Good JuJu

Things that made me smile

friends, Good JuJu, Hens

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Last summer while out garage sailing, I came across a box of garlands for five bucks.   There were more, and I shoulda bought them all.  It was late in the morning, after hours of shopping and my purse was lighter than I’d started out, while my car was much fuller.  I was being practical, because the flowers are just decor, not resale items or supplies.

But man, don’t they add a spring time feeling to the space?  And they are a quick and easy change, I simply drape each one over the hanging hooks.  And presto-chango I have a dramatic new entry to my booth.

I’m very glad I snagged these sweet roses, seeing them hanging makes me smile.

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Another thing that brought me a big ole grin? Beth gifted me this spectacular apron that she made!  Perfect for adding pizzazz along with practicality to my Juju work days.  I tried wearing jackets with pockets, but honestly, nothing beats a work apron for carrying my essentials. And this one is so soft and pretty, plus, it’s pockets are quite deep.

Thanks, Beth!

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My buddy, Angie, also had a gift for me.   A big bag of broken and junk jewels from both her and her mom.  I used the beads salvaged from vintage necklaces to create bracelets.  
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And look at this! A lucky four leaf clover, a gift from nature.  
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How can you see this firework candle coming across the restaurant and not have a big smile on your face? Wow, I was impressed by the spectacle this added to my friend’s birthday celebration.

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Last, but far from least, our peeps are busy growing and being adorable.  So far, so good, no deaths.  It isn’t easy raising chicks, but we haven’t lost a single one.  They are getting cute and learning to play chase, all of them crazily and frantically following the bird with a worm in its beak.  It’s my favorite game.

I hope your week is full of smiles too.  You have to find them wherever you can, those little things mean a lot.

Trying to appreciate what I can do, not feel bad about what I can’t

antiques/junking, Good JuJu, paintings

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Between being away so much, then coming home with a cold this time, I wonder how I even still have a booth filled with stuff.

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Lots of stuff.

I even made new fairy dolls to bring in.

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As well as jewelry.  These bracelets are vintage charms I added to the chains.  I made a couple of charm necklaces too.

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A couple dozen new paintings on old text. Enlight1659
A bunch of old books, and cute creations.

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With a rusty truck.

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The upper shelf sometimes gets neglected, but this month, I took every single item down and started over with new merch.

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Speaking of new merchandise, I’m trying something different.  Here is a tray full of stone and silver rings.  I hope my guests enjoy oohing and awing through them as much as I did when I picked them out.

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The schroomies are restocked.

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Mostly just in neutrals.  I don’t know why I have so few spring toned ones.

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Actually, the whole, overall feel isn’t quite as springy as I’d like.  Although there are plenty of tokens of the season.

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There is also a lot of neutral areas.  More August than April.

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While I am thrilled to have filled the space, and to have so many new items to fill it with, I am at the same time disappointed in the overall look of it.

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Notice that I’m mostly showing you close up vignettes?  
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Because to get everything in there and ready before I went to Georgia and Florida, I had to cram the furniture into place and say “good enough” instead of taking my time and planning it out better.

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Kind of a “make it work” situation instead of a creative process.  I seriously need time to empty the whole spot and rethink it, like I did on the upper shelf.  A clean start.  
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I don’t know if my customers would notice, or if it’s just me.  Or maybe it’s just my mood?  But I’d love to have a couple of days to switch it up completely, not just rearrange and add to what’s there.

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Maybe May? 
In the meantime, I’ll try to just feel proud of myself for pulling it together at all and getting new creations tucked inside.  It’s been a rough, sad few months lately.  I still cannot believe my beloved sister is gone. And so quickly from diagnosis to death.  

Yep, I’ll go easy on myself as much as I can and just be glad I have any display at all.

A little late, but here are some photos

antiques/junking, Good JuJu

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With everything going on over Christmas, I got a bit behind and didn’t get all the January First Friday pictures posted.

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Better late than never I guess.

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Especially since it’s a lot of work to set up!

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Although to be honest, it wasn’t my favorite set up.

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Besides switching out the few remaining Christmas bits for new Valentines, and moving a handful of furniture, I didn’t do much.

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There just wasn’t enough time, but hey, it still was a whole new look for the weekend.

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I’m afraid next month’s redo will have to be even quicker, I have a teensy window of time (ONE DAY!) to make it over before heading to Florida.

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P,ease wish me luck, I’ll need it.

The jewelry in my booth at Good Juju in the Old West Bottoms of KC

Good JuJu, jewelry

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The bracelet making binge I was on kept going past my days in the hospital while I kept my sister company. I found that it nice to have my supplies out on the dining room table while the fam was here for the holidays.
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Keeping busy keeps me happy.

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And it’s a very portable craft, all I need is cord and a box of gemstone beads.

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Plus I just love making them.  I had to practically twist my own arm to make myself stop. 
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I’ve been lucky with jewelry sales at Good Juju.  
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I carry a variety of new, vintage, hand made, fine jewelry and costume.

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While I always do a flip flop turn around for my booth every month, I’ve discovered that the jewels do their best up front and together, not mixed in with other things.
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As tempted as I am about mixing it up and moving it around, I stop myself and keep the jewelry shelves up front where they work best.  But I do switch up displays on top of and in the shelving.

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This month, I’ve included some great vintage shoes, purses, and other tidbits.

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I like the combos.

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I’ve changed up the colors on the shelves too, and have been happy with the new look.

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One thing that never goes well for me are the earrings I make.  I’ve tried soooooo many ways to display them.  Each is silver with real stones and under $20.  Often, way under.

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Maybe it’s time to give up on my earrings and offer the space to things to sell better?

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I’m not ready to give up yet.  Mostly because I like making them so much.  Eventually, I’ll have to decide though.   For now, I’ll stick with the mix.

First Friday weekend is going on today, if you come down, say hi!  

 

 

First Friday Weekend in December at Juju

Good JuJu

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Good Juju First Friday Weekend is coming up! 
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I got my booth all spiffed up and ready to roll before I left for Indiana to visit my sisters.
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I’m still visiting family as I write this.

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So I’ll leave you with the rest of the photos and get back to sister time.

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Nutcracker Ballet Creations

antiques/junking, fairies, Good JuJu, holiday decor

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Over the years, I’ve collected ballet slippers, and this overflowing box of daintiness inspired a theme for one corner of my booth.

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So I kept my eyes open to other items to fit in with a Nutcracker Ballet design.

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I was thrilled to come across this toy solider outfit!

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Then came across wooden nutcracker cut outs, perfect to embellish with vintage, sparkly bits, paint, and even white mink.

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My grand fairies have out grown (in size and desire) all of their little pink tutus and dance costumes, so I felt like this display was a fitting farewell to the items.

One garage sale I visited this summer had these ballerina prints.  I added paint, glitter, and gemstones to them for a new life.

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I made sweet, candy colored trees and sugarplum fairies, gathered up crowns and crafted some of my own crowns too.

My booth is SMALL. So the ballet goodies are all cozied up in a cabinet together with a little table in front.  Sugary sweetness is pouring out of every inch.

To pull it together, I copied sheet music from the show to use as back drops.

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There are hand painted and embellished little nutcrackers too, but I don’t think I got photos.  Here are some ornaments I made with character images, glitter, and vintage paper.

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This was such a fun idea to take and run with for the holiday.  I’ll let you know how it goes over at our First Friday weekend (which is still going on today). And I’ll leave you with a few more pics.

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November set up for Good Juju

Good JuJu, holiday decor

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This week is First Fridays in the Old West Bottoms.
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I was going for a winter wonderland look.

In front, I have traditional reds and greens with an old fashioned, childlike feeling.

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One corner has a nutcracker ballet theme.

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Besides the wooden, flat Stanley style, nutcrackers that I painted and embellished, I collected tutus, figurines, and decorated ballet slippers.

There is one cabinet across the booth that is still devoted to fall with some Thanksgiving flair.

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This wall is centered on Trees.

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And lots of them!

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Here is a view of the fall section.  And my empty boxes and tubs next to it, oops.

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These lanterns are filled with mini trees, deer, and snow.  I should get some close ups of my favorite creations.

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Wait a minute, who am I kidding?  They are all my faves!  I love decorating for Christmas!

Happy Halloween!

Good JuJu

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For the October sale at Good Juju, some of us dressed in costume.  I’m always excited to have a reason to wear my witchy ball gown.

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And to do some face painting.

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I hope your Halloween is filled with spooky fun!

Painted and glittered nutcrackers

Good JuJu, holiday decor

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 This weekend is the First Fridays shopping event in the Old West Bottoms.

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While my spot is full on, Halloween/Thanksgiving/ Fall themed, I have to be ready to go for next month’s set up for the sale on 11/3-4 right after this sale.

November will be my winter wonderland and I’ve been so excited about it, I just can’t wait!  I get to play with all of my favorite things!

Glitter, trees, Santas, reindeer, sugarplum fairies!

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There is a plan I’ve been impatiently waiting to implement that involves a whole Nutcracker/Sugarplum Fairy corner.  I had thought about doing a canvas backdrop of nutcrackers, then I saw these wooden cut out guys, and bought three to paint and embellish.

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I even splurged and used some of my very, very best vintage trim on this guy.

 All of them are painted with metallics, sprinkled with glitter, and trimmed with vintage rhinestones and white mink, but no two are the same.

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I will be headed to Florida mid October for a Guncle visit, time with Terry and her baby girl at Disney, then beach time with my sissies and their baby girls, all jammed into one, way too short week.

Speaking of “way too short”, my time for set up at Juju and creating gets shortened by this week away.  So I’ll be spinning my wheels to get it all pulled together before the vacation. This is going to be a hectic week, trying to de-black my Halloween booth and transform it into glittering whites. 

Yum! My type of challenge!  I am going to love every minute of it.

 

Good Juju October Preview and and acting like a grownup

antiques/junking, collections, Good JuJu, holiday decor

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Isn’t this dress to die for? (Ha, see what I did there, a Halloween turn of phrase).

I wish I’d gotten a close up of the lace.  It is hauntingly gorgeous, but also delicate.  This gown is a display only piece, it would be in shreds if even tried on.  
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Which is exactly what happened to this satin dress.  And it was actually in good shape, but someone in my booth was twisting herself into it over some bulky clothes without trying to be careful.  It was torn up under the arms.  Well durn.

This probably would’ve made a lovely witchy dress for the right person at Halloween.  Now it is also a “display only” a little before it’s time.  Oh well.  Vintage dresses are always just one tug over the head away from doom.

Plus, there is always breakage in retail.  And now it is marked down to reflect its new status.  Hopefully someone besides me will appreciate both black beauties for their qualities as is.

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For September’s sale, my spot was over the top, nonstop, Spooky Season.  I planned on two months of Halloween/fall goods, and that seems to have worked out well.  
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About half of my inventory that sold was the scary stuff.  Since I was in the middle of a remodel in my studio at home, I thought I’d simply plop some fall merchandise in to fill holes and not do a flip like I try to make happen each month.

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Because my talented boy got my floor redone in record time, I was able to replace everything in the studio much quicker than I could’ve dreamed of.  So that gave me time to give my booth a shake up after all, instead of the refill I’d thought I’d be doing.

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And since I am insane     I enjoy the redos, packing everything in tubs, setting it aside, moving furniture, puzzle piecing it back together, adding in more.  As soon as I am done, I get impatient for this month’s sale to be over so I can move onto my next planned design.

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I was able to do half of the booth black with elements of October and the other side of my space in Autumn.

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There was even enough time to add a delicious, fruity, fall, vintage wallpaper.

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Then to fill that wall with what seems like a few hundred thousand knicky-knacky things.  I might have done too much here…

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This cabinet is stuffed with a Thanksgiving theme (I did it again, get it? Stuffing!)

I have jewelry at the front on my space.  I didn’t get a photo of that.

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And owls! More owls.  I’d been collecting them all year just for this season.  I know owls are popular and sell all year long, but for me, they seemed fitting for this time of year. Plus, I like saving up until I have a collection to display, groupings look good.

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I was in the process of redoing this door on the end of the wall when my new neighbor came in and asked whose space it was meant to be.  Well, since it had been there the whole time I was renting this spot, I figured it was mine.

It jutted out 10” or so onto her side, and she had hung items on that slice of the back of it, and my things were on the front.  It was on a walkway between our two spots.  I always used the tiny hallway to hang miscellaneous bits and pieces that didn’t match the themes I had going on, which was handy for me because they were often items that would’ve stood out too much if displayed with my other things.  It had been a place for my hodgepodge stuff.

One of the owners was in, and told me that I should move it fully into my area to make it fair, and of course, she was right.

But it would’ve impeded walk space a smidge and that required moving furniture a couples inches and since I was set up, that was a step too much at the point, so I took it down.  I have a more narrow shutter to bring in later, a better fit, half the size of the door.  That door had been added by the previous occupant, and actually wasn’t my space after all, I just thought it was.  

Apparently it was never mine to use, I just assumed it was.  Although, after adding the shutter, I’ll still have half of it. And it will be legit this time.

 A month ago, the front border of my booth was moved back 18” on one side and if you see how tightly I pack every inch, you know how much that hurt too.  I’d always been extremely careful to never, ever go one tiny smidge over the marked line that I had been told was my border when I started. There had been tape on the floor which left a ghostly mark, so I could check myself.  I was a bit shocked to find that the whole time, the taped off line had not been as straight as it should’ve been and when measured, it was incorrect.

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I am trying to be a big girl (at 65 this shouldn’t be an issue) and telling myself, “Wow, wasn’t I lucky to have some bonus space for over a year?”  But my inner, whiny little bitch says,  “MINE!”

Working on acting like a grownup at any age isn’t easy, even after all of these years of making the effort. (Atthough, I almost wonder, is it even harder as a senior?)

I need to let go that I’ve lost some of my beloved space and act my age, making the 8-1/2’ I have look as good as I can, not complain about what I don’t have.  I took myself for a walk around the block, calmly removed the door, vented to my bestie who always listens and gives a good prospective, then went on with my day.

Oh, but then I vented to you too.  I guess I’m still a little whiny.  I’ll get over it and hush up about it.  

Nobody wants to hear an old lady sounding like a spoiled child.

 

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