Hello! Lots of changes going on in our house and so that meant finding a new place for our office. We didnt want it in the bedroom anymore because were trying to keep that room a relaxing place so the next best option was our rarely used living room. So, I carved out a little corner and heres what I came up with.
Excuse all the cords. I just cant figure out how to hide them. The cow watercolor painting came from this Etsy shop and I am completely smitten with it. She does all kinds of animals if youd like to check it out.
The cute little owl lamp came from Walmart, believe it or not, and I love it. I made the yardstick planter and maybe I will do a tutorial on it in the future. It wasnt easy, let me tell ya.
Ive been collecting vintage drawings and paintings so I gathered them all up and put them in a basket beside the desk.
I have changed this room quite a bit so I hope to show you more pics of the finished room soon! Have a great week! Follow along between posts on Instagram.
over the coming weeks including photos ofsunny beaches,
building architecture,
a giant wall mosaic of Cinderella,
beautiful Shabby Chic furniture,
loads of antiques,
shells, shells, and more shells,
also how to make these
flowers from beach shells,
and so much more.This is just a small sample of thousands of photoswe took on our adventures.Plz bare with me while life gets back to normal,photos get sorted out, and emails get responded to.
Some of my goods for sale at the fair and on Etsy. My man has the Miami Dolphins hat on... but hes not for sale:)
For anyone out there who is ready to turn a passion for "upstyling" furniture into a business, one of the first things to consider is where to sell your goods. There really are a lot of different ways to choose to market your goods. You can sell online, by word of mouth, in your own brick and mortar store, you can rent space in a shop, or you can try doing craft and home fairs.
I have chosen to have an online store at Etsy.com (Ill post about selling on Etsy soon).
But, recently I thought I would try fairs, at least occasionally, to develop a more local following.
So this past Saturday, I did my first vendor fair with Tamara, my roommate from college, read more about that here. And now since I am an expert... well, an expert on the FIRST time selling at a fair, I put together some tips (below) on how to sell furniture and home goods at a vendor fair for your first time. The fair I participated in was the Fall Festival at my sons school and it is the biggest event that they have. However, it was really not very big and it was certainly no Country Living Fair,
but it was successful and I it got my feet wet!
With my new found expertise from my one day selling, I thought it would be helpful to share some tips I learned at the fair, but first...
Heres a little of our day in pictures:
With the trucks loaded, our first stop? Dunkin Donuts for coffee!
See this, this is why you bring help. Im taking the pictures and Tamara is doing the work..haha!
Almost ready to start.
Merchandising for Halloween.
And now, what I learned...
1. Be Prepared the Night BeforeLayout all your supplies and make a reminder list for the am for “Must Not Forget Items” such as your credit card reader and business cards.
Price your items and use pretty tags. I have a business card that doubles as a price tage. I simply hole punch them and attach with ribbon. When an item is sold, I mark sold across the front.
Load at least some of your items to save time in the morning.
2. Bring Enough Sellable Goods
I brought enough goods to fit in at least two trucks or SUV’s and that worked well. I included three small to medium size dressers and some smaller goods like benches, tables, mirrors and signs.
This was the perfect amount of furniture to create a nice storefront.
*For my next fair, I would also include some smaller accessories, like towels, candles, glasses, etc. But, that was just too much for me to worry about this first time!
3.Be Prepared With These Must Have Supplies
Business cards, scissors, tape, safety pins, water, snacks, first aid kit, handy wipes, sanding block and soft rag (in case you have to remove marks or make a small repair), pens, sharpie, trash bags and a tape measure in case people need to know sizes of items.
4. Create a Pretty Store Front That Reflects Your Image
I used a drop cloth as a table cloth with a burlap runner…. inexpensive, yet pretty. I also pinched the cloth with yellow flowers, which are in my logo. I also brought along extra props to merchandise smaller items. Link here to visit one of my boards in Pinterest to see more craft booth ideas.
5. Market Your Goods
Along with your business sign, add some extra signage. I placed small chalk boards around and I used them to tell customers extras like, this piece has “vintage pulls and casters”, “ we can help you load your purchase”, etc.
6. Have a Payment System That Accepts Debit/Cedit Cards and Test it Out the Night Before
I used Pay Pal Here with the card reader to accept credit card payments. I tested it the night before and sometimes the app on my phone shut down in mid payment!! So, I also had my friend load the app on her phone. This saved the day, because my phone was still having issues the next day!
7. Connect with Your Customers
Welcome them with a smile and a hello! Also, I like to lure people in with strategically placed bowls of hershey kisses. They will come!
I stopped into the Passionate Home this weekend and while I was there
Carrie shared with me some of the exciting finds her pickers have brought in.
Everything from a metal garden stand in its original distressed paint to a mouthwatering
vintage chandelier my heart beats faster for.
large reproduction clock approx 3ft sq
Did you realize The Passionate Home is an excellent source for true vintage items
sourced from all over our area?
vintage house window with shelving, hooks, and herbs sign
Did you also realize you can tell Carrie what you are looking for
and she will do her best to keep an eye out for it?
See that white architectural bit to the left of the green cabinet ...
it came home with me.
as found distressed green kitchen prep cabinet
vintage ROYAL typewriter
I know theres a ton of you out there wanting your own fancy wall frames.
This one just came in so get over to the store and grab it, its not the only one they have.
Of course The Passionate Home has wonderful new items as well.
All the perfect beachy items if you want a seaside theme.
Wonderful spring items including ceramic birds, and framed nests.
Paris storage boxes and large shabby chic candle holders.
These black damask lamps are just a sample of the lighting they offer.
Also a wonderful piece of furniture available is this buttery tall boy paint by Elinor.
The store is regularly open 7 days a week until 5pm each day but
tomorrow night Tuesday May 29 from 5pm to 9pm
The Passionate Home is having an Evening of Shopping.
Its a bit of a party with presentations and gift bags to the first 20
as well 10% of sales going to charity.
Ill be there!!!
and just to clarify I do NOT work for THE PASSIONATE HOME,
and the only compensation I get is the smiles and friendships of the ladies who run this store. The Passionate Home
20506 Fraser Hwy
Langley BC
604 532 5931
I see a little home sweet nest tag on these pretty vintage wood hangers.
That means these are hand painted and embellished by ELISA.
George has MANopolized all the closet space is this house but maybe
some painted pink hangers might get me some.
Thanks Elisa Ill send him your way when he starts to ask whats going on here
And the last thing I want to impart upon you is when you are in the store you never quite see everything. Can you see that Fleur de lis bottle stopper laying in the left side of the bowl.
I didnt and I was take the picture.
Take your time you may find the smallest of treasures.
Excuse all the cords. I just cant figure out how to hide them. The cow watercolor painting came from this Etsy shop and I am completely smitten with it. She does all kinds of animals if youd like to check it out.
The cute little owl lamp came from Walmart, believe it or not, and I love it. I made the yardstick planter and maybe I will do a tutorial on it in the future. It wasnt easy, let me tell ya.
Ive been collecting vintage drawings and paintings so I gathered them all up and put them in a basket beside the desk.
I have changed this room quite a bit so I hope to show you more pics of the finished room soon!
