Texas Shopping

I have seven minutes before I have to get ready for work. It was a gorgeous Texas weekend full of all good things but best of all, Texas Junk. And once you've had junk, you don't want anything else. I learned that this weekend. We made it to Warrenton on Friday and parked at the first entry way in. Silly us, we didn't realize it went on for MILES and MILES. We shopped and got SO MUCH COOL STUFF. This was a favorite find - this little pink elephant that I got at Uncommon Objects in Austin. I got to spend as long as I wanted there and it was fantastic. I didn't realize it is many different owners - the display is fantastic. Every nook is done so well. Okay, but back to W... We parked and our first booth was a tin man with gorgeous tins from a church in Comanche with fleur de lis. How lucky is that, oh and at $2 each. I will use it as a cover plate for a 6 x 6 book! What should I do with the other 9? These pillow cases are perfect, purple and cross stitched with Mr. and Mrs. We also hit a resale shop in Austin and I found a mirror for my printers blocks - for $6.50 and two boxes of envelopes (80 lb) for $1 each. I want to try this trick with them... Well, I can't find the tutorial on SCS but you slice off the top and use it as a gift card holder... I'm 8 minutes after 7 so I have to run. I still have LOTS to show and we're going back for the day next weekend. On our way back from Fredericksburg, we stopped in again from Round Top this time and laughed at how much there was... This is living!

I is Important

I smile when I ride the two elevators at work with our sales guys. With each trip down they whip out their Blackberry, scrolling, reading emails, Oh so important. And I smile because I’m getting the same emails. They’re going to clean the carpet on Thursday night. Or pest control is coming on Wednesday. C’mon. Please. You’re not that important. Now when my husband is looking at his iphone while we're out or at a meal, he'll quietly say, Thursday. They're cleaning the carpet on Thursday.

I learned the Important lesson in 1984 when I was a pup, working a frenetic pace, (before Blackberrys) working late and weekends and thinking what I was doing was Oh so important. Please. It's insurance. It's not that important. I got sick and missed several weeks from work and that lesson got propped up right in my face, so I would get it. If you’re working in corporate America today, you are not that important. They will step over you if you think you need to lay down your life for the job.

I started going to scrapbook events around the country in 2006 and it has moved to a frenetic pace lately. I’ve added vintage and glitter and sewing to the party with events like Silver Bella. And I learned that I love it and its introduced me to a whole different group of gals, who are like me. Who get it. And I love seeing their art.

In the past week I’ve been inundated with some really mind-boggling messages – probably, because I read too many blogs. ha. But I am flabbergasted at how the cost for these events have gone through the proverbial roof. It is unfrigging-believable. I’ve attended Creative Escape for all 3 years and I hope to make it a fourth. They increased their price to $749 for a 3 day event. Locally for NSD, Heidi Swapp is teaching 2 days for $200, Junkie is having a two day event without a teacher for $100. In the vintage word, I found a whole schedule of weekend classes in 2009 for $500 or $750 – that’s a weekend with one teacher. Yes, they are AMAZING artists but damn. That’s a lot of smackeroos. I think there are some people that are confused about their importance.

I’m just shaking my head right now because I am one of the fortunate ones. Both my husband and I have great six figure jobs. And for the most part our chickies are out of the nest and on their own. Its all about us right now and if he wants to add to his gun collection, he does. If I want to attend an out of state workshop, I do. We’re one of the lucky ones... I just wonder though about all those gals trying to raise families or living on a tight budget. I just want to ask myself - who ARE these people that are paying these prices? Is it just another rung up the ladder, another tier up of society. But I also think that at some point, its will hit the wall, stop and come crashing down. It can’t sustain this frenetic pace. It will be burnout and then we’ll come back to a softer side of sharing art. For fun. For the art that we love. And those character figures with dollar sign eyes will disappear.

I look at it like the box stores. For a while its all about big stores and bagging your own stuff and pretty soon people will get tired of the vastness and then it will be all about ”personal service” and smaller stores and enjoying the experience. I get it - it’s a cycle. What comes around goes around. (okay, that's not the right metaphor but it sort of applies). Right now I’m just watching it swirl into its frenzy. While I wait to go to Scrap St. Louis and Inspired. And for the CE lottery ticket and the Silver Bella sign up to be announced. I still WANT to go but part of me is just shaking my head and saying, Wait. Slow down. Don't burn out. Enough is enough already.

Life

I love calling my nieces and screaming into the phone, WHAT UP??? Life has been humming along at a steady pace and evening out quite nicely. I'm enjoying it and appreciating the many gifts that have been given to me. Trying to stay level and grateful. A quick trip to New Orleans for work and I enjoyed Friday night dinner at my cousins while I was there. Shrimp stew. My cousin grew up with my Dad so in a way it's like hanging out with my Dad - same mannerisms. Same deliberate movements, like me. I spent Friday afternoon walking in the quarter, picking up a few new fleur de lis objects. One beveled glass with etchings and one colored glass in purple and green and gold.

Work has been pretty intense lately but satisfying. I don't like getting all torqued up and stressed out, the way I did in my 30s. Life is just too short. It only got that way when I left for NOLA. Any time I leave the office, I feel this need to clear the stacks that may have been sitting there for months - all of a sudden, they need to go the day before I leave town. Crazy.

My husband gave me a 1980s photo album of hunting pictures that was falling apart. He is a scrapbooker. My husband. He wrote journals and titles with a dynamo label. How cool is that? I put it back together in a new album and saved the red labels. We actually had dinner with one of the guys 2 weeks ago - pretty cool. My husband, the scrapbooker.

We're going to Warrenton & Round Top next weekend and then on to Fredericksburg. Pretty fluid trip, I hope to stop in at Uncommon Objects in Austin. Looking forward to getting away with my man and hunting. That's about all I've got for right now. Life is good and I've got no complaints.