Tools of the Trade

Things are getting busier and busier here at Industrial Country - preparing for this weekend's sale.

I shopped for a few tools today - gloves, bungee cords, tape measure, tool belt. Things that will help me move and lift and measure and carry, all necessary when operating a space at a flea market.

Finished price tags.

Finished ephemera packs.

Almost finished fabric rosettes.

Pretty soon, I'll be finished whether I like it or not. Because I won't have any more time for finishing touches. It will be time to drive off, in a big truck, to my new adventure.

Oh Happiness!

Okay, now I’m really happy and excited. I officially have a space at the Grove Antique Market this Sunday. It’s going to happen and I’m just about ready...just about.

My business cards and price tags arrived yesterday. I’m putting finishing touches on flowers and ephemera kits. I need to bring: work gloves, cleaning solution, a roll of paper towels, bags, wrapping paper, credit card scanner, bungee cords, band aids, Chap Stick... on and on. I’m sure I’ll forget something but I’m just going to have to make do. I certainly won’t be running home for any last minute emergencies!

These pictures are of more of the metal I’ll be selling on Sunday. The locker bank is pretty big – wider than it is high – and also has a stand to lift it up off the floor. I’m planning on selling the set together but I checked to see if they can be taken apart and they can...relatively easily. If no one decides to buy the entire set, I’ll certainly think about splitting the group into smaller sets...I’m flexible!

This cabinet is so cute I’m tempted to keep it myself. That’s one of the challenges of being a junker...I love all of the little orphans I find. And I can imagine how they’d look in my home, where I would use them, what I would do to put my own stamp of personalization on them.

But I don’t. I leave them untouched and un-retouched...because I want my customers to be able to imagine something in their own home, in just the right spot, with just the right amount of personalization. The way they will love it.

Busy Bee

I was a busy Bee yesterday – making good things for my space in Irvine. Ephemera packs full of bits and bobs for creative projects and cool fabric flowers that can be used in all different ways.

This is one of the ephemera kits: lots of goodies – vintage and handmade – that I’ve collected in the last few years. It’s almost like a mini treasure chest for vintage lovers. I adore the little game pieces, easily made into pendants or charms - all of it can be used for scrapbooking or card making. With all of the creative people in this world, I’m constantly amazed, and inspired, by what others come up with.

These are the flowers – at least the beginnings of the flowers. They're all in various stages of execution. These would be cute on jackets, tanks tops, purses, totes, pillows, and even lamp shades. I'm going to have quite a few available in lots of different colors so come see me on July 1st - maybe we can find a few you'll love.

I have to tell you our oldest kitty, Chloe, eats every form of plantlife that comes into the house and then immediately produces disgusting green vomit. So I'm thinking of making a extra flowers for home, popping them into a vase and pretending like they're the real thing. Chloe won't suspect a thing!

Like I Was Saying...

Hello, Wednesday! I have some pictures for you, as promised, and I’m going to tell you about a cool app I recently downloaded to help run my empire business. I’m amazed at how many technologies are available these days to ease the operation of small businesses.

Anyway...these pictures are from a few recent trips I’ve made on my journeys of discovery.  I think we can begin to identify trends...metal, wheels, vintage glass and milk glass.

Milk glass cosmetic containers. So heavy and ornate, some of them...little works of art.

Love the metal file unit above – paint it, put some casters on it and it’d be great next to the tub in any bathroom...or next to the bed in a teen’s room...or even used as a file/organizer in an office.

This little box is metal, covered with a heavy paper, I believe, and velvet-lined drawers. Not for long, though...the velvet’s not great so it’s getting ripped out – down to the bare metal. No surprise, I’m sure, I’ll take a rough metal box over an icky velvet box any day.

This is the app that I referred to earlier. I downloaded it when I applied for the Square reader. Like their television ad says, it took me about 2 minutes...easy-peasy. Today I received my reader. So just like that, my business is ready to accept credit - and some debit - cards. Isn’t technology amazing?

Sort of ironic coming from someone who loves vintage...

Today's Pick

I junk, thrift, pick, whatever you’d like to call it. I go to auctions and warehouses and thrift stores and antique malls. Soon, I hope to go to salvage yards and junk yards and farm yards as well.

I believe there are a few peeps out there who don’t love the term ‘pick’. But I’m no snob - I don’t have any notion that what I’m doing is high end antique sales and that’s okay with me. My style is much more eclectic than formal, more farm and cozy than city and minimalist. 

As I’m pretty new at this, I’m out a lot discovering new sources. The potential where I live is great – I’ve only begun to scratch the surface.  Yesterday, I was surfing craigslist and found several references to a thrift store called 4 Sisters Thrift. I’d never been there before so I put it on my list for a visit today.

Okay, first of all? It was packed. With stuff. An incredible range of stuff. Some things were priced to sell while other items were out of my range. Vintage mixed with new, cast iron pans to lederhosen (yes, lederhosen!) The store is run by two sets of two sisters (I met one ‘set’ today and they were awesome and so helpful!) – they all quit their day jobs to go into this business together and have been making a go of it for almost 2.5 years. I like that story.

Tomorrow....pictures of my haul for today (I'd have them for you today but I can't find my camera...). Good stuff, people!! Come visit me on July 1^st at The Groves in Irvine, CA, and see it all close up and personal.

It's Official

So, yes...it’s official: Industrial Country is in business! Business name, seller’s permit, a bank account...even the ability to take credit cards! All registered, signed, stamped and linked.

That’s all exciting enough but what makes me the happiest is my logo. It fits the business name: the gears for Industrial and the rooster for Country. I like the fonts, the colors, the overall design and the ability it gives me to create strong branding for my company.

I’m going to order my business cards and hang tags (for pricing) soon after I finish this post. The front of the hang tags look like this:

They’re designed “2-up” on a business card (something I learned from creative genius Cathe Holden’s blog). This is what the back of the tags looks like:

When I get my order, I’ll cut each card in half lengthwise, making two narrower tags, punch a small hole at the top of each, and thread baker’s twine through to finish them off (I’ll post pictures of the finished product once I have a few completed).

Now that I’ve finished the logo design, I’ll be changing the header of this blog soon. I don’t think it’s the last change that’ll be taking place here at Industrial Country. I hope you’ll bear with me as everything finds a place around here and the dust settles on the construction of this establishment.

 

Let me know what you think of Industrial Country's new design – your opinions are valued!

Secret Desire

I have a secret desire. It’s not going to be secret in a minute, though, because I’m going to confess it here, in front of everybody.

I love travel trailers. Vintage travel trailers, more specifically, and small ones at that. I like the idea of a petite, self-contained world that can go where I go - a home-away-from-home with some of the comfort, and familiarity, of my real home.

I’d rather buy a fixer-upper, a trailer that's structurally sound but a tear down inside. I guess that means I’m not a purist - I don't care if it's original. Preferably, I'll install furnishings that fit my style rather than find one with a completely refurbished interior that, although beautiful, doesn’t feel like to me.

I love these trailer pics. They invoke feelings of comfort and calm. The colors are great, inside and out, and the accessories that allow the space outside to be staked out as an extra room are fantastic.

The Junk Gypsies have decorated the interiors of vintage Airstream trailers for country singers Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert. I love so many of the fixtures they used in their remodels but I’ll tone down my own design somewhat – more cottage, less bohemian. I’ll use lots of white and yellow and pink...with a bit of green and blue thrown in.

I don’t know when this no-longer-secret desire will be fulfilled. But it will, a little bit at a time, and I’ll keep you posted on the progress. In the end, like a lot of things in life, I’m sure that it will be worth the wait.

Hot Wheels

Happy Tuesday!

Has anyone noticed changes around here? I thought so...

That's because you're looking at my new blog. It seemed that my previous blog might have encountered issues down the line because of name confusion. Mine was too close to someone else's and since I'm building a business from scratch, I didn't want any confusion or heartache down the road. I would like this brand to be clear and unique from the start.

So here we are - Industrial Country. A little bit farm, a little bit factory. It's really my design style. I like comfortable and casual and occasionally a little chippy and rusty. I love natural fabrics - especially cotton, muslin and linen - and furniture used in different ways than it was originally intended. And I LOVE furniture on wheels.

Like this piece of furniture. I won it at an auction last week - but that's another entry for another day. It's an enamel kitchen cart; a little rare because it has a drawer - which the auctioneer was quick to point out, to my dismay. I didn't want anyone bidding against me! Obviously, I won the bid and this little cart came home with me.

As with most things I find, it requires a little scrubbing. And even at that, it'll still be a bit chippy and rough...perfectly imperfect. Just like I like it.