Save the Date

One month away....

We can't wait! Stay tuned for vendor profiles and photos.

Coming soon!

Chapter Three...Vintage Rental

My sister and I in about 1966

Here I am in my third year in this business and true to what I said on my ABOUT page when I began this blog, I am trying on lots of hats until I find one that fits...

I'm now wearing the vintage rental hat. It took a year and a friend drawing me a picture for me to realize that I should give it a try. A vintage rental business provides brides, event planners and photographers with unique vintage props and antique furniture for weddings, events and styled shoots. I also want to offer my skills as stylist as well if anyone has a need.

Last year we had a cute engaged couple stop by and ask if they could have their engagement photos taken in and around our barn. We were happy to oblige. It so happened that the day they were to have their photo shoot was the day before our occasional sale and I had lots of the overflow of vintage furniture and other goods out under the studio shed. 

The photographer, Amber Belangia of ASB Photography, hadn't been here until the day of the shoot and as I watched her I could see her cogs turning as she surveyed what we had to offer. She went out behind the barn into the woods...

She went across the road to the cow pasture... 

I just absolutely love this one! 

She went in the barn, and up to the loft... 

and I was pleasantly surprised that she made several pictures at the studio and among the junk! 

Did you notice you're see through a mirror view? So cool!

And I realized, we are at no loss for weathered farm buildings here to use as a backdrop either!  

These are just a few of the photos from the afternoon and I think Amber did a wonderful job! I now realize that we have the potential to provide more in the way of props and opportunities. I'm getting very excited! I can't continue without thanking my friend Lee from Stressed Out Furniture for making the suggestion that I should look into doing rentals. She and another new friend, Cindy from Cabin Creek Antiques, and both from my Design Junkies group, are also just starting their vintage rental businesses as well.

By the time we have our Country Marketplace at the Ranch sale on May 17th and 18th, the showroom will be ready and I hope we will be well on our way to having a completed inventory portfolio including styled photos for inspiration...I'll also have PLENTY for sale that weekend under the shed, and probably under a tent as well, so don't think I've stopped junking or selling...I've set June 1st as the official opening day for rentals to start. Consultations will be by appointment and at your convenience so I'm not going to set days or times.

There will be more to come as I progress. In the meantime you can check out more of Amber's photos on her Facebook page, website and blog.

Thank you Andrea and Robert for letting me use your sweet photos! And thank you Amber for sharing you talent with us! 

Secret Service

I am taking a rare minute of solitude to update my blog and do a little "splainin"...that's southern for explaining...and it usually involves a long story.

If you know me, you know I thrive on change! My husband won't walk through the house in the dark for fear of running into something I've moved...or moved back. Some things, I like to keep the same and never change...like my hair and favorite clothes. I keep my hair long and in a ponytail the majority of days.  I love wearing t-shirts, jeans and boots or flip flops...depending on the weather. But, the rest of my world pretty much changes, or evolves, as I prefer to call it, fairly often.

So, now I guess you are wondering what I'm about to throw at you so I'll just say it in plain English. I'm changing up Ranch Dressing again. No big surprise, you say...I know!  Remember the part you just read about my husband afraid to move around in the dark because I may have moved something, or moved something back? Well, I'm rearranging at the Ranch...AGAIN... and moving some things back where I started.

It's no big deal really, but I thought you should know...I'm not going to keep regular hours after all. I'm going back to appointments again. This worked beautifully in the beginning and who knows why we ever try to fix things that aren't broken...but we get carried away with how good things are and just assume they can be better...speaking for myself anyway.

For being such good sports about this I'm going to tell you a little secret...we are getting ready to offer vintage rental for weddings, photo shoots and other events very, very soon. You'll be able to view our portfolio and see our vintage props in person at our Country Marketplace at the Ranch sale in May.

I'm very excited...and also very busy! I will post more about the sale and the vintage rental as we progress!

The 2nd Annual Country Marketplace at the Ranch...

Save the Date

2nd Annual County Marketplace
at the Ranch

Friday May 17th and Saturday May 18th

Times to be determined

Attention  Potential Vendors

We are looking for a good  balance of each category:

Antique/Vintage

Primitives

Farm Finds/Old Tools/Etc
Vintage Rentals/Country Weddings

Hand Painted Furniture

Upcycled/Repurposed Art

Jewelry 

Farm Fresh Eggs 

Local Honey

?? What do you do or have that we haven't listed??

and...

One food Vendor (Hamburgers/Hotdogs, cold drinks...etc)

Things to consider before applying:

This is an outside show.
Handmade items must be made by you and original.Items can NOT be from a kit of any kind.

We do not supply tables, tents or electricity. 

Spaces are approximately 8 x 10. 

You may rent more than one space.

Vendors are expected to set up and be ready before the show starts and stay until the show closes.

If this is your first show with us it is free unless you want an extra booth. (Please let us know now if you'd like two booths upon acceptance)

Booth fee is $30. This pays for advertising. You keep all of your sales. 

If you can say yes to each and would like to apply, please email your contact info along with photo examples of your wares. If you have booth photos send those as well. Send to angie (at) thejunkranch (dot) com

Selections will be made the first week of April and we will contact you either way.  We'll send contracts with all the specifics at that time. 

Thank you to all that have already contacted us! We are looking forward to another fun and profitable weekend in May!

~Angie

My Name is Angie, and I am a Hoarder

I won't even begin to show you the amount of junk art supplies I have accumulated in the barn, and in my studio, especially under my work table...if you've been in my studio before you will remember that my work table is 8' x 8'. It's a wonderful work space...when it's uncluttered.

I found a few photos from a workshop I taught here a couple years ago that will give you an idea of how much space I have...or should have...

Junk Camp 101

Jan. 2011 

So many good ideas were born here!

Right now, it's this full and it's just my mess! Beneath the table there is so much stuff that it's to the point that I have to dig just to see what I have...it's not good!! Yes, I am a hoarder! 

I really want to begin having workshops once again and have requests every week...I am just terribly ashamed to say that I don't have room so I say, "I am working on that!". 

I've tried for weeks to clean up but all I'm doing is rearranging the mess! So, last Thursday, I decided to challenge myself to use only what I have from all of my junk stashes and fill my shop here at home and my Etsy shop. I am not going to buy anything until I have nearly depleted my materials. 

So far so good...

I started with the abundance of plates sitting along the edge of the wall taking up precious floor space...I don't know if you can tell from the photos but they are all altered in some way with a 3-dimensional element here or there. 

When I can see my floor...including the floor underneath that 64 square feet beneath my worktable, I plan to begin offering workshops again. 

I don't know what I will be inspired to do this week. I made a few more altered plates and several garden totems and flowers. I am loving these pieces for the gardens so much I may have to keep some of those! What's easier to ship I have listed t in my Etsy shop...check it out if you are interested!

...Ranch Dressing Online

Please support your local artists, and in turn, you will receive the same blessing...it's a form of tithing that I believe in and practice...read here about Indie Tithing.

Have a great week and I'll see you back here next Monday! 

Part 2...the Secret to Focusing on your Business

Our first guild meeting went well with a dozen women attending, and excited to share and listen to each other. I shared a little of my story and my rules for staying focused...and I 'm glad to know that I am not the only one that goes off on tangents wanting to try too many things. I had a moment there when I was afraid they would think I was off my rocker..turns out we are all cut from the same cloth when it comes to wanting to try new ideas. It was indeed good to meet with these women and as one lady put it..."I finally feel like I am with my people."

To recap yesterday's post, I'm working to master this ability to focus on growing my business this year and to develop it into something unique that represents me as an artist and shopkeeper. If you landed here first you can read part one here..Part 1

I committed to having regular hours this year. A BIG step for me

I have made a list of rules for myself to help me stay on task. I offer them here as suggestions...they are in no particular order really, and you can tweak them to suit your personality and business.

1. Have a  loose schedule...daily and weekly... things happen and change but get back on it as quickly as possible. Work in blocks of time (60-90 mins) and take a few minutes in between to regroup thoughts.

2. Know my limits...time, energy, budget and talents. Learn to say no sometimes, to myself...and others. It's okay.

3. Just because I can do something doesn't mean I should do it as part of my business...ie...antique booths, painted furniture, every new idea I see on Pinterest!!  Do it for myself and have fun. Everything is not about making money.

4. Again...Everything is not about making money! Enjoy whatever I am doing while I'm doing it...even grocery shopping, cleaning or pulling weeds out of the gardens. There is great satisfaction for me to have a well stocked pantry, a clean house and beautiful plants and flowers.

 5. Network with like minded peers. Professional contacts know what I am talking about whereas spouses or family and friends may just nod and never say anything when I want to bounce ideas. Too,  accountability will keep me on my path.

6. Never compare myself or my shop to my peers. It's not fair. Be myself. It's so much easier!

7.  Set goals..daily, weekly, monthly, yearly... and review them each morning, so that I do not get distracted! I can't meet my goals when I veer off my path too far.

8. Work for a period of time every day without tv, social media, phone, and email . Do NOT check my phone for FB updates or messages...It can wait!  Schedule in social media times and forget it the rest of the day. Get lost in just my work.

9. Use lunch time for just eating and relaxing for an hour. Eat healthy..Recharge for the afternoon.

10. Make time for myself! This is where it's okay to go down those rabbit trails. Have fun!

Thanks so much for reading and commenting! I hope you stay focused and have the best year ever!

The Secret to Focusing on Your Business...Part 1

My husband, at about 20, focusing on his passion

Focus...my word of the year. I've talked about it several times this year in my blog here and on my Facebook page...always the joke of course....then someone took me seriously and thought I had actually mastered this enormous ability and asked me to speak to a group of like minded people. EEEK!

We are only three months into the new year, so I haven't exactly mastered it yet!...I am the poster child for adult ADD, but, I'm doing better. I have recognized a few places where I tend to get distracted over and over and I'm learning to make corrections.

My Story...
Let's go back to about 1999 or 2000...I discovered the Internet! As some of you know, I was a floorcloth designer and was at that time very focused and had made a name for myself on a national level. I was considered one of the modern pioneers responsible for bringing the craft back into popularity. My ten year old business was successful and I was busy, busy busy too with two young children and a work out of town husband. I look back now and wonder how the heck I did all that I did??

My work was included in this book

Included not only in the book but also as part of Lexington Furniture's Weekend Retreat Accessory Collection

Remember back then also, when the Internet was dial up and we had limited usage? That was probably a good thing and we just didn't realize how much!  When broadband and unlimited usage became available to us, I literally would sit for hours surfing the web...

The Internet opened up a whole new world for many of us. There was Ebay and online galleries and websites galore with information on any topic we needed to know about.  Blogs were the most wonderful things with their tutorials, beautiful photos, and peeks into the lives of other artists who appeared to both do and have it all! It was heaven...and that was before Facebook or Pinterest!!

One day I woke up and realized I had information overload. To make that even worse I had also bought  and read every book I found on marketing online and how to work social networks....more information...and more to do!

By 2009, I had gotten so distracted that I lost all of my direction in my personal life and career..Over the last ten years I had joined  multiple online galleries, had seller accounts on both Ebay and Etsy, created websites and started blogs all of which took hours and hours of my time each day. I was juried into a very prestigious western art show, The Western Design Conference, and traveled to Wyoming three times in as many years. Locally, I rented booth spaces, exhibited my work in local art shows, joined art guilds, opened and closed an art gallery, taught children's art classes and ran summer art camps. I painted not only floorcloths, but furniture, pet portraits, house portraits, murals, Dr. Scholls's sandals, cowboy hats and even one of those Pigs in the City for Uptown Lexington.

I began to grieve the life I wasted while I was busy veering off my own path and down too many rabbit trails! It was nothing like I had planned and dreamed about. I didn't like my life!...because it wasn't my life.

In 2008, a friend and I took a day off and went to the NC Arts Incubator in Siler City for more "inspiration". On our way home our last stop was at sweet little primitive shop that I'd always wanted to visit. I was very inspired. The shop was quaint. It was located on the potter's farm and most of all, I could see that she was focused on what she was doing. I didn't want to leave and I found myself going back often. It felt good there. 

After almost a year of thinking about it and talking my husband into "just one more thing"...we decided to open our own shop. I would open a handmade and vintage shop at our home in my studio...but this time I would have to focus on  just this one thing. I had to or I was going to be single at 50 years old. It took another year to get the building ready and get the inventory moved in. Our grand opening was in November 2010.

My studio before it was Ranch Dressing

Focusing does not come easy for creative people!

A year after opening my shop I got distracted again by "designer antique booths"...it was right down my alley and I justified it by saying that it was good advertising. It would lead customers to my shop. In reality though, if my booths looked good my shop would be lacking and vise versa. I couldn't do it. I was once again spreading myself too thin but because I knew other women who did both a shop and booths. I felt like I should be able to pull it off and this was just part of "the business".

I have had five booths in three antique malls since opening my shop in 2010...I closed my last one the end of January 2013. I have everything under one roof and can say I am truly happy about it.

One of my booths at the Depot at Gibson Mill

Beginning in 2012, instead of a new year resolution I began to have a word of the year. That year it was balance....and this year, focus. Thank goodness I chose balance first! In order to focus you have to have balance in your life. I think this is the secret...having balance makes it easier to focus.

It takes time to transition from being too busy to being balanced but, it's definitely doable. You will figure it out! Start where you are spending too much time...it won't always be where you are wasting time...just where you are over spending. You may not want to stop working in time to make dinner for your family. Our work is fun and we get carried away...but that's not balanced if we are neglecting our family. Like me you may be trying out every good idea you see, thinking you can do it just as well or even better by the time you put your spin on it...then you go off down that rabbit trail and leave what you were just getting good at to try something new.

There is nothing at all wrong with trying something new and wonderful that you've found on Pinterest or saw in a shop somewhere, but how about just doing it for yourself or for a gift for someone...or maybe better yet, how about supporting the artist you got the idea from...what a novel idea! We can be a little good at lots of things or really really good at what we are naturally gifted in...so, so hard for us artsy people!

Once you find your balance, your focus will come together easier. You will understand your limits and that having limits are not bad...just like limited Internet or phone plans...not all that bad!

Ranch Dressing Feb. 2013

Tonight I will give my talk to our new guild/support group serving the artisan and vintage/antique industry in our area... come back here tomorrow for part 2 for my 10 suggestions for staying on track in your business.

Thanks so much for reading and commenting!