What are we doing??

What we are doing at University Pickers is pretty simple.

We are striving to be surrounded by people who are positive, appreciative, up-lifting and supportive; to be surrounded by people who committed to their job/hobby, who work their space, and help to promote University Pickers and all who are a part of it; and we want to ensure that we keep UP a fun, exciting, friendly atmosphere for you, our customers, to be able to come to and shop just to relax, create, imagine and enjoy.  We do our best to bring to Huntsville local arts and crafts, fun vintage finds and antiques, home decor and furniture, jewelry and so much more.  We even now offer lines of paint, sold by caring people willing to help, which is made specifically for furniture that even a beginner can begin transforming their own space.

For me personally, University Pickers has become a place where I can spend time with my retired father, who I often refer to as "daddy's creations," who just started getting into pickin' and creating since the creation of UP.  He brings his finds down from Nashville when he visits, along with my Mother, who has,what we believe, is early stages of Alzheimers and dementia.  This time together is more precious to me than any amount of money University Pickers could ever make me.  I personally don't think either of us really cares if a single thing of his sells, or even if people like it (although apparently you do, because he keeps on coming back and having to restock, so THANK YOU!) His being at University Pickers is a whole lot more important than money, at least to me.  I'd secretly buy up his entire booth by myself if that's what it took to keep him coming back to visit. You see, when you shop at University Pickers, you are allowing me to have this precious time with my father and mother. It brings tears to my eyes.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

For many others, University Pickers has provided an additional source of income, and even for some (probably more like "most,") it's become a therapeutic outlet.

Some days I wish University Pickers had unlimited space where I could fit ALL of you in with your creations and artwork to share with the world.  Unfortunately, 8,000 sq ft poses limits on us....but word of mouth, the internet, Facebook does not!  SHARE yours and others creations with the world!  Don't be afraid and step out!  You will never, ever believe or can imagine what kind of blessings it will bring into your life as long as you keep positive and stay focused on YOUR blessings (and not others.)

In the end, I think what makes University Pickers so special is the people behind it...the stories...and the love poured into each piece that's brought through the door for whatever reason.

Thank you for your continued support of University Pickers. Huntsville rocks.




 







 

Let it go...

Let it go... By T. D. Jakes 

There are people who can walk away from you. 
And hear me when I tell you this! 
When people can walk away from You: let them walk. 


I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you,
loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you,
staying attached to you. 

I mean hang up the phone. 

When people can walk away from you let them walk. 
Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left. 

The bible said that, they came out from us
that it might be made manifest that they were not for us.
For had they been of us, 
no doubt they would have continued with us. [1 John 2:19] 


People leave you because they are not joined to you. 
And if they are not joined to you, you can't make them stay. 


Let them go. 

And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person
it just means that their part in the story is over 
And you've got to know when people's part in your story is over
so that you don't keep trying to raise the dead. 

You've got to know when it's dead. 
You've got to know when it's over... 

Let me tell you something.I've got the gift of good-bye.
It's the tenth spiritual gift, I believe in good-bye.


It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm faithful, 
and I know whatever God means for me to have 
He'll give it to me.


And if it takes too much sweat I don't need it.Stop begging people to stay. 
Let them go!! 

If you are holding on to something that doesn't belong to you
and was never intended for your life,then you need to........ LET IT GO!!! 

If you are holding on to past hurts and pains ...... 
LET IT GO!!! 

If someone can't treat you right,
love you back, and see your worth..... 
LET IT GO!!! 

If someone has angered you ........ 
LET IT GO!!! 

If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge...... 
LET IT GO!!! 


If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction..... 
LET IT GO!!! 


If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents 
LET IT GO!!! 

If you have a bad attitude......... LET IT GO!!! 
If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better...... LET IT GO!!! 
If you're stuck in the past and God is trying to take you to a new level in Him...... LET IT GO!!! 
If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship....... LET IT GO!!! 
If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help themselves..... LET IT GO!!! 
If you're feeling depressed and stressed ......... LET IT GO!!! 
If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling yourself
and God is saying "take your hands off of it," then you need to...... LET IT GO!!! 
Let the past be the past.
Forget the former things.
GOD is doing a new thing!!! LET IT GO!!! 
Get Right or Get Left ...
think about it,
and then ... LET IT GO!!! 
"The Battle is the Lord's!"

God gives opportunities..

Sometimes inspiration hits ya when you're least expecting it and in the strangest of places.  Tonight, it's while laying in bed at a Holiday Inn with Evan Almighty playing in the background.

It hit me faster than drawing an eleven at a blackjack table....

I've always believed you shouldn't pray to God for something that you can do for yourself and/or for others, and that's about as far as I processed that thought.  I also have always believed my daddy's advice to never pass up an opportunity.  I just didn't know exactly why it was that important of advice.

Until I heard Morgan Freeman's voice in the background...

God: Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?-   Quote from 2007 movie, Evan Almighty

What opportunities have you been given, perhaps even ignoring,  to have your prayers answered?

Sometimes God's answer to a prayer IS the window.

Life before Pinterest...

"Junkin'," like most people who do this as a hobby, started out for me as pure necessity.  When I hit 18, I was out the door and straight into college and living the Dixie Chick song verbatim as dad yelled "check the oil," as I drove off in my green CRV (which I had slept in overnight on more than one occassion) to the Smokey Mountain area for college.

I come from a very modest upbringing, and I came to appreciate hand-me-downs early on as a child.  It never has been embarassing to me to wear, buy or take seconds.  I have never truly known any other way of living.  In fact, my sister and I used the phrase "GS Fashions" quite a lot growing up when asked, "where'd you get that???"  We'd coyly respond, "GS Fashions, and only $2 bucks!"  (I'll let you figure out what GS Fashions means.)

I was never made fun of in school, at least for my "look." Perhaps my mother was a really good "picker" back then or everyone else was just as poor as we were and just never noticed! 

After I got my first "home" while in college, I remember feeling so overwhelmed and grateful when my co-workers at my 2nd job said I could have their couch and loveseat if I could figure out a way to haul it. I remember thinking, how could they possibly afford to get rid of such nice pieces of furniture? It was an added bonus that they threw in the coffee table that had been sitting in their garage.  I got it home and took lots of pictures and called my buddies and made them drive over to check out my new living room set up.  It was a pull out sofa, and I would use the mattress several times a year to put in the back of my CRV and go camping for the weekend and eat fresh Trout caught with kernels of corn from a can at a tiny campground out in East Tennessee called Citico (sp?!)

Later, I remember feeling very accomplished as I went to a local bar and asked them if I could have their bottle caps, and then went to Home Depot by myself for the first time and picked up a small container of grout, and later came home and adhered the caps to my little coffee table. 

My full size bed that I slept on for years sat simply on a metal bed frame with a stiff as a board mattress that my parents gifted me as a birthday present.  I remember staring at the stark white wall behind my bed and daydreaming for hours of how I could make an inexpensive headboard. So, one day at a thrift store, I picked up 12 colorful vintage mens neckties and stapled them into a board and put a cute quote that I didn't entirely understood what it meant that a girlfriend helped me pick out.  It said: 

"Life is something to do when you can't get to sleep."  

For bedding, I used mixed matched vintage sheets and pillow cases that I found at the thrift store.  I'd triple wash them and use Downy softner.  I remember the satiny feel of the broken in pillowcases on my face.  My mother let me "borrow" a white vintage coverlet and waa-laaa, I had a "coordinating" bedroom.  

This all was in a tiny 1 bedroom duplex with no washer/dryer hookup.  The stove was avocado green.  Rent was $300 a month, and I was not allowed pets.  So, I went and snuck in "Charlie," a solid gray rabbit, who was litterbox trained, hardly made any noise, and easily stuffable into a box just in case the landlord decided to stop by.  I just needed something breathing along with me in the little box I was living in.

Instead of buying photo boxes, I'd recycle shoe boxes and modpodge fabric or paper around them.  I made my own photo frames by glueing old buttons that I had been given to a piece of poster board and use a paperclip to hang it on the wall.  One of my most prized pieces of furniture was my $10 vintage chair that I ripped all the fabric off and reupholstered into a tiger print and black crushed velvet.  I remember being shocked how much fabric cost and I hoarded coupons.  My $10 chair quickly turned into a $50 chair after supplies, and I quickly learned a valuable lesson.  It sat horribly. I had no idea how to attach the back cushion to the chair, so I didn't.  When you'd sit down, the cushion would whap you upside the back of the head, but it was mine.

Back then, there was no Pinterest.  These ideas came from wanting more for myself and surrounding myself with what came from my own heart. Things came from people who loved me and wanted to give me a good start. Decor came from being resourceful and creative.

Fast forward 15 years to now, I get a little giggle to see how upcycling has taken off.  I absolutely love, love, love it.  It is so much fun to share "my way of life" with a group of other people who either have lived the same way for years OR are now discovering the pure joy of making something out of nothing.  

I've observed as people jump off the "bandwagon" as quickly as they got on, and I've observed as some people are beginning to truly discover theirselves and their gifts as they begin to dip their toes into things such as chalk paint.  Many are developing new, amazing friendships and relationships in this process.  Some are celebrating in the joy that they finally "fit in" with the masses.  Being one of a kind and resourceful is now "hip!"  After all, who really wants a piece of furniture anymore that just anyone can walk into the store, and as long as they have good credit, order it just to  pay for it for the next 7 years that just came out of a cardboard box??  No!!!  We want to pay CASH and have something that's going to last awhile and make our homes feel warm and loved.

Anyways, critism, and there's plenty, regarding University Pickers just honestly bounces off of me.  I just want to continue to promote people's gifts and their talents and share the joy and love of it all.  Unfortunately, some people are in it to make a quick buck, and that's okay because that's life.  It's very easy to identify those people.  They often steal other's ideas and creativity and then go on to critize other people's talents.  

For me personally, University Pickers is not a "trend."  Chevron is a trend.  And, I hope you can see from my rambling story that upcycling, recycling, junkin'....  it's truly a way of life! 

Granny's Kitchen

I have a crystal clear image of my Granny's kitchen.  She always had ice cold Lemonade made in the fridge with a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch sitting on the top and a canister of Tang in the cub bard.   My cousin and I each had our very own Strawberry Shortcake glass, reserved especially for us.  She made THE BEST cheesy potatoes that never have been duplicated since.  When the family would sit together around her little farm table, the potatoes would be in a covered dish the shape of a potato and cream of corn in a dish the shape of a ear of corn.   This corn did not come from a can, but instead her garden.  The boys of the family would go pick the ears of corn, the kids would shuck the corn, and the ladies would sit under her carport and with long, sharp knifes, slice the corn.  Inside the home,  she had a little room off the side of the kitchen where she did laundry, but also, where the deep freezer was hidden.  Inside, without fail, you could find Popsicles.

After 9/11/01, I remember driving down the road and the image of her kitchen popping up in my mind. I missed my grandma so much and the stability that box of cereal brought to my life.

Sometimes I wonder if "being a picker" is a way of chasing that memory...that long ago lost feeling of comfort and stability.  Rotary phones, pastel Tupperware, cork boards with pinned up pictures and phone numbers and stamps, Wheel of Fortune, China Cabinets filled to the brim with odds and ends of different pieces of glassware, rows and rows of Daffodils....awww, all so comforting.

Fast forward to our current generation. Is it stability that they are missing?  At times when the world feels uncertain, where's your happy place?  All I have to do sometimes to make the world feel right again is look at a picture of my granny.

Top 10 Leadership Lessons

Well, we just about did it!  University Pickers will be open 6 months June 5th.  What an absolute whirlwind it has been.  It's been amazing to watch people's dreams turn into fruition and succeed.  And just like anything "new" that enters into the world from the ground up, there's going to be ups and downs.  We've hand's down had much, much more UPs than downs.  God is GOOD!

Top 10 Leadership Lessons I've learned this year:

1) Surround yourself with GREAT people.  People who can look you in your eyes and people who you can TRUST.

2)  Always have a VISION and know the answer to these 3 questions:  1) WHAT are we doing?  2) WHY are we doing it?  3) WHERE do I fit in?  [advice from Andy Stanley]

3)  Set clear boundaries and stick to them, otherwise, a vision can easily be lost in chaos.

4)  Everybody is replacable in business.

5)  Know your competition, but don't fear them.

6)  There is such a thing as "necessary endings."  Know when it's time to prune the bush!

7)  Do not leave your Christianity in the parking lot.

8)  BIGGER is not always better.

9)  Ask for opinions.  Take suggestions.  Listen to concerns.  Make decisions based on what's right for the business and supports the long-term vision.

10)  Value diversity!!!

What makes you happy?

Back in 2001, I received my associates degree in English.  It took me 3 years to accomplish after spending my first year at MTSU in Tennessee studying everything except my school work.  I had just had my first real heart break, so I dabbled in everything my momma warned me about and told me not too.  I remember as the year was ending, sitting in my bunk bed and having the thoughts, "this is not the path that I have chosen for you."  I knew I could not go back to that place.  

The next 2 years, I lived with the 'rents, studying at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tenn. and worked full time as a Dept. Supervisor for Toys R Us.  When I received my diploma, I knew quitting college was not an option.  So I began the quest of searching for where I'd spend the next chapter of my life.

I sat down with a piece of paper and tried to write out exactly what it was that I loved to do.  Medicine? Nope.  Law?  Too confusing.  Teacher? Maybe. But what do you love??  Eventually, somewhere deep inside of me, I knew what I wanted to do was to pursue writing.  My bedroom floor was surrounded by journals I had kept as a kid.  I had filled notebooks with one-liners and random "words" (not complete sentences.) Writing made me happy.  It kept me honest.  It kept me sane.

There was a voice, however, that I could hear clear as day in my head saying, "You shouldn't be in this class.  You are not good enough."  That voice was my high school AP English teacher.  I hate to say it, but on that summer day, I gave her the one finger salute and began searching for degrees in what I loved to do: writing.

That's when I discovered Maryville College, located right on the cusp of the Great Smokey Mountains, one of my favorite places on earth.  It was like I could hear the angels sing when I discovered they offered a degree in Writing Communications.  It's been 10 years since I graduated, and yes, I'm still paying off my college loan from that little gem of a school; however, I accomplished something bigger than finishing my degree.  I made my first big decision to do what I loved.  Somewhere about half way through accomplishing it, I received word and what I felt was confirmation that my old high school AP teacher was no longer teaching but stocking greeting cards at a corner store.  Karma.  

My senior year at this school, we all were required to take a Senior Seminar class.  The classes offered were not relevant to any particular degree but was required.  I signed up for "Seminar of Happiness," which was taught by a Buddhist.  For a complete semester, we read books and philosophies from different philosophers such as Aristotle ("Happiness depends on our self.") to Voltaire ("What is called happiness is an abstract idea, composed of various ideas of pleasure; for he who has but a moment of pleasure is not a happy man, in like manner that a moment of grief constitutes not a miserable one.")

At the end of the course, our final exam was to write a letter to our "future child," giving them our words of wisdom of "how to be happy."  Somewhere tucked away in a dusty, cob-webbed box, after 6 moves later, I still have that letter.

Fast forward now, 10 years and a multitude of life experiences later, I think I have about whittled down a 5 page letter into 1 sentence:

Happiness is doing what you love; seeing the value in others and serving them; loving someone more than yourself; accepting people are merely human; being involved in something bigger than your inner circle; creating something whether it is art, life or ideas; giving more than you take; being a contributor and not a contaminator in relationships; and loving and serving God.

Good luck to all this week as we all journey the "pursuit of happiness."  May we all give the one-finger salute to that voice who is telling you "you're not good enough."  God bless!