A Wee Bit of Breakfast at Tiffany's

I am almost 100% moved into the new apartment. My roommate is great, and my Zoe-girl is loving her new life as an indoor pooch. I swear, it's like she dropped 10 doggie years in the past three weeks! She runs up and down the hall with puppy-like glee, plays soccer with her little pink ball, gnaws on her favorite chew bone, and has even played tug-o-war with me and her fleece chew toy.

As for me, I have finally begun to really decorate, just for the fun of it. My apartment is one of those strict no-paint places, so I had to innovate ... I hung black silky fabric with a black-on-black floral pattern across the longest wall and pulled the black picture frames with white mats from out of storage.

Taking my cue from a poster of Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the fact that my old coverlet fell to pieces in the washing machine, I bought a stunning Tiffany's turquoise blue bedspread from Target. I acutally hunted down a Tiffany's ad in a bridal magazine and carried it with me through the bedding section to get the color right. My bedspread is a shade darker ... but who cares? The poster now resides above the head of my bed. Once I scrounge up some black-and-white print pillows, and possibly some round pink satin ones (for the fun of it!), I think the full effect will be quite stunning.

After getting the bedding right, I decided to paint, after all ...

A canvas, that is.

A co-worker had told me of this amazing art store in Antioch, TN–Jerry's Artorama. It is fabulous! I spent at least an hour just browsing around before I forked out some of my tax return money to get an easel and paint. I already had a canvas I had painted a very basic pattern on a few years ago, so I simply went home, assembled the easel, pumped an up-beat CD through my surround sound DVD system, picked up a brush, and had at it.

Several happy hours later, I had the background for my new piece of art. By the next day, I had completed it. It isn't going to win any awards or even ever see the light of a gallery, but I love it.

Fans of the movie will recognize what is roughly sketched in black paint across the right-hand side of my canvas. And the gold-leaf paisley and faucet are pure joy.

The effect is just so preeeettyyyyy. I am going to have to paint more gold leaf on acrylics. Any ideas?

MOVING DAY

This Easter weekend, I move in with my new roommate.

I have boxes stacked in my house, yard sale stuff assembled in the living room and waiting to be moved out tomorrow morning into the brisk air (of all weekend for it to only be in the 40's!).

Tonight, I'll transfer as much stuff as possible over to my new master bedroom. I've never had a master bath before, so this will be nice. And I'll do a few loads of laundry. Oh, bliss!!! To not have to endure the humiliation of the public laundromat or begging laundry privileges off of friends any longer! We have a washer and dryer in the apartment!!!

My commute will be a mere 10 minutes shorter, but that is 10 minutes I don't have to be in traffic on I-24. Have I mentioned my distaste for I-24 during rush hour?

On non-rush hour drives, however, the difference will be amazing. Drive time to Nashville will be minimal, and I am equally close to shopping, restaurants, and ... STARBUCKS!

Yeah, I guess I'm quite happy. I'm keeping my expenses about the same (thank you God) and my new roommate is pleasant, and doesn't mind my dog! Can't ask for much more.

Now to work on asking for that raise I so deserve ...

What the Hooligans Did

We're so baaaaaaad!

i *heart* friends

You make me happy!

Good times.

(Nothing like a late-night Wal-Mart run, 25 pinwheels, 225 plastic Easter eggs, and 500 Post-its, and one empty home of a friend on vacation to make a Saturday night to remember!)

purple bird

This little guy makes me happy.

Made on a recycled wool sweater I got at Goodwill, I shrunk the wool at the laundromat (on purpose, for once!).

This fun little birdie is felted wool and embroidery thread. I got a felting needle tool at Hobby Lobby and let loose–it was great fun!

May I just say, crafting is good for the soul.

Crashing back down to reality ...

I hate being broke.

Just when I was beginning to get comfortable with my new life, I run aground ... AGAIN.

May I rant for a minute?

My business, the one that I poured every spare cent into, has not done well. I did recently sell a shabby-chic mirror, but the things I thought were cute are still sitting on the shelves. I'm still excited to even be doing this, and I don't regret it, but I'm beginning to realize that doing this while being broke and yet full-time employed is not going to work.

My car, the one that broke down twice in the span of one week last year, has broke down yet again, leaving me stranded on the side of a busy intersection, without my cell phone, and making me very, very late for work Friday morning. To make matters worse, when I went to look into buying a newer car yesterday, I quickly found out that I can't afford one. Period. The one 2002 Ford Focus I found that was in my price range had just as many things wrong with it as my tired old 1996 Toyota Camry. I'm sorry, but I'm not going into debt for four years AND have to fix my new car right off the bat. I'd rather just fix the problems I know my current vehicle has-without the car payments.

I had a bad week at work. I love my job, and thoroughly enjoy the people I work with, but it was just a bad week. One that isn't made any better by the realization that burger flippers in Connecticut make the same amount per hour as I do here in Tennessee.

Speaking of Connecticut, my brother with whom I shared a house just moved there. Connectictut, that is. He got a good job as a pilot at a private charter jet company that wisks the uber-rich to work in NYC every morning. Imagine that-commuting by jet. Sure cuts down on rush hour traffic-something else I hate.

The traffic for my commute is driving me crazy. What is normally a 30 minute drive sometimes stretches into an hour and a half.

One last rant ... Housing. How does anybody afford it? With my former roommate/brother moving out of state, I'm left with the rent. Our family is putting the house up for sale this week, leaving me to hunt for apartments. I had a sweet deal with my parents to be able to live in such a nice home. Now, I have to find the impossible: a cheap apartment within driving distance to downtown Nashville, in a safe neighborhood, that allows dogs, with washer/dryer hookups. Do you know how impossible that is?

Oh, and I've got to start saving for a car. This is just getting ridiculous.

Rainy Days

It's raining in Nashville as I type this. I woke at 5:00 to the BOOOM of thunder, and we have a tornado watch in effect.

I was out of portable lunch food when I left for work this morning, so I ate at the place across the street. Macaroni and cheese–good rainy day comfort food. If only I was at home, lounging on the couch in my pj's with a mug of coffee and a good book!

A Short Synopsis

For my loyal readers, who know the whole story, let me clarify my current position:

1. CraftLuck is my newest venture. It's non-profit, and, as I mention in the previous post, grassroots.
2. Declaration Vintage is my business. I'm thinking of re-working the name and will explore selling indie-crafts along with my antique and vintage items more aggressively than I am now.
3. Ruby Red is my avatar/personna. This is my personal blog, the one with all the history. If you've read my posts since the beginning, then you know about my journey and how I've gotten here. (If not, start at the beginning!) Ruby Red is the writer, the vintage postcard collector, the crafter, the design enthusiast, the entrepreneur. Ruby Red is ... me.

Something New ...

I can't believe I'm doing this, but I have stepped out of my comfort zone and started a whole new kind of grassroots craft movement. It's a local concept, for now. An indie-driven, freestyle, one-of-a-kind event called CraftLuck. Basically, crafters in Middle Tennesse can participate in a potluck-style meeting in which participants bring craft supplies to share with the entire group for the duration of the event.

Unlike a stamping party, nobody is selling the products used. Unlike a scrapbook meet, more than one kind of craft is being created. Unlike a traditional potluck meal, you can't, well, eat what everyone else has brought (unless, of course, they brings snacks to share, too)!

What you can do is have fun. I'm hoping that people who don't normally spend time crafting will come and enjoy themselves, as well. I want to get the word out that crafting is for everyone, and that you don't have to be perfect to be creative.

Friday!

It's Friday, I'm heading out of the office .... YAY!!!

Actually, though it's been a long, hard week, and my allergies are killing me, I'm sort of excited: we are in the process of renovating the office. I have a brand spankin' new cubicle that is BIGGER than my old one (by quite a bit, actually!). And a new Mac mini.

So that's good, right?

(It's just that every Monday reminds me again of why I can't wait to have my own business).

*sigh*

A Long (and Overdue) Update

I’ve switched out most of my inventory in the showcase and have changed gears yet again. Out are the majority of the purses and all of the costume jewelry. I loved them, but obviously the market was not right for them at the antique mall. So, I’ll sell them another way, perhaps online or in a trunk show. I’m losing money on rent, but the past three months have been an incredible learning experience for me!

So far, the antique shoppers of Nashville have liked (and, more importantly, bought) the following: baroque-style gold mirrors, end-of-the-day Bakelite, vintage belts, vintage wicker and leather purses, blue glass, and a decorative fan.

I’m trying to be the bootstrapper of bootstrappers and the guerrilla marketer of guerilla marketers, considering my budget is, well, nonexistent. Sometimes, I think I’m going to go crazy, because even when I’ve stopped intentionally planning, my brain takes over and I can’t concentrate at work or go to sleep at home because new ideas spin around and around and around until I have the compulsion to write them down or make a new phone call contact—immediately.

My business has gone through such a metamorphosis, even in the past year, that sometimes I stop and wonder if I’ve completely lost it. How will I ever stick with one idea through to the finish line? How many other ideas will I hotly pursue, only to drop later on down the road without so much as a tootle-loo?

More importantly, will I ever start to make a profit?

Yet I can’t deny that jumping in and making the financial commitment to sign a 6-month lease, however small the space, has been the best thing I’ve ever done. Even my little showcase has transformed me from dreamer to do-er, and that one small change has affected every aspect of my life. Instead of buying clothes for myself, I hunt down vintage finds to add to my collection. Instead of blogging as much as I used to, I spend my spare time making labels and pricing my stock (a task I have been surprised to discover I dislike!). Instead of taking a leisurely lunch break, I take at least one lunch per week on the run when I drive over to check the booth and rearrange things to keep it fresh looking. Instead of reading a book, I write marketing plans.

And, for the final, and most unusual change to my business daydreams: the boring stuff is taking precedence. Since I’m so small, I have yet to print business cards (albeit they are next). Instead, I am determined to learn small business record keeping and my next step is to set up a cash-flow statement and an inventory database to keep track of sales, trends, and current stock. How mundane. How tedious. How absolutely necessary!

Who woulda thunk that I, the graphic design enthusiast, would put the image-making stuff last!

I'm a Compulsive Creative

So, today we were talking around the lunch table and I was told that I was a true creative because I compulsively have to create things. Makes sense, I guess.

It certainly would explain a lot about my childhood! LOL! Selling wildflower bouquets to little old ladies, dictating poetry before I could write it, and teaching myself to play the piano ... sounds pretty compusively creative to me.

I ... can't ... stop. Must .... post to ... Blogger ....

Ahhhh, the life of a right-brainer.

Oh, Incidentally ...

http://www.myspace.com/declarationvintage

Check it out.

I feel official, now

Last night I was checking out at Target. The girl ringing my purchases up asked how I was doing, initiated the usual cashier chit-chat, and commented on the magazines I was buying (Domino, Lucky, Country Living, and Mary Engelbreit's magazine).

I admitted, a bit shyly, that I am a magazine addict, but justified my purchase by explaining that it was research for my business.

"Oh, really?" she said, all interested. "Do you mind if I ask what kind of business it is?"

"I sell vintage accessories and decorative items."

"That's so cool!" she said.

And there you had it, I'm official, and now I'm dying to design and print business cards.

Whoooaaaaa, Bessy. One thing at a time. You gotta pay the February rent first!

Wednesday = Friday's Coming

Why has this week been so long? I don't know. Maybe because I'm working on updating a client database. Long, drawn-out, and, well, how can you get around saying it? Boring.

But it's all good.

'Cause I have things like this (I believe) blue moon Bakelite bangle to make me happy.

Of course, I'd be even happier if it sold!

Will this day ever end???

4:53pm. At Work. Pleeeeeease clock turn to 5:00pm. I am exceedingly bored!

4:54pm. Posting this image. It makes me happy. Did I mention it was from my vintage booth at the antique mall?

Uh-huh.

You can buy any of these things, folks.

Snatch 'em up!

Picking up speed

I am taking a break from work for just a minute to update my blog. I probably shouldn't be doing this, but my brain is all fuzzy from concentrating on my current marketing work-in-progress, so I need a break.

That being said ...

I've decided on a name for my new official business and have just registered for a MySpace account again. I haven't done MySpace since late last spring, because I found it a waste of time, but the amazing power of that online community is undeniable for my targe demographic of 18-35 year-old indie and/or vintage minded young adults (not to mention the free "toot your own horn" PR for a newbie business!).

I also posted my first Craig's List ad for a vintage Bakelite bangle I have for sale.

Yesterday, I updated my antique mall display case and filled it with vintage bangles, a couple of vintage plastic bead necklaces, and vintage purses.

I fully intend to handcraft my Ruby Red line of cards and sell those, too.

All in all, it feels uber-good to be taking these newest baby steps toward boutique-shop ownership.

Ch-ch-changes

One more baby step: I've signed up for an Etsy.com account. I'm not a registered seller yet, but that will come soon, and I will, at last, have some cards for sale.

As for the changes, it looks like Ruby Red may be a my own stationery and handcrafted product line for a different type of business than I originally decided to start.

So, to date:

1. I am selling vintage fashion and home accessories at the antique mall.
2. I am about to sell vintage sewing and craft notions, along with my own crafty things, under the Etsy ID "vintagenotions".
3. I am starting to write more, and hope to possibly incorporate my vintage, antique, and crafty interests into possible articles and/or books.

And, I am hoping to one day tie all of these interests together under the roof of one little boutique shop where people can shop for everything from an indie-crafted plushie animal to a cabinet to house their plate collection or craft supplies.

It will have vintage clothing, jewelry, hats, bags, and other accessories mingled with hand-crafted items and original art and user-friendly antiques and fine "junk".

There will, of course, be a red door and a chandelier, and the coolest jazz and indie music you could ever ask for playing in the background.

But, for now, I'm happy with my baby steps ...

ICBIIB! (I Can't Believe I'm In Business!)

I didn't visit my case at the antiques mall for over a week because I was busy and Christmas shopping. Well, ok, that's not the real reason.

The real reason I didn't visit was I was scared.

What have I gotten myself into? Bad grammar aside (ending a sentence in a preposition, oh my!), I have been contemplating the ramifications of loosing $55 a month to a case full of inventory that just sat there.

Then, yesterday, I dropped by, just to rearrange things and keep the case looking fresh.

When I got there, the case looked different. It took me a minute to realize that items were out of place (wow! people have actually looked at the stuff!) and some items were--could it be?!!!--MISSING.

Hallelujah, I made a sale. Somebody stop me before I hyperventilate.

The good new got even better ... two of the items that sold were, in fact, the most expensive ones in the case. A gaudy gold Louis XIV-type mirror (plastic, vintage, so-hideous-it's-gorgeous) and a bakelite bangle. The bangle I had gotten by luck for around $1. I sold it for $25, no questions asked.

I'm giddy.

I'm addicted

I have a new obsession ... vintage/retro plastic costume jewelry, especially anything lucite or bakelite.

That's "bake-uh-light."

Bangles, in particular, have caught my fancy, but I am also fond of lucite purses from the '60s, carved bakelite pins or buttons from the '30s and '40s (I really, really want a black Scottie dog pin, but they're $25 or more), and funky lucite rings from the '70s.

Bakelite has a sniff-test as a preliminary gauge of its authenticity. I went to the Tennessee Flea Market this past weekend, and I can only imagine what passers-by must have thought when I rummaged through piles of vintage junk, grabbed a suspicious-looking piece, rubbed my thumb across it until it warmed in that spot, and then sniffed it tentatively. If I smelled the right smell (a distinctive formaldehyde-type scent reminiscent of high school biology lab days), then I was very, very tempted to buy it!

Unfortunately, the best pieces I found (vintage pot-holder loom and a fun green cuff bracelet) were at an antique jewelry booth where the owner new his stuff. I would have had to fork out $20 for the bracelet and more for the "loom".

In the end, I came home with two boxes of vintage buttons (a score were the big red carved buttons I suspect could be bakelite!), a couple of brightly colored children's birthday cards from the '40s, and what I think might be a moonglow plastic bangle bracelet from anywhere from the '60s to the '80s -- I can't tell.