The first day of the SALE has gone really well, exceeding my Expectations for Sales and so that has continued to Motivate me to delve into Purging my Collections even further! As Promised I squeezed in a few shots of some of the Milkglass Exodus and other New Inventory making their way from my Personal Collections to the Showroom shelves and Vignettes just in time for the present Sale Event in progress. I've really had Fun Designing and making some Sales Tags and several Customers are asking if I will carry some in Inventory... so that will be on the Horizon as a Future Project that I'm really looking forward to delving into and Developing also!
I'd Love some Creative Projects being added to the Vintage, Antiques and Collectibles I want to offer to my Customers. The Potpourri in the Showroom is now Scented with a Divine Fragrance Oil called 'Cashmere' that I stumbled upon in a recent 'Pick' and Hope to discover the Maker and Distributor of?!? It ranks right up there with my abiding Mainstay Favs of 'Nag Champa' and 'Forgotten Sage' now.
So if the Packaging on the Right looks Familiar to anyone please let me know the Source of this Wonderful Fragrance Oil!?! Since I only paid about Five Cents for the whole bottle on a 'Pick' I only Hope that it isn't an Expensive Fragrance Oil to purchase Retail because I want to stock up on it?!? The Packaging looks really Simple and there's no Maker on the Labels, but Believe me, it's Wonderful and Customers are already asking what it is so I'd like to offer it if possible... a little bit goes a long way and lasts long as a Room Fragrance {Cautionary Warning not to use on skin... but it would be nice if they also carry a line of Perfume Essential Oils in this Fragrance or Candles?!?}.
Whimsey and Kitsch is a big thing for me too... I've always Enjoyed both alongside my Serious and more Valuable Collections to add Interest and a Smile to my own Decor and Style. I've always Loved the look of Kewpie Dolls and it was a bit difficult to part with both Kewpies, but the Evolving Dawn is now able to detach more easily and not be so Emotional about the decision to Let Go. And they look so Cute in the Showroom that they're better off there and adding something to it, than remaining here at Home where only I Smile when looking at them and they didn't always have a place to 'Be'.
After all, having a place to 'Be' is Important, especially if you're not a Seasonal Item. I'm tired of Storage of Non-Seasonal Lovelies that don't see the Light of Day as often as they should and Deserve to have. At this Season of Life I also have a tendancy to Forget where I Store things that aren't Seasonal Decor, if they're out of Sight they're usually completely out of Mind and I don't even Remember that I have them anymore or where to find them?! And that just doesn't do the Collections Justice if they're hidden away too often or too long and never Displayed, Enjoyed or Used.
The Milkglass Collection was such a Case... I used to Use, Enjoy and Display it a lot when I Entertained more frequently and had sufficient Space for it to 'Be'. But since it is an Affordable Collectible, over Time and many Years I Acquired so much and it began to Compete for Coveted Space with other Found Treasures. And though much of it was Displayed on Exposed Kitchen Shelves and in Primitive Shabby Cupboards that Showcased much of it Beautifully, it wasn't being Used or Enjoyed as it once was and that seemed a Shame.
I guess I just didn't Love it enough, it wasn't Adored like my Jadeite Collection or my Carnival Glass Competitors for limited Space and occassional Use. I wasn't having an Abiding Love Affair with it, they weren't the items that if a Catastrophic Event struck, Heaven Forbid, I'd try to Save and make a Heroic Effort to Preserve because I wouldn't want to part with or Live without it if I could Help it! *Winks* Honestly, I could always get more if I changed my Mind sometime in the Future, it's nothing I'd have to wait Years to run across again or couldn't Afford now.
And I suppose in many ways I was Done with it as something I needed or wanted to have in my Home now, so Letting Go was easy because it was Time to. I probably won't banish every single piece of Milkglass, but the majority of it is already Gone now and ready to find it's new Owners and Homes. An Affordable Utilitarian and yet Visually Pleasing Collectible that has Maintained it's Popularity probably because of it's Diversity, Durability, Variety and Price Point.
And I Recall how much Fun it was to be on a Mission for during The Thrill Of The Hunt over the Years. As I Intentionally sought out certain Designs or pieces for a Styling Project or Everyday Use... and always knew I could Afford it and didn't have to Save Up or go over Budget in order to Create what I had a Vision for or a Use or a Need. It has Served it's Purpose for us well... and now The Thrill Of The Hunt can be passed on and Satisfied for others seeking it out or Discovering it for the first time as a Possibility for their Decor, Everyday Use or Projects.
I Remember the Pearlized Iridescent heavier pieces were always my Favorite 'Scores' and were a little more difficult to come by or Cost a little more, but not unreasonably so. They were also always something the Kids, G-Kids or my Mom could Afford to buy for me even when they had Limited Resources for a nice Gift they knew I'd Enjoy Receiving and would Add to my existing Collection.
Oh my, what about the Sentimental Value then, you might be Wondering? *Gasp!* Yes, there is usually a Memory or a Sentiment about many of the Things we end up having in our Collections for one reason or another and thus the Attachment Factor can be Amplified. But like I said before, an Evolution is happening and I know that I already made Available to extended Family and Friends those Items they might want to have as their own or Keep in the Family.
So whatever was Left is Fair Game for me to do with as I choose without Guilt or a sense of Obligation to Keep beyond it's Time if I no longer felt any Attachment or Sentiment towards it personally. And right now I choose to Let Go of most of it... as much of it as possible in fact, for a variety of valid reasons... practicality, necessity, economics and maintenance just being a few of them. Sometimes you just need to Move On and Let Go as Seasons of Life and Changes come.
And Embracing the Changes and the Opportunities in The Now is so much more Enriching and Exciting anyway isn't it? The Fusion of New and Old in different ways has been a Rush for me. I actually like a certain amount of Change, which I suppose is a bit Weird for someone of my Season of Life because I'm not as Resistant about even Total Changes if I can see the Benefits of it. Sure, I do Lament about New REPLACING everything Old... and History being Forever Lost or unappreciated, because I think there should be a Healthy Balance of each... but so many Changes have been for the Better and I wholeheartedly Embrace that. Though I am surrounded by Vintage and Antique Items because I have an affinity for them, I don't stay stuck in the Past with our daily Living Experience, I like New Adventures and trying New Things, it expands your Horizons and allows you to fully Live in the Moment.
I will always be a Sentimental Soul and a Keeper Of The Past with a decidedly Love Of Old and Appreciation for History and the Character Age Imparts on Objects and People. But as far as Keeping everything Indefinitely, or being absolutely Attached... I've only got a select few things that might meet that criteria within my Hoard of Found Treasures... most will pass through my hands and on to others eventually, when it's Time.
And now that I have the benefit of Retail Spaces and pursuing that Dream of Sourcing for others, many other Found Treasures will have an even briefer stay at Bohemian Valhalla and were probably more a means to an end in spite of my Attraction to them and Thrill of Hunting, Discovering and 'Scoring' them!
I suppose for me it's always been more about The Thrill Of The Hunt and Saving that which could be Lost Forever, than the actual Objects being Acquired for Personal Gain or Hoarding them all for myself anyway... whether I Kept or Parted with most of it didn't really matter all that much. Nor was the Perceived 'Value' of it that Important to me, I didn't really Care one way or the other.
Nor was I ever that hung up about the Investment aspect as a Portfolio per se, since the Antiques and Collectibles Market fluctuates wildly from year to year, decade to decade and generation to generation. So it's not such a Wise Investment in my Opinion purely from that standpoint alone and probably shouldn't be the catalyst for why you Collect what you do. What will be Trending next cannot always be accurately Predicted and the Paradigm Shift always comes eventually no matter how Hot something is or once was. The Market is fickle. I like what Heidi Klum so Famously says, "One day you're In... and the next day you're Out..."! So True when it comes to Fashion, Style and Decor because it's so deeply Personal to each Individual and the Masses do Dictate what will Thrive and what will Perish in the Retail Market!
I myself have been Hot for something one moment and Cold for it the next if it no longer Appeals to me or I'm Done with it as I move Forward and develop new tastes for something different and Stimulating or have more Exposure to something Interesting and Lovely. I don't know too many folks whose Art, Home and Wardrobe looks Identical to how it did over their Lifetime and from Season to Season as they Matured and their preferences Evolved and Trends of their Era were something they wanted to Enjoy, perhaps for just a Season. There might be Core Passions and Aesthetic that abides, but usually isn't Static either or it becomes Stale, less Inspirational and Boring. And so it is... and will continue to be... and it's all Good...
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian