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A NH Garden Junker with a show

concretenprimroses
13 years ago

My husband works in the town where this is and picked up her post card announcing her show at a place he ate lunch. "Look its like your things" he said. I'm tempted to go to her show, but she's an hour away, so not sure unless I bring a friend and also go shopping.

I like her business name - Happy Returns. Looks like she has some lovely things.

This brings up the question of junker ettiquette. If I go, I'd be most likely checking out her stuff and prices, but unlikely to buy I've got so much of my own materials (tho you never know!)

So I should probably just swoop in and out don't you think? I have to admit I'm curious!

Check out her site, she's got some pretty things.

Kathy

Here is a link that might be useful: Happy Returns

Comments (24)

  • indylisa
    13 years ago

    I wish I would of found this site before I moved...through away tooo much stuff I could of been creative with.
    Lisa

  • toomuchglass
    13 years ago

    YES - go !! Please oooh & ahh at her stuff ,too - she's one of us ! Once you shmoozed enough .... turn the conversation around to what kind of glue she uses & if those tall ones have a rod running through them . LOL
    ( Crafters are always nosey ) Her stuff is awesome -- on the level of OUR STUFF I'd say :)

  • rafor
    13 years ago

    Oooooh she's right up the road from me so I have to go! I am considering opening a similar sort of business in the near future (after I get my glass garden house built) so I'm curious if there is much of a market for this sort of thing around here. I love to shop at places like that but haven't found any interesting garden shops in this area.

  • aka_strawberrygoat
    13 years ago

    well, don't feel guilty at all...maybe she's willing to put things on consignment for you.

  • lizzardly
    13 years ago

    By all means go. You never know, it could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Or maybe her place will go gangbusters and you could work out a franchise deal since she's an hour away. :) Hey you never know...

  • concretenprimroses
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Hey rayfor, I didn't know you are in NH! I thought I was the only one.
    Kathy

  • Marlene Kindred
    13 years ago

    Heck yeah....GO!! You should tell her about us too!

  • nanagrandma
    13 years ago

    Well isn't it like what we do create and post and get ideas from our fellow "junkers" actually "artists" and put our own twist to it. Go ahead and go and see what a fellow junker is doing. Have fun!!

    Nanagrandma

  • rafor
    13 years ago

    concrete: I just moved here from Oregon. I'm in Pembroke on Rt 3 - the big green colonial just north of the Getty station. That's why I'm so close to where this sale is going to be in Concord. Just started my glass house, got the foundation in last weekend. Uprights and roof are the plan for this weekend and then fitting all my collected windows in place for the walls. Where are you?

  • Calamity_J
    13 years ago

    I say go check it out! I bet she already lurks here...lol!!! I posted a couple of web sites here and the "owners" were not happy, as they thought I was trying to steal their ideas, but really, I only want to make stuff like theirs(or any garden art I like) as I don't have the money to pay other people to make this stuff...so I gather the materials and make it myself!

  • jeannespines
    13 years ago

    Wow..."Happy Returns" looks like she's visited our GJ site! Lots of wonderful items! If you go, I would like to know how she puts bowls on the birdbaths, cause she says you can take them off to dump them. Tell here that this GJer enjoyed her blog! TFS, crete! Have fun! Jeanne s.

  • luna_llena_feliz
    13 years ago

    I love those 3 French hens! I say go spy on her and report back to us on what you find. lol! She sure has some purdy stuff!

  • concretenprimroses
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Rafor, I am in Lebanon. My dh works in Concord.
    Your glass house sounds like an ambitious project!
    You should check out the New England Gardening forum. I don't know how many plants you brought with you, but there is a big plant swap west of Manchester on Sunday June 6, if you need some for your new house. Here is the link.
    Its kind of far from me, but I may go. I attended it a few years ago and had a good time, got some nice plants.
    Kathy

    Here is a link that might be useful: New hampshire plant swap

  • sunnyca_gw
    13 years ago

    Happy Returns has a nice assortment of items! Should be fun day & maybe you can meet a fellow junker or 2! Go for it!! Jan

  • texann
    13 years ago

    When I was in Michigan recently for the Holland Tulip Festival, they had an arts and craft fair in the park. Several vendors were selling the glass totems on a stake similar to those Happy Returns has on her website. Other similar items too like the birdbaths/feeders. I really liked the idea of putting the totems on stakes at different heights. They used an upside down bud vase for the bottom piece to fit over the copper (or other metal) pipe. I also liked some art that had been done on old windows. I was very curious about the glue so I asked what they used to hold up in the weather. The best answer I got is "I mix two glues together." They would not tell me exactly which tho. And ideas? I am always a little nervous about mixing anything chemical but sure would like to have a better idea for gluing. Silicone slips and slips till it sets up and I sure would like to know of something that sets up faster and is still weather proof.

    Anne

  • lamb716
    13 years ago

    Anne,
    I've always relied on E6000 to glue my glass together. It sets up rather quickly. I'll glue a few pcs., go back a few hours later & glue some more. It has a terrible odor though! I've never tried GEII only because I've been happy w/the E6000.

  • clc70
    13 years ago

    When i want to duplicate someone elses ideas I often buy one of their items as a pattern. That way I have an actual copy there to look at and figure out how it was done. That way I don't feel as if I have stolen their idea. After all, I paid for it!

  • spedigrees z4VT
    13 years ago

    Just wondering if you other New England ladies are (still) planning to attend this show. I wish it were closer, but Concord is about a two hour drive for me, and also this weekend is pretty much filled up for me. It would be fun sometime for us New England garden junkers to get together, esp since there are so few of us!

    I love this woman's chicken sculpture and would be sorely tempted to buy one, but it appears that this is a singular piece and the rest of her stuff is glass.

  • rafor
    13 years ago

    Well I went to her show. Nice garden and setting for her display. The chicken totem was not for sale and that's the one everyone loved! I've see those hens somewhere before and just need to remember where :) Prices ranged from $45 for the smallest totems (maybe 3 small pieces high) up to $225 for the 2 large ceramic ones that had 8-10 pieces. Saw sold stickers on 3 of the smaller $50 totems. There were maybe 15-20 people there when I went. Interesting to see what others create and it was eye-opening to see her prices!

  • spedigrees z4VT
    13 years ago

    Thanks Rafor for the details. I figured her items would be rather pricey since she presented them in an art show. It was a nice day for the event, lots of sun to make the glass sparkle.

    If she do come across the hens that she used for her triple chicken stake, let us know!

  • coppertop367
    13 years ago

    WOW gals! you can find out info quick! She does have some nice things, but the chicken thingy in my fav...if you find info, let us know....

  • mbetts
    13 years ago

    This is amazing! Liz, the woman who held this show in New Hampshire is my friend, and I was there at the show all afternoon yesterday. It was great! She had refreshments, door prizes, t-shirts, balloons--she even had a 4-piece jazz band playing on the porch! She's been working on this stuff for a while, and this was her "launch." She really threw herself into it.
    I hadn't ever seen this type of stuff until she introduced me to it, and now I see that all of you on this forum are doing it too. Fabulous!
    Anyway, the event was a great success. There must have been two or three hundred people who showed up, and I think she sold about half of her pieces. It's a good thing that it's fun and a creative outlet for her, 'cause it's a heck of a lot of work. We'll see what she does next. Meanwhile, it's really quite a thrill to see so many of you showing interest.
    mbetts

  • concretenprimroses
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Well that's good to know. Those of us who sell (not me, not yet anyway) should be careful not to undersell ourselves.
    Thanks for the reports rachel and mbetts.
    I'm wondering how mbetts found us since she hadn't heard of totems except thru her friend. Just curious.
    Kathy

  • rafor
    13 years ago

    I just went back to her website and found that if you go through and look at the individual pics it shows you which ones sold. Unfortunately she never posted prices, so that info is not there even for the sold ones. Just thought everyone might be interested!