~ONLINE SELLING vs. MY LOCAL BOOTH~

 

It's Friday and I"m so glad!  I've had a super busy week setting my Booth for Christmas and also filled in a couple of days at the Shoppe.  Still love the creative side of my world and the entire process of bringing to life the things that live inside my head.  Just never have enough time to make, create or change up all the things I'm passionate about! 

 

Having a Booth is so much different than selling online.  Trust me when I tell you the things that sell on my website don't always move in my Booth.  Maybe it's a regional thing, but I kid you not...it's waaaay different!  Forget trying to sell something pink locally...unless it's some rare and costly pink rose teacup destined for a collector or a custom order, the color does not move.  Period.  Although there are still tons of pink-lovers out there (and boy if you love pink YOU LOVE PINK!), I've moved away from working with it for the most part.  I still do special orders...but generally I stick with neutrals.  And for me, anything more costly...like things fashioned with vintage laces, trims, etc., well, forget it.  Those things are best sold online as you can better target the customer who is actually looking for those things (Pillows, Christmas Stockings, Sachets, etc.)...

The Suitcases you see above are new!  They were both purchased at a local store for only a few dollars and transformed with paint and transfer techniques.  I forgot to take a before picture (ARGH!), but I found them at a local discount store and they were originally black polka dot with a French/Paris design.

 

They were cute enough...but, I wanted to turn them into something vintage looking and useable in the farmhouse style home.  So, after spray painting the inside with metallic gold (easy cover up for all the color going on and I love how the original design comes through) I painted the exteriors with acrylic paint and stamped them with two of my favorite vintage French graphics!  They are great display pieces in my booth and pretty inexpensive to create!

Here's a shot of my Booth taken a few days ago....can't believe it's time to ready the store for the Holidays.  Wow!  This has been a fast-paced year for me.  How about you?

 

Things are always changing and after the first of the year I'm going to add some new elements...not sure yet just what I'm going to do, but something!

Oh...and just in case you think I've totally abandoned all I once did...here are a couple of pictures of two Christmas Stockings I just recently uploaded to my website (both are sold).

 One in whites and creams...

And one in pink.  This one was purchased by new Nana for her sweet baby grand-girl!

Hope you are excited about the holidays like I am...

Blessings...

~BECAUSE I STILL LOVE PINK~

I know many of you (since I get lots of your emails) think I've abandoned my love for pink!  Truthfully...it's not so!  I love it as much as I ever have...  It's just these days I choose to wear it as clothing verses having so much of it all over my home...  I've opted for meaningful complements showcasing this much beloved color and have found I enjoy PINK (in all her glory) when she's not so overdone.  Still love fluffy pink pillows in natural fabrics...pale cottons, damasks and pastel linen if I can find it.  I love it best when paired with soft whites, creams, vintage laces, and lately...tattered roses!  Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

 

Now that my Booth at Serendipity is fully stocked and holding her own (such WORK I say!) I've turned my attention back to restocking my website shelves.  Poor little thing.  She's looked  so sad since December when I was healing up from hand surgery...  It's been fun to refocus on my first love and so today I'm showing you what's new...  And it's PINK!

 

 Sweet little pink Damask Pillows and French Lavender Sachets showcasing hand fashioned roses, old linen, laces and vintage buttons.

All the pillows (except for one I think) are sold...  You can view them HERE if you'd like to read more about them!  Still, this will at least give you an idea of what I've been up to for the last couple of days.  That is, aside from working in our garden (love it), painting furniture white (love that, too!) and planning for, um (do I say it???)...  Hmmm....I'll just say 'later in the year!' :)

When one is self-employed they have to think ahead...waaaayyyyyyyyyyy ahead!  Otherwise when the year-end excitement hits one has no life! :)

I'll be in and out the rest of the week as my Miss K is with me tomorrow and that means Nana and her favorite girl time.

(Nothing I love bettah!)

Hope your day is blessed.

Love to you...

~FRIENDS IN FAR AWAY PLACES~

 ~A LAND VERY FAR FROM AMERICA~

Today I am very pleased and excited to share with you some pictures I just received from one of my online friends.  Miss M (as I will call her for privacy reasons) lives approximately 9,700 from me here in America and I find it nothing but miraculous our paths have crossed all because of the internet (I'd like to think God had a hand in it, too!).

Actually...I have to thank eBay for her.  Somehow in the maze of many talented women selling their wares Miss M somehow found me.  She has become as sweet friend over the years and also a valued customer.  I'm so grateful for her and the support she's shown me both personally and in my work.  I just adore her!

 ~BEAUTIFUL MISS M~

(Lovin' her 'Barefoot Roses' Outfit)

The vintage Train Case (Gathering Case) I showed you a couple of days ago was custom ordered by Miss M and it now lives in a home almost ten thousand miles from me.  I just love that even though many miles separate us and our culture is very different, I find it nothing but thrilling to see how much we are alike!  She loves shabby cottage chic decor and all things romantic just like me!!!  All the pictures you see today were taken by Miss M and sent to me in an email!  Isn't her display lovely?

~FILLED and OVERFLOWING~

I guess we aren't so different after all! 

Are we?

 ~PRETTY JARS and SACHETS~

(Some Greeting Cards, too!)

Miss M told me that when her child gets older she hopes to fill up her case with little cards and mementos gifted to her over the years.  How precious is that?

 ~CREAMY WHITE CASE w/Pink Roses~

I'm back working on my studio today getting ready for the "Where Bloggers Create" Party III!  It's all done I just need to spiffy it up a little bit.  Don't want you all to think I'm a big ol' pink pig or anything... (OINK!)

~~*~~

Thank you Miss M for your belief in me and my work!  It means more to me than I can say!  I value you and your friendship so very much!

~~*~~

Blessings to each of you today!  Thanks for stopping by again...  Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Love to you...

~~~~~~ROMANTIC VINTAGE ROSE EGGS~~~~~~ SO EGGSTRAORDINARY

~PRETTY PASTELLE EGGS~

Let me tell you...I LOVE EGGS!  Oh...not the real ones, mind you (although I do think they are OK, too)...  I'm talking about the sweet, colorful and simply yummy Easter Eggs we all seem to find while out and about during early Springtime shopping!

 ~SOFT PINK - PALE MINT~
~FROTHY CREAM - ALICE BLUE~

Doesn't matter if they are made of milk chocolate and covered with snow white frosting or made of marshmallow crème.  I love them all just the same (unless the EGGS come from SEE'S CANDY...and then I'm a total gonner!).  I'm having to be a REALLY GOOD GIRL and extra careful to not indulge too terribly much in my favorite TREATS because I'm still on Weight Watchers (and lovin' it by the way...I'm down 25 pounds!!!).

~COVERED IN VELVETS~

So...the best kind of Easter treats for me (and I'm thinking for all of you other weight-conscience gals out there) are the non-edible kind!  I'm over-the-moon happy with the way the embellishment of these charming Pastelle Eggs came out and I'm hoping you will love them, too! 

~VINTAGE and PARCHMENT MILLINERY FLEURS~

I only have a few of these but the ones not already spoken for have been uploaded to my A Gathering Place Website today (under Easter Favorites).  I hope you'll stop for a closer peek... Maybe you'll even be inspired to make some of your own!

Hope you are having a fabulously creative day!

Love to you~

~SWEET EASTER PILLOWS and Other Cottage Finds~

 ~CROSS STITCHED BUNNY PILLOW~

Did you know that Easter Sunday can fall on 35 possible dates between March 22nd and April 25th?  It last fell on March 22nd in the year 1818, and will not do so again until 2285. It landed on March 23 in 2008 (way too early for me!), but will not do so again until 2160. Easter last fell on the latest possible date on April 25th in 1943.  But, this year it will fall just one day before that, April 24th, 2011.

 ~SWEET IMAGE PILLOWS, too!~

When Easter Sunday comes too early in the year the ground in Oklahoma is still mostly brown from our frosty winter weather.  Green grass is a must for this Cali native and so I'm extra excited that it falls late in April this year.  Who can have an Easter Egg Hunt when the earth feels like dry, cracked hay under your feet?

~PRETTY WEBSITE OFFERINGS~

I started early with my Easter Website Offerings this year and I've loved having more time to design and plan new things!  The Pillows you see above will be available later today with more planned for early next week!  The Altered Art Easter Cards, Hang Tags and sweet Tea Bags are already available with new styles coming up in time for Easter gift giving!

 ~MY FAVORITE CARD EVER!~

~MATCHING HAG TAGS, Too!~

 ~GOTTA LOVE THOSE BUNNIES!~

I hope you'll find time to enter my Giveaway that is currently running for some of my Easter Pretties.  You can find more information HERE or you can find a link at the top of this page on the left!

~EASTER GIVEAWAY~
Enter Today!

I hope you are having a great day!  I'm over the moon excited about our French Door being installed in our breakfast room this weekend.  We are praying it doesn't rain so everything will run smooth!  Thanks for all your sweet comments yesterday!  Choosing to remove the window seat was tough...but we are loving the extra space!

Love to you...