TheCherryChic

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-01-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

I have been a horrible blogger.

I'm so ashamed.........I really am.

I can't believe it's been it's been over six months since I posted last.

I DID think about it alot......cross my heart.

When I was mowing our two acres this summer I thought of alot of interesting things I wanted to share....

When I was driving home on a Saturday morning with my Tahoe full of vintage finds from estate sale and garage sales I thought of how I was going to tell you how excited I got when I found a stack of feedsacks for 2.00.

When I was set up doing a show I should have been taken pictures of my booth and all my "treasures" but somehow it never happened. When I did think about it, all the best stuff was already gone and to my booth looked horrible.

Bottom line, I really do admire all of you out there who always find time to blog on a daily or even weekly basis.

I had such good intentions when I started this blog.

I didn't do too well.

BUT this year I'm going to try again....

And what a better way to start is on the first day of the New Year.

I hope I can find some really interesting and entertaining things to show you and tell you about.

I hope I do better than I did last year.

I am going to try.

Happy New Year !!!!

Hope it's great for everyone!!!!!

LOTS of PRETTY FLOUR SACKS

2009-06-27T08:03:00.000-07:00

I went to a great estate sale yesterday and got a lot of great old flour sacks. Some of the prettiest patterns I've seen in a while. LOVE the floral ones.

Make sure to check out my eBay store for them.

FRIDAY FLOWERS

2009-05-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

I'M SORRY

2009-05-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

I feel so bad! I can't believe it's been well over a month since I did my last post. I'm so ashamed. As much as I'm on the computer it's hard for me to take the time to post. I "think" about it all the time, but then when I finally have the time, I'm out of energy.

I've been enjoying spring. My handy-man hubby built me a beautiful big deck and pergola in the back yard and I'm so proud of it! I've wanted one for years but it always seemed like other home improvement projects were more important...BUT finally after all these years I have one!!!! And it's wonderful. It's like having a big outdoor room. I know we're going to be spending alot of time out there.

It connects right to my little "Linen Studio" and it's all in a big fenced in back yard so my son Will can still play outside and I can keep an eye on him and still enjoy it.... He has his swing set, trampoline and all that good stuff out there. Now we're all happy!!!!!

I've been posting alot of new things on Etsy the last few days...make sure to check it out and I'm always adding stuff to eBay .

TRYING TO SPRING CLEAN...AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK!

2009-04-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

Spring is in the air and that makes me want to start cleaning and straightening and organizing but it's hard to do or next to impossible for me. I wish I was a more "together" person to start with..that would help. My mother was the "queen" of organization. How many times I've heard her say "everything has a place and everything in it's place" and that's how her house was. Infact, that was her life. You could ask her for something... anything and no matter what it was and if she had it (and she knew if she did or not) she go right to it. Me, I remember seeing it at one time can't remember when either...where it went? Gosh, I have no idea.

I really do try to be organized..I buy all the "things" (totes organzizers...you name it) that is supposed to make it EASY for you to be that "together" person but they never seem to work for me. But I have decided that "living" in your home PLUS running a business out of it and sometimes it seems like every room has "business dealings" in it, it's nearly impossible to keep things tidy and neat. Plus put a three year old in the mix who has more toys than I think I have linens it makes it that much harder.

I sell mostly "rags" as I lovingly refer to them (vintage quilts, feather pillows, linens and anything "material-fabric") and they take up ALOT of room!!! I have them piled in my sunroom (sometimes to the ceiling)....the ironing board is in the dining room FULL of linens to be ironed (the light is better in there that's why the ironing board is in there and my laundry room is too small) The bedroom floor around my desk is full of stuff I've made pictures of and trying to get listed on eBay and Etsy (my laptop is in here next to my son's room) and my 1000 square foot upstairs what I refer to as "eBay Central" where all my inventory I have listed is "somewhat" stored is running over. It's also where all my boxes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts and whatnot are. PLUS I have a dormer room with over 200 feather pillows in it. (I wish I was joking but I'm not) And even my laundry room has a big basket full of linens that need to be washed and another one that needs to be ironed!!! Everywhere I go, everywhere I look, there they are!!! There are linens in totes in closets, attic spaces, under the beds, in wardrobes. Sometimes I feel like I have an addiction instead of a business.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE the fact that I work at home....I have in my opinion the perfect job. I get to make a living doing what I love to do and get to do it where I love to be the most and the best part is I get to here with my 3 year old. But having been in "the biss" for nearly 20 years now and LOVING junk and collecting it too not just selling it, you really do accumulate alot of stuff. When I'm trying to clean and put away I swear I'm gonna quit buying til I get some of this stuff sold and gone but come Thursday afternoon when the paper comes out I can't wait to see how many garage and estate sales are listed for the weekend. I tell my husband I got to have my "junk fix". And when I'm on the yard sale trail I never think about my house of rags and how junked and cluttered and full it is and how I really DON'T need to be buying ANYTHING.....But there I am just out there looking for LOTS more treasures. Got to have MORE MORE MORE!!! I'm not happy to my van is full!!!! It's a sickness...or it is for me. But I still love it.

CHECK OUT MY VINTAGE FINDS ON EBAY

2009-03-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

MY CONSTIPATED GOLDFISH

2009-03-21T05:36:00.001-07:00

Okay, the first time I passed by the aquarium I thought my big fancy golfish Max was dead. He was floating upside down....but it wasn't upside down dead....those of you who have had an aquarium and had a dead fish know what I mean. He was just upside down. I tapped on the side of the tank and he starting swimming just fine. Thank goodness he wasn't dead was all I could think! We've had this aquarium now for several years and haven't lost a fish in a while. The fish I have now have really gotten big from the time I purchased them because we bought the small "cheap" goldfish because we figured they would die (the first few we had in there did) so we wouldn't have a lot of money invested in them. But they have thrived and we really do enjoy watching them now. We bought the aquarium for our son Will. He has autism and LOVES fish. Loves to go to Petsmart and Wal Mart and "see fish".....but at home he doesn't show alot of interest in ours. Guess it's just not the same atmosphere.

Anyway, I decided to feed the fish and when I saw Max upside down he turned himself around and he swam up with the rest of them and was eating like normal. So..I went on with the days work. I was just thankful he wasn't dead and if he was eating that meant he wasn't sick. Didn't it? I came back through a little later on and the same thing. Upside down. This time I noticed he was having trouble staying toward the bottom of the tank. He tried to swim down but he just couldn't do it and stay there. When "hubby" got home I showed him the fish. He said "maybe he's constipated". Yeah right.......so then he tells me to go "google" it. So I did...and guess what HE WAS RIGHT!!! He was constipated. Swim bladder something or other...but from what I could read it wasn't fatal. The "fix" was to not to feed him for a few days and give him two thawed green peas minus the shells. We put him into a small aquarium and I gave him a couple of peas and no fish food and the next morning he was swimming fine again and no floating upside down.

We got a big laugh about it...and I was really happy things seem to be back to normal with Max but now I can tell everyone I had a constipated goldfish!

The Story of Blue Willow

2009-03-20T06:20:00.000-07:00

I inherited my mother's Blue Willow china. She collected it for years (along with lots of other things) and we were always on the hunt at flea markets, estate sales, auctions and tag sales trying to find another "piece" to add to her ever growing collection. I didn't realize til I started packing it up to bring home how many pieces she had.

I never considered myself a "blue" person but Mama loved it so much and I couldn't bear to sell it so I ended doing my dining room in blue and to be honest I love it now. And it brings back so many happy memories of me and Mama "junking" together.

There is a really neat story to the pattern on the china....here it is:

"Long ago, in the days when China was ruled by emperors, a Chinese manderin, Tso Ling, lived in the magnificent pagoda under the branches of the apple tree on the right of the bridge, over which droops the famous willow tree, and in front of which is seen the graceful lines of the fence. Tso Ling was the father of a beautiful girl, Kwang-se, who was the promised bride of an old but wealthy merchant. The girl, however, fell in love with Chang, her father’s clerk. The lovers eloped across the sea to the cottage on the island. The mandarin pursued and caught the lovers and was about to have them killed when the gods transformed them into a pair of turtle doves. These are seen gazing into each other’s eyes at the top of the design."

FABULOUS FEEDSACK DRESSES

2009-03-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

FEEDSACK DRESSES

A couple of months ago I bought a big box of handmade vintage feedsack dresses! I hadn't had the chance to "really" look at them so I got them out today to "air" them and let them get some sunshine and they were just beautiful!!!! To me they were a work of art hanging on the clothesline.

I never knew my grandmother but my mother always told me about her making her dresses out of old print feedsacks and from the pictures I've seen of her this was the "style" that she wore. All the pictures were in black and white so I couldn't see the "color" but I remember the style.

This lady of yesteryear had a nice and colorful wardrobe!!!!

I just LOVE all the different prints!!!

LOVE THE COLORS

LOOK AT THE POLKA DOTS

Ahhhh..the simpler times..........

NOTHING LIKE AN OLD FEATHER PILLOW

2009-03-05T07:38:00.000-08:00

All my life I have slept on a feather pillow. That's the ONLY kind of pillow that my mother had in our house (EXCEPT for the ones she kept in her pillow shams and we were NEVER allowed to sleep on the shams. They were for "looks" only and got put in a chair at night along with the bedspread being folded down and NEVER used to cover up with) My mother took great pride in making her beds and they always looked as good as a picture in a catalog. She used to joke that you could bounce a quarter off of any bed she made. I never tried it, but they were always "perfect". I don't know how she did it because no matter hard I try my beds never look like hers did.

Every bed at our house always had a matched pair of feather pillows or a bolster pillow on them. Every summer Mama would empty the pillows (into an old pillowcase) and wash the ticking and then put the feathers back sometimes adding more feathers from other pillows that she had culled or I remember her even taking apart an old feather bed to get the feathers out and then "re-using" the ticking to make more pillows out of. She swore that the new ticking you bought was not like the old kind.

Even today if we go somewhere overnight I still take my trusty feather pillow with me.

I guess that's why I buy and sell so many feather pillows today...because they were a must in my house as a child and I can't imagine not sleeping on one. It's amazing how many different patterns and colors of ticking were used and how varied the pillow is in weight. I've had some so light and soft and then I've had some that were so heavy that you thought they might have stuffed in with bricks.

If you need any pillows make sure to check out my eBay store cause I always try to keep a big selection in there of all different weights and fabrics. I even have a few bolsters (though they are hard to find) and a feather bed or two! If you don't see what you like, drop me a line because I have a HUGE "pillow stash".

HERE COMES PETER COTTON TAIL....

2009-03-04T18:51:00.000-08:00

HOPPING DOWN THE BUNNY TRAIL........

Easter will be here before we know it. aPRIL 12th.

My "bunnies" are out year around. I've collected old rabbits for over 15 years now. I especially love the paper mache and the Chein metal ones.

Here are some pictures of a few of mine.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

2009-02-28T16:54:00.001-08:00

This old rug that I have framed and lighted hanging in my back hall is one of my favorite things.

This rug belonged to my father....or he claimed it because I threw it in the trash MANY years ago.

When I first got into "junk" I went to an auction at an old log cabin. You were there to buy the cabin BUT first they sold out each room's contents. I bought the entire kitchen for 5.00 dollars!! OMG!!!! I was so excited because there was a Hoosier cabinet in there and that's what I was really wanted (I used to be obessed with old kitchen cabinets)...the rest was just a bonus. I brought home a HUGE truck load of stuff..including this old rug.

When I got the stuff back to my parent's house and was digging through the treasures and discarding what I didn't want, I came to this rug. It was frayed around the edges and pretty dirty and to me at that time it was just JUNK and I didn't want to mess with cleaning it! I pitched it and my father latched on it.

When no one was looking he took some old roofing nails and attached it to the inside of the garage wall. My father claimed "his dog rug" was worth a fortune. For years and years he bragged out the now famous dog rug. It grew on my over the years and the fraying and dirt didn't seem that noticeable anymore but my father wouldn't give up his rug. It hung there for nearly 20 years.

He passed away a couple of years ago and we had to get the house cleaned out and sold. When I went into the garage I knew it was time for me to take "the dog rug" home. My husband built a simple frame for it and I cut most of the fraying away (which wasn't much at all) and now it hangs proudly over my desk with a light above it. Everytime I look at it, I smile and it reminds me of my father. I can still hear him laughing and bragging about his dog rug.

SOME NEW RAGS

2009-02-27T18:32:00.001-08:00

I bought a bunch of "rags" Wednesday. Lots of quilts, quilt blocks, hankies, feedsack dresses, chenilles, pillows, patterns and I'm not sure what all. Needless to say I was in "Rag Heaven". I'm going to try to get a lot of it listed next week so make sure to keep checking Ebay.

I will putting some things on Etsy too.

I haven't had a chance to go through it all but here is a small sampling of part of it. I wanted to get more pictures made but the wind was so strong it was nearly impossible to get done what I did.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. They are saying SNOW for us!!! UGH. I'm really tired of winter and ready for spring!!!!

Oh yeah, I will be having another sale in March in my store "My Bag of Rags" I'll be slashing some prices to get ready for all the new inventory I have to list.

LOTS OF NEW GOODIES ON ETSY AND EBAY

2009-02-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

I have been listing lots of things on Etsy and eBay so make sure to check them out. It's mainly a 'hodge podge' of embroidery, fabric, quilt blocks, cutter quilts and whatever I come across in my sunroom. I'm trying to get it cleaned out before spring. LOL!!! I've been trying to do that for years now and it still hasn't happened. Lots of my eBay listings are store items so you can "BUY IT NOW" and of course all Etsy items are that way.

BLACK HAT PARADE

2009-02-22T11:46:00.000-08:00

I collected these a long time. One of my first collections. I've had then stored now for years. Somewhere I know there is at least another box or two of them. After Will was born, I started boxing up collections. Taking care of a newborn, working and trying to keep all the "extra" stuff clean was just too much. I found this box in the closet a few weeks ago and I knew I wasn't going to display them anymore and there was no sense in keeping them so I thought I would list them. Maybe you will see something you like. I had them hanging in my foyer on an old hall tree.

RAINY COLD DAY IN CERULEAN

2009-02-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

It's just a miserable cold day out there today. Windy, rainy and cold. The rain is on the verge of snow. A good day to be in! I'm trying to get some stuff listed on Etsy & eBay so make sure to check out my new items when you get the chance. I'm getting more on Etsy because the program I use to list on eBay is having problems. I needed to devote some time to Etsy anyway so it all worked out. I can't get outside to take pictures but I have a lot of stuff "rat-holed" back that I took pictures of months ago. Now I just got to find it all.

Next week I have to go pick up a HUGE load of linens and quilts so I should have some really great "new old stuff" to list in March. Just in time for spring. And spring can't get here soon enough for me. I've had enough of winter this year. I think the older I get the worse I hate it. I'm a summer time kind of gal and spend most of my time outdoors when I can. And this winter we haven't had that many "warmer" days where you could go out.

Better get back to work. Hope everyone is having a happy Saturday.

PRETTY CHENILLE

2009-02-20T07:36:00.000-08:00

FABULOUS CHENILLE FINDS

I bought this wonderful vintage chenille bedspread and rug at an estate sale last week. They are so pretty!!! I've got them on eBay right now so make sure to check them out.

ICE STORM PICS

2009-02-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the pictures of the horrible ice storm we had here a few weeks ago. We're still re-couping from it. It was pretty but it did alot of damage. We lost several trees. The clean-up continues!

What a month!

2009-02-14T07:46:00.000-08:00

I feel like forever since I've got to post. But what a month it has been.

My mother passed away the end of January. She had been sick for a long time but you're never ready to let them go. I was with her holding her hand and got to tell her I loved her and though I miss her so much, I know she was ready. She had been in a lot of pain for quite some time and she was tired.......My father died two years ago and she had never really gotten over it. They had been married for 63 years. It's been hard to pick up the pieces and go on but sometimes you have to. I still don't think it's all sunk in yet. I wake up some mornings and still wonder if I dreamed it and then I realize it really happened. My mother was my best friend and before she got sick we did every thing together. I just hope that I can be half as good of a mother to Will as she was to me.

Two days after she died we got hit with a MAJOR ice storm and didn't have power for nearly two weeks. Let me tell you, you don't realize how much you depend on modern conviences til you don't have them anymore. I have always joked and said I wish we lived a much simpler life....I now take that back! We had no phones, water or electric and it was scary!!! You never think things can get that bad...but they can. Thankfully we got our power restored and we're still working on the clean-up. We lost several trees and our yard looks terrible but we were slowly but surely getting it back together. Then last week we had damage from strong winds. Some of the trees that had been damaged are now gone. My son's trampoline got blown away and we had some damage to the soffit on the house. It's been a rough month. I'm still trying to get back to some "normal" but it's hard.

I did actually go to an estate sale yesterday and get some really neat quilts and quilt tops. I just listed them on eBay so make sure to check them out. I got some more goodies that I am going to try to get listed next week.

Quilts on eBay

2009-01-15T10:36:00.000-08:00

Hello! I don't know about where you are but here in this little town of Cerulean, it's COLD, COLD, COLD. My thermo read "8" when I got up this morning. BURR!!!!!! I don't like this. Spring can't get here soon enough. I am so used to being outside...even when it's in the 40's I can handle it, but this I can't. And I have to have my "outside" fix everyday. Don't look like today I'm going to get much of it. It was too cold to go out and wait for the bus this morning. We had to watch for it out the window.

I've been sitting here this morning listing some really neat OLD quilts on eBay. These aren't mine but belong to a good friend of mine. Make sure to check them out. Especially if you like early antique quilts.

Won't be long now til Will is off the bus. Better get back to work.

Happy Hump Day!

2009-01-14T12:42:00.000-08:00

The View From My Front Porch

Happy Hump Day!!! What a busy week it's been around here. I'm still so behind since Christmas and I'm still trying to get caught back up. It's hard to balance "normal" life and your "job" when you work out of your home. I have been trying to get a few things listed the past few days on Ebay and still haven't gotten anything new on Etsy. (I hope to soon) Thankfully today I had no errands that had to be run so I got some more pictures made and a few listings posted before Will got home from school. We are in for a "big freeze" the next few days so I got out on the front porch and made some pictures of before it got here.

Also here is the view from my front porch Monday morning (sorry I had forgot I had taken the pictures). It was the most amazing sunrise!!! The sky was just so red that it looked on fire and there was a heavy frost and the fog had froze on the trees and it was just an incredible sight.

Another Post Today

2009-01-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

I posted pictures of the "Linen Studio" the other day AFTER we finished it but I found the before ones that I thought I would post. If you didn't see the other post check it out after looking at these. My wonderful "Handy-Man Hubby" Karl did a fabulous job (as always) on it. I don't think he liked the color I ended up painting it but he's more of a "beige" paint kind of guy. Believe me, since he's been married to me, he's been introduced to a wide world of color!!!! I promised when we started working on our house I never would paint a wall white and so far I've kept that promise!

It's Already Monday

2009-01-12T04:28:00.000-08:00

Man, the weekend flew by. I don't feel as if I got much accomplished either. I went to an auction (for the first time in two years) and had a good time. I took my camera to take some pictures with, but forgot to bring it in the building where they were having the sale and it was pouring down rain and cold I had to park so far away that I never went back to get it.

I NEVER bought anything and if you all knew me, that's NOT like me AT ALL. I can usually find something to buy when no one else can. I guess in all the years that I have done the "auction scene" this is probably only the second or third one that I've never went home with something. I never even got to hold my card up and bid. My friend Jill was with me and I made the comment to her that you would have never known our country was in a recession with the prices people were paying. Things were going through the roof. I'm sure there were a few bargains to be had, but on the things I was interested in, I never even got a chance. Truthfully, I didn't need to buy anything anyway and as much inventory of stuff that I have "rat-holed" back but I always like to say I bought something....but this time I can't tell anyone that. Really though, I'm trying to cut back my spending back...that's one of my New Year's resolutions. Used to be I'd rather have "stuff" than money....now I like to have money put away for that "rainy" day or when you aren't selling enough to pay your bills it's nice to have something to fall back on. Being self employed has it's quirks but it also has it's downfalls.

But even though I didn't get to buy anything, it was nice to get out and see everyone. I've been in the "junk" business now for over 20 years and you see the same people at all the auctions, tag sales and flea markets you go to. They all become like your "second" family and it was nice to spend the day catching up and talking about this and that. So even though I came home with no new treasures I had a good day and I'm not broke!!!!!!

I have gotten a few new things on eBay in the last week so make sure to check them out. I've been trying to stock the store with some new goodies....nothing expensive just some cute vintage linens and hankies and stuff like that. I hope to get some more on today....but anymore I never know.

I will be also listing some great quilts in the next couple of days, so just keep checking back!!!

My Linen "Studio"

2009-01-09T05:55:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken this past fall when I got my tiny little "studio" (I hate calling it studio because it sounds so snooty) I wish I could say it was still this organized, but it's not. There are a lot of "rags" piled in the floor now waiting to get put away. I will find the "before" pictures and add later. They are on my old computer.

This building is original to our property and that's the original floors! We just sanded and re-finished them. The building was the old "wash house" and for years it was just a catch all for us and many kittens were born and raised in there. It's no where big enough to store all the linens I have but what's in here now has been sorted and organized and at least I know what's in the crates. And most of the stuff has been laundered.

My wonderful hubby added the tongue and groove walls and the ceiling is galvanized metal!! I LOVE the look of it and he put all these neat recessed lights in there.

Still need to get the windows finished (it has the original windows) but winter got it here before I could do that so that's on my springtime list along with getting the crown molding added. We are going to side it to match the house and it has a small porch on front (there is an old storm cellar underneath) but he's going to wrap the porch on around this spring or summer when he has the time. We ALWAYS have a project going on around here!!! We've lived here for 16 years and we've never gotten finished and I don't guess we ever will. But we LOVE projects!!!

The building is in our fenced in backyard so now I can work in the summer in it and can watch Will out the door. It's PERFECT!!!!!

Now if I could just get my dormer rooms, sunroom and upstairs "eBay" room this way.....Maybe someday!!!!

VINTAGE HANDKERCHIEFS ADDED TO EBAY TODAY

2009-01-06T19:19:00.000-08:00

Hello! Hope everyone has had a great day. It's been a nasty cold rainy day here. A good day to sit in front of the computer and get some things listed. Once I got Will on the bus, I got busy and didn't quit til he got home. I put a bunch of vintage handkerchiefs on eBay today...make sure to check them out. I have a lot more to get listed....am going to try to put at least 30 on per month!!!! I also got some napkins and some other vintage linens on and most are a "buy it now" option. I'm "trying" hard to get my store stocked back up.

Also on my handkerchiefs if you buy FIVE I will ship for *FREE*

Better get Will to bed and ready for school tomorrow. Hope you all find something in the store to your liking.

Happy New Year Everyone!

2009-01-02T06:31:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the New Year. I've got big plans...let's just hope I get to half of them. Seems like life is always throwing you another curve ball and you have to re-adjust. Since Christmas things have been wild around here. Will has been sick, my sister fell and broke her leg and had to have surgery and my mother is in the hospital. So it's been run, run, running and no chance to get much of anything else done. I still haven't gotten all my Christmas stuff put away yet, but that's on the list today. I went and bought a couple more plastic boxes yesterday to get the rest of the garland and light stored in.

I am planning on getting some linens ironed today and get some new things on Etsy and eBay and on my new site Picture Trail. I have to have my son at the doctor this mid-morning and then to the hospital tonight to check on my mother, but somewhere in between I hope to get some stuff done.

Good Monday Morning fron Kentucky

2008-12-29T06:34:00.000-08:00

Good Monday morning. I always have such big plans of what I want to get accomplished for the week on Monday but lately things haven't been going "as planned' so this week, I'm taking it as it comes. No lists..no schedules...just take it as it comes. This is the last week of 2008 and I have really good intentions for 2009...let's just hope I can stick to at least a tenth of what I would like to get done. I got my tree down yesterday and most of my decorations back in the attic though I still have a few outdoor things to get in. I am going to try to do that today since the temps are going to be in the upper 50's.

I have really let my eBay and Etsy business slide the last few months. With Will starting school in August I really thought I would have so much more time to devote to work BUT it seems I got less done instead of more. Transitioning him to preschool was NOT the easiest thing I've ever done, but he's come along way since then and hopefully when school starts back next week, things will go smoothly. I've got my fingers crossed. BUT BUT BUT I'm going to start out strong in 2009 and get lots of wonderful old vintage items listed. I have so much inventory and have had so little time to do anything with it but I intend to WORK WORK WORK in 2009!!!!

Make sure to check out my store and check back often because I intend on filling it to the gills in the coming weeks!

Vintage Feather Pillows

2008-12-28T19:55:00.001-08:00

I have been "trying" to work and get some "new" vintage stuff in my eBay store and I did get a few aprons, feedsacks and feather pillows listed this weekend. Got so much more to get on. Now, got to work on Etsy and I'm working on my Picture Trail sight
Make sure to check it out!!!!

It's Almost Christas

2008-12-22T05:24:00.000-08:00

Good Morning from Cerulean and let me tell you it's COLD COLD COLD!!! It was six degrees when I got up this morning. Certainly feels like winter out there today. Just a few more days til Christmas and I'm still trying to get things ready here. My whole family is coming over for a meal on Christmas Eve and I've been trying to clean and do some "home projects" that should have been done a long time ago. I've just about to get all the things on my "list" done and now I got to figure out what I'm cooking! I'm not used to cooking for a lot of people and there are at least 20 coming. And to me, that's A LOT of people to cook for!! LOL

Will seems to be more interested in Christmas this year than he was last. I still don't think he understands the whole "Santa" thing, but he does know who he is now and he will say Christmas and does sing "Jingle Bells' which when I think about how far he's come from last year, it's a miracle. He was barely saying any words last Christmas and now he knows so many. He doesn't use them in sentences (some he tries) but he can identify so much now ...and though we are still far from where we should be, the progress he's made so far is remarkable. He's been sick the past week and yesterday seemed to finally be feeling like himself again.

It's so hard to buy him presents since he doesn't play with toys like most kids but I have bought him a hodge-podge of things that I think he will like and a few that I'm sure he won't get just yet, but he's picking up on so much now, I don't think it will be long before he does. He loves my digital camera so much that I bought him a Fisher Price digital one...hopefully he will learn to use that and that will be somthing we can have fun with together. It's hard to find "age appropriate" toys for children on the autism spectrum. Most of the toys for 3 and up are not something he would be interested in....so we have to think outside the box for a lot of his gifts.

PLAYSCHOOL & BUSTED HEADS

2008-11-20T15:55:00.000-08:00

What a day it's been. Today was "playschool" at Will's preschool. All and all we had a good day...til the end. I'll tell you about that later. During "circle time" Will got up on stage (middle of the circle shaped rug) when it was his turn and counted to ten!!!! I was so proud of him. He usually never does what all the other children do and certainly never "performs" and I can tell you this was one of the proudest moments a Mama could ever have. Like I've said before you really learn to appreciate the small stuff when you have a child on the autism spectrum. He also loved painting with Ms Marcy (his wonderful teacher who has soooooo much patience with him).

He even went and hugged a little girl named Cheyenne (Will loves the pretty girls)

I was so glad that I saw him "trying" to interact with the children there. He still has a hard time with that but I have seen a big improvement since school started. We're really trying to work on his social skills. He had a few small meltdowns, but all and all it went good til...................

He was playing in one of the "centers"...I believe the living room area and he got his foot hung in a stool and fell and hit a bookshelf and when I turned around I saw blood just pouring out of his head. Of course, I was in panic mode. He was crying and screaming and we were trying to clean him up......and when we finally got enough blood wiped away it was that instant realization that he was going to have stitches!!! OMG!!!! It was a gash!!!!. Then I really started to panic in OVERDRIVE. Karl was out of town....actually in another state today and I kept thinking how is he going to handle a hospital and stitches...what am I going to do....and how was I going to do it by myself....and he was still crying and I was still trying to calm him but I was about ready to start crying with him. I was so scared and he was in so much pain and so scared and no amount of comforting seemed to be calming him down....and I didn't know what I was going to do. The school nurse looked at him and she agreed he did need stitches.....so off to the hospital we went. Thankfully the hospital is practically across the street from the school. We got right into the emergency room and the staff there was so good with him...of course I told them right off the bat he had autism. It just makes things easier for them to understand some of his behaviors though I think a typical child would have been upset too.....Anyway, they took a look at it and they thought they could "glue" it and he wouldnt' have to have stitches! What a relief..... So we got him layed on the table and got the gash cleaned (and that was another crying and screaming ordeal and him saying "need help, need help" over and over (which broke my heart) and they applied the glue and in about five minutes we were about ready to go. Just had all the PAPERWORK to fill out. And by the time it was over, he was beginnning to calm down. Thankfully we had grabbed a red and blue plastic star so he had something to comfort him.....(red and blue matching items is the best medicine for Will in upsetting situations) We ran back by the school to let them know he was okay.....and we came home and he's been in good shape and doesn't act like it's even bothering him now.

I guess this is just something I'll have to get used to....bumps and bruises are a normal part of being a kid....

Check out my "new-old" stuff on Ebay

2008-11-19T13:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

It's cold here in Cerulean....the wind cuts to the bone out there. Feels like winter is here now. I've been out trying to take some pictures of some "new" old goodies but nearly froze to death trying. I will be listing some neat old feather beds (with some great old ticking fabric) , feather pillows and ladies floral hankies if any of you out there are interested. I hope to have them on my tonight....(I HOPE) I have so many great linens to get on this winter that I have rat-holed away all summer, but just can't seem to find the time to do it. I get so tired of saying that (and I'm sure everyone else does too) but it's so true!!! I thought when Will started school that I would have all kinds of times to work on my projects, but if anything I have less time than before......and when I do finally have a day to work, I'm so busy trying to get a thousand things done at once that I don't seem to get anything accomplished.

Here are a couple of feather beds I am listing on ebay.

Tomorrow I have to go with Will to preschool for "playschool" and that's always fun. That's when the parents go to school and "play" with their child. I had a hard time at first because when your child is the only one in the classroom with autism it's hard not comparing what the other kids are doing to what your's isn't. I guess it scares me more than anything....right now we don't know how "severe" the autism is and believe Will has come so far and everyday he is doing so much more that we are so thankful for that but when the other kids are talking "ninety miles a minute" and engaging in play with each other and your's is off in the corner playing with his "red and blue" (his current obsession) matching objects and ignoring everyone around him.....you can't help but panic. I can tell you, I've gotten alot better and I'm sure in time it will get easier....but it's still the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with in my life....The first few weeks of school I left everyday in tears and I don't even know how I managed how to drive home. At that time we didn't have an "official" diagnosis...but we knew.....but when you see him with other children (which he hadn't been around that many) it all hits home a little harder and you realize how terribly wrong things are. But things are better for all of us now. He's finally adjusted to school and really seems to enjoy it and I am "learning" to accept things as they are. I love my little boy more than I knew I ever could and I guess I am more scared for his future when I'm not here to take care of him than anything. We do a pretty good job dealing with the day to day of it all...we've learned just to take it one small step at a time and enjoy all those little things that most parents take for granted that their children can do with no problesm. Will hasn't hit the regular milestones like most kids, but he's come a long way and I know in my heart he is going to get so much better .

Better get to work. Got dinner to get ready and hopefully some things listed on eBay tonight.

It's Been A While

2008-11-14T21:06:00.000-08:00

I've gonna try this again!!! I had such good intentions when I started my "blog" but life gets busy sometimes and I find it hard to do the things I have to do everyday. Now with cold weather and more time indoors maybe I can concentrate more on it.

My son Will, who has autism started preschool and believe me we've had our hands full with that. He's FINALLY liking it.... actually LOVING it but we've had a struggle with the school system getting him the services he is entitled to and needs. I feel like I stay at school as much as he does now fighting with the "Big Wigs" trying to get him the speech therapy and the one on one aide he so desperately needs. I think now we've got that going (I'm keeping my fingers crossed) but it's been far from easy. I stay on the phone with teachers, school administrators and anyone else that will listen to my desperate cries for help. It's a shame how hard you have to fight to get that "appropriate education" that your child needs. I think the school district we're in just doesn't understand autism. Thank goodness we have had a wonderful teacher and classroom aide who is on our side and see how much potential our son has.

I am also trying to get some new things on eBay and Etsy. My user-ID on both sights in "thecherrychic" and if you love vintage linens and textiles you need to check me out. I have got a ton of new "old" stuff to get listed and maybe now that things have calmed down at school, I'll finally be able to get back in the groove. Let's hope so at least.

Hello...Let me introduce myself.....

2008-07-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

Hello... I am new to blogging so I'm not sure where to start. My name is Chris. I'm 42 years old and live in a very small town in Western Kentucky. A beautiful little town called Cerulean. It used to be a resort town in the early 1900's. (back then it was called Cerulean Springs but the post office dropped the Springs part many years ago) The cerulean blue colored spring water was believed back then to have medicinal purposes and people rode the train from miles around to drink and bathe in the water and stay at the huge hotel that used to be here. The hotel is long gone and now it's just a sleepy little rural farming community and a great place to live. And the spring water is still "cerulean" blue.

Here is a postcard of the hotel around the turn of the century.

We bought an old abandoned house and two acres here about 15 years ago and have re-furbished it slowly but surely. When we purchased it my main goal was to bring it back to "original" but to live comfortably and to accommodate all the things you had to have (water heaters, heating and cooling systems etc) we had to make some changes. Plus when you have a husband who is into every modern new anything that comes out, you have to make some compromises. In the end, it all worked out and we have a beautiful house that still has alot of it's "old" charm with a lot of modern conviences that I don't know how I could live without. We built a new kitchen, gutted EVERY single room, re-wired, re-finished floors, built new porches...you name it, we did it. All we had was a shell of a houseand we just built it back ONE ROOM AT A TIME....and we're still building. It seems like it's never ending some days , but thankfully we enjoy it and my husband has the talent and the know how to make it all work. It has been a true labor of love.

This is the house a few years ago. I'll post more pictures later.

Here is the link to my eBay items http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZthecherrychicQQfrppZ50QQfsopZ2QQfsooZ2QQrdZ0

And here is the link for my Etsy store.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5680656

Make sure to check them out. I'll post more tomorrow.