Another Auction?

Yes, I went to another auction last night.  I know, I know, it might be starting to become a problem.  But don’t worry, I am not actually a hoarder and these things are not for me. Okay, some of them are for me. But more on that another time…

There are lots of pictures and they are taken in the garage.  It was too much big stuff to try to bring it in.  So, I froze my tush off to take a few pictures before time got away from me.

So here is a run through…

Berry Baskets and a tool box…

A creel, net and knife (the knife was just part of the package).  These are going right into my Adirondack styled guest room.  Not the knife though, I don’t think you need a knife in the bedroom.

A Trumeau mirror.  Yes, it is upside down but I am not going to complain that my husband unpacked the truck for me.

I am a sucker for an old box.  This one is huge and white and chippy, sigh.

Love this, I don’t know, lets call it a bookcase.  It is made of old chippy wood and a zinc back and roof.  A true one of a kind.  I went to come home with her.

An amazing coffee table made from rough hewn lumber.

Some interesting old light covers.

A mantel.

Two amazing old benches.

Another old box, less lovely but still cool.  She was filled with lots of cool stuff.

An old cart and an extra wheel was included in case I get a flat.

This time I got the mortar and the pestle, a rolling pin, a galvanized scoop and a pulley.

Some tin stuff and some amazing old spools.

Another great old box.  Can you tell I have a weakness for old boxes?

Some other fun stuff.

 

And some more.  The bells ring so beautifully.

I think if I bring this Victorian letter holder back to the original black, she will be beautiful once again.

A lovely rabbit and squirrel.

And just to show you, sometimes I get caught up in the moment and way overpay for something that is actually quite ugly.  Ugh.

So, I know I still have not put together my giveaway yet, but I promise I have not forgotten.  The good news is now I am going to add something from this lot to make it even better.  Stay with me, I promise it is coming!

Have a great weekend. I am off to straighten up my house and that it is off to dinner for Mom’s birthday.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Oh, and I will be sharing this at a few of the parties on my sidebar.

Take care,

Laura

A Marketing Genius

Today, I am going on a little bit of a tangent, but it something I am so passionate about and have been for most of my life. 

Marketing.

In my last “real” job I was lucky enough to, as we called it, pontificate about marketing philosophies and ideas for hours with our marketing team.  And yes, this was before I had kids and my husband was in graduate school so he wasn’t home waiting for me as we debated marketing strategies. 

Anyway, back in college, at the amazing University of New Hampshire

where I met my husband and my Betties (more on them soon), I did a semester long project on a little company called…

Actually, I ended being accepted into their Management Internship program while still in school and then stayed on with them for a time after that. 

Now for you young folks out there, this was the early 90’s and the Gap was in its prime.  All of this was accomplished under the brilliant leadership of this man…

Mickey Drexler

Also known as my hero.

Well, the Gap is not at its prime anymore and mostly, in my opinion, because it lost the clear leadership and direction it had under Mr. Drexler.

Do you know where he is now?  A little company that has been doing quite well over the last few years.  He is their CEO.

Now, you can not give credit to the success of J.Crew without mentioning

Jenna Lyons, President and Creative Director

Yes, she is the woman who wears sequin pants and a boat shirt for daytime and looks fabulous doing it.  That is one I KNOW I could never pull off.

Together, they are a synergistic amazing team. 

Back in the early 90’s my Betties and I used to shop at the J.Crew outlet quite often.  There is one particular bright orange shirt that I wore quite often. 

I would show you a picture, but I think most of them would be the type of pictures you never put on the internet for fear they would never go away.  I will leave it at that.

My point being, they straggled for a while and now have completely redefined their brand and their style.  I believe if these two stay around they will continue to evolve that style while still staying consistent to their brand image.

So, why I am talking about this today?

I believe that many of out there are blogging because we enjoy it and it is an outlet.  Others are doing it because it is a component of their business. 

So, my thoughts for the day are have you taken the time to really figure what your brand is and are you staying true to it?

In the long run, this can make all of the difference in your brand.

Also, I talk about this today because sometime I just can’t stop talking about Mickey Drexler!  And that, my friends, exposes me as the marketing geek that I truly am!

If you are interested in learning more about this story, you can read this.

Have a great day!

Laura