My Etsy Shop is Open

I finally opened my vintage shop at www.etsy.com/shops/ktsattic on Feb 17, 2012. It was a slow start but now up to 145 items. I shop the flea market on Wed, estate sales on Thursday and yard sales on Fri and Sat. The rest of the week I spend lots of time cleaning or repairing, taking pictures of items, researching history and pricing, listing the item which is v time consuming, answering emails, packing, shipping and trips to the Post Office. I have found my niche.  So, I wanted to tell you about a special item I just sold.

About 6 weeks ago I was cruising the Frontenac (Space Coast) Flea Market on a Wednesday as usual. Ive met lots of people there and look forward to the social aspects and networking. I dont remember the exact shop i was at, but i spotted this silver egg shaped thing that appeared to be a salt shaker. The vendor wanted $3. I was really attracted to it for some reason but who is going to want a salt shaker with no mate? Then i noticed some strange markings and offered her $2 which she accepted. I thought it looked interesting and if nothing else I could list it for $5 as a salt shaker. 

I took pictures of the markings and magnified them. Went on the internet and discovered that JHH was John H Hilcox, British silversmith.  The hallmarking of British silver is based on a combination of marks that makes possible the identification of the origin and the age of each piece. The first is the town mark of the Assay Office that  verified the piece.  The lion certifies the silver quality and the last letter mark identifies the year.

This egg was a desk top pomander used like an air freshener, crafted in Birmingham England in the year 1891.  I researched similar items on ebay, put it up for sale in my etsy shop for $195 and it sold a couple weeks later.  The story gets better here.  The buyer owns a resort in the south of France and is married to J H Hilcox's great granddaughter.  He bought it for her as a birthday present.   The powers of the universe aligned.

 

Super Soul Sunday

I have achieved more peace, thankfulness and inspiration from Oprah's Super Soul Sunday than any church I have ever stepped into.  I watched Autism, The Musical and felt thankful my kids are healthy;  peaceful that I'm right where I am supposed to be, right here, right now (Eckhart Tolle);  and inspired to live my best life.

So Blu and I went for a walk, thankful for this gorgeous day, being alive, and this tiny purple flower patch we found on the side of the road.

Gatito !

We have a new addition. Her name is Biskit, if it sticks. She is only 8 weeks, already litter trained (thanks Dawn) and she is Wild and Crazy. The chihuahua and her run in circles, Blu dog plays with her very carefully, Ed the cat mostly ignores her so far. I think she will fit in fine.

Oh, and thats the P's (parents) in the picture.

Special Day shoes

I wore these shopping in Home Depot today, Mother's Day. Well they make me feel special. OK?!

A couple of the guys working were watching me check out at the register. They said "What do you have on your feet?" (Why, thanks for noticing!) Hey, the leering and whistling stopped YEARS ago. I feel invisible. I had to resort to drastic measures.

Oh, did i mention, we moved in!

Yes, we moved into our new home in late January 2011. IM HOME! I have found my resting place. But that doesnt mean Im stuck here. Im ready to travel at any moment. But i always have a place to come home to.

I have been a beach girl for a long, long time. I dont know quite what happened, but im now a country girl. I love the forests, hiking the appalachian trail, growing plants, fruits, vegies and herbs, tending my chickens. I have transitioned from the sun to the shade. I am constantly seeking shade. Could be age, or skin cancer. Damage done. Next chapter.

Speaking of sun, I have felt a long, strong obligation to introduce my boys to the Florida Keys. We finally made it this week. Just returned from a 3 day trip of snorkeling, fishing, as much as we could fit in, plus Mallory Square sunset celebration, key deer encounter, No-Name key pizza, feeding the tarpon at Robbie's Reef... We did it! These memories will lure them back there some day.

Casa de Pollo

Needed to build protection for the chickens. My husband built this coop from scraps. It has a roost and 5 nest boxes, a trap door for cleaning out poo under the roosts, a small door for them to exit into their pen. Shack is well ventilated, 2 windows, and the pen has netting over the top for protection during the day from the hawks. We'll see how it goes.

I swore I'd never buy a swiffer !

Well, I actually got it at a rummage sale for $2, but i now own a swiffer. It IS great for my new floors which i cant mop, but I despise having any gadget that requires buying expensive refills and disposables. I gave it a go. I even found reusable pads at yard sale, but then discovered that the spray bottle attachment has a locking cap. This obviously is a sneaky attempt to force me to buy cleaning solution refills at almost $4 each. Nice try. I then discovered the secret to refilling it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pO-AbT3GpE

Take that, swiffer people.

my first car

Honda 600 Coupe 1971
2 cylinders
45mpg






1971? AMC Javelin

Making progress

We're getting close to occupancy! Finishing the siding was a huge step. It was finished barely in time for the heat to get unbearable. The electric hookup was a hallelujah moment. We have a toilet and a bathroom sink. The driveway culvert is finished and that was awful work, shoveling steaming hot asphalt in 90+ degrees.

Latest dilemma is the required hurricane shutters. I object to being forced to provide protection for your own home. It should be optional if it does not affect others. The risk of our home being hit by a hurricane is ridiculously miniscule yet the whole coast must comply. Absurd. The insurance companies must be behind it.

Projects still needed for occupancy: Stair rail, remove pepper trees (non native, invasive), finish hooking up plumbing fixtures after the kitchen countertop is installed, shutters,

My husband can do, build or fix damn near anything, but if he cant, he knows someone personally who can. "And for that, we thank you" (Tosh.O)

Regift me. Please!

As we finish the interior of our new home, guests come to see. My sisters visited this week and brought gifts:

i LOVE that these gifts cost them little to nothing. One from my sisters home, the other from a thrift store. That makes them even more meaningful to me. Reduce, reuse, recycle.
I recently read of a challenge to not buy anything new for 1 year. Could you?
When my kids were young, and sometimes still, when we would go to kid parties, my boys would choose something in their rooms that they no longer played with, in good condition, that they would gift to their friends. Some friends would do the same in return. One of our favorite was the gift we received from Will Parrish, his boxing gloves and kick boxing protective wear. The boys had endless fun with these for years, and even to this day, when all their friends gathered to rumble in the front yard and show their stuff. We laughed so hard we cried.
I have received gifts in the past that you just "knew" were regifts. Someone might find that offensive. I appreciate it. It still needs to be appropriate, but when the right person/occasion comes along, it works.

Meet "Blue"

We have adopted a 3 month old, Catahoula pup. Kids named him Blue.
He chases the chickens. He is playful, smart, wants to play with Chibi, our chihuahua, who just growls at him.

Home Sweet Home

Our new home has arrived. I was taking garbage to the road (which is a quite a journey) when a neighbor was driving by. She stopped and said "Congratulations, your house is beautiful". She went on to say that it was very peculiar to drive by each day and then all of a sudden one day there is a HOUSE there!

It was quite an adventure getting it from Georgia to its foundation.


Anyway, it has had its trials, delays, over budget, etc. But its here, its big, its v well built.
It is still a work in progress and we probably wont move in for a couple more months.