Pinkapalooza! Poetic revenge on the ex-in-law :)

This post will probably be vastly different than the others.  That is mainly because I don't normally do this type of thing.  Please trust that I was driven to this, and this took many months of belittling and bullying to get me to this point.  

You see, I used to tend this ranch.  I would feed 3 horses, 20+ chickens, and 6 dogs daily.  For next to no money.  Not only that, but I never even received a thank you.  The woman who owns this ranch is my ex-boyfriend's mother (Lets call her Ms. Know It All).  So i'm sure you can understand how awkward that was.  

During our relationship, this woman would constantly make snarky comments about me.  She would make comments while I wasn't around (To people who like me, like they wouldn't immediately tell me).  She would intentionally leave coconut soap, drinks, lotions, etc. around the house.  Knowing fuly well I am deathly allergic.  I thought that was super sweet of her.

After her dog ripped down the first chicken coop I built, she not only blamed me for the chicken massacre that followed, but refused to acknowledge she has a dangerous dog, or to say anything remotely positive.  Please bear in mind the only reason i built this coop was because she had an entire full grown flock of chickens (12+ at the time) in a container no bigger than a dog kennel.  It was cruel.  This 100lb dog also made an attempt to bite my daughter just a month before.  

Now -- to add insult to injury, this Rhodesian Ridge-back has tasted blood.  Ms. Know It All has cost chickens' their lives twice because of her lack of compassion and/or research.  She put two roosters together and then went out of town, knowing fully well myself and my kid would be there in the morning to take over for her while she left state.  So my daughter woke to one almost dead rooster that I had to kill with a hammer shortly after.  That same rooster, my daughter had raised from a chick.
 He hadn't yet passed yet when we arrived.  The other members of the flock were pulling and tugging at his innards.  I don't know how the poor guy was still kickin'.  I had to put the innocent animal out of its misery with a fucking hammer.  I had no choice but to cowgirl the fuck up and murder a defenseless animal because Ms. Know It All is an irresponsible pet owner. 

  And my 9 year old daughter was exposed to that type of thing for a completely avoidable incident.  Putting an adolescent with a full grown rooster?  For really reals lady...? Some people should not breed.  Yup - I said it.

She made multiple comments about my (then) current boyfriend's Ex Wife's Breast Cancer.  Ms. Know It All openly talked about how she thought Ex Wife was lying.  Because so many people put themselves through chemo for funsies.  You insensitive bitch.  To add insult to injury, Breast cancer tuns rampant in my family, my own mother being a survivor.  Some people really should think before speaking.

I wish I was making this shit up....I wish....

Because this woman made me feel like a piece of dirt, worthless, useless, defenseless, and weak...I decided to grab the proverbial bull by the horns.  So the last time I watched her ranch so she could go on a month long binder, I got smart.  Any and everything I fixed, or brought onto the property, I painted.  some of it even got a touch of glitter :) After all, a couple of months before, she had made a nasty comment about how i should paint the stables.  For free.  Yeah right lady. 

I'll cut the bashing there.  The real reason for this post was to show off the Fabulous Pinktopia!!  Now Ms. Know It All can be reminded of her hatred every time she steps out of her house :)  The pictures don't quite do it justice.  There is a whole lot of pink going on at that house.  It's amazing.  It's like Tinkerbell threw up everywhere.

Never bite the hand that feeds you.  When someone is willing to bend over backwards to help you ,to train your horses, to look after your house/garden/animals, at least be cordial.  Don't make it a miserable experience for everyone around you.

Without further ado, I present to you...Pinktopa:

This is the beginning.  I got a little excited and painted my display table too.

I had to add support beams everywhere.  The structure was built poorly, and is not kept up with.  Ms. Know It All's horse kicks the beams out all the time.

The new and improved chicken coop :)  Sturdy enough to protect the chickens from a horrible pet owner.

Did I mention that I build the bitch a round pen for her horses, too?

Had to make sure to get the fire pit too!  I really hope she likes pink :) 

I almost forgot the best part!!!

I know this post seems very hate filled and harsh.  That's because it is.  Six months of killing myself to please a woman who still hated me.  Hated me because she carried over baggage from her son's past relationships. The above stories are not even a sliver of the tip of the iceberg. 

 I still don't believe a lot of it happened, but it did.  If there is any interest, I can discuss it further, or provide a copy of my follow up email to Ms.Know It All :-)  I am quite proud of that one.

Online tips for sellers :)

Okay.... so this is along the same lines as my flea market/yard sale tips post. I have sold one item on Etsy, so i'm far from pro status.  I have a little better track record with eBay, but not by  much. That being said, I have noticed a few things, as well as having to learn some of them the hard way.  After all, I'm known for being a hard worker, not necessarily a smart worker.   

If I miss anything, or there is something you would like to add, please don't hesitate.  We all could use some more wrinkles in our brain :D

When selling multiple things at once, make sure you have a measuring tape, piece of paper & a pen, a decent(ish) camera, and some white fabric or poster-board.  It can be time consuming posting your goodies online, so it's sometimes best to do it this way.  Might as well kill a whole flock with one stone.

Make sure to use any features the website you choose has.  For example, Etsy allows you to add tags to your item.  If you are selling golf balls, you would add "golf" as a tag, and so on.  This becomes useful for potential buyers who use search engines in lieu of going directly to the online retailer.  Make sure to familiarize yourself with the websites.  You'd be surprised the crap they have available to you.

Use the white fabric or cardboard as a backdrop and flooring for your makeshift display. This little detail will help more than some people realize.  Added bonus points:  Take a white piece of paper or fabric and place it in various spots around the item you're photographing.  See what looks best.

Here is a link to a pretty solid how-to video.  Eventually I will make my own youtube channel.  Eventually. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9llanMIFBLQ

Make sure to take accurate measurements of your items.  Most people want to know the size of whatever they are buying. Make sure to add any extra details about the item that you can think of, anything you would want to know about something before buying it.  Some sites will advise you to list as little information as possible, but that's shady practice in my opinion.  People see right through that shit anyways.  

Finally, read the fine print.  Most sites want a fee of some sort. Some are more fair than others.  If the item you are selling is cheap, or even if it is expensive, it may not be worth selling on one particular site. Check around :)

To take a peek at my weenie Etsy store, here's the linky-poo:  Etsy.com/Junky.Jenius 

*Note:  I haven't updated my Etsy store in far too long.  I need to level up.*

Shameless Facebook plug:  Facebook.com/Junky.Jenius

My first client!

So I have my first custom-order client.  Super awesome happy funtime!  

Or something....

I am terrified.  He wants me to make or refurbish two side tables for his living room.  He has an amazing sense of style too.  He likes old west and desert decor, and there is not one item out of place in his home.  

 So i've gone yardsailing, cruised craigslist and Etsy, and still nothing.  I need something specific.  Problem is, I don't know what I need yet.  But when I see it, I'll know.  Right?

Story Developing.... 



Here are the first two phases we've done on the side tables from my living room, lol.  We received new side tables and it just so happened  they fit the specs i needed!!  WEWTNESS!
 
I'm not done yet, tonight we apply the first coat of stain :) I like them so far! 

After I took a torch to them.  Who doesn't like playing with fire, after all?  ;)

Here is what they look like after the 17 gajillion coats of stain and sealer :)  I love the final product!!!  I hope my client does too :D  Who said Blondes have more fun??

The client loves them!!

  

My handsome horse, Trophy

Meet the love of my life, Trophy.  Trophy is a 15 year old Quarter Horse gelding, who came to me with huge confidence and trust issues.  He was scared and defeated.  

The second I saw him I knew he was mine.  

And I was his.

I love this goofy picture of him.  He's so stinkin' cute!

It took a solid two months of every day lovin's and affection just to bond with Trophy.  Once that bond happened, I knew.  I felt it deep in my soul. 

Something had happened to Trophy before I got him.  14 years is a long time, who knows what he's seen.  What he's been through.  Those days are now behind him, and I think he is finally starting to see that.  

He's always sticking his tongue out.  He can be a diva sometimes.

After months and months of constant trust and confidence building exercises, I was able to ride my horse for the first time without fear of having my face ripped off.  He has thrown me so many times I started to question my horse training abilities.  I have been around horses my entire life.  

Now that he is the amazing animal he is, I am not only proud, but in love with my amazing little Quarter Horse.  So many people wanted to give up on him, and a lot of them did.  But I knew he could be the horse he is today.  

This is one of my favorite pictures of Trophy :)

Great Gift Ideas for the frugal Crafter!

Since my money tree was cut down by the man, i've had to get creative many times with everything from birthday to Christmas gifts.  In my experience, something hand made is more appreciated than something absentmindedly purchased at a store.   So here's some stuff made out of stuff!   Feel free to add your ideas!  The more the merrier!!

Misc. web gems - Cool ideas and craftty crap!

Made from old magazines and a coffee can :)

Great party idea!!  Use flour, a stencil or two, and your minions :)

Here are some random things I've found across the webiverse.  It's more less a Jenius way of keeping all these pictures off of my hard drive.  No one reads this anyways, lol.  I have toes.  I like ponies.  Frogs are green.

Learn from yesterday,

Live for today,

Hope for tomorrow.

-Albert Einstein