Thursday, April 18, 2013
Monday, November 7, 2011
We've moved!!
Normally, I hate when blogs move to a new web address. I mean it takes like 10 whole seconds to make a new bookmark! We've recently opened our own antique booth!! And it gets a little crazy signing in and out of blogger with different email addresses. I hope you all will follow us to our new site!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Our New Booth!
I did it! I opened my very own booth at a popular antique mall! Two weeks ago, I took David to see an antique mall I had discovered while he was gone. While looking around and falling in love with the items in every booth, we started to talk about how much fun it would be to try and have our own booth. We talked with one of the vendors who told us how much she enjoyed it. She also said there's sometimes a waiting list, so if we were interested we needed to sign up asap. So that Monday, I spoke with the manager and put my name down, hoping for a spot to open up in November.
SURPRISE! She had a booth for me the next week! One of the vendors had had a sudden death in the family a year before, and was still helping the rest of her family adjust. While there was no problem with paying rent, she was never able to come in to restock the booth. So, instead of making her give a 30 day notice and come get her unsold items, I got to move into the booth (after I helped to pack up and move the extra merchandise to a clearance booth)
I was a nervous wreck. What looked like plenty of merchandise in our garage looked empty and picked over in the booth. It took me two days to clean the booth and move in and another several days to hit every location I could think of to add more to my space. It is now far from overflowing, but it doesn't look empty at least. In the week I've had the booth, we've already sold over $150 worth of items!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Volunteering with Extreme Makeover Home Edition
Hello all you blogworlders! Wow, it has been so long since I last posted, that I'm not really sure I remember how to do this. But then again, I often forget how to ride my bike, so here goes....
We are back! I first started blogging so my husband, David, could see all my great finds and projects while he was deployed. Well, he came home at the very end of July! And since then, he's been here every night to see what goodies I've brought home, and did his fair share of treasure hunting too. So, our little blog kind of fell to the wayside. But I'm back to blogging now, and will try to keep up with it!
Our first post back, will be about my experiences when I got a chance to volunteer with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. EMHE is a television show that does a lot of good. Each episode, viewers get to meet a deserving family who has fallen on hard times. And by deserving, I mean the type of people who would literally give a stranger the shirt off their back. Most often, the family has continued to help others in need, while their house fell down around them. Other times, a family member may struggle with a medical condition that doesn't allow them to live in their current home, but they remain positive. That's where EMHE comes in. They rally the community to come together and build a new house for the deserving family in ONE WEEK! Well, at least it's one week from the time the family finds out they are getting a new home, until they see the finished work revealed. There is a lot of planning and work that happens before hand, and cleanup after.
EMHE came out to Fayetteville in July, and being a strong community, got more volunteers than they needed. I found out about the show a little to late, and although I registered, I didn't get to help out on the house during the famous week. I did however, get a glimpse of how much work it really takes, and get to go help with the cleanup.
EMHE held a pep rally about a week before the build started. It was open to everyone, and they partnered with some local charities to raise awareness for their causes too. I remember at least three, the USO, a large food drive, and a group making welcome home packages for returning soldiers. Inside, a local band performed, while people came in and found their seats. There were photographers from a couple of local papers as well. It wasn't a huge group that came, but you could tell that the city was starting to get excited. A producer form the show told everyone a little history of the program, like it was originally going to be called Space Invaders, and showed clips of the show. The builder also spoke to the crowd, to raise excitement. A few of the "behind the scenes" design team also got up to introduce themselves and read a small list of what supplies were still needed for the build.
I always assumed that the families on the show actually knew well in advance that they were chosen, and would just act surprised for the cameras. Now, I honestly think they have no idea. A lot of people were trying to figure out who the family was, but all the crew would say is that there are four local candidates.
On the morning of the "door knock," volunteers received an email telling them about the family they would be helping, as well as the location of the volunteer rally point. (They don't release the address of the house to prevent a horrible mess of traffic) They also encouraged people to come and watch the progress, and provided a spectator rally point, with shuttles to the site.
In Fayetteville, EMHE rebuilt the Jubilee House, a center for homeless female veterans. The owner, a retired Navy veteran, bought the house so she could take in other female veterans (and their children) off the street, and give them a chance to get back on their feet. I got a chance to meet a couple other women at the build who had served, and it seemed to strike a nerve with all of us. All of the families chosen strive to make the world better, but this one became very close to my heart.
The weeks before the build, EMHE began asking for donations, gathering the supplies need to build a house from the ground up. I have no idea how long it took them to synchronize things out with the city or with the builders. And during the build, an announcement went out on the radio, asking for head shots of female service members. I thought that was a little odd, but it sort of made sense for the Jubilee House. I got a chance to see what they used the pictures for. No cameras were allowed inside the house of course, but it was amazing and beautiful. I have no doubt that when I see it on tv, I will cry.
I got an email the day after the Reveal, asking for volunteers. I hadn't gotten a chance to help yet, so of course I went. Now naturally when you build a house in less than a week (remember, the builders only get from after demo until it's time to decorate), some things will need touching up. I was happy to see that EMHE didn't just leave after they got all the camera shots they needed. On the evening after the reveal, there were volunteers fixing lights, and touching up corners. I personally got to clean away debris from all the neighbors' yards, as well as put down sod where grass had gotten trampled. I also got to help clean inside the house (where I also got to check out several of the rooms) and do the little things like fold towels and put things away in drawers. I also was surprised and happy to see that EMHE leaves all the extra home goodies for the family. Any throw pillows our curtains, etc that were not used got put into the basement, not taken away.
During the pep rally, the EMHE producer told us, they don't just come to improve one house, they come to better the whole community. As we laid down sod over "damaged" areas, I noticed that it didn't look like there had ever been grass on some of the sides of the street, and I'm pretty sure I spotted brand new steps and a railing leading from the street to a neighbor's yard. The community seemed closer than certainly, I had ever noticed, and it was great to see. Michelle Obama also came on reveal day to help welcome the family home. Today, the city is holding a viewing party to see the episode (which also happens to be the season premier)
I learned a lot of other "secrets" of how the show works (like they actually do more than one house a week), but I don't want to spoil any of the fun for any of you who might get to work with them in the future. I think I love EMHE even more than before, as I see that they really do help the whole community, and not just make the house look good for the camera.
Well, our episode will air later tonight, but I won't get to watch it until tomorrow. (David can't be home until later tonight, and I want to watch it with him) I hope you all tune in to watch it on tv, or online! And if you ever hear that Extreme Makeover is coming to your city, sign up quick!
SPOILER ALERT!!! Pic of the finished house!
We are back! I first started blogging so my husband, David, could see all my great finds and projects while he was deployed. Well, he came home at the very end of July! And since then, he's been here every night to see what goodies I've brought home, and did his fair share of treasure hunting too. So, our little blog kind of fell to the wayside. But I'm back to blogging now, and will try to keep up with it!
Our first post back, will be about my experiences when I got a chance to volunteer with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. EMHE is a television show that does a lot of good. Each episode, viewers get to meet a deserving family who has fallen on hard times. And by deserving, I mean the type of people who would literally give a stranger the shirt off their back. Most often, the family has continued to help others in need, while their house fell down around them. Other times, a family member may struggle with a medical condition that doesn't allow them to live in their current home, but they remain positive. That's where EMHE comes in. They rally the community to come together and build a new house for the deserving family in ONE WEEK! Well, at least it's one week from the time the family finds out they are getting a new home, until they see the finished work revealed. There is a lot of planning and work that happens before hand, and cleanup after.
EMHE came out to Fayetteville in July, and being a strong community, got more volunteers than they needed. I found out about the show a little to late, and although I registered, I didn't get to help out on the house during the famous week. I did however, get a glimpse of how much work it really takes, and get to go help with the cleanup.
EMHE held a pep rally about a week before the build started. It was open to everyone, and they partnered with some local charities to raise awareness for their causes too. I remember at least three, the USO, a large food drive, and a group making welcome home packages for returning soldiers. Inside, a local band performed, while people came in and found their seats. There were photographers from a couple of local papers as well. It wasn't a huge group that came, but you could tell that the city was starting to get excited. A producer form the show told everyone a little history of the program, like it was originally going to be called Space Invaders, and showed clips of the show. The builder also spoke to the crowd, to raise excitement. A few of the "behind the scenes" design team also got up to introduce themselves and read a small list of what supplies were still needed for the build.
I always assumed that the families on the show actually knew well in advance that they were chosen, and would just act surprised for the cameras. Now, I honestly think they have no idea. A lot of people were trying to figure out who the family was, but all the crew would say is that there are four local candidates.
On the morning of the "door knock," volunteers received an email telling them about the family they would be helping, as well as the location of the volunteer rally point. (They don't release the address of the house to prevent a horrible mess of traffic) They also encouraged people to come and watch the progress, and provided a spectator rally point, with shuttles to the site.
In Fayetteville, EMHE rebuilt the Jubilee House, a center for homeless female veterans. The owner, a retired Navy veteran, bought the house so she could take in other female veterans (and their children) off the street, and give them a chance to get back on their feet. I got a chance to meet a couple other women at the build who had served, and it seemed to strike a nerve with all of us. All of the families chosen strive to make the world better, but this one became very close to my heart.
The weeks before the build, EMHE began asking for donations, gathering the supplies need to build a house from the ground up. I have no idea how long it took them to synchronize things out with the city or with the builders. And during the build, an announcement went out on the radio, asking for head shots of female service members. I thought that was a little odd, but it sort of made sense for the Jubilee House. I got a chance to see what they used the pictures for. No cameras were allowed inside the house of course, but it was amazing and beautiful. I have no doubt that when I see it on tv, I will cry.
I got an email the day after the Reveal, asking for volunteers. I hadn't gotten a chance to help yet, so of course I went. Now naturally when you build a house in less than a week (remember, the builders only get from after demo until it's time to decorate), some things will need touching up. I was happy to see that EMHE didn't just leave after they got all the camera shots they needed. On the evening after the reveal, there were volunteers fixing lights, and touching up corners. I personally got to clean away debris from all the neighbors' yards, as well as put down sod where grass had gotten trampled. I also got to help clean inside the house (where I also got to check out several of the rooms) and do the little things like fold towels and put things away in drawers. I also was surprised and happy to see that EMHE leaves all the extra home goodies for the family. Any throw pillows our curtains, etc that were not used got put into the basement, not taken away.
During the pep rally, the EMHE producer told us, they don't just come to improve one house, they come to better the whole community. As we laid down sod over "damaged" areas, I noticed that it didn't look like there had ever been grass on some of the sides of the street, and I'm pretty sure I spotted brand new steps and a railing leading from the street to a neighbor's yard. The community seemed closer than certainly, I had ever noticed, and it was great to see. Michelle Obama also came on reveal day to help welcome the family home. Today, the city is holding a viewing party to see the episode (which also happens to be the season premier)
I learned a lot of other "secrets" of how the show works (like they actually do more than one house a week), but I don't want to spoil any of the fun for any of you who might get to work with them in the future. I think I love EMHE even more than before, as I see that they really do help the whole community, and not just make the house look good for the camera.
Well, our episode will air later tonight, but I won't get to watch it until tomorrow. (David can't be home until later tonight, and I want to watch it with him) I hope you all tune in to watch it on tv, or online! And if you ever hear that Extreme Makeover is coming to your city, sign up quick!
SPOILER ALERT!!! Pic of the finished house!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
We're Back!
Hello people in blogland. Did you miss me? I feel like I forgot how to do this...
As you know, we origianlly created this blog so my husband, David, could see what projects I was working on while he was in Afghanistan. Well, David's home now! And I sort of abandoned the blog for awhile and spent time with him.
But he's been back to work for awhile, so I guess it's time I get back to working on TTT. I have been working on some more projects recently, so I do have things to post now!
As you know, we origianlly created this blog so my husband, David, could see what projects I was working on while he was in Afghanistan. Well, David's home now! And I sort of abandoned the blog for awhile and spent time with him.
But he's been back to work for awhile, so I guess it's time I get back to working on TTT. I have been working on some more projects recently, so I do have things to post now!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Drying Mat Giveaway ~~ Winner Number 4!!
Alas, all good things must come to an end, and our first giveaway is no exception. We had a blast hosting this giveaway from our new friends at Schroeder & Tremayne. We'd love to do another giveaway soon, but we need some great products to rave about. Leave a comment about some of your favorite products so we can share other great items with everyone!
AND THE WINNER IS....
JIM G.
Congratulations, Jim! Jim became a new fan on Facebook, earning him 5 entries! Send us your contact info to claim your prize! We wish we could give everyone of our wonderful readers a prize, and we sure will try to host more giveaways! We appreciate all the wonderful encouragement we've been getting! Thank you all!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Drying Mat Giveaway ~~ Winner Number 3!!
I've got family in town, so you won't hear much from me for the next couple days. We have 1 dish mat of each color left to giveaway. Today we'll celebrate some American history with a cowboy hat!
AND THE WINNER IS...
KEVIN LINKIE!!!
Your name was drawn on celebrate America day! That's not ironic at all is it Kevin? Kevin commented, liked us on Facebook and follows us. That earned him 11 entries. Looks like it paid off! Be sure to send us a private message with your contact info and we will send you your drying mat!
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