Human Lifestyle

I'm back from my loonngg weekend (last weekend) as a vendor at Scott's! I'll tell you upfront that I made ZERO DOLLARS, but my overall experience was still really positive. I'm happy that, by doing this, I was able to check off a goal that's long been on my list, and the experience definitely helped me get clearer about what I want to do.   I won't go as far as to rule it out, but don't count on me doing it again soon either!  Here are a few things I learned during my time as a vendor this past weekend...

• Markets like these aren't for the faint of heart. Scott's has a lot of permanent vendors and these are people who pretty much work the antique market "circuit" as a living. For them, it's not about making a killing (so to speak) over one weekend as much as it is about meeting a monthly goal. Translation? Don't set up a booth and expect to go home with empty hands and fat pockets 4 days later--that probably ain't gonna happen! For me, I think the process is a bit too tedious & time-consuming to do as a side hustle. Believe me when I say that setting up and breaking down your booth is no fun. I had grand ideas about doing this elaborate setup, but once I saw all that it took to get those beautiful display booths together, that plan was quickly scrapped.   
• The vendors are all really nice and extremely helpful. I had no clue how things ran out there, but my neighbors all went out of their way to fill me in on all the details only a regular would know, like Friday's start late so there's no sense in showing up early (as I did at 9am!). I definitely would've been lost without them!
• Here's a tip on Selling 101--don't hold anything, EVER. Often times you only have 1 time to make a sale, so make it when you can.  I, unfortunately, had to learn this the hard way.

When I initially announced that I would be at Scott's,  I wrote that this venture was fail proof and yet risky, and here's what I originally meant:  it was risky, because there was upfront money (and ego) involved, but it was also fail proof because being in business for yourself means taking chances like this in an effort to grow.  All things being equal, I really feel like I came out on top. I learned that vending is hard work--setting up a booth, sitting there for 8 hours a day and then having to pack everything back up is no joke--probably not for me. Will I try my hand at Scott's again? I'm not counting it out...but it won't be next month! Special thanks to Sherry Hart, Claire Watkins, Niki McNeil, Sara Street Cook, Carla Schwartz, Tara, my girl Jenn who all came out to see me during my stint--your support was greatly appreciated!

I know I've been gone too long! I miss blogging on a daily basis, but now that my schedule has grown exponentially, I'm finding it harder and harder to create content and finish the projects that I love to do (and have waiting everywhere)!  As you see, I'm still adjusting (to school + work & life!) and trying to figure out a realistic schedule that I can stick to.  The days of posting 5x/week are gone for me, at least for now.  My goal as of late is to post 3 days a week, so that's what I'm still shooting for.  I miss the days where I could spend hours reading and commenting on blogs, but so many good things are happening for me now, so I'm really trying to stay in the moment and take advantage of what's in front of me.  I hope you all understand and won't leave me! :)

Now that I've ended another quarter and have a short break, I finally have time to make a dent in my ever-growing to-do list, which excites me to no end (seriously).  I'm beginning to clear (and clean) the clutter from my home (10 weeks worth, so I'm going one room at a time to make sure everything's spic n'span!) and working on my poor, neglected nightstands that I picked up some time ago.


I finally found some hardware I love,


but they seemed to be a bit uneven, so I headed back to one of my favorite spots (Anthropologie) last week to find some replacements.  Though these others weren't my first choice, I still think they'll look great once the refinishing is completed.


The plan for the tables is to fill the old hardware holes, drill new ones, sand, (possibly) prime, repaint, and finish with a top coat of wax or polyurethane.  I've decided to stay with my initial color choice of black because I think I'll get more use out of them that way.  I got a good deal of work done on them yesterday, so I'm hoping to be done by the end of the week and ready to show on Monday (I would really be proud of myself!).   I have so much to do and so little time before one of my best friends arrives for her annual visit in a few weeks--here's a look at my to-do list:

1. CLEAN (kitchen, bedrooms, living room, dining room, office, bathrooms, etc)!!!!
2. Complete nightstand makeover
3. Disassemble bed, sell old nightstands and bed.
4. Install office (closet) shelving
5. Touch-up paint around the house (lazy painting costs more in the long run!)
6. Have car detailed
7. Read Eat, Pray, Love (yes, I'm the last person on the face of the earth who hasn't read it) and The Help (heard great things about this one!)
8. See Sex in the City 2 (please see above note--thank God it's still at the $1 theatre), rent The Last Song
9. Find trim for bedroom drapery
10. Relax

Ambitious list, given my schedule, but I'm determined to knock out at least 50%.  Keep your fingers crossed for me . . .  :)

I love, love, love this song, and since I feel like my post today is about something inspirational (in a round about way), I decided to share this with you so you could listen as you read. I hope you love it as much as I do . . .

Remember those letters we used to write to our future selves in high school (and/or elementary)?? Well thanks to Jess at Make Under My Life (a site I really love), I found out about a site called Future Me that allows you to do just that! You can write yourself a letter to be delivered at a later date of you choice, and it's absolutely FREE!! What a great way to not only hold yourself accountable, but to also remind you of your optimism and hopefulness at a later time when you may really need it (or remind you of how little faith you had when you didn't know good things were coming your way!). You can also choose to make you letter public but anonymous, so that it will appear in the public letters section which is on the website. I had a chance to peruse through some of the public letters and people have written some interesting and personal things. In some ways, looking through some of the letters helps to remind me that people across the world struggle with some of the same things I do. Here are a few excerpts:

Are you glad to see me???? I hope so. I know, I know, it's been a long break, but I found it nearly impossible to do much blogging while my family was in town. To tell you the truth, I didn't look at many blogs either, so if I visited yours regularly before Thanksgiving and you didn't see many/any comments over the holiday, please know that it wasn't personal!! I've had my mother & grandmother in town since December 15th (to Jan 7), and my sister has come for an extended vacation, so it's been very busy. To those of you who emailed and sent well-wishes, thank you!