing the end of his life, it has been heartbreaking for us to watch the changes.  His once fat little body is now a skeleton, his once loud voice is now muted, his active self is now spent sleeping all day on his pillow, his food dish goes untouched and my heart breaks.

 

Hubby knows that this little guy has always been so  much more than just "another" dog to me and although he may never verbalize it I know he feels the same.  Hubby now spends his night sitting up with this guy, carrying him outside to do his business and cleaning up after him.  When I see this side of my hubby, it becomes clear to me that there are some things most people will never see or know about him, but I know and our little guy knows.  I do believe that this side also comes out in his artwork, the hours spent on all the little details that perhaps no one will ever notice, but he will.

 

This is not my first experience in this situation and I do wish it would be my last and I do know that in a short while our household will be changing forever.

I REMEMBERED A BEFORE PICTURE !!!!!!

I have been so guilty of not remembering to take before pictures so I am proud of myself with not only the outcome of this little table but that I will be able to remember the before.

Whenever I bring home a piece of junk or furniture I generally don't have an immediate plan for it, but have to live with it for awhile until it tells me what it wants to be or in this case how it wants to be dressed.  This was an easy project as it is a very sturdy piece that only required a little bit of cleaning before it got it's makeover.

 

After putting this piece on my new sawhorses, I set about with some of my homemade chalk paint and wax, then added a few embellishments.

Now I have a piece I will be proud to show off.

DON'T LOOK A GIFT HORSE..............

Or in my case a sawhorse.  The Montana Sawhorse Man aka Art has taken pity upon me and my bending back and has gifted me the perfect pair of sawhorses.

At first glance I was certain they were just too short for anything I would need, but the sawhorse guy knew better as they are perfect for most projects I will be using them for.  Thank you Art, I love my very own sawhorses.......

I SCORED !!!!!

Because of "El Nino" and our above average temperatures auction season has now begun.  Although not everyone is happy with our now below average moisture I cannot say enough how much I am enjoying the lack of snow this month and our well above average temperatures.  All that aside I did have to attend the first auction of the season and it appeared so did everyone else in town.  With all that said I spent hours feeling frustrated at the prices everyone was paying at the auction, but I waited them out (not everyone is capable of sitting 6-8 hours) therefore I was able to make a big score.

Yes, a dozen pairs of cowboy boots, no they are not my size nor do I have any intention of wearing any of them but they were begging to come home with me.  Now I must find many projects to put them all to good use.  So just stay tuned and as soon as I un-numb my back side from yesterday and get my creative juices flowing I'll share some projects.

A DOLLAR AND SOME TIME.................

The only thing better than getting junk for free are those items you can get for a dollar or less.  Sometime last year I picked up a dirty old cable spool, I don't remember where but when I dug it out it still had a price of $1.00 on it.  I do remember the hubby telling me I didn't want this one as the center part was only cardboard, but I knew I would be taking it apart so I didn't care what was holding it together.

Well after dismantling and cleaning I used the inspiration from my Christmas present to turn that cruddy old spool (I didn't want) into this beautiful clock.

 

Using a few more dollars, I hit the dollar store and came up some jars and candle sticks.  Using my "special" glue (thanks Pam) I combined the two, fired up my cricut and added some etching cream and now I have these gorgeous one of a kind jars for candy or whatever treasures one might want to use them for.

 

 

 

But, I must do better at taking before pictures !!!!!

 

 

THEN CAME A ROOSTER !!!!!!

Added some bling and thought I was finished with pillows, but I spied a rooster and just had to make one more.

This one is a little out my wheelhouse, but I just absolutely love it.

 

My "cowgirl" pillows are now complete, and I can only hope that they will all find new homes this summer !!!!!

IT'S A COWGIRL THING..............

As I mentioned I'm not done with pillows yet.  With my newly acquired fabric and a search through my many stashes of treasures I have now completed the first of my series of pillows for the cowgirl at heart.

I just love creating something new with treasures I've been hoarding for years.  The centerpiece in this pillow is a concho and the back of the pillow is solid black. 

PLAID OVERLOAD !!!!!

I have vowed to rid my "special" room of fabric scraps and I am proud to say I have almost succeeded.  I did throw out a lot of scraps but had to keep those special flannel shirt scraps and have worked hard to put them to good use.

Almost two dozen pillows and a few shirts later, I am happy to say I am now done with plaid.  I have however purchased some new fabric for some other pillows I plan to make and am now anxious to get started on those, so not done with pillows yet.

January is always a busy month for me, auction submissions, magazine and newspaper articles, display pieces and everything that comes with the upcoming art show season and this year I have upped the ante and added several applications for vintage markets.

I have always heard you need to create a life you don't need a vacation from and I have found that life.  I now not only get to spend my time creating anything I feel like doing, but am also spending so much time with people who also create their dreams.

My kids get me and to prove it I was blessed with some Christmas presents to allow me to shop my favorite store this month and like anything in Montana I have to travel to get there (but at least this trip isn't four hours) but it is always worth the trip.  I needed to acquire something just for me as my Christmas present.

Not only was this an excellent gift, but also an inspiration for my next project.  Stay tuned as only "time" will tell what it'll be.

GOODBYE 2015 ...... HELLO 2016

Saying goodbye to 2015 meant cleaning out our local mercantile and gallery, so I have now brought all unsold merchandise home....

       

 

and planning for this I had already cleaned a closet out to store all this inventory, however, there are a few things that came home today that will live in my house and will no longer be offered for sale.

 

Saying hello to 2016 has brought a new challenge for me.  Our gallery owner wants to expand her store and has asked me to fill an additional room for next season.  The thought of producing that much more inventory is exciting, yet scary, but I have accepted the challenge and now have plans for most of my winter.

NEW PROJECTS....

I have vowed to let go of my stash of fabric scraps, have even filled four garbage bags with them.  No they have not quite made it to the garbage can for pick up, but they are in the garage except, of course there has to be an exception, for some flannel shirt scraps I have been saving for several years.

 

This is left overs from making shirts the last four years or so and I just could not bring myself to throw them out, but I had an idea.  They would make some nice pillows with appliques and piping.  I, however, have never worked with let alone made my own piping and know if I plan to sell an item I must keep my costs down so they can sell at affordable prices, therefore, I needed to make my own piping.  I found some cord in my many stashes and devised a plan and went to work.  When I was finished I was very proud of the outcome, but needed more cord.  Home Depot here I come, thinking I could find something that would work much cheaper than I would be able to find at the fabric store.  After searching their inventory I came up with some nylon rope.

 

And after combining my new purchase with my coveted fabric scraps my first set of pillows are now complete.

 

I am just in love with this set and hope I feel that way as I continue on my journey to rid my sewing room of fabric scraps.

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!!!!

I should start by saying my camera has finally died on me, but we have had a long and successful relationship so there are no new pictures for this post.  Hard for me to believe it is almost time for Santa Claus again, but the snow is on the ground and although it has been cold we have certainly had colder winters.  It is this time of year that I start thinking of warmer weather and places.  Friends from South Carolina called to let us know that they are predicting Christmas day temperatures of 80 degrees, and we are not even going to make it to the freezing mark, but I plan on celebrating with a few close friends and a good meal tucked in my warm home.

Holiday parties and get-togethers have been celebrated, Christmas packages have been mailed and have hopefully made it to their destinations, my few decorations are now up and I have managed to de-clutter several closets and donate to my favorite causes.  I didn't however get my Christmas cards out, so to those that are used to seeing a card from me I apologize.  I'm thinking I should start a new tradition of Thanksgiving or New Years cards instead.  I'll need to give this more thought.

My year with our little mercantile and gallery is quickly coming to a close, it's hard to believe it opened 8 months ago for the season.  Anne will close on the 24th for the winter and re-open again in the spring.  I believe I am her only vendor that has sold every single month she has been open this season and her holiday open house was a tremendous success.  Lots of people came through and they were shopping.

I have had several items that sold within just a day or two of my delivering them.  Someone paying for something I made, whether it is a piece of furniture, jewelry or something I sewed is the greatest compliment I can receive, but when they come back in and ask for more it puts me over the top, unfortunately since most of my items are one of a kind there have only been a few times I was able to re-produce, but have tried to accommodate those requests when I was able to.

So as this year comes to a close I need to work on my new years resolutions and give thought to what I want to accomplish in 2016.

And with that I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK ALOT LIKE CHRISTMAS.....

Well not at my house, my house is just a mess from leaving the hubby and dog alone for three weeks (have to wonder how the vacuum, dishwasher and washing machine all seemed to quit working while I was away !!!!!) and rushing to get our little mercantile ready for all the holiday shoppers.

Taking advantage of those free bedsprings I was blessed with this summer I made Christmas decorations.

There are some pretty trees

 

and I do hope these are the only snowmen I'll be able to build this year (wishful thinking)

 

 

Maryanne is now ready for all the holiday baking and will be on loan to the mercantile through the month.  Couldn't decide which jewelry she should be wearing, so made a few sets.

 

Spending the last few weeks making the Christmas merchandise I have delivered all of it to Anne so  I can now focus on getting my Christmas boxes out to be delivered before Santa comes.

IT'S AUCTION TIME !!!!!!!!

The biggest event we submit the hubby's art to each year is the annual C.M. Russell art auction and it is with great pride that I can now share this year's acceptance.

 

This year's piece is a 100% wood hand-carved 1890's cattle car, appropriately titled

 

"BOVINE LIMO"

WHEN YOU GET AN IDEA.......

I had been giving a lot of thought to tablewear recently.  I love setting a beautiful table and even a themed table.  Of course, these days I make most of my napkins, placemats, table runners, centerpieces, etc.  The one item for my dinner parties I have issues with are napkin rings, so I have spent a lot of time thinking about what I can do to make my own unique ones, then I came up with an idea. 

I wasn't sure my idea would work, but I set things in "plaster"

needed to get a little creative, but prayed my vision would work out

Now I can't wait to do more.....

IT'S BEEN AWHILE ..................

I've been very lax with posting any of my new works this past month, not because I haven't been working, but because I've been computer lazy and since I plan on being away for awhile I had better catch up on some of my new pieces.  Apparently I have not only been computer lazy, but camera lazy as well as I never took any before pictures and had to run down to the gallery to take pictures this afternoon for this post.  Thinking my New Year's resolution had better be to do better in this department.

I have done a number of new canvases...these are just a sampling....

A few new furniture pieces have also found their way to the gallery....

along with some new organizers...

 

I have also contributed a lot of "fall" home décor and new jewelry pieces, but didn't get those pictures before they found new homes.

MORE COWGIRL DECOR

I love expressing myself in my furniture re-do's but I am finding pleasing myself during a furniture make-over makes if quite difficult to give up the piece, however, I do enjoy the checks at the end of the months, so I try to enjoy each piece for several days before they head out to find new homes and this piece is no exception.