Saturday, January 28, 2006

While in line...

...today for an estate sale on this balmy January morning I engaged in conversation with fellow estate sale enthusiasts. I'm not one of those people who can stand there for an hour 4 inches from someone and not talk to them. Well maybe if I haven't had my first cup of coffee, but java before heading out on a Saturday morning is a given in my life. So this morning I stopped at Tim's since it was convenient and stood in line there to order my medium coffee with double cream and a Walnut Crunch. Sugar and caffeine go hand in hand before the early morning estate sale scene.

Anyhow, I was talking to a couple of nice guys. It is amazing what you can learn about people in a short amount of time - really you have to know what questions to ask and to to listen to the answers and ask more questions...there really is an art to conversation that many people might not be aware of!! We spoke about Chilean politics and home building among other things in our 45 minute wait. Time flies when you are conversing after all!!

Today's haul was fair. Prices too high for me, but I did manage to bring home a lovely 2 piece 1950's wedding or going away suit, beaded chiffon dress in a gorgeous blue, a 60's inspired shell top with huge round irridescent sequin thingies, a tres chic Western jacket and 3 funky purses all totally different from eachother.

I usually learn a thing or two from someone I have never met before after one of my Saturday morning escapades into buying someone else's stuff. It keeps life interesting after all!!

Thursday, January 26, 2006

The VFG Blogs!!


The Vintage Fashion Guild is a trade organization for vintage clothing sellers and a group of very cool people that I have had the pleasure of being among for the last few years. We all started this organization to give vintage dealers a little more clout than the Rag Trade it is sometimes known as. We talk shop and fashion and it is our Virtual Water Cooler so to speak!! We all have one thing in common and it is a love of vintage fashion and a desire to preserve history through clothing.

We have just started our own Blog and hope to publish some fun tidbits, historical info, great items sold by our members and much more!! Hope you will check it out!!

Thursday, January 19, 2006

A Native Kind of Day

I spent the whole day yesterday at The Glenbow Museum volunteering with my son's class. They are starting a long social studies unit studying the Blackfoot Indians of Alberta. So we got to wander around the native exhibits and had a Blackfoot lady speak to us. It was really quite eye opening. She told us lots of cool stuff...like did you know that they used absolutely every part of the bison for something. The tongue became a comb, the bladder a cooking pot, the tail a fly swatter, the list goes on and on. A real "Bison Department Store" if you will!! They were pretty smart cookies, those Blackfoot.

I think that we should consider changing our calendar to their way. She explained that when the Europeans came here, they introduced them to their linear calendar which began in January and they thought those European folk were just crazy. The Blackfoot follow a circular calendar which begins in the Spring and ends in the Winter...duh!! Makes MUCH more sense, doesn't it. New Life = New Year.

It was all quite romantic and I envisioned myself living in a teepee made of bison hide, hanging out with all my women folk all day while the men were out buffalo hunting. The kids would be running around in the wild with the whole tribe looking out for them. We would bead our own clothing and have a pow wow every once in a while. I would be given my Spiritual name when one of the elders had a visionary dream about me. Hmmmmm, think I would be Hunter of Junk Woman???

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Bowl Full of Noodles!

This week the kids went back to school and life has gone back to normal. I have been surrounded by layers of lingerie and have done a ton of lingerie listings on ebay for the January VTA.

I have been thinking about Vietnamese food all week and craving a big bowl of bun (vermicelli noodles). We went to the Home Show in town last night and it was really disappointing, but afterwards dh, the kids and I met up with his work partner and his wife. Went to a small Vietnamese place I have never visited before. It was sooooooo good, I ate absolutely everything. So fresh and healthy, I could eat this stuff everyday!!!!

Happiness is a big bowl of bun!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, January 09, 2006

It Started With Some Pictures...




We recently acquired some great humongous prints from my mom's company's showhomes. After de-Xmasing the house on the weekend, we decided to try and find a home for these. They are fab!! A pair of vintage inspired prints with a dapper man and woman and some whippets...really nice. DH put them up, but they just didn't work with the set up of the room. We also had another vintage travel themed pair we wanted somewhere on the main level.

Fast forward 5 hours, a lot of heavy lifting (and surprisingly NO disagreement) and our entire living room and dining room has been transformed!! We moved absolutely everything around and I must say it looks great.

So, I urge you to pick a room and rejuvenate it for 2006. What a great way to start the year!!!!

Friday, January 06, 2006

Organization and Obesity

Two things have been on my mind lately.

#1 - I heard an interesting observation that successful people are not the ones running about madly, yakking in their Bluetooth 24/7, too busy for everyone, overstressed, life in shambles. Successful people are organized, they know how to delegate, they realize that downtime is important to their success. Makes sense doesn't it! So don't be fooled by those that appear to be successful...they are probably imposters!

Sidebar - One of my biggest pet peeves are the people that pull out their cell phone 2 seconds after the plane has landed. (imposters!)

#2 - Last night while listing some auctions a program about obesity was on TV in the background. I can't recall many of the statistics, but one I did remember was that 50% of Americans are overweight to some degree....egads!! They showed a teenager who was attending Fat Camp. It cost $7,000 a year to attend this summer camp. This was her 3rd time there. You do the math. When she called home to tell her parents that she lost 2 lbs. that week, their reply was "Is that all?". So sad!

We live in a world of too much convenience: easier to eat out or order in. We live in a world of overindulgent parents: much simpler to give your kids what they want than practice discipline. We live in a world where a doctor can solve your problems: cut it out, suck it out, take a pill.

The more I thought about it all, the scarier it got!!

2006 Resolutions for our family...keep up the ongoing organization and continue to eat healthy and everything in moderation. An ongoing effort to teach the boys some good life lessons!!