I recently went Goodwill Hunting and hit the Motherlode of 'Scores' when it comes to Creepy Dolls, Persian Rugs and Vintage Velvet Upholstered Furniture!!! Yes, an Eclectic Mix to be sure... but everything that is right up my Alley! *Winks* I'm still Decorating for Halloween and so I was totally Jazzed when a new Goodwill in our Area had an Employee Contest to Create Creepy Dolls to Decorate the Store with.
They weren't originally intended for Sale, just to provide Repurposed Halloween Inspiration & Decorate the Halloween Section of the Store, which was Awesome, but an unfortunate turn of Events for the Store turned into a fortunate turn of Events for Yours Truly... though the Story Saddened me all the same. The Sweet Manager Sold me the Trio of Creepy Dolls I liked for a pittance, practically giving them away, because they were having to take them down due to a Complaint and Threat of Drama from A Customer to call Corporate. You see, the Employees and 99.9% of the Customers were having Fun with and Loving the Contest & Decor... but there's always THAT ONE that spoils it for ALL!!!
Yes... apparently a single Customer took Issue with Creepy Dolls... and probably Halloween as well... and demanded it all be taken down or she'd make Trouble and Complain to Corporate... and since it's a brand new Store I'm sure nobody wanted the Drama that would come with such a Threat. Personally I Loved the Hellraiser Inspired Dolls... and the Halloween Movie Inspired Doll in the Clown Costume...
And the Green Spider Hybrid Doll which was in a Huge Spiderweb... and so I was Delighted to be given the Opportunity to Purchase them and tell the Manager and Employees who took their time to Create them that their Efforts were Appreciated... and by MOST of us... such a Shame that one Person's opinion had to over-ride the Majority...
But Alas, that's sometimes how it goes in Life and with the sensitivity nowadays to be very PR to every outcry, even if it's a small minority of folks doing the Complaining or being somehow offfended by what everybody else is doing or Celebrating. Personally I feel it tramples on the Rights of the Majority when a select few can dictate what can and can't be done or Celebrated just because they want it that way or it's how they choose to live.
Though I defend that Individual's right to live as they choose, I don't Appreciate them forcing their opinions and desires upon everybody else and especially in an intimidating fashion. The Complainer doesn't have to Celebrate Halloween... she didn't even have to be in the Halloween Section of the Store since they have it totally separate from the rest of the Inventory and Store in a Holiday Section set aside for Seasonal Items and Displays.
And the Sadness of the Manager and the Employees was evident, they had worked very hard to Create an Awesome Halloween Display and have Fun with the Holiday at hand... it was apparent they had really Enjoyed the Challenge of Creating their Props out of what was at hand and Inspiring Customers on how they too could Upcycle Secondhand Treasures for the Holidays to Decorate with Economically. It had really deflated the Atmosphere and created Negative Energy in what had begun as a Positive Experience for Staff and Customers alike.
Certainly I'm Happy that I got my two smaller Dolls for only $2.99 each and the Vintage Large Walking one in the Awesome Clown Suit for only $7 ... but I would have liked for it to have been under better circumstances. I felt so badly for the Staff of the Store. All I can say is Shame on Complainer Pain In The Ass Woman!!! {My tag for her based on her Behavior.} I abhor the Behavior of people who Bully and make Threats to cause Trouble for nice folks... and trying to Justify Bad Behavior in a Self-Righteous way is NEVER pretty, in fact it's downright Ugly and Offensive.
The Manager was taking the larger Hellraiser Inspired Doll she had Created Home with her... and she beamed at how much I Appreciated and gushed over the smaller one she had Created, because it had taken her Hours, so had been a Labor of Love Creatively.
Art is in fact very Personal... and so those who Create can be wounded by a lack of Appreciation, lack of Sensitivity or a Critical Spirit about their Creations, their Work. As an Artist myself I am Aware of that and so I have never been Critical of another's Art Forms... whether I personally liked them or not. Art is kinda like your 'Baby'... after all you've given Birth to that Creation and it has come from within a part of you... and so when someone says it's Ugly or is Ultra Critical, it is like saying you have an Ugly Child or are being Critical of that Child!
Sure... not everyone likes Creepy Dolls and I totally 'Get' that... they might even be Creeped Out. But they don't have to buy them, Decorate with them, or even look at them if they find them to be particularly Offensive... we all have Free Will... I suggest just walk on by and go about your own business without causing Drama for others who may not Agree with your point of view or philosophies. Life is full of choices and not everyone will choose to be exactly like you or me and that's Okay... in fact it's Refreshing since I would be bored to tears if everyone were my Clone. *Winks* Too "Stepford Wives" for me... the Differences are the Distinctions.
{Stepping down off Soapbox now... LOL}
And look what else I 'Scored' for my Showroom... a Green Vintage Belgian Velvet Upholstered Chair!!!
This is the Style of Furnishings that I'd Love to Decorate with but cannot due to the lack of Practicality and limited Function of such Styling in a household full of Men, Cats and Young Children... but at least now I can snag 'em in a 'Pick' to re-sell and Style my Showroom with in a way that I could never do at Home.
Here it is when I first brought it into the Showroom... which, by the way, is coming along slowly but nicely. I had just finished painting the walls in this frame, but later hung Vintage Tea Stained Quaker & Irish Lace Linens to add another dimension of layered Beauty on two of the Walls.
Here is that same Deep Turquoise Wall with the Quaker & Irish Lace Linens hung. I'll be giving you peeks of that "Process" along the way too... so much Fun, but a lot of Work... right now things are all over the place as Construction is still in Progress. My attempt at a Faux Leathery Finish on the back wall turned out just the way I wanted it so I Loved it... but apparently it is one of those Finishes you either Love or Hate. Princess T dug the Faux Effect but said the Color reminded her of Baby Poo... *Le Sigh & a Chuckle... Kids are Brutally Honest*... so... apparently that is now Humorously dubbed Gramma's Baby Poo Wall! *LOL* Well... I like it anyway... *Smiles*
And, well, Okay, if you Insist on seeing a bit more... another more recent peek... I'm constantly moving the Inventory around as I'm finishing up the 'Bones' of the Room. I Love Styling and so everything is always in a State of Evolution and never Static...
It might change Daily on a Whim and that's why I Love having my own Creative Space to Decorate & Style with things I Love or Create, without having to take Form, Function and Fashion into consideration. I can be as Crazy and Eccentric as I wanna be up in here! *LOL*
Though some things will be difficult to part with... I'm getting better at "Letting Go" and that is part of the Process for me at least anyway... so this is Theraputic... not every great Treasure Sourced has to be kept in Bohemian Valhalla now! I can 'Pick' for the Delight of other People eventually Feathering THEIR Nests with it now!!! *Winks*
And now to continue Bragging about my Goodwill Hunting Motherlode of 'Scores'! *Winks* Now, don't be a Hater... but the next two Persian Carpets I'm Sharing were 'Scored' for a mere $5 each... yes, I said FIVE DOLLARS EACH!!! I didn't even unroll them in the Store, I had them up over my shoulders sight-unseen like a Persian Rug Tomb Raider! *LOL* The backside of a good Persian Rug is always a pretty good indication of Quality, Design and Color anyway so even if they'd had Condition Issues {which they don't it turns out} I would have still thought them a Bargain as Cutters to Repurpose into Wearable Art Carpetbags and other Creations. This is Rug #1 which is HUGE, just shy of 11x14 and the Design, Quality and Colors are AMAZING!!!
It was much bigger and more Intricately Designed than I had Imagined so my Heart nearly stood still when I got it Home and finally unrolled it to see what I'd really 'Scored'!!!
OMG... I was rendered nearly Speechless... which is really Rare for me! *Winks* This was definitely a "Keeper"... not gonna flip this one... it's going in my Personal Collection.
I Adore everything about it and I was doing the Math in my Head of how much a Rug like this would fetch Retail... and patting self on back! Ironcially, they both were sitting near Cheap, Ugly, Modern mass produced American made Rugs that they'd Priced way too high... go figure!!! *Insert me shrugging but ever so glad they practically gave these Exotic Beauties away! Smiles*
Now Rug #2 is much smaller, probably 5x8, but no less Gorgeous! My Heart almost stood still again... and by now I'm totally Speechless... there were no Words in fact to how I felt as I Beheld what I'd really 'Scored'!
The Saturation of Vivid Colors on this one are Exquisite and the Design is Captivating!!!
I am absolutely and totally in LOVE with my two Old Persian Beauties!!! Needless to say, this one is a "Keeper" too... you'd have to pry either of these out of my Cold Dead Hands! *Winks* No, wait, I might wanna be Buried with something like this, wrap me up like a Persian Style Burrito... I'll forego the Traditional Shroud I've requested to go out like this! *LOL*
Yeah, it was really good to be me this particularly Great Score Junquing day... Bohemian Valhalla in fact!!!
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian