Good JuJu

Aren’t these bunnies so cute?  I cut them out of an old postcard.  

My Easter decor corner isn’t super large for the First Friday sale at Juju this week, but I enjoyed creating and gathering things to put there.  

Like this wooden basket that I covered in a patchwork of pastel wallpapers.
There are also lots of tiny, hanging baskets on my pink Easter Tree.  That was previously filled with hearts as a Valentine Tree and before that was fulfilling its traditional use as a Christmas tree.  I’m afraid I’ll miss that ballerina pink tree after April unless I can think of a good reason to keep using it in May.   

The color fits in well with my garden/cottage area, and I like its vertical shape that I can overload with pretties.  So, I have a feeling, I might be keeping it up.  

Full of teacups for a garden party display? 

I have been making lots of ballerina slippers, they could be cute on it too.  Or I could fill it up with fairies?

Yep, I have a feeling the pretty pink tree will be around a while.

I am loving my new space.  It can be set up in different themes without them being right in top of each other in a mishmash the way I had to arrange stuff in my previous, smaller spot.

I feel like I can have a better flow throughout booth even with a variety of elements in it.

I think I forgot to get pics of the green zone for St Pat’s day.  But here is a little bit of it.

And here is the other side of my cottagey garden area in the center of the room.  My pal, Angie, gave me this white table last week, so I shifted things around to fit it in.  It makes a handy place to overfill, but might be just a smidge too large for me, it won’t be a versatile piece to move around.   I might be passing it on to someone else after a couple of uses.

I’ll see what next month brings.  That big, white table is a good look for springtime.  Thanks, Angie!

Unpacking my pretties for this week’s First Friday Weekend at Good Juju was extra special since I got to explore and figure out how best to use my new space.

Plus, it’s Valentine’s month, and I cannot resist drenching my booth in hearts and roses.

And maybe a few mushrooms.

Over my last few years at this venue, I’ve seen that pink doesn’t sell as well for me as neutrals when it comes to my creations. 

This time of year, I feel free to go hog wild with my favorite rosy hue.

Along with plenty of the rich creams and faded tans that do so well there.

Plus a few splashes of the holiday’s traditional red.

And lots of roses scattered throughout.

This is my entryway into the space.

I had Rich add some chains from the high ceilings for me.  Those hang down to a reachable place so that I will never need to use the terrifying 80 foot tall (at least it feels that high to me).  With these lowered chains, I am able to hang seasonal decor at the entry and change things up on a regular basis.

For now, I’m loving it all so much exactly as it is, so I didn’t add any extras to the ceiling.  

No “changing it up” is needed yet, because the whole spot is a ginormous change!  

I’m thinking I could let it ride for a few months, as is, just bringing in fresh merch for each sale.  But I do sorta have a hot air balloon crafting idea brewing, that would be beautiful for Easter, or spring…. Hmm….

Well, I’m moving in!

The new space is approximately divided into two areas, the back is my regular stuff while the entrance is jewelry.

With a larger space, I realized I needed bigger furniture so it would feel more to scale.  This cabinet had to be pilfered from my studio so I’d have a solid “anchor” piece in the back.  The door was placed next to it for the same reason.  I didn’t want to use too many white tables stacked up.  That worked well in my half space, but a full booth required substance.

This felt like it gave the room more balance.

Small, white tables were definitely used a lot, they work great.  But before I brought in the big cabinet, that section needed more umph.  

I still need to get a clip light for that top shelf in the cabinet, then this side is ready to roll for First Friday weekend.

I love, love, love, love, love the pergola/entryway Rich built for the doorway leading to Beth’s space next door!  So much so that I told myself I would leave it empty to show it off.  

Hmm, it seems to have some things hanging on it.  Oh well, I tried!  At least it isn’t completely covered.  You can still see the structure.

Not quite the entire front half is jewelry. One wall is still stuff.  I think this area is complete too.  I’m still working on the jewelry spaces and will show that later.

Despite the harrowing cold, I bundled up, then we filled the truck with wood, paint, and power tools to overhaul bare two by fours into making my new booth feel cottagey and welcoming.

In a week, we faced two walls with tongue and groove.  This one got distress painted.

This one was painted a soft, green/blue.
And columns were added as trim.

Two other walls were crafted from a rougher lumber, some with a live edge.  I liked the look so much, I decided to leave them raw and natural.

One got an iron shelf and the second, a hand painted garland of roses.

We also hung clusters of chandeliers to block the sight of a big vent, added more lighting and some decorative pieces.  I wrapped the giant metal pole in vintage wallpaper and crushed velvet, and will use it to display necklaces hung on magnets.

Oh! And look at this!  I love this walkway to the next door neighbors!  (Although from the look on that neighbor’s face, she seems a bit judgey)

Seriously, I love it all.

It was sooooooooo much work, but exhilarating to do, because I was extremely excited about how each area was turning out.  I love every square foot of my new cottage at Juju.  We had such lucky timing to be gifted truckloads of attractive lumber.  Those various textures and sizes of boards add so much more character than the plywood we would’ve had to use without the freebies.

We worked so hard, that I wasn’t even cold.  I actually pulled off a couple layers because I was getting overheated.  The temperature inside the building is set just high enough to keep the pipes from freezing and it’s always chilly inside.  I surprised myself by not even being bothered by it.  The worst part was unloading the truck in icey snowdrifts.   The outcome was worth the effort.

Much of it is more than I really needed to have done.  But we had the week to do it, the free materials, and to me, having a wonderful back ground will bring joy to me every time I go into work.  I’m already filling it up, and it hurts a little to cover up my pretty walls.  Still, I’ll know they are there, peeping out from behind my piles of stuff, and it will make my heart happy,