Rain, Rain, Go Away

Yesterday marked the final Elkhorn flea market of the season. I have been pretty excited about it all week...until I saw the weather forecast. 50% chance of rain all day. No!!!!! Flea market season is quickly coming to an end and I need lots of vintage pieces to go me through the winter (especially with our first baby arriving in late November...I know it will be a lot more difficult for me to run around hunting for vintage goodies). When it is a rainy day, a lot of vendors don't show up, a lot of vendors that do show up have all their items covered with tarps, and the vendors inside the buildings are so crowded that it can be difficult to get a peek at what they have to offer.

Despite all this, I knew I really needed to go, so my hubby and I were on the road by 6:30. Once we arrived, we started off outside (as the rain was barely a drizzle). We didn't get too far before the rain started coming down hard and all the vendors outside started covering up their items. We headed towards the buildings (like everyone else). As we made our way through them, I was getting increasingly frustrated. In addition to being completely frustrated with the weather (that I could do absolutely nothing about) all the vendors that did have jewelry seemed to be very high priced. If I wanted to pay those prices, I could just go to an antique mall. As we passed booth after booth, I was beginning to think this could be a total bust of a day. Finally, I bought one so-so pair of earrings just to make me feel like I "broke the ice."

While still in the buildings, we visited one vendor I've bought from a couple of times. I wouldn't say his prices are cheap, but if I can talk him down a bit, they are well within my range. I picked out a several pieces that caught my eye. None of them were priced, but I thought I would give it a shot. Usually the more you grab, the better deal they'll give you, but he didn't seem to want to play that game today. He started naming prices (ouch...ouch...ouch) and I quickly eliminated several. I got it down to 4 that I was most interested in. Once we added it up, he knocked a couple of dollars off the price, but it was still more than I would normally pay. I was torn because they were some great pieces and again, I knew I really need to stock up on things. I swallowed hard and got my wallet out. I didn't want to be kicking myself in February for not having items to work with. This guy also had big glass jars full of random stuff that he was selling. I am not usually a big fan of these grab bag type things, but he (and my husband) talked me into getting one of those too. Sometimes when I am making my "assemblage" necklaces, these "junk jars" give me a lot of little pieces to work with. After I paid for my items and left his booth, I was having a slight bit of buyers remorse. I mean, I should have no problem getting my money back on the items I bought, but I am just so cheap! I needed a good deal to make me feel like I balanced out the splurge.

My "Junk Jar"

Our next stop was a booth that had a bunch of furniture and garden items, and then a small area of jewelry thrown on a table. Looked super promising. Those are the vendors whose prices are reasonable. I picked out a handful and was really happy with the price the vendor gave me on it. Done! I love it when I don't have to think about it, and now I felt better about buying the more expensive pieces from the last guy.

As the day continued, I got a lot more things...some I paid more than normal on, but some I got deals on, so it evened itself out. The rain held off long enough for us to make it though the rest of the outside vendors, but it really came down hard when we were going through the last of the buildings. On a good weather day with all the normal vendors there, I could easily spend all day there. On yesterday's adventure, we were in the car before 11:00 (my husband was pumped that we would make the kickoffs of the 12:00 football games).

After we got home and I was going over my purchases from the day, I would say it was a successful trip. I purchased enough things to keep me busy for awhile. And my junk jar that I bought? Junk...but I should be able to make my money back on it. There are a few things I can use and experiment with, I just don't have much use for bunny pins and Betty Boop earrings. :)




A few of my purchases from the day



And a few more...


I have the last Cedarburg Maxwell Street days next Sunday. Cross your fingers that the weather is nice! I need it to be!

Also, on a quick final note, last week I went to Junk Bonanza flea market in Shakopee, MN, and had Cedarburg's Harvest Fest last weekend. Sorry, for no blog post (I was SO SO tired and it took me all week to recover) but I will summarize. Junk Bonanza = totally worth all the driving. So much fun and so inspiring! Harvest Fest = awesome Saturday (best single day of sales ever) and a rainy slow Sunday (can't really complain though)

Cedarburg Maxwell Street Days 9/4/2011

I love flea market season. Flea markets are where I find most of my vintage jewelry. Sure, I could probably get things cheaper at auctions or estate sales, but you don't get the volume and variety of things you see at a flea market. Both estate sales and auctions can be quite time consuming (at estate sales, you usually need to be there pretty early to sign up so that you can be one of the first ones in, and then you never know what you'll find inside).



Me and my (decaf) coffee this morning

My hubby and I make a great team too. He is 6'4", so he can see over the heads of a lot of other people and scan booths for jewelry. He's my partner in crime. He's gotten really good at knowing what I like and what I'm willing to pay for it (and I think he secretly enjoys it too).

This morning, we headed out early for Maxwell Street Days in Cedarburg. This is a pretty big flea market with a good mix of vendors. You have those people who have all the locked cases of exquisite jewelry (pricey!), but then you also get the people who have a bunch of random items with a small area of jewelry (I usually have the best luck with them). We are starting to recognize the vendors at these things, so we kind of know which ones to stop at and which ones to just keep walking past. 

I got some really great deals today on some beautiful pieces. The timing is perfect too, because I have another big show in a couple weeks, and I can quickly whip up some things using the pieces I found today. New inspiration is always a good thing.



Goodies galore!



I hope to take some pictures of the things I have been creating, but honestly, I am not sure I will have time. I have to work work work these next couple of weeks, and next Wednesday, I will be headed to Minnesota for the Junk Bonanza flea market. I went last year, and it was so much fun. I don't think I'll find many rhinestones there, but I like going there for inspiration and for stuff for my house (last year I scored an awesome baroque style mirror for $45.00 that now hangs in my bathroom)

Okay, so this is not my most exciting or detailed blog post, but like I said, I am really busy trying to make stuff for my next show. So I will just leave you with this photo from today that I texted to my younger sister. See, when she was little, she used to say, "I'm so hungry, I could eat a buffalo!" It has been an inside joke in our family for years.



Sam, did you eat the rest of this
 because you were so hungry??



Artstreet, Green Bay

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to be a vendor at Artstreet in Green Bay...and I do honestly consider myself lucky. Over the course of the weekend, I heard from several people how difficult it is to get into the show. One person said that they receive about 500 applications (they accept about 200). After seeing some of the other vendors work, I was very impressed with the caliber of artists from all over the country. We saw people from Maryland, Arizona, Florida, and all over the Midwest. A guy 2 booths down from me was from Hawaii. It was definitely a fine art show...not a craft show.

Setting up was pretty easy (this is usually stressful for me, and sometimes I get just a little snippy with my husband if things aren't going smoothly). People started coming through shortly before 10:00 and I had my first sale pretty quickly (sometimes it seems to take forever to get that "ice-breaker" sale). Things were very steady but manageable all day. The average sale was much lower than in Lake Geneva a couple weeks ago, but it was still adding up nicely. In fact, at the days end, I think it was my best single sales day ever. Yay!

Sunday (as usual) started off a little slower, but I was so thrilled with Saturday's ending total that I wasn't worried. I also had lower expectations for Sunday because I felt like most of my best items sold Saturday. Before you knew it though, sales were flowing, and I had one family spend almost $200. That was a nice boost. As the day went on, I started dreading the work that I have in front of me to prepare for my next show in three weeks. The necklaces with rosettes were all selling. I had seven of my "Colette" style necklaces. Gone. I had 4 of the "Willow" style. Gone. I can only imagine what my ending sales total would have been if I had an endless supply of these styles. I have a lot of rosettes to make!



Colette




Willow



I will be working my fingers to the bone these next couple of weeks. I have to. Usually, when I set up for shows, I fill the my display with items, but then I also have a tote bag full of other ones that I put out as room opens up. By the end of Sunday, I only had a few necklaces left in that bag. Scary! On a good note though, there are certain ones that I would never put out because they weren't really my favorite. Selling so much forced me to put them out, and low and behold, they sold! My husband would just laugh because he would grab one out of the bag to display, I would make a face like, "ew, I don't like that one," and then 5 minutes later someone would come and buy it.

Physically, the weekend was a little tough for me. It started off with me losing my grip while carrying my large display shelf, causing the corner of it to hit right above me knee. Ouch! It's not really heavy, but it must have hit it just right, because I immediately had a bump, and it turned black and blue pretty quickly. Today, it is a lovely mixture of purple, yellow, and green (Mardi Gras!)
I am 6 months pregnant now, and being on my feet so much gets a little tough. My feet and ankles are still super swollen (and quite unattractive). Also, we were in a little bit of a tough spot from a sun standpoint. The sun poured into my booth and was very very hot. And of course, I forgot sunscreen, so I am now sporting a nice famer's tan on my left arm. If I would have been a couple of booths down, I would have been in the shade almost all day with the temperature about 10 degrees cooler. Instead, we didn't get shade until about 5:00. I have never done well with sun/ heat, so there was one point Saturday when I had to grab my chair and find a shady spot to sit in for about a half hour or so. That was a lifesaver. I didn't want to keel over in front of customers ...might scare them away.

When all was said and done, I was only a few dollars away from this being my best show ever. Wow. Thank you Green Bay!! And in these last couple days, I have already gotten a few follow up emails from customers requesting custom orders. Now I only hope I can get into the show next year again. Cross your fingers for me!


My booth on Saturday morning



Lake Geneva Art in the Park

Wow, what a weekend! I participated in Lake Geneva's Art in the Park this Saturday and Sunday. It was my first show in Lake Geneva, so I was crossing my fingers that it would be successful. The forecast for Saturday was rainy, so according to the radar, we had until about noon before the rain would takeover. Rainy days suck, but there is nothing you can do.

When my husband and I arrived Saturday morning to set up, we were pretty impressed with the setting. The park was overlooking Geneva Lake, which was gorgeous (picture sailboats and a ferry). I should've taken a picture, but with the threat of rain Saturday, I didn't want to risk bringing my camera (and Sunday, I just plain forgot it.) Set-up was a breeze (something I am always worried about when doing a new show), although I was not prepared when people started coming into my booth to shop at 9:30 (show started at 10:00). I should have planned for that given the casual park setting, but it still "erks" me a little when this happens. I was trying to get all my jewelry set up and then was torn with, "Do I stop, move everything out of the way and let these people look? or do I just ignore them and keep setting up as fast as possible?" I kind of did both. Oh well...I'll just have to give myself some extra time next year.

The show started off great. I think people who were there Saturday morning were on a mission and ready to buy. I think the threat of rain also increased the sense of urgency for shoppers to get there early and make their purchases. I couldn't believe my sales in the first 2 hours...and the sales came so easily. Nobody was really doing the, "I'll think about it and maybe come back" routine, which was really refreshing.

Before you knew it, the sky got dark and the rain started. But looking at the radar, it looked like most of it was actually going to miss us. Most of the heavy storms were to the east and north of us. It really only rained for about 20-30 minutes max, and it was not a heavy downpour. We really lucked out. The day ended up being really good weather wise...I would take days like that over the 90 degrees and humid days. There was a beautiful breeze (not too strong) off the lake, and we were really lucky to have our booth shaded by a large tree. The afternoon sales were a little slower, but still steady. My sales goal for the entire weekend was already met by the end of day Saturday.

Coming into this weekend, I was a little bummed that I would have to miss Elkhorn's flea market on Sunday due the the art show. I was in pretty desperate need of "new" supplies to get me inspired. When my husband and I were discussing it on Saturday, we realized that we actually had the perfect opportunity to do both. Elkhorn was on our way to Lake Geneva, and the flea market opened at 7:00 (Art in the Park opened at 10:00 again). Also, the fact that we were able to leave our booths up overnight made the set up Sunday much less time-consuming. We figured we had about an hour and a half to run through the flea market before having to leave for Lake Geneva. We were there when the gates opened, and tried to stay focused on finding jewelry (we got sidetracked a few times). We kinda split up and didn't waste time negotiating with the dealers who were overpriced. There were so many cool items for our house were were ignoring, which pained us, but we were so limited on time, we just had to keep moving. I have to say, in the short time we had, I think I bought almost as much as I did when were were there in May. I made some great deals. I got several very nice pieces, but then I also got a bunch of what I refer to as "dirty rhinestones." They just need a little extra attention and repair.

Elkhorn goodies

Elkhorn goodies

So after that brief detour, we headed back to Lake Geneva for Day 2 of Art in the Park, still excited about our purchases and whirlwind of a morning. Sales were very slow Sunday morning. Compared to the first two hours of Saturday, I had maybe 1/10th the sales. I kept a pretty good attitude though, because like I said, I had already exceeded my sales goal for the weekend, so Sunday was like a "bonus" day in my mind. Again, weather was really nice. Not too hot, not too cold, with a nice relaxing breeze coming off the lake. Sales did pick up in the afternoon, and I had a couple of large multiple-item sales that really helped. By the end of Sunday, I had enough sales to make this my second-best show ever. I couldn't have asked for much better than that.

This was a wonderful show for me (thank you Lake Geneva and GLAA). I was so happy with every aspect of it (from how the show was organized, to the type of customers who came, to the beautiful lakeside setting). It was really more of a fine art show, so the other vendors were of very high caliber (in fact, I was honored to be among them), and the customers who came really appreciated the work and were willing to pay for it. I had several people comment on how reasonable my prices were, and the fact that people so willingly opened up their wallets showed me they felt the same. I was used to working a lot harder for my sales and having many more smaller sales add up to the grand total. A lot of my more expensive items sold quickly. People wanted the pieces that were more of a statement and more artsy.  I would LOVE to do this show again. It is juried, so there are no guarantees that I will get accepted next year. I am crossing my fingers that I do!

Sorry for the lack of pictures and stories. There weren't really any crazy/funny happenings to write about. Other than a couple of women who really should have been wearing bras (and weren't) and a parade of about 50-75 cool mo-peds that drove by, it was a pretty uneventful and lovely weekend. I am dragging a little today. With the pregnancy, I haven't been sleeping that well and can't refuel with caffeine, but I have to suck it up and keep going. I have Artstreet in Green Bay in 2 weeks (and Cedarburg's Harvest Fest 3 weeks after that) and am seriously lacking inventory. Back to work!

Viva's Vintage Market, 7/9/11

This past Saturday, I was a vendor at Viva's Vintage Market in Sister Bay, WI. I had heard about this show last year, and thought it sounded right up my alley. It was a mix of antique/ vintage dealers, and artists like me, who's work has a vintage connection. It is hosted by Angie McMahon of Viva la Cottage, a wonderfully fabulous store.

My mother-in-law, Deana agreed to help me out for the day, so we headed up early Saturday morning for set up. Now, I have not been to Door County since I was a kid (and I think I had only been there once), so I was just excited to see some of the cute downtown areas on the way to our destination. When we arrived, most of the tents were already set up. I had opted not to set up the night before because of the long drive (and I didn't want to have to pay for lodging if I didn't have to). There were a few spots still open (not the most ideal spots, but not bad either. Because it was a small show, only 20 vendors, you knew that customers would make it a point to visit each tent).

Set-up went very smoothly. Being 4+ months pregnant, my dear mother-in-law wouldn't let me touch a thing! Luckily, there were some nice guys there (husbands of other vendors) who helped put up the tent. We were set up with plenty of time to go shop at other booths. I was so impressed with everyone's displays, and I wanted to buy everything!  I was really good though, and only came home with a few "new" pieces (pictured below)



I plan on painting the shelf white for the baby's room



A line started to form prior to the show opening, and when it was officially 10:00, people rushed in. I had a great first hour of sales, and you could see people leaving with carts and bags full of goodies. Then it kinda died. I had sales here and there, but there were hours that went by without a single sale. The afternoon dragged by, and my hopes of an "awesome" show faded.  On the bright side, this gave me a chance to make some connections with other vendors and check out Viva la Cottage. I was so inspired by this shabby chic store. It made me want to open a store myself (but with starting a family, we will most likely put this on hold for at least a decade). The displays and products (which were a mix of new and vintage decor and gifts) were gorgeous. Again, I kind of wanted to buy everything. It will be a must-stop any time I am in Door County.

Anyway, I don't have a lot of notable moments to write about, so to summarize, I ended the day with a few last minute sales that helped to make it more profitable. I don't want to say it wasn't a worthwhile show, because I really enjoyed myself, everything went really smoothly, and I also made some good contacts.  It really wasn't a bad sales day for such a small show. Will I do it again next year? I am open to it, but honestly, with our first baby due at the end of November, I am not making too many plans for next year. I would really like to continue doing all my jewelry, but I can't make any promises. I will probably need to (and want to) cut back.

Thank you to Angie McMahon for all her hard work on this show and for letting me be a part of it!
Check out these other blogs about the Saturday's market:
http://www.blogger.com/goog_242284583
http://www.blogger.com/goog_242284586
http://cobblecreek.blogspot.com/2011/07/viva-viva-la-cottage-vintage-market.html



My booth



Memorial Day Weekend

What better way to spend Memorial Day weekend than to hit up a couple of flea markets? I can't tell you enough how relieved I am that flea market season is underway. It's easier than going to antique malls (prices are usually lower and dealers are right there to negotiate with), and it is definitely easier than going to auctions (while the potential to get a great deal there is high, you have to sit for there for hours waiting for your items to come up for bidding). Estate sales can be okay, but you never know what you will find and of course, selection is nothing compared to a flea market.

On Saturday, I went to a flea market at Wirth Park in Brookfield. It was fairly small, and there was a lot of things there that I had no interest looking at (i.e. people selling old Avon lotions, handmade new jewelry, tie-dye t-shirts, etc) Sometimes I love these "junkier" sales because the prices are generally lower. You don't really see vendors who sell vintage jewelry exclusively (set up nicely in lighted glass cases). While I can appreciate those vendors and their products, their price points are generally too high for me. Here, there were a number of vendors who had "diggers delight" baskets. I don't mind digging if I can get things for a good price. I spent about an hour there and came away with a nice heavy bag of jewelry. It might not have been amazing stuff, but it was a good opportunity to stock up on some inexpensive chains and other small items that I can use in my "assemblage" necklaces. I was pretty happy with my findings.

Sunday was the first Maxwell Street Days in Cedarburg of the year. I've only been there once, and that was last October. I remembered that it was good (a lot of the same vendors from Elk Horn) but I didn't remember it being so big! I originally told my husband it was probably only 1/4 of the size of Elkhorn. Uh...no...it is almost as big if you don't count all the extra buildings that Elkhorn has. Speaking of Elkhorn, remember how cold it was there? Well, I planned on it being fairly cold at Cedarburg too. Even though it was about 50 degrees, I wanted to make sure I wasn't cold. I wore a long sleeve shirt, a sweater, a light scarf, and a wind breaker.  Within moments of arriving, the jacket was off, and the sweater didn't last much longer. The scarf eventually came off and I rolled up my sleeves....the sun was beating down on us (Elkhorn had NO sun). Now I was stuck carrying all these layers around with me. All my husband could say was, "I told you so..."

I brought about $120.00 with me and spent it every bit of it! I got some great things, and I was most excited about finding a bunch of skeleton keys (29 in all). The demand for these have really gone up, therefore, so has the price. It has become harder and harder to find these within my target price point. I was able to find these at or below the"magic price" that I like to pay for these.

As far as the other items I purchased, I was very pleased with all the price points. There were just a couple that were borderline expensive for me, but I have no buyers' remorse. I am now fully stocked with vintage goodies to create with. I should have a great selection of new things made for Cedarburg's Strawberry Fest on June 25th-26th.



Most of my purchases from Cedarburg



I've made quite a few things since Elkhorn, but I haven't had time to take photos yet. Here is just one photo of a necklace I made using one of my huge brooches from Elkhorn. I kept it pretty simple. As much as I love to do new creative things, this brooch is so stunning on its own that I didn't want to do anything to take away from it.

Elkhorn....The Wait is Over

If you've been following my blog, you know I have been absolutely itching for flea market season....and even though there have been a few flea markets scattered here and there this spring, to me, the season doesn't officially begin until the first Elkhorn flea market of the year.....and that was today.

The weather forecast for today just got worse and worse as this past week progressed. It started off with a 20% chance of rain with a high of 55, and by yesterday, we were at a 70% chance of rain, high of 50 (if we were lucky), and 40 mph wind gusts. Great.

I wasn't going to pass it up though. Elkhorn only does 4 flea markets per year, and I'm missing two this year due to shows I'm in. So...I sucked it up, pulled out my down jacket, put on long underwear and rainboots, and grabbed an umbrella. I wore a hat too, but after we were there, I wished I would have put on three extra things:
#1. A winter hat that covered my ears better than the cloth one I had on
#2. A second layer of socks
#3. Gloves.
 Luckily, my mother-in-law had gloves that I could use, so that kinda saved the day. The wind was the worst part. It just cut through you like ice. Needless to say, it also made for a really bad hair day.

One of the  bright spots of the day (apparently) was my rainboots. I got several comments on them, including one older guy who shouted (despite being only 6 feet away from me) "I LIKE YOUR BOOTS!" (I yelled back, "THANK YOU!"), and another man who told me that my boots were in second place on his "cool boot list" for the day. Apparently, first place went to a pair of purple, pink, and yellow plaid boots, and third place was a pair of bright yellow boots with a 2" heel. I had to admit, the plaid ones did sound pretty cute.


My attention-grabbing rainboots


Because of the poor weather, there was a significant number of dealers absent. I can't blame them. I wouldn't want my valuable antiques to get rained on and blown over either. Despite that, I still managed to walk away with a good stash (although I felt like I wasn't finding as much as I usually do...but maybe I'm just getting pickier). I bought some huge rhinestone pieces, including one that I had been eyeing up for a full year (I may even keep that one for myself, because it was a BIG splurge for me). It is so hard to find those large ones for a good price, and even though I spent more than I normally do on them, they are also some of the prettiest and largest brooches I've purchased to date. One of my favorite finds of the day (actually, I have to credit my mother-in-law for finding it) was a huge coral-colored cameo surrounding by pearls and turquoise rhinestones. GORGEOUS! I am in love with the color combo! I may need to keep that one for myself too. We'll see.

I think this was just what I needed. I've been in a creative rut the last few weeks, so now I have some new inspiration to work around. Watch for pictures of new necklaces, because I have a feeling a will be a busy girl this week! 


Um...Do you see the size in comparison to the quarter?? Ya...




Goodies galore



Open House

This past Friday and Saturday, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and I hosted a jewelry open house at their home in Kaukauna. I'm sure there were some people questioning why we chose to do this on Easter weekend, but with me living two hours away, it was just easier to kill two birds with one stone. I am happy to say that our very first open house was a success!  I have to give my mother-in-law, Deana, most of the credit. Not only did she open up her home for this sale, but she also provided an impressive spread of cheese and crackers, pinwheel appetizers, cream puffs, eclairs, fruit punch and wine. She is a great hostess.

Thank you to all who came. We really really appreciate the support, and hope you had a great time. We have yet to discuss any future open house dates, but we will keep you posted!



Deana's spoon/ typewriter key bracelets




Deana's typewriter key bracelets and watches






Rah Rah's Altered Art pendant tiles

 

Harvest Home Trunk Show

I just got back from dropping a bunch of jewelry off at a store called Harvest Home in Pewaukee. This is one of my favorite shops to go into. Brenda, the store owner, and her sister, Sam, do a great job with the buying. Home decor is their main gig (picture bird cages, leaded glass windows, oversized rustic clocks, paper mache figurines, yummy candles), but they've also brought in a bunch of jewelry, clothing, and handbags more recently. Everything has a romantic and rustic vibe.

I've previously (and currently) consigned my paper collage work with Harvest Home. As we all know, I've gotten away from that quite a bit. When Brenda found my jewelry online, she contacted me right away. She loved it, but was concerned that the price points could be a bit high for her average customer. The solution? "Let's do a 30 day trunk show with it." This way, it is set apart from the rest of the store as something "featured" and "special."  It will also create a sense of urgency with the customers to buy it because it will only be there for a limited time. Makes sense, right? We decided to schedule it for April 15th-May 15th.

Well, today is April 15th, so I brought about 50 carefully selected items there this morning and they had a great little spot all set up for me. It is a major traffic area in the store and still very visible from the checkout area. As I was setting up, I had several customers taking interest and asking questions about my jewelry. One woman even left buying two of them! (And they were on the more expensive side.) What a great start! If that is any indication of how things are going to go, I may need to bring them more goods! The only problem with that is I have a show next weekend... and May 1st. Time to get busy! 

If you are in the area, make sure to swing by Harvest Home, located at 505 Capitol Drive in Pewaukee, right off of Hwy 16. The ladies there are a lot of fun, and the place is busting at the seams with beautiful inventory.



My finished display at Harvest Home



Shorts Guy

I had an estate sale this morning in West Allis. The ad read, "lots of costume jewelry," so I was anxious to see if that meant rhinestone jewelry, or just a bunch of jingle bell earrings. The sale opened at 9:00, and I decided to be there around 8:30. Of course, I left the house a little late and it took me a longer to get there than expected, so I when I arrived at 8:45 and saw the street lined with about 25 cars, my heart sank. When am I going to realize I need to get to these things earlier?

I walked up to the porch to put my name down on the sign-up sheet. I was number 32. Yikes. It was a very small house, so I knew they would only be letting a handful of people in at a time. This could be a long wait. I went back to my car and played some "Angry Birds" on my phone to keep me occupied. I saw them let some people in at 9:00, and finally about 9:15, I decided to go wait outside for my turn. I'm thankful it wasn't super cold out. It was almost 40 degrees, which is downright balmy this time of year in Wisconsin. However, I had to question why the man next to me was wearing shorts. C'mon dude...it's not that nice. My mom always said it had to be 70 degrees before we could wear shorts. This guy was 30 degrees off.

A few people trickled out of the home with random household goods (some old speakers, pots and pans, etc). They weren't really letting more people in, which was irritating to me and everyone else waiting out there. There was about 20 people standing around. I wondered how many they had let in originally. At this rate, I was going to be out here all morning, and I wasn't sure it was worth it. I am a little bit of a "Negative Nelli" and in my pessimistic brain, all the good stuff was going to be scooped up by the other 31 people ahead of me. Should I stay? I knew what my husband would say if he were there, "You're here, you might as well stick it out. You're in no hurry." Okay...he would be right (I hate that he is always right).

Just then, they let some more people in the house. Someone shouted, "What number you at?!" "Twenty-nine!" the woman responded. Oh! That isn't so bad. Just a few more people and I would be in. That's right about the time that the dude in shorts walked up to me and asked, "What number are you?" I told him I was number 32. "Oh wow," he says. "I'm number 60-something." Um, dude, there is no way they had 60 people on that list. "Do you think I could say I'm with you and we could go in together?" Hell no buddy! Wait you turn like everybody else! I played kinda dumb and said, "Well, I don't know if they'd let us go in as a pair, and I doubt there are 60 people here." He said, "Yeah, I just don't want to wait out here in the cold." Well put some pants on for God's sake! He then referenced his bare legs and I said, "Yeah, I was wondering what you were thinking showing up in shorts." He laughed and THAT, my friends, is when it started to get weird.

He said, "Yeah, well, I'm getting vitamin D from the sun and nobody else is. A lot of people don't get enough vitamin D." I said, "Yeah, I take a supplement for that." I wish I wouldn't have said that. He then proceeded to go off on a tyrant about supplements and how there are 2 kinds of vitamin D (D-Alpha and something else) and most of us take the wrong one. "If you just go to Walgreen's you are gonna get the wrong one," he says matter-of-factly.  I said, "Well, my husband is a Nurse Practitioner, so I just take what he tells me to." Then he moved onto Omega 3 Fish Oil. Apparently, (according to the Shorts Guy) the body needs 8x more Omega 6 than Omega 3, and when he looked at the Omega 3 at Pick 'N Save, there was NO Omega 6 listed in the ingredients. I didn't know what to say other than, "Interesting." I mean, maybe he's right, but I certainly didn't care.

Okay...so then he says, "You know, I'll be 59 in June, and I'm in great shape. I can jump really high (on account of all the Vitamin D he gets from wearing shorts, I'm sure)." He goes on to tell me that "back in the day" he used to shoot hoops with professional basketball players at Wilson Park, and then he starts dropping names like crazy. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the only one I can remember. He told me how he blocked the jumpshot of a guy who was 6'6" and how some other guy was up on the hill smoking pot. 

Then he says, "If you're not doing anything July 26th, there's this party we do at the park. You should come." At first, I was kinda creeped out. Was he hitting on me? And then he proceeds to list the millions of things they will have at the party. Now picture me saying the following in a Napoleon Dynamite voice:  Lawn darts... Bocce Ball... Movie Trivia... Music Trivia... Swing Ball... Volleyball...Oh, and one of those slingshots that you put water balloons in....and a Keg of Miller High Life...which is all free with a $10.00 admission. Awesome, I'll clear my calender (sarcasm). Also, you may all be interested to know that he sets up the volleyball net to be 4" higher than his fingertips can reach, and he is STILL able to jump so his elbow reaches the top of the net. Wow, Shorts Guy, WOW.

At this point, I am dying for someone to let me in the house so that I can get away from Shorts Guy. Then he asks, "Hey, I am only here for the red Omega blender. I busted my sister's so I owe her one, and this way I figure I can get it for five or ten bucks. Maybe if you go in there and it's still there, you could just buy it for me." Okay Shorts Guy, at this point, I am tired of you, so "sure," I'll get you your blender. Luckily, the front door of the house opened and they called a few more people in, including me. Thank you Lord!

I walked in, focused on my jewelry mission (and trying to forget about Shorts Guy). I was actually impressed with their jewelry selection, and spent five minutes picking out a few good pieces. Then I walked in the kitchen, and there was the the red blender staring back at me. It was $15.00. He thought he'd get it for $5-$10. Forget it, Shorts Guy, I'm not going to make that decision for you. I proceeded to pay for my items, and as I was doing so, they let more people into the house, including Shorts Guy. Number 60-something my ass. I was actually relieved that he got in when he did so that I didn't have to explain to him as I left the house why I didn't get him his blender.  I pointed him in the direction of the kitchen, and said, "In there..15 bucks." And that was the last time I ever saw Shorts Guy.

So all in all, a good morning. My trip was successful jewelry-wise. Next time, I will be sure to get there earlier so that I can be sure to get first-dibs on the jewelry and avoid awkward conversations with random people like Shorts Guy. Lesson learned.

Today's finds

Cabin Fever Reliever

After a series of failed estate sales and jewelry-finding ventures (none worthy-enough to write about), I was beginning to feel as though I was running out of options to find reasonably priced vintage jewelry to play with. My frustration came to a peak a couple weeks ago after I sat at an auction for nearly 5 hours and left with nothing but a numb butt. Am I just going to have to wait until flea market season? Or do I just keep trucking and try to dig deeper? On one hand, I don't want to run all over "Timbucktoo" going to any advertised rummage sale (especially with how expensive gas is right now), but on the other, I feel like it is those odd-ball places that I'll find jewelry for good prices without having to compete with antique dealers.

This past week, there weren't too many advertised sales (I think there was only one in the "estate sales" section of the Classifieds), but there was a flea market in at the Knights of Columbus building in West Allis Sunday morning. It was called the Cabin Fever Reliever, which was quite appropriate seeing as how I've been crawling out of skin waiting for spring flea markets. I decided I wanted to go check it out. I had been sick (like "barfing and can't get out of bed" sick) earlier in the week, and I was still feeling a little sluggish when Sunday morning rolled around. I knew I had to go though. This could be my only chance for a flea market in the next 2 months.

My husband offered to come with (awww...so sweet, right?), and as we came upon the building, we saw cars everywhere. The parking lot was full and the side streets were filling up fast. Uh-oh...the flea market had literally been open for 5 minutes and I could already picture people snatching up my jewelry. We found a spot on a side street and hurried to the building. We walked in to a sea of people (and a man insistent on drawing a line on our hand with a black Sharpie...thanks buddy...that will be great when I have to go to work later). The place was packed and if the fire marshall was there, he wouldn't have been happy. Aisles were barely wide enough for 2 people to walk past each other, and if you know me, you know that I have a tendency to get a little panicky when in a crowded room. (just ask my husband...all I have to do is take one deep breath and he knows that I want to get. the. hell. out. now.)

Nonetheless, I charged on, scanning for jewelry. Sometimes when I am at estate sales and flea markets, I feel like that dog from that commercial, "Bacon, Bacon, Bacon, BACON!!" only for me, it's "jewelry, jewelry, jewelry, JEWELRY!!" The first few stops were misses. Christmas tree pins, plastic beads, 1980's triangle earrings, etc. Then I found a booth with some "diggers delight" boxes full of jewelry, and there was actually some nice stuff in there. I found eight items in all, including an Art Deco rhinestone brooch and several pair of interesting earrings. I will "dig" through boxes all day long if I can find decent jewelry for reasonable prices.

I found a couple other miscellaneous items, but nothing to get too excited over. Then my husband spotted a dealer who had several trays of jewelry (It's nice to have a 6'4" husband with you in a crowded room). He got to the table first and immediately picked up a huge rhinestone brooch. Of course I loved it, but figured it would be out of my price range. When he turned over the price tag, I nearly jumped up out of my pants. It was a GREAT price. Much better than what I typically see for the size. He grabbed another rhinestone piece, a little smaller, and another great price. She only had one other rhinestone pin, a bow, and again the price was lower than I usually see. I was willing to pay full price on all these, and without any prompt from us, the woman says, "I can do better on all those prices." Uhhhh....okay! Most of the time, vendors will go down a little on prices, but not a ton... maybe 10-20%. This woman went down over 25% off her marked prices (which were already low!) Wow....I was ecstatic. That transaction MADE my day.

After that, I was pretty ready to get. the. hell. out. now. There were so many people in there, I was beginning to get rather warm, and my leftover "sickness" was starting to act up again. It felt good to get out of there and back into the fresh air...and what felt even better was knowing that it had been a worthwhile trip. I left with a total of 18 items. Pretty good for an hour at a small flea market. Now I can't wait to design some new jewelry around them!


Sunday's Treasures



The best find of the day

The Shaw

I've been itching to go out and find new (well...new to me) vintage pieces to use in my jewelry, so today, I decided I was going to head out to Waukesha (or "The Shaw" as I like to call it). Waukesha has 3 large antique malls in it's downtown area, but those aren't the ones I wanted to hit today. I haven't had a lot of luck there. Generally speaking, antique malls' prices are too high for me to pay, and that had been the case with most of the dealers at those locations. Occasionally I'll find a piece or two, but most of the time I leave feeling like I just wasted a bunch of time.

There were three other stores I wanted to visit today. I lived in Waukesha for a couple of years, and there was an antique store called "A Dickens of a Place" that I could see if I looked out my apartment window. I was in there once about 4 years ago, and remember not being very impressed, but I wasn't looking for jewelry at the time, so I wanted to go revisit it to see what they had in that department.

There was also another antique store that I drove by everyday on my way home from work. We'll call this "The Corner Store" because it was on a corner and I can't remember what it was called. Again, I had only stopped in once and I think I left empty handed, but I remember there being a lot of little trinkets to look through.

The third store was also one I drove by frequently (see, it was on the way from my apartment to my boyfriend's (now husband's) apartment.) It was called "A Little Bit Country" and was in a cool old farmhouse. I had never stopped in, so today was going to be the day.

My first stop was going to be "The Corner Store." As I was approaching the intersection, I could see a "Now Open!!" sign. Uh oh. Sure enough, I read "Leather Refinishing" across the top of the building. Okay...that doesn't help me. I have no leather to refinish. I just want old jewelry.

The next store, "A Dickens of a Place," is just a hop, skip, and a jump away. I got to wave to my old apartment as I drove by, and as I approached the building, it still had "Antiques" painted across the side of the it. That was a good sign (no pun intended....haha). But as I drove closer, I could see a "For Lease" sign in the window, and it looked like one side had been converted to an art gallery with some strange sculptures inside. Hmm....no need for sculptures. I just want old jewelry....and now I am 0-2.

Because Waukesha is a tricky little town when it comes to the streets and directions, I found myself on Main Street, where one of the big antique malls is. Is this an omen? I might as well stop. I knew I could get through this mall fairly quickly. Unfortunately, a lot of the vendors have left this mall, so it is a lot more empty than it used to be. I was only two booths in when I found a shoe clip for a couple of bucks. This was a good find. I actually had made a necklace out of the exact same clip last year and had a request for another one. I thought I'd never be able to find a similar clip for a reasonable price...and here I found the same design. I was able to browse through the rest of the booths fairly quickly and found a pair of quarter-size rhinestone earrings for a good price. This stop was a pretty good one. At least I came away with a couple of good things. Now...do I stop at the other 2 big antique malls? No....I knew it would chew up another hour or two and I've very little luck at those stops. My goal toady was to discover new sources for vintage jewelry (and I gotta tell ya....not having a lot of luck so far).

Okay...next stop, "A Little Bit Country."  I was crossing my fingers! As I pulled in, I saw the big "Open" flag flying. WhooHoo! I've gotten a step further than the other places on my list. I parked behind the building and noticed a resale clothing shop next door. I decided to just run in there and see if what the had for jewelry. It would've taken me about 2 minutes to see that they didn't have anything that would work for me, but I ended up spending about 30 minutes in the store talking with the owner. Wow, she was a chatty one. Very nice...just chatty. I had to do that thing where you try to head towards the door and say "Well...I spose I should get going...." and then you end up staying there for like 10 more minutes and then she is still talking when you have one hand on the door.  Again....very nice...but chatty.

I head over to "A Little Bit Country" and find that it is a LOT a bit country. It was basically a primitive home decor store. Yes, there were antique furniture pieces, but NOT what I was looking for today. It was a lovely store, but I didn't need primitive furniture or rugs. I just want old jewelry. And I am 0-3 on my list.

After another ho-hum shopping trip, I am even more anxious for spring. That is when the flea markets start back up and people have more rummage and estate sales. That is when I hit my stride. May 15th is the first Elk Horn flea market of the year. That is still over three months away, and I am getting so ANTSY for it. (Just ask my husband, I've been mentioned it frequently in the past month.) For now, antique malls will have to be my main source. Occasionally an auction or estate sale will occur, but lately I've had to miss a lot of those due to conflicts. Maybe later this week I will hit up the antique stores in Milwaukee. Wish me luck!!

My purchases of the day

New Items available at Stacia's

Stacia's Home and Garden Decor is a great little shop in downtown Hartford, WI. I started consigning my artwork with the shop a couple of years ago, but after Stacia saw my jewelry at a festival, she wanted to start carrying my jewelry as well. The jewelry has been doing really well for her, so I have been traveling up there about once a month to restock. I made one of my trips today, and was so pleased with what she purchased. I don't really do any art shows this time of year, so I rely on my retail stores for income.
I'm posting pics of the items that she purchased today. I highly recommend stopping in at this wonderful shop. She has a great selection of home decor and gift items, and Stacia herself, is super sweet and great to chat with.
For more info on her shop, visit http://www.staciashomeandgarden.com/

Items currently available at Stacia's:

New Assemblage Necklaces!

I am pretty darn excited about this new necklace concept I came up with (well, no...I didn't invent it, but it is new for me). The other night I was working on necklaces, and I was in a rut...I felt like I was doing the same types of looks over and over again. I had these beautiful cameos that I wanted to work with and I really wanted to do something different and artistic with them...not just adding a pearl or two.

I started with this beautiful blue-toned cameo that I picked up at a flea market in Waukesha a couple weeks ago....and I just kept adding more and more stuff to it. I rummaged through all my old jewelry and beads and just kept adding and adding. It seemed that the more "stuff" I included, the better it looked! After a couple hours of playing around, I was more than satisfied with the outcome.

The next two went more quickly now that I had the concept in mind.

So there you have it! I am calling them my "assemblage" necklaces for the time being. Now all I have to do is clean up my studio!