Good Juju First Friday Weekend is coming up!
I got my booth all spiffed up and ready to roll before I left for Indiana to visit my sisters.
I’m still visiting family as I write this.
So I’ll leave you with the rest of the photos and get back to sister time.
Over the years, I’ve collected ballet slippers, and this overflowing box of daintiness inspired a theme for one corner of my booth.
So I kept my eyes open to other items to fit in with a Nutcracker Ballet design.
I was thrilled to come across this toy solider outfit!
Then came across wooden nutcracker cut outs, perfect to embellish with vintage, sparkly bits, paint, and even white mink.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This week is First Fridays in the Old West Bottoms.
I was going for a winter wonderland look.
In front, I have traditional reds and greens with an old fashioned, childlike feeling.
One corner has a nutcracker ballet theme.
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.
This wall is centered on Trees.
And lots of them!
Here is a view of the fall section. And my empty boxes and tubs next to it, oops.
These lanterns are filled with mini trees, deer, and snow. I should get some close ups of my favorite creations.
Wait a minute, who am I kidding? They are all my faves! I love decorating for Christmas!
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.
And to do some face painting.
I hope your Halloween is filled with spooky fun!
This weekend is the First Fridays shopping event in the Old West Bottoms.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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. 
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.
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. 
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.
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.
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.
I was able to do half of the booth black with elements of October and the other side of my space in Autumn.
There was even enough time to add a delicious, fruity, fall, vintage wallpaper.
Then to fill that wall with what seems like a few hundred thousand knicky-knacky things. I might have done too much here…
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.
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.
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.
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.
Good Juju is this weekend, First Friday is here.
I am going full on fall/ Halloween.
And I love, love, love a holiday theme!
I’ve been gathering black and white, or fall colored items all year.
And I have enjoyed every minute of putting it all together even with the extreme heat wave we have been in. The warehouse Juju occupies isn’t cooled between sales.
Dealers are given keys and can go in any time to work on their space.
So I am not complaining. I love the freedom of taking my time, and being able to do what I want.
Plus, I’ve always been a summer person, I typically don’t mind the heat.
When winter comes and I’m toiling away in a freezing warehouse, now that is a different story.
No space heaters are allowed in the winter, so I wear layer upon layer, and go in for short periods of time. Which makes it harder since I have a forty minute drive.
Oh well, I’m a tough old broad. I can take it. Only because I love decorating my booth so much.
Although, there has been a new development this summer with the heat.
Since my concussion, I do not seem to handle temperature changes like I used to. On hot days, a walk from the car to a store can give me a headache.
Oh well, probably just temporary. Or is it possibly age related? I did hit 65 this spring.
Anyway, back to the booth- personally, I don’t find clowns scary, but some do, so I have a Scary Clown section.
It includes a pig clown. Which would be scary if it wasn’t so cute.
There are dolls, doll heads, and headless dolls…
Potions…
Spiders and Witches…
Bats…
Poison toadstools…
Skeleton brides…
Books to write your spells in…
And some pretties too. Cause a witch has got to look her best in her special season.
My husband makes walking sticks from grapevine growing in our woods. It needs to age and dry a year or so, then can be used. He said I could use a few, and after finding dried, curly and glittered straw flower arrangements at a garage sale, I knew I wanted to make witch brooms.
Each one was decorated with velvet and crinkled ribbons, a genuine stone charm, some vintage bling, and feathers.
This one had a knothole that I placed a vintage eyeball button on, with a bit torn from a tattered, sequined gown underneath.
The old jewels I used weren’t in perfect condition, but that is why I chose them. They look like they’ve been flying through the air on a broom for decades, right?
My set up for Good Juju’s First Friday weekend was already complete (and Halloween themed). But I made these work, by hanging one up high, one on the top shelf, and one nestled into a corner. Not the best for showing them off, but I wanted to get them in there case I could sell them this week.
I can show people photos on my phone if they want to see more about the brooms that are up high. And I’m happy to get them down if needed. I know it’s not the best situation, but I only have 8-1/2’ and I fill it up over the brim.
This one is made from the base of the straw arrangement and stands on its own, so it is the one on the ground.
I really would enjoy making more, and in a half size so I could sell them online. But for one thing, I’m starting a major studio redo and have no time. For another, these guys are HARD to make!
Here is the process:
Trim the straw to the length you need
Divide up the straw into small bundles
Add strong glue to the tiny bundle of straw about 4” from the top, then tightly wrap that area in wire
Keep wrapping bundles until you have more than enough to cover the stick
I had the end of my straw at the base of the stick for stability
Wire and glue each bundle together to the stick until the broom is full
Glue and tightly wrap twine around your wired areas
Put screws through large washers and screw them into the wood through the twine area, so the weight of the stick doesn’t make the straw pull away when you stand it up
And now the fun part- cover up the twine/wire/screw area with something pretty and start decorating.
For the September sale at Good Juju’s First Friday weekend, I conjured up some witch’s hats to hang in my entry. They are hung with black chandeliers and the frames I already had up there.
The frames help give the giant, up high slice of my real estate some more “umph”. I think the hats would just disappear with out the frames behind them.
When I plan such things, I need to remind myself just how big this area is. Previously, I hung some teensy birdcages which was a complete waste of time. These witch hats teeter on the edge of time wasting too, I shoulda made them larger.
For the August event, I finally made a sign with my name on it, but once I had the hats dangling, it didn’t look right.
So I replaced it with this fall wreath that I’d picked up for a buck. That seemed to go with the rest of the look much better.
My first inclination was to write the word “haunted” on a piece of paper and tape it above Cottage. I thought it would be funny.
But honestly, I just don’t like the sign itself. My writing is a mess and makes the sign look amateurish. I need to rethink and redo the words before I rehang.
The “KarlaNathan.com” was left up there, the black and white simplicity of it seemed to go well with the rest of the design. But I do want a nicer Karla’s Cottage to add, so back to work.
Sometimes I wonder at my choices for how I spend my time. Does this even matter?
I have been making more crowns. They don’t sell in droves, more of a steady trickle, but at least I move a few each Good Juju first Friday weekend. Enough that I get to make more.
The one this kid is wearing is kinda steam punkish.
And this guy is sporting a rose quartz stone on his noggin.