Theme for LEAP DAY!

Name of the car: Lunatic Sophie. That way it's still Sophie Saab but now Luna's name is incorporated into it, thanks to Torann, who left the first comment on this blog!

Today is Leap Day. I'm so excited! I'm going to the auction in Jewett City tonight, I know it's supposed to snow but maybe that means less people will show up and I can get some great bargains! I had my biggest sale ever on Etsy last night, which has me wicked pumped and makes me think that I'm going in the right direction by finding & buying rare vintage fabrics and supplies. The fabric sat on Etsy for about two weeks, but then one person came and bought almost all of it. I knew it was a good idea! Now I just have to keep plugging away!

I love to find things and bring them to others. Flo, who is the woman I bought the fabric from, has had the fabric sitting in her flea market booth for about 20 years. Little old ladies come and buy from flo, but they're looking for plain fabrics and not something that's so obviously out-dated. There's a niche market for vintage fabrics, and if I learned anything from Justin, it's that niche markets do so well on the internet--that's exactly what he said to me during my second interview before I started working there two years ago tomorrow. I mean, Yankee Retail IS a successful company. There are reasons for that. Hard to believe it's been two years since I got that job, and over nine months since I left it. If Jeff wanted to hire me back tomorrow, I'd reconsider at least part time because work is work. Ocean State Job Lot might hire me part time till summer, then full time. That's exciting, because I do half of my grocery shopping there (dry & canned goods) and I could use an employee discount. The economy is bad. Ocean State is cheaper than Walmart. (Yes, really.)

Anyway. Flo. She's the one with the treasure trove, not me. I help her find her register keys and that ever-so-elusive-ribbon that she cut 2 hours ago and lost as soon as she put it down. She thinks my name is Monica or Nicole, but that's ok. Ten years ago, my cat's name was Monica and my neighbor's name was Nicole, so she's close. I can't really make much of a profit from the vintage buttons she sells, but I do pick through and buy the unique ones.

As for the flea market, I bought this awesome Arabian puppet thing. I wish I had pictures because it's so neat. I love doing the designing for the booth because it's bright, colorful, cool, and people have to stop and look when they walk by. It's so cool, I get compliments every week and sometimes even a little cash! lol. I'm thinking of putting together a photobook of the pictures I've taken in there over the past 3 years, because I've taken so many and I really think the vendors would enjoy possibly seeing items they've sold years ago brought back to them in this format. Takes up less space.

Here's a quick look at pictures taken in there (whatever I already had in my photobucket account, lol)

Glassware, February 13, 2005

Me, Josh, Nick, and Leash, February 13, 2005And this mirror is STILL for sale, 3 years later!

Mannequin, January 7, 2007

This was the day I bought my mannequin head, the inspiration for Mannequin Reject (the zine!). February 20, 2005.

LOL Ho Trains. December 17 (?), 2006.

It's so strange looking through these pictures. At the time I never thought I'd become part of this tight-knit flea market community. Really, some people have had booths in here for months or weeks and never become a part of it, but I've had the booth almost three months and no one wants me to ever leave. I look forward to every Sunday. I just feel so good about it. :)

Auction tonight. I haven't gone in over a month and I just miss seeing that same community! (Really, all the same people go to the auction who have booths in the flea market...) I have an empty, spacious, clean car to fill. (Not much money to fill it...)

I found out yesterday that I haven't written in my paper journal since Jan.31. I haven't had a gap like this since Uncle Larry died, and that was only a 20 day gap that I spent 5 hours typing to catch up. I just can't believe that I spent so much time this month on paperwork and all that process that goes with it to take care of the accident and the Grand Am, not to mention making over 30 pairs of earrings and working so hard to promote my etsy shop. I really thought floating around the forums was beginning to become a waste of time until I saw that fabric order. I think I really stopped breathing for a moment. lol

To do list for today, or the future:
-Mail fabric to customer.
-Stop at Ocean State and bug manager for job, again.
-Write in paper journal (finish, only 16 pages left!)

-AUCTION
-Paint secret beads that I made a few days ago and am dying to put on Etsy.
-TAXES.
-Clean extra stuff from car to mail back to former owner, like his flip flops.
-Price spark plugs & wires and call mechanic about tune up (the only thing that car needs! sweet).
-Call insurance company to find out if the lien holder on the Grand Am is cooperating with them yet (don't even get me started! This has been such a fiasco that I'll never finance through Sovereign Bank ever again! Geico is willing to pay, aren't they happy they'll be getting the FULL amount I owed on the car?!?!?!?!?!!?! Especially in a time when everyone and their uncle is defaulting on loans? saflkdjshlfkjasdhf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
-Domesticky thingies, like dishes and laundry.

-sigh- I. want. paperwork. over. with. I don't even have the car anymore, geico took it the same day I got the Saab. And there's a mini-fiasco with the DMV and the Saab because silly me forgot there's this thing called a TITLE, that all cars newer than 1981 need in order to be registered (in this state). I wanted to mail this guy's plates back to him yesterday so there's no question about who this car really belongs to if, God forbid, I get pulled over.

Busy busy busy.