Jennifer's Junky Life ~

~Whimsical Junk~ :: Hopping all over the board

Behind the scenes: It's coming soon! I promise. I'm thinking about working on a few things that need to get done before I start up my Etsy shop. But it's coming! {If you've been following my blog for any bit of time, you know I'm a procrastinator, so every day manages to cruise by before I've gone to town (with 3 kids in tow, which might have something to do with it, to) open up a 'business' checking account. {For anyone whom hasn't opened an Etsy shop, you need a credit card to do so, and seeing as how we're striving to pay ours off, I'm hoping a debit/credit card would work, hence the business account. {Naturally, I want to keep this business all clean, and neat, and separate from everything else.} 

Fear, it drives me. I think: I'm also not sure why...but I'm dragging my feet from doing the next step. Which is...? I don't know yet! Besides Etsy, I've had a very thoughtful offer (that means so much to me!) to join another sale next month, a one-time deal. But, I'm scared to death. I think because a) this last one wore me out because I wasn't 'prepared', as in, I didn't start doing stuff until 3 weeks before, and I hadn't done anything up until that point. b) I'm just plain nervous, and don't even know why!! I love this. The Craft Fair was awesome. So, I don't know what I'm scared of, and c) Yay!!! My sister, Heidi, and her husband, Jeff, are coming from Michigan, around the time of the sale. I need a kick in the butt, is what I need. But, I'm thinking about it!

Know what I love?: I love mixed media art! LOVE it. I only discovered it within the past year through this blog world. And, I'm wondering where it's been my whole life! I've done a little in some of the work I've done recently, but nothing real intricate. I don't know how to make it all complicated, sophisticated, and crazy-like, yet. But that's what 'playing around' is all about. And why I need to go garage sailing! I have tons of vintage lace and buttons, but I don't have much of anything else.

Did you know?: It is one of my largest goals to appeal to the 'younger' crowd? And, by 'younger', I mean children, teenagers, and young adults. And, do you know what? I did! At the Craft Fair, there were a lot of  'younger' ones that bought my junk. That made me smile. I think it appeals to me so much, to be noticed by the 'younger' crowd because I have so many younger siblings; siblings still in elementary and middle school. I'm inspired by the younger generation. And, I want my siblings, their friends, and all younger kids to appreciate junk and vintage treasures. I want them to see that there is so much cool stuff out there! I don't wish to be 'closed in a box', therefore, I hope to eventually keep up with a wide array of junk that appeals to the masses. But I will definitely be focusing a lot on the younger crew.

I've been trying to get a picture of everything I make, but forgot a couple of things that already sold. Someday, when I get a moment (will I ever?), I'll add them to my Flickr. {A couple of things about my Flickr: I never go on it. Never use it. Never add to it. Don't know much about it. Am totally confused every time I visit, and haven't had the time to really check it out. But I love it. - I never said I ever made any sense. ;) One of these days I'll figure it out and add to it! I will, and I'll add it to my sidebar. When I figure out how to do that.}

Coming to you LIVE from Junk Town! Have a great weekend!

I know there is no chance in May...

that I will ever win this quilt from Old Red Barn Co. with the amount of participants in the drawing...

But that isn't stopping me from trying!

Go!

Run!

Now!

And sign up for yourself! It's gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! And, the best part...? The top is made from Sandi Henderson's beautiful Ginger Blossom fabric! I love her colorful designs, and this quilt really makes them POP! The bottom is made from a colorful vintage sheet.

What are you waiting for? Someone has to win it!

{Photo from Old Red Barn Co.} Drawing closes midnight, July 22.

I think she needs a chicken!

Don't you? ;)

My niece, Lori, with one of our Bantam roosters, 'Goldie'. She's fearless. This little peanut is way too fun to take pictures of! I can't help it, I'm always partial to two-year-olds! I got a ton of great shots of her today.

Below: Lori and 'Louie'. {He puts his shorts on by himself. ;) They're usually backwards. Have no fear, later in the day they were.}

Below: ;) Aapo's legs (lookin' like a chicken farmer isn't he?), Lori, and, my nephew, Paul.

Sorry family, only Paul and Lori were visiting today! :)    

I'm officially 'in business'!

{Do some of the letters on the chalkboard look partially erased to you? On my screen they look that way in the post, but if I click on them to enlarge them, they look fine. Just curious. It's been like that with all of my pictures since I got the 'new' Typepad.}

I started ~Whimsical Junk~ today by participating in the local Craft Fair. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, filled with huge gusts of damaging wind. Things were flying everywhere and booths were coming undone constantly, but it was a fun day! And, I'll take the exuberant wind over heat and humidity any day! - even if I happened to wear a skirt. Yikes! I hadn't realized that when the forecast said 'windy', they meant windy! Note to self: When they say 'wind' don't wear skirt.

Below: My 'Tattered Wreath'. I don't think a single person commented on it, but for a cute little girl. She walked up to it in awe and said, "That's awesome!" It made my day. Maybe it's too 'different' for most people, but I love it. I know it's kind of funky and crazy with scraps of ribbon, pom-poms, and lace, and aqua yarn, but I can't wait to hang it in my house.

Thanks so much to Nichole and Tracy for convincing me to do this!! I'm so glad you talked me into it. Jumping right in was the best way to go. No time to think. I did have butterflies for about a week thinking about this show, but it was all worth it! {Nichole graciously parked her vehicle behind my booth for a bit of a wind blocker.} Below: My booth. The section in the back, left corner, that you see is part of their booth.

My sister, Sara, came to assist me and sold about 16 loaves of homemade Nisu (cardamom bread). {Although, she doesn't have internet access right now - Thank you!! I couldn't have done it without you!} The morning was busy, but it was a 'quieter' day overall. I could tell there weren't as many people in town this year as last year for our summer festival. Possibly due to the windy weather and the lack of carnival. {The dates were mixed up.} I was happy with how the day went, though. I went home will less stuff than I brought, and that's what counts!

I didn't get any real good close-ups of my stuff. The sun was so bright in the morning, and I forgot to take more later in the day, when we had some shade. The window -below- fell over in the wind and shattered. I'll turn the frame into something else, maybe a chalkboard or a mirror... I've been wanting a mirror like that for our house.

When I arrived to set up, I quickly realized how little stuff I had compared to the gals around me! I was worried about that before going, but I know it was my first show, and I'm only beginning. I'm living and learning. And, I only decided to do this about two or three weeks ago. Next time, I'll be more prepared!

It was great to meet a few more ladies from our area who share the same interest in junk and vintage! And I enjoyed seeing their many talents. I regret not taking pictures of the other booths! I meant to, but forgot as the day went on.

Right now, I'm exhausted. I didn't get to sleep 'til about 3 last night, and we had to be up by 6 this morning! I've been up from anywhere between 2:30 and 3:30 every day this week, working on projects. As you can imagine, I'm ready for some sleep!! On the agenda next week: Rest, and housecleaning. My poor house has been sorely neglected in this process! But after that, I've got to get working on more projects. It's been so much fun to finally be doing the things I love.

The beginning of a dream (I hope)!

I am so excited to be starting this business (sooner than later)!

Thanks for all of the well wishes for Mark! He saw them all. He's been doing good, other than those two weekends. Although, when he found out, he said, "Now I know why I've been so tired." Here's hoping the meds take care of it all!

I finished my 'Tattered Wreath'! I'll show you a picture soon. For now, here's a picture of a vintage window I decorated. It's the first in a series called 'Faded Windows'. At first, these will not be available on-line (Etsy). I plan to have them at my sales though. Someday, when I figure out all the details on mailing larger items, and especially things like windows, I'll probably have them available on Etsy.

I cut up an old tattered and stained tablecloth. I'm quickly realizing I need more of those! I'll be on the hunt.

I also gathered a few supplies...

to make a little sign.

Here is a 'before' picture of a 'house' I redid. I'd already begun to spray primer on it when I remembered to take the picture, but I remembered! I always forget to take those shots.

I am inspired by so many people out there in blogland, but I'd like to give Jane (of Posy) full credit for the inspiration behind this project that I made with a little girl in mind. (Although, I think it'd work great for anyone else, too.) Because, although it is a different thing altogether, when I saw this house at a junk store, I immediately thought of her gorgeous printer's tray filled with treasures. {Anyone that follows Jane's pretty blog, knows how much she loves candy color pillow cases, and I used a couple of those in this project, as well.} I'm hoping someone else will enjoy filling it with pretty little trinkets.

Have a great weekend!

A Tattered Wreath and Lyme Disease

Today, I'm working on a 'Tattered Wreath'. No idea what that is yet, but it starts with some of this...

I'm flying by the seat of my pants, we'll see what it turns into.

So, remember when I told you my husband had a headache and fever? Well, he was sick again two weeks after that. {Not this past weekend, but the one before.} And, now we know why.

He has Lyme Disease. And, it's advanced enough that it showed up in his blood work.

He's only been super-extremely sick for two different weekends. We knew something was up because he almost never gets sick. He's been on antibiotics for the past week, and we're hoping and praying it does the trick. Needless to say, I was almost relieved ('almost' being the key word here) when they said it was Lyme Disease, because for the past week and a half, we've been waiting for the results... The doctor also tested him for Leukemia and Autoimmune Disease. {Both have similar symptoms to Lyme Disease.} So, it's been a bit stressful around here, to say the least. But we tried not to think about it...too much. Which was pretty much all the time, as you can imagine. The thing is, Lyme Disease can be so scary. And, to think it comes from this tiny little bug.

Onward and upward! Right? At least, now we know what we're working with.