You Can't Rain on this Feature Friday!

Rain, Rain, go away...

...come again when I don't have a flea market.

It's Saturday! Woohoo, the weekend! That means I'm supposed to be at a the Peddler, peddlin my super awesome vintage stuff! Nope. Mother Nature has other plans. Maybe the plants and trees are really thirsty or the sun needed to sleep in. Whatever the case may be, I am here with the pups, not peddlin my stuff. Wait a second. It's Saturday. That means yesterday was Friday, which means there was supposed to be a feature, and I don't remember posting one.... OH FARTS! I done did it again! So, excuse my tardiness, but please allow me to introduce you to this weeks: 

FEATUUUUUURE FRIDAAAAAY! 

Carly came to the Peddler a few weeks ago and was interested in some vintage Pyrex test tubes I had out. She told me that she had just bought this wooden pipe rack from a thrift store and her creative juices were a flowin'. The test tubes would fit perfectly in the rack, so she bought a handful and off she went to craft her little heart out! Little did I know crafting is something that comes naturally to her! 

Carly got in touch with me recently and sent me the pictures of her test tube creation. I found out that she has an Instagram account and an Etsy shop too! So I did what every normal person does and I scoped it out. Her stuff is super cool and original. I wish that I had a crafty bone in my body, and sometimes I like to pretend it's there. But then I don't measure correctly, the hot glue gun hates me, and there are two animals -make that three (sorry Jordan,) - that shed so much that I need an army of brooms and vacuums. So my "crafts" turn into "well, at least I tried, right?"  In addition to Carly's Feature Friday, I threw in some pictures of her other crafts so you can get an idea of just how awesome they are! 

Before...

After! Gosh dangit it's so cute! 

Um, yes! Re-purposed belts turned cuffs?!

Can I get one that says "picker" & I'll just walk around with my finger in my nose?

IN LOVE.

Cool lamp, check. Mint paint, check. Awesomeness, check. 

So whatdya think? I wasn't lying! This girl can craft! She was thinking silk flowers for the tubes, and I suggested candy, cause I mean, who doesn't want a shooter of peanut butter M&M's? If you have any suggestions, please feel free! A lot of her items are made from vintage and re-purposed goods, which is exactly what I strive for with PGP and Feature Fridays. To give these items another purpose and new life so that another person can love it is what it's all about! We don't always have to have the next best or newest thing. Sometimes its already in your house, yard, garage or waiting to be found at a flea market. It just takes a little time, creativity, and elbow grease to make it yours. 

You can find Carly's Sweet Creations (appropriately named) for sale at her Etsy shop here: Carly's Sweet Creations and be sure to follow her on Instagram @Carlysweetjones. She also has some pieces up for sale with the proceeds going to charity! One of the many reasons why I love doing what I do is it gives me the opportunity to meet awesome people and spread a little vintage love! Carly is definitely one of those people, and unfortunately she doesn't live in Buffalo, but maybe the universe will have our paths cross again in the future. 

Whether it's raining or shining by you, make today great! Maybe you've been inspired to dig around your basement and give new life to an old piece. In that case, email me and let me know! And check back at the Poor Girl Picker Etsy shop, as I have been adding, and will continue to add, new things daily! 

Smell Ya Later!

-Stephanie 

*Want to be featured? Buy something from me! Turn it into something new! Send me a before, during and after picture! Its as easy as that folks!

**Know someone that has a barn, attic, basement, chicken coop, secret room, garage, or any other space filled with stuff that needs to be picked over? Get atcha girl!! PoorGirlPicker@gmail.com and we can talk about what you got, what I want, and maybe mow down on some gummy bears!

***Check out my Etsy page to see what kinds of cool things I have in store for ya! PGP Etsy Shop

Time Warp to August....

Well hello my long lost friends! 

I've been trying to think of a way to apologize for not posting in so long, but I keep coming up blank. The honest answer is: I am too busy, but that's the boring answer. So instead, I will give you a quick update with all that has happened and is happening over here at Poor Girl Picker!

After last season ended I found myself buying at the same pace but slowing on the selling. So I filled my basement with a bunch of goodies and continued to work full time at the cafe. I tried my hand at organizing a mini pop up shop but we only had two. It went really well and I will probably revisit it this fall/winter because who doesn't love a little discount shopping around the holidays? Once the frigid winter passed, I picked up a part time gig photographing vintage things for an ebay seller. I was able to trade in my Ford Focus for a Volvo station wagon and it has helped me tremendously! Jordan and his cat also moved in with me and we (really I,) had this genius idea to get a dog. So we did. By golly it was a circus. Well, I am no ring leader so I had to slow down a bit and focus. 

The Peddler was going to start up and come July I would be having another flea market on Thursdays at Larkin Square. There was also the chance to go out to Antique World and Silo City Flea on Sundays. If I wanted to I could make this a full time job! But I wasn't ready. How do I pay bills? How do I keep an inventory? It was all too much so I stuck it out through June and July and it turned out to be too overwhelming. Have you ever felt like you are running in circles but you are actually doing a million and three things? I felt insane and ready to burst at the seams. It was time for me to plunge head first into Poor Girl Picker and more importantly, me. I was investing a lot of time into other people and their dreams, so why not put that dedication and work into my dreams? If I was going to do this right I had a few things on my To Do list. First, quit my job. Second, find a garage. Third, be confident. The first was a breeze. The second was a bit tougher but I was patient and was able to find a garage space only a few blocks away. One U-Haul truck and a full days worth of hauling, and my basement is almost empty! Its much easier to load and unload when you don't have to go up and down any steps. 

Being in control of my daily activities has thrown me a few curve balls.  Going from always having an employer and rules to being my own boss was kind of weird. What do you mean I don't have to punch in? I can eat whenever I want? I can use my phone at all times of the day? These were problems I hadn't dealt with before. I'll admit, there were a few days all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and eat Nutella. I mean, who doesn't? But the reality of it is, I need to make wise choices. I am the one responsible for PGP's growth or failure. Since I wasn't really planning on failure, I left the Nutella alone. (Okay, maybe one scoop.)

So to make a long, winded, caffeinated story short: I am Poor Girl Picker. One of my best friends, Colleen, created my logo for me. (see below!) She is super talented and open minded so when I told her my idea she was all over it. I am currently photographing and getting my Etsy store ready, so stay tuned for that!! I have a few Featured Fridays lined up, I'm currently working on my Etsy store, and there are flea markets galore to end this season. I plan on having a featured itemand possibly stories of my picks. I have encountered some really awesome people along the journey, and you should all get to know them too! 

Check out some pictures from the Poor Girl Picker archives below! 

My logo, inspired by the Wheat Penny!

Peggy all packed up after a day at the Peddler!

Working on a new sign to hang in my tent!

New jewelry displays!

My garage space! Its way more full now. 

Silo City Flea!

Big Chick!

Ellie Pup!

Thanks for hanging around and supporting me! Your feedback means a lot to me too, so don't be afraid to comment! 

Enjoy the humidity!

-Stephanie 

Feature Friday: A Hoot and a Half

Good afternoon there pickers! I'm writing to you today from my living room with my windows open, the crisp fall breeze blowing, and the lovely sounds of construction workers ripping off the roof and chucking it in my back yard. Ah, fall. Now that it's officially fall, (Mother Nature was unsure for a while there,) it is candle season. I guess you can argue that its always candle season, but in my professional opinion, more people use candles in the fall and winter months. Who doesn't love the scent of a pumpkin scented candle burning? Or warm apple pie? Cinnamon and vanilla? Fresh baked cookies? I mean, candles can practically be a food group. The way the light flickers and dances on the walls and ceiling. Eating a romantic dinner by candle light. Know what makes the dinner romantic? Not the fact that you are at a swanky restaurant, sitting at a too-small-for-two-people-table, eating off the finest china, and staring into your lovers eyes. No, its the candles.  What's the point of me rambling on about candles? Well, its this weeks: 

FEATUUUURE FRIDAAAAAY!! 

This week I am featuring Jenny. Jenny and her daughter stopped by the Peddler a few weeks ago and had their eyes on a tea light candle holder. This isn't just any candle holder though, its an adorable owl! 

Can I get a Hoot Hoot?! 

But wait... there's more! {{insert infomercial music here}}

Its a bat! Or a cat! Or a mouse! 

The other side is another animal! (You can decide for yourself.) The wine and sweet countertop were not included. I was debating on keeping the owl-cat-bat-mouse for myself, but I'm glad that Jenny got it for her home. It looks like it fits perfectly!! 

I'll be selling at the Peddler again tomorrow. I think it might be the last one of the season! Gasp! I can't believe how fast the summer has gone by. I am investigating other avenues and places to sell. Depending on how many people send me features, the Friday special might have to be put on hold until further notice. But don't you cry, it will be back in no time! 

Smell ya later!

-Stephanie 

*Want to be featured? Buy something from us! Turn it into something new! Send us a before, during and after picture! Its as easy as that folks!

 

**Know someone that has a barn, attic, basement, chicken coop, secret room, garage, (you get the point,) that needs to be picked over? Holla at me!! PoorGirlPicker@gmail.com and we can talk about what you got, what I want, and maybe pick a pumpkin.

Feature Friday: Dance Party!!!

I have to admit, its not Friday. Its not even Saturday. Its Sunday (yikes!). I am two days late and always a few bucks short. But hey, thats life, right? So anyway, now that I am finally sitting down for longer than 20 minutes, let me tell you about this weeks: 

FEATUUUUURE FRIDAAAAAY!! 

This Fri.. erhm Sunday, I bring you Serife! Lets time warp back to August to a hot summers night, hanging out at Silo City for the City of Night Festival, eating food truck deliciousness, walking amongst abandoned grain elevators full of art, and sweating the sweet summer sweat. Ok, we are there. So, like any normal human being I am enjoying the festivities when nature called! If there is one thing I hate in this world, (and hate is a strong word,) its port-a-potties. Why can't I just pee in a bush? I mean, you are telling me that it is more sanitary to get in a 3 ft-by-3 ft traveling poop bucket with little to no ventilation than to find a nice hidden spot in the trees? Well, I unfortunately follow the rules so I get in line for the poop buckets and boy oh boy did I have to pee. Have you ever been driving home when the urge hits you to pee and you're like, "no worries, I'll be home in five minutes." Then you get home and you drop your keys at the door, pick them up in a hurry, can't find your house key but you swore it was on there, then you find it and it gets stuck in the lock and all of a sudden you are about to pee your pants. Come on door! Don't you know I am about to be standing in a puddle?! Ok, so thats how I was feeling so I started doing the pee dance. Every one has one. It can be subtle or it can be a full blown "get the cardboard out cause I'm about to bust a move" dance. I chose the latter. Guess who was also on line for the portable poop bucket? Serife and her friend Denise! We had a mini pee dance circle until we could relieve ourselves. Fortunately for us, there was a DJ laying down some beats so we didn't look too crazy. After our first dance party ended with no accidents, I noticed that Serife and Denise were still dancing by the DJ so I joined them and a lovely little dancing friendship blossomed. 

Fast forward to September: I am selling at the Peddler when I see Serife eyeing up a suitcase of mine. As if you couldn't figure it out, she bought it! And this is what she did with it:

Suitcase perfection.

I was really happy to see that the suitcase was put to good use. I mean, your records can't go in just anything. I saw Serife again this past weekend and she invited Jordan and myself to her houewarming party! I can't wait to dance, boogie and jive some more!

Smell ya later, 

-Stephanie 

*Want to be featured? Buy something from us! Turn it into something new! Send us a before, during and after picture! Its as easy as that folks!

 

**Know someone that has a barn, attic, basement, chicken coop, secret room, garage, (you get the point,) that needs to be picked over? Holla at me!! PoorGirlPicker@gmail.com and we can talk about what you got, what I want, and maybe chew some gum.

Feature Friday: Burt Reynolds

Holy Guacamole! Its Friday already! I had pictures to upload and stories to post! I guess this will be a Feature Friday and a quick update from last weeks adventures! So to start, let me begin with this weeks 

FEATUUUUURE FRIDAAAAY!

This week I bring you the creative genius of Jordan!! (No, not Burt Reynolds, keep your pants on.) I remember he bought this wooden crate from me and said he was going to plant flowers in it. I immediately told him about the blog idea, but I didn't have business cards or any contact info yet. (I know, seems like decades ago.) Luckily for me, Jordan is a man of his word and he stopped by the flea again a few weeks ago. 

Look at the natural light! Oh, and the crate.

Jordan also had me keeping an eye out for some old barn wood to make a bar. Well, I can't take credit for the wood, because I didn't come across any, but look at that bar!! I am looking forward to seeing what else he creates!! I have my eyes open for some other things, so heres hoping I can find em for him! 

Now for your (seemingly) weekly update! I promise I am going to get better at this whole blogging thing, I promise!

So, Saturday was the Peddler, and peddle I did! I sold some things to people from Chicago and Boston, Mike stopped by, someone gave me a George Foreman grill, some people with paper mache heads strolled through, and I got a mean sunglass tan.

Tiny chair for a tiny tush.

We obvi had to test the durability.

HEY! HEY you! These here chairs are FER SALE!

Getting crafty and creative for displays.

Marissa modeling the briefcase she bought!

And then this happened.

That may or may not be a man.

I was telling everyone and their mom about the Silo City Flea happening the next day! (Sunday) We had a super awesome turn out! I have to admit my stand was looking less than stellar, but I had a bunch of new stuff! (and a bunch of fun!) 

No tent, extra sun please.

Burt Motherloving Reynolds in all his Playboy glory.

There are some more adventures in the works for Ithaca again, even though I haven't even posted from the first trip, and maybe some building of tables, chairs and what not. I also started my new job at Ashkers this week. Let me tell you, I forgot what its like to be on your feet all day! Enough of my sob story though. Check back next week for another feature! Have a great weekend everyone! 

Smell ya later!
-Stephanie 

*Want to be featured? Buy something from us! Turn it into something new! Send us a before, during and after picture! Its as easy as that folks!

 

**Know someone that has a barn, attic, basement, chicken coop, secret room, garage, (you get the point,) that needs to be picked over? Holla at me!! PoorGirlPicker@gmail.com and we can talk about what you got, what I want, and maybe eat some tootsie rolls.

Feature Friday Numero Dos!

Thats right guys, its time for my second ever:

FEATUUUUUUURE FRIDAAAAAY!

Today I am bringing you the creativity of Katie! She came by the flea market and almost instantly fell in love with a suit/briefcase that I had. Obviously she bought it and after a few awesomely funny jokes about being a boss with a breifcase, I told her about my feature friday segment. She said she was going to be using it to store some of her smaller belongings under a shelving unit that she made. Yes, you read that right, she made! Check it out for yershelves! (see what I did there?)
 

I like yo shelves, girl.

 

She then saw an old projector screen that I had, and was wondering if it was a map. Sadly, it was not. BUT,  I knew Mike had a map that he was maybe thinking about selling. So, I sent her over to pester him. She didn't end up with the map, (he didnt have it at the flea and is emotionally attached to it in some weird, map loving way.) She did, however, pick up this super awesome welding hat. Now she matches her dog!

 

Now THAT is a Christmas card.

 

Now, as a side note: Katie has her Masters in Social work and is TOTALLY HIREABLE! Woohoo! She can also build shelves, match her dog, and is a very good life-coach. (I would know.) Holla at her!

 

I will be updating you all later on my trip out to Ithaca last weekend. It was a doozie! I can't wait to go back. More on that later! In case anyone was wondering, today is my last Friday ever working a 9-5 job. It's quite the story that I will update on next week on my last actual day ever, but for today, its my last Friday! YES!! #Livin the dream.

 

Smell ya later!

-Stephanie

 

*Want to be featured? Buy something from us! Turn it into something new! Send us a before, during and after picture! Its as easy as that folks!

 

**Know someone that has a barn, attic, basement, chicken coop, secret room, garage, (you get the point,) that needs to be picked over? Holla at me!! PoorGirlPicker@gmail.com and we can talk about what you got, what I want, and maybe have a latte.