Well, it's my first post, and I'm not sure what to write about, but thought I'd give it a try. I've wanted to start a blog for a while now, and am finally taking the plunge.
On my facebook profile I say "I love the life the Lord has given me...family, friends - and a whole lotta wonderful junk" - and that's so true. My husband and I became Christians in 1979, and the Lord has watched over us and blessed through the good and the bad ever since. I am so grateful for His mercy. I have no doubt that our lives would have turned out much differently... I'm very thankful for good friends who have shared in our walk with the Lord, and that we all know we're there for each other - and that's a wonderful gift!
My husband, Jim (who loves me AND racing), and I have been married since 1978, and have a beautiful, talented, independent daughter, Kristen, who lives in Hoboken, NJ (too far away from Ohio), with her dog, Jersey. We reside in Mansfield, Ohio (we're both originally from Bryan, Ohio), and I work for an architect as an Office Manager - fulltime; and a junker - parttime..., and Jim is a salesman - motorcycles, four-wheelers, and all that fun stuff. We'd LOVE to live in a warmer climate (winter is too darned long around here), and hopefully we will one of these days - preferably in a cottage on a lake or near the ocean - so for now, we'll hang in there!!
I have three "little" brothers - Tom, Scott & Joe - and I'm very proud of them - and one great sister (younger too...), Nina - who I don't get to see enough! My Mom, Sylvia, (whom I've named my blog after) loves her children so much - when we all get together, she just likes to sit back and watch us...be silly, share stuff, etc...a very simple pleasure - but, a "Mom thing" for sure! She raised us by herself and didn't do too bad a job (a bit biased?? - yep!!)! She has always collected knick-knacks, and just about anything else (forever), and has always made do with what she could...used furniture, etc... So, I blame part of my love/obsession with "stuff" on her. (my husband routinely blames her...calling me "Sylvia" - but, he loves me anyway). The other person I "blame" for my love of collecting is my grandma, Marvel... She wasn't really a collector, but was always putting something away "because she'd use it one of these days"...that's sorta me too. So, now that I've not taken any blame at all for the way I am - I'm feeling so much better (LOL) - in denial?...yep...
Nostalgia's Cottage (our part-time hobby/job): My friend, Terri, and I buy old furniture (and assorted other stuff) and fix it up, paint it (mostly white), and sell at some fleamarkets and antique shows in Ohio and Kentucky. We have a blast at what we do - and we know we couldn't do it without each other (and wouldn't want to...). In addition to furniture, we do handcrafted things from vintage materials - button bouquets, pincushions from old planters, and china, collages (using just about anything...), shopping bags from vintage fabrics, potting tables, etc...(details and pictures in future posts). One of the things we love the most is the junking/shopping (that's a "girl thing"), and then pile it up in our workshop to prepare for our next show... Decorating/setting up our booth space is big fun - and then, of course meeting new friends/customers and making some money for our girl trips (details in future posts...) is a big bonus! Our dream is to make all this our "day job".
Here are "some" pictures of "some" of my collections...so hope you enjoy and I'm sure quite a few can identify with this love/obsession of "stuff" - and can also "blame" that love/obsession on someone in your life!
Have a blessed day - and thanks for stopping by!
Kathy
P.S. I'll be signing up for "blogging for dummies"! :)
Pillows (the one on the left was handmade by my friend, Terri!)
Perfume bottles, pottery, etc...
A basket 'o' bottles
Just a few old dresses...
Pottery & flowers
More pottery...
OK, so I have just a small collection of pottery (this is just a sample...)!
Ironstone anyone??
Some cute little pincushions...
Great vintage prints...very beautiful!
I've been shopping at "Beach Paintings-R-Us"...
Such a cute hat -maybe I'll borrow it...
This is just a sample...more..."coming soon" to a blog near you!!!
P.S.S. I'll be leaving for my "Collectors' Anonymous" meeting now... :)
Pillows (the one on the left was handmade by my friend, Terri!)
More pottery...
Congrats, Kathy, on your first post! I know it seems scary at first, but in no time you'll have the hang of it. It's great to see your things. I love all the pottery you have. I have a thing for pottery, too! It also fun reading about you and your family. I, too, am a Christian and have been since I was 5 years old! I remember the day vividly and I remember crying as my heart was so touched. I've walked with the Lord ever since. Not to say there aren't bumps in the road. But it's neat there are so many Christians in this business. It's fun networking with them. I love the fact that you named your blog after your Mom. That's so sweet. Looking forward to seeing more posts from you!
ReplyDeleteLani
Yay Kathy! You took the blogging plunge! It looks lovely and can be a valuable tool for your fleamarket business, I'm sure. Thanks for sharing more about you and your family. It's nice knowing a bit more about the "shabbychick" that we know and love on JUNKMARKET Style. And might I add your "Beach Paintings-R-Us" vignette is fantastic! Best of luck with your new blog!
ReplyDeletehi kath, great job, you'll get the hang of it in no time, let me know if i can be of help :) gio
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy
ReplyDeleteFinally had a minute to check out your blog....it looks great...isn't it exciting!!??!! I, too, will be signing up for the 'blogging for dummies' class!!!! I found, and, still, find it such a stretch on my computer skills, but I am so proud of us both for perservering!!
xojanis
Thanks to each of you for posting - I appreciate the support, and am looking forward to sharing on your blogs as well - you're all my inspiration!! :) Trying to figure out my next "article" got a lot of "junk" to cover!!!
ReplyDeleteJanis...maybe they'll have a 2-for-1 sale...we can sign up together!! LOL
Welcome to blogland! This is waaaay better than my first post! You are a pro already!! Can't wait to see more!
ReplyDeleteAmy
Thanks, Amy! I'm checking out other blogs to get an idea of what "goes on", and what people are writing about - it's a lot of fun! (and, I'm seeing it could be addictive as well)
ReplyDeleteHi, Kathy......I just found your blog!! Somehow, someway, I landed on your site.... it's great to see you on blogland...
ReplyDeleteand yes, blog searching is way too addictive, but so much inspiration out there!
Happy Junking ~ JMS junkinhart
Cindy - thanks for visiting/posting - will have to check out your blog too!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Junking back at ya!!! Kathy
Hi Kathy-
ReplyDeleteI tried to post when you first set up your blog, but I wasn't signed in, so once I signed in my long comment was "poof", gone. I was in a hurry and leaving for somewhere, so didn't get back until now.
Love the beach vignette you've created as well as the great neutral pottery pieces. Lots of fun stuff at your house. My problem is I don't have any good display pieces in my home, so I need to remedy that very soon.
Welcome to the blog world, and your blog looks great for a newbie.
Gretchen