Beautiful. Vintage. Reclaimed. Recycled. Repurposed. 

      I have tried many times to start blogging about what i do, who i am and the talented, witty, creative cast of characters I share my life with. The short answer is I am a divorced Mother of 2. I am a junker, a fixer, a recycler, a re-purposer, a designer, a writer, a sole proprietor, a lover, a life partner, a friend, an unknown comic, a homemaker, a cook, a taxi service,  a girl Friday... There are a few others I could list, but frankly I'm exhausted. And frankly we just cyber-met,  my life as an "in-shower-rock-&-roll-diva" is TMI at this juncture. 

      My main stumbling block has been that the story is bigger than me and cannot be told on a piece of paper or a brief, digestible blog entry. What I do isn't about me... And the truth is I don't do it alone. It seemed an impossible task to decide where to begin sharing the story.  The solution? I will simply deliver my ramblings just as i deliver my shop and antique show displays... They will be vignettes. "Slice of life" always seemed a bit of a macabre cliche to me... So we'll call them "life vignettes".

     There are a few constants in this crazy, gypsy-esque, "peddler of vintage wares" life that I lead. The first is that change is constant. These pieces that my partner Brad and I find, fix, re-purpose and pour life back into are with us briefly and each has a story. A "before and after"... Life before us and the new life we give each treasure. Hence one of the many reasons to blog. We want to share with you some of the stories, some funny, some historically fascinating but all interesting adventures, in one way or another, of the objects and furnishings we bring to our clients around the country.

      We are not in the "stuff" business. We are in the "people" business. I cringe at sharing this overused cliche but... Wait for it... Wait for it... "It's not about the money". It was and always will be about the people. The money? Sure I need the money, I have 2 young boys to feed, a roof over my head, gas to buy, supplies to purchase; But frankly there are easier and more lucrative ways to just "make money". For example, get a "real job" (as Mom likes to say). You know, the kind in a nice, tidy, warm office where you get one of those "weekly paychecks". I constantly grapple with the fact that yes... Most people my age actually KNOW what they're going to make each week. Well, here's another one of those "constants" I mentioned... I'm not a "desk" kinda gal. While things like health insurance, a paycheck and a bit of financial security seem like welcome luxuries, I am a modern day gypsy. Travel, change, risk, create with my hands, work hard or die. All 5 of those have to be involved or I wither on the vine within minutes. It's true. Crazy sounding but true. I like physical labor. I do not fear change. Life on the edge appeals to me and I love what i do. If I had a dime for every time a friend with one of those cozy desk jobs, a paycheck and health insurance told me how "lucky" I was to do what I do.... Well, I could retire. Sure, I don't feel lucky when I put in a 70 hour week to do a show, drive 3 hours and face a market space under an electric pole that gets struck by lightning and nearly knocks myself and 3 clients on our behinds... Did I mention we were standing in 3 inches of fresh, rain soaked mud? True story. I've got a hundred more of those stories to share but we'll save that for another time. I'm not complaining. It's just part of the business.

      So settle in, grab a cup a joe and enjoy. I want to take you on a journey. We'll have some laughs, I'll share some pictures, some stories and some creative ideas. I hope to provide a place here you might relate to. A place where you might recognize yourself in some of these adventures and I hope you will share your thoughts too. My plan is to share with you at least once a week in the months and years ahead. We can all grow & laugh together and have what I hope to be... A wild ride (Think Thelma & Louise meets American Pickers without the death and murder stuff). Truth is, after all, stranger than fiction. Thanks for stopping by.  "Cyber-see-you soon"... Namaste.