The Booth In the Back, In the Corner, In the Dark

We watched the Flip Wilson Show with almost as much reverence as we watched Johnny Carson...

Anyway, I just returned from restocking at the Groovy Rhubarb booth at House of Vintage, and am pleased with the weekend of moved merchandise. As the owner said, the LPs seem to be the biggest sellers, and also the books. Sold the Ouija board.
"House of Tschochskies", step right up, don't shove, get out yer money, no $100 bills unless you're taking the lot! I was inspired by a website I visited for those of us who love to make bags, and I'm going to whip up some 1960's looking beachy bags and totey bags, simple simple simple, and make'em look like those butt-ugly ones my neighbor ladies always seemed to bring back from Mexico or Florida, and I'll make some cute ones, too. I'm discovering that kids pay money for bags. This---I totally can do.

(what in the world did I do before digital photography?) Here's the new string bag, the heavy duty, go ahead and get the bottles of juice bag, that I whipped up in less than 24 hours from 100% cotton. You could use this on a trebuchet, it's so strong. I'm pleased, and want to whip up a bunch in fun summer colors and punch 'em onto Etsy ASAP, along with the button bracelets and button-encrusted bags in progress. And you thought I wasn't 'working'. There being a slight difference between what is best for Etsy and what is better for the Groovy Booth, I'm floating both series of projects at the same time, because tiny and smaller objects are better for Etsy, and larger, harder to steal things are better for the Booth. Just give me the money and let me get back to the manufacturing.

The Portland 'locally made' movement is thriving this summer, and living in Southeast like I do, I forget that there are even things known as malls. In the neighborhood reclamation movement taking over little communities here, even the blight known as 'strips' are being re-done by locally owned businesses, retro-ed or modernized, and provide us with hand-made, crafted and Pacific Northwest originated products. I so dig this. Last week Linsey and I were discussing how hot Portland is with the New York Times this year, and how instead of Portlanders going East to NYC for inspiration, NYC seems to be testing the waters out here for new concepts and areas to pirate. It makes me feel kinda smug. As long as they leave our real estate situation alone, they can buy and import whatever they want to sell in Manhattan, here's my card.

My Powerball numbers weren't even close this weekend, so I'm going to hit up Craigslist again today, and drop off some clothes I sorted out of the closet this weekend that are not booth material. Jeans that I've given up on. Odd gifts from B. that I will never wear. The thinning of the house inventory is a great feeling, and again shows me how much my tastes have changed in even the past 7 years, since moving to Portland. What I can't sell I'm donating, even books. Yep. There was an episode of "Mission Organization" that was a woman setting up her sewing studio that was an epiphany for me, except for the wall color and $1500 worth of plastic organizer thingeys, on how much inspiration and productivity increases when you have all your materials easily at hand. Grab and make it! So, I'm making progress every day, and hopefully, making money, too. I may not be selling Harry Potter volume 7 this summer, but I'm plowing ahead nonetheless.

Raj is watching these local pigeons in the back yard cherry tree, and he chatters at them as if they will mosey over and say hello.
So he can snap their cherry-eating little heads off. Neek already had a go at them this morning, and is resting in the bedroom, so it's Raj's watch this afternoon. Later, when the squirrels come back for cherries, it will be utter madness. It can't be any better than this.
(well, I could somehow find myself rescuing Bentley the Dobie across the street and be a dog owner, but that's not likely)