I spent over 5 hours Saturday re-working and doing a little fall decorating in the booth. Yes, it desperately needed 5+ hours of work. I was embarrassed to say it was my booth. It was awful. But you see, I had kind of lost my heart for it. For it all, really. The estate sales in the area we’ve moved to are generally too expensive and the yard sales are mostly clothes and last years toys. It has taken all the fun out of it and hardly seems worth my time. I guess that has bled over to not wanting to do anything in the booth, too. But I figure I’ll get over it. And Saturday was a good start.
We went to an “estate” sale that that opened at 6:00 AM! And no, we weren’t the only people waiting in the dark for it to open. Then, it turned out to be a moving/downsizing sale of people about my age, maybe a little older. Sigh. (Click here to learn the difference between an estate sale and a yard sale or moving sale, etc. And why it’s so annoying when they’re called the wrong thing.) Still, I bought a few things. Nothing to brag about, but it’s better than it has been lately.
The next sale was an indoor/outdoor moving sale. When we showed up, I bet 25 people were standing around waiting for it to start. As soon as we stepped out of the truck, everyone started leaving. It was advertised for next week and no one noticed! They had put the day and time at the top of the ad and the date at the end of the ad. Since everyone checks the yard sales online, we’d have had to click the “read more” to find out it was next week. So glad we weren’t the only ones to show up.
So. Back to the booth. I had been pricing things for a couple of days, working up my “want-to” to go make the booth look like someone actually owns it. Once I got there and got started, I started to find the joy again. I hope it sticks!
Here are the pictures I took. Now, it’s still not the most awesome booth in the mall. It’s waaayyyyy down that list! But it’s no longer one of the worst. Oddly, I didn’t take an overall picture.
The furniture piece above is actually an entertainment center. It looks more classy and expensive than it ever was. The top only looks like marble. We inherited it with the shop Ricky is renting. I put $125 on it in the booth. We’ll see if anyone is still willing to buy furniture with a good finish and that hasn’t been painted.
That tall, metal thing with the leaves in it? (See the close-up at the beginning of this article.) I don’t mind telling you that I had to pay $10.00 for it. It’s a new-ish decor item that was probably from Pottery Barn. It is actually a candle holder thing and had gobs of stuck on, melted wax that I had to scrape out. And never did quite get it all. I put $25 on it, but if you had handed me $15 to scrape out all that wax, I’d have refused. Three people looked at it while I was working the booth that day. Each one went straight to it….. and left it there. Is $25 too much??
That round plaque thing is another newish decor item that I had bought that morning.
Just a grouping of fall-ish things and with fake leaves in the basket.
I did pick up this paper doll and clothes a couple of weeks ago. So maybe things aren’t quite as bad as I think they are but I sure miss my small town sales.
I made the fall color garland hanging on the screen in the picture below several years ago. I copycatted one found on A Beautiful Mess. Her pictures look so nice. My garland actually looks just as good. It’s hard to mess that up, but my picture – and I suppose the way I’m using it – is blah. I still like it and might get a bee in my bonnet to make one for home, too.
That lamp FINALLY got hung up high! I couldn’t reach the hook, they don’t have a ladder for us to use and I finally had to get help. It’s so pretty. I hope someone loves it as much as I do. Or I might have to find a place for it here at home.
Tip: Do you know how to hang things on a screen door? Use curtain hooks! They fit in the mesh and you can easily bend it any way you need to.
Nothing much to see here. I think I need to move the plaque (which I can’t believe no one has bought yet!) over to the left side of the box.
Because the screen in the background is green and red, I used green and red things on the table in front of it. Lots of people have wanted to buy that screen over the years — until I show them that it is cardboard and severely water damaged at the bottom. Hehe.
This little arrangement made me feel like a big girl booth owner. Like the booths I admire so much. The components are a rusty wire basket, 4 vintage US Mint bags and silver plate sugars and a creamer. Funny how such simple things can give us the happies.
This table in the corner got all blue items. Contrary to the arrangement above, this one makes me want to edit. Down to nothing. Ha!
And right next to it is the mod floor ashtray. I love these and will buy every one I find. So far that equals 2.
And finally, on the left side of the booth is this table I think Ricky picked up somewhere and redid. The Pyrex nesting bowls on the left must be priced too high. I heard a lady say “Yes!” or something like that then ran over to them, examined them (they’re in fine condition), put them down and left. I dunno. $69? For the set? Should I recheck what they’re selling for now? That was last year’s price, after all. Or maybe she’ll think about it and come back for them another day.
And that’s the tour. There’s an area behind this table and to the right of the paint that still needs work. Lots of it. I decided not to show that.
Have you added fall touches to your booth? Are you putting out Halloween yet?
If you’ve stuck with me this long in this post, I want to tell you what’s going on with the emails. I’m a terrible email sender. I just don’t send them. That’s why my precious subscribers haven’t got any from me in a while. My friend Bettye suggested I have them sent automatically through an RSS feed. I, knowing myself, figured that’s the only way I’ll get them out there – me not having to actually do anything – so I got it set up. The email subjects won’t tell you what the email is about, but when you open it, you’ll see quick enough. It could be home decor, booth stuff, junking, sales reports, selling tips or crafting. And there will rarely be more than one a week. If that, even.
Another note: If you subscribe to my blog through Bloglovin’ —- DON’T! They do not update my blog. They haven’t in months! I’ve contacted them, but they are uninterested in helping figure out what’s going on, so please don’t rely on them for updates from me. And if it happened to me, I wonder how many other blogs it happened to?
Thanks for reading and here’s go good junking mojo for us all!
I love the light fixture thing with the leaves in it…the one that’s really a candle holder. Whatever it is, I like it. I can understand why people run to it. $25? I would probably pay that, but I’m in B’ham. Maybe it’s too high for where you are. I love that entertainment center too! I think I’m looking for something like that. I need something for the T V we never watch that’s not even connected, and for the sound system I might listen to if it was connected. Maybe you could get me some measurements & tell me about the compartments.
I like how you have your booth arranged. I’ve found I just have to start. Once I start, it comes a little easier. Every time I look at your booth, I think about all the things around here that should go in one, LOL. I just don’t want to go back to one.
I know the sales around there are discouraging. Maybe you should go back to doing them again. Sounds like y’all need some new blood.
I guess I should think about going back to my blog again. I’m having people email me to ask me where I am.
I love your fall decor, every single piece is gorgeous.