Showing posts with label Smashing Rubbish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smashing Rubbish. Show all posts

Monday, October 8, 2012

Vintage Shell Lamps

 
i've amassed a handful of these vintage, mid-century, souvenir shell lamps and other vintage shell related goodness...
all were in various states of falling apart so i have been saving weird stuff to glue all over them....
because, why not, right.
 
the one above now holds the glitter orb nun that natasha gave me.  she is actually holding a bowling ball but as soon as i got her i transmuted her bowling ball into a glittering orb.  she didn't mind.
i also added a little happy portlandia bird.  you know. 
put a bird on it.
i am keeping this one.
 
here is a little porcelain owl atop a shell pin cushion that hangs on the wall.  i took the soft pin cushiony part out when i was gluing so as not to ruin it.
 
elephants.
i know.
sea elephants i suppose.
this one lights up too.
 
broken doll heads.
they have all been in a drawer.
i couldn't bare to throw them out.
oh and there is a whale tail in there too.
 
all hands shell alter/font.
everyone needs one.
 
is this lakshmi?
her lamp lights up.
and she is carved from sandalwood so she smells good.
i think the slight heat from the tiny bulb will make her scent waft.
here's hoping.
she got a bird too.
 
and this little winged creature is hanging with her deer friends.
this one works as well.
i may keep adding bits and pieces here and there until they sell.
oh, yes, they are for sale, in my shop.
 
Smashing Rubbish
15926 Main St.
Duvall, WA 
 
Open
Fri & Sat
noon - 6
 
come on by and see how these look all grouped together and lit up.
you know you want to.
 
saltwater & sweetwater
(i'm needing a bit of both)
xoxxxox
jennette
 
 
 
 
 
 


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

A Sign

i got a new sign to hang outside the shop!

it's double sided, hand painted, and locally made.

it will hang adjacent to the door so you can see it coming down the street, either way.
also, i am going to make some small signs to hang from it.  for those of you who have been to the Smashing Rubbish shop, which would you say most aptly fit?  i'm trying to pick 3 of these: "vintage", "handcrafted", "home", "curiosities", "eclectic", "handmade"
or do you happen to have any other suggestions?
do share!

deep in the midst of Jenny Lawson's new book and can not stopping
laughing and cringing....perfect!
xoxox
jennette




Monday, May 21, 2012

You Can Count on Change


change is in the air again my friends.

you can always count on change.

i wanted to let you all know that
Smashing Rubbish Studio & Vintage General Store
is going to stay in business!
my lease is up at the end of june so i have been negotiating with my landlady to see if we can come to an agreement about the space i lease from her.
i have asked her for less space.
yes, it is true. i want to downsize and simplify.
i cannot currently run a sustainable "brick and mortar" business with the amount of square footage i rent, for the amount of time i am willing to be there, or rather, that it makes sense for me to be there, according to when i actually have customers. 
i do like having my studio and sewing/project workshop space in the back of the shop...that definitely works for me.  so with all this in mind i have been considering how to shift once again, "grow" a bit smaller, lower my monthly rent, and stay in business in this sweet and generous small town i love. 
the answer has come in the opportunity to diversify.
i was offered a vendor space, once more, at the new and improved M&M Antiques in monroe.  I started vending at M&M over 4 years ago and stopped when i opened my own shop down the valley in duvall.  M&M has moved locations and is now located in the old
St. Vincent De Paul building:  123 N Lewis St. Monroe, WA.
the "new" building is huge, bright, clean, has more vendors, and is getting filled with tons of awesome treasure!
M&M has the customer base to be open 7 days a week 11-6pm so it made sense for me to take space there again so i'd have a place to rotate/cycle my treasures thru and be able to really sell/move it. 
also, taking space at m&m allows me to downsize my store to a more reasonable (for me), manageable, smaller level that suits me better for now.  although i have my current space leased thru july 1, i have started to move into the smaller, tiled floor, lower, studio/shop side already. 
from 1000 square feet down to 300!
it made sense for me to start rearranging now since all  my displays and vignettes were being taken apart anyhow while moving selected items to m&m. 
(that said, the large side of my shop, the carpeted side where the front entry has always been, is going to be available by june 1 at the latest.  if you know of anyone/business that could use 700 sq feet of main street store frontage, let me know and i can put you/them in touch with the building owners.)
and so.... what i am leaning into for summer shop open hours is the possibility of only being open fridays and saturdays.  i have already started closing on sundays and i will stay open on thursdays until my kids are out of school near the end of june.  but after that, i need to have hours i can manage and time to be with my children, soak in summer, and be outside! 
i am hugely considering asking you readers here, my awesome customers, my friends who stop in, my family who supports me, and my small town, to help me by coming here to shop, specifically when i am open, to see what is new, purchase a gift, or buy a treasure for yourself!  i greatly encourage you to get on my mailing list, as well as subscribe here, so that you will know when my seasonal shifts in open hours occur.  you can send me an email with your name and email address at smashingrubbish@gmail.com and i will add you to my mailing list (which is only ever used to inform you of big changes like these, mainly shop hours and sales!). 

smashing rubbish also has a facebook page which will always state info about open hours, sales, photos of new items, etc. so if you do fb, go over there and like my sr page.
  
you are more than welcome to contact me for viewing hours by appointment, and like i said i am still
open noon-6, thurs-sat,
until the end of june.

the bonus to having these limited hours is that you will most likely always be seeing new items in the shop each time you come in.  i will bring new items here first and cycle older items over to m&m to make room for the new vintage loot at smashing rubbish. i will still have my handmade items in both locations and am considering having a certain "look" (genre or era) at m&m that i don't have room for at smashing rubbish....we will see.

 three cheers for change!
change is in the air....
and you can always count on change

ever yours,
xox
jennette


Thursday, May 10, 2012

Shop Closed Mother's Day!


the shop will be closed this sunday in honor of mother's day...
and our operating hours will be changing significantly for summer and that drastic change shall happen shortly...
i will let you know.

working on/in the "new" shop (same location)and have been writing a blogpost about it for some weeks now but can't seem to make a choice about hours of operation for the summer. am trying to avoid being flaky, by pinning myself down to "regular" hours, but alas, to all our chagrin, i can not seem to commit. may end up having "fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants" hours this summer but more likely to go down to 2 days a week and be open
friday and saturday
noon-6

when this is all set in stone and not subject to change, you will be the first to know.
until then, wish me luck in this massive downsizing, rearranging and moving extravanganza i am taking on.
i will need it...

yours truly and forever more,
xoxox
jennette

p.s. check out my space at m&m antiques in monroe if you need a Smashing Rubbish fix and i'm not open :)




Thursday, April 19, 2012

New & Noteworthy

some new items around the shop:
fill in the blank cards
blue bird dish
intricate red cut paper picture.  amazing!
floral decoupage
a wonderful vintage clutch
a shabby chic hanging shelf
a lady bell
some bird embroidery
weed book with lovely lino prints
children's book with fantastic cover





Smashing Rubbish
hours of operation:
thursday-saturday noon-6
sunday noon-5

come see what's new,
xoxox
jennette












Sunday, March 18, 2012

Closing Wednesdays for Equilibrium!


these two amazing creatures are my raison d'etre.

i have been thinking quite a bit about how to tell you something, how to put it, the reasons to give, if any, and how to remain professional and all "adult-like". so here goes...

i will be closing the shop on wednesdays.
the doors will remain locked until thursday at noon.
unless we feel like being in here to be creative....
but otherwise, don't expect to see the open sign turned toward the street on wednesdays.  at least for the time being.

some things have come up.  and yes, i have mentioned here before that i was considering staying closed on wednesdays, mostly because i get very little business on wednesdays.  which is not to say that i don't absolutely adore all my customers, clients, friends and family who regularly support me in this adventure by purchasing from me and allowing me to stay open (most days!). j'adore, j'adore.....yes, i adore you! really, every last one of you that walks through my door and says the sweetest things about how the store looks, the "good eye" i have, commenting on how wonderfully items are displayed, even suggesting i should charge admission because it's like a museum ( i take that as a compliment folks!), you just keep me going and going and going.  i am forever grateful and blessed to have the best customers in the world who make me want to work hard, do more, provide this element of beauty, and share my little world down here.  so you see, i want to be here, open for you every day, but i have to make it work for all of us.

who is this "all of us," you might ask....well all of us is you.  and me.  and my boys.  and have i mentioned i have this amazing partner/boyfriend/husband fully supporting me in the background and just quietly being my rock every.single.day... yes, him

and so i once again, always and forever, am seeking my equilibrium. 

do believe me friends, it will be best for all of us if i can "find" it, sniff it out, hunt it down, and wear it like a magic cape!

  i try not to use the word "balance," simply because to me, balance is static.  it's a place of holding, tight, uneasy, strict, stationary, showing little or no change, lacking movement, development and vitality. 
i choose to think in terms of equilibrium because for me its a place of flow, loose, nonrestrictive, ease, grace, motion, unbound and vital.  it is energetic and unfolding.  there is poise, but it is contemplative.

so i seek it. 
it will be searched for with jasper, who no longer has school on wednesdays.  we will discover it in horseback riding, practicing our instruments, exploring the back roads, tending our honey bees, playing in our gardens, cooking, making cheese, fermenting pickles, harvesting nettles, then hawthorn, then linden, and so on.  we hope to discover it in being creative, crafting, art making and surely in the softness of jasper's new little buddy-bunny:
elvis hawthorn fluffernutter

perhaps being kept on my toes will track me to equilibrium... i do, after all, have gus, my amazing and busy teenager, who could use a little more support around navigating working, driving, preparing for college next year and comprehending what's beyond all that.  
a man-boy, who deserves a mom who is available, attentive, understanding, a compassionate listener, and not too harried and busy and distracted to notice him.  see him.  witness his unfolding, growing, his leaning into adulthood.  it goes by so quickly my friends and i refuse to let these moments with my children slip by me for anything.  so if not opening wednesdays affords me even the slightest sliver of a glimpse into my equilibrium in this realm, it's so worth the door being locked and the signing saying "closed."

i have to say that i so appreciate having my business in a charming small town, where i can feel a little more free to make these choices for our well being and not feel too cruddy or pressured about it.  i don't want to let anyone down....you, customers, or friends. but mostly i don't want to let down my tribe, my family, my peeps, the 3 people who are the center of my universe and who i am just crazy about....in a good way!
i am grateful to have a business that i can model and structure however i choose.  i appreciate being able to try on different ways of running a small sole proprietorship: sometimes more organic in it's being-ness and sometimes more rigid.  in trying to find my way, discovering what works and what doesn't, i am thankful to have your continued support while i navigate these waters.  i admit i am not perfect or fully self-actualized so i do have fears and one of them is that you will see me as flaky and nonprofessional.  so thank you, for accepting me and my unique ways of trying to stay in business, while i gain more understanding and try to figure it out myself!

isn't shifting, transformation and deepening super awesome?!!!
sameness is dull friends!   boring! 
rejoice in the knowing that you can always count on change!
there is eternal growing, expansion, development!
and there will be more around here....i can assure you....but baby steps for now, baby steps...

so from now on, Smashing Rubbish will be open
Thursday-Saturday noon-6
Sunday noon-5

don't forget to "like" the Smashing Rubbish page on Facebook or follow on Twitter.  you should be able to access blog posts on both so they are great places to check for hours, happenings, and see new merchandise too.
 
also, when you visit the blog from now on, you should note some changes here too(go figure!). i added a search tool just in case you might find it useful....and i added a way you can safely and securely follow this blog by getting the posts directly into your email inbox.  i am currently working on getting some new pages up on the blog so it may look different, again, the next time you stop by!  please do comment and leave me feedback and constructive critique please!  if there is anything you want to see more of, ask!  it would please me to give ya what ya want...i just want you to be happy!

and with that i will leave you to ponder the possibilities... what is shifting in your life?  what change are you welcoming with wide open arms? what transformation is making you want to run and hide?  what deepening is cracking you wide open?
what unfolding has you holding tight?
can you loosen up, embrace and welcome it?
or does it cause stress, anxiety and worry?
it's all ok.  just take a deep breathe and one step toward it.  a baby step.  just a little step.  you can do.
i know you can.

full tilt shifting,
xoxox
jennette
oh...oh yeah....to show you how much i love you i am going to have a four day 20% of sale starting thursday march 22.
almost everything in the store will be 20% off, there will be very few items marked nd(no discount), but otherwise 99% of this awesome stuff will be 20%off!  cool, yes?  alright!





Thursday, March 15, 2012

Vintage Doll Clothes
















vintage baby doll clothes are finally up for sale at Smashing Rubbish.
i have been hoarding some of these for years.
yes, i do have some unrelenting obsession with old dolls, vintage babies, antique miniature anything, and it requires me to buy and hoard every little bit i can secure!
i am loosening up my ways and to your benefit, you may now procure your own vintage doll, baby, miniature everything at Smashing Rubbish!
tehehehehe ....

come one, come all, form a line at the door,
vintage, handmade, hand sewn, tiny shell button havin doll clothes are here.

i knew you'd want to know,
xxx
jennette














Friday, March 9, 2012

All Are Welcome Screen Door


for months now this screen door has been hanging around.
the screen's coming out.
it's not perfect.
but i thought it might be a nice shabby vintage earring/jewelry display, leaned up against a wall.


well i never did hang stuff from the screen.
and day after day i was moving it outside to lean against the wall.
all imperfect and falling apart.


then i remembered seeing somewhere that you can essentially embroider on screen.
hey, why not?


i have admired this slogan that shanna murray sells as a decal


so i just started stitching and it turned out alright.


i could go over it and make the stitching thicker and more bold....but for now it will be sold as is

hope you all have a great weekend and dont' forget about the time change. 
so happy it will stay light past 7pm now!

ironing, hanging and pricing tiny handmade doll clothing,
xoxoxox
jennette