Country Living Magazine...

I've been holding a little secret under my HAT for a little while now.  It wasn't easy to do!  But, it was a complete HONOR when Country Living Magazine asked me to be a part of their March 2012 issue, on newsstands now, in a section on Collecting. 

When I first was contacted, not really all that long ago (they really put the whole thing together very quickly), I was asked to submit 3 or 4 ideas on What's HOT, What to COLLECT, or just something that I always look for when I am out buying.  SCRATCH'N my little head, trying to come up with something I thought they would deem WORTHY... I thought about it night and day for about 3 days.  It kept me awake at night....if you know me well, you know that I don't HANG ON to a ton of stuff.  I build INVENTORY... right, RIGHT.  All of my inspiration right now is in my shop, since I have been building my house, all of my collections...what few they are, are in STORAGE for Pete's sake!  I had some awesome print items that I wanted to submit...I thought they would LOVE and just while looking around my cluttered beyond belief office, I glanced over to see this....

It was a COMPLETE LIGHT BULB MOMENT!!  I do collect something....but would the people at Country Living Magazine, think I was a complete DORK?  Probably. SOCK DARNERS....????  But I gathered up some that I just had purchased while out on a shopping day a few months back and shot a picture of those and sent it, along with my other 3 or 4 ideas, on to the magazine and crossed my fingers hope'n they wouldn't stamp it with a big REJECT stamp and move on to the next person.  But they DIDN'T!

It was about a week, and I got a call from Sara at Country Living Magazine and she said I had been chosen and the idea that they decided to pick from my submission was the SOCK DARNERS.   I was thrilled, but SHOCKED all at the same time, because I really thought those SOCK DARNERS, would NOT have been what they would have chosen out of the 3-4 ideas that I had submitted.  But nevertheless, I had a SMILE on my face that NO ONE could have removed....just for being CHOSEN! 

Then PANIC set in, when Sara said "can you ship me 30 or so to NYC to photograph...".  I sat in silence, knowing all the cool ones that I had HOARDED over the past 10 years or so were in a storage unit, probably under a box filled with pots and pans, in the back corner of the storage unit, no where to be found! (Because GOD KNOWS, I don't need those pots and pans) YIKES...what do I do now?  It's not like you can go just anywhere and pick up some....it's not that they are RARE by any means, but you just don't see them everywhere.  People just don't put any stock in them...most people probably would not even know what one was, if the price tag didn't have a description on it.  So I went on a HUNT...stopped by a few local places and found a few...and I dug up a few I had stashed back on my desk and gave Sara a call and told her what I had and then she said..."well, we are mainly looking for wood tones, no paint...".  My heart SANK...I buy the colored ones, they make my heart SING.  Don't get me wrong, I buy the wood ones too, especially if they have a cool shape, or the patina is good, but I am drawn to the painted ones.  I mean to me, nothing screams COUNTRY, more than GOOD O' PAINT!  But I put together what I had, boxed them up and sent them off to the BIG APPLE.

A few days went by and I received a call again from Sara, she was excited that the darners had made their way to the BIG CITY and told me that they would be photographing the items and would keep me posted.  The process in a whole, was just AMAZING...I was so pleased and felt so happy about it, even though I had no idea HOW or even WHAT it would look like.....LITERALLY until THIS WEEK, when I went into Wal-Mart and found the magazine on the newsstands.  Wal-Mart had the new issue, even before my subscription arrived via mail.  I purchased the magazine and while I was in the check out line, I wanted to tell the clerk ... "look that's me on page 45" ... but I could have only imagined the look on her face had I done so :-) 

I have received calls from folks near and far wanting to purchase what was in the shot, but until Monday...I didn't even know what had been photographed.  I am working on getting something put together, so that the darners that I have picked up and I am willing to part with, can be available for SALE. The article says expect to pay $5-$10, but keep in mind when you are hunting for them (if you choose to accept this mission) that price point is referring to Estate Sales, Garage Sales, Flea Markets and such.  If you are shopping in a retail setting, a Antique/Vintage Show or even in a boutique sewing shop, be prepared to pay more.  Sewing enthusiast know their worth and price will be based on Material, Size, Uniqueness, Age and CONDITION.  I collect and buy what SPEAKS TO ME, so those things don't always come into play when I choose one, but just be aware that you will most likely have to pay more than $5 each to start your collection.

So stay tuned into the Website, Blog, Facebook and Twitter for information on how these and others can be purchased ~ COMING SOON.   I will be sending out a newsletter to my mailing list when the site is up and ready, so if you would like to be added to my mailing list, please do so by joining.

Keep in mind, if you are ever in Western Kentucky, please visit our shop located just off I-24, Exit #40 in Eddyville.  Loacted just a short 3 1/2 miles off the Interstate at the corner of Hwy 62 & 641.  Open 7 Days 9am-4pm. 

If in the Nashville, TN area....drop by my booth at the Gaslamp Antique Mall where I have a booth of GOODIES...check it out in Booth B114. 

OR make plans to VISIT ME AT ONE OF MY UPCOMING SHOWS listed on the sidebar of my Website and Blog or watch my Events on Facebook. 

I'll close this post by saying I am STILL SMILING!  Thanks to Sara, it was so wonderful to work with you, and to EVERYONE at Country Living Magazine for picking me to participate in this years section!