We moved our shop----again!!!!

Ok, so I know it looks like we are uhmmm, wishy-washy when it comes to our shop but we really aren't!  We really know what we are doing---sometimes.

I said all that to say, we have moved our shop in Winnie--AGAIN!  The little house we moved to only a few short months ago just wasn't working out.  It was TOO small (yes, our first shop was TOO big) and the porch was just un-usable for us.  On top of all that, the customer traffic wasn't very good.  And so, we asked to move again, whenever something came available.  Little did I realize it would happen so fast!!

I received a call within 2-days of the March show saying there was an opening if we wanted it.  And boy did we want it!!  It's larger than the little house but not as big as our first shop--1/2 it's size.  AND we have 3-covered porches--lots more space and even better traffic!!

So once again we had to move--quickly!!  And this time I had to do most of it myself.  My son was working and couldn't help much so every weekend I went to Winnie and moved, moved, MOVED again, all the displays, all the decorations, all the items for sale.  Don't mean to sound whiny but it was really hard work and I'm glad to be finished----and I have sworn to never, ever, ever move again!!

Here are a few pictures of our shop 'in progress':

My son got this clothing rack for me from his job--for FREE!!

Nice corner of the shop--we also have some wonderful windows!

This is one side of my covered porch

I'm working on making part of the shop a boutique for vintage clothing & accessories

I had to sneak in a picture of my wonderful grandson who is now 2!!

This is our 'counter'--we can sit behind it.  This is also what you see from the front door

So that's it for now.  I'll keep you updated on how the shop is looking--we are really excited about having this new opportunity to share God's blessings----and hopefully sell a few things too!!

God Bless all and any who read this,

Pat, A Remade Life

Lake Houston Trade Days tomorrow!!

And here we go again!! Tomorrow is one of my local shows, the Lake Houston Trade Days. It is a great show that is just 5-minutes down the street from where I live--awesome, right?!? The gentleman who hosts it does a pretty decent job AND it's one of the shows I use to coordinate with the city, however the city no longer hosts it, sooooooooo--I am just a vendor! I must say, I really like that. Coordinating and running a trade show is NOT easy and can be very trying--after all, you know how we vendors are!! (hehehe). I will be setting up tonight till 'dark-30' as we use to say since I had to work today, but I've pretty well got it down and should be able to get it done quickly. Well, that is, after I visit with my fellow vendors and we all look at each others 'treasures' then visit a little more----ok, so I'm going to be there late! But that's ok, I love my fellow vendors and look forward to see them at each show. If you find yourself in the Humble, TX area tomorrow, come and visit me at the Lake Houston Trade Days at 8133 Will Clayton Pkwy, Humble, TX 77338. I'll be the one with all the cool treasures for sale!! ;)

Not my booth contents but just a sample of some of the good stuff you might find!!

God Bless All and Any who read this!!
Pat, A Remade Life
www.aremadelife.etsy.com
www.lovethatvintagestyle.etsy.com
'like' us on facebook - Remade Life Emporium

Decision Made....Now Waiting on God

     This past weekend was our Winnie Trade Show were we have a 660 sq ft indoor permanent shop.  As some of you know, we've been there for about 5 yrs. now, first as just a 'shop-sharer' (we didn't own the shop but shared it with my good friend Kay) and then as the shop owner when Kay retired almost 2 yrs ago.  There are just not enough words to describe the fun, trials, problems, fun,craziness, etc. that we have experienced during that time.

     Like the time we went to work on the shop in between shows and walked in to find broken glass everywhere!!  The shelf on one of our shelf units had collapsed and almost everything had broke.  And then there was the time we went to work on the shop in-between shows and walked into an oven---the air conditioner was broken!   The time the toilet overflowed, the time another shelf fell while I was under it and landed on my head---ouch!!  As you can see, we've had many situations and we learned to deal with them all!

     We have met some amazing people over the yrs!

     These are only a few of the many, many wonderful customers who have graced the doors of our humble shop.  So many allowed us into their lives and we shared our life with them as well..

     I've had co-workers come out to see my shop and even a few old school chums------thanks Ethel Kay, you look the same as you did in high school, only better!!

    The shop has also undergone 'changes' in look and style over the years---

      And so, good times and bad, Winnie has definitely been a fun ride!  We had hoped to simply move into a smaller shop, one that would be less expensive and easier to fill (it's a LOT of work shopping for a 660 sq ft. shop!).  Unfortunately, at this time, there is none available.  So, unless one opens up, the December show will be our last.

     We still have soooooooo much stuff that we need to sell and only 2-months to do it in!  We are marking many, many items down and will be bringing in more to try to move it out.

     Please come and visit and maybe buy a treasure or two if you find yourself in the neighborhood!  We will of course keep you updated.....who knows where God will lead us next!!

God Bless All and Any who read this,
Pat, A Remade Life

The Ever-changing Business of...uh, well, Business!!!

It always amazes me how the hills of valleys of business are so much like the hills and valleys of life!  Not trying to get all philosophical or nothing, but there are so many similarities.

You ever noticed how life seems to run in cycles?  Things are going well, flowing nicely from day to day and then, BAMMMM, it hits!!!   Both tires on the back of your car go flat and make you late for an important meeting---the vending machine at work eats not one, but two of your dollars and seems to almost dare you to try again!!  Your hair starts falling out for some unknown reason, your dog poops in your most expensive pair of shoes and you discovery the strange smell in your refrigerator is coming from the tomato that fell behind the vegetable drawer and now looks like a science project!!  No, none of these things happened to me...well, maybe the tomato thing, but that's all.

Our good times are high, our bad times are low and everything in between is what keeps us going.  And so it is with business as well.

Things have been pretty 'low' for us business-wise for quite a while now.  Online sales have been almost 

non-existent and, as you know, my shop has been equally slow in sales.  It has been an unpleasant valley!

Well I'm here to say that we are starting the upward climb on that hill and have started enjoying the high that comes with success!  Sales at the shop have picked up greatly and that by itself is a blessing.  However, I seem to be on a roll with my online sales as well!!  I've been posting vintage clothing on ebay (my seller id is 'aremadelife' in case you would like to check it out!)  and, good news, THEY ARE SELLING!!  Not only that but I've been doing well in both my etsy shops --lovethatvintagestyle and aremadelife---check those out too if you have time!!

So, we are currently on a really nice HIGH----a blessing indeed!  But, I keep remembering that those low valleys are just on the other side of that hill and that I need to keep my 'feet' planted in reality.  Some days are good, some days are bad, but thanks to our Heavenly Father, we get through them all-----and if we remember to trust in Him we will enjoy those wonderful highs and learn from those unpleasant lows!

So we are enjoying this time of success and wanted to share it with you!  Here are a few picture's of my items on ebay and new pic's of the shop!

Vintage 1920's dress--sold within 45 mins.!!

Child's vintage real fur hand muff

Vintage 1940's Fashion Dress

Fantastic vintage Fashion Wrap

Very unusual vintage full slip!

Vintage 1960's Mod-style knit coat

Thanks for listening to me, hope all is well with you!  Leave me a comment!!

God Bless all and any who read this,

Pat, A Remade Life

Mischief Is In the Air!!

     I don't know about you, but when the mornings start getting a little cooler (and I do mean A LITTLE--it's still about 76 degrees in the mornings and topping out around 94-100 by the end of the day!!) and the trees start thinking of shedding their leafs.....well,I find myself feeling all frisky and, dare I say it, mischievous!! NOT in a bad way, but kinda like wanting to run up behind people you know and yell "Boo", then giggle and run off! What?...you don't think of doing that kinda thing?! Well, you should!!

     As I get older (I just had a b-day last month) I find myself thinking more and more of my childhood and all the things the kids in the neighborhood use to do. Things like staying outside until our parents practically dragged us back inside; or playing tennis in the middle of the street until we just got too tired to chase the ball anymore; or just sitting on the street curb and talking...not about anything in particular, just talking.

     Those were good days, but these days can be good too! So I invite you to 'get a little mischievous' (in a good way!) Grab your best bud and go running through the sprinklers before it gets too cold, or invite friends over for pizza and have a food fight (in the backyard of course--NO ONE likes to clean the kitchen!), or just sit on the street curb and talk about nothing in particular---I think you will find it will help to 'cleanse' away all your tensions and stress...and hopefully give you a refreshed outlook on life!

      Before I leave you, here are a few pictures of my curent ongoing project, one I am very excited about. I may try to have a 'grand opening/reveal' before the holidays...at least that's my goal. There is still lots to work out and I can't reveal too much at this time but will try very soon!!

Well, that's it for now----anyone in the mood for pizza!?!?!
God Bless All and Any who read this,
Pat, A Remade Life

Best Customers in the World!!

This past weekend was the Winnie Trade Days show and what a good show it was!  Although we didn't make as much money as we did last month we did ok-- but the real joy came in meeting some of the greatest customers in the world!!

I had the great pleasure of meeting many new customers as well as seeing some long-time returning ones. What fun it was to visiting with people, make new friends and 'share' the love of God with so many!!  I felt truly blessed to meet each and every one that came into my shop.

There was the lovely mom-in-law and daughter-in-law who came in with the cutest of babies (don't worry Brayden, grandma still loves you the best!).   The young ladies husband was in the military and had been deployed.  She was part of a military group that was raising money for the troops by creating a calendar of military wives dressed in vintage clothing---which just happens to be one of my specialties.  We talked and shared thoughts about vintage clothing, she checked out all the different vintage styles I had and even purchased some.  I gave her my contact info and hope we will stay in touch with each other.

Then there was the young girl (17 yrs old) who came in with her mom to look for and buy vintage clothing, not for any party or event but just because she LOVES vintage clothing!!  It just thrills my heart to see young people enjoying great things from the past.  And her mom was the best--she bought her daughter a complete outfit, dress and matching hat.  This young lady is a definite individual, one who knows who she is and not likely to fall into the 'status quo'!

And remember my little buddy Zack, the one who won the American Pickers youth contest, a $10,000 scholarship and a trip to the Smithsonian?  Well, my little buddy ain't so little anymore!!  I saw him walking down the hall and almost didn't recognize him!!  He's grown a foot and it now taller than me and has 'leaned-down' and lost his baby fat.  And even though he's a young teenager, he stopped to visit and we had a good hugging session!!  That kid definitely has a place in my heart!!

Well, that's pretty much how our weekend went.  We only had one minor issue that was our 'fly in the ointment'.  I was cleaning off one of our glass shelf units when one of the shelves collapsed and all the glassware on that shelf broke.  But I count my blessings cause I could have been hurt/cut my the flying glass however, I came away without a scratch!  Thank you Lord for your protecting hand!

So, here are a few pictures for you to enjoy, unfortunately none of our customers--it was just too busy to stop to take pictures.

My 'little' buddy Zack in a 'before' picture---he's NOT this little now!!

The top shelf is the one that collasped--pretty much everything on it broke

And of course, the most beautiful baby in the world, my Brayden!

I had to include this pic of Brayden in NOT one of his finer moments--that's not chocolate he's covered in--ughhh!

Here is he all cleaned up and happy again

He's full of McNuggets, french fries and a smoothie--not his usual diet but ok once in a while

And that's it for now, thanks for stopping by and taking a peepie-poo (sorry, didn't mean to mention 'poo' again!).  God Bless all and any who read this,

Pat, A Remade Life

Vintage Hats are Cool!!

I have a confession to make---I looooooovvvveeee vintage hats!!  No really, I have this fetish for just about anything vintage/retro, but I LOVE vintage hats!!  I look for them everywhere I go---garage sales, estate sales, resale shops--anywhere I might be able to find them.  And because of that, I've attained quite a collection.  I find it very hard to 'let go' of many of these hats, some are just so beautiful.  I find myself wondering about the woman who wore it.  Did she only wear it for 'special' occasions or was it a regular part of her attire?  Was it a church hat or more a party hat?  Was it worn with a party dress or to a funeral?  How did she feel when she wore her hat--did it make her feel pretty, more confident?  Silly questions, maybe, but hats are such a personal choice and are a little 'window' into what the wearers life was like.

I managed to acquire some wonderful ladies accessories recently and thought I would share the beauty of a time gone by when hats were not only an addition to your wardrobe but a statement of  life!

These are just a few of the many wonderful hats I've been blessed to find.  Some are very elegant, some are dressy and some, like the 'fruit' hat, are just for fun!  All these will be posted soon in my etsy shop--so if you're interested in a great accessory for your new outfit then drop on by and try one on!!  And don't worry......I've got plenty more!!!

God Bless all and any who read this,
Pat, A Remade Life
www.lovethatvintagestyle.etsy.com
www.aremadelife.etsy.com