String is the Thing

We needed to prettify a large wall in the bedding section at my retail job. We had some plywood, burlap and lots of twine, rope and string. We're also selling geometric string art at my retail job right now. Thus the inspiration for giant string art. I wrapped burlap around the 44 inch square of plywood after embroidering triangles onto it. My boss-lady added the rope triangles to tie it all together... literally.   See?

More Pre-Dawn Merchandising

For six days in a row I got up hideously early at 3:45 AM to make retail a prettier place. The photos I share on the blog are instances where I had to improvise the merchandising, meaning that I did not have corporate directive or blueprints for the placement of products. I made it up to make it pretty. See?

We ran out of bays and apothecary carts, but still needed to place some pillows and homeless vases. These old spools worked great to get merchandise placed near respective color palettes, and keep that urban, repurposed vibe going. I aligned the spools at a diagonal to mimic the diagonal offset of the layered rugs next to them and the diagonal lines in the tasseled pillows.

These office products had to move out of the stock room and off of the too-small rolling shelf into which they were stuffed. I grouped homeless decorating books the store sells low for shopping. I also carried the use of strictly-for-visuals books into the high shelves. I didn't want these books where guests could reach them and think they were for sale. I carefully selected grey, blue and black spines, then aligned the books by height for an organized look. Books were used in the directive in other bays, but more haphazardly with page sides facing out mixed with spines facing out, with titles running north to south and south to north. In the office section, I made the choice to keep the books super organized for an air of efficiency.

Making it Pretty at the Break of Dawn

I'm a lifelong night owl, but I'll get up ridiculously early to make retail a prettier place. See?

I think guests in the store were a tad timid about shopping the succulents. Go ahead and take some home! Just don't mess up the visual mojo.

 The sea glass bottles and ceramics started selling like gangbusters after I prettified them.

Merchandising Maven

As a vegetarian and indoor activity enthusiast, I don't own a grill. However, I can style grilling tools and cookout paraphernalia as if I were a sun-loving, carnivorous, fire-cook. See?

Chandelier: Done!

I've kept all three of my readers in suspense long enough. Here is the chandelier Chad and I chose: the Mischief Chandelier from Lighting Direct. I love it! It's everything I hoped it would be: eccentric, beautiful & affordable. Even the name is great.

I'm waiting for a sale on curtains at my retail job to address that dated tab-tie-top situation over the window. Reserve judgement for now.

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Update: I painted the ceiling ring glossy black to match the chandelier. It lends more visual balance and makes the whole set-up pop.

Non-Union Rates

I got a casting call email today for a prime-time network TV show filming in Austin. They need female extras to play prostitutes. The project offers non-union pay rates that will be "at least minimum wage" with "overtime pay after eight hours." Extras must be available for twelve hour shifts with most scenes filming outside on these hot summer days.

I hope that real prostitutes don't have to work twelve hour shifts in Texas summer heat, and that they make a whole lot more than minimum wage. (Naturally I wish that no one had to prostitute themselves or others.)

Though my retail job is no gem, I'll stick with it for the time being if this is the quality of acting work that Austin has to offer now.

Real Nice

When I come into my millions, this is how I'll roll:

Range Rover Evoque Pure

Trip Which Light Fantastic

The pendant light over our dining room table gave up the ghost, dropping one of three pendants, and stripping the wiring in the process. The light fixture had a good six year run sporting three different pendant styles. If I'm honest, I never loved the old light fixture. Cue the perfect excuse for a new chandelier.

Light A is a knockoff of a chandelier I found on a much more exclusive/expensive shopping site for about 1/3 the price. Chad and I find it charming and funky. As you know, we love Halloween and this chandelier screams haunted house chic meets old world charm.

Light B is more mainstream, more traditional meets modern. As for the price, that 40% employee discount across a number of brands from my retail job makes the pricing the icing on the tasteful vanilla cake. 

Our dining table has a weathered ebony finish with red leather-ish simple, high-backed side chairs. Chad and I both think either chandelier will match just fine. 

By the time you weigh in, we'll probably already have the new light installed. A bee in the bonnet of two over-doers buzzes insistently. Leave a comment, so we can at least see if you guessed correctly which we chose.

Put a snail on it!

At my retail job, we borrow a catchphrase from the show Portlandia, and often say, "put a bird on it!" Birds were all the hotness a few years ago in everything from fashion fabrics to decorative accents to wallpaper. Sadly, their are still too many birds gracing pillows, bedding, bowls, dishes, mugs and cake-domes at my retail workplace. It's over, guys. Move on.

A few months ago, I predicted to Chad that snails are the new hotness in design. We have one ceramic snail on our bedroom dresser and one small ceramic snail in a terrarium in the dressing room. I found sparkly snail ornaments last Christmas. Indeed, I've seen snails popping up on fabrics and wallpapers too. Not so much gracing food serving pieces, unless you count escargot served on dishes. Eww.

I've been struggling with working 37 hours a week on average, but with no employee benefits other than my meager hourly wage. My retail workplace got fussed at by corporate last week for scheduling too many of us more than 29.5 hours a week consistently without giving benefits. Last week, I only worked (surprise!) 29.5 hours over five workdays. It was pretty nice. I almost caught up on housekeeping and actually cared for the pets properly. Next week I work (surprise!) 37 hours again.

A coworker unwittingly informed me last night that the full-time visual merchandising position for which I thought I might apply is already promised to someone else. The past month that I've been working with the visual merchandising team I was (unknown to me) merely serving as a placeholder until the other person can start. SURPRISE! & EWW.

That other person can have the full-time visual merchandising position. I've had a taste of that job. Very little of the work is actually creative. Mostly the job involves cleaning the store, making sure proper signage is in place for constantly changing sales, doing markdowns, toting 30 pound shelves up & down 12 foot ladders and dribbling water into dying plants.

I'm going to put a snail on my retail job, figuratively speaking, and slow down. I'm going to limit my available hours so that I'll truly be working part-time, hopefully 25 hours over four workdays per week. Maybe if I don't give so much of my time to a job I don't even really like, it won't feel so taxing. Maybe I'll have time and mental energy to find a job I like better. Maybe I'll just have more time to myself.

Three Days Off Both Paid Jobs!

I had three days off in a row from my retail job and my acting job this Memorial Day weekend. It was awesome. A girl could get used to that whole sleeping late, not studying scripts and not going to work routine. I read a magazine and started a book. Crazy party girl, that's me!

Of course, I used a good portion of that time to get caught up on my housewife and pet-guardian chores, but I consistently like being a housewife and pet-guardian.

I did not paint my nails, which only happens a few times a year in response to insomnia or extreme boredom. I also did not paint any walls in the house. Maybe these luxurious projects can happen next time I have three days off in a row from both of my paid jobs. Place your bets now as to when that might happen!

Chad Eats Stomach Bugs for Breakfast

I had a nasty stomach bug this week. According to my friend from work, Nurse* Sabrina, if it's coming out both ends, it's food-poisoning. If it's only coming out one end, it's a stomach bug. I had to text my make-it-pretty boss-lady at 5:45 A.M. Wednesday that I'd be out sick. I was seriously sad to miss a make-it-pretty shift, but would have gladly missed a sales shift.

Wednesday I had six rounds of stomach bug symptoms and four naps. It was pretty miserable, but a darn fine excuse to eat nothing but mashed potatoes for dinner. I felt a bit achy and weak the next day at work as I hauled thirty pound shelves up a twelve foot ladder.

Chad did not get sick. He has a stomach of iron. According to Chad, he, "eats stomach bugs for breakfast," with no ill effects. Lucky.

*Nurse Sabrina is not actually a nurse. I assign the nickname Nurse to anyone from whom I glean medical information. It makes everything a tad more legit in my mind.

Let's Talk About My Ennui

en·nui

 [ahn-wee, ahn-wee; French ahn-nwee]

noun

a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom: The endless lecture produced an unbearable ennui.

Origin: 
1660–70;  < French:  boredom; Old French enui  displeasure

I now work thirty seven hours a week on average at that retail place. Pretty sneaky how they don't give me a full forty hours, so they don't have to give me any benefits. Employees are dropping like flies at that retail place. There was a mass exodus of five different managers over the past six months. Only the poor, pitiful, beat-down store manager remains with a few new managers who are still struggling to find their footing. About six weeks ago, I gave my two week notice that I wanted the heck out of Crazytown. (Crazytown referring to that retail place.) After some wailing, gnashing of teeth and negotiating, I was persuaded to stay in Crazytown with the understanding that I would work visual merchandising (a.k.a. the make it pretty team), and help with sales "once in a while". I currently spend about two-thirds of my work week doing sales (Heaven help me, how I loathe working sales) and about one-third of my work week making it pretty. This is not cool, and not what I bargained for. 

I'm so tired from my physically and emotionally intensive workplace, that I have little energy for housekeeping, grocery shopping, pet care and general fun-having. 

My sweet husband, Chad runs his own successful business. It takes many, many hours of work each week. I feel terrible asking Mr. Workerbee (a.k.a. Chad) to do chores or pet care beyond walking our sweet, pesky dog. He also has very little free time, and very little energy to spare.

I don't like my car, but count my many blessings that I have a car to drive, and am not stuck relying on public transportation (not one of Austin's strong points) or biking (bike lanes also not one of Austin's strong points).

Austin has too much traffic and too many people. Sometimes I feel a tendency to become a very happy shut-in, until I remember that I don't really like to cook. I need to get out to restaurants and salad bars, because we can not live on Luna bars alone.

I love my four pets, and am so happy they are healthy and still with me. However, there are too many pets and not enough of me to give them all the attention and care that they deserve. Of course, I'm keeping them! Friends for life, and all that!

I tried to arrange a monthly outing for the friends I wish I saw more. The first outing drew five people out of twelve invited. The second outing drew three people out of eleven invited. The third outing drew me and only me. I felt like a jerk trying to reserve a table for five at a not-very-busy restaurant, sending texts of the where-are-you variety and leaving in defeat after it was clear that no one else could attend, and that the server wanted me out of there. So I stopped arranging the monthly outing. I got one email wanting to know if I would revive the monthly outing, to which I replied, "Nope, but you go ahead and try. Good luck."

In short, I am running with the rats in this crazy race. I am tired. I should be enjoying my many blessings, but I don't have enough time or energy. I think many of my friends are in the same boat. I'm crunching numbers and brainstorming on how to make day to day life better. Send me happy thoughts.

Wishing you peace, prosperity and enough time to enjoy your life.

Flower Power Pow-wow

Saturday I led a workshop on flower arranging along with other members of the make-it-pretty-team at my retail job. We referenced The Flower Recipe Book, and used peonies, carnations (a lovely & much under-appreciated flower), Bells of Ireland along with pink and green berry sprays. The berry sprays for the store's bouquet got swiped by class participants, but I promise they were pretty.

Workshop participants went home with their own floral arrangements, a cute Weck jar, pruners and a copy of The Flower Recipe Book. I must say that each arrangement was prettier than the next!

Fancy Hoses

I made a window display for the gardening supplies and plants sold at my retail job. You need fancy hoses? We got 'em.

Click on the photos to make them bigger. Apologies for the reflections of the window.

Making It Pretty

I am one step closer to officially joining the visual merchandising team (or as I call it the "make it pretty squad") at my retail job. I'll still have to work sales twice a week, but will spend the majority of my time off the sales floor away from the cash registers and constantly ringing phones.

When tempted to find greener employment grass, I count my many blessings in the form of short commute to work (less than 5 miles) in the downtown design district, free garage parking, creative coworkers who I like a lot, generous employee discount across several brands, and within walking distance to my favorite shopping spots: Whole Foods, Book People and Anthropologie.

Being a full-time gym-bunny/trophy-wife/lady-who-lunches isn't an option at this point in my life. I have to work for my mental health, financial health and socializing health. Plus I usually grab a salad from Whole Foods for lunch for my physical health. Mmm... Whole Foods salad bar.

It's About Time!

Finally! I have another dinner mystery show on the calendar. And a new script to memorize. *sigh* Click on the flyer below to make it larger.

It's been a month? Already?

Oh hi. I really meant to get in touch, and update the blog. My part-time job went full-time without my consent. I also had a nasty sinus situation. So, you know, busy-busy!

Here are some hard truths:

That retail store for which I work made some scratchy sheets, which I bought, and with which I am unhappy. 100% cotton? Really? No steel wool in there?

I spent several glorious days building out displays at my retail job. I did not love the 5:00 AM start time, but I did love making things pretty and organized. I also loved the very limited interaction with customers. The boss-lady said I did a great job, so I look forward to more days of building prettiness in the near future, I hope.

For every ten lovely, courteous customers, there is one real stinker of a human being who can ruin your whole day.

A lady stood at the cash wrap of my retail job on a busy Saturday and cut her fingernails, letting the cut bits fall to floor. In public.

A professional recruiter I know wants to place me in an office job where I will make a lot more money. I want to make sure I have a window with a decent view and natural lighting at said job, or the money won't be worth it.

I performed in eight dinner shows between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have not performed in one dinner show or theatrical show since Christmas. Can I still call myself a part-time actress?

I barely have time to keep up with household chores, let alone pursue any creative activities beyond cutting Chad's hair. I really like cutting Chad's hair, but am not at all comfortable cutting anyone else's hair, so don't ask.

Hope to have something more fabulous to share before another month passes. Fingers crossed!

Taking my Employee Discount to Bed

As threatened nearly a year ago, I finally gave the bedroom a bit of a facelift with my employee discount. I should qualify that statement with the following information: my employee discount on top of markdowns on top of a 15% off all markdowns flash sale. Victory!

New bedding

Restyled dresser with new candle and new snail

The candle is lavender from Meow Meow Tweet. I love these bath products & home scents so much, I bought up 3 sets. Yum! The ceramic snail, I can't explain. When he arrived at the store, I wasn't feeling him. Slowly, after seeing him around, he grew on me, until I had to bring him home. I like to think he will remind me to slow down. 

Oh. No.

Never, never, never.

Features a 3 inch wedge heel for only $265 from Piperlime.

Photographic Evidence

Most often Marigold and Kenji ignore each other. Occasionally they fight with each other. Once in a blue moon they cuddle with each other.

Also note that they are actually lounging on one of the many pet beds at the 1952 House. Typically they opt for the people furniture.