Tuesday, November 20

All decked out for Christmas


I've been working hard at the shop these last few weeks in preparation for this holiday shopping season. Many new and fresh items have been added and Christmas decor continues to come it daily. I LOVE red and had so much fun working on this room's display. I like to go and sit in the big red chair that my girl's have affectionately named "the Santa chair". Some days I just want to move in.

Saturday, October 6

So many ideas, so little time!!!



Today I worked at my shop. There was a Chili cook-off in the lot next door. Great chili samples for 50 cents a shot and a great little Girl Scout bake sale in the center with some wonderful pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting. Tonight a street dance follows and Bob and I have hopes of heading up town again for the festivities.
As I worked today and played in my store, I had so many ideas for enhancing this or that and painting things bright colors. A young gal from Iowa City, who recently moved here from Brooklyn, was in and spoke of some fun sounding little pocket books/ billfolds that she makes from vintage fabrics and buttons... she bought some great buttons and some fun, bright fabrics to work with!!! Her enthusiasm is catchy. She blogs, too, carriegirlm.blogspot.com
I am motivated to get going on some projects of my own, but find it soooooo very hard to start anything with a messy house and three kids that just want to be with mom. I wish that the rest of the world needed sleep, but I could live without any. Can you imagine having eight extra hours every day when the rest of the world was sleeping and you could do all of the things that you want to do, but can't find time for.
My design director for the company I design fabrics for called today and is waiting on my to get my revisions finished for my next line. I told her I would have things ready for her to look at by Monday morning. Looks like I might have to tap into those eight hours I'm supposed to use for sleeping:0).

Saturday, July 21

Leota Ann Niederhauser


On July 5th, 2007, just two days short of her birthday, my momma passed away. She would have been 77 on 7/7/07. She had suffered a series of strokes over the last 14 months. I miss her like crazy!!!
My mother was my teacher. She handled every situation with grace and taught me many, many lessons about life, business and relationships. She taught me from a very early age, unbeknownst to either of us. She taught me how to work hard, keep my nose to the grindstone and make do. She taught me by example. She never stopped working... never wanted to. She taught me about loving what I do and doing what I love. She taught me how to treat others as I would like to be treated and to cover my own rear end, because it wasn't likely anyone else was going to do it for me. She taught me how to never give up and to find a way to make things work, no matter how impossible they might seem. She taught me how to admit wrongdoing and do the right thing. She taught me to listen to the positive, learn from the negative and move forward. She taught me how to stand up for myself, fend for myself and not back down from adversity. She taught me about love and how hard it can be, about reality and how hard it can sting. She taught me to trust, but also to question. She taught me that I was as good as anyone else, but not better, that I had much to offer the world, but not to step on toes on my journey.
My mother is still teaching me now and will likely never stop. She's teaching me about taking a good hard look at myself and my situation and about making steps to better myself. She is teaching me to look forward without losing what I've gained from the past, teaching me to move ahead and leave a trail. I'll continue to try to follow her trail. She left a good one.

Monday, June 11

Walnut Antique Show

We're set to do the annual Walnut, Iowa Amvets Antique Show this weekend. Our trailer is packed and ready to roll. If you happen to be in the area for the show, stop by our booth in the Catholic church yard. The theme for this year's booth is "HAPPY"!!! I have a great variety of colorful and cheerful furniture, dishes, kitchen items and other fun stuff. It should be a really fun show. Hope to see some of you there!!!
I'm also going to be running a tag sale in Marion, Iowa next Thurday, Friday and Saturday. If anyone would like more information, please contact me at info@pollyanns.com.
Have a great week... Polly Ann

Monday, April 23

A few of my favorite things...



These are a few of my very favorite things. I got the cupboard out of the basement of a house that I was fortunate enough to get to bid on the entire contents of. I could never part with it.





I bought the strawberries sign at an eastern Iowa tag sale about 6 years ago for $15.00. I've had countless people tell me to find them one... wouldn't that be nice!

Saturday, April 21

The Whimsical Cottage...a fun mix!!!




Last weekend I opened a new "shop within my shop". We call it "The Whimsical Cottage... a fun mix!" We had sooooo much fun decorating the room, complete with a green and white checkerboard tile floor. I've had an antique shop for the last 15 years and it has been so much fun to order new items. It's funny - they come all cleaned up and in perfect condition and all I have to do is price them and put the out for sale... a very strange concept for an antique dealer who's been hunting it all down, fixing it, cleaning, researching it and finally pricing it to put it out for sale. Then as soon as I get all that done, it sells and I have to go find something else to put in its place. I hope that doesn't sound like a complaint. I LOVE what I do and I think I'm pretty good at it. I just wish I could order more of some of the wonderful things I have found over the years.
Each item is special and unique in my antique shop, but once it is gone, it's gone! I love the idea of finding fun, new items that I can play with over and over again in The Whimsical Cottage. I'd love to hear what you think.