My New Digs

Welcome to my new digs - Nellie & Nico's.  It's in a suburb of Kansas City - Shawnee, Kansas. 

It's set up like a traditional antique mall/flea market.  Opening day should be this Tuesday, February 1st. 

All spaces are only 4' x 8'.  There is a large furniture section for consignment.  My girlfriend, Cristie of cristieslittlebirdies.blogspot.com is across the aisle from me.  I'll post pics of her space next time. 

I lined the walls with a brown burlap and burlap coffee bags to cover the brown pegboard. 

I'm so excited to have a 2nd venue for selling my wares.  Let's see how it goes!

Unfinished Business

Unfinished business sits in a basket that hangs around the house.  Sometimes this basket is moved to another location in the home.  Often, it makes a really handy footstool.

Opening the lid, I find a handful of projects in progress, from years ago.  It's not that I don't enjoy the cross-stitching or hand-appliquing on the 12th in a series of 12 quilt blocks.  (Yes, I'm done with the other 11 blocks!  So close, and yet so far.)

I think I'll work a little each day on these projects until they are done.  After all, the joy is in the journey, not just the finished project.

Home

Old homes,

new homes,

tiny cottages,

magnificent palaces,

little huts,

big tents,

a sleeping bag on a wanderer's back,

or a trailer -

whatever the home of the believer,

the astonishing and breathtaking promise

is that

God will live with us.

...Edith Schaeffer

From the Stash

A few years ago, I bought this lamp at a yard sale for $3.  The color suited a girl's room.  It had been spray-painted, hiding the gold paint beneath.  I'd had it for sale in my booths for awhile, then brought it home.

Last week, I decided to use it, giving it a new look with gold spray paint, the kind that looks "textured", however there is no texture to the paint.  I love the outcome!  I plopped on a shade that I had in my stash. (Who else besides a junker/dealer would have a stash of lamp shades, or spare lamps, for that matter?)

Here's the end result.  Whad'ya think?

Giveaway!!!

When I get 25 followers, I am giving away this Linen Lavender Sachet.  I stamp the little sachet, fill with 100% lavender buds, and stitch closed. 

I have sold these locally, and on etsy - anniemason.etsy.com

I will draw a name randomly and gladly ship it to the winner.

Birdies in my window

Birdies in my window remind me of impending Spring. 

Seems as though winter can drag on after New Year's day;  reminders of birds and flowers help to endure the cold and snow. 

The last photo has the lil' container with a parrot - a gift from my soul sister, Cristie, at cristieslittlebirdies.blogspot.com, her new blog. 

Actually, I purchased the rest of the bird figurines for re-sale.  However, like anything else I purchase, I have to decide if my pleasure from keeping them will outweigh the loss of the sale.  In this case, you see who won - the birdies in the window.

Living in the moment

Looking at my dogs, I'm reminded of what Cesar the Dog Whisperer said on his show. 

"Dogs live in the present."

They are just a small part of creation, and they don't worry about the future. 

I would like to live in the present, forgetting the past, and not worry about the future. 

How much happier would we all be if we learned to be grateful and live in the moment? 

That's not to say we shouldn't give the future some thought and planning and goal-setting.  If we follow what God says, we will write down our goals.  (Habakkuk chapter 2).

So as I am snowed in with my dogs, cozy on their beds, I will put pen to paper and write out goals for 2011. 

I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me.

January at Liberty Belle

January blahs, go away!  Liberty Belle is open this weekend! 

What a wonderful shop with unique finds and home decor that is right in the downtown of Kansas City's west bottoms.  The west bottoms of KC is home to the stockyards and Kemper Arena, which hosts the American Royal Rodeo in the fall for several weeks.  The barbeque contest is one of the largest in the nation.  For years, the only other events in the bottoms were the haunted houses. 

Thankfully, a few people with ambition and vision have given the area a shot-in-the-arm with venues like Liberty Belle.  New business are popping up all the time and loft-living is also popular here.  Join in the fun!

Where This Woman Creates

 You are looking at pictures of 

 ...Where this woman creates...

As much as I adore the magazine by the same name, my humble abode is a far cry from the studios of others.  Situated in the corner of our basement, I am in heaven as I surround myself with my treasures and enjoy solitude.

Occasionally, it gets a good cleaning and looks tidy, only to have me bring home a trunk full of yard sale goodies. 

There is no fancy ceiling or wood floor - it's concrete and bare rafters, oh, and I have to have a space cleared to access the electrical box in case we ever blow a fuse!

This is where this woman creates, and loves every minute of it!

My first project of 2011

This hideous record player stand is my first project piece of the year. 

Using a brownish-black paint, Valspar Fired Earth, I painted this piece after taking it all apart, then used a gloss polyurethane on it.  I think it would be a great TV stand.

This piece will be in my booth at Liberty Belle next weekend.  I'll share some other photos this week.