One Week To Go!

This week's collage features a few of the home decor / furniture items which will be featured at the pop-up sale. I have decided to downsize some of my collection of pieces in the main room. Since we are down to doing one sale per year in Mount Prospect, it is time to simplify and find new homes for these pieces. I had the 1950s Motorola TV professionally painted a geranium pink color to coordinate with the other pieces the refinisher worked on for me. The original plan was to have the TV set up for actual viewing but I never got around to the project. The TV does power on and looks to be in solid condition. It would make the perfect accent for a retro style room.

I have also decided to sell the storage cabinet I have had for quite a few years. I purchased it from one of our estate sales in Highland Park - there were two but the homeowner decided to keep one. It was a pickled wood color and was a built-in for a closet. Because it was built in, one side was not flush so I had the refinisher build a new side for it. He also added casters so the cabinet is really easy to move around. It holds a ton of jewelry and I used to keep costume jewelry in there. However I am phasing out of the costume jewelry business so I no longer need it.

The right photo shows a pair of 1970s rosewood square pedestals which are part of a furniture suite I purchased from one of our estate sales several years ago. There is also a desk, credenza and two pair of half circle pedestals to match. I never ended up using the furniture, it has been storage for empty shipping boxes. Since I sent my dining room set back home, I no longer need the set.

Monday was a hectic day with it being house cleaning day at both houses but I was so happy Sue G. was in town for a baby shower and we were able to squeeze in a quick breakfast before she headed home to Michigan. I suggested Lola's Diner in Park Ridge because they have good solid food, a fun atmosphere and it is very close to her parents' house where she was staying. I was still pretty full from Pinstripes Sunday brunch buffet the day before and I knew Kuochun wanted to go to Rammy's later so I opted for a pecan Belgian waffle. The waffle was very yummy and the the pecans were fresh which is very important. Sue chose an omelette and a side order of potatoes which she really enjoyed. Any "girl time" is very few and far between for me these days and any time with my dear lifetime best friend is a special occasion! I wish we could get together more often but we do keep in touch every day.

I forgot to mention last time that Kuochun and I decided to go to Pinstripes in Northbrook on Sunday. We used to go pretty often when my parents lived in Northbrook - Dad loved the chicken parmesan and Mother always chose the chicken and avocado club flatbread. I like the chicken and goat cheese pasta and Kuochun gets jambalaya every chance he gets. We had been to the Sunday brunch buffet several times in the past, definitely way before the pandemic and for $20 it was a super value with high-quality food across the board. The price is now $30 but still worth every penny. My favorite entree is $22 and they had it on the buffet! They have the best fluffy scrambled eggs. Dessert options are limited with a chocolate fountain and items to dip into it but after enjoying the rest of the options there is not much room for dessert. There is definitely something for everyone and although it was well-attended, it was not the mob scene as in past years. I highly recommend it! Afterwards, I received an e-mail from the manager with a free flatbread offer and a link to a VIP reservation. We are going to try and go again to take them up on their offer. Going to Pinstripes also reminded me how much I used to enjoy Redlands Grill by J. Alexander's restaurant, also in Northbrook. It is not Kuochun's favorite but I may request it for my birthday dinner anyway. Their orzo and wild rice side salad is fantastic, I used to order an entree and the salad as well. He might just get me back for his birthday (his is 11 days after mine) and request Chinese food!

On Wednesday, I had a medical procedure of my own. I have inherited lipomas, which are harmless but annoying fatty tumors under the surface of the skin. For a few years, my primary doctor has been telling me I need to lose weight and then she will consider approving the removal of the worst ones. My understanding is that they have nothing to do with weight and are just something that comes to some people with middle age. She did approve a full body check at the dermatologist and at that time I asked about removal of the three that bother me the most. The dermatologist approved two of the three - one on my right forearm and one just above my right knee. The other is a cluster on my back on top of my ribs, it bothers me the most but the dermatologist thought it was too involved for their office. The procedures went smoothly. I am on antibiotics right now and the areas are a little sore and the stitches lumpy but in time the stitches will dissolve and I should be left with minor scars. After about a month, I will be allowed to apply treatments to the skin to minimize the scars. I am really looking forward to putting my right arm on a desk or tabletop without pain. The dermatologist I saw is moving to the Skokie office so I will try again in Arlington Heights with a new doctor next year to see if I can have any more removed.

I spent a lot of time the latter part of the week pricing jewelry in preparation for the pop-up sale. I started with the vintage Native American jewelry, making sure everything was priced and looking through my archives of the past year and a half for good and consistent photos taken since I purchased the black and white cowhide backdrop. There are a few items that need photographing but there is more than enough to fill a large case so the rest will be backstock for now. Mother had previously carded a lot of the new Native American jewelry and I was able to get just about everything attached to the new cards and priced. There is plenty to fill a new case with this jewelry as well. There will also be large cases with Mexican silver jewelry from Elysium and The Boyz Silver, edgy sterling silver and bronze pieces from Bora and artistic amber from Europe.

I also polished and priced about 100 budget-friendly rings so there will be lots of rings to go around - not only to display at the pop-up sale but to send to our other sales in Northbrook and Rolling Meadows next week. We have sales in Arlington Heights and Crystal Lake as well but there is tons of homeowner jewelry in Arlington Heights and the Crystal Lake homeowner elected not to have the jewelry caravan present.

I originally thought I would handle the rest of the preparation on my own but decided to enlist Mike's help next Monday to organize and fill all of the jewelry cases and help me set up the room for the sale. The plan is to post the advertising Tuesday evening once I have shot all of the photos. I will have the individual photos of the Native American jewelry and hopefully complete the Federico jewelry. The rest of the pieces will be photographed in their cases.

This will be the last time the new Native American and Mexican jewelry will be for sale here in person as a collection. I am planning to send it to Scottsdale and will work on placing it all online over the winter. Before we come back to Mount Prospect in the late spring, I will delist it online and give it a break over the summer. I will likely travel back with most of the vintage pieces.

Going forward, the major focus for Chicagoland will be the sterling silver estate jewelry. The plan over the next year will be to liquidate the costume jewelry, placing the very best pieces online. I am going to hang onto the Czech rhinestone jewelry for online as well.

Looking forward to seeing our local friends at the pop-up next weekend and keep in mind that if you are not local, jewelry can be shipped for no charge.