Shop At Moxie

17 Bad

Ok, so I just went downstairs into my kitchen to say goodbye to my niece Brooke who was over for the last three hours baking cookies with dear husband Bob.  They like to get together for baking sessions as often as possible.  It's their bonding time.  Sounds like some wholesome family fun right?  

That's what I thought too....until I saw this note on the counter.  

"What's this?" I asked pointing to the note sitting in front of them and the plates full of the cookies. (Cookies were made to take on the big family get together in Wisconsin this weekend)

Both Bob and Brooke start giggling and looking all pleased with themselves.  Brooke said that Bob made her count and separate the good from the bad cookies onto different plates.  Then he had her take the amount of good cookies and divide it by the number of people coming to the cabin.  And as you can see.....they "each can have 4 cookies."  As if counting and dividing cookies wasn't wacky enough it quickly dawned on me that the 17 bad cookies sitting on a plate off to the side from the other plates was the one batch that I was in charge of while they went to pick up pizza for dinner.  Yes, my cookies were the 17 bad cookies.  And guess what?  They don't even get to come to the holiday weekend.  I was told they were for me to eat.  I was told that as Bob set them into the freezer.  I guess I get to eat them frozen.  

So now I'm still standing in the kitchen with Bob and Brooke and I completely have no hard feelings towards Brooke because I fully know who is behind this.  My husband is so competitive and such a people pleaser (try pleasing me you turkey) that he just could not risk having to take credit for my slightly more done but nevertheless delicious cookies.  He's like that.  And what is so appropriate is that he wrote 76 God cookies instead of good cookies.  I'm sure he thinks his cookies are God cookies.  

But according to my math,   17 delicious crispy cookies for me.....and 4 cookies for everyone else.   Looks like I win!

Just Saying....

This message was brought to you by Megan's vintage greeting card collection.

Goops and How To Be Them

The last time I was in Minneapolis visiting friends we spent a full day going to area estate sales.  Because I was in vacation mode and not my usual fired on all cylinders mode I actually moved slow enough to look at things I generally don't have time for.  In this case books.

I love quirky or beautiful children's books.  It is usually the illustrations that get me but this time it was the title.  I was perusing a bookcase filled with pretty boring looking stuff when all of a sudden the word Goops jumped right out at me.  I was instantly intrigued.  What the heck is a goop.  What kind of cool goopiness have I been missing out on for my whole life.  I knew I liked the book before I even opened it up.  I mean look at them.  They have ginormous round heads and look like they might topple over at any moment.  The goop in the dress looks so ashamed.  I had to find out more.

I cracked open the dusty old book to find it dated back to 1900.  This copy was printed in 1928 and was owned by Amy Sweetser of 4625 Casco Ave.  She had nice penmanship.

I started flipping  pages until I reached the Introduction page.  I wanted to be introduced to the Goops.  I really did.

This is the introduction:

Let me introduce a Race

Void of Beauty and of Grace

Extraordinary Creatures

With a Paucity of Features

Though their Forms are fashioned ill,

They have Manners stranger still;

For in Rudeness they're Precocious,

They're Atrocious, they're Ferocious!

Yet you'll learn, if you are Bright,

Politeness from the Impolite.

When you've finished with the Book,

At your conduct take a look;

Ask yourself, upon the Spot,

Are you Goop, or are you Not?

For, although it's fun to See them

It is terrible to Be them!

The Goops sounded like modern day reality t.v. show stars.  

I read on...

The Goops  they lick their fingers,

And the Goops they lick their knives;

They spill their broth on the tablecloth.......

Oh, they lead disgusting lives!

The Goops they talk while eating, 

And loud and fast they chew;

And that is why I'm glad that I

Am not a Goop----are you?

So as it turns out, these donut headed Goops are naughty little boys and girls that we should learn what not to do from.  And being the daughter of a retired teacher I do love a good lesson when I find it.  

The book is filled with all sorts of fun scenarios of what not to do.  The rhyming and funny little pictures guarantees it to be a hit with the little ones.  I googled and found out that the Goop series has been reprinted and there is even a website dedicated to the goops.  Go here to find out more about the author Gelett Burgess or perhaps  purchase a copy of the book.

To summarize.....I think I know how to be a Goop, but am I any good at not being one.  That's the real question.  I better go read the book again.

Monday Morning Update

What's new this Monday morning??  

I spent the weekend tackling house organization projects with the husband and that is always great for the stores because it means Bob "strongly encouraged" me to get rid of some stuff that had been piling up in closets and just around the house in general.  My loss is your gain!

Here is a sampling of some of the things we dropped off yesterday.

Vintage bench with great floral fabric.  It is in excellent condition and would be sweet to go in front of a vanity table. 

Happy  vintage kitty wall pocket from the 50s or 60s.  I think it could be Lefton.  In perfect condition.

Funky 70s glasses in groovy colorway.

Stylish and hard to find 50s lucite purse.

Self portrait dated 1961 done by the famous doll maker Ron Kronn.  Glass set with original carrier.

Oh my, do we have some fabric samples for you.  About 4 to 5 Hundred to be exact.  All high quality cottons from fabric sample books.  They are $1.50 each.  So many colors and patterns to choose from.  These photos represent a drop in the bucket.  Perfect for scrapbooking and sewing/crafting projects.  Also not shown here but of interest.....a huge bowl full of vintage carded buttons.

Bench, purse, portrait, and glasses are at moxie.

Fabric and buttons at Megan Morrison Home and Garden

Oh and I forgot.....5 vintage really cool fans are also at moxie.  Perfect for summer.

Vintage Beads and a Mystery Customer

Here is a pile of lovely vintage Czech wood beads that I found at an estate sale.  They had only been at Moxie for about 10 days when I received this email.......

I LOVE beads! I find them especially irresistible when they are hanging in a bunch. So when I popped into Moxie and saw the lovely array of vintage wooden beads, I could not help myself. I'm not necessarily crafty - but I always *think* I am. And when it comes to DIY's - hmmm...not so much. BUT I had a vision. So, I purchased the beads and then bounced over to our pal, Allison at Bliss Beads and she hooked a sister up with all the supplies I'd need for my necklace. And so here it is - my new summer necklace: 
 

 
Thanks for always having interesting stuff Megan! You're the best! Hope your wing is on the mend! 

Here is our super duper shop friend with her new creation on.

Now I did not crop off half of her head she did that herself.  I bet some of our other shop friends can guess who this is.   She's practically a local celebrity.  Can you guess?

 

Today is Lisa C's Birthday

So I thought to myself....what better time than today to feature her etsy shop.

As many of you know already Lisa is a wonderful member of our moxie team.  She is so sweet, extremely funny on the down low, shy on the outside but wild on the inside, a gifted painter and photographer.  Plus she's a mom and wife to some of the coolest cats I know.  Her four gorgeous kids and her wonderful husband are equally as creative and imaginative as she is.  

I love having her on my team and I am happy to brag just a little bit about her etsy shop.  It is filled with great stuff.  Everything from original art and handmade jewelry to vintage clothing and linens.

Here are some of my current faves from her shop Willow Nook.

This original painting was done on a vintage book cover.  At 32 dollars for an original work of art....well I am pretty sure this won't last too long.

Earrings in a lovely shade of green

These gift tags are made from copies of Lisa's original paintings.  You get three of them for $5.00......  Sweet!

Party dress anyone????

I love vintage purses.  I especially love this one because it's gray.  You don't see that nearly as much as black.  Can you believe Lisa has this awesome purse listed for only Sixteen dollars???  That's a steal!

I sent Lisa a couple of questions and she kindly took some time out of her day to answer them for all of us.  

Here goes.

Q --  At what age did you realize that you had an artistic inclination and how did it begin manifesting itself?                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

A --  I honestly think I've been drawing from the time I could hold a pencil. When I was a very young child, well before school age, I would make little books based on my favorite fairy tales and my mom would sew up the edge on her machine to make a binding. I still have some of those books. My family always complimented my work but your family is supposed to think what you do is great or at least tell you it is. When I got into school and my art teacher would comment or even hold up my work as an example ( I would have liked to disappear when she did that), then I knew it was not ordinary.                                                                                                                               

Q -- Why do you love vintage clothing so much and how long have you felt this way?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

A -- Vintage clothing is so special to me.  Things were made so beautifully. Such attention to detail. You can not find that in many newer clothes. That and they are sentimental to me. Someone long ago wore this and I wonder where she wore it, how it made her feel, did she dance in it, did he love when she wore it, that kind of thing. Some vintage is just fun and you feel good in it. In grade school I remember finding vintage cat eye glasses and a plaid jacket and loving them. I did not always have the confidence to express myself with my clothes. In junior high I started to buy a little vintage and then in college it was like a revelation. To play with vintage and experiment was great fun. Now as a grown woman I love it even more! Working at Moxie has helped awaken that love again and I feel more like myself.                                                                                                                                            

Q -- Could you share with us three things that inspire you creatively.                                                                                     

A --  I've always been inspired by beautiful things. Movies, books, magazines, music... 3 things that inspire me now are still probably movies, magazines and photographs that I take. There are more things of course but that is the top 3.                                                                                                                                                                                              

Q -- Name three favorite food or drink items you must have on hand while you are working.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

A -- I am a Coke and Sprite junkie. I don't think I could quit them if I tried and the thought of quitting makes me

 very cranky. I also love Hershey's milk chocolate. I then usually need some potato chips to satisfy the salt craving I sometimes get after eating alot of chocolate. I could live happily on pop and chocolate. I'm trying to eat better but that is not going too well.

Well I sure do hope all of you  hop on over to Lisa's shop Willow Nook.  Make sure you mark her as a favorite shop because it's her birthday today and what a nice birthday it is when you have lots of new friends.  

Emergency Clown Nose

That's right.  You never know when you might need to whip out a clown nose to cheer yourself or someone else up.  

Here are my top five ideas for using an Emergency Clown Nose

1.  Wear one to the Oprah show and see if they let you in.  If they don't you call the news and tell them Oprah hates clowns.

2.  Wear one while grocery shopping and make sure you smell the fruit for a long time.

3.  All members of a family reunion have to wear one for the big group photo.  C'mon we all know those regular serious photos are a total bore!

4.  Wear one while driving and wave to lots of those road weary commuters.  You know they could use a good laugh.

And last but certainly not least....

5.  Keep one in your purse, glove compartment, medicine cabinet, messenger bag, lunch box or prize closet because you never know when an emergency clown nose is just the right thing to brighten someone's day.  

Even with a Broken Wing.....

Broken wing.  That's what Bob is calling my fractured elbow.  Makes it sound better.  Makes me smile everytime he asks me how my broken wing is doing.  I might not be flying around right now but I'm definitely hopping.  This past weekend Bob gathered up my latest finds and he held them up for me as I reclined in an easy chair.  I gave him the prices and he did the rest.  Not a bad gig after all. 

This morning he delivered them to MMHG and Moxie on his way to work.  

I am so grateful it is my left arm out of commision.  I found out I can take pictures one handed. Here is some of what Bob delivered today.

Lots of vintage paintings, coolest folding game table, globe on stand, and sweet vintage prints with children.  

Paintings and prints at MMHG.  Table and Globe at moxie.  Other fun things were delivered but I just wasn't fast enough to get pictures of them before Bob whisked them all into his car.  Stop by to see the goodies in person!

An Estate Sale Adventure You DON'T Want to Have!!

A short story for you.

Friday June 5th, 2009

Girl wakes up at 4 am with intention of getting a good and early start into the big city of Chicago.  She doesn't feel that great and has a bit of an allergy headache.  She feels pretty exhausted and for once in her life makes the prudent decision to stay home and sleep.  There will always be another fun sale.

I wish this was the end of the story.  Girl makes normal decision....the end.  But no.  Girl wakes up again at 7 am feeling groggy and sluggish.  She decides to take advantage of the fact that she is home for the day and starts doing some online work that needs attending to.  She can't keep her mind off the fact that there was a sale that sounded really great.  It was only an hour away and its mere existence was tormenting her.  This would be a good time to mention that she is easily tormented.  One time she was so tormented by a bag of mini snicker bars designated for trick or treaters that she squelched the torment by eating 3/4 of the bag and literally put herself into some kind of bad bad sugar coma.  To this day she can't look a snickers in the face without feeling sick to her stomach. 

I digressed.  Flash forward 4 hours.  Girl decides at 11 am to give in to her mental torment and drive an hour east to a couple of estate sales.  Her handy GPS guides her there easily and she finds a spot to park her cumbersome van.  She hops down and starts the block long walk to the sale.  She was noticing how cute and old the house looked when disaster struck.  

One minute blissful thoughts of the approaching sale and the next pure terror because girl realized mid-fall that this accident was going to be a doozie.  You know how sometimes when you fall you know it's not going to be too bad?  Like....no problem I'm going to fall and then somersault right out of it.  Kind of all Mary Katherine Gallagher from SNL like.  Well this was not that time.

This time girl hit a six inch break in the sidewalk conveniently located right in front of the sale and she went flying into the air.  When she realized that her face was going to hit first she stuck her left hand out quickly to try to save the teeth.  

OUCH, HOLY BANANAS, JIMINEY JONES, FUDD RUCKERS, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WILL SOMEONE HELP ME !!!!!!  

As the poor klutzy girl with good intentions but a pre-disposition to disaster lay on the ground in agony  moaning and whimpering out loud  she managed to lift her head off the ground.  She was half looking out for help and half checking for witnesses to this completely humiliating experience.  She looked over about 20 feet away and saw two ladies looking at her on the ground.  She saw one of them hesitate briefly and then they both got in the car and drove away. Girl lost faith in humanity.  

After about two minutes on the ground the girl manages to get herself upright but was in severe pain and very shaky.  She could not put any weight on the left arm without verbally expressing pain.

She was an hour from home.  She was in agonizing pain.  She was depressed because no one came to her aid.  What do you do in those circumstances???   You go shopping!

This might be where girl differentiates herself from most of the rest of the world.  She isn't prone to doing the most obvious things.  Or the safest things.  Some in her circle get so mad at her that they hang up the phone on her in disgust when she tells them what happened while inside the estate sale (hi bob)

In defense of the girl....she had driven an hour to go to this sale and she really didn't know the full extent of her injury.  She figured the pain would go away and heck she still had one good arm and you can shop with one arm...right?  So shop she did.  Picture this.  42 yr old girl half hunched over with pebbles stuck to her shirt walking around visibly wincing every couple of seconds with her arm nestled up to her belly to try to create a human sling.  She literally could not move the left arm so that made carrying things around interesting.  She found a laundry basket which she filled and then dragged with the good arm.  What other people thought of her she had no idea.  And I kind of think she really didn't care either.  She's like that.

About a half hour into the sale girl ran into super kind lady acquaintance named Sue and her lovely teen daughter.  She told them what happened and they insisted on helping her carry her goods to the car.  Her faith in humanity was restored.  

After angering husband by not having driven immediately to a hospital girl decides that now that she is done shopping she will drive the hour back to DeKalb for some xrays.  Girl knows that something is wrong because everytime she moves her arm an inch cuss words (not of the Disney type) come flying out of her mouth involuntarily.  

Oh if you could have seen girl trying to hoist herself into her really big van with her really short legs and her one good arm I guarantee you might have laughed yourself silly.  If it didn't hurt so bad trying to get in the girl would have gotten the biggest laugh herself.  

Drive home was painful for girl.  One handed driving in a tin can of a bumpy as heck piece of junk van.....not fun.  Get's all checked in for some medical assistance and they tell her she has a fever and her blood pressure is high.  She finds out both can be caused by pain.  Then really nice nurse tells her that her fingers are about to explode like over boiled sausages and we need to get those wedding rings off immediately.  Ut oh.

The next part truly was the most painful part of the whole day.  Nice and funny nurse had to take the bad finger attached to the can't move it an inch without screaming arm and put it over the sink to try to get the rings off.  Girl told her it wouldn't happen....but she wanted to give it a try.  She began by pouring baby oil over the rings and then started to pull and twist and yank and tug and twist and pull and holy mother of all things good and kind what the heck was she trying to do to the girl?  She had her head laying on the counter and she wasn't exactly crying but whimpering like an injured puppy might not be too far off.  Girl finally called uncle and said lets just cut them off.  Nurse agreed that they would not come off without doing so.  

She was way more upset than girl about cutting off rings.  Girl comforted nurse and told her that husband was way more important than rings.  Rings could be replaced.  Husband or finger.....not so much.  Nurse tried to make girl feel better by suggesting girl work this into an upgrade in diamonds.  Girl liked her spunk.  

By now girl's husband (who was still on her poop list for hanging up on her earlier) had arrived.  Just in time to witness the sawing off of the rings he had picked out for her almost twenty years earlier.  I don't think he liked it too well but girl was cracking jokes to keep everyone else at ease.  That is what girl does in her family.  Not only do the rings get sawed off but then they get wrenched and mangled with pliers to remove them.  Good times.

Two sets of xrays  plus one tetanus shot later  girl was informed that she had a fractured elbow.  Girl wants you all to know that a fractured elbow hurts like a son of a gun.  She also wants you to know that typing this "short" story with one hand took forever but what else would she do with herself while she is supposed to be doing nothing other than relaxing.

Girl is now reflecting on the fact that if you wake up feeling kind of crummy and exhausted maybe it is the universe trying to tell you ....hey stay in bed today.  You'll be happy you did.

We all make mistakes and don't always listen to our inner voice of reason.  Girl is no exception.  She has a broken elbow and mangled wedding rings to prove it.  

But hey it could have been worse.  Imagine girl without her two front teeth.  Yikes.

Big Fluffy White Dress

Or known in some circles as a Wedding Dress. 

When I purchased this dress last spring it was at an estate sale way north of Chicago and it was still in its protective plastic bag.  I really thought I was purchasing a 1950's prom dress but after seeing it out of the bag I realized it was too long and fancy to be a prom dress.  This is a wedding dress fit for a princess. 

I have no idea why I hung on to this dress for a year before deciding it was time to release it back into circulation.  I'm pretty sure I didn't think I was going to squeeze my bootie into that gown for an afternoon of dress up.  I will admit to having a room at home just filled with old dresses that I like to visit from time to time.  I imagine the stories the clothes would tell if they could.  Usually after having a special dress around for awhile I come to my senses and realize that it would be happier finding its way to a new owner.

Thankfully I have Lisa on my team who is always so kind and willing to model these fabulous dresses of the past for me.   She makes a gorgeous bride!

The dress will be delivered to Moxie tomorrow.  I hope it finds its way to someone special.