This winter has been so LONG! So has my time between posts. Here's what's been going on...
Since New Year's, I've been working hard on reorganizing my work area, cleaning out things I don't love or will never sell and NOT buying anything new. We only had 2 sunny days in all of January and into February here in SE Michigan and the weather really got to me this year. I just wanted to stay in and I guess it brought out the 'nesting' instinct in me.
My 94-year-old great aunt moved into a full-nursing room from her 2-room assisted living apartment and my sister and I have been sorting through the 'leftovers'. My aunt was a minimalist long before it had a name or was cool, so she didn't have much, but
still there was a lot to go through. It made me really mindful of how much stuff I have and how I need to get it whittled down before someone else has to.
Since I keep stock to sell, I can't exactly follow the 'if it doesn't bring you joy, get rid of it' plan, but I have modified it to work with an e-business. If I don't like something, I'm not going to sell it. No more selling a thing because I know other people like it and will buy it. That's left me with a lot of 'leftovers' of my own, which are all going to a local resale shop or are donated. It feels really good to get rid of things (See? I'm NOT a hoarder)
My new motto:
Some day, I'll post pictures of my newly-organized and streamlined work area...but that will have to wait until it actually IS organized and streamlined. Sigh...
Organization is fun (seriously, I love organizing things....weird, I know), but so is retail therapy. This week I finally got to go shopping. My friend
Bargain Hunter had an unexpected day off of work -- thanks to high winds and power failure -- and we took a trip up to Bay City and Saginaw, where we hadn't shopped in years.
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| Does anyone else think this is creepy? |
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| Sign in the bathroom in Bay City |
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| Always one of my favorite booths |
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| I still don't know why I didn't buy this phone! |
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| I remember making hundreds of these daisies for an afghan |
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| I have the square canisters, but had never seen round ones |
On Friday, I made a last-minute trip to a family-run estate sale because there were some books there I've been searching for. I was too late for the books, but got some great Christmas and kitsch.
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| A complete set of Branchell melmac! |
Then today, we went to the local Masonic Lodge's antique show fundraiser. Each year it gets a little bigger, with more dealers, so there was lots to see. Not many bargains to be had, though...it was mostly mall prices or even higher. It was fun to see some of the dealers from my old antique mall and great to get out in the cold (20 degrees) sunshine.
Bargain Hunter and I always talk about who the winner is (sadly, that means who spent the most money). I'm usually the winner because I buy not just for myself, but also to sell. Today, though she was the clear winner, having struck the mother lode of linens...until I saw these draperies! Four panels of red barkcloth wonderfulness in great condition...AND they go perfectly in my living room! I took the lead with those and 'won' by a landslide.
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| The panels go perfectly with the colors in the living room |
This came home with me this week:
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| No shopping trip is complete without pennants! |
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| I was super excited to see these pennants from my hometown, Cincinnati! I'm definitely keeping the zoo pennant and might keep Coney Island, too |
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| The little elf pincushion and Fisher Price chick & basket will have to live here for a while, I think |
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| Cool cowboy chenille throw! |
Hope you're having a great weekend and that Spring is coming to where you live!
