I tried and tried... and I thought and thought... Wrecking my brain for the next adorable,catchy NAME to attach to my hobby of peddling the wares that I make and/or find in my quest for what I call "pretties." I've all but coveted the precious puns and catchy little phrases I've seen as names for online and store front boutiques alike. So, naturally, as I began a near compulsion to make "pretties" and collect them from estate sales and antique-ing missions, I've found them building up into mounds that really should not be confined to my adoration alone. No sir...They should be given the opportunity to be all they can be in the world of PRETTY.
Please forgive my vagueness here, while I simultaneously try to explain what I am presenting to sell and how I came to give it the name it has been blessed with. First, I intend to use this blog as a an outlet to sell items that are either crafted by my own hands or are vintage and collector pieces that I have become enamoured with. I needed central "store front" of sorts to catalog my inventory in one place for public view- in addition to the various marketplace listings. And finally...this brought about the need for the perfect name to tie everything together. My search for the elusive BRAND to present to the world turned up only silly suggestions and played out phrases; plus I am never one to settle for plain or blatant obviousness. I played around with a few combinations that already considered over-used, but could never pin a name that would apply to my merchandise image as a whole.
Starting at the beginning... I have always had somewhat of an alternative sense of fashion that I've never felt I could fully express on my own person. Growing up in any Small Town, USA, I learned that different is not always good, and being too individual too early in life can lead to some unpleasant experiences at home and "amongst the town folk." I knew early one that my weakness for nostalgia and almost constant urge to create things would pay off some day, but I also knew that I would have to be very conscious of how to channel my interests- so as not to call any unwarranted attention in my direction. You see, I was painfully, painfully shy growing up and at that time blending in was more comfortable to me than expressing my real fashion tasted. As I grew into high school, I came out of my shell little by little, though I still considered myself stifled creatively. I loved to write and photography and I loved art, but I was never taught the domestic skills (like sewing, knitting, crocheting, etc) that I felt I needed to really create real things with my own hands. So life went on as it typically does... love, then marriage, then the baby carriage. Suddenly I found myself with a lovely pink bundle of joy- and felt the need to create beautiful things to drape over her like a fluffy ribbon curled force field- but I had no idea where to begin. I set out to learn the craft of crafting- watching videos on repeat and reading article upon article of techniques.
It was also about this time that I realized I don't really have the family heirlooms that I remember seeing in my relatives homes as a child. For whatever reason these treasures (while probably lacking any real value) that decorated my childhood had dwindled into extinction. It's sad really, but again with my resolve to never settle for circumstances and again my nostalgia for yesteryear- I decided our lack of old world pop culture history in the form of jewelry and knick knacks could be acquired rather than handed down. And...let's face it hearing the fascinating history of objects that cross our paths can be much more exciting than hearing the same family stories over and over.
Perfect! I can combine creating with collecting and BY GOLLY integrate the two even more by recreating and mixing old in with new to produce an amazing, never before seen original. Yes! Long story, long...I can satiate compulsive crafting and increase my historical buffness AND possibly turn a profit along the way!!!
BUT! I still need a name...
Again, in the name of individuality and retaining a branding that would appeal to the masses, and avoid being pigeon-holed; I searched my creative depths for something that seemed to be the simplest aspect of this whole get up- the NAME...Eventually life brought about the solution, as it typically does...Upon hearing the news that my brother and his wife were expecting a new baby girl and planned for her middle namesake to be that of my grandmother's (which I also shared) I thought about the similarities in my future nieces name and my grandmother's name and how all 4 names shared that same exact first syllable. M-A-R- making the shortened combo of each Mar-Mar...I pondered my middle names, yes
names, and how I felt embarrassed about them growing up. My middle names were the formal names of both of my grandmothers, and I made a conscious effort to stifle their presence just as I had stifled my eccentricity in my youth. The time had come to bring them out of my imaginary name exile and out into the open. And then it came to me, an intermingling of old and new- a blend of who I am and what I love...
Mil-Mar Pretties...it may not sound like it needed a lifetime process to develope....but it sure makes for a good story...
I hope you enjoy the pretties featured here...and maybe drop a dime or two on something to make it yours.
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By the bushel...Harvest time means there is the possibility of a variety of fruits and veggies ready for consumption...A basket and some of these are all you need...
These are actually called CORN SHOCKS- in the same categories as the leaves and hay- as a cast to most folks, to me they are a welcome addition to decorating for fall...
Find yourself one of these in someone's yard- or one that's restored and on display- Get permission first though. Tractors- old and new- can be a versatile prop for fall...
The scarecrow...A lonely, albeit simple minded figure, watching over the fields that have already been stripped of their offering. Re-employ these guys as photo props-the friendly or the scary kind.
This one is my favorite...the idea of making it look like a sofa in any living room in America with pillows and throw blankets makes it an breezy choice for family photos, engagement and weddings, newborns...Stage it and make it happen!
