June is almost OVER!!! What????

Time is FLYING!! So many things on my to-do list have yet to get done and June is already almost over!
Each year after Christmas I make this wonderful list of everything I want to get done in the next coming months. Here's a peek at mine:
Re-do Master Bedroom
Paint Spare Bedroom
Re-arrange furniture in Living room
Re-stain the Deck
Re-arrange the deck
Give Blog a face lift
Build a website
And that's just a peek.
Guess how many have been done.......

TWO!
Re-staining the deck and re-arranging all my stuff on the deck.
I am VERY happy at least those have been scratched off.
I have finally been able to go shopping for plants and flowers to fill all my planters out there.
It was getting depressing seeing cute chippy white planters empty with no blooms !
 

So far this Spring had been filled with Shows, like Lucketts Spring Market (love!!) and filling etsy orders like my number bottles here. The shop has been busy (many thanks!!) and the junk finds have been.......

FANTASTIC!!! We have been all over the place digging, rummaging, picking, curb scrapping and shopping for great stuff. Both of our booth spaces at The Sleepy Poet and The Depot at Gibson Mill  have recently got some PRIMO junk.
As for the other things on the list, well progress has been made on trying to get a website built and the blog face lift. I had saved up some $$$ to get it done then the ole transmission decided to go on the truck so that's where that all had to go! We have to have the truck to go find then junk then haul the junk so the junk can sell and bills get paid~ so it was a no brainer. I am still excited to get this done and can't wait to be able to show you all the "new" old look!!
Til then I have added another thing on my to-do list:
Learn how to transfer photos from my smart phone (droid bionic) to my computer. If anyone knows how to do this....I have a feeling I am the last person on earth who doesn't know...please feel free to share the info!
 

Numbered Bottles add that Vintage Touch!

Recently I had the pleasure of creating some of my Vintage Number Bottles for a client  that had purchased them from my Etsy shop. Chelsea chose all distressed white numbers for her table setting. She shared these photos with me that show her beautiful table scape!!

Truly STUNNING!!!!
She used long tables and chose to use two bottles per table, one at either end.
I think it looks amazing!
Thank you Chelsea for sharing!!
If you have a wedding coming up and would like more info on my bottles, please feel free to head over to my Etsy shop and take a look at my bottle listing. I am happy to answer your questions and get you started on adding that vintage touch to your wedding!

French Juice Bottles......

Hello Friends!!
These have got to be one of my most favorite finds this season.
While rummaging thru a pick-up truck bed full of old bottles in Maryland (yes I was all UP in it!)
I came across these beauties!

Mr. Pick-Up owner had no idea what they were when I asked.
Shocking.
A few moments before he had just told me a saga about what a big time bottle collector he was.
I listened politely all the while knowing I was gonna ask him if I could get in the truck bed and start looting the whole mess!

Anyway, I did a little research and was pleasantly surprised to find out what they were!!
YIPPEE!
Don' t you just love the shape?
AND the rusty metal lid?
AND the color!
AND the nubby texture glass???

I only have 5 left (after keeping a couple) and put them in my Etsy shop.
I hope I don't regret it!
I have never seen them before and well.....you know how that goes.
By the way, if any one of you saw me in the back of that pick- up truck.....
thank you for not posting any pictures.
You're the best!

Washin Bottles....

My goal yesterday was to complete some Etsy orders for my bottles.
I have boxes of old bottles just like this that need to be cleaned.
While I was doing that , I came across a petrified mouse inside one of the big blue bottles!
I don't know who was more "petrified"~ HIM or ME!
Even though he was dead......long dead , poor little thing~ it scared the wits outta me!
He got flushed but not after a few words about his life and legacy.

Bottle cleaning is a long process and some of um need to soak for hours.
One tip I have found works GREAT is to spray Greased Lightening inside the bottle and let it sit for a few minutes.
Take a bottle brush and scrub away. Works wonders!!
Have any BOTTLE CLEANING TIPS you'd like to share??
Please feel free~ I'd love to hear um.
Have a great day!

A Marketplace Update....

Hello Friends!

Thought I'd give you a little update on Marketplace home front!

First off.....My Mrs. Meyers soap arrived yesterday and all is right with the world.....

The shop is FINALLY coming together with all the Christmas decorating!

You can see the floor and actually shop! Some displays still need work but it is looking like an Olde Tyme Christmas! The carols are playing and I am continually putting out new products.

AND........The MOST AWESOME NEWS OF ALL.........

My nephew~ Colton Richard was born on 11/11/11!!!

He is doing wonderful~ as cute as the dickens and I will be getting photos together soon.

I think he's the most precious thing ever. I will hopefully get to go back home to hug him in person soon.

I am a super proud Auntie!

And finally ,

for those of you who are thinking

"Rustic White Farmhouse Christmas" this year.....

I added some wonderful chippies to my Etsy shop this morning!Take a peek.....

there's more to come.....

{this bag is perfect for all of Santa's letters headed to the North Pole!}

I will be adding additional items later this evening.

Hope your day is great!

Chippy little face.....

Good Morning Friends!

Super short post today about an item that I recently found ......

THAT.....I....JUST......LOVE!Is this not the cutest farmhouse scale you have seen in like a GAZILLION years?Don't you just want to pinch her chippy little face???

*sigh*

She was just listed in my Etsy shop this morning!

Have a great day!!

Introducing BOWS!

Good Morning Friends!

This post is out of order.

It was scheduled to come tomorrow because I had grandiose plans of getting up bright and early this morning and taking photos of the TRUCKLOAD OF JUNK that we scored yesterday.

That didn't happen.

Instead I found myself sleeping in and dreaming of the hot dog I ate yesterday!

No joke...it.was.that.good.

Seriously...dreaming about a hot dog.

Funny thing is...when Mr. OTM woke up he comes into the living room and says

"Boy that hot dog we ate yesterday was really good!"

(Things like that just reconfirm we are meant for each other! lol!)

Okay...sorry don't click off just yet......

I wanted to share with you my new addition to my Etsy shop.....

BOWS!

Meet my first introduction...

The Gingham Burlap Bow in Brown and Cream.THE perfect addition to your autumn decorating......

not to mention weddings!



For the item specifics, just hop on over to my shop!

Any questions....please feel free to ask.



Well, I am off to the shop to unload that truckload of junk! WE WILL BE OPEN TODAY so come on down!!! Pictures to follow!

A little Etsy excitment!

Hello Friends!

Just a bit of excitement that I wanted to share with you today!

( Forgive me as I am about to "toot my own horn".I'm not usually comfortable in that position but this made me smile and feel pretty darn good!)

A few weeks ago, I was asked to join a team on Etsy called Etsy Lush. They stand for promoting the BEST stuff on etsy. I was happy to be asked so I accepted the invite.....and that was it.

Frankly, I didn't know what to do after that. So this morning I decided to nose around and realized you have to actually submit your items to be featured. So I did .....the Welcome to Our Porch Pillow.

When I got home I went to the site to see if in fact everything went thru okay and then THIS happened.....TA-DA!!!

Not only did everything go thru okay....I LANDED SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FRONT PAGE!
Now , being new to etsy lush this might be the norm there and I just don't realize it. So for now I am just going to bask in the fact that out of 208 pages....I am on #1!
Again..a bit uncomfortable with all the braggin...but the other purpose of sharing this news is to inspire YOU!
If you have an etsy shop and feel like it's been neglected OR you've been wanting to start one up.....shake a leg and get goin! Get involved, promote on your blog, join teams. You will be completely amazed at all that you will learn.
Now...if I could just land the front page of ETSY itself!
Gonna keep tryin......

Some junk from the trailer!

Hello friends~ junk divas~kindred spirits~soul sisters of rust and crust!

Did I happen to mention that I bought a trailer?

*wink*

(in case you missed the big news keep scrolling)

Soooo after receiving a few emails regarding the Junk in the trailer,

the pressure was on to get some pics posted.

Mind you....this is just the Tip of the iceberg.

Okay...this lovely 4 QT oil can used to be .......
in this heap!
The vintage cake carrier was once part of this pile......





Now it looks like this!

I couldn't even see this little one (all wrapped up in newspaper snug as a bug in a paper bag)

And this was almost smooshed to death by a huge bench thanks to some load shifting.

That's a technical trailer term for " stuff that has moved around while you are driving."

{You've gotta know the trailer lingo if you are gonna have one ...lol!}

Anyway, thank goodness it didn't fall on it.

I would have cried.

I promise to give you more photos of the junk as the unloading continues!

All of these items have just been added to my Etsy shop!

Feel free to go browse.

Thanks for reading!

I FINALLY GOT ONE OF THESE!!! HAPPY HAPPY DAY!!!

HELLO FRIENDS!!

Can you guess what it is??

{no scrolly peeks}

You are peeking!!

I don't blame ya....you are probably dying to know what I got myself into now.....

TA-DA!!!!! Here she is!! What you are looking at is a 20 year dream FULFILLED!!!!
Boy does it feel good! I've been smilin for the last three days!
Ever since I started my biz wayyyyyy back in 87' I have wanted a utility trailer. At the time , I had a Chevy Cavalier and well ......not alot of pull with those to say the least!
As time went on, the money always needed to go someplace else. I'd save a little and then have to reluctently put it towards a more important issue. Can I get an AMEN?! You know how it goes.
Soooooo, when I was asked to participate in the Bella Rustica Urban Barn Show in Tennessee , I knew I needed to figure out a way to FINALLY get a trailer. I have all this primo junk that I HAVE to get down there cuz it definitely wouldn't all fit in the truck.
What to do....What to do????
Enter ETSY!
I figured if I could get my Etsy shop up and running, hopefully I could earn enough to pay for one.
Totally optimistic huh?
I just had to go for it......
and say prayers.....
and be up til wee hours in the morning entering inventory.....
and say more prayers......

Well , I have to say I am beyond grateful. I was able to realize my dream of owning my own trailer because of my Etsy shop...AND MY MOST FABULOUS CUSTOMERS! You are truly the best...each and every one.
As I type this post I can look out my window and this is what I see. I have to be honest....
It makes me proud. LOTS of hard work went into it and I think that's why I am so happy.
It is all worth it.
So just think about it........you've seen all the junk I can slap on the back of the truck~ Can you just imagine what I can do with this baby!!! I get goose bumps just thinking about it. I feel like I'm runnin with the big dogs now.
WOOF!
This brings up a great point. The next time you are considering making a purchase on Etsy from me or any other shop, you could be helping to fulfill a dream, to help someone grow, to assist in establishing a foundation for someone who took a chance.
Just like you did with me.
Thank U!

Is your porch missing something???

Hello Friends!

With yet another Sunday at the Marketplace behind me {where the temps got a tad higher than the weatherman predicted} I wanted to share with you something that has been keeping me

bizzzzzz-eeeee!

These little guys!

Yesterday I had a customer suggest that I do a blog post about my

"Welcome to Our Porch" pillow.

This story is great!

Read on..........

This particular customer is local {Charlotte} and I usually see her about twice a month. {The pillows had been sold out the last couple times she has been in the shop.} I knew she was heading to Michigan last month to visit friends and family. While visiting one of her friends one day they went out onto the front porch for lunch. While out there, my customer noticed this pillow on an old chair by her friends front door!

She asked her friend where she got it. The friend said,"I got it off Etsy, I kept the business card let me go get it." So off she goes to get the business card.....{MY business card} and comes back out onto the porch to give it to her friend.....{MY customer}!

Well you can just imagine the surprise and this was the conversation that ensued....

"Hey I shop there!"

"No way!!"

"Marshville is only about an hour from me!"

"Get OUT!"

"My porch NEEDS one of these pillows!"

"She has some listed in her Etsy shop now!"

"Get OUT!"

"No kiddin!"

"I'm ordering one like...NOW!"

"I'll go get my get my laptop."

And there you have it.

CRAZY RIGHT???!!

I loved it. Such a cool story.

So in case your porch happens to missing something...it just might be one of these!

I have them listed in my Etsy shop now and they are ready to ship.

The front is hand stenciled....

The back is an old feed sack .
Handstitched closure.

For a more detailed description head on over to my Etsy shop and take a peek!
Hope your day is filled with family and friends.
:0)

BIG DAY!! ETSY SHOP NOW OPEN!!!

You read that right OTM fans!!

Can you believe it????? We are finally open on the web!

Yee to the Haw!!

Please take a hop on over to the shop and browse around!

I added the Etsy Mini on the sidebar so all you have to do is give it a click and

BAM!

You're there!

I don't care if you shop at lunch time....

I don't care if you are in your jammies......

I don't care if it's 2 am.......

as long as you're there

I will be too!Speaking of being there...this is ANOTHER BIG DAY for Olde Tyme Marketplace!

WE ARE 4 YEARS OLD TODAY!!

It would not be possible in the least if it weren't for YOU!

Since the day I opened the shop I have felt the blessings that have been showered upon me.

On June 1st 2007, I opened up my front doors and said a boatload of prayers.

I had spent everything I had to stock the shop to the point that I forgot to save anything to put in my cash register. A dear friend came to my rescue with 100.00 in change so I could do business. She believed in me and knew that I would be able to pay her back in a jif. She was right.

I continue to say a boatload of prayers. I continue to be ever thankful and mindful that I am very lucky to be able to do what I love.

I appreciate each and everyone one of you.

Thanks a Million!

P.S. FYI...just SOLD my first item on Etsy!!

;0)

I fell in love this morning....

One of my fav things to do is to get on Etsy and pretend that I can buy whatever I want~ money is no object ~ I just keep filling my cart.

On my shopping trip this morning I found a seller, JurgitaMi. She makes beautiful felted creations like this dahlia broach and the fingerless warmers. But what brought me to her shop in the first place and made my heart skip two beats, was........this.....
Oh my word!! I am in love with this! Luscious is the best word I can find! Anybody who knows me knows how impractical this is for me. I can't imagine where I would wear it or for what occasion. I'm not even sure if this would look good on me. At 5'3 I'm not exactly towering over anything. I guess in my head I picture me at 6 foot with long legs and torso and this shawl with it's waterfall of ruffles just cascading down engulfing me in all it's gorgeousness!
You can be sure this has landed in my cart, even though it's only pretend. Who knows, someday when I have have given up junk hunting , painting , staining, sanding, rummaging, thrifting and antiquing this piece just might still be available and it will be mine. That's just crazy talk right there!!
Somehow, I just don't see it happening~ simply because I didn't even address the "always slopping something down the front of me syndrome". I can easliy picture a blob of ketchup, gravy, wine, or whatever right there, in the middle of the front.
But oh a girl can dream can't she?!!
I do truly love this and would love to have it.....someday......maybe.