Vintage Jewelry Obsession

Vintage jewelry is addicting.  I love this owl pendant;  I embellished it with a bauble and added a jumpring.  All of these pieces are on etsy. 

Actually, I've gotten my vintage jewelry stash quite organized.

I am prepping for 2 shows this spring - the Fleeting Flea in Overland Park, Kansas, and Gypsy Chicks in Parkville, Missouri. 

I plan on taking all sorts of vintage finds, my jewelry in particular. 

Breaking Up My Button Collection

My button collection is breaking up!  And I will start selling it at The Fleeting Flea this weekend.

 It's sorta painful, but just having buttons set in tubs in my little studio - pointless!

So...I have bagged and tagged over 160 packages of buttons.  Some on cards, most not though.  And it's only a drop in the bucket.  There are many more buttons in my studio.  I have sent emails to the Kansas Button Society and Missouri Button Society chapters.  I'm trying to get the word out because there are others who love buttons as much as me.

This week I'll feature pics of other vendors who will be at the Fleeting Flea in Overland Park, Kansas.

Antique Booth at River Market

It was time...

I sort of neglected my space at River Market Antique Mall for a few weeks.  Traveling, prepping a kid for college, etc...just...life!

I added these 2 mid-century end tables.  They are $90 for the pair at River Market.  The fainting couch has never sold and I don't want to bring it home.  It's standing on it's end to make room for other stuff. 

Check out my etsy and ebay sales.  I sold a couple of nice pieces of jewelry on etsy last week.  One item sold within 10 minutes of posting at 10:00 in the evening!

Now, it's weekend time...I skip yard sales most Saturdays.  I would rather hang around home if the family is here.  If everyone's gone, I go junkin'.  But not today.  However yesterday I hit some sales and brought home a full truck.  I got a set of 4 chairs free;  they were on the curb and the owner came out and helped me load them.  Now there's generosity!  The material is not great, so I'll paint the wood and re-cover.  Pictures will follow!  And I'm still working on other projects for Good Company and The Fleeting Flea.

The Fleeting Flea

  

  

Coming this Friday and Saturday in Overland Park, Kansas is the !st annual Fleeting Flea - Antiques and More Vintage Market.  My friends Dale and Steven from Redeux and Angie from Junie C's are putting on this wonderful show at the Round Hill Bath and Tennis Club around 91st & Nall Avenue.  I hope you enjoyed the sneak peeks!

Jennifer Bertrand, the season 3 winner of HGTV's Design Star, will be conducting workshops Friday morning.  This will be a wonderful show.  I'll update with pics this week as we prepare. 

The Plight of the Antique Dealer

With the purchase of this fountain, I had a reality check.  It is way too heavy to haul around.  My smart husband suggests I sell it on craigslist.  I think he's right. 

I didn't pay a lot for it;  my zeal got the best of me! 

I've been absent from blogland, scarcely checking my bloglist, let alone posting.  This is the start of the busy season for me.  Because I live in the Midwest, we have warm weather from only spring through fall.  As a result, garage sales are only spring through fall. 

While some antique dealers around here buy year round from auctions and estate sales, only a few of us will admit the truth:  we buy our inventory from garage sales.

That being said, I've been busy with junking.  And now that I'm in 3 locations for selling my wares, I feel scattered.  Plus, next week is the Fleeting Flea in Overland Park, Kansas.  It's a 2-day show and I will blog about this on Monday.  If you live here, and even if you don't, this will be an awesome event.  My friend Antonia Roper from The Beehive, a soul sister, will be sharing a space with me. 

 In this business, there's got to be a way to "pay" myself on a semi-regular basis.  I haven't figured out how to actually make a living with this.  There's a balance and I have yet to find it.  I would appreciate comments.  I do take my business seriously, as does Uncle Sam.  I become slightly irritated when people say, "well, Diane, it's a nice hobby for you...as long as you break even..."

I don't expect Target or Walmart or the dentist to break even.  Why should I when I spend a lot of time each month buying, fixing, painting, tagging, researching, and hauling?!  Thus the plight of the antique dealer...