Busy Junkin' & A Craft Show

It has been a little quiet here but a lot has been going on. Dh and I just got back from a trip for a couple of days. Of course a good bit of it was made up of junkin'. We came back with a load from south Mississippi, Gulfport and Biloxi to be specific. We loved it there and wondered why we had not been there before.

We spent time looking for places that have junk, collectibles, antiques, and so on. This is one of our favorite adventures in this craft business. We get to spend time in sometimes smelling, dirty, crowded stores that are piled high with crap. Well, crap or beauty, depending on how you look at it, and depending on what it is. This adventure is sort of like looking at a house that is a fixer upper. You have to imagine it in all fixed up, repaired, upcycled and in all it's glory, that is to come. It hasn't happened yet, but it can. As dh says, you have to have a vision of how it'll turn out. I say, it has to call my name. We are saying the same thing but in different ways. Oh, we saw a lot more than we brought home. There is a lot more we could have purchased. We could have rented a trailer if needed. However, we bought what called our names.

As you see from the photos one of our goodies is an old trunk. We are going to use that in our booth so you'll have to come see us at a craft show to see how it gets used. The rest of it will be altered, painted or have something creative done to it.

I am a sucker for candlesticks. Especially big, chunky, heavy ones. Not so pretty? That is okay. I'll love on this big fat momma and bring some life to her. She is downright hefty.

The rainbow colored table will no longer be rainbow colored. She will find new life with some beautiful new neutral colors to suit your decor.

The rest of our fabulous finds will be restored with paint and sealed to protect it. If you see something you'd like to claim and have me custom paint it just for you, then please PM me ASAP.

These ugly ducklings are in line to become beautiful swans, along with some things I got a few weeks back in Opelousas.

Tomorrow I'll be working on creating some beautiful swans. I'll be posting them here first and you can see for yourself how they turn out.

We are adding some new product lines to our booth, some that will add instant appeal to our friends and customers. We are working with a partner for a handcrafted line using reclaimed wood from St. Mary Parish. We will have some for the first time at at our first show of the season. I am also working on a line that will appeal to your sensibilities in a clean and aromatic way.

Our first craft show on Saturday, October 7, 2017. I hope you'll come join us. We will be at Shadows on the Teche in New Iberia, LA. You will find the Shadows at 317 East Main Street. Admission is $5 for those 12 and over.

More to come later!

God bless,

Cindy

Things Are a'Changin'

Happy Sunday afternoon to everyone.  It’s been a while since I checked in here, but did not realize it had been so long!  Things have been a changin’!  Certainly, it’s a new year, it’s winter—at least it is on the calendar where I live, and in reality in much of the country.  All those who live in the Midwest experiencing winter store Jupiter, please stay safe!

I have also made some changes to my shop.  I started out with making coasters using tumbled travertine tiles and travertine trivets.  I still love doing those but I have found my thrill … on blueberry hill.  Well, not blueberry hill.  My thrill is painting with chalk paint!  I have ‘married’ that love of chalk  paint with upcycling and distressing found items, items I pick up at flea markets, thrift store, and resale shops …. OH. OH. OH.  Be still my heart.  Another LOVE is flea markets and thrift stores!  It seems more a popping up here where I live.

I am now making the circuit each week stopping in to look at their lovelies.  Well, some are lovelies in disguise.  I affectionately call them ugly ducklings.  I bring some of them home to help them in their process of turning into a beautiful swan.

To merit coming home with me, there are several qualifications.  One is that it must ‘call my name.’  It must be something that has enough unique, beautiful qualities such as texture, and something interesting about its shape and design.  Sometimes it’s a small glass bottle with interesting raised edges.  Sometimes it’s a vase with a beautiful shape.  Other times it’s a wooden bowl with a classic shape and interesting lines.

Of course, purchase price makes a difference.  I do have a little secret formula that I use to help figure out if I should get it.  Sometimes the price is a little more than I think I should pay but the piece is calling my name.  In this case, it is just a gut feeling and I HAVE to get it.

We have picked up items on the way home to see my dfil and have regretfully seen one of these little shops close.  It was one I got to stop in one time and bought two bottles.  They were pretty, matching textured glass bottles at an excellent price for the pair.  I looked forward to shopping there again on the way home from visiting him in north Louisiana.  Sadly, it was closed the next time we went through that area.

The changes in my shop include combining the two shops I had into one.  The new name reflects that I am diversifying to include other things besides coasters.  My new name is Cynthia Welch Designs and you can find me under that name at Etsy (www.cynthiawelchdesigns.com) and at Instagram.  I also have a Facebook page by that name.  My business page has general information about what is going on.  My fan page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/FansOfCynthiaWelchDesigns) is where I post specials for my Etsy shop and give aways that I run through my fan page.  Specials and give aways are not found anywhere else online.

Right now, it is kind of an off season for craft shows, at least in the area where I live.  It is time to start prepping for the spring shows.  This is the time of year I work on building stock for coasters, and now my painted, distressed, upcycled items.  I will be building my stock for a couple of months.  Of course I’ll list it on Etsy t00.  I plan on crafting almost every day to get ready.  If you have some inspirational quotes or photos, please share them in the comments!  {vbg}

If you live in the Houma, LA area and know of an estate sale, etc. that I should check out, please leave a comment or PM me through Facebook.  I love checking those out.

I will be doing 2 shows this spring.  One is a repeat for me, Market at the Mill in New Roads, LA.  I’ll also be doing Vintage Market Days in Brandon, MS.  I like the idea of indoor shows because it allows us to skip setting up a tent and it makes shopping easier for customers when the weather does not cooperate.

Vintage Market Days--Mississippi

Market At the Mill--New Roads, LA

So for now I'll say so long.  Check back for updates to my blog.

Because of His love I live,
Cindy