Christmas Comes to the Shop 2007

Merry Christmas 2007

Christmas is here and all the joy that comes this time of year. The Vintage Christmas Open House was a great time had by all and it was so good to see some of my old customers again. This has been a whirling dervish and now I can relax a little and enjoy the shop. Needless to say this time of year is the most fun in the shop I only wish I had my studio up and running. My house has no flat surfaces left that isn't full of glitter and paper. Last Christmas I sold all of my handmade Christmas to Macy's on State Street in Chicago. They bought all of it...my Santa's, angels, stars, tree skirts and stockings and my supply takes awhile to rebuild. I tried to replinish some of the vintage fabrics when I went to Paris but it was too expensive...couldn't believe how the prices went up. Anyway I did manage to crank out some goodies and will just keep on working past Christmas for next year. The girls brought in some great handmades so we had plenty. Judy always is so creative...I love her stuff and Dee's santa's are always a hit and Anne's purses are so great. Thank you all for making the show so great. Here see for yourself all the great and fun stuff.

And here comes my Christmas present...shop awnings! And who said expensive presents come in small packages.

Blessings

Rebecca

Twenty Things at Once

November 2007 Happy Thanksgiving

Time passes quickly when you are doing twenty things at once. Opening a shop just in time for all the Christmas festivities--including an Open House--planning and decorating a wedding for my daughter out of state, and did I mention I also agreed months ago to open my house for a Historic House Walk. That just might put me over the edge...everyone says I love the pressure and I know I do get more done under it but don't know if I exactly like it...it just seems to find me.
Savannah and I...grandchildren the crown of our years.




Nicole and daughter Sophie


Nicole and my husband Keith her stepdad The whole crew

I have gained a wonderful son in law and the wedding was beautiful. I am so grateful to my father...he has married all of them now and this one was difficult for him because of his failing health. Thanks Dad-I love you. Here are some pictures of my precious family. We do know how to have fun...




My kids, Jody, Jennifer,Nicole, Kerri, Sarah and the "Boy" James.

Blessings
Rebecca

Christmas 2007

November 2007

Christmas Show 2006 in my home:

A Vintage Christmas...

What a difference a year makes! Last year we had "A Vintage Christmas" show in my home...we had been doing it at Simply Posh and extended it to my home after we closed. It was a great turn out but what a lot of work. Taking all my stuff and putting it either upstairs or downstairs. I live in a historical house built in the 1860s. It was moved in the 1920s by a team of horses and logs to the outskirts of town, so it lost some of its charm on the outside but she was a grand Ole gal in her day. I met the guy who bought her in the 50s as a flip, he took off the 2 story tower to scrap the copper roof for $40.00 because it leaked. He was entering a nursing home and stopped by to give me the newspaper clippings of his makeover...he seemed so proud. Every year I would invite 4 or 5 local artists to share their talents in the show. I was fortunate to make some wonderful friends that were gracious enough to share their talents with me every year, Anne of Angelina's-fabric artist, Dee Gann-Santa artist, Judy Walsberg-multimedium artist and talented Betty White--she has such a great eye for found objects and of course my talented daughter Jody who makes such beautiful pillows all hand worked and myself.

Here are some pictures from that show.

Betty White, Judy Walsberg and Dee Gann

Betty, Judy and Anne Gardner

Moving In

November 2007

Moving in always seems like trudging through mud...slow going and what a mess! But little by little things start coming together and bit by bit ideas start to come for this and that. I love the creative process.

I am in my element...can't believe how much I missed having a shop! I guess I need that something to get out of bed for... and a good project is always my idea of fun. I have ideas for the shop and I realize it has to evolve with time. But I have been shopping for display items and I have to say I have found some great ones--I love display pieces. Especially if they are out of an old mercantile, I can just picture all the great stuff on shelves piled high and the women in there walking skirts picking out yardage for her next dress. I found a great front counter with iron legs...it could be longer but I still have this fabulous slant front case that will fit beside it. I decided to put fabric on the wall in back of the counter. It is a wonderful French fabric that I got in Texas at the Homestead years ago but it had dry rot. I bought it anyway because I loved it and knew one way or another I would use it. It is perfect for the wall where it has something to stabilize it. I put it up with a staple gun and hung a awning over the wall with old architectural brackets and a velvet portière. The old frame I found was perfect for a mirror which frames Vintage Living logo. I love old frames, so I put my favorites up and put old French post cards in them - attached to the fabric (easy to pin) so I can change them at will.
Notice the old saloon doors that just happen to fit going into my studio...I love it when things come together.

So, I am working hard to get the doors open...We are planning A Vintage Christmas Open House the first week in December and it will also be our grand opening of Vintage Living. We changed the name from Simply Posh for Vintage Living to simply "Vintage Living." I think it is a good name -- although we are known as Simply Posh I closed the doors on it 3 years ago and this is who we are today. I hope people will recognize us and find us. I look forward to seeing some of those old familiar faces.
Thanksgiving is coming up fast and there is so much to do, I am a little stressed. My 4th daughter Nicole is getting married the day after Thanksgiving in Minnesota. I am decorating the whole wedding. I have been preparing this for months and have all my bins packed with candles, favors, garland etc. I bought white pumpkins the first week in October for the center pieces, I plan on hollowing them out and doing a floral arrangement in them. They are in boxes in my basement and I have been checking on them, so far I have only lost 2 I will keep my fingers crossed. I have an old iron garden arch and will be filling that with greens (seeded eucalyptus, lemon leaf and leather leaf fern.) She will be married under that arch. I will never be able to get rid of that arch since two of my daughters have been married under that thing...This is the 4th wedding that I have decorated now for my daughters, Jody, Kerri Sarah and now Nicole, what a wonderful time in my life. I am so fortunate to have such a lovely family.

Blessings

Rebecca

House Walk

Historic House Walk 2007

Entrance to the front of the house

So I agreed to do the Historic House Walk because I live in one of the oldest houses built in 1860 in our little river town. It once was a great old gal but time has stripped her of her grandeur or I should say people have. And just opening a new business I thought I could use the exposure. I just needed to redecorate the back bedroom and clean out my studio as it would be open to the public also. Yeah right, like anything else this project grew much bigger than I had anticipated. But it was stuff that needed to be done and I work well under presure or so people tell me...my husband might differ. Anyway I got the old gal looking pretty good and here are some pictures to share with you.

This is the dining room

Kitchen

Back porch off kitchen

Here are some before and after pictures of the back bedroom...I didn't count on having to strip all the paint off the walls and taking the

wallpaper off in postage stamp size pieces.

Before

After

Studio in back yard...

Potting shed made from the old garage.

I lost most of my pictures of the walk to a computer that ate them... the rest of the house is not available. But enough is enough anyway.

Thanks and many blessings

Rebecca