SIXTH Junk Ranch!

It’s 8:45, a week after The Junk Ranch started, and I think my body temperature JUST returned to normal. We had unseasonably warm weather for the event — in the mid-90s with high humidity — but as uncomfortable as it was, WE DID NOT HAVE ANY RAIN, so I should not even be complaining. Rain on an outdoor flea market is THE WORST and if we dodged that bullet, I should be nothing but grateful.

But, whew, it was HOT. This might be TMI, but, on the first day, despite drinking oodles of iced tea and water, I only needed to use the restroom once, late in the day. On the second day, I didn’t use the restroom until 9:12 that night! DEHYDRATION, people, despite my best efforts. And a  sunburn, despite a vigilant sunscreen regimen and slavishly following the shade. And chigger bites. But it’s June in Arkansas! You play the cards you’re dealt! WE’RE MADE RUGGED HERE.

This was a tricky one for me. My booth was almost exclusively prints, both framed and unframed, and a few oversized painted signs. I had very little vintage, and almost no furniture. I’ve decided that all furniture should stay in the booth at D and O, since we get SO MANY of the same Junk Ranch crowds at the store and that way I don’t have to haul stuff out to the Junk Ranch grounds — saves me trips.  I wasn’t sure how that would go over, but it turned out okay — I made a little more this year than I have in previous years (and nearly double what I did last June, when I barely dragged myself to the event, in the wake of my Dad’s death). I found a fantastic place to get oversized prints made — ShortRun Posters — and was pleasantly surprised by their quality, given the inexpensive nature of their printing services. I had a bunch of bird prints made for some big frames I had, and also had some book quote posters made — those proved to be quite popular and I sold every single one of them. Wish I had more.

Okay, enough of the chit chat, let’s see some pictures!

Look at these two happy ladies, among the first to get through the gates at Friday’s opening hour.

First: my booth. I didn’t take a lot of pictures of it. I haven’t figured out how to set up using almost all signs and prints. I can’t seem to cute-ify it. I have assigned myself the duty of poring over Pinterest in the next three months to see if I can’t get myself a plan by September.

The unframed prints did REALLY WELL. The smaller framed prints (in the chalk-painted frames) did NOT do well, which is weird, because last time I sold almost all of them. The bird pictures didn’t do very well, either — the big seller were the quotes made to look like they are on book pages.

All of the painted signs sold — some more quickly than others. The pie sign was gone in the first hour. I need to make a few other ones for the D and O booth. I’ve discovered that reproduction advertising painted signs sell much more reliably than the just plain old cutesy ones, like the southern sayings sign. It finally sold, but at a reduced price and very late in the second day.

And now for my BFF, Shara’s, booth, which was amazing, AS ALWAYS.

These flash cards were the BIG SELLERS of the sale for Shara, I think. People ADORED them. I can see why. They’re irresistible.

KITTEHS!

That clever, clever Shara. She always has flocks of people in her booth, all talking about how her stuff brings back the BEST memories.

We were across from a booth selling plants. Gorgeous.

This was one of our neighbor’s booths.

My friend Susan, repping for D and O!

She had a gorgeous, marble-topped ice cream set in her booth.

My friends’ Max and Lisa’s awesome pallet-wood giant clocks. Think of how much work it is to make this many and then haul and display them!

Natalie Noack, from Natalie Creates, and her husband recently opened a store on the Fayetteville square and she was in the little farm house with some of the products they’re carrying in the store. Gorgeous, of course! She is the sweetest person, too.

You want some more eye candy, don’t you? DON’T YOU? Of course you do.

 

My friend Carrie bought this ADORABLE doll bed to use for her dogs’ bed! Cutest idea ever.

This store sign is from the 1800s. LOVE.

PINK VELVET COUCH PINK VELVET COUCH PINK VELVET COUCH

My FAVORITE band that plays at The Junk Ranch: Sad Daddy. Y’all. They are AMAHHHHHHHZING.

So much good stuff. SO MUCH. You guys know I never get out of there without buying stuff — I think the heat had me a bit overwhelmed because I didn’t shop too much this time. I DID find this oil portrait of the happiest dog you’ve ever seen:

He’s smallish, and I paid $27 for him — that price got me the stink eye from both Justin and Shara, but I love him. He makes me happy to look at! So I suppose that makes him priceless.

Whew. That’s a lot of pictures. Hope it didn’t take ten years to load on your screen.

That’s it for now. Sorry I’m not posting much — I am having the busiest June in recent memory! But I’ll be back to posting more soon. I need another Tulsa trip, and that’s bound to generate some good picking stories!

XOXO to all of you. Hope you’re managing to stay cool!