Baby Update

The phone call came yesterday morning just when I was expecting it. It was Tresa.

"Mom, the doctor said everything looks good", Tresa said excitedly.

I quickly responded....."and?"

Her voice trembling....I knew she was trying not cry...."It's a boy!"

Then I started to cry. It wouldn't have mattered to me whether she said it was a boy or a girl....I still would have cried. I was relieved to know that everything they can see on the Ultra Sound looked good....and I cried because Tresa was crying.

I laughed when she said the ultra sound picture has a big red arrow pointing right at his little you know what with the words, BOY!

So no more he/she or it......our little grandson who will make HIS grand appearance in September is now about 10 inches long and about 13 ounces in weight.

What a beautiful day......

The Rest of The Treasures

Here are the rest of the things for the consignment shop. I will be delivering them on Saturday. My thought was to give them a wide variety of things so I can see what style of work the customers might prefer. I think I accomplished that.

Here is the vintage ladies feathered hat. I think it looks so cute. Sorry for the bad picture, but there was no where in my house with the right light.

Just this wood rooster tray without the clock attracted a lot of attention on my blog and on Facebook....I hope the clock does the same in the shop. What do you think of the knife and fork hands? I really like them a lot!The Twinkies sign turned out really well. I used old wire for the hanger so it had the same appearance as the replica sign. I love the crazy second hand!

I really like this oval plate. I decided to hang it this way, but if someone buys it, they can turn it the other way. I thought it would look neat this way on a narrow wall.

This plate is very pretty . I love the floral design.

This is the black vintage straw ladies hat. Right now I have it sitting with the sides rolled in because it was slightly out of shape. Hopefully it will repair itself. It's cute and would look great in a black and white bedroom.

Another floral plate. I think I found some nice patterns. We'll see what the customers think!

Here is Betty Boop and I just love her. Irv is searching for a white wire that I can use to make her hanger. She'll be great when she's done.

Well, that is it. I'll be happy to get everything over to the shop this weekend so I can start working on the lamps and on things for FourDogDay. We have our end of the year party after work today....hard to believe that it is almost the end of another school year. Yikes!

What are you up to today?

Being In Control

I am a person that likes to be in control. I like to do things myself. I like doing things my way. It isn't that I'm not cooperative when dealing with joint ventures....I am. I am also a team player when I need to be. I just prefer things that are mine....my project, my crafts, my room, my office....well I like to control those things.

That is why I wasn't sure if selling my crafts in a consignment store was going to be for me. I am use to my etsy shop FourDogDay...where I make, price, display and sell everything myself. With the consignment shop, I make and price but that's where it ends. Someone else will display my things, talk to customers about my things and hopefully sell my things. I thought I might have a problem with that.

Guess what? I'm not having a problem with it at all. In fact, I'm pretty darn excited. The consignment shop is giving me an opportunity to make things that I would not have made for etsy. The clocks were big to ship, cakestands were a nightmare and I would never even attempt to ship one of the lamps.

Now I feel as though I have the best of both worlds. I can make and sell my fabric things on etsy and I can make and sell big and fragile things at necessary exTRAVagance. How lucky can one person be?

Do you like to be in control or are you comfortable letting someone else run the show? Do you find it easier to turn certain things over to someone else than it is some other things? Please share....

Trash to Treasures....Kathy Style

I have a lot of things to get done right now, but I wanted to show you some of the things I have finished from my flea market finds. This wall hanging, was just a cheap find. It originally came from TJ Maxx, but I thought it was cute and Irv just loved it. I cleaned it all up and made it into this darling clock. I think it turned out pretty good.

I loved this plate. The edge is kind of a maroon with gold trim. It's hard to tell in this photo, but it's really pretty. These are also my favorite clock hands for this type of plate. I just love them!

This is a Coca Cola tray. They aren't real old, but I really liked it. They took photos from old calendars that Coke had put out in the early 1900's and did them on trays. I thought it made an unusual but fun clock. Sorry about the flash. UGH!

If you go to flea markets, you see a lot of these. I was told they are tin ceiling tiles that people have put on wood frames. Apparently they are pretty popular because I have seen them at a number of places. I love old looking things and really like this clock a lot. In fact, I would like to keep it....but I'm not.

Remember how I said I was working on a stacked china lamp? Here are some of the pieces I am playing around with just to get a feel for it. They aren't glued yet. I'm just trying to see how they all fit together. It will be a lot of work, but I think they will be fun if I can find enough tea pots and things for them. I hope to use old lamp parts as well and try not to buy anything new if I can help it.

Speaking of finding things....I never, ever, ever go to our local resale shop during the week. I never go to any resale shops during the week. That is a weekend thing for me. All day yesterday I had this nagging feeling that I needed to go to our local resale shop that day. Mind you, I rarely ever find anything at this particular shop. Well.....I did yesterday!! This is the box of "stuff" I left there with after work! Do you see that little set of china in there? I LOVE IT!

Look at the amazing tea pot!! Do you know what an awesome lamp these pieces are going to make? I am bouncing off the walls right now!!!

See the little sugar bowl? It will be turned upside down and used as the base I think. I may not be able to use the creamer because of the shape of the top, but oh my word am I excited!

I thought this guy was really cute too, and if I can find the right pieces...he will also make a cute lamp!


I think I am going to be really busy for the next couple of weeks. What I get done this week will go to the consignment shop on Saturday. Then the rest will go down when it's done. How about you....what is keeping you busy these days?

Yoga For Breast Cancer Recovery ....Free DVD

I have a wonderful friend that I've never met in person. She lives out in Washington. We "met" through Craigs List and an errant e-mail. Nancy and I have become soul sisters over the past couple of years. When we met, she was battling breast cancer. After her surgery, she knew she needed to find something else to occupy her mind...something other than cancer and treatments....so with the help of friends and donations, she was able to produce a DVD called "Yoga Support for Breast Cancer Recovery".

I have two of the DVDs left and I would love to get them into the hands of people that could use them. If you could use one, or know of someone that could....just leave a comment with your e-mail and I will contact you for your mailing address.

The DVD's are free. If more than two people want one, I can get more. Just let me know.

Make it the best day ever, and do something nice for yourself today!

Fun at the Flea Market

Irv and I had a nice time at the flea market. We walked around for about three hours and found some great stuff. You do see some strange things and some interesting people...and that's what makes it so much fun!

We came upon a guy that had a huge trailer full of boxes of dishes and glassware. He took the boxes out of the trailer and opened them and put them on table. Everything in them was wrapped in newspaper. He didn't even unwrap the stuff. People were swarming the place digging, and digging through the boxes. I am not much of a digger...I like things nicely displayed, but when I saw some of the stuff....I decided to dig. Nothing was priced. You just took your treasures up to his table and he would say, "How is $12.00?" I was shocked! Yes, I got everything you see in this photo for $12.00!

I just love this plate. It's going to be turned into a wonderful wall clock for the Chicago consignment shop.

This little cup and saucer are going to be part of a lamp of stacked china! Have you ever seen one of those? Irv and I will work on that together. There will be lots of drilling and gluing. I will be sure to show you when I get that one done. It will be a while. I'm still searching for the right parts!

Everything else you see is going to be turned into a wall clock. Yes, you heard me right. It will all be for the shop in Chicago.

This photo didn't turn out very good, but this is a vintage "straw" woman's hat. It's wonderful! I will probably do silver hands on it so you can see them good. I've not made one from a hat before, but it should be fun!

Can you believe this one? I am so in love with this feathered hat. I almost hate to make a hole in it, but I will.

These are old photos taken at the University of Chicago. The guy that was selling them said his dad was a photographer and took them many years ago. I'm not sure what I am going to do with these. They would be awesome just matted and framed. My original intent was to do that, but to make them into clocks as well.....still thinking on this one.

Miss Betty Boop is just a replica of an old sign. I think she is darling and yes, she will be a clock and so will the espresso metal picture. It's just a cheapie TJ Maxx thing. It was still dusty and dirty when I took the photo, but I've cleaned it up and it is really cute.

This is another replica metal sign. I just laughed when I saw this one. I use to love Twinkies as a kid. Another funky clock......

This was is just too fun. It's a wood platter with just the funniest rooster painted on it. I can't wait to make this one. I would love to hang this one in my kitchen....but I won't. Someone is going to have this darling guy hanging in their kitchen!

Well, that is it. It was was a fun day and I am tired out! They have this flea market once a month so if my things sell well, I will be headed back at some point in search of more treasures!

It's Flea Market Time

I am sooooo excited. Me and Irv and Michael and Bern are headed to the Kane County Flea Market today. This is a one time a month flea market and it's usually pretty good. I bought a great vintage table cloth there. I always see awesome stuff when we go...so hopefully I will see awesome stuff today.

I'll be looking for vintage china of all kinds to make cake stands, clocks and lamps. I saw a lamp in a magazine that I just loved and want to try making one if I can find some good pieces. If it works out, I'll be selling them at the consignment shop. I can't believe they open in two weeks. I'm excited for them. I've always wanted to own my own shop of some kind.

Well, this is going to be short because we are going to be out of here early. If I find some good stuff, I'll post pictures tomorrow or Monday. Make it the best day ever, and do something really, really nice for yourself today!