Friday, January 31, 2014

Canton Trade Days - Day 3

Canton Trade Days - Day 3

Today was a beautiful day and the shoppers were out searching for treasures. We started the morning off with our cup of coffee and a good breakfast from our hotel. All three of us, were excited that it was warmer weather and less wind. After breakfast, we headed to Booth 4268 for another day of work. We had a few friends from Henderson stop by and say "Hi". Kathy Bement is one of painters that took a class from us and she does a beautiful job painting her furniture. She is in Pavilion 2 and she has wonderful painted furniture, clothes, yellow box shoes, and other great items for sale. Check her out when you come to Canton Trade Days.
Kim Johnson and her husband also stopped by for a quick chat and they are going to be selling some of her things in Warrenton this Spring. They are both retired and as she put it today "doing nothing". Isn't it great to just do "nothing" sometimes? As the day moved along we had a lot of people wanting to talk paint. So we talked paint and told everyone about our website: www.freshjaspertexas.com
Usually the first question customers ask is "What's the difference in the Milk Paint and the Chalk and Clay Paint"?  And I reply, "the milk paint is in powder form and the Chalk and Clay paint is not". And then I explain some other important aspects such as they are all natural and earth friendly. I LOVE our products that we sell and I can't wait to talk to people and tell them how wonderful they are! I did a demonstration today for a few people and they were amazed how quickly the CC chalk and clay paint dries. You can start a project one day and be finished in a couple days with this paint. And you can paint in the house since it's all natural and has no harmful chemicals.
We're getting ready for bed and another big day tomorrow. Here are a few pictures from today.
Miss Mustard Seed Yellow
 
Custom Chair Covers by Mom
 
Miss Mustard Seed's Tricycle Red
 
CC Caldwell's Beckley Coal
 
Pavilion  4000, Booth 4268

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Canton Trade Days - Day 2

Day 2 - January 30 - 2014
Considering I had little sleep last night, I feel pretty good! The first thing on our agenda is our coffee station at the booth (important stuff for this bunch)! I brought a vintage cart that has an electrical outlet attached and it's perfect for a coffee bar. The wind and cold weather seems to be here so we are bundled up today and ready to finish the booth.
Another important little item in our booth is a heater and it was nice while the butane lasted. 
We got there early and put the finishing touches on everything and I must say we are pleased the way everything looks. I have two great helpers that do amazing work! 
The two ladies next to us came over to borrow our broom, so we introduced ourselves and we now have two new friends.
Then the rug guy across from us introduced himself and we made another friend. Can you tell I can't remember their names but I will refer to them as the two ladies and the rug guy. I'm sure they are calling me the paint lady and that's okay with me! 
Speaking of paint, our CeCe Caldwell's Paint Distributor is the BEST! She and her husband Wesley are driving to Canton this morning and they have the new paint colors and the metallic waxes that we ordered from them. Donna texts me and says she's in the parking lot and Wesley unloads the paint at our back door - now can you beat that kind of service? I think not!!! We had a wonderful visit and I can't wait to see them again soon. They really are a blessing for our company. 
Traffic was slow today with only a few shoppers but we are gearing up for Friday and Saturdays crowds. I'm posting a few pics from today and more to come tomorrow. If you like to beat the crowds and shop online we can help you with that too. Visit us on the web: www.freshjaspertexas.com  Happy shopping! The more you order the better the shipping.


Coffee Bar

Check out counter

Warm Heater

Donna and Wesley dropped by

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

Cute Chair Covers Custom Made by Mom

The Booth 

Canton Trade Days: Day 1


Day 1: January 29, 2014 - We arrived in Canton around 1:00 p.m. to begin our construction on the booth in Pavilion 4000. We unloaded a trailer full of goods and tons of paint and finishes. On Wednesday in Canton there are very few people stirring around in the Pavilions and grounds especially when it's cold and windy. Worked until around 6:30 p.m. and decided we would take a break and check into our hotel and then get a quick dinner at the Dairy Palace. DP has delicious hamburgers and Mom and I always get the 1/2 pounder and split it. I must say it hit the spot and I was ready for round 2 of pricing items and arranging the paint and furniture. We were missing one of our helpers, Mom was too tired for Round 2, so she stayed in the hotel and rested while Haley and I worked until 9 p.m. When we returned to the room we got ready for bed anxiously awaiting Day 2. Of course, I was so anxious I could not sleep. After waking up several times throughout the night I decided sleep was not going to happen for me this night. At 2:30 a.m. I finally gave up and began looking at Instagram and Facebook. Of course, no one is up at that time, so nothing exciting was happening on the social network. It is now Day 2, and I'm waiting for everyone else to wake up! You can order CeCe Caldwell's Paint and Miss Mustard Seeds Milk Paint on our website: www.freshjaspertexas.com If you need help with the CeCe paints we have a section called "paint instructions". For Miss Mustard Seeds Milk Paints her website has wonderful video tutorials for everything you need to know about the milk paint. 
Day 1: Mom and Haley arranging the MMSMP



Haley - youngest helper!


Furniture before we arranged the booth
 

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Canton Bound

We have all the essentials loaded and we are almost ready for take off in the morning! Will it be worth all the hard work? We sure hope so! We've worked hard to get everything ready for this month in Canton. I've called Mom several times to talk about weather and our trip and she is still sewing last minute items for our booth. I have a few more last minute things to do too and I will get those finished before we leave (hopefully).
We had another chilly day with freezing rain and sleet most of the morning and afternoon. But the weather seems to be getting better for now
Since this is the month we celebrate Valentine's Day we will have some very cute appliqued shirts with pants to match and dresses. We will also have a table that we will take preorders for our Saint Patrick Day and Easter Shirts.
In the front of the booth you will see a big red flag that says "PAINT" and we will have CeCe Caldwell's Chalk and Clay paints and Miss Mustard Seeds Milk Paint.
Our CeCe paint distributor Donna Haile messaged me today that she is coming on Thursday - that means I will have the new colors and the silver and gold metallic waxes. So if you've been waiting to see these great new colors stop by and get a quart or I will pour you a sample. We are so thankful to have Donna as our distributor. She and her husband Wesley go above and beyond to help. We will have plenty of quarts and samples ready for you take with you.
If you have been wanting to try these all natural paints stop by our new website: www.freshjaspertexas.com You can sign up for classes, order paints, brushes, finishes, and read our blog.
Have a wonderful day and I will try and keep you posted about Canton Trade Days this weekend. Remember we are in Pavilion 4000 booth 4268. Look for the big red flag that says "Paint".
Canton Bound
 
Our Redneck Cooler that my husband loaned us!

Count Down

Two more days until Mom and I hit the road to Canton Trade Days! It's no BIG deal that we are getting another arctic blast tomorrow afternoon and possibly 2" of snow here in Southeast Texas. Only in Texas do we have weather one day of 70 degrees and then it changes to freezing rain and snow the next day. The trailer is loaded except for a few small things. We are both very excited and hope we do well.
Mom has been busy sewing some beautiful table runners, shabby chic chair covers, children's clothes, and her lovely pillows.
We will also have painted furniture, chandeliers, vintage suitcases, Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint, CeCe Caldwell's Chalk and Clay paint, unpainted furniture, old windows and screens for the DIY's, French grain sacks, monogrammed aprons, monogrammed dish towels, 1803 Candles, Melters, and Soap.
You can find us in Pavilion 4000 booth 4268 and we will have the heater lit so stop by- we may even have a pot coffee brewing!
I will be glad to help you with your next painting project with our great products. We have a great website that you can visit if you need any products or online training. The website is www.freshjaspertexas.com You can also follow us on pinterest Fresh Finds LLC. We love pinning vintage and antique inspirations along with painted projects that are up cycled. You can also follow my personal pinterest pins - Nancy Walker.
Have a great week and I will be posting about our trip and pictures of our booth.


TCC Church Pew and Tricycle Radio Cabinet

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

I've Been Thinking.....

After writing the post about two special ladies in my childhood who had an influence in my interest of sewing and crafting, I thought about another special person that took the time to show me how to crochet jewelry. We attended the same church and she was my neighbor that lived across the street next door to my Grandmother. A very small petite woman that lived with her daughter and son in law and who was very talented in handwork. Her name was Mrs. Lavender. I love that name and if you know me very well you know why I love that name - one of my favorite scents.
I can't really remember how or why she invited me over to her house to teach me this art of crocheting a beautiful pearl ring, a necklace, and a bracelet but I ended up there and she was a fantastic teacher! I went back home and the next day Mom bought me some of the elastic thread in gold and silver and I started making jewelry. Believe it or not I dug through one of my old jewelry boxes and I still have two of the rings, a necklace, and a bracelet. I have a few things that are very sentimental to me - the dress I wore to my bridal shower 34 years ago, the dress I wore when we left the church after our wedding, and a few more items that I can't seem to part with. I hope that doesn't mean I may become a hoarder when I get older..... nah!
Well when Mrs. Lavender so nicely showed me this craft I decided if I liked them, then my friends would probably like them too! Sooooo I made a few of them and took them to school that week and sold all of the ones I had made. I think this may have been my first sale of my handmade crafts. It wasn't my first "sale" because I had been selling watermelons and vegetables with my Grandpa Sheppard for many years, so the idea of making a little cash was already in my blood. 
I've always said that I had a great childhood and I had so many great role models that I will never forget. I just need to slow down sometimes and reflect on those that made such a difference in my life. So along with my projects, I am going to post a few blogs about those that have had an impact on my journey of life.
I still love learning new things and I don't think we ever get too old to learn. When Chalk and Clay paints were introduced I couldn't wait to take a class and learn "how" to use this unique paint. I mixed my own at first because I thought it was  good enough. But I found out quickly that was not the case. So the journey of learning continues for me. What will be my next quest?

Monday, January 20, 2014

CeCe Caldwell's Chalk/Clay Paint and Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint at Canton Trade Days

Well one week from Wednesday mom and I will be leaving for Canton Trade Days! We will be selling CeCe Caldwell's Chalk and Clay Paints and Finishes and Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint and Finishes. If you would like to stop by and talk paint we will be in Pavilion 4000 in booth 4268. We will have several pieces of painted furniture, candles, children's appliqued shirts and dresses, children's capris and shorts, hair bows and cute lacy leggings, plus many more items.
We have been working hard for the past month getting our handmade items ready to sell. My mom makes beautiful pillows, ruffled pillow cases, table runners, and chair covers. These are just a few of her home décor items that we will have in Canton.
I am going to post some pictures of things we will be putting on the trailer when we start packing.


Setting up in Canton has been a long time dream of mine and I really can't believe that I am finally going to be a vendor at this huge flea market. I have always loved the crafting and sewing industry and I have sold handmade items most of my lifetime.
When I was very young I was interested in doing hand embroidery. My grandmother, whom we called "Mub" would sit and do hand embroidered pillow cases and I was very intrigued with all of the thread and iron on patterns that she kept in her sewing drawer. My Aunt Scoots does beautiful hand embroidered pillow cases, too. When I got married I knew I would get a beautiful set of these handmade pillow cases from my Grandmother! Over the years, my Aunt has given me several sets that I dearly cherish, as well. Needless to say I had plenty of good teachers along the way to teach me hand embroidery.
Some of my fondest memories are Mom and I going to Silsbee to Cindy's Fabric Store and buying patterns and fabric.  I still love going into a nice fabric store- the touch, the smell of fabric just gives me a high I can't explain. And YES I have a ton of fabric in my sewing room - I will never live long enough to sew it all but it gives me great pleasure!
Well I need to get busy sewing on some of my projects. I hope you have a blessed and wonderful week. If you come to Canton Trade Days stop by and see us in Pavilion 4000, booth 4268.
You can also order paint from our online store:  www.freshjaspertexas.com



Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Between Painting Furniture I Sew

With the chilly weather that has made it's way to Texas I've been doing more sewing instead of painting. It's not that I can't paint in the cold weather or in the house for that matter since our paint is all natural and has no harmful odors or VOC's. I just thought I would take a little break and knock out some of my sewing projects. I will post a few pictures of what I've been working on the past few days. With Valentine's Day around the corner I am trying to get a jump start on my orders.


I will be getting back to the painting projects real soon. My next project is an antique radio cabinet. Of course, I'm still deciding on a paint color (my downfall when it comes to making a decision). I'm thinking santa fe turquoise, black, destin gulf green, or maybe red? I'm not sure but I will let you know. If you look on Pinterest there are several neat re purposed radio cabinets. Some are used for a mini bar, tv stand or a towel cabinet. Let me know if you have painted anything in 2014.
CeCe Caldwell has a couple of new paint colors added to the color pallet. The new colors are Kailula Coral & Minnesota Pink Lady's Slipper. You can visit our store website at www.freshjaspertexas.com to read more about the CeCe Caldwell's paint line that we carry at FRESH. There is good information about how to use the paint under the tab "paint instructions".


Try to stay warm my friends and may God bless you!
I am having trouble loading any pictures so I will try to load again later. Thanks!