BOUTIQUE @ the busy bee

I am struggling with finding balance with work, kids, the house, and my mental state.  After having a garage sale I have greatly reduced the amount of clutter, but still have two rooms in a state of chaos. I spent a week cleaning and organizing my office in search of a quilt pattern, which I just ended up ordering another.  I moved the chaos from the dining room to my oldest son's bedroom only to move it again last weekend to the office and dining room once again to allow a place for my Dad to sleep over the Christmas holiday.  The last four months of re-organizing and purging has helped in finding some balance.  Although that all came to a screeching halt as the last four weeks I have spent my weeks in Texas and my weekends home.  I feel as if I am starting all over again in addition to now being behind in quilt orders.  Life happens, people need us, kids have schedules to maintain, and I am always putting myself last.  In 2018 I hope to make more...

Display Cabinet I have had a love affair with Pyrex most of my life.  I have kept many pieces and sold many pieces.   Right now vintage Pyrex is all the rage, with a certain magazine article encouraging people to sell at outrageous prices.  I do not believe in gouging others.  My goal is to make a profit, not a "killing".  I want to move inventory not collect dust in my booth or my family room for that matter. Americana Mixing Bowls SOLD My best find was at a garage sale last summer, two Americana mixing bowls.  I searched for months to complete the set.  I ended up purchasing the 401 on Ebay.  I heavily debated keeping these little gems, but ultimately sold them for a nice profit. The only pieces I have kept are for my daughter's collection of Spring Blossom also known as Crazy Daisy.  Right now we are in search of glass tumblers, 403 mixing bowl, and Big Bertha.   She is in college and has her collection stashed in ou...

My first rice bag was at the request of my father.  I had purchased one for my daughter on Etsy and while visiting he asked if I could make him one.   Large Rice Bag Of course it started a ripple effect...I now offer rice bags in small, medium, and large in a variety of prints and fabrics.  Each one is filled with long grain rice infused with lavender essential oil.  They can either be heated in the microwave for 10-15 seconds or placed in a sealed plastic bag to chill in the freezer.   Small Rice Bag, $6.00 These are a few of the prints available at Paramount Marketplace.  As always custom orders are welcome.

Vintage Christmas  When I was younger I didn't really understand the "Christmas in July" sales concept.  I thought people were crazy to be buying Christmas items in the sweltering days of summer.  Plus then you had to store your items for 4 more months before displaying it.  Now it seems as if Christmas items are placed on store shelves starting in July.  And not just for the month, but for 6 months out of the year.  Don't mistake this as I am not a fan of Christmas decor, but it has become a little too much for me. Wood Light Bulbs, Set of 4 $20.00 My favorite season is fall.  I love the cooler weather, the leaves changing color, the smell of wood fires, and most of all warm sweaters!  This season just seems to be overlooked now by the Christmas displays.            

BEFORE One hot summer night I was scrolling through pictures on a local Facebook yard sale page and this jumped out at me.  It wasn't in the best shape, but I had a vision.  A vision of butcher block top with enamel bowl sink and brass hardware.   I wanted the color to be unexpected, so after looking through my stash of "oops" paint I found the perfect color.  I spray painted the existing hardware. Next the hunt was on to find the perfect knobs and faucet, both of which came from Ebay.  Not my first choice is searching for really anything, but I had exhausted all my usual thrifting honey holes.  The butcher block is from Menard's, my go to store for any wood needs.   This turned out better than the vision in my head!  I would love to have an adult kitchen with this color palette.   Out of the now 4 play kitchens I have done, this is my favorite.  Can't wait until she finds someone to love her too!  Farmhouse ...

I'm not sure what it is about little play kitchens that just draw me in.  This is the third one I have done.  There is something about being a kid again combined with my love of cooking.  This particular kitchen has come a long way.  First Hubby and I traveled over 2 hours to pick up this gem.  It was in okay condition, dirty and in need of several pieces.    BEFORE I already had an enamel pan for the sink, but so many other items I had to hunt for.   The faucet was a random find in a garage of an estate sale, the refrigerator door was leftover from a previous kitchen, the knobs were thrifted from one of my favorite stores, and the burners are wood rounds from Joann's.  After coats of paint (and I am not kidding at least 5), she is ready for her new home. Black and White Kitchen $195.00

$129.00 Available at Paramount Marketplace Booth #477 Wichita KS I had to have this!  It was in dire need of some love.  Layers of paint, mirror and frame were not attached, and wobbly to say the least.  I did not take before pictures, whoops.  I have a horrible habit of just diving in and expecting everyone else to know what it looked like before the magic happened. So gross! This is the frame in the middle of stripping.  As you can see layers of paint and varnish.  Why would someone would want to cover that beautiful wood? The top was much easier to strip.  Hubby spent hours sanding which led to me painting the rest.  The best part of this dresser is the original mirror dated March 15, 1922. I had originally planned to keep this, but unfortunately it did not fit in my bedroom, so sad.  I know someone will love it just as much as I do. On to the next project...

Boutique @ the busy bee is now available in a brick and mortar store! I now have a booth at the Paramount Marketplace in Wichita, Kansas.  I am dealer #477!  This is a brand new antique mall which made me a little nervous, but Paramount has two other malls in the area with a tremendous amount of traffic.  Hubby and I have contemplated this adventure for a few years, but never really wanted to commit until recently. To be quite honest I had no idea what it took to literally make a booth ie. walls, lighting, shelving, etc.  We had a stack of 2x4's in the garage left over from the kids beds we built 6 years ago.  I also had pile of thin plywood hidden away in a storage closet.  I knew what I wanted the back wall to look like, but not the side walls.  Paneling would be the answer!  No paint or sanding, just nail it in place and done!  Shelving would be easy enough, stained wood and metal brackets. (FYI:  I started this post back in De...