A New Project

Here is a cabinet that I recently bought at an auction for $10! It looks pretty rough... the paint is about as "chippy" as can get. If you just brush against it, the paint falls right off so I need to do something to it soon. There is no back on the cabinet, but other than that it is structurally in good shape...very sturdy. A good buy, I think. Now, what color to paint it?

Not ready for Fall

Here's a picture of what my shop looks like right now. Boxes everywhere! Not exactly the image I'm going for. With only five days before I leave for vacation, I already have too much to do, and now I've got boxes arriving faster than I can open them. And with no storage space, this really creates a problem! Since all of the stuff arriving is for Fall, I don't even want to put it out. I know that all the big box stores already have their Fall and Halloween decor out, but I just don't think anybody wants to look at it when it's 90 degrees outside. I sure don't! Guess I will haul it home to the garage.

Young, talented, & very special...

........................................................those are just a few words that describe Amy Keith. I've been acquainted with Amy since she was a pre-teen and I don't think I have ever seen her when she wasn't smiling and in great spirits. She is now a young wife, career-woman, and artist, and I am just amazed at how wonderful a person she is. It is thanks to her that I have recently discovered the blog world and have made new friends, received valuable business advice, and been inspired by all the talented people that are out there. Here are a couple examples of Amy's beautiful artwork, and a link to her etsy shop and blog: http://www.aekeith.etsy.com/ http://www.amykeith.blogspot.com/

Counting Down the Days!

Well, my head is really in the clouds these days. My vacation is coming up soon (July 21) and it's all I can think about! My small family (husband & kids) has been taking essentially the same vacation for the last 12 years or so... to one of the NC beaches in Brunswick County (Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Long Beach, etc.). But four years ago my extended family (parents, sisters, nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) started going as well. It is the best time! I Love It! For me, one of the greatest things is that I get to spend an entire week with my family from northern Indiana. This will be our 5th annual "Hoosier Daddy" reunion. Prior to starting this annual get-together I would sometimes go three or four years without seeing everybody.... which there is really no excuse for.... but since we have been vacationing together I have really gotten to know them all so much better and I love spending time with them. For me, there is nothing like family. I can really let my hair down, relax, and just be myself because I know they have to love me in spite of all my faults! So, from July 21 to July 28 I'll be living it up, lying around all day on the beach or by the pool, then spending the evenings in one of those rocking chairs on the back deck listening to the waves, some good "oldies" music, and great conversation with some of the greatest people I know! What could be better?! I can already picture myself in one of those lounge chairs! 24 days and counting!

Enjoy the Blooms

This is the time of year when outdoor decorating is so much fun. Everything is so colorful.

Happy Memorial Day

I love this holiday because it's the "kickoff to Summer"! This is probably the first Memorial Day weekend in years that I did not celebrate at the beach. I guess that's just part of working in retail, as I told my husband as he left for the beach Friday morning without me! Oh well, it's my dream, not his. I guess "being supportive" only covers so much. Not that I'm complaining... I'm certainly willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make this business work.

The Power of Blogs

Wow! I had a very pleasant experience earlier today. I got to meet someone from the "blog world" in person! Carol (http://ourreddoor.blogspot.com) and her husband were traveling from Georgia to NC for the weekend, and having seen my blog just last week, recognized the store when they were driving by. Fortunately they were not on a tight schedule and were able to stop and visit for a little while. It really blew me away when she told me that she had seen my blog, especially since she lives in Georgia. I would expect that local people might see it and stop by, but she lives seven hours away! So that really goes to show how powerful and far-reaching this thing is. It turns out that two of Carol's three children graduated from the same college as me...Georgia Southern University...and Carol currently has a retail space in Georgia, and used to operate her own storefront. What a small world, and how wonderful to be able to connect to it this way! Thank goodness for technology! I should have taken Carol's picture to post, but I wasn't thinking of it at the time. So instead, here are pictures of my favorite "arrivals" this week.