Simple Life Longing

Last year we sold our home in the city and decided we would rent near our workplaces so it would help us on the road to a simpler frugal life. I lost my job a year and a half ago and have been re-evaluating what really makes me happy. Do I work for the man at a desk job? Or do I follow my dreams of owning my own business and following my bliss in vintage and creativity? It's a no brainer....huh? Following your bliss takes sacrifice. I started living a simpler life with less anyway around ten years ago after I got divorced. I've been happier because of it. Less to take care of, less time spent having the "wants," less to move, less that just sits around and collects dust. In our society we are ravaged with consumerism. It's what is the newest neatest thing to buy or have. We are constantly bombarded with it on TV, in magazine adds, on the radio and everywhere we look. But for me I'm done with that. It is so much nicer to find a place of content and learn to live on less, have less and be happy.
Last year we bought a 36 foot used motor home. We traded in our travel trailer that we loved to get something we could drive rather than pull. Our goal all along was to eventually live in our motor home full time, travel and live a simpler life. The dilemma is the price of gas! Yee gads! The gas tank in our motor home holds 100 gallons so you do the math...a couple of hundred bucks to fill up!

This leads to the heart and head thing. My head tells me you want to be frugal live a simpler life not have so much stuff so get rid of the motor home. My heart tells me, but you want to be a full time RV'er in two years and this was your plan.
Life is full of pulls and tugs. Decision making is hard but insanity is doing things the same way and expecting different results. It won't change it will just stay the same. So give me a simple life full of love, sunshine, vintage, creativity, trees, poems, herbs, cats, zen, kisses, tea, books, music, singing, toe tapping, dancing, swaying, pressed up against one and help me be content with LESS.  These are my thoughts sent out to you oh dear ones.

Do you long to live the simple life? How have you cut back in your life? What REALLY makes you happy?

I find as I get older it is the simplest things that make me really happy.

New Ventures In My Zenful World

This post was originally posted on the Vintage Etsy Society blog.

Yesterday was the day I opened my booth at a local Antique Mall. It's about 23 miles from where I live. To get there I have to drive the back roads and I love it. An excellent time to think and ponder and look at Mother Natures beauty. Don't you love the word ponder?

It took me two full days of working my dogs off to set up. The booth is very small only 50 square feet and has a back wall and two long walls of lattice and peg board on the sides. The back wall was white with red stripes like a flag which isn't my style. So I picked a lovely pale shade of my favorite color, green and painted away! I also painted the lattice. Now it's fresh and green and waiting for my stuff!

The week before while camping we decided to venture out to a flea market and antique mall near by. I got really lucky and found a booth that was going out of business. I found a great deal on two large shelf units that fit perfectly along one wall. I can arrange my items in little vignettes and put larger items such as bowls on the bottom shelf unit. I also got a rusty green ironing board to display items on and a neat shelf to hang up high to display my cream and sugar sets on and bird items.

My booth is eclectic, kind of shabby chic, kind of French, kind of farmhouse style...  it's a mixture just like me. Kind of sassy, kind of rock n roll but zen like and gentle.

I knew I wanted to get it set up by the weekend because we will be out of town this weekend.  I worked hard for two days straight and accomplished my goal. I'm officially open and ready to sell. I could of listened to the voices in my head, "No not enough time", "You don't have enough stuff", "You won't sell anything", and the list goes on. I conquered my fears and trudged on happy in my heart for doing something I love which is owning my own business.
Around ten years ago I owned a home and garden shop for three years which I loved. Now I'm coming back around to doing something that means so much to me and makes my heart sing! I've been laid off from a "normal" job for 19 months and I don't plan on going back. I now have my Etsy shop and this booth which I hope both do well. Hope is never fleeting and I hold onto it with all of my might.

My words of encouragement for you my dear friends is to not waver in what you value, what calls your name and what makes your insides churn. If it is your passion, keep holding onto it and don't let go until you have created the dream you know that is inside of you. It's like a breath of fresh air and goodness to look upon something you have created and that you made happen with your own hands. Don't give up and don't let the negatives get to you. Be like a busy bee with a smiling face and you will succeed!
Peace and blessings to all of you.

Antique Mall Jack Pot

I went camping this past weekend near the Mississippi River. The spot we had was nice and I had some view of the river in the back of us. My mind was quite full of how, what and where I was going to get stuff to set up my booth in a nearby Antique Mall. I could use what I had at home for display if need be. Maybe an old painted dresser, a few small tables, a card table with a tablecloth thrown over it. Ideas were rolling around in my head constantly trying to figure it out. The space I'm getting is fairly small only 50 square feet but you can guess that I'm going to fill it full to the brim. Now I know it has to be neat and in some order or people will look in and not know where to start. But it has to be full of lovely vintage stuff!

Lucky for me we found a Antique Mall about six miles from where we were camping. I hit the jackpot when I found a booth going out of business with everything marked down 50%.
The owner of the booth had two nice long book case like cabinets made of wood one painted white and about 8 feet long with three shelves and another cabinet painted pale green that's 5 feet long that sits nicely on top of the larger case. They were not marked for sale but we ask the ladies at the front desk if they could call the owner and ask if she would sell both of those pieces. Lucky for me we got both of them for $60.00! I think that was a great deal...one less thing to check off of my list. We also found a skinny country look Christmas tree, vintage Christmas ornaments, Hall pottery, Jewel T bowls, postcards, cream and sugar sets, bottles and a myriad of other items for 50% off or less. In another booth I found a chrome legged red table from the 1950s in very good condition and it was marked down to $35.00. The gods of vintage must of been shining down on me! I found a large standing wire basket to put linens in and a old green metal ironing board, a pale green etagere shelf, and a wall hanging shelf!
Our motor home was filled to the brim and we had to make three trips to the mall to pick everything else up. Tomorrow I'm going to go there to start setting up after I paint the back wall which is now white with a red stripe. I may paint it robins egg blue, or a funky green color, I'm not sure yet. Things are coming along and when I'm all set up I will post pictures here.

Have you ever done flea markets, or vintage shows, or a booth anyplace? Tell me what you used for display and some of your lucky finds.