My first jewelry show...

My Dad ran the show for me since it was back home in Washington.

He's quite the salesman, even on a rainy day!

Main Table

Close up of rings

Necklace Chandelier

Flowers from my Mom's garden.

Love the doors that my Dad picked out for the backdrops!

I just officially started my jewelry business and had my first show with a booth and another one in my home 2 weeks after that one. My parents did the first one in Washington and I did the second one here at my home in Arizona. When I was back there in April and May taking care of my Dad, I shopped for my booth display pieces. Thrift stores and garage sales equally were perused as well as the Island Chics Flea Market and the Ruffles & Rust Vintage Market. I had a blast finding items to repurpose, spray paint, decoupage, or just use in another way (like my wire basket turned chandelier).

I've been working hard to open and I hope everybody who purchases an item is happy and I wanted to say thank you to them for keeping my confident and able to pursue a dream.

           THANK YOU!

New House-During Demolition Phase

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So here is the house after we have done most of the demo work, or should I say hubby's dad did most of the demo work! He's excited to have a project to work on again. Most of the drastic changes happened in the master bathroom. We removed all the fixtures, built a wall with a pocket door for the toilet, removed the tub and linen to make room for a 2 person walk in shower. We also removed the wall separating the bathroom from the bedroom so that we could fit in our nightstands as well as the new vanity we purchased. It really opened up the room and makes it feel much more spacious.

You can see my babies, Baxie and Bayle, are interested with what is going on too. We like to get them used to new places first before we move if we can. This way they are more comfortable in the new house because they have been there before.

We still have so demo to do in the kitchen the the cabinets, but we are getting the rest ready. Doors are being hung, trim going up, tile work will begin soon, we have our painter lined up, and cabinet doors being built.  We have new toilets, vanities, and bath hardware that have already arrived, along with new doors, trim, and hardwood flooring. I had a family emergency, so I went back home to Washington State to help out. I am here for a month, so between my husband and I we are trying to remotely pick out lighting, paint, bath fixtures, faucets, fans, etc. This makes for some interesting emails back and forth. I can't wait to see it myself when I get home.

New House-Office, Guest and Art Studio

So I saved my favorite room for the end. My Art Studio. It overlooks the front yard, lots of natural light, and close to the garage where all my metal work will be done. I can't wait to organize it! There is also a guest bathroom and the main bathroom on this end of the house. Here is where my family or friends can stay when they visit us. Any preference on paint colors? I will try to not make it as girly as it is now. For some reason, our male friends aren't as comfortable in a shabby-chic room with a side of Peter Rabbit as I was hoping. I have to store my collectibles somewhere! Speak now or forever hold your peace.

And I can't forget about my husband's office, which is very important since he works from the house. It overlooks the front porch so he can see if the FedEx or UPS man is dropping off an e-Bay purchase for him. He travels frequently, and when he is bored, he shops. I have a love/hate relationship with his shopping. I'm fortunate in the sense that he does most of the grocery shopping, Costco runs, and other misc shopping errands. But man I'm short on closet space! I can truly say he has more closet space than I do. He will deny it with his dying breath and saying I'm exaggerating. But I say the proof is in the pudding.

New House-Backyard

Here's the backyard. There are some roses and tomatoes planted in the raised bed. The grass will eventually have to go because my husband renigged on lawn duty years ago. When we first moved to AZ 10 years ago, he told me that if I wanted a lawn, I would have to deal with it all myself. Lawns are not as easy here as they were in Washington. There you just have to move every week and maybe water a few times in the summer. Easy-Peasy. In Arizona, you have to plant Winter grass and Summer grass, fertilize, scalp, water every day, AND move. Quite a bit more to deal with. I'm hoping that there will be enough room for a small pool. The puppies and I love to hang out in the water and cool off.

New House-Master Suite

So here is the Master Suite. It has all the right bones: walk-in closet, private bathroom, lots of window, away from other bedrooms, and overlooks back yard. It is on the smaller side, so it's going to be a tight squeeze with our King size bed and over-sized nightstands. In fact we are about 2" short. The solution was to either turn one of the nightstands to face the bed or to shave an inch off of each one. I vetoed the chopping up my beautiful furniture in a heartbeat. Didn't even have to think about that one. Well we came up with another solution to the problem. But you will have to wait for the Demo photos to see what we did...

Our New House-Main Living Area's Before photos

Here are photos of the main living areas to the new house. As you can tell, the house is in great shape and the previous owners (our friends, Papa & Mama Johnston) took great care of it and did quite a few upgrades. It was a basic tract home and they had added granite countertops, tile floors, backsplashes, new sinks, and many other things. Now there is nothing wrong with the house and it is move-in ready. We just wanted to make it more "us". So we are undergoing a "small" remodel. It started with ripping up the carpets to install hardwood. Somehow it is morphing to a whole new level. I think my husband and his dad are glad to have a house to work on again. As custom home builders by trade, who are not practicing their trade currently, they miss the thrill of a hammer and the smell of sawdust. I'm just happy to have my own house again. It will be 3 years since we've owned a home, and I can't wait to move in. We are in our current lease for a few more months, so this gives us time to do the remodel, plus our landlord is willing to let us out of our lease early provided he finds a new tenant. The house is only a few blocks away from where we currently live, so it's nice and close to keep and eye on everything. I will post more photos soon.

No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth!

 

I guess I qualify for a "bad blogger" award. Since my last post so much has happened in our lives.

• We moved to another town close by. Moving is always an ordeal, its always when I realize that I have too much stuff. But how do you let go of all the treasures we accumulate through our lives?
• We celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary.

• We went back to Washington to visit my family. I get to go again this May for the Ruffles and Rust show. I'm so excited.

• I reduced my work hours from 50hrs per week to 30hrs per week. This way I still get benefits.
• With all my "free time" I am joining my husband in devoting approximately 15-20 hrs per week to missionary/charity work and helping people understand the Bible better. Between my husband and myself, we currently studying the Bible with 9 people. This is hard work, but extremely rewarding.

• We finally found a house to buy. Our friends unfortunately had to leave to go to another state to help their family, so we were able to get their house. It is just a few blocks away from where we are currently living so it won't be a far move. (Have I told you how much I hate moving?)

• We visited San Diego for an extra long weekend. Had a blast in the Artist's community at Balboa Park. Probably our favorite part in the park. I loved watching the painters and glass blowers. I'm so envious of their skills and cute little studios that they get to work out of.

• Been dealing with my usual health related issues, but added kidney stones to the mix. Not so much fun but I can deal with it.

• Starting to redo said house we bought. I will post before, during and after photos soon. The house is cute and fine the way it is, we just want to make it more "us". Carpet is being replaced with hardwood floors, walls repainted and wainscott added, built in media center, new doors, new trim, bathroom remodels, and hopefully kitchen cabinet change out. I'm just not a fan of oak. It's too 80's and I prefer either lighter or darker cabinets.

• Contemplating a further employment change. I want to start my own business finally. I'm researching how to brand yourself, dealing with customers, creating a business plan, photographing my work, creating descriptions, opening an Etsy shop, and setting up a booth at a farmer's market. My dad has generously offered to take both my jewelry and my mom's paintings down to their local farmer's market on Whidbey Island and sell for us. This is something I will gladly let him do. He is quite the salesman and knows how to talk to people. Not my strongest suit, as I'm an introvert by nature.
  
  I'm sure there has been more going on, but these are the highlights. Hope everything is peachy in your life! My goal is to be more present in what is going on and not just dreaming of the future.