Margo's Junkin Journal

Favorite Old Pair of Jeans-Made new again

2012-01-26T07:00:00.001-06:00

You know you have them, A favorite pair of jeans.
Cut right, fit right, length right, everything right. And then the manufacturer goes and discontinues them and you are stuck, with just one pair.
Just one pair of the perfect jeans.

Then it happens, One little mishap and rip... your jeans are ruined. Or are they?

Inspired by this photo on pinterest.

And this one

I pulled out my trusty box of scrap fabric, and decided to really rip them up.

Well actually I just added the two holes on the other leg. The knee rip is the accidental one (you should have seen my knee) I still have a scar.

I did do some stitching around the holes and I may add some more holes but this is a start.

I was a bit timid to put a huge rip in them, but I think I need a bit more, and maybe an orange color fabric as well.
What do you think?
I always enjoy your opinions.

This really wasn't that hard. A little Stitch Witchery, some scrap fabric scissors and heavy duty thread in contrasting colors and voila.

Wedding Centerpieces-mock ups on my kitchen table

2012-01-23T07:00:00.001-06:00

Last year I had the privileged of decorating a wedding reception area for a friend. I learned a lot on that journey, and one thing I learned is the value of mockups.
Sorry for the bad photo's all taken with my iphone.

As you may or may not know, my Son is getting married in April. We love his bride and I'm so happy that she is including me in the decoration process. She throws me her ideas, and I hunt the stuff down and try to make her vision come to life.
(project alert, decopage vintage doilies onto glass containers as vases and candle holders)
Table centerpieces are so important to a reception and she has some great ideas. So I pulled out all my stuff and began making various mock ups for her. I send the pics from my iphone, and get her opinion as I'm working.

She liked them all, but my Son had some definite opinions and went for...

This one

Sweet and simple. Of course real flowers will be added. Each table will have either a vintage camera or a lantern or both with soda bottle vases and candles and books as lifts. As a girl I like the one with the frame, but he nixed that idea and definitely didn't like the doilies.

So now on "the day" we are all on the same page and know exactly what look we are going for and will save precious decorating time. We also have a better idea of what we need to buy or find.
Mock-ups are sooooo important.

Now accepting pre order for the Spring issue of

The Spring 2012 issue will be available soon. Order yours today here

Hard to Part with...Frogs, Mushrooms, Roadrounners, and Flowers

2012-01-17T19:30:00.005-06:00

You all know I love a good vintage handbag, but not just any bag, it's gotta speak to me. Imagine my glee when I found these 2 vintage Collins bags at the same location. I think they are both unused.

I haven't decided if I'll be listing them yet, I'm a sucker for Collins bags.

And take a look at this beauty, It's shell is plastic, stitched with thin yarn, I think it might have been a kit.

And look at this great retro fabric inside. It also looks to be in unused condition.

Frogs and mushrooms.
Happy Dance!!!!!

Have you ordered the new Spring issue of Flea Market Style yet???
Details here

Flea Market Style Spring 2012 Pre Orders now available

2012-01-12T09:44:00.001-06:00

By popular Demand, I'm opening up pre-orders a little early for the Spring 2012 issue of Flea market Style.

I've been inundated with emails asking about ordering the Spring issue so I've decided to start the pre-orders a bit early. The magazine is due to be in my hands sometime in February, In stores late February. I will be shipping within a week of receiving the magazines, so you'll be getting yours early without spending valuable gas money hunting all over town. I also ship internationally.

go here for ordering information

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Important Note: All past issues are out of print and unavailable

The Forms-Pay unto Caesar what is Caesar's

2012-01-10T08:00:00.001-06:00

This is part 2 of my Tax posts, See 2 posts down for part 1 and remember, I'm not an expert so consult a tax professional with any questions.

I'm writing these posts to help those of us who JUNK as a business.

The T*a*x form you fill out for your business is the S*ch*ed*ule C as seen above.
It will be a separate page of your 1040 long form. As long as you are not incorporated this is the form you use to pay the taxes on your business.

Don't let the form scare you, there is a line to put your income, A line to put your product purchases, a line for car usage, supplies and other things you might have spent money on that are business related. Note that not all your meals and not all your travel is deductible (this is why a CPA is important) they can help with the nuances of this form.

Line 31 is your Profit or Loss and this number is then transferred to your 1040 page 1 form on line 12. You want this amount to be as low as possible, so be sure you figure in your automotive mileage and every other possible legitimate expense you can find. You will pay taxes based on this number.

Now here is an important detail. For your business income you will not only pay income t*ax*es but you have to pay the so*ci*al sec*urity/Med*ica*re as well.
Normally these are taken from your paycheck... but because you don't have a paycheck you are responsible for paying this amount directly. Here's the kicker, it's almost twice what you pay as an employee. Yep that's right as a self employed person you pay twice the SS/Med that an employee pays. This is Sc*hed*ule SE and it is a separate page. It's also called the Self Empl*oyment T*a*x.

Here's the other thing. You really should pay your taxes throughout the year. This is called an es*tim*ated t*a*x payment and there is a form (1040es coupon) that your CPA will prepare for you that needs to be sent in 4x each year. This will save you from unnecessary penalties at the end of the year and also relieve the burden of paying the whole amount at one time.
Note the *** are there to keep my blog post from being flagged and also note, that I am not a CPA or an expert and none of my advise should be taken without consulting a CPA first. As they say with medication, "consult your doctor before starting any treatment plan :)"

I've got Drawers

2012-01-05T21:06:00.006-06:00

Last week I got out to Winnie & Tulula's to take down all the Christmas and re-fluff for the New year. I seem to have accumulated a lot of drawers. It's always fun to display things in groups and I decided to put them all together, for a "get organized" theme for the New Year.

And here is a fabulous find...

But it's just a portable card table you say...

Think again.

I thought that is what it was when I bought it, and was so surprised when I opened it up, to find a whole table and chairs.

Currently available on my Etsy store.

I'm going to take a short blogging break while I play catch-up from the Holidays.
But I'll be back, and remember the Spring issue of Flea Market Style will be available soon, hopefully.

It's a new year, time to think about txs

2012-01-01T15:00:00.001-06:00

As a small business owner for almost 30 years I've learned a thing or two about
T* a*x *e* s and record keeping. I hear lots of questions about this subject while I'm out and about, and so I thought I'd take a moment to share what I know (which is only a little bit of what there is to know, about the subject).

It is so important to have good records for any business, and one of the only ways to know how you are doing throughout the year. As a bookkeeper by day, with a wonderful Mom, who is a CPA, I have some unique advise on this subject. So please bear with me, I'll make it all as simple as possible.

Having been A*u*dit*ed twice, I can tell you that good records are a must and being truthful is absolutely necessary.
(BTW I came out great both times due to excellent records.)

My motto is "be truthful, keep records, and when you get the a*u**di*t letter, you'll have nothing to worry about".

You need to keep track of your sales, and your expenses, That's it in a nutshell.
Your profit is your Sales minus your expenses. That is what you pay tax on.
I could go on here about Cash accounting versus Accrual account but I don't want to bore you. Most small businesses like ours, use the Cash accounting method, and that is what I'm explaining here. Note: unsold inventory is not an expense until it is sold.

How best to do this? There are several ways depending on how computer savvy you are.

The simplest way is a paper journal. Every time you sell... write it down, every time you spend money... write it down.
Have separate columns for product purchases, supplies, advertising etc.
Keep a continuous total of each column so you know how you are doing throughout the year.

(Note: Not all your product purchases are deductible as an expense. They are only deductible after you sell them or write them off. This is where a professional can be of great help.)

Having this information will help you to make business decisions as well. When to buy, when to sell, when to have a sale and even when to re-arrange your booth space to generate sales.

If you want to get a little more sophisticated you could use an XL spreadsheet (learning XL changed my life) or even a computer program like QuickBooks to keep your records (they have an online program available that is very affordable.)

At the end of the year you will provide these numbers to your accountant for your t*a*x return. I strongly encourage you to hire a CPA to do your t*a*x*es. Get a good one, they are worth their weight in gold. If you decide to fill out your own return you'll need to use a Sc*he**du**le C for you business income.

We'll talk about the Sc*he**du**le C next .
Now see that wasn't so painful.

Note the *** are there to keep my blog post from being flagged and also note, that I am not a CPA or an expert and none of my advise should be taken without consulting a CPA first. As they say with medication, "consult your doctor before starting any treatment plan :)"

Bedroom makeover progress

2011-12-28T07:00:00.001-06:00

I've shown you some of these changes before, but I have some new things to show you. First off I finally have a palate thanks to this wonderful pillow I found in Mo's booth at Winnie & Tulula's. I'm focusing on the bright green with a gray and just a splash of the burnt orange here and there.

I found the best coverlet and shams at Kohl's with a variation of Orla Kiely's stem print design. It's amazing how many things are out there that seem to be inspired by her designs. The coverlet is perfect as it has a gray underside, that I fold down to reveal both sides of the blanket and it gives the bed some dimension. The 3 euroshams are perfect to completely cover the very "countryish" headboard. I framed some prints from her book "pattern" that I got for Christmas and hung them on either side of the headboard and laced one on a small side table.

Even though I'm kinda going for a slightly modern look in this room, It'll always have elements of repurposing in it. Like the crates I use to store pillows and blankets. I'm on the lookout for some new lamps and I'll know them when I find them. The side tables and dresser need to be painted, but I'm still deciding on the right color for that. I'm leaning on the color of the matte in the frame above. A pretty slate-ish dark gray. What do you think about the gray for the furniture, and what should I do with the bed skirt? It's cream right now, but I'm just no feeling it. Any advise?

I actually got out in the workshop last week

2011-12-26T15:57:00.002-06:00

Do you know what it's like when a project inspiration hits you and you just can't get it out of your head until you try it?

Well that is what it was like last week with this idea, So here it is. Still needs some tweeking. I took pics along the way, so a tutorial will be available soon and definitely by next Christmas.

Hope you had a great Holiday with family, took some time off to rest and are now ready to get back into some junkin fun.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T07:00:00.002-06:00

We've counted down the days and it's finally here. Our last tag is simply
"The Gift of God"
May your family take the time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, as you exchange gifts, and spend time together. Remember why we celebrate... and focus on the "Gift from God" that is His
Son, Jesus Christ.

Get pre-printed Jesus tree or advent tags here
Find a larger list of the "names of God" here
See examples of advent calendars and each day's tag on my pinterest here

More ideas for this type of tag would be the Gifts of the Spirit, The Commandments, The story of Easter and/or the Birth of Christ, Passover (the plagues etc), Creation (what was created on which day), Genesis (creation, fall, flood...). Go with it and enjoy.

Oh Christmas Tree!!!!

2011-12-22T07:00:00.001-06:00

I'm loving some of the Out-of-the-box Christmas Tree ideas. I think I'll try a new one each year.
Do you know of one I should add to my idea collection? Let me know.

To see the complete list with links, go to my pinterest page.

Merry Christmas

An old Fashioned Christmas Treasury for you

2011-12-21T07:00:00.001-06:00

Filled with the things that go under and around the Tree.
Some memories from the past etc. All available in my Etsy store.

Advent Project, Final Week

2011-12-20T07:00:00.002-06:00

Are you ready? I think I am... finally. I think all the gifts are bought, and wrapped. All I need to do now is get to the grocery store, and tie up a few loose ends. This time next week, it will all be over.

As you can see our "Names of Jesus" advent calendar is coming right along. I'm looking forward to sharing this last week with you. I've had so much fun with this project, and I've made a few changes along the way, like finally adding numbers to my board.

For my tags, I've added the actual verses instead of just the references, so that I'll be able to review the verse as I think about it's meaning. Also I've discarded a few that I had planned to use like "rose of sharon" turns out this is not a "name of Jesus" but is often mistaken as such. I decided to remove it even though I love having the Rose as a token, because of it's ambiguity.

I've also discovered that some verses work in the NIV that might not work in the KJV so check both translations.

And to my dismay, I've discovered that I had the wrong scripture references on more than one tag, so I've been checking those as well. You can view a complete list of the "names of God" or "names of Jesus" here. Be sure to check the references before deciding to use one. Some of them are up to interpretation. And if you want to get pre-printed tags, my friend Jodi offers them here. I get nothing from the sale of the tags, I'm just doing this for the fun of it, and it has been fun, and enlightening.

Hope you are following along, and having fun too.
Happy Christmas Week!!!!!! Are you ready?

The great East Texas Nativity controversy

2011-12-19T07:00:00.003-06:00

There is a little town in East Texas called Athens.
It's much like "Bedford Falls" from It's a wonderful life, with community activities, an active town square and quaint small town feel.

The City of Athens has a nativity on the courthouse lawn, as well as Santa Clause and some other various Christmas accoutrements

Some Atheists from Wisconsin found out and wrote a letter.

this is the result:

ATHENS — Thousands have rallied on an East Texas courthouse lawn in response to an effort to remove a Nativity scene.

The Athens Daily Review estimated that about 5,000 people came to Saturday's rally, where a Baptist pastor told the crowd was prompted by "the beginning of persecution of Christianity in our nation."

Henderson County officials this month received a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The group asked that a Nativity scene be removed from the courthouse square and seeks to put up its own banner. County Judge Richard Sanders says the county is complying with federal law and the Nativity scene will remain.

Next year the Athiests get their "banner" on the lawn as well. Having been brought up in that way I know their mindset, but what they don't realize is when they push we pray.... and which is truly more powerful I ask you????

So push away, and we'll pray...And gather... and our faith will be strengthened, which is opposite of what they are trying to accomplish.

This report from Gloria of Winnie & Tulula's which is located just across from the courthouse on the square."It was amazing..everyone was nice..happy..no traffic problems..no litter to pick up..great day ..love our little town!!"

Have a Merry Merry Christmas.

What a Crate Shelf

2011-12-15T11:50:00.001-06:00

Always in the mood for change, I decided to pull some old crates from my barn and make a storage/display shelf in my "junk room"

First to make it look less "dorm" and more "furniture" I added some feet to a board for the base.
This lifts it up off the ground a bit and makes it look more like a piece of furniture.

Then I pulled in several crates from my barn. I tried them in different configurations before I settled on this. You could screw them together at this point, but I did not.
Then I accessorized with stuff that I have in the barn that is mostly for my Etsy store. Pretty much all of it is for sale. It'll be a rotation of my favorite items until they sell and then something new will go in their place.

The whole project took about 20 mins including drilling holes for the feet. I think it might make a good spot to photograph Etsy items as well.

We are half way there

2011-12-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

The Advent board is filling up, are you following along?

Watch the left side bar each day for a new object, that points to the Reason for the Season.
I'm having so much fun, and have come up with some cleaver ones for the last 2 weeks.
I'd love your feedback.

Remember, if you want some pre-printed tags you can order them from my friend Jodi, Here. Expand the project and make Jodi's Jesus Tree with her tags.

I'm keeping a pinboard and am pinning each day's tag and trinket. Also I've found some wonderful "similar" advent boards to inspire you even further. You can view my pin board here.

If you don't want to put screw hooks or nails in a wooden board. How about just getting a cork bulletin board and using tacks. Or it's easy to screw cup hooks into the cork. Cover the cork with burlap, linen or fabric for a more finished look.
Have fun with this. I know you will.

Please do this with the children in your life. Incorporate it into your Sunday school lessons, or school lessons, or bed time stories. They'll remember it all their lives, especially if it becomes a tradition. And what a fun way to learn about our Savior.

Find more names of Jesus by your own research. You'll be amazed what you will learn and have fun doing it.

My Travel Belt-Courtesy of Karla Remixed Stitches

2011-12-08T07:00:00.001-06:00

Back during the last Junk Bonanza I fell in love with the great utility aprons that Ki's sister, Karla, makes. I knew I needed one for a future trip, but I just couldn't make up my mind. So Karla and I made arrangements to talk about it after the show.

I had some specific needs. Large enough for iphone, passport, glasses, money, and notepad and pen. But also discrete so I could hide it under my clothing or jacket. After a fun phone call, sorting out the particulars and picking fabrics, Karla knew my needs and got to work.

She's quick and within a week I had my apron. Complete with 4 large pockets, 2 zippers (for security) and lots and lots of room, not to mention some drop dead gorgeous fabric choices. Let me tell you... Karla's work is quality and I can't wait to use my apron on my travels.
But I'll have to wait till April. More on that later.

You can find Karla's aprons on her Etsy store, Remixed Stitches, Along with even more great sewn creations.

Most of her belts have added "junk" objects and trim, but I wanted mine simple and utilitarian

Hop over and take a look at her fabulous shop.

Thank you Karla, I love it it's perfect.

Last day to enter my fabulous give away, click here for info.

Pendant winner, Olivia Please contact me

2011-12-07T21:13:00.004-06:00

The winner of this fabulouspendant is Oliva with this comment

Olivia said...Awesome necklace I would love to be the owner

Oliva has been contacted and prize has been claimed. Thank you to all who entered.

Are you following along

2011-12-06T07:00:00.002-06:00

Are you following along on my Advent board? Have you made one for your family? It's an easy project.

I'm now on day 6 of my advent calendar project, see the left sidebar. A new item will be drawn each day. Are you following along?

So far we have had "My song, The Door, King of Kings, The Healer,

The ShieldAnd The Pearl of Great Price
Wonder what I'll have for tomorrow?

Each day I draw a different ornament, each pointing to the
"Reason for the Season"

I'll post the object and verse on the left side bar at the top.

Christmas....Simplified...The Margo Way

2011-12-05T07:00:00.002-06:00

For the last few years I've been a real Christmas Scrooge. Maybe it's because there are no little ones in my life, or maybe it's because it has all become a huge list of chores. Whatever the reason, I just do not look forward to this season at all.In an attempt to get some Christmas spirit back into my heart, I've decided to attempt to simplify it all. I'm delegating more and scaling back in some areas. One of the things that is such a daunting task is putting up the tree. I found the solution with an old aluminum tree. Quick set up, no lights, no garland, just the fun part of putting on the ornaments. Son #2 was in town this weekend, so what better time to get the tree up. Mr R helped too. There were a few broken ornaments, but I bore it all with a smile. There is nothing like the sound of plop and pop when those glass orns break.And Ta Da the tree is up...I think i'll be adding some more ornaments to it though. It looks great at night when the light wheel is on it.
For the rest of the house, Simple is the word
Just a few things tucked in here and there.
I love the vintage ornaments and decorations

This was new for me this year. I was inspired by a dealer's display at Winnie & Tulula's
Just hang some old ornaments in front of a mirror or even just an empty frame.

Except for a few tweeks here and there, and the clean up, that is my decorating for this year.
How about you, are you going all out, or scaling it back?

Don't forget to enter the give-away below. Just 3 more days.

Just 3 more days to enter for this fabulous pendant,Give Away from Sterling Grace

2011-12-03T15:30:00.001-06:00

In October I told you about a fun store in my town called Sterling Grace. When the owner, Deborah, contacted me about doing a give-away on my blog I was thrilled. I love supporting local merchants and small businesses and she is both.

After visiting with her in her "very decorated for the holidays" store this week, we came up with the perfect prize. One of her very own, Sterling Silver Trio Cross Pendants, as seen in the first photo.

How can you win this pendant you ask??? There are 3 ways
1) comment on this blog post
2)tweet or facebook about it
3)mention it on your blog
I'm putting this tee on my wish list

Be sure to let me know if you do any of the things above and your name will be entered once for each.

I'll draw the winner next Wednesday night at 8:00 central time. You will be notified if you are the winner, so please make sure I can get in touch with you.
Note Anonymous postings often do not give me enough information to contact you.

Keep Sterling Grace in mind for those hard to buy for ladies of Faith, for the perfect gift of inspirational jewelry or t-shirts etc.

Good luck to you all, and thank you Deborah for the great give away. You can find Deborah's wonderful sterling silver creations on the web here or in Tyler Texas between Michae'ls and Handcock's off Broadway.

Give away open to US residents only

Great Local sale and fellow blogger in Historic Tyler

2011-12-02T20:27:00.002-06:00

A friend ofmine sent me a heads up on a sale at a local historic home today. So off I went GPS programmed and I found myself at this beautiful home. You can't see much from this pic but the house is to die for.

Inside I met Mandy, and she was having an open house sale. There is one more day so be sure to find her on West Houston Street tomorrow and see her fun stuff. Mandy also keeps a blog here.

Pop over say hello, and if you are local be sure to stop by her place tomorrow. I know this gal has good things in store for us in the very near future. There's talent there!!!!

Don't forget to enter my give away in the post below.

Follow Along Blog Advent Project

2011-11-29T20:00:00.001-06:00

Based on my Advent Calendar project I mentioned Last Week. I'm going to do a "follow along Advent Calendar" with all of you. I don't have any grandchildren yet, and there are no little ones in my life, so You'll have to do.
Each Day, I'll draw an ornament from the basket. Each ornament will have a special meaning that relates back to the Reason for the Season. I'll post the object and verse on the left side bar at the top.

I'll start on December 1 and go through Christmas Eve.
I hope to update the photo as we go so you can see the board filling up.
Have your little ones follow along as well.

Some Great Junky Christmas Projects

2011-11-27T21:24:00.004-06:00

Tis the season to get crafting, and I've got lots of fun Christmas Projects in my tutorial store.
Here are a few of my Christmas Tutorials. You can go here to view them all and purchase.

Spindle Wire Christmas Tree

Escape the pitfalls of this project with my Junky Wire Christmas Tree Tutorial:
This tutorial covers everything you will need to make this fun and whimsical Christmas Ball Display Tree.
Measurements and hints are given throughout. I worked through the problems so you don't have to. $7.00

Spindle Angels

How to make Angels from Spindles or table legs. I spend a lot of time dealing with the "wings" issue
in this tutorial. You'll learn what different and fun things can become Angel wings, as well as techniques, and glues to use. Lots of pictures,
of several different angel designs. $6.00

China Wreath

The most frequently asked question I receive is for directions on how to make these Swags and wreaths. I now offer complete instructions,
with full color pictures and a list of glues to use, all for only $8.00.
Simply click the buy now button below, and I'll send you the link to the instructions, you don't even have to wait for the mail.
You can print them right from your computer and get started.

Happy Thanksgiving and getting ready for Black Friday

2011-11-23T20:20:00.003-06:00

As is the usual plan, Winnie & Tulula's is planning their big Christmas Open House for Friday. Since working tomorrow is out of the question, I headed up there today to fluff my spaces.
I wasn't the only one as you can see, there was lots of fluffing going on.

I wanted to show you a few things that I brought in. My philosophy of Christmas decorating is to "simply add glass balls in and around everything". Here's a close up of one of those great candy store displays I recently found, filled with, you guessed it...Glass balls. The other one is in my work room. I'll show you what I did with it in another post

I've got a couple of etched mirrors. They are hard to photograph but I think I got 2 good shots.
I really enjoy making these for the Holidays.

If you want to see more you'll have to come to the sale. Hope over to their blog for more info. Have a great Turkey day.

Advent Calendar Idea-Christmas Project

2011-11-21T11:30:00.000-06:00

I first came up with this idea a few years ago and I have since adjusted it a bit. It's very simple just take a piece of wood, for mine I painted it with a light coat of white and then sanded it. Hammer in 24 nails or screw in cup hooks. I added number tags for the one above, but that is optional, Probably a good idea if doing this with children. Or you could simply paint or write or decoupage the numbers to the board. The original idea was to have the child remove a trinket each day to hang on the board as a countdown or advent calendar. Since then, being inspired by Jodi's Jesus tree idea. I've altered this to have the trinkets have a special (back to Jesus) meaning.

The concept remains the same, only the trinkets each have a truly biblical meaning. Like above the "admit one" tickets stand for Redeemer, and the round carrom game pieces are "lifesaver", Use your imagination. You can order Jodi's tags here or make your own, Jodi also has a sheet that has bible verse after bible verse for the "names of Jesus" represented on the tags.

For example an old key represents "key to heaven" which is Acts 4:12 As the child pulls out the item to be hung you can discuss how that item points back to a biblical meaning.

What a great way to redeem the season, and you only need 24 items. This is definitely going to be a tradition for me and my grandchildren,
when I have them...someday....

Winnie & Tulula's Christmas Open House Event

2011-11-20T11:23:00.002-06:00

You have all day to shop on Friday after Thankgiving, then come out to Winnie & Tulula's for an evening of Holiday fun.

Bistro is open, Dealers will be newly stocked with Holiday goodness.

See you there!!!!!

One week of junking along with Margo-Friday

2011-11-18T17:57:00.000-06:00

You've come along with me for a full week of junking fun and this is the last day. Friday started early and cold with a stop at what I'd hoped would be a good sale and it did not disappoint. Their motto is" we are here to loose money but make friends". They did have lots of stuff but some of the better items were priced a bit too high for me. I did find some fun smalls and then headed down the road to the next sale.

I hit 3 or 4 sales total and then had to get to work.

Today was another big shipping day and that all took about an hour.

This week was actually pretty tame. I didn't go to my booth in Athens (45 min drive) to fluff, that will be next week. I didn't get any " drop everything and come here for great junk" calls this week either.

I didn't have any cleaning or pricing to do but I will next week, as we get ready for the big Winnie & Tulula's open house on Friday.

Except for the Barn Sale it was all pretty routine.

Here are most of my finds just since Monday

Looks like this was the week for coolers. I love the yellow plaid one and that cute little polka dotted one is not too shabby :) I've always got room for a galvanized one at the right price too.
A couple of goosneck lamps in various stages of rust, a weather vane,

old lunch box, rubber stamp holder, horse muzzle, juicy fruit display, old phone,

wall receipt holder, art deco clock, Exit sign, and a juggling Indian club

Not to mention a metal duck bank, and a couple of vintage levels.

All in all a good week of smalls and that's what I look for.

Next week is Thanksgiving, and Winnie & Tulula's will be open on Friday evening for our Christmas event. I'll have more about that tomorrow. I've also got a fun holiday project to share
with you... so be sure and check back.

Don't for get the Christmas in the Country sale will be open all day Saturday, with 25% off many items.

One week of junking along with Margo-Thursday

2011-11-17T20:29:00.004-06:00

Bored yet??? Today was another Estate sale morning. There was only one new one so I stopped by. First I hit the shed where I found a few treasures, then inside. One room was fully of Christmas, but nothing old. One room was full of vintage hats. If I were into vintage hats, I'd have been in heaven.

After I made my purchases, I headed to work, which in this case, was just around the corner. Shipped some magazines, and some product, did my "real job" and headed home.

Stopped by a fellow seller's place to pick up some of her treasures for Etsy.

Finished up a Holiday project that I'll show you next week.

After dinner, I listed and scanned some comic books, and wrote this post. After this I will head to etsy to write up some descriptions.

Tomorrow morning, I gather some etsy sold items, and head back out there. Friday is garage sale day and "anything goes" It might be good it might be a bust, stay tuned. And on Saturday I'll show you my week of finds. Lots of little small stuff, but that is what I specialize in anyway :)

Total hrs about 3 for today, It was an easy day.

One week of junking along with Margo-Wednesday

2011-11-16T22:53:00.000-06:00

The day started early with 3 local estate sales. One was quite large as you can see above.
At one I missed this fabulous item by just about 1 minute. Agggggg!
After that I went to work where I shipped one order, and spent 20 mins filing a claim for the broken item mentioned before, with UPS.

Then after several hours of real Work I headed to the Gresham Barn for the beginning of a long evening wrapping treasures for customers. Now I'm home and beat, but I still have some other junking stuff to do and some housework.

More Tomorrow-total hours 6 so far
Additional hr on blogging, online sales, and email answering etc
And my W key is sticking on my computer so I'm having to go back and make lots of corrections. I never kne ho much I used the W key :)

Gresham Barn Sale Starts Tomorrow Evening

2011-11-15T22:00:00.000-06:00

I love it when I sell things at the Gresham Barn Sale, because I get to pre-view a bit of the junky goodness when I drop my things off.
The sale opens tomorrow evening at at 4:00 for Jodi's famous pre-view party and sale. All items are available for purchase. It's great fun, with fabulous Christmas music, sounds and smells filling the air. And wonderful vintage Christmas as well as other Vintage items.
This is just a sampling of photo's and not everything was out yet when I snapped these on saturday.
You can see more on Jodi's blog. I'll be working the whole evening, so if you stop by, say hello and I'll see you there.

Today's Junking with Margo...
Tuesday is a little like Monday and is usually part of the slower part of the week. Today I...
Shipped Magazines
Worked on placing a claim with shipping company for damaged merchandise (ugg) (How do you break a cast iron piece? Tell me that!!!!!)
Shipped a replacement
Flea Market Style Blog work
Blog Post (this one)
Met with a lady about some junk she had for sale
& Wrote online listing descriptions
The week will start in full gear Wednesday, with working the Gresham sale, and more shipping. I'm estimating my hours tomorrow to be around 7-8 plus the real job.

One week of junking along with Margo-Monday

2011-11-14T20:00:00.005-06:00

Today being a Monday, it's not usually a big junking day, but It's usually a huge shipping day.
Weekend online sales pile up and Monday I play catchup. So this morning was spent organizing, boxing, printing postage etc. I'm fortunate that my "day Job" allows me a great place to do this and my mail carrier picks up right there at that side door. So Off it all went to it's new home.

Then after working an extra to make up for the time I spent on personal stuff, I headed home and spent about an hour on various computer work. Blogging, posting photo's and writing descriptions for Etsy listings etc.

A phone call was made to a "lead" and I'm waiting for a response so I can look at some vintage stuff a person has for me to dig through. But I'm still waiting to hear back.

Other Misc:
30 min phone call to purchase ticket for April Paris Trip
Deal with an item broken during shipping.
Read, and Answered Flea Market Style Blog Emails
Scanned some Comic Books

Tonight will be spent writing up more descriptions etc, and I have some cleaning of last week's junk to do out in the barn if I get to feeling better. I think I'm trying to catch something, hopefully it's just allergies.

Don't forget about the Christmas in the Country sale this week at the Gresham Barn, click link below for more info.

One week of junking along with Margo-Sunday

2011-11-13T19:00:00.007-06:00

Sunday is for Family...
so Mr R and I decided to take a short road trip to see Son #2 at college.
He showed us around his college town, and took us to the biggest used book store I've ever seen.
3 floors of old book goodness.

The town has a great atmosphere and fortunately the city planners have been wise enough to preserve some of the "old" style charm from days past.

Mr R and I stopped by a store in Canton on the way back where I had seen these huge letters on the side of a building. I had to stop for a better look and a pic.This evening I've caught up on emails. Gathered items from the barn that need to be shipped tomorrow and packaged up some chalk board gift tags that I just finished up. Not a huge junking day, but everyone needs a day off from time to time.

In case you missed what I'm doing. I'm taking you all along for a week of my junking life. See yesterday's post for day #1.

One week of junking along with Margo

2011-11-12T19:29:00.002-06:00

I thought I'd spend a week or so of blog posts so that you can see just what goes into doing this business of buying and selling junk.

My day (Saturday) started out, not so early, as I decided to sleep in. Saturday is one of the only days for that so sometimes I throw care to the wind and wake up when my body says it's time, not when the alarm says it's time.

A couple of my seller friends knew a comic book guy and I had a meeting at 11:00 with him.
It was very fruitful and I learned a lot about comic books and about what I have in my recent comic book find. That was over around 12:30 and then home for lunch with Mr. R.
After Lunch I had to run to the Gresham Barn to drop off my Christmas items for next week's Christmas in the Country sale. Of course I stayed and chatted with Jodi for awhile and took some pics. I'll share more pics later this week. The Sale Starts on Wednesday so be sure to mark your calendars.
While at the barn I got a phone call from a friend... who has a friend... who has some stuff... for me to look at. I arranged with her to hook up next week, as it was already around 3:00 and had stuff at home to do.

At around 5:00 I spent an hour or so taking 114 pics for my Etsy listings... and then it was Dinner time with Mr R.

After dinner we stopped at the craft store for some glue that I needed, and something that he was needing as well.

After dinner I loaded pics and am getting ready to edit them and wrote this post. It is now 7:30 and I'll be editing for about an hour and then who knows what else I'll do.

I've got some pieces that need repair (hence the glue) and a project waiting in my project room that I just might tackle still tonight.

So that is Saturday...
Remember to follow along with me this week, and You'll be surprised how much time I actually spend doing this. But I love every minute of it.

Fabulous Fall Thursday Finds

2011-11-10T17:11:00.006-06:00

What started out as a rather slow garage sale morning took a quick turn into jackpot land. Just as I was done, and was attempting to be happy with my mediocre findings... I spotted a rogue garage sale sign, and of course did a quick u-turn down the lane. Where not only did I find this plethora of vintage 1050's comics, but these fabulous candy display pieces below.
Love those curved bottom glass jars and they have hinged lids and the stands are fabulous with or without the jars.

And as a bonus these 4 sets of yummy industrial file boxes. Not to mention several un-pictured smalls.
It was a good day indeed!!!

Now the question... Does anyone know anything about comic books???

I love Fall

2011-11-08T16:46:00.002-06:00

I snapped this beautiful vine against the dark wet bark of an oak tree in my yard. A day of rain is welcome around here and the cooler temperatures are a much anticipated sign that the seasons will, in fact, change...Come on Fall, you can do it!!!!!

Life is very busy around here, hang in there with me, I promise more content soon.

Reminder The Gresham Barn Christmas in the Country sale is coming next week. I'll be there with a pile of vintage Christmas items and Jodi tells me the Barn is full. Hopefully I'll have some pictures soon.