Catch Up - My Little Piece of the Country

On May 20th, I picked my daughter up from preschool

and we decided to grab some lunch at Sonic

and drive out to "the country".

After shopping at some of the vintage shops on Main Street,

I noticed a For Rent sign in the window of one of the buildings.

(It was literally staring me in the face as I was parked right in front of it!)

It was a very small building, but seemed to be the perfect size

for me to start out on my own,

breaking away from the co-op Antique Store 

that I'd been a part of for 4 years.

I called the number listed on the sign and the rest is history...

In less than 2 weeks, I found myself moving in to what is now

"my little piece of the country".

 I officially opened the shop on June 16th and

it's been a work in progress ever since.

I admit that it's been somewhat complicated

trying to figure out the logistics of it all

(shop hours mainly since I'm a stay-at-home mom

whose daughter is out of school for the Summer).

For the first month, I tracked my customer traffic and sales to get a better idea of what days I should and shouldn't be open.

 I had to create a plan

that would allow me to run my own brick and mortar,

but also still be able to keep up with housework

and spend time with my 5-year-old daughter.

The result (as of now) is that we are only open 3 days a week.

I'll add a day to that once she starts school next month,

but for now I am very happy with the way things are.

Having the other 4 days off

gives me time to work on my online shops,

spend time with my daughter, and get some housework done (HA!).

 My inventory is multiplying daily and

soon I hope to have the shop completely filled and

set up the way I have always envisioned it.

So there you have it...

the reason why I've been absent from the world of blogging for a while.

I'm hoping to blog more and

work on my online shops more in the coming months,

so that I can finally be caught up and

have life back to "normal"!

I hope you're all having a nice summer!

If you're in town, stop by to see me!

I'm at 286 Main Street in Elizabeth, CO.

(next to the 1897 House).



Hanging behind the Register in the new shop...



Until next time...

~Destiny

20% OFF IN MY ONLINE SHOP TODAY!



You can find this sign HERE! 

 ENJOY 20% OFF TODAY ON ALL

FARMHOUSE DECOR

DECORATIVE STORAGE

AND

STATIONERY/EPHEMERA!

http://www.farmhouse-vintage.com/

MY BLOGGING WILL START BACK NEXT WEEK!

I'VE BEEN BUSY GETTING ALL OF MY DUCKS IN A ROW!

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!!

~destiny

I have entered a new era!

After patiently waiting for the rotary phone to make its big come back, I finally got an iPhone! I am trying to figure it all out, but have been having fun with Instagram AND I'm blogging from my phone right now! Wish me luck!

Wasted Space

Do you have wasted space in your home?

If we all think about it,

there's probably atleast one room

that is not being used to its

fullest potential.

That is wasted real estate money!!!

I've been longing for an office

that wasn't in the cold

(but finished) basement.

I also wanted to have a reading room

that doubles as a room for

playing board games, etc. with my daughter.

On the flip side of that,

I have a formal living room and a dining room.

Neither of these rooms are were used very often

(We're away from family and

don't tend to have many visitors for dinner!)

 So....

escaping the "norm",

we went out on a limb and decided

to turn the formal living room into

my office

and the dining room into the

"reading/game room".

Once I got past the strange reality of

walking in through the front door
(though we usually enter through the garage)

to find my office,

I was certainly on board with the plan!

I'm so glad we went through with this idea

because I LOVE these rooms now

and they are actually being used!

I still have my room in the basement

(cute little room with pocket doors....but COLD).

It's going to be my crafting room

(complete with my former dining room table)

and shop inventory storage room.

I am feeling a bit spoiled right now

to actually have an office AND a crafting room.

Now the fun part begins...

decorating it all!

I will be very busy for the next week,

but can't wait to share

the after photos!

I'm hoping that this post will

get yor wheels turning

and perhaps convince

YOU to turn some of YOUR wasted space

into something that you can actually utilize!

Let me know if you do!!!

Have a great week y'all!
~Destiny~

Bargain Alert!

I found this cute little wall plaque

(wooden with hangers on back)

at Target yesterday for $1.00!

Thought I'd share it with you!

(They also had a couple of other sayings available.)

It's an inexpensive, but cute, decoration

to add to your

Valentine's Day decor.

We have SNOW today...

getting ready to go out and play in it

with my daughter.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

~Destiny

Happy {belated} New Year!

I hope you all had a nice break during

the holidays!

Mine was very relaxing...

perhaps a bit TOO relaxing,

as I still haven't quite gotten back
"in the game"
yet!
{I'm still packing up decorations!!!}

I noticed that all across blogland,

everyone uses a single word

that will describe the new year for them.

Although, I really like that idea,

I've had a really hard time narrowing it down
to just one word!

I've decided to make 2012 a year for

taking chances and following dreams.

After letting go of my shop
in July or August(?),

I had a lot of time to think about life

and where I wanted to go with it.

There's no doubt that I still dream
of owning my own shop someday. 

Unfortunately, the timing is just not right yet.

Soooo....
how do you still do what you love to do

(which in my case is
being in the vintage and handmade business)

without having an actual brick and mortar shop?

The next best thing...
put yourself out there....

ONLINE

I've had a website for over a year now,

and though I do sell from it on occasion,

I haven't worked hard at it.
It's been more of a hobby than a job.

For 2012, I want to make it my JOB.

That means devoting more time and effort,

shopping (junking) more (is that possible?),

advertising, getting my name out there
(wherever there is),

and overall, just taking a chance 
to succeed at something I love to do.

I have a degree in English/Writing,
but my real job has been
raising my beautiful little girl
for the past (almost) 5 years.

As she gets closer to Kindergarten,

I feel that it's time to figure out

"what's next?".

So, after some free time and some soul searching...

I have decided that

2012 will be a year of growing
my vintage business...

through online sales,
local markets,
networking events,

advertising, 
and whatever else
I decide to take a chance with.

I'm planning to devote more time
to blogging as well...

I've met some really great people
in blogland

and can't wait to meet more this year!!!

Don't worry...we toasted to 2012 with Vitamin Water haha!

So here's to the New Year!

What's next for you?

Are you ready to follow your dreams

and take some chances?

My wish for you is that
this new year will give you
the courage to do what makes YOU happy!

 ~Destiny

Cyber Monday Discount!



In honor of Cyber Monday,

(something I've never really given much thought to...)

I would like to offer you

20% off in my Etsy Shop!

Visit www.shopfarmhousevintage.etsy.com

Enter Coupon Code: CyberMonday

to receive your discount!

Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays!



A Halloween Treat...

The Stanley Hotel

The Stanley Hotel

Fall

(or more properly called Autumn)

is my favorite time of year!

I was a Fall baby,

born in the

lovely month of October,

so perhaps that's why?

The Stephen King Scarecrow at The Stanley Hotel
(holding a copy of "The Shining"
that was inspired by The Stanley Hotel.)

We took a

little Mini-Fall-Vacation last week

up to Estes Park, CO.

My husband was there

for a business conference,

so Bailey

(my 4-year-old daughter)

and I tagged along

and spent some quality mom/daughter

time together!

We always stay at The Stanley Hotel.

It's a bit pricey,

but WELL worth it!

AND...

Every time we stay there,

they e-mail me a "thank you"

with a 20-25% OFF deal!

for our next stay.

(If you're a Colorado resident,

you can also receive a 15% discount)

It really is a beautiful hotel

and with Starbucks served

on the lower level

(in the Steamers Cafe) all day,

you can't go wrong!

The porch, however,

is my favorite feature of this hotel.

It's AMAZING

and has a beautiful view

of the Rocky Mountains.

Every night before bed,

I took Bailey down to the lobby

(already dressed in her PJs)

and we cozied up by the fire

to read her bedtime stories.

Beautiful window covering...I adored this window in our room!

The view from our room!

Our days were spent enjoying the scenery,

riding/walking around the lake,

looking at the elk, bowling

(yes, bowling...

it was Bailey's first time

and was pretty cold that day!),

shopping, dining

(we loved the cupcake shop),

relaxing on the porch

and playing hide-and-seek

and "chase"

on the front lawn

of the hotel.

Wonder if they'll EVER make these more fashionable?
They're still as ugly as they were 20 year ago!

I now pronounce you...Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkin Bride.
(lots of weddings take place there)

If you're local and have never been,

you MUST go!

If you're out of town and

looking for a nice vacation idea...

this just might be the one!

Happy Fall Y'all!

~Destiny

You're Invited

In association with Janel Neuenschwander,

of the Innovative Real Estate Group

in Denver, CO...

You are invited

to attend

a special home decor presentation on

"Creative & Decorative

Home Storage & Organization"

Saturday, September 24th
from 10am-Noon in Parker, CO.

Complimentary refreshments will be provided

as well as

door prizes,decorative inspiration,
and lots of fun!

The show will begin with a
meet-and-greet session
while enjoying coffee and breakfast treats.

I will be speaking for about an hour on
how to use decorative
(and unique)storage items
to get your home organized
in a fun & fashionable way!

After a short question/answer session,

door prizes and other giveaways
will be awarded.

 

(If you'd like to donate a giveaway prize

to promote your own business, contact me!)

photo courtesy of BHG.com

Our last show was a great success

and alot of fun!

If you're in the Denver area

and would like to attend,

e-mail me, and I'll send you the address!

We'd love to have you join us!

 

Have a great week!

~Destiny