Novel Goods

Selfies must have been so hard back in the day! But I do think I look a little cooler using this vintage Polaroid Land Camera than I do using my iPhone. 😂

I got on a roll today with brass, pumpkins and a swine pedigree ledger. Definitely didn’t see that coming when I was planning my weekend. 😂

I don’t give a hoot that it’s 90° out - I’m prepping for fall! These owl charms will hit my charm bars soon.

Brought back some of my fave bookmarks!

First day back from a whirlwind of back-to-back mission and work trips. Next month is going to be busy with work, prep for Fall Open House at The Porch Swing, First Friday at Bella Patina and the Repurposed Faire Festival in Monett. To keep things easy, I’m starting a 30-day Wool& challenge! I’ll wear this super comfy wool dress for the next 30 days to eliminate the stress of having to think about outfits. Today I’m catching up on laundry, gardening and cleaning the house, so rocking an apron to keep my dress clean. 🙌

Just arrived in Scotland and already found a library. ❤️📚❤️

We’re almost done with the house! Shout out to my friends at The Porch Swing Boutique for this lovely hammer and a donation to the Casas por Cristo trip in memory of my dad. I drove lots of nails today with this hammer and I know I made him proud! 🤗

I can’t believe it’s that time again! First Friday at the West Bottoms is in full swing. The slightly cooler temps should make for a delightful vintage shopping experience this weekend. 🤗

Happy Independence Day! When I bought this beautifully aged Star Spangled Banner, the flea market clerk asked what I was going to do with it. Display it for the 4th of July, of course! From the look on his face, I could tell he wasn’t an ephemera enthusiast. 😂

Took a break from the grind for a quick trip to Colorado! We packed a lot into 2.5 days. Here’s my top 5 (in alpha order):

1. 311 at Red Rocks
2. Afternoon tea at Brown Palace
3. Alpaca ranch visit
4. Club Mud at Indian Hot Springs
5. Hammond’s Candy shopping spree

#311

The barrow is blooming! And yes, I intentionally left the “wheel” off “wheelbarrow.” This rusty beauty officially lost her wheel after an Uber driver backed over her. 😂 Her working days are well behind her. It’s time to just sit there and look pretty.

It’s a little bittersweet, but I said bye-bye to my first charm bar. I found this display on Facebook Marketplace, didn’t pay attention to measurements, drove to pick it up and realized it was a beast! We almost didn’t make it home all in one piece. 😂 She was sturdy and served me well over the years, but I’m sure she will love her new home!

No rest for the weary. I spent the day off work side hustling. It was hot and I think we moved every single thing in our booth… at least twice. 😂 All the sweat and tears will be worth it for a fresh look in July!

Summer Fling at the Swing is happening today! Pop-up vendors, food trucks and raffles - oh my!

I drove by the cutest little free flower table in my neighborhood. I stopped to grab flowers and met the woman who runs it. She repurposes jars for the bouquets and we bonded over our love for salvaging trash. I think she would be so happy to know I pulled this teapot out of a dumpster a few years ago!

Another First Friday weekend is in the books and the next event is coming in hot! Summer Fling at the The Porch Swing is next weekend (June 15). There will be pop-up vendors, food trucks and raffle prizes! This bracelet from my charm bar is just one of the many prizes up for grabs.

My fellow vendors at Bella Patina never cease to amaze me. Our booth neighbor knocked it out of the park with this display!

This was the first display we put together for the June show - in an old dynamite box! 🧨 It set the tone for the rest of the booth and I’m so happy with how it all turned out. Bella Patina opens tomorrow at 8:30 AM for a weekend of unique, vintage shopping.

Weekends are busy and weekdays are for work. That’s why I LOVE when the shops in Greenwood open for evening shopping hours during the week. And tonight is the night! My friends from Three Arrows will be working The Porch Swing until 7pm tonight and my other friends at Greenwood Mercantile, As Time Goes By and Greenwood Vintage Market will be open until 8pm!

It got a little toasty setting up for First Friday weekend. Luckily, I had a fan. 😂 But don’t worry, we’ll be cranking the A/C this weekend!

Sneak peek at the summer vibe we’re bringing to our space at for June First Friday!

My original plan for Memorial Monday was to bust out some of these upcycled quilt bookmarks. Unfortunately, my husband insisted we use the generator to power our fridge and deep freeze instead of my sewing machine during our 3-day power outage. Always the voice of reason. 😂

Happy Memorial Day! We’re still waiting for power to be restored after the storms on Saturday. I’m grateful for the sunny day and all the natural light in our house that allowed me to still be productive!

We had a lovely weekend camping. There happened to be a junk sale nearby. I found several goodies, but this lone salt shaker is the find that made me the happiest! It's my signature color with an S for Susana - it was meant to be!

One bracelet, four ways. The best part about the charm bar is the customization.

When I made this emperor jasper bracelet, I was thinking of Royals fans adding a cute baseball charm. I got to the bar and saw the Kansas charm and it works for KU fans too! With end of school, the teacher charm is great teacher gift. We also have some graduation parties coming up and one of the graduates is taking her first international trip - the passport charm will be perfect for her. So many ways to customize!!!

New stone beads arrived this week! I can’t wait to play. The unakite jasper might be my new favorite (mottled pink and green). Not only is it pretty, it’s also known for changing negative energy into positive energy. I’ll take 2, please! 😂

My husband always rolls his eyes when I save what he considers trash. But it was so satisfying to be able to share my mint patch with 12 other people without creating waste!

♻️The napkins I wrapped the roots in were unused, but left behind by another customer at a restaurant. I knew when they cleaned the dining room, they would throw these away, so I put them in my stash to use for projects like this.
♻️The plastic pots were from plants I purchased - I never throw these out and always reuse as long as possible for starting seeds or sharing plants.
♻️After wrapping, I gave them all a healthy drink of water from my rain barrel.

Mother’s Day weekend is upon us! Custom creations from the charm bar are great gift options. Kids - both young and old - love digging through the tray full of charm options to find just the right combo!

Something old, something new. I couldn’t resist popping in an old book to give this new display a little character. 🤗

Sold and gone. Thanks to everyone who came to Bella Patina this weekend! Here’s a small sampling of what we sold. I bet you can’t guess which item made me the happiest?!?!

Hint: It wasn’t about the profit, but the squeal of joy from the customer when they found their new treasure. They just couldn’t keep their emotions “bottled” up. 😂