The best thing about now having a Booth is that I have a renewed Purpose for Treasure Hunting. You see, before I had a place to hawk some of it, I often felt guilty for dragging yet another Treasure that I obviously didn't need Home with me! *Winks*
I also didn't have any appropriate place to take any of it to when I was determined to thin the Hoard during my annual Spring Cleaning. When I get that renewed resolve to do a great Edit & Purge in an attempt to minimalize and simplify... which for the Queen of Excess is difficult enough, without agonizing over where it will go!? *LOL*
You see, Yard Sales don't thrill me... I don't even like going to them too much and Hosting them is torturous to me... I hate just hanging around anywhere waiting. I almost would rather set it all on fire than having a ridiculous haggle for a piece I've already got a killer price on and someone wants to attempt to undercut to an absolutely insulting offer. *LOL*
Giving to Charity is effortless for me and I do it often... that's for a Noble and good Cause and I don't mind the sacrifice. But when someone is wanting to buy a Collectible or Antique at a Yard Sale and I've got a Tag Sale price already on the piece that is quite obviously a Bargain... don't get crazy on me with a counteroffer that makes no sense, I'll break out the matches and light it up... *LOL*
Because even though I probably shouldn't care, I Love my Found Treasures and I recognize Value in them all & mostly and generally I want it to go to someone who also recognizes and appreciates it and possibly even "gets it".
Not some Yard Sale Crazy who won't spring on an Antique priced at a couple of bucks! And offers a Quarter for it instead! *Smiles, insert me trying to keep it together, decline with Grace & Humor and not throw them off my property! LOL* Or just accept at least one ridiculous offer from them just to get rid of them! *Smiles, yes, I've been known to do that too!* Though I have more Patience for and can deal with Crazy because perhaps they don't really know they're being crazy {?}... but the rude & insulting ones, now they know they're just rude & intentionally insulting... zero tolerance for the rude ignorant ones. *Smiles* Get the matches! *Winks*
And since I want something to move quickly once I'm done with it I'm not inclined to price Retail Value anyway... I want it gone and don't mind giving the next new Owner a good Deal so long as I make some money too on my Investment.
So The Booth is a far better alternative for me & for potential customers also seeking Found Treasures of the genre I adore and I don't have to deal with the Crazies that often frequent Yard Sales. *LOL*
Plus I can Style the Booth in ways & Styles & with things that I might not ever consider Styling our Home, so it's a Blank Canvas that can be transformed often... which us Artists adore that level of non-commitment to the Static and changing things up often and at a whim.
There are also the Found Treasures I know aren't trash & I discover at a deep discount, but I don't need or want in my own Collection and hate to leave behind... so having a place to reveal and offer them is Bliss.
Pottery of a certain genre and Maker is a particular example of this... I own as much as I want and need, but every so often I find a piece that visually appeals to me enough to want to find a new Home for it. I get a Thrill from the knowledge that I know somebody else will Love that piece I found!
Right now with Easter approaching the Egg and Religious Collectibles has been particularly exciting to come across in my Treasure Hunting Forrays... I Love seeking out Found Treasures for the various Holidays and Holy Days... but again, I have enough in my own Collections and only a select few new pieces will be coming in... as others will be going out en mass. *Winks*
I Love Decorating for Seasonal Celebrations as well... so this gives me a new place to Primp, Foof, and Style to my Heart's content. Vignette making is a Passion of mine... as is the urge and Joy to Treasure Hunt and go Junquing.
Finding little Treasures such as this sweet Folk Art Angel made of Tea Stained Linens, Lace, Satin & Wood was one of those instances where my Heart sang at the Discovery, but I knew she'd make her appearance at my Booth rather than come Home with me.
I know you think it might be hard to Believe that I can discover and part with pieces, but with only a few exceptions it isn't difficult for me... and even if I decided to keep a piece for a little while, now I know I have a way to pass it along when it's time has come & I'm done with it.
And for some strange reason, having a Booth has revealed more about my aesthetic than even my Home has. Such as how I gravitate to and Discover certain Color Palettes moreso than others! And not always intentionally... but accidentally or even subconsciously!?
Sepia and Turquoise being two Colors that I didn't even realize I have such an attraction to and almost always find my Found Treasures in those Colors... until the pieces I'm Discovering for my Booth seemed to gravitate towards those two hues more than most of the Color Wheel!!!
I like that I don't have to BE there except when I want to be and for however long that I want to be, which frees me up to spend time with my Family and happily Junquing for Inventory so that I keep stocked with what peeps are Loving to discover there. That being said there is a downside as well to spending time foofing and stocking the Booth. I always see things I'd LOVE to take Home with me, such as this AWESOME Vintage Butterfly Collection! *Winks*
But I settled instead for a cool Old License Plate that was more affordable... and I could find a suitable place for at Home. *Winks*
However more importantly, another downside has been that the Homestead is in disarray as we're going through everything to decide what must go and dragging things off to the Booth, leaving holes in the Styling and Decor of this Old House!
Yes, there's now empty dusty spaces all over the house where things used to be... and piles of stuff that must make it's way to the Booth after it's tagged... and I haven't had the time to redecorate, deep clean and reorganize because we're practically living at the Antique Mall while the set-up has been in progress and we're getting things up and running. Which probably is a good thing since it's definitely cleaner and more organized right now than the Old Homestead! *Winks*
I only have a finite amount of time and energy... and if I devote it to one area with intense focus, well, I've found at this Season of Life, that means another area will suffer for it at least for a time anyway.
Now, I must say the Bohemian Valhalla Crew doesn't seem to mind too much... because that means I'm not nearly so OCD about the house... and Menfolk & Children {mostly and generalizing here you understand...} don't seem to have the same Standards of cleanliness, tidiness and organization as say, an obsessively compulsive Gramma... *LOL*
So now that I'm more preoccupied with other things they can be more relaxed while I'm distracted and too busy & tired to seem to care as much. *Smiles* Because for now I'm focusing my OCD tendencies & energies towards the Booth looking just right rather than the Bohemian Valhalla Residence. *As they all sigh a breath of huge relief, smiles*
Things are much more unstructured and laid back for now at Home... it's not that I fail to care anymore, I'm just often too tired and don't have time to do it all right now... and so I choose my battles & Projects more wisely and shrug stuff off that normally would drive me crazy if it were left undone...
They could and would probably live that way effortlessly if I could... which I can't... and I would be lying if I said I'm not bothered and a bit ashamed of the house going a bit to hell while I'm juggling things and don't yet have a System in place that will balance effortlessly once its up and running more smoothly and I get my rhythm. *Smiles*
Yeah, things are getting done... in a halfhearted sort of way for now here at Home... Laundry is clean but not necessarily put away and they don't mind digging for it out of the piles of clean clothing in the baskets... and mealtime is very unstructured, which they all Love because so long as they eat I am not really that intent or focused right now on what they eat! *Smiles*
Grandpa & the G-Kid Force LOVE that... since I'm an Old Granola Hippie sort that stresses nutrition more than they care for & always drags Home "Fresh" everything with Herbs, Seasonings and Food Pyramid in mind. Apparently they'd all rather die happy than healthy!? *LOL*
So Lord knows what they are sneaking into their meals while I'm not present, but they aren't starving and are delighted at fixing their own meals without the Food Police present {that would be Me...winks}... so no guilt here... less cooking means more time doing other things that need my attention... and the List is long enough that anything I can cross off it is a bonus at this point! *Winks*
The Man is a superb Chef anyway, far better than me in fact, no smoke alarms go off when he's cooking *LOL*... so don't feel too sorry for them... and he's way more lenient on what they can shove in their faces, as he contributes to their delinquency and goes wheels off on his Medically suggested diet as well & has Volunteered to go Shopping for the Groceries to "help out"... very, very suspicious that is. *Smiles* I'm sure I'll find their stash of Junk Foods & Food Contraband... if I only had time and energy to Investigate... *LOL*
And yes, the only thing they have to suffer right now is Gramma making them pose beside Butterfly corpses... which by their horrified expressions you can tell they thought was tragic and pretty gross... so they were glad I couldn't afford the Collection right now... *LOL*
Yes, even the Wednesday Addams-ish Icy Beast Princess who can be quite ruthless & Macabre was saddened by the sight of Butterfly corpses... and openly wept for their tiny little Souls! *Who knew?!?* Until I told her they probably died of Natural Causes and this was just a Beautiful way to preserve their Legacy and distinct Beauty... yeah, I can come up with convincing crap like that on a moment's notice when I have to! *LOL* Does that mean I'm going to hell I wonder? *Winks*
And Thank You from the bottom of my Heart to all of you for the compassion, comments, e-mails and Prayers extended to our Family while the Moms are Hospitalized and battling serious illness... they are hanging in there... and so are we.
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian