Good JuJu

Planning ahead for both March and April sales at Good Juju

Good JuJu
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Before it was time for my shoulder surgery, I was a busy bee getting my world situated so I function in with only one arm.

High on my list of priorities was to have my booth at Good Juju ready for the march sale.

Knowing I’d be missing the use of my dominate hand, I figured I needed to get enough inventory set up for redos too.  I tagged and boxed huge piles of goods ready to bring in and set up for April and May’s events too.

Another thing I wanted to accomplish in my space was setting up the power strips to be easy to reach, then making a diagram of where they were located so they’d be easy to find.  Other dealers need to be able to turn them off and on for me while I’m away.

Since I move furniture around between sales, I redo lighting each time, and convenience isn’t usually factored in when I finally get to the point of plugging stuff in.  I find myself twisting, reaching, and stretching to pop the switches and it’s been a work out to wrangle my arm behind something and feel around blindly trying to light up the area.

Since I’ll be depending upon the kindness of friends to make sure my booth is tidy and the bulbs are illuminating my wares, I knew I had to simplify how to reach the power strips.  After carefully placing them in spots with easy access and hanging some from hooks, I photographed and mapped out where they were, then printed copies for other dealers to find them.

As I write this, I haven’t gone under the knife yet.  (I’m also pre-posting here, because I’m afraid I won’t have anything to say during recovery).

I have no idea how all will go, and how much I will feel like, or be able to do after.  So part of my prep was to cram as much as I possibly could into the room in case I wasn’t able to do much for a while.

Cramming is my specialty anyway, but I really went for it this time.

She is filled to the brim!
And is decorated in a springtime/Easter theme that will hold through the April sale if needed.

From this angle, you can’t see the bunny ears on this guy.  But he is ready for Easter.

And I think I am too.

I’ve been in a tizzy trying to cover all the bases and be prepared for one armed life for a while.  Lids of toiletries are loosened, new pjs that button down the front are purchased.  My house is clean, as are my car and studio.

I’m as ready as I can be, I guess.  And feeling blessed that my friends are covering for me, so that I can take all this time off to recuperate.

Girlies

Good JuJu
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After last minute touch ups at Good Juju I wanted to take a few photos to post.

As I snapped a few, I started to see a pattern.

I seem to have a lot of little ladies.

With a similar look.

All have a sweet, pensive face.

Girls of all ages.

And mediums.

I seem to have populated my booth with girliness.

Lots of lovelies have filled the space.

Darlings and dollies

 Beauties and babes

I didn’t even realize just how many I keep on display.

Now that I see the pattern, I’m loving that vibe I’d been cultivating without even knowing.

I’m Ready for First Friday weekend at Good Juju for February, but that’s it

Good JuJu
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When this post pops up, I’ll be in Hawaii!
Before flying off, I pre-wrote a few posts because when I get home, I’ll have to hit the ground running.

I made sure I was ready for First Friday weekend before I left


Then, when I get back, I’ll be prepping months ahead.  My shoulder surgery is scheduled mid February and if I want to keep my booth filled, I have to tag and box inventory to have it ready for others to set up while I still have use of my right hand and arm.

At first, I was simply going to quit Good Juju be a use I knew I could not carry boxes, write tags or move things around.  But so many people offered to help, that I decided to be extremely prepared with inventory ahead of time and keep the space open with the aid of all my sweet helpers.

Which so far, hasn’t worked out like I’d hoped it would.  Having two viruses at the end of the year took away major chunks of my time intended for packing.

I already have unintelligible handwriting, so imagine how much worse it will be if I have to make price tags with my left hand?

It does not help that I’m easily distracted by fun ideas, either.

Time that should’ve been spent on the boring, detestable job of tagging and packing up was stolen from me.   Well, I was the one who stole and wasted that time.  I did creative projects instead.


I sewed more quilt critters, made jewelry hearts, and other things I love instead of being that worker ant getting ready for tough times ahead. I went full on grass hopper and did anything I wanted to.

Now I won’t have any bugs saved up to eat for winter.

Wait, that analogy went too far.

What I won’t have are my neatly boxed, priced, and labeled piles of inventory ready for friends to display for me in March, April, and possibly May.

So, I am vowing to myself that I will work my butt off to get this accomplished.

After I return from frolicking on the beach, that is.

Life is more than just hard work, right?

Love Story

Good JuJu, Music
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When I spotted this music box, it stirred a murky memory.  Like I should know what it was but didn’t quite get it.  I wound it up and it creakily thrummed a few notes.

After warming up its innards a bit, it started to croon, “Where Do I Begin”. Then I got it- Ally McGraw and Ryan O’Neal from Love Story are immortalized in china on a music box.   I started reminiscing about a sleep over in Jr High where the whole party was loaded into the car (seat belts? Heck no, we piled on top of each other) and we were captivated by the romance that we saw on screen at the theater.

Would I still enjoy this movie if I watched it today?  I don’t know, I’m very cautious about rewatching old movies and breaking the spell they’d previously cast.  I’ve discovered that with fresh eyes, most don’t hold up.   Sugarwings and I have rewatched a few that do, but am I ready to erase this classic from my favorites if it doesn’t hold its magic  now?

Nope, I’ll just sing this song and feel those threads of love and longing, the way I remember the movie.

Where do I beginTo tell the story of how great a love can beThe sweet love story that is older than the seaThe simple truth about the love she brings to meWhere do I start
With her first helloShe gave new meaning to this empty world of mineThere’d never be another love, another timeShe came into my life and made the living fineShe fills my heart
She fills my heart with very special thingsWith angels’ songs, with wild imaginingsShe fills my soul with so much loveThat anywhere I go I’m never lonelyWith her around, who could be lonelyI reach for her hand, it’s always there
How long does it lastCan love be measured by the hours in a dayI have no answers now but this much I can sayI know I’ll need her ’til the stars all burn awayAnd she’ll be there
How long does it lastCan love be measured by the hours in a dayI have no answers now but this much I can sayI know I’ll need her ’til the stars all burn awayAnd she’ll be there

A mini makeover in my jewelry corner

Good JuJu, Hand painted
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In February, I will be having rotator cuff surgery.  Knowing that I’ll be one handed and away from my booth for a while is inspiring me to get all of my duckies in a row while I’m still able to work.  One thing I wanted to do is lighten up my jewelry corner for spring.

This is the before, which I like.  The dresser is the ideal size to display my vintage baubles on, and great storage for backups.  But the dark color felt over powering.  Plus I hadn’t bothered to rehang anything above it since selling a few mirrors.   It was looking slightly uncared for.

For a revamp, I mixed up a faded blush pink paint (consisting of deep rose, white, cream, and grey) then primed my dresser.  Between coats of paint and primer, I repainted some darker toned mirrors too.  And a couple of other tidbits around my booth, because the furniture was taking forever to dry.

 I was slapping paint on stuff all Willy Nilly because there wasn’t anything else to do while waiting.

The cedar wall  needed to be a tad more foofy, but I didn’t want to repaint it all, so hung some rose patterned curtains over it.  I’m not sure if they did the trick, but it is a softer look.

This is the black mirror from the before pic, now a creamy tone.  And while I had my paints out, I pinked up the roses above it.

A year ago, when I first moved into this spot, the week of set up was during a bone chilling freeze.  And while the drafty, old warehouse juju is part of is kept warm enough to keep the pipes from bursting, it isn’t exactly toasty inside.

I’d quickly added roses onto the wall, bundled up and left because I was freezing and could barely feel my fingers.  But yesterday, the weather was downright balmy for January and the antique mall was a pleasant place to be.  While killing time waiting for the dresser’s fresh paint to dry, I worked on the roses that I’d felt were too rushed looking.

It is possible that no one but me will notice the difference, but the little changes made me happier.

For now, I’m letting the dresser sit a few days to get good and dry.  It’s a good thing I don’t live closer, because I’m itching to get in there and set up my displays.   Since it’s a 40 minute drive, I can make myself wait and give the pink time to cure.  Isn’t she a pretty color?

Like I said, it isn’t details most shoppers will notice much.  But I think it lightens and brightens the area, which the customers will hopefully feel.

Kicking off the new year with hearts and roses

antiques/junking, Good JuJu
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After and during our December sale at Good Juju I had a brief window of feeling better from my previous illness before catching another.   I had two parties planned that week then needed to redo my booth.  I got it about 90% done with the work, but started feeling icky, so wore a mask and kept going.

Catching this virus, as well as the one in November reminds me of why I push so hard to do my set up early and not wait til the last minute.  You never know what could come up before the sale.  And I feel more comfortable not having that big redo hanging over me.

I was able to finish that last 10% in time, without worries.  It just isn’t in my makeup to be a procrastinator   And it really isn’t from some sort of perfectionism or obsession, it’s from life lessons learned.

 Stuff happens, so I manage my todo list to be prepared just in case.

After set up I was either recovering or having holiday fun, so my days started running together.  When I put away all the trees from my house (it took 8 hours, I kinda took my time and made a day of it) I got out the calendar that I typically keep on the table (it had been put away due to the houseful of twinkles and baubles) and was stunned to see how close our January sale was.

There was a moment of panic, then plain ole relief.  And maybe some minor back slapping, knowing I was ready for take off.

And seriously, what better way to kick off the new year than to be at one of my favorite places with all of those fun vendors and customers?

Not to mention I get to enjoy a whole new holiday.  Valentines!

Yup, my booth is all hearts and flowers, which makes me happy.  Because I’m a pushover for any sort of festive decor.   I love a celebratory theme.

Because my much put off shoulder surgery is finally scheduled for Feb. 18th, I won’t be filling my cottage with hearts like usual.  So I’m going to soak up as much of this theme as I can at Juju.  I’m looking forward to our sale.

Jingle time at Juju

antiques/junking, Good JuJu, holiday decor
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November’s First Friday Weekend at Good Juju was all about the holidays.

And for me at least, so is the upcoming December sale.

Opinions among dealers vary, with some thinking November is for shopping to decorate your house and December is shopping for gifts.  Which I agree is valid, the same theory holds true for selling Halloween decor in September, not October because most people have finished decorating their homes by then.

 So while a lot of dealers still have their gorgeous displays for the season and the mall is festive and sparkly, they can subtly up the non Christmas goods for sale too.

I added my crazy quilt stuffies in my own spot. Plus, if you look around, you’ll notice many of my display pieces such as bowls, plates, books, etc are normal every day pieces that I use to hold my items for sale.

I include functional or household items (as well as jewelry and clothing) in the mix.

But for me, I’m probably still at 90% ho ho holidays in the back part of my area.

Part of the front of the space is all jewelry, all the time.

But for now, there is a Yule tide glow over everything.  Simply because I adore every thing related to the season all so much.  I love making pretties , collecting old Christmas stuff, fixing it up, treasuring it, displaying it, loving it.

Will my sales in December be as good as they were in November?  Maybe not, but my set up makes me extremely happy!

Don’t get me wrong, I take my business seriously.  But I also am there to enjoy the work, doing the displays, indulging myself and my joy in styling the pieces I make or find.

There is a chance that I go a bit over the top for our two day sale……. it has been mentioned to me.

And when my love of Christmas collides with my tendency to over do- I am not just in my happy place.

I’m sliding into my domain of exhilaration!

More hand made holiday goods for the November sale at Good Juju

Good JuJu, holiday decor
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Remember the two kitties I made from vintage quilt scraps last month?  I had small bits of the fabric left and turned it into stockings.

I made lacy stockings too. These are ornament size, not hanging up to stuff with presents  sized.  Well, unless you are a very stingy gift giver, they won’t hold much at all.   Oh, that’s wrong!  Stick a generous amount on a gift card and slide that in!

I also have angels under domes.

Angels with trees on teapots.

An Angel driving a floral jalopy.

Angel statues you can dress up in crowns.

A sweet lil vintage Angel gazing out of a gingerbread house window.

There are lots of gingerbread houses.

And plenty of angels.  Not to mention the deer, trees, and Santas.

Oh, and paintings too.

I’ll show more in the next post.

November’s Juju sale will be festive

antiques/junking, Good JuJu
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Christmas came early for me this year.

Extremely so.

I spent millions, well maybe just a few, but it felt like millions, of 6-9 hour days packing away Halloween and decking the halls with  Christmas cheer before I flew off to Florida.

And I tell ya, when I got on that plane, I was ready to start my vacation.

People say to me, how nice it must be to only work two days a month.  Hmm, not quite the way it goes.  Our sale is two days a month, but there is a month full of behind the scenes, hunting, gathering, crafting, tagging, cleaning, and displaying that goes into the two days the shopping occurs.

And if I have plans during the month, my work schedule gets tightly condensed into a few days.

Because it’s important to me to have things ready to roll before I leave, that way I can relax and enjoy my trip.

And yup, I sure did enjoy it!  I could kick back, look at the frolicking dolphins from my balcony, and know that when I got home, all I had to do was unpack my suitcase, not my booth.

That made my extra long vacation easy to just be in, live in the moment, not fret about work.

I’ll have more pics to come of the rest of my booth later.  The sale will be Nov 7-8 from 9-6 each day in the Old West Bottoms of KC at Good Juju.

Holiday paintings in my booth

antiques/junking, Good JuJu, Hand painted, hand painted signs, holiday decor
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While I’ve been away from my blog, I’ve still been in the habit of snapping pics of what I’m working on.  And as usual, my main focus has been my booth at Good Juju, in the Old West Bottoms of KC.

I’m over the moon excited about my November sale’s holiday theme and wanted a noticeable way to sell ornies.  Especially after seeing just how many were being brought into the mall by other dealers.

Wow, Juju must have the highest concentration of Shiny Brites in the Midwest.   If you’re looking to add some vintage glory to your tree, uhm,  I think I know what direction to point you in.


On the rear wall of the booth, my banner is flipped over to the Christmas Cottage side. It was a quick transformation from Haunted Cottage.  The pulley system for hanging it made it simple to lower, turn over and hang back up.  I did it by myself in a flash.

Well, maybe not like a lightening flash of speed.  The canvas is 6×8’ and sorta unwieldy.   It isn’t heavy, but a little stiff and bulky.

 And big.

 I waited until I had all of my leftover Halloween goods packed out of the way and the center of the space was open and clear, then tussled with it a bit.   But the pulley process itself was super easy.

Another painted holiday touch is a couple of reindeer I prettied up with pink, white, and glitter.

Earlier this summer, I’d found a set of deer and a sleigh at a garage sale.  I sold three of the cuties with the sleigh and saved back two for my decor.  I kept the ones in the worst condition and gave them a makeover.  They were rather holy, I’m thinking from years of repairs, hanging, and stapling lights to them.  I patched holes with calking and changed the look from traditional to cottage chic with paint.

Since the glitter was sprinkled over Elmers Glue, they aren’t exactly good for yard art now.  The adhesive for the vintage millinery blooms on their sparkly heads and the old ribbon was water based too.  But after 50-60 years of living out in the elements every December, I think these gals deserved a break from pulling a sleigh in bad weather.   They can be house deer now.

Or booth deer, I guess.  I’m rather fond of them and would not be upset to give them a holiday home in my breezeway after our last day of sales, if no one else claims them.

Hey, thanks again for still reading after the kerfuffle of blog switching.  I’ll have more antique mall pics coming plus all the other stuff I’ve been making in the last few weeks.  See you around?

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