I appologize for lagging in my Blog Posts, but you see, I've been uber busy with the Studio Cottage Renovations AND being a Serial Bargain Hunter to 'Pick' for the new Decor of it and to Source Inventory for the Showrooms for the New Year. If you haven't already been, my Friends at the Trendy URBAN RESTORATION Shop are still having their Monthly four day Event, which will run thru Sunday. I bet it won't take you long in this Image to Guess what my first purchase was? *Winks, I know, I'm SO Predictable!*
If you J'Adore Chandies, Creative Upcycling, Architectural Salvage, Vintage Industrial, the Rusty and the Crusty, Mid-Century Modern, Retro and some of the best selection of Smalls to be found... this is the place to head to Central Phoenix for!
Housed in an Adorable Adobe Cottage on 7th Street, the Event is Hosted around the second Weekend of every Month. The Man attended with me Thursday for the first day... and I went back on Friday because I'd fallen in Lust with a certain somethin'-somethin' that I neglected to do a consultation about with The Man until we were almost Home the day before!
Have you ever done that my Friends... gone to an Event or Pickin' with someone who is an Expert on a particular item or field of Collectibles, but been so caught up in the Moment that you completely forgot to drill them on the piece or discuss the merits of Purchasing it, even if you are seriously Jonesin' for it? I'm so A.D.D. like that, so it tends to happen often to me. Especially when I'm virtually surrounded by Eye Candy causing a serious distraction that Focus becomes a real Issue! *LOL*
So... it's not AS IF I didn't spy the Taxidermy Treasure hanging up there in all it's Magnificence... or even forget to Call The Man's Attention to it so that he could specifically tell me what it is, where it comes from, the rarity of finding such a Specimen in a Mount... 'cause he knows all about dead animals, being the Great White Hunter and all, not to mention having a younger Brother whose a Talented Taxidermist. But what I DID forget, was to go Further, you know, to the Point of Purchase and discussing whether it was a Good Deal... 'cause Clearly I WANTED it! *Le Sigh* But I don't know enough about Taxidermy Treasures to always know the Price Point... and being a Serial Bargain Hunter... I must not just Feel it's a Bargain, I gotta KNOW it is! *Winks*
Now normally The Man would have immediately picked up on my Gotta-Have-It-Radar... but after his Traumatic Brain Injury it tends to have a lag time now before it comes to him. So picture this... we're already more than halfway Home on Thursday after our initial Visit... too late to go back since the G-Kid Force will be getting out of School, then Homework will need to be done, and pesky things like making them Dinner and getting them Bathed, Medicated and to Bed at a decent hour. *LOL*
So by the time we begin to discuss MY left-behind Taxidermy Treasure Seriously... too late to get it this day! {Insert wringing of hands and knashing of teeth since he tells me it's a Great Deal and I shouldda got it already!!! Arghhhhh and Pickers Remorse!!!} So you know I was rolling outta bed early Friday and fighting Morning Rush Hour Traffic to get back there, dontcha!? *LOL* I know, I shouldda just Called my Friends Leslie and The Two Mikes so I wouldn't have had that near Heart Attack! *Smiles* But, all was well, it had Waited Patiently for me to Return! *Whew!*
And it's not as if I didn't already 'Score' some Great Stuff the day before that were on my Mission Statement, but you know how it is, if there's that ONE COVETED ITEM and you Fail to Act, it can drive you Crazy!!! Come on, YOU know what I'm talkin' bout, you've been there and done that too, I KNOW you have! *Winks*
But these are the types of Vingettes that totally throw me off my Game and I can get so Immersed in that Focus becomes a Real Problem, a Virtual Impossibility in fact... and I'm all over the place decision wise and completely Junque Drunk! Throw in that many of your Friends start to show up and we all begin to Socialize and Swap Stories and Inspiration... and well, you know, my Focus and Mission Statement become Secondary really. *Bwahahaha!* So it's completely Understandable that my poor Forgotten Taxidermy Treasure got pushed to the back of my Mind... it was now kinda out of Sight and out of Mind actually... well, until that Conversation on the way Home that is!
Because this is typically how the Scene unfolds and plays out... I Enter... with Mission Statement Intently Focused and seared into my Psyche... but since I never know what Scenic Eye Candy and Terrific Treasures will be Artfully Displayed and Confront me, I can never be adequatly Prepared now can I? *Winks* Plus, coupled with being a Pathological Picture Taker and also Intent on Covering the Event for those of you here in the Land of Blog, I have this wee dilemma of dual Focus trying to go on simultaneously in my overtaxed brain... yeah, Overload is gonna happen any Minute, it's not a matter of IF, but only a matter of WHEN?! *Smiles*
And being very O.C.D. as well, {yeah, I got a lot of Issues} *Winks*... I'm bound to get 'Stuck'... you know, like when I come across a mound of Awesome Typeset Letters and NOW I'm trying to Spell something... only I don't know WHAT exactly and when I do come close to something Special I could spell to Justify a Purchase, there always seems to be a letter or two missing that I HAVE to look thru EVERY SINGLE PIECE to try to FIND! *Le Sigh* Those of you who are equally Afflicted will totally Get this. *Winks* Okay, so now I have my letters, which really don't spell a whole word or anything, but I'm Happy anyways to have Scratched that Itch and Satisfied the Thrill Of The Hunt whilst Immersed in Specific Typeset Letter Hunting. *Ha ha ha*
It's so much easier for me if there are only Big Pieces that I can't afford or won't fit into the Jeep, you know... but Smalls is definitely my Downfall, because who can't afford them or fit them into your Vehicle, really!?! *Bwahahaha!*
And since Smalls are my Best Sellers in the Showroom too and for Creating Wearable Art or other Creative Projects... well, they are definitely a 'Draw' where ever I happen to be, I'm Attracted to them like a Moth to a Flame! The Man knows that once the G-Kid Force or I get around a Bounty of Small Treasures, we're going to linger for more than just a while and all other Agendas tend to fly out the window or become completely pushed to the back of the Attic of our minds, maybe never to be seen again until prompted at some later date and that Oh Crap Moment of Recalling what we Forgot to do or get!? *Le Sigh*
Thankfully I did come away with more than just pretty pictures... and 'Scored' what I Needed or Wanted to 'Score' before someone else got to it. And I did have such Fun eyeballing and Photographing so much more than I would come Home with, just for you my Friends.
Because in spite of my Blog Post Delay, you still have Time to get down there yourselves and 'Score' some Found Treasures!
Fresh Inventory will be added daily and numerous Artists and Dealers are part of the Event so you'll find a vast array of whatever it is you're Hoping to Source for your Shop or Nest.
You will find the Prices to be very Reasonable. So if you are an Artist or Vendor then you will be able to go Junquing here to fine tune Satisfying your List of Must-Haves but without having to drive all over the City or the Country to TRY to find it. The Thrill of the Hunt will still be there for you, only you won't have to ever come up empty handed because a lot of the Work has already been done for you in the form of Curating and sorting out the Trash from the True Treasures.
I Love Thrifting, Yard Sales and Op Shopping to be sure, but you do have to wade thru a lot of absolutely worthless Crap to discover the occassional True Treasure that will make your Heart skip a beat at those types of places. Events like this will make your Pulse Race as if you just ran a Marathon because it's ALL already Fabulous or has Great Potential!!!
Or maybe has already been Upcycled saving you the Time of that Project you might never get around to! Loved this Antique Architectural Salvage Corbel Shelf for example that someone has already put together so that The Man wouldn't have to. *Smiles* No, I didn't get it, that wouldda been a Wish List Item.
Or maybe just an Idea for a Future Project I'll get The Man involved in when he's further along in his Recovery from the Accident. He can't wait to begin Creating again, so that's why we're moving right along with the Studio Cottage Make-Over and Renovation. Hell, I've Recruited half the Rug Rats on the Block to Help the G-Kid Force and I with the Studio Cottage Project. Men and Kiddos have the time of their Lives with Demolition Projects and being Paid in Trade with whatever they find that I've decided must go and they will take as Payment. *Smiles*
I want a Blank Canvas to build upon, since too many years have gone by since it actually WAS my Art Studio... you know, with everyone Living in there and all when the Economy made Empty-Nesters and their Friends Return to the Nest. *Le Sigh* Re-Claiming it is Great, but there's a lot of Work to be done to Transform it back to the Gypsified Glory it once had.
It's actually Exciting to begin it tho' at the start of a Brand New Year... I actually Thrive on Creative Projects, even if a lot of Work is involved and the Project is Grandoise... like an entire Studio Cottage Make-Over of Epic Proportions! So, I'm actually ridding myself of a lot of the contents of the Art Studio Cottage... some will be given as Trade to those Helping me with the Project, some will be Sold at the Showrooms and some will be Donated since I Believe Giving is equally Important and many Worthy Causes could use the Inventory to Fund their Mission Statements.
I'm so Grateful that our Family Raised us to realize that Givers always Gain... ALWAYS. Reciprocity is one of the most Miraculous of Divine Laws. It never ceases to Amaze me that you can never Outgive God... you can try, but the outcome will always be abundant Blessings being poured out and overflowing, when your Giving comes with the Right Heart and Spirit behind it and your Motivation for Giving is Pure.
So, since so much is going out, its giving me Room and a Vision for what I want to come in to Transform it. I'm being very Discerning about the Furnishings that will come in and I've been Sourcing them for over a year now and putting them in my Storage Cottage for when they will be brought into the Studio... all Good Things take Time and are worth waiting for. Funds have been tight so I knew it would take Time to Source the larger pieces I wanted for the Studio.
It will be Fun seeing it all come together now that we're Intently working on it. I Love having a Blank Canvas to Create a Vision upon. This particular Vignette at the Event was one of my Favorite Visuals of Inspiration... Loving everything about it.
For you fellow Ephemera Lovers there was plenty of Inventory for you to wade thru! These Vintage Valentine's Day Cards caught my eye. The Man and I liked the Red "Boo-Hoo" one. So Special that someone Saved something like this so that it still Exists... I think that is why I'm particularly drawn to Ephemera, most of it was never meant to be Collected and Preserved.
Mantiques abound at the Event too... so you can have your Menfolk tag along and they'll be Content to wade thru the Treasures that Appeal to them while you're busy with yours! *Smiles*
Was there one item I had to leave behind both days that I would have Loved to have gotten... sure... pesky Budget precluded me getting this Awesome Oddity of a Teaching Tool for Conjoined Twins! That is SOOOOO My Style isn't it? Never seen one before either... and you know what Mike from 'American Pickers' always says about that! *LOL* I really have no Special Place to put this where it would be properly Showcased, but I'm sure I could find one... you always do don't you? *Ha ha ha* But after springing on the Beloved Taxidermy Treasure I didn't have the Heart to ask The Man if I should get this too... not that he wouldn't Understand WHY I would find this piece particularly Appealing and Attractive mind you! *Smiles*
But I did get some of my Friend Karen Lackey's Hand-Dyed Sari Fibers to Create with.
Fabric Artists and Fibers are just a Perfect Marriage, you know! *LOL*
The Retro Room is always such Fun Nostalgic Visual Stimulation.
These are the Images of my Childhood from the Kitchens at Home and of every Family we knew back in da day. Retro Kitchens are just The Best IMO.
Vintage Suitcases, Baskets and Trunks filled with Fabrics and Sewing Notions... what's NOT to Love about that?
And though I know all these Images I took shouldda probably been split into several Posts, Time is of the Essence lately and I just haven't been Blogging as much as I Want or Need to, so excuse the Epic Posts that dump the whole bale on ya my Friends... but I know that otherwise I might never get around to it.
And I'm an Image Marine of sorts, with the Mantra of "Leave no Image behind..." *Winks*
But leaving the Event behind I must for this Month... with all the Work to be done at Bohemian Valhalla... Thank God I got the Showrooms Made-over already or I'd be seriously behind the Eight Ball!
My new Old Creepy Doll Head and Upcycled Clock Face Stand lend themselves well to the Decor of the Main House, which is still Full-On Christmas and will probably remain so right up until past Valentine's Day at this rate. *LOL* Which is Okay, that's not the first time we've Extended Christmas well past New Year's, we're never in any hurry to take it down since it always turns out so well and gives the Livingroom an Ambiance we Enjoy hanging out in all the more with the Sparkle and Magic that it Imparts.
I'm too busy to take anything down and put anything away that will Distract me right now from my Main Mission of the Art Studio Transformation anyway... one Major Project at a Time is all I can handle right now inbetween the duties of the daily grind of full time Caregiving and Maintaining our Home and my Showrooms! However, I've always said that if the Vision is small enough to be do-able without God having to be in it to get it done and get the Glory, then it's too Small! *Winks* So we always go Big in our Vision and Dreams so that God has to show up or we look like complete Fools! *Smiles*
Can't wait to Pimp out my Taxidermy Treasure... so Diminutive and Lovely... this makes up for the Tiny African Antelope One-That-Got-Away last year, The One I Failed to Purchase Immediately even tho' it was a smokin' Deal, so someone else 'Scored' it. Those Picker Remorse ones that slipped thru your fingers always Haunt you don't they? Hindsight it Twenty-Twenty and I never quite get over them no matter how much more Cool Stuff I do procure. Don't we always come back to telling the Stories of __________________! {You fill in the blank... my Infamous One is the Antique Yellow Ware Nesting Bowl Set of Five that I KNEW was worth about $700 and I was too Cheap to spring $60 for because, you know, it was at a Thrift Store and you can get all Illogical and Indignant about Value at Thrift Picks because you know the Stuff was Donated! LOL}
Well... I Hope you do get to make it down to URBAN RESTORATION for this Month's Event before it Wraps Tomorrow? But if not... there's always Next Month...
Because I've missed a few myself that I desperately WANTED to Attend and Life got in the way... *Le Sigh*... like this one... where I hear that a Taxidermy Turtle was Present! *Curses Foiled Again!* Yeah, it happens, whatcha gonna do?
But... here's the Dates for this one my Friends and sorry I'm so Late in Posting about it... Happy Pickin' and Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian