Home for the Holidays Part 2

I’m a little delinquent on my post here. Because well, I wasn’t home for the holidays for a week, I was off doing my Magical Pop Up Shop! I’ll do another lengthier post soon on the tree shop. I came home from that and literally got out of the car and ran down the steps into the studio and starting shipping like crazy! Bing bang bam packages and product flying everywhere and out the door to all my awesome customers!  I was shipping through the 23rd, with a half a day escape to put my tree shop display in storage so I could park in my garage, and a lunch visit with a dear family friend on the 22nd. Then with a half a day to prep for family coming on the 24th and 25th and a project in between, well, my legs felt like noodles from exhaustion and there’s not much rest here still.  And here in the exhaustion, the rest of the holiday decor happened, so last minute, there was almost no real tree this year, and then there were 2 because I was so late they were half off, so why not. Enjoy the decor, and Happy New Year to you and yours! Stay safe if the weather outside is frightful. The Christmas eve and day walks were welcome and the dandelion sighting was odd, we knew it couldn’t last.We’re now in the middle of an ice storm here in MI, yep, winter has finally found us again.
plaid christmas day table setting 2015

Christmas Day table setting, well, almost, I had to add another row of tables and seating for the rest of the gang but I was almost there. Lucky for me my vintage closet provides a nice array of props when I do my color of the month settings, and at holiday and for special occcasions 🙂

dining room full view, tree table, wall

You may have noticed I moved the small aluminum tree and replaced it with a real tree in it’s usual place of honor, smells so good! A view from the kitchen into the dining and living room.

   
kitchen nook silver aqua

The kitchen nook. All is calm all is bright. Custom aqua artgoodies doily stockings, a vintage bottlebrush tree on the table with my Marcrest Stetson Swiss Chalet plates, pinecone shaped lights, and tinsel wreath with blue vintage bells and ball accents. I love the icy holiday magic here.

 
dining room window side

A rare look at the other side of the dining room. Switched the drapes out again with a pair that hung in my grandma’s dining room. A clock from my great grandmother, grandpa’s stereo, an array of gold holiday decor and globe atop a vintage George Nelson and Assoc tray, amazing vintage Peabody fibgerglass chair, vintage flokati rug accent, and handmade vintage deer trim pillow., oh and a mid century planter as well.

front porch closer look

Here’s a new space for my holiday decor. I got a skinny mini tree and some new blue, green, and white lights and thought, YES, a blue and green front porch vintage style holiday! The little tree has vintage blue and green ornaments with handmade bead snowflakes and a few new ones too. A vintage angel topper, and a little handmade vinyl vintage tree skirt complete the look. artgoodies recycled felt stockings in snowflake and elf hang above, snowflake pillows, and elf stuffies replace some of my usual pillows, and the awesome vintage hand painted reindeer sign fits perfectly on the wall! And you can see it from outside, so bonus, it greets guests with a happy holiday vibe!

living room tree window

Here’s where the little aluminum tree went, which worked out great since I could light up both little blow molds! The perfect size to be featured in the window, and I decided to keep that antique stand I had for sale, it worked perfectly for this tree!

vintage toolbox arrangement front door

And speaking of greeting guests. I just love this little vintage toolbox I thrifted a few years back. It’s really fun to change out seasonally. It’s amazing how much your little city yard can provide. Look at all the magic stuffed into this little box! 3 different style pine cedar branches, pine cones, berries, dried flower seed pods, some silvery sage. It’s so welcoming at the door and always fun to design! This year as I pulled my geraniums out I even had one with a bud, on Dec 23rd!

 
(Commenting: OFF)

Hello Chicagoland!

The Magical Pop Up Shop INSIDE the giant Christmas tree is now OPEN for business! Come see me at Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie, IL NOWthrough Sunday! artgoodies is located near Macy’s across from West Elm. Join me for this truly unique shopping experience! Enjoy the tree’s music and light show and then step inside and shop my independent and handmade product line!         OldOrchardShop2OldOrchardShop1
(Commenting: OFF)

Almost time! Magical Christmas Tree Pop Up Shop!

I’m super excited, it’s almost time to head out to my magical pop up shop! Really, it’s the most magical holiday pop up shop EVER! Because, it’s INSIDE the bottom of a gigantic Christmas tree! I mean, how could I resist this invitation for my brand!?! Perfect! It’s my busiest time of year so this adds an extra layer of planning and making but that’s never shaken me before. I can’t wait to show you the finished shop! Stop by if you’re in the Chicagoland area. I’ll be at Westfield Old Orchard, you know where to find me, yup, in the bottom of the giant tree! And yes, I’m going where most independent handmade designer makers detest, the MALL. Let’s do this folks, let’s show the world that independent, small biz, and handmade matters. Power up and support this cause in the middle of a mall. I’m celebrating over 9 years of living this life and dream. Designing, making, marketing, running this business. Making a choice to live a more meaningful, creative, and thought provoking life. One that makes sense in the context of my life. From so many childhood experiences shaping who I am it’s all smashed together into this wonderful company I call artgoodies. It’s an extension of my life, my ideals, my style, my passions, me. I’m thankful to have those experiences to draw from, supportive parents who’ve always told my brothers and I that we are capable of doing anything we want, and for their continued support on this journey. It’s a challenging one. Just like building out a stop sign shaped tree shop.   artgoodies 6x7 tree sign2 - Copy (2) BLOG TREE FLIER
(Commenting: OFF)

HOLIDAY SALES!

Hard to believe it’s that time of year. I’ve been hustling and bustling in the studio, working hard listing vintage, making product, building displays, shipping, planning, marketing, starting work at 4:15 or 5:15 am, yep, that’s early, 15-16 hour days are pretty standard for this time of year. Tomorrow on Thanksgiving it’s going to be super low key. I’ll need it to be to be able to keep up with the season. By now you know how important I think it is to support small business, independent designers and makers, and once again urge you to continue to do so locally and online. Below you’ll find the scoop on artgoodies and vintagegoodies Black Friday, Small Biz Saturday, and Cyber Monday Sales. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone! And thank you for your support as I continue 9 years in business this year! blog sale sign cyber mon    
(Commenting: OFF)

announcing artgoodies MAGICAL POP UP shop!

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a pop up shop and I’ve been pondering one again for awhile. I started with pop up shops waaay back in 2007 before it really caught on. I turned my garage into what I called Garage Gallery, continuing it on and off over the years. Making my garage into a beautiful gallery and vintage store. Sometimes including other artist makers and in recent years just artgoodies and vintagegoodies. Someone recently asked me when I’d be doing one again, realizing it had been awhile and knowing others were missing it, I began thinking harder about one this fall but with impending unpredictable chilly weather I thought I’d wait until Spring. And then, I got an invite I couldn’t refuse for the biggest, most magical, most fantastical pop up shop EVER! Announcing artgoodies Holiday Pop Up Shop Dec 10th-13th INSIDE the GIANT CHRISTMAS TREE at upscale Westfield Old Orchard in suburban Chicago! Stop by and say hello, see new holiday products, and experience this truly unique shopping event! Here’s a link to the event page, let me know you’re coming and share with your friends! BLOG TREE FLIER
(Commenting: OFF)

Weekend Away

Well, one night away, but it felt like days and days which was exactly what I needed! One of the awesome stores that I sell to here in Michigan, Found Gallery, click here to check them out, moved into an absolutely amazing new space and had a grand opening party featuring their artist makers, so of course I went! The owner Mary truly has a talent for gathering amazing items and merchandising them like a dream, plus her staff is wonderful! If you’re in the area drop in, you won’t be disappointed! I guess I was so busy chatting it up and checking things out I didn’t take interior shots! What, I know, sorry! I did however nab a pic of a couple artgoodies towels they carry in this awesome vintage bakery display rack! IMG_20151023_222326 I had originally planned to nab a Priceline hotel outside of Ann Arbor on the cheap heading back towards home. BUT, for some reason the hotel prices were absurd that weekend, maybe someone was having a college football home game or something of the sort or maybe the prices in the area have increased far beyond what they used to be when I stayed there all the time. Anyway, my brother’s guest room in Lansing was booked for the weekend, it was farther than I hoped to drive after the opening, so I hopped on Airbnb and found myself a darling cottage for the night for cheaper than I could nab a dumb hotel. What! Yes please! It was on Portage Lake, about a 25 minute drive from Ann Arbor and just the thing I needed for a little mental break getaway. IMG_20151023_155246 This little place couldn’t have seemed more like it was meant for me! Darling from the outside, great vintage pieces on the inside, I immediately felt right at home! Even though Sue the owner was out of town I felt like I met a kindred spirit just by being at her place. Many of my favorite things were abound, check out the pics, you’ll see! Pyrex in the kitchen, vintage Beauty Queen cabinets with new boomerang countertops, scallop shelf accents, great mid century furniture pieces, vintage glassware, I mean come on! And if you’d like to see more and have a lovely getaway book it here! Sue responded lightning fast, I’d definitely book again, and you could even sleep someone on the couch! Great for yourself, you and your darling, or you and your best pal! Do it! I think it would be great all seasons! I enjoyed the hazy fall morning and watched hundreds of migratory coots come in, an eagle fishing, saw 20 some odd swans in the distance, and a gorgeous heron, among other wildlife.  See! ALL of my absolute favorite things! The perfect blend of a getaway for me! IMG_20151024_095323  
(Commenting: OFF)

Vintage Holiday Magazine Press!

I’m SUPER excited to share this with you! Check out the Fall 2015 issue of Vintage Holiday Magazine! It’s a special issue from the editors of Cottages and Bungalows on newsstands NOW through Nov 10! It features my vintage holiday collection, an interview, tips, quotes, and I was even the photographer for this one!!! PLUS don’t forget I’ll be stocking up the holiday section of my vintage shop with TONS of vintage holiday from now through Christmas, so check back often as I list amazing treasures, no doubt even some from my own collection! A HUGE thanks to editor Jacqueline deMontravel who was awesome to work with on this project! On the cover you’ll see some of my little deer saying hello in the first circle, then flip to page 16 for 4 pages of vintage holiday magic! Check it out below along with some extra shots and if you’d like to see more flip through my past Dec blog posts, or click on over to my flickr holiday page for a few more shots starting with its humble beginnings! One last thing!  You just might need some artgoodies holiday products to go along with your vintage holiday collection, say a NEW knee hugger elf or all over elf tea towel? Check out artgoodies holiday items here, OR now you can conveniently shop right here on the main artgoodies website! SO many options for my customers! Have fun looking around everyone! vintage holiday magazine cover page 16 and 17 page 17 and 18
brown reindeer blog

Seen here: Vintage rubber reindeer and a few blow mold reindeer pals along with a selection of bottle brush trees.

giant blue collection blog

My favorites seen here! My rare blue vintage holiday Japan collection, and a few pink pals in the mix too! Blue reindeer, snowmen, trees, angels, elves, and a blue glitter Santa too! Rubber, plastic, spun cotton, etc.

pink santa blog

Rare pink Rushton Santa, AKA “baby Santa”, large celluloid reindeer, Gurley candles, sawdust reindeer, NOS blue musical tree in box, Japanese tabletop tree, bell corsage, and a felt tree skirt with blue and pink details!

snowman holiday shelf blog

Seen here: My bathroom shelf decked out with little snowmen. Some happy, some kinda mad, I love them all!

vintage colored deer blog

Seen here: A colorful collection of hard to find Japanese rubber reindeer! White, yellow, orange, pink, red! I’ve alwasy got my eye out for blue and other color friends!

white gold holiday blog

Seen here: A menagerie of white and gold, green and red. This is as traditional as I get. My favorite are the weird poinsettia pals on the bottom, the round headed white reindeer, Christmas list box, and card mailbox!

vintage holiday wall 2015 blog

Seen here: The towering holiday display from last year that was mentioned in the magazine article. It was fun to have most, not all of course, of the collection in a condensed area to take it all in.

giant holiday blog

Seen here: A shot of the great wall of all holiday display with a Shiny Brite tabletop tree and plastic folding sleigh with knee hugger elves. I have SO many more vintage holiday items I could show you! Stay tuned for this year’s Home for the Holidaze posts for those!

(Commenting: OFF)

color of the month September 2015!

September! That means Labor Day Weekend, which means we’re inching closer to fall. I’m a little more at ease with it this year for some reason…at least for now. I think this month, with a lot of ivy in the mix, I was subconsciously inspired by the bittersweet vine that grows on the fence in my side yard. It grows SO fast sometimes I feel like if I stand there long enough it will grab ahold of me! So here it is, color of the month September 2015! Green and glorious and full of vining ivy!
blog sept vignette

Fave vintage: both sets of salt and pepper shakers! ivy bowl, ivy glasses, the little bbq spice jar, plaid tea towel, little buffalo china plate, and the stunning refrigerator dish that I just received from my great Aunt Wanda, love it!

blog sept table

Fave vintage: ivy tablecloth, Fire King plates, plaid napkins, pedestal mugs, little ivy doily, and zinnias from the cottage garden.

   
(1)

SUMMER

Some folks are acting like the lovely weather is over with back to school and labor day creeping up, and I feel the need to make a little public service announcement of sorts. Guess what! there are plenty of beautiful days and weekends left for gardening, enjoying the lake, and being outside! Get yourself to the farmers market, a yard sale, have a picnic, pick some flowers, open a window, breathe in the air, and be mindful to enjoy this before we are all locked inside our homes during the frigid winter months, especially here in Michigan. It’s beautiful out! ENJOY it! blog peachy
(Commenting: OFF)

NEW NEW NEW DESIGNS

I’m excited to share 3 brand NEW designs with you! Get ready for a retro holiday! NEW for the upcoming season this array of old fashioned peppermint candy is sure to please! And the stripey little elf will help Santa keep a watch! Perfect for holiday home decor, stocking stuffers, and hostess gifts! Start stocking up now and be gift ready this season! Plus this NEW coffee percolator towel is sure to be a favorite! Inspired by my grandma’s Universal Coffeematic percolator. May it rest in peace. After many many years and many many many many cups of coffee it finally stopped. It was an impressive run. VERY impressive. I’m still percolating over here, but with new vintage, and it’s not the same, but this towel can hang out in my kitchen and yours. Stay tuned! I’m also whipping up some elf stuffies, and some elf and percolator aprons with fantastic coordinating vintage fabric! Those will be in shop soon, soon, soon! new towel holiday 2015 blog  
(1)