Saturday, November 3, 2012

Open House Day






This was how my booth looked when I left Wednesday night.  I still had a couple of things to bring in that weren't q.u.i.t.e ready on Wednesday.  But I managed to make a sign for the bookcase with what I had on-hand.  My booth name is "Runs With Scissors."  I think it goes well with Colors Outside the Lines!

I came back Thursday morning and brought the rocking chair


this two-tiered revolving caddy,



and some miscellaneous silverplate.

I wasn't going to go in on Friday, because I didn't have anything else to bring, they were still running around decorating, and, frankly, I didn't want to look like an obsessed nutcase!

But on Friday, the shop owner called me and proudly said, "You sold the round table!"  I wracked my pea-sized brain and finally replied, "But I don't have a round table!"  "You know," she said, "the one holding the candlestick picture frames!"

I had an ah-ha moment.  "That's YOUR table and you sold it out from under me!"

Now let me tell you, this was a table otherwise bound for the dump!  But she was kind enough to lend it to me and I was thankful to have use of it.  But now I needed to come up with Plan B quickly.  And I still didn't have a table of my own.

Here is the sold table after I remove my things:


I ask you...what would you pay for this!  I wouldn't have given $15 for it with the cheapo laminate top and missing edges.  I nearly wet myself when I asked what she sold it for and she told me she got $75!!  Some people have more money than sense!

I grabbed a pair of Pottery Barn canvas drapes that I found at the Goodwill for $5 and ran to the shop.  The owner had a folding table I could borrow, so I wrapped the legs with the drapes and put the tablecloths and items back on.





I made the shop owner promise not to sell this table until after the Open House, and said I was heading out to find a table to buy.  The GW had a crappy table yesterday, but I didn't need a table then.  When I got there, the table was gone.  Of course! 

So, I headed down the street to the warehouse of a new bud, Rick, who buys storage units and resells the contents.  I bought the chair that became part of the suitcase table from him and figure he might have a cheap table.  In fact, he had exactly what I wanted, but he didn't want to sell it to me because one of the legs was split down the middle into two pieces.  He said he didn't think he could sell it to anyone.

We agreed to let me try and repair the leg (and another seriously cracked one) and if I could make it usable, I would come back another day and pay him...$5.  My kind of deal!  I just knew I could repair this!


And I did!  Isn't it nice?  And doesn't it look better than the other one??  Ha!  I will swap out the folding table next week. 

So, now I am all set up for the Open House.  I borrowed a coat rack for my log carriers and a couple of small tables that were in the way of the aisles.



Last year's Wiener Collection is here.  On the back table are All Beef Wiener and Pork Wiener (wearing a removable pig nose.)  On the front table are, from left to right, Baller-wiener, Cocktail Wiener and Meaner Wiener, the girl from the 'hood.


I made some small gift pouches in conjunction with the jewelry designers who were going to be showing their wares.


And I brought in this gray and white table that I reconstructed from pieces and stenciled.


I went by today after the Open House was underway a couple of hours and found the joint jumping!  There was food, a musician providing tunes and lots of customers checking things out.  So far, I have sold the reversible chalkboard/mirror, which is pretty cool.


And if someone wants to pay me $75 for my new round table that isn't even in the shop, I might consider it!