Monday, April 25, 2011

Something Fresh

Online only: the new TradHome Magazine.

I've been struggling with something lately, ever since I got back from the Round Top, Texas antique show. I think my taste is changing and I am ready to move on to a different design sense. Not surprising. It's just good to do every few years and try to stay somewhat current with the times. I hope all of us change it up now and then from hairdo's to furniture to fashion.

I emailed a friend while in Texas and said, "OK, I think I am done. I think I am done with the shabby-chippy-burlap-ironstone thing." Just how much of it can we all have anyway? I found myself not drawn to it much anymore. Tacking a piece of burlap on a chair is a cheap and quick fix but we all know it doesn't feel so good. Stenciling letters on a burlap pillow can be equally appealing but again, do you really want to lay your head on such a thing? And once you are over 40, do we really want all our furniture to wobble with drawers that are hard to open? I am ready for user friendly and well built. But don't get me wrong, I am still in love with antiques, chipped paint and worn linens but I am ready to use these items in a new way and mix them up with some unexpected elements.

I pondered hooking up the camper and heading to a new antique show a few weeks ago but decided against it. Once I saw the pictures online of the show I was glad I did not make the trip. There it was again; images of rusty wire things, burlap covered whatever, chippy drawers or badly painted white something (or bright pink or turquoise!). I do hope dealers are selling these things because these shows are so much work but I want to shout to the universe of antique dealers out there and say "DO SOMETHING ELSE!"

What really prompted this blog post was the discovery of the new TradHome online mag. From the makers of LonnyMag comes a fresh look at the old Traditional Home magazine. Heck, this is so new looking, traces of Traditional Home are nowhere to be found! I was stopped in my tracks by these images from what they call the New Traditionalists designers. Enjoy.

Above, this fabulous mix of color, texture, shape and pattern.
A bit retro, a bit bohemian and fresh!

A lot of yellow but it works! I especially love how all the vintage items have been
reupholstered, cleaned and polished to look brand new.

And yes, I am still a lover of white. Mixed with black and pattern
and stone it gets an immediate 2011 update.

The blue painted cabinets turn this kitchen on its ear!
It looks designed but not untouchable.

Above; from the home of my friend and customer,
Hallmark stylist Andy Newcom. I love how he added the large
oval window making the vintage sink
and ironstone seem more regal.

Also in Andy's house, modern lighting used above an
older French table and antique accessories.
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Friday, April 08, 2011

An Update


I am going to honest with you all, I am having a hard time blogging these days. I know it is because the store is closed and those hurried, everyday shop operations are what kept this blog going for so long. I'll also be honest with you and tell you 90% of my former blog posts were to keep you current on shop news but especially to show you what had just been added to the store so you would come in and buy something. When sales were down, I could blog and voila!- business would pick up for awhile.


Yes I am selling online and when I focus on it and add new merchandise I am thrilled with the response. I have met with my tech and discussed changes I want to make: a JUST IN category and a SALE category. I am also going to add a PROVISIONS category because I find so many great garlands, wires, trims and baubles and I know that crafting has now gone to a whole new level. I found I have a lot of artistic customers out there that need unusual hardware for their creations. I also love scavenging for these items. Changing the website from an idea to fruition is one thing because website work takes forever to implement! I knew this going in and thought I would have all the time in the world to work on it, but not so. I have a stash of great items from my trip to Texas and I will post those as soon as my current project is completed.

White Silicon Watch, perfect for Spring!

Closing down the store is still not over believe it or not. Some vendors are still sending merchandise to the Prairie Village store, some customers still do not know (those that might have visited KC once or twice a year) and there are still little 'business' issues here and there.

I knew I wanted to rest up after the shop closed and because of the lousy winter weather, I certainly did, but I guess not enough for my taste! The Better Homes & Gardens shoot will happen soon and I have really been hammering down on that. I hunted for my camper so I could head to Texas and now that I am back, I just want to crash. The BHG Halloween shoot is happening next week and I am really happy with the all the props, wardrobe and food that have been found. The editor even added another day due to all the wonderful items we need to shoot.

I wasn't sure what life would hold once the store was closed or how I would make a living (and I'm still not!). I knew I had plenty of customers and friends who needed help with this and that. Some business owner/friends are overwhelmed and need help; some friends need my advice who are in the midst of remodeling their homes; I have some personal projects I can certainly cash in on if I choose to. Getting in the groove of a freelance life again is kind of strange. I watched Eat, Pray, Love again last night and I would love to take a year off and do whatever I pleased without any 'have to's' in the way. (who wouldn't!)

My best friend from grade school (yes, 40 years) lives in New York now and has been in and out of town all year due to the illness of her parents. Her mother passed away last Wednesday and because of all the strange circumstances she has asked me to clean out, redecorate and stage their home to sell. And believe it or not, I am in the mood to do my own home. Because the store is closed my home (and garage and basement and porch) have become the holding ground for all things and it is making me a little nuts. Are you like me? Once every few years I just have to get rid of everything and see empty shelves and life without piles of stuff.

I am on a list at our local antique mall to get a large booth. I decided I really want to do this to please the local customers I left behind. I also find so many great, larger items I cannot sell online and I want to offer them to Curious Sofa fans. So far, nothing is available and I just can't understand why they won't kick someone out!!! Ha. I am hoping they have a vacancy by late summer so I can do the popular Halloween and Christmas display in there.


I hope to shoot some behind the scene images of the BHG shoot. I can't give too much away as they would not like that much but it will still be fun to give you a tease. Stand by for that. In the meantime, I hope all of you are supporting your local retailers, taking a day trip to an antique show and getting ready for Spring. Open those windows and let your home breathe!

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Monday, March 21, 2011

Wagons Ho!

A 1966 West, 10' Camper
Pearl and I ready for our new on-the-road antiquing life!

I did it! I got my little camper in Warsaw, Missouri on March 19th, hooked it up and took a few test spins around KC, loaded it with necessities and hit the road. (That is the very condensed version of what transpired!) Pearl and I are currently in Round Top, Texas at the world famous antique show. I dusted off my boots, packed the bandannas and after many mechanical check-ups for my van and camper, we arrived here last Wednesday. We are spending our days shopping the fields, the tents and every podunk vendor set up on the side of the road.


I have been going to Round Top, on and off for ten years now and each and every time its a feast for the eyes, a lesson on navigation and a homecoming with friends. This trip feels like a new beginning now that the store is closed and I have less to worry about. I don't feel the added pressure of hurrying back home to be in the store or finding bigger items to make the trip financially worth while. Its also nice not to have to drive the fields with a 20' truck!


I am camped out at the Blue Hills Event Venue in Round Top, owned by Kansas City dealer Mike Peters. I sent Mike a plead to just let me park on his property and he responded with, "We have full RV hook up with guest bathrooms and showers!!!" Whoo-hoo! I am all set and did not have to deal with using the bathroom in my little camper!! He even had hired help to pull me in place and set up the water and electricity to my little home. I could get used to this!

Of course, makeover pictures to come.
(You didn't think I was going to leave it like this did you?!!)

Once I left home, the drive from KC to Wichita was not pleasant. The winds were at full force making me feel I was driving through quicksand. I was intimidated enough pulling this for the first time but once the winds died down, all was good. Pearl and I slept inside for the first time at a truck stop in Oklahoma and I found myself giggling as I cranked open the windows and snuggled with her under the covers for our first night on the road!

After we arrived in Round Top and unhitched the camper I drove around town seeing who was still open and ended up at Royer's having a beer with Bud the owner and Grand Marshall of this antique weekend. He caught me up on the latest news, telling me of Rachel Ashwell's venture with her new B & B miles away and then showed me pictures of his amazing home in Austin! OMG! Why someone has not featured this place in a magazine is beyond me. It looked like Uncommon Objects Gone Wild!


Since hitting the road, there have been many amusing anecdotes of which I will call the Curious Camper Diaries one day. (A new blog starting soon!)

To name a few:
- I forgot there are bugs and dirt while camping! How quickly we forget.
- Living in a 6' x 10' space is all about organization; lots of bins and bags and multiple hooks are needed to keep things off the ground.
- Do not be stupid enough to think you are going to completely redecorate your new abode on your first trip out. Learn how to live in it first. (This lesson was painful, you should see all the crap I brought with me!)
- If you camp near bathroom facilities, you will almost feel human.
- Be prepared to be without internet connection and living by your iPhone. (Second tough lesson.)
- Using propane to boil water brings a new found joy and a caveman-like accomplishment. (Even if it is for Ramen noodles.)
- Your beloved canine has no place else to go but in bed with you. Be prepared to sleep with paw prints and dirt.
- Have a local vet handy when your fluff-ball experiments with Texas rat poison. (Oh yes, mother and daughter now doing fine.)
- One minute you will love the simplicity of camping, the next minute you will want your MTV.
- Have many lavender sachets handy to bury your face in when a skunk wanders near your camper at night. (I thought I was gonna die!)
- ENJOY the junking and gathering great items for myself, the camper, the website and photo shoots.


More stories when I return!
TEXAS TREASURES WILL BE POSTED NEXT MONTH!!

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Saturday, March 12, 2011

March Update

A lovely vintage Pin Cushion Doll (shot in my office) SOLD

Life is shuffling along just fine post Curious Sofa. Since closing the store my home has suddenly become a photo studio with props, backgrounds and merchandise scattered about. If only I had the means to build that wonderful studio in my giant back yard! Although my home is small, it is the perfect palette to use for shooting images for all the new (and old!) product I am offering online.

Distressed Wooden Peacock Tray shot in my living room.

Most of the shooting is happening in my office which is painted a lovely medium grey color. It has a large picture window too offering tons of natural light and a smaller window with a crochet curtain.

A new Victorian Display Hand shot in my office.

My tea stained bedroom wallpaper has worked perfectly for hanging pictures with the gauzy white window treatments.

An antique pair of Oval Prints shot in my bedroom.

The living room is a soft creamy color with the infamous fireplace, lots of natural light and curtains that are a bit different with a subtle pattern.

In my living room an Antique Shaving Mirror.

The dining room has become the holding area with my table covered with tools and props but it is also painted neutral with natural light.

I love the shape of this new Pendulum Clock.

I use the kitchen a lot because it is a painted a lighter grey with wooden counter tops and a lacy door panel.

In my sunny kitchen, a new Sunflower Watering Can.

And as crazy as it sounds, I just love the bleached out grey stairs to my screened in porch so they became the perfect backdrop for this wire dog.

Pearl is a bit miffed why her new friend won't play! Dachshund Topiary Form.

That just about covers every kind of backdrop I might need, although now I am buying different tablecloths, surfaces and curtains to switch things out as needed. Now I know a little how Martha used to feel when every room in her home was being used for her magazine! (Does this mean a big write-off come next tax season? I think so!!)

For over two months now I have had a stash of antiques to post online and slowly they are making an appearance to the website. I will soon change up the categories and disperse the antiques where they belong. I am adding a Display category for all you retailers and crafters that love show pieces.




I am also adding a Provisions category soon with my favorite wires, garlands, tools and such.



Back in stock: Burlap Garland

Also, by popular demand I have added American Express and PayPal to our payment options. I am also keeping the Four Seasons categories and adding Fall and Christmas items as I find them so be sure and check there too.


New goods from market have started to appear and I am loving these items as well:


Remember my friend and local artist Lesa Dailey? We had her sell her originals in the store for a few events but now you can buy her new Easter designs here. Someone has finally discovered Lesa and I am thrilled to carry her line. No one does handcrafting like she can and every little feather, bow and collar have her special touch.

Queen Bird by Lesa Dailey

White Birdie Ornament by Lesa Dailey (Blue and Pink too!)

This month I am headed to Round Top, Texas and will certainly be bringing back great antiques from there. I am so excited to meet up with friends I have not seen in a year and if all goes as planned, be towing my new vintage camper behind me!!!! Friday I am heading to Warsaw, MO to see one I found on Craig's List. It is not as unique as I would like, but it looks solid and has already been renovated. I finally got a hold of myself and realized I could decorate the heck out of it anyway, so who cares what the shape is? The cuter, funkier campers that I really want can run from $2,000 to $7,000 and I just cannot do that especially since I am new at this pulling-the-camper/living-on-the-road-thing and at $3.50 a gallon now (!!!) I need to take it slow. Someone told me, "Hey this could be your new thing to buy these old campers and decorate them and resell them!" Now that's the kind of flipping houses I could do!!

$$$ Probably Yes

$$$$$ Definitely No

My other news is that I received a wonderful opportunity from Better Homes & Gardens magazine. I am producing a ten-page editorial for their Halloween Ideas issue! This came to me literally 48 hours after I closed the store and the contract was finalized this week. I don't want to give away too much but let me tell you, this is going to be one BEAUTIFUL Halloween spread. It is not gory or gothic or spooky and no it does not include Marie Antoinette with crows in her hair!! This is all I'll tell you: Alice will be getting curiouser and curiouser... tee hee.


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