Blog Archives May 2006

You may be wondering where I have been lately.  From a business perspective, I have been busy behind the scenes working on product ideas, custom orders and Web site enhancements.  That seems to be the stuff that takes a lot of time, but doesn’t get a lot of recognition.  I have also been enjoying some time in the garden, sprucing up the yard, and playing with the kids in the sprinkler.  I have a pretty amazing bunch of peonies this year and I can’t wait until they bloom (should be any day now).  Hopefully they survive the heavy rains that are supposed to come in over the next 3 days.

I am one of those people that lives for the warm, sunny weather.  I love to feel the sun on my face, the sand between my toes and the sound of the ice cream truck rolling around the neighborhood.  Fortunately, for me, I can paint signs and create custom coasters out on the deck.

However, I don’t have wireless internet access, so blogging entails a trip indoors and it’s been way too nice to be tied to the desktop.  But I’m guessing that if it rains over the next few days, you may see a bit more of me in this blog.  I actually do have quite a bit that I want to tell you about (I do some of my best thinking in the fresh air – lends me a whole new perspective).

So, I hope the weather has been equally as nice in your neighborhood.  Have a great day!!

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to my husband today.  We are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary.  I remember our wedding day as if it was yesterday.  It was a magnificent day…bright blue sky, gentle breeze.  We were surrounded by family and friends and it truly was one of the happiest days of my life.  Bobby, if you are reading this…I love you and would do it all over again.  You are an amazing husband and father and you make my life complete.  Happy Anniversary, babe!

Mother’s Day was awesome!  I really want to thank my husband and the girls for making it so relaxing and peaceful…it was just what I needed.  The day started with me sleeping in a bit.  Then, I awoke to knocks on the bedroom door – it was time to go out to brunch!  Brunch was delicious…chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, home fries.  It was such a treat to be waited on!

My husband gets big points for his choice of gifts…a massive hydrangea with gorgeous bluish-purple blooms (my 2 hydrangea plants in the yard have never gotten a bloom and it bums me out), a Scrap ‘n Stamp magazine (he knew I didn’t have it, but would love looking at it), and a perfect selection of cards.  But, the best gift of all was a few hours of scrapbooking time.  We all hung out in the living room, he played with the girls, I accepted the occasional cup of “tea” from my daughter’s tea set, and I cranked out 12 pages (yes, I did say 12).  I was relaxed, inspired, and feeling creative.  I finally got to use my April and May kits from Jenni Bowlin and I had a blast!  It was so great to play with the paper, write down my thoughts and see the finished product.  I rarely get to scrap for myself anymore, so it was relaxing and rewarding on so many levels.  Thanks babe, I love you!!

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It rained.  It poured.  I think the old man even snored.  But it didn’t deter us from going to the Brimfield Fair on Friday.  We packed rain gear, changes of clothes and shoes, and a positive attitude.  Despite the terrible weather, the crowds were steady and we were surprised by how many other people were braving the elements.  We lasted about 6 hours in the rain, but a wardrobe malfunction with my rain gear sent us to the car in hysterics and we decided to call it a day (The rain pants that I bought for $10 at the fair split right down the seam. In a matter of minutes, the pants that were supposed to keep me dry and out on the fields for another couple hours were ripped to shreds.  I was walking around with a huge rip across my right thigh and my left pant leg completely tore in half so all I had left of my pants was a small circle of latex around my left ankle.  It was comical and if it wasn’t pouring so hard, I would have taken pictures.)

We only covered about a third of the territory we normally cover, but we still managed to find some wonderful treasures (photos below).  My mom’s big find was a jelly cabinet for her hallway that she got for a song.  She also scored a large stone snail for her garden, a couple wooden crayon molds that she is planning on using for plate rails, and an old apothecary chest that will house a lot of her office supplies.

As usual, I was truly pleased with my purchases.  I was on the hunt for a bunch of items that I never found, but I came away with some things that I hadn’t planned on purchasing…it all evened out in the end.  I got this great metal bucket with a lid that is painted a very cheery celadon color (perfect on a dismal day).  I’m not sure what I will do with it yet…maybe a planter in the garden, dog food storage, or I might keep it near my fireplace for all of the wood and tools.  I paid $20 for a vintage quilt (what a steal!) with a wedding band pattern and scalloped edges.  I found a huge drawer collecting puddles in the rain…at $5, it will serve me well.  Star shaped nails will be perfect for crafts and wooden signage for Watermelon Rind Designs.  And, last but not least, I got a bunch of these very cool decorative wooden items that will make perfect stamps for my paper crafts.  The detailing on them is amazing.  The gentleman said that they came from India, but the rain was beating so hard on the top of my raincoat that I couldn’t hear the rest.  If you have any idea where they came from, please email me.  It’s nice to get the story behind my vintage treasures!

We can’t wait to go back out there in July.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

So, it’s pouring here.  Has been for 3 days and it is supposed to last for potentially 7 more.  This type of weather is not good for antiquing at the Brimfield Fair.  Some of the vendors leave early if they are not making any money.  The fields are sopping wet and muddy.  The mosquitoes are abominable.  People tend to be cranky and irritable.  It can be hard to see the goods if they are sopping wet and covered in muck.

That being said, we don’t care.  We are going anyways…at least on Friday. (They are predicting 6 inches of rain on Saturday.)  We are on a mission.  We are feeling kooky and highly creative.  My mom has her rain gear, towels, and extra clothes all packed.  I went to Target and bought a bright blue rain poncho and will wear my rubber gardening clogs.  I am going to pack trash bags, a tarp for the inside of my car, rubber gloves, and wet facecloths to get the grime off at the end of the day.  It’s only water…we will survive!

I am looking for bargains now and hoping that the dealers will want to unload some of their items for a song just so they don’t have to transport them back home.  It has been a miserable week and I can’t imagine there has been a good turn-out any day.  So, to the nice man who allows us to park on his front lawn for $5…you will see us bright and early tomorrow.  To Rich from Cherry Acres…we hope you have some nice furniture…my mom is looking for storage solutions.  I want a big giant letter “J” for my scrap space, fencing and sculpture for my yard and barn stars for me and one of my neighbors.  My friend just called me and is looking for scientific drawings of seashells.  Never fear, pal, I am on the case.

We are also looking for items for the Web site…but we can’t divulge our ideas or our secrets just yet.  You will have to check back and read the blog on a regular basis.  Depending on how wet it is, I will bring my camera and take pictures of the adventure.  Wish us luck!

My mom and I have gone to the Brimfield Antiques Show year after year, often multiple times a year…it’s a tradition of ours.  She spends the night at my house, we create our “shopping lists,” clean out the car, and head to bed early.  We are up with the roosters the day of the show and we spend 10-12 hours searching for bargains and hidden treasures.  We get grimy and grubby as we scour the fields for bargains. We snack at the vendor carts, we people watch, we talk and laugh and have a great time – it’s kind of become our special mother-daughter day.  Some of our favorite decorative items have come from these fairgrounds and there are certain vendors that we visit year after year because we know they are going to have something we will adore. We both come home with at least one piece of handmade wooden furniture from a guy that travels from Pennsylvania, we buy stone gardening sculptures from a company from Michigan, and rusty garden ornaments and bird houses from two Minnesota women.  Each show, we collect purple glass bottles, canning jars, vintage ribbon, chenille, antique postcards…the list is endless.  I still have a place in my heart and in my home for every single treasure I have ever purchased…I never fall out of love with them and I never regret purchasing them.

This year, my mom and I have a new focus as we prepare for the fair.  She is the other half ofWatermelon Rind Designs, so we are going with more of a business focus this year.  We started this business in October of 2005, so we didn’t scour the fair for Watermelon items last year.  This year, we will be digging deep for items for the Web site…vintage items with a bit of whimsy.  Things we can transform into fantastic, unique items for our customers.  Items for blankets and scrapbooks and wooden signage.  We have some ideas in our heads and are planning to launch a great new line of products in the coming months.

We are looking forward to it.  It has always been our special tradition.  And now it will be our special business adventure as well.   If you are going to be at the fair on either Friday or Saturday, let us know.  Maybe we can share some fried dough and a few laughs!

So, I am not going to be able to partake in any of tomorrow’s activities and I am kind of bummed out.  No online chats, no contests, no scrapping and swapping…nothing.  But, it is for good reason, so I am not complaining.  First, I have my dear friend’s baby shower in the afternoon. This is her first child and we are all thrilled for her.  Then, I am going to an auction at my husband’s school.  It is Cinco de Mayo themed, so it is sure to be a blast – complete with delicious food and drink.  I guess I will just have to take a bunch of pictures and then hold my own private “National Scrapbook Day” later on!

What are you doing tomorrow?  Scrap a page or two for me!!

Everyone has that certain something that comforts them.  For some, it is a tattered stuffed animal.  For others it is curling up in their favorite spot with a cup of tea and a good book.  Some take comfort in doing something physical, whether it be gardening, strolling along the seashore, or taking a bike ride.  I am not used to “comfort objects” and I don’t think I have one (although my mom says I had a blanket when I was younger and she had to cut it into pieces just so she could swap it out and wash it every now and then).  I think I am simply comforted by the familiar…familiar faces, familiar voices, the familiar chaos of my day to day life, the creature comforts of home.  For my youngest daughter, there is great comfort in a pale yellow fleece blanket and a binkie.

That binkie is always in her mouth.  Both my kids were binkie kids.  We are trying to tell her she is a big girl and doesn’t need it any more, but we are being met with some resistance.  She has it with her morning, noon and night and she will not sleep without it.  We put a few of them in her crib just incase she loses one in the middle of the night.  We have caught her drinking a bottle and sucking on the binkie at the same time…a feat unaccomplished by even the most seasoned binkie-suckers.  She eats with the binkie in her mouth.  And, she is surprisingly articulate with it…we can understand just about everything she says.

The blanket wasn’t always her favorite thing.  She took to it after a few rounds with a particularly stubborn ear infection.  During those ear infections, we would find her whimpering in her crib with the blanket pressed up against the side of her head.  Now, she drags it with her just about everywhere (especially in the house).  She has is with her when she plays, it is right next to her when she eats, we “cover her tootsies” with it when we read her books, and she subconsciously rubs the soft fabric between her thumb and index finger. Between the thumb and finger. Then loop it around the index finger.  Then loop it around the thumb.  Repeat.  Over and over…she does this all the time.

My challenge for today: take note of your creature comforts.  Write about them.  Photograph them.  Compare what comforted you when you were little to what comforts you now.  Scrapbook it.  Try to think about what life would be like without that object or ritual.  And, tell me what your comforts are in the comment section of the blog.  Have a good afternoon!

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6. We are working on a line of signature, watermelon-themed items.  It’s a work in progress…so check back often.  Bookmark our site and tell your friends.