Finishing up odds and ends, hoping I will someday be able to walk through my craft area without danger of falling amidst all the stacks of unfinished projects.  I admit to creatively thriving while surrounded by a mess, but this is getting out of hand even for me.  With that said, maybe I will finally start my pile of goods that need their Halloween black paint.  After that, I found a nice little cupboard that will look great with pumpkin paint and I think some crocks will be pumpkin as well.  I bought a new brand of milk paint that I am eager to try, they are greens that look wonderful on the package, we shall see.

 

Blue Calico and Laundry Goods

 I really should be making Halloween things but got distracted by a box of early blue calico scraps.  They are just so pretty, I couldn't stop wrapping things up.  I also found the piece of early ticking that I have been looking for forever, much needed to pair with some old chunks of lye soap.

Stencil Madness

 I don't know what got in to me.  I was browsing Etsy and started putting dozens of stencils in my cart.  I did edit down to one dozen, but I still don't know exactly why I bought them all.  Unfortunately, one I didn't realize that I hadn't removed and spent $20 on it!  Yikes, never pay $20 for a stencil!  Yet, I did.  It doesn't seem to be a re-useable one either.  Live and learn.  Trying to get some of the mad money back, I took some of my already finished goods and added a stencil to them.  They do look better this way, so I am happy.

Hot Summer Days at the Flea Market

What Cheer, Iowa has several flea markets every year and we attend most.  The weather is often just horrible, hot and humid or pouring rain or early frostiness in the fall.  One never to be forgotten day, we were out in the sunny hot field when a storm came out of seemingly nowhere.  We ran to the nearest building and got inside just as lightning struck near the door.  Winds came up and I was sure we were goners.  The girls were 10 and 13 and I told them to hang on to me and not let go if the roof came off.  Fortunately, the tornado skipped over us, every thing back to calm as fast as it went wild.  All the poor dealers in the field had their goods flown about and flooded.  It really was a miracle that no one was hurt.

This weekend, the weather is amazingly beautiful and the market had so much good stuff to buy.  I took this picture where a dealer had all these wonderful ladders propped up by the cornfield. 

This is my unpacked booty, and when I will find time to clean, sort, paint and beautify everything, I do not know.  I think it is about 5 miles of walking through the market and it was hard work to do it!  So, here I sit with one million projects and ignoring them all to write this.

I did get some photos done today and have so much listing to do.  Sales still very uneven--I go from thinking I will sell everything to worrying that I am selling nothing--a crazy business.

and last but not least, a picture of my black-eyed Susan filled garden

 

Malaise

 Everything is way too quiet around here.  Anna is visiting her boyfriend this week, Grace is working long shifts at Home Goods, James is always at work, so just me and the dog here at home.  Honestly, it just makes me want to sleep all the time.  I'm not, but I want to.  The massive amounts of antiques I have been purchasing continue to pile up.  Sales are ok, but I am definitely out of room in the storage cupboards and not selling enough to make more space.

I finished these mustard pieces and I am starting to think about fall goods.  I have some Christmas ideas as well--I could use a bit more motivation to bring them to life and I want to stop thinking about crawling back into bed.

 

Just Stuff I'm Working On

 

The Yellow Milk Paint Arrives

 I mixed mustard and cream milk paint to make this pretty butter yellow milk paint.  I still want to paint some crocks this color, but time is always a problem.  The summer flea markets and antique shows have been too tempting.  I have so much inventory, I have completely run out of storage space.  My finished goods cupboards are starting to look like they were arranged by the Cat in the Hat--I have to be so careful when I open the doors!  My work table looks like an episode of hoarders.  I have to move stuff to the bed to work, then I have to move it back when I want to sleep.  It doesn't help that it is time to start fall crafting.  I just now want to start working with red white and blue--can't believe the 4th is gone already.