6 Likes on Facebook

Would be amazing to finish the 2013 / 2014 Financial Year
with 100 likes on the
 Ten Green Balloons Facebook Page

Crown Lynn - Pioneer Range

Source unknown

Source unknown

After finding four Crown Lynn Pioneer dinner plates (made in NZ) in an Op Shop recently, I got home, did a little research, and came across this pricing guide showing the wholesale and recommended retail prices for the range... The handwritten note above the image "finishes April 1989" is really useful in dating the range and I'm sure growing up in NZ (in the 80's), I ate at least one meal served on - or cooked in the Pioneer Ovenware range…

Sewing & Furniture Restoration

While thinking about new directions for Ten Green Balloons - especially with a new financial year looming - I've been inspired by this beautiful old photograph of my Mum and Dad which I found in Italy a couple of years ago ( how it ended up in Italy is worthy of its own post later)…

My parents were both teachers, who I think may even have met at Teachers College..

 Mum was a sewing teacher who used to make a lot of my clothes, and Dad a woodwork and technical drawing teacher who also used to renovate and build houses… 

So given this handy heritage (here comes the inspiration part) I'm going to get out the sewing machine (maybe do a refresher class) and start sewing up a storm… I'm also going to start renovating furniture and already have a few projects lined up ready to go…

will try and remember to take before and after photos

TGB - Images from the Bazaar - H5 Vintage Influence

H5 - Vintage Influence

H5 - Vintage Influence

Since taking a space at the Waverley Antiques and Collectables Bazaar not only have I loved merchandising my little green space in the Cool Room,  I've loved walking around taking photo's

There are so many interesting and quirky things to photograph… 

Given my love of photography, and that the most popular post on Ten Green Balloons happens to be IMAGES FROM THE BAZAAR 

It's going to be a regular feature - weekly in fact….

 I couldn't go past H5 - VINTAGE INFLUENCE (also in the Cool Room) the other day

which is filled with georgeous - ness

Loving all the tins and numbers
with great fonts and perfect patina's

Take Good Advice

It was all very well (and easy) selling a thermos to someone who knocked on the door after a garage sale, but when I got home I had to figure out a more permanent way of selling my treasures. Initially the idea was to keep everything for a prop hire company, but a one bedroom apartment comes with certain limitations, and stock piling product was never going to work....

 

Luckily a friend, who had previously given me some amazing advice said

"Just start - don't worry about it being perfect you can change and tweak it as you go - you are great at finding amazing stuff" and told me about the Waverley Antiques and Collectibles Bazaar, where I've now been for over two years... Looking back it seems a hard to believe (for the first time ever) I didn't procrastinate and jumped at the chance to take H6 in the newly opened coolroom...

 

 

I came across these photo's recently, and although a little blurry, are a great reminder that I started with a bookshelf, a couple of white crates, and supportive friends.... 

 

Ten Green Balloons(H6)can still be found in the Cool-room

The Waverley Antiques and Collectables Bazaar

open 7 days a week 10am - 5pm

11a Aristoc Road

Glen Waverley

Ph 03 9560 4284

Just Start

Since deciding to take Ten Green Balloons to the next level(and not quit)I've come across some extremely useful business resources… not necessarily traditional resources, but definitely relatable ones…

Abigail Ahern (my favourite designer / entrepreneur )has recently started a fabulous Biz Column filled with great advice. I guess because Abigail Ahern is someone I already admire (and have met) - I'm going to find her advice beneficial - however advice like  "JUST START" and DON'T WAIT FOR THE LIGHTBULB MOMENT" can be quite powerful...

SO JUST START

  

Looking back Ten Green Balloons started with a Thermos purchased for a dollar from an Op Shop in NZ... Rather than packing it (to bring back to Melbourne), the thermos went into my sister's garage sale… I can still remember my Neice saying "You won't sell that it doesn't even have a lid" and sure it was missing the cup but had the vital part of any good working thermos - its stopper - !!! 

Initially my neice was right it didn't sell in the Garage Sale and looked destined to go into my suitcase until later that day a lady knocked on the door wanting to buy a thermos.... "I'm driving down South tomorrow and can't afford to buy coffee - my friend mentioned you might have a thermos for sale" Well when I sold it for $3 (cheaper than a takeaway coffee) the expression on my Niece's face was priceless.... 

and Ten Green Balloons came to be...... 

 I've resisted collecting Vintage Thermos's - but still smile whenever I see a vintage thermos in an Op Shop, or at the Bazaar….

So I'm going to use that advice now, and START working on taking Ten Green Balloons to the next level - I'm not completely sure what that means yet and what the next level is but writing about it here on the blog is a START..

If you want to read Abigail Ahern's Biz column here is the link
Abigail Ahern's Biz Column 

Dont Quit

Via

Just when I was at a crossroads and uncertain whether to keep working at taking Ten Green Balloons to the next level, I came across this wonderful quote on one of my favourite blogs
Darling be Daring..

Its really helped 

- so -  

I'm going to keep slowly chipping away at it
while remembering how far I've come…

and write about it here on the Ten Green Balloons Blog
hopefully to keep myself motivated, and to inspire others to keep going….

Via

June 2014 Quote

Via