Ready, Set, Wait

Chomping at the bit to open the screen porch....arrange the furniture bring out the indoor plants and take in the view of the yard from my favorite vantage point.....

The pollen here in upstate NY is coating everything this week. This time each year I'm sure it's the worst season for allergies ever. We have huge, HUGE pine trees surrounding our home and clouds of pollen swirl in the wind and coat our cars and force us to keep windows closed :( It also keeps us from opening our screen porch, we wait until the trees have bloomed, so the green coating of dust doesn't have to be reckoned with in our indoor/outdoor space. Maybe next week ;)

We don't wait at the shop, we have made everything summer there. Bright colors, great furnishings for indoor/outdoor spaces and plenty of Salt Water Taffy.

Now is the time to buy some treats for your outdoor space....before everyone else starts grabbing up the goodies, and the green dust settles ;)

CAMPY?

-something so outrageously artificial, affected, inappropriate, or out-of-date as to be considered amusing - a style or mode of personal or creative expression that is absurdly exaggerated and often fuses elements of high and popular culture. REALLY? I thought it just meant that something was sooo tacky it was great, hmmm. Like plastic Christmas wreaths from the 50's or color palates of the 70's. The word *campy* popped into my head while I was installing new window displays this week....a camping theme, of course.

From the inside looking out, this window sets the mood for a fun weekend of camping. The large Ralph Lauren tray, has the classic vintage look of a old tavern advertising tray. A couple of broken cinder blocks, rocks and sticks from the parking lot, found their way into these windows.....works when camping ;)

In the mood for a smore yet??

A Completed Project

HOORAY!! Isn't grand when you complete a project and you can move on? I was reminded recently by a Face-book fan, that I never posted finished photos of the Tuesday's Project Post. The jewelry display area is done...

NEXT!

Ideas,Deadlines & Plans...Oh My

The days seem long and then stop short, the days run into each other and then the week arrives at Friday.....how does this happen? Over and over I am always running behind, never enough time to execute the the ideas, plans and displays in my head. Oh yeah, the drawings are on scrap sheets of paper, small notebooks, in my bag, tucked under the counter, even on the backs of auction bid numbers. It seems like it has been weeks since I have had order to the creative process. Maybe there has been and I'm over looking it?
My friend Isabella says, if you plant the seed, water it , take care of it and love it, the only thing it can do is grow.
She is a fellow retailer and this is her way of referring to our businesses. It has made me realize I'm still watering and loving my business, and probably always will. If I look at each potential project that I'm mulling over in my head, in this manner, completing anyone of them seems unobtainable.
For example; sure I have plans to create *fabulousness* for the Gardiner Cupcake Festival, will it be the way it is in my head? No, but I'm planting the seed, I have even watered it a lot, it's growing....however, in directions I haven't planned for. Unforeseen changes, new inspirations and time restraints have me feeling the days slipping away and now the realization of time running out. The dead line is less than a week away. The reality check please.
Time to edit the scraps of drawings done by a dreamer into the work of a shop owner. Yes, onto the transition from tidbits of ideas to a finished project. The challenge, convincing myself it's a creative process and not work.
Unobtainable, not really, just busy growing...Ah, HA, love it and it will grow, thanks, Izzi...

Emotional Reflection

It's getting harder and harder to find the time to blog, or maybe to find the time to to collect my thoughts.
It has been a week of emotions, the loss of a friend and mentor,Barney, hit me hard. I pulled myself together and filled the week with meetings.
The Main Street Gang is diligently conducting business, rallying towards the Cupcake Festival. The Town Planning Board, was reviewing plans for an additional building on our road. The Business Association, showcased a panel of guests, including the counties tourism director. All have been time consuming, but some what necessary to attend.
A week of emotions or a week of avoiding my feelings? I am blessed to have a full life, and I was caught off guard by the news of my friend Barney's passing. ( I'm pooling up writing this) I should not have been, we all knew his time was ending. It is fitting that I spent time avoiding tears this week with meetings, he spent years standing up for neighbors, the town and ideals in meetings for decades. I thought he taught me a lot about communicating and representing, in the role of being an officer in our towns business association, and he did. It wasn't until his passing that I realized he represented the best things in all our lives. He shared his love of family, of friends, of community and was passionate about life. He was a man who gave back and gave back. Most of all Barney taught me, the little stuff doesn't matter, it's enough to know you don't agree and just walk away. A lesson that took me nearly fifty years. This would have made Barney laugh, he had a great laugh. Rest in peace my friend.

Five Years and Pondering

I have never been one of those people who are disappointed in birthdays. You know, the friend that had a list of things, that when they got to a certain age, they were going to have done. The friend that is disappointed with their birthday and upset about what they haven't gotten done on the list. Not me, I never have had a list of that type. I was fine at 30 and 40 and even 50. So what happened to me last week? This five year thing really threw me for a loop. Then I realized, I had made a list, in my head, but never the less I had made a list. A list of where I would be with HiHo when we were five years in. Let me share some of my list, we would have sidewalks, a speed limit through town, a number of other businesses would be promoting the Gardiner Hamlet, and most importantly money wouldn't be a worry. WHAT WAS I THINKING. Silly right? If you noticed many of the things on my list are beyond my control.
My list, if I really needed to have one, should have been more like this....create relationships with customers, give back to the community, challenge my creative side, explore new channels of promoting, expand product selection, develop the HiHo brand. Right? I wouldn't have been so disappointed.
So much accomplished and so silly of me to let emotions blurry my real goals.Five years and HiHo is just fine....and me too.

This Week's Tuesday Project

Tuesdays HiHo is closed, but I still work. Today's project has been in the works in my head for months. It was, and is, pretty exciting that so much of the project came together today. I had decided to use an old china cupboard to make a display fixture for the shop. We have jewelry arriving soon and I need a place to showcase it. The idea; upholster the back of the cupboard with panels. Making the padding a nice place to pin and display necklaces and such.

Hmmm, what color, I need boards cut, maybe use Velcro, could even make a stage like setting by draping fabric on each side of the cupboard. Need a place for Hazel the dress form. Oh, what about those old hand rails, they might work?

Last night, was the trip to the fabric store, almost successful, got the panel fabric but not the drape fabric. Then decided to look at tablecloths, shower curtains and any other option that might work. Wahla! Ralph Lauren tablecloths, not only matched Hazel and the panel fabric but felt like it would work in HiHo.

Not yet complete, but a good amount done for one day. I will be sure to post, when this new area is featuring our newest product line ;)