Shop At Moxie

New Blog and $100 Anthropologie Giveaway Contest

Change seems to be my new thing for the last two years.  I've just been focusing on doing what is best for myself, my family, my shop, my health, etc. etc.  

Change is good as far as I'm concerned.  Keeps life interesting and somewhat challenging too!

So on that note, it probably won't come as a surprise to you that we've made a few more significant changes to our business model.  I won't bore you with the how or why part so much as to just give you the bare bones facts.

• we are no longer selling gifts online via shopatmoxie.com
• we are NOT going to be blogging here on typepad any longer

 

• we ARE selling vintage on ETSY
• we have just launched a NEW BLOG Hey Moxie at www.heymoxie.blogspot.com
• we still ship things everyday and are happy to do it if the item isn't too big
• our shop is as happy, full, and crazy busy as always!!!!!!

The decision to close shopatmoxie.com was simply because selling new items online is just not that much fun.  How's that for some brutal honesty. You have to compete with the likes of Amazon, Target and the usual suspects and by the time you are done trying to sell the items for what you have to to compete with their discounts and offer all the customer service and extras that we did .... you have not a lot to show for all that effort.  And you know what, it was my sister Courtney who got up every stinkin morning with the birds to do all of that packaging and shipping and I couldn't ever feel good about it.  I wanted her to be able to sleep in once in awhile.  She never complained.  Not once.  Seriously.  Not once in 7 years.  I've never conducted business with money as my main goal.  It's always been about artistic expression.  So it really was not a hard decision to let that part of our business model go.  

The reality of it all is that vintage is my true love and selling vintage online has been going swimmingly for the last 4 years.  It is really fulfilling to find one-of-a-kind items and then see them off to new homes.  Lots of our goodies find their way to Japan, Norway, Australia and the UK.  It's fun and we get to meet other vintage loving folks this way.  So we are now focused on just selling vintage online and it seems like a great decision to us.  

Our shop in DeKalb is the same fun place that it's always been.  We have our normal mix of new and vintage, with new items arriving almost daily.  It's just the online ventures that have changed.

The new blog "Hey Moxie" ... well that's just because I felt like a blog change.  If you've followed us here you will need to hop on over to the new blog and sign up by email, google connect or bloglovin to follow us.  The old subscription won't work anymore.  All of those options are easy to do and you will see them in the sidebar of the blog.  If you have problems signing up drop us an email at [email protected] and we will do our best to help you.  

To launch our new blog we are sponsoring a $100 Anthropologie Giveaway contest over at www.heymoxie.blogspot.com

I really hope you'll follow us over on the new blog.  I really appreciate your friendship and loyalty.  See you there!

 

 

infinity scarves are just the thing for Fall

Lightweight and easy to wear.  You don't have to figure out how to tie them, just loop it around your neck and you're good to go.  

Lots of fun colors to choose from.  

Stephenie looks adorable and has a  "just back from her honeymoon" glow.   That's right, she is now a Mrs. and she couldn't be happier, and we are so happy for her!!  

Scarves, hats, mittens and gloves ... arriving weekly at moxie.  

Pumpkin Pecan Dessert Squares

There are two foodie things I especially love about fall .... caramel apples and almost anything PUMPKIN!

So when we received our shipment of Muirhead's Pumpkin Pecan Butter in the other day I quickly squirreled away a jar to take home.  Of course I justified that to myself by promising to share half of my squares with the shop for sampling ( I did that and they lasted about 10 minutes... you've got to be quick around home made treats at moxie).  

Here's a little pictorial followed by the recipe.

Pumpkin Pecan Dessert Squares

* one box yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup)

* mix remaining cake mix with 1/2 cup  melted butter and 1 lg egg

* press lightly into the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan

* mix 1 jar Muirhead pumpkin pecan butter with 2 lg eggs and 1/8 cup milk

* pour over cake mixture

* mix 1 cup reserved cake mix, 1 Tbsp flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup soft butter & 1tsp Cinn.

* mix and crumble

* spread over the top of the pumpkin layer

* bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly golden

*** call some friends over so you don't eat the whole pan yourself!!

 

foxy

When your aunt owns a funky gift shop .... it's no big surprise that you somehow find yourself in the midst of a full on foxy photo shoot when you just stopped by to drop off lunch for your mom.  Thanks sweet Brooke for indulging your eccentric aunt in her spontaneous photo shoot.  You rock. 

rock owl

My teen family friend "K" (and I'll call him that in case he thinks it's "uncool" to be called out on the interweb) realized that I had a little owl collection going on in my house and the other day he presented me with this little gift ... 

Isn't it cool!!  A rock that looks like an owl.  At first I thought he drew on eyes because he is artistic like that but there is one of the rusty circles on the backside too and he said he didn't do that, he just found it like that.  I love gifts like this for a couple of reasons.  First, because someone actually took note of something I liked and that is so sweet and second, because it is completely one of a kind and how fun is that, and last but not least ... I am tickled pink when anyone gives me anything!  Give me a garden fresh tomato you grew or a rock that looks like an owl and I'll be just as thrilled as I would be at a gift lovingly purchased.  

And even though I must keep my mystery man a secret for fear of embarassing him ... I can say that he is super talented, kind, unique and artistic.  He rocks. Literally. 

going old school .... harvey wallbanger cake

I think out of all desserts available, cake is my favorite.  Not a big ice cream fan. Has to be a white, or yellow cake too.  Love chocolate but not chocolate cake.  I know, I'm weird and picky.  

My very favorite cake in the whole wide world is good ol Harvey.  Harvey wallbanger that is.  It's old school.  My mom got on a kick of making it back in the 70s and it's the first food I think I ever fell in love with.  

The first time I tasted it she had made it for a dinner party she was hosting and the cake was out on the buffet table.  After it had been cut into I snuck over and cut off a nice slice for myself.  Quite an unusual taste for a kid with all the Galliano and Vodka in it.  Bet I slept good that night!  I'm not sure if the alcohol bakes out of it or not.  

I make it all the time and it is a crowd pleaser.  Here is the last one I made ...

Not fancy, and quite easy to make.  The bottles of Galliano and Vodka will set you back a few pennies but it lasts for many cakes.  

Here is a link to the recipe but please note, I do NOT put alcohol in my glaze.  I simply mix a bit of oj with the powdered sugar as I find the alcohol in the cake is enough to give it that old school Harvey Wallbanger taste.  

cute and clever idea

Such a clever and cute use of a cupcake liner for those days out on the porch or patio.  Come see our collection of adorable liners at moxie!

as seen here

photo via gabrici on flickr

lesson learned

I debated with myself for quite awhile about writing this post.  Part of me is a very introverted and private person and the other smaller part of me thinks it's ok to share my experiences if it in some small way might help someone else.  

The thing I most want to say to anyone reading is trust your gut instincts.  I spent 10 days ignoring mine and it almost cost me my life.  If you feel like something is really wrong it probably is!  My story is about a physical problem but I believe trusting your instincts equally applies to emotional situations as well.

I'm not going to bore you will all the details of the story of what happened to me but here are the highlights.

*went to doctor with leg pain and fatigue

*told to go to ER for testing, told them of my family history of blood clotting disorder, they found a blood clot in leg, did not xray chest, and did not test me for clotting disorder, told me clot was in a "non-dangerous" location, told me to go home and take ibuprofen. 

* spent next 10 days feeling increasingly  tired, dizzy, short of breath, and just plain not right.  I had made myself an appointment with a hematologist to find out for myself about my own genetic situation concerning the blood clotting disorder but appt was still a few days away. 

* I kept telling myself that I might be imagining these weird symptoms and that I was probably making more out of something than I should.  I also kept telling myself that I was just really out of shape and that was why the walks I took every single day were getting harder and harder to complete.  Of course this doesn't make any sense and I can't even believe that this was the internal messaging I was concocting.  I had myself convinced that because I had been to the ER once and they told me I had "no reason to lose sleep at night" that I must be imagining these on-going symptoms.  

* on day 9 after first ER visit I felt so funky that I wrote 3 goodbye letters and gave my house keys to my sister "in case of an emergency"

*on day 10 .... I dropped my husband off at work (an hour away from where we live) as we would be leaving that same day at noon for a weekend getaway. I was to go junkin for a few hours and then pick him up at lunch time.

* went to first garage sale, bent over to pick something up, felt like a gorilla was pounding on my chest, started hyper-ventilating, paid for my purchases after scaring the poop out of an old lady with my bizarre breathing and drove away.

* drove 3 blocks, pulled into parking lot and still had internal battle going on .... "don't ruin weekend vacation" vs. "don't be an idiot and don't be afraid to be told again that you're fine when indeed you really might NOT be fine"

* I wish this was the part of the story where I said I drove myself right into the emergency room like a smart lady but no .... I drove myself to the nearest urgent care center where after filling out the form with current symptom .... "can not breathe"  I had to sit and wait for half an hour while hyper-ventilating with my head in my hands trying to still convince myself that I was having a panic attack and nothing more.

* no one seemed that concerned for me including the nurse in the room I was brought into.  this just validated my feelings of unworthiness and "wasting people's time", until she stuck some clamp on my finger and did a double take and then ran out of the room and a doctor came running in and said "what were your symptoms again??"  

* turns out my blood oxygen level was in the 80s and that's NOT GOOD!

* I rejected a ride in the ambulance (again I'm just not that clever I guess) They made me sign a release (probably the stupid lady clause) and told me how to drive myself to the hospital which was only blocks away and I knew that,  so in my defense, I didn't think the showy ambulance ride was necessary.  

* back in the car I made the call to husband mostly to apologize in advance for possibly ruining getaway weekend and to let him know I'd be dropping by the local hospital to get a "quick" check-up but that hopefully we'd still be driving off into the sunset by 3 or 4.

* handed ER check in lady the paper clinic gave me and she bounded off of her chair and grabbed me by the arm and whisked me down the hallway so fast it was shocking.  

* next thing I knew I was IV'd and had a mobile x-ray unit taking photos of my chest.  Cat scan, and blood draws followed. 

* flash forward a few hours.  husband now sitting next to me, me still thinkin I'm bustin out of the joint at any moment, 6'4" doctor (barely said a word to me in 4 hours) walks up and very calmly and with absolutely no hesitation or feeling says ... " both of your lungs are completely filled with pulmonary embolisms and you have a mystery mass on your left kidney.  You will be here for 4 to 5 days minimum and we are waiting for a room for you."   

* I was treated by urologists, general physicians, cardiologists, lung doctors, and the world's nicest hematologist. 

* They all said the same thing to me, some of them said it multiple times.  "You are very lucky to be alive."  I've always felt lucky to be alive but knowing that I had ignored the little voice inside of me because I thought it might be inconvenient to other people, or because I didn't want to appear to be pushy, insistent or problematic made me really mad at myself.  Who knows me better than me??  

*This happened the middle of June.  I'm still in the process of getting treatments and figuring my situation out.  I am feeling great and am in the hands of some great doctors.  I'm now back at work and life for me is different but absolutely wonderful.  You adapt.  Please don't ever be fearful to get a second opinion or to make waves.  You know better than anyone else if something is wrong.  Deep down I knew I wasn't fine and I waited until my situation was critical.  Don't do that!!!!  I learned my lesson and I've thanked the "angels" I feel are watching over me profusely. 

P.S .... neither the original hospital or the second hospital were local ones.  I'm not going to reveal either one because the story is not about that.  

 

 

vintage cutting boards .... or the collection that never really happened

About 10 years ago I stumbled upon a vintage day of the week cutting board in a quaint little antique shop in the Quad cities.  I fell in love.  I had big plans for that cutting board.  I was GOING to find all of the other days of the week and hang them in a sweet little grouping in my kitchen.  

That didn't happen.  The above pieces are what I did find in the last 10 years.  Not an epic fail but not quite what I hoped for either.  If I would have hit up ebay I'm sure I could have completed the grouping but I just don't like buying vintage online.  It doesn't satisfy my "thrill of the hunt" needs.  I'm needy when it comes to vintage.  The hunter gatherer in me finds joy and satisfaction in the lengthy and somewhat arduous process of plotting, planning, seeking, driving, digging, running, searching, sniffing, leaping, stretching, and ultimately finding the coveted, quirky items I seek. The items I search for are not those of great value, monetarily speaking.  They are just things that make me feel good on the inside.  They might make me smile or they might be awesome examples of workmanship.  I have vast and varied tastes.  Some of my favorite collections are very utilitarian in nature such as kitchen bowls and buttons.  

The cutting boards date to the late 50s and early 60s.  Many of them have the actual year stamped on the back of them.  I've decided to let go of the boards I've collected (especially since they never got hung) and make room in my house for a new collection yet to be discovered.  I will price them out individually.  I hope at least a few of them will go on to find happy new homes.  Goodbye my friends. 

croquet stick easel .... what a clever idea!

I had nothing to do with this cute and clever idea.  I simply bought the easel made from old croquet sticks a couple of years ago from an antique shop or flea market (can't remember which).  I don't even know if it was freshly put together or was done a long time ago.  Kind of looks like it was done way back when ... the screws look older.  

I was drawn to the colors and the stripes.  I used it and am now letting it go.  You can find it at moxie. Yes, I am trying to be good and not hoard so many things.  Something comes into the house ... something must go out!  

And to think, I've been passing up old croquet sets for years!  I always look at them but somehow never go ahead and buy.  I probably still won't because I'm just not handy or crafty like that, but I thought I'd share the inspired idea with others .... I hope the original creator doesn't mind .... wherever they are!