More Love-of-Junk Stuff

more cool junk stuff

uh...kinda been a little busy

hello folks in Shabby land...been kinda off the radar for a bit what with trying to keep a store goin' in this recession, but now i'm back and bad!

well , good, really.

I am currently addicted to www.junkmarketstyle.com...
i cannnnnnot get enuf. Check it out if you love to make stuff with junk.

that's what i'm doin for christmas!

hope my relatives like stuff made of cool junk.
karin

upcoming event

well, folks, it's that time again to do something completely different at the Shabby Attic. So, preparation for the Vintage Vanity Faire Days at the Shabby are under way. We're going to have live music, a local winery doing wine tastings, and local gourmet food on display. Sights, smells, sounds, and sales will be on the menu. THERE WILL BE A $200 RAFFLE, plus, don't let me forget to say, demos on holiday decorating. I'm scared about getting everything done in time, but excited to do something extravagant to launch into the holiday season.
VINTAGE VANITY FAIRE DAYS: SAT, NOV. 7TH AND SUN, NOV. 8TH!

Well, it's been another busy couple of weeks at the store, and here we are on the precipice of Autumn. Already. So I was starting to think about holiday time already (after just one day of crisp cool Fall air) and was on Etsy.com, admiring the handiwork of so many wonderful artisans. I'm amazed daily at the talent that people have. I myself don't consider myself that talented. I get by, I admit, as someone who knows how to do a thing or two with paint and furniture. But sometimes i click on someone's site, and their work blows me away. "Now THAT is talent", is what I say to myself.

I met a woman today who makes clothing accessories out of tooled wool and recycled sweaters. Her work was so creative it made me want to cry. I felt pitifully inept in her presence. I said to myself, "SHE thought outside of the box. SHE invented something original. SHE has a point of view in her work". Have you heard this phrase before? (You have if you are a fan of Project Runway). "POINT OF VIEW". What that means is that your work has a style all it's own, one that reflects who you are as an artist. And if you are lucky, it is a body of work that no one else on the planet has ever thought of or created until now.

And then I remembered, that though this woman had a "point of view" that was individual, so did I. My work DOES stand apart from what others have done. Even when I know that others have done what I have done, and maybe even have done it better, it is still MY individuality, MY sense of personal style, that makes my work unique. And in seeing my work, maybe, just maybe, someone sees what I have done and says, "Now THAT'S talent".

Old is New or New is Old?

Hi there shabby followers...here's a submission for our blog from a wonderful woman named Wheezy who helps me at my shop in West Point, Pa. She has a wealth of knowledge and is an invaluable asset to my store! So...shout out to Wheezy! Here's what she wrote...

Old is New or New is Old?

Okay newbies...if you are reading this blurb on the blog you must be the proud owner of a computer...I will assume the bulk of you are under the age of forty. In the "antiques" business over the past twenty five years there have been major changes. I am one of those "dinosaurs" that have been in the business for the past thirty years and I am embracing the new movement, therefore my message to you.

A little history. Thirty years ago people "collected" items...be it beer steings, mesh purses, hummels, Shelly, chintz, whatever. It was a quest to find another item to add and complete the collection. Young people today don't wish to possess the same things that grandma had-and very often those same items would not be practical in today's society. People today don't mind a flavor of the past-but wish it done in an up-to-date-fashion.

Makes me laugh...antique dealers were one of the original RECYCLERS...be it restaining, recaning, etc. With today's fashion it is usually recycled, refurbished in a "pop" color or in a shade of white with a little distressing...for us today, eye candy. As with everything over time, different is acceptable. Twenty years ago if the paint was peeling or missing the furniture was not saleable...today it is the "hot" fashion.

Twenty-five years ago I was in the quaint town of Red Bank, NJ shopping for that "vintage" piece. This piece of furniture had an original 1930's shade of green paint with a lot of "blemishes". The tag quoted the price and in it's description said "shabby chic"--this was long before Rachael...my point being "shabby chic" has been around a very long time. In fact, time for the length of skirts to go down again, no? Let me have your thoughts what direction you think home decor is leaning towards--and how the "Shabby Attic" can help you on this journey.

Well, it's been another busy week, and I find myself stuck in the grind like everyone else, of running here and there and everywhere, running errands and doing the things to maintain my daily family life. How is it possible that I get to the end of the day and I still have a list of things to do? Talk about burning up daylight. I just sat down to take a break after making what seems to be 3 gallons of salsa from a batch of garden fresh tomatoes. Why don't I just buy the ready-made jarred stuff?? I guess it's for the same reason that I just can't bring myself to buy a factory finished piece of furniture from a furniture store. There's no challenge in it for me. I just love finding that piece of furniture, at a thrift store or auction, or CSI (curbside item) that everyone else has looked at and passed over, except me. I see the architecture of the piece, the good bones of it's make, the unusual hardware, and the solid wood casing with dovetailed drawers. I can see past the chipped veneer and the scratched initials on the top, left on it from two owners ago. And darnit, it's only $30.00...what a steal! Then I get a rush. I feel the tremble in my fingers, the hair up on the back of the neck....creativity is stirring in me and I can't wait to get the piece home and figure out how i'm going to reinvent, redesign, and recycle. And what a sense of satisfaction when it's all done. I did it. I did this. I just gave this piece another 30yrs of life. They just don't sell that in a jar.