Slow, but Tiring Week

Well, the summer slow down has officially hit my Etsy store. June was a good, solid month, but July…yowee…slow as molasses, which strangely given my other commitments for this week is probably for the best!

I’ve been helping with a small summer camp that “my” nonprofit is sponsoring. Actually working with children is not something I normally do these days. I’m a bit of a curmudgeon now with my arthritis and abhorrence of noisy/chaotic situations. Kid stuff is just not a good fit for me. Still I’m on the board of this nonprofit and we all need to participate as adult chaperones so I’m doing my part. But I come home pooped and end up on the couch with my aching feet propped up and a cold drink in hand.

All this to say, I haven’t been sourcing much…and I’ve missed it! Really missed it. But today, I wasn’t working at the camp because I had a late morning doctor’s appointment and had just enough time to drop into my neighborhood thrift store beforehand. Perfect! And by golly I found a few good things and felt a sweet sense of accomplishment.

First I found this charming ceramic vase and was enchanted. Turns out it’s a piece by ceramicist Kim Westad whose work is modern and fresh.

She has a website and an Etsy store, but neither seem to be active right now. I’ve been struggling to find sold prices. But I did find this serving dish that sold for $325 so her items don’t sell for a pittance.

The vase goes nicely with my 1960s Dorr Bothwell “Rest” lithograph.

My next finds depicted Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls in Yosemite. The original artwork for these was done by Thomas Hill in 1889. These later small, professionally framed pictures are either hand-colored photos or engravings, likely circa 1900-1930, with penciled notations.

They are only 6″ by 5″-ish but have age and quality and feature iconic falls in Yosemite.

Total paid for 3 items: $15.17

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Now Saturday was our local clay and glass festival and my eldest daughter and I always go. It’s one of our traditions. I don’t buy something every year but I love looking at all the amazing, creative items. But this year I had a mission. All of our bigger coffee cups have seen so much use over the last 10+ years that they were scuffed and crazed inside. No longer safe to use. I contemplated going out and and just picking up something say at Pottery Barn, but I realized I wanted something a bit more special and I wanted to support an artist.

Well, my daughter and I wandered around the festival and I saw many mug contenders, but I knew that I would know for certain when I saw THE mug. And I did!! Oddly, I am NOT a chicken person nor am drawn to “cute” mugs, but I adored these chicken mugs. My daughter did too! We had fun choosing our favorites as the chicken poses were all slightly different. In the end I bought two for myself and one for my daughter as a super-early birthday gift.

My slow week has turned into a slow weekend sales wise, but I’m using it as a lovey time to relax and slow down!! Sometimes I struggle to relax without feeling guilty that I should be taking care of something. Know that feeling?

I’ll close for now wishing you happy hunting!

Karen