How exciting is inspiration in the old and tired?

How exciting is inspiration in the old and tired?

Last week as summer vacation came to an end for many of my closest teacher friends, we celebrated with a girl’s night on the first day of school with an annual dinner out; to catch up and say goodbye to the lazy days of summer. I can say, my summer has been all but lazy beginning a new business and doing all the things I love.  There’s a Swedish proverb that says “A life without love is like a year without summer.” Well, a few summers back, I found a new love; now one of my many loves. No, it’s not a person; it’s renewing and re-purposing random things into something new again. So, you ask, how does re-purposed junk fit into last week’s dinner plans?

As we dined at Yard House, one of our favorite local hang outs for happy hour at Town Square, I was a bit distracted. With lots going on in my mind, life and business, I had an unusually hard time focusing on some of our conversations. (I was really surprised with where my mind was that night.) It wasn’t until after we made a trip to Yogurt Land, that my brain began to wind down. It wasn’t until we walked into ARTIFACT, that it actually forgot there was even anything to think about. At that moment and for a good hour or so as we shopped, I had mastered life’s chatter.

ARTIFACTis a creative boutique featuring one-of-a-kind, aesthetically pleasing, re-purposed and up-cycled home furnishings, clothing and other unique products. Their eco-conscious offerings are hand crafted by talented local artisans as well as artisans from across the United States. I fell in love with this little boutique. It’s reminiscent of a little place I visited in Laguna Hills a few months back. 

ARTIFACT is also of similar style, to a shop I hope to one day run, at a retreat-style bed and breakfast that supports my dreams of a running a non-profit organization (that is created to empower and ignite the life back into those who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and have given up on living the life of their dreams) To me, giving up on your life and dreams is similar to the old junk we toss into the garage (thinking it will be used again) to one day be sold at a yard sale or donated to the Goodwill, but instead sits and collects dust. An example of this is the old trophies we have won over the years; at ARTIFACT, they are turned into fancy Wine Toppers.

As I browsed the store with two of my friends, I found myself laughing constantly and saying “look at this”, “oh-my gosh; isn’t this cute”, “he/she would love this”, “how much is that”, “did you see this”? If I hadn’t noticed the friendly smile of the woman behind the counter when I picked up some of the greeting cards, I may have never known she was the local artist, HeatherRichileau who created them. We chatted and I asked about their price, and she shared how she was inspired to create them and that all the items in the store have similar stories. 

How exciting, is inspiration in the old and tired? Tonight, at ARTIFACT, there is a champagne and shopping event that starts at 7:00pm to celebrate the accomplishments of HuilinChen, the Junior League of Las Vegas 2014 Fashion Forward Winner as she premiers her fall 2014 collection. Join ARTIFACT and support local artist by frequenting this lovely gift shop and boutique; you will find many one of a kinds. Her designs are unique and exciting she was recently featured in the Las Vegas Review Journal and was noted as the “Whimsy” of Las Vegas.

As I build my blogging, social media and website enhancement business, I know that it is a vehicle that will lead me to my own little gift boutique one day. Currently, without a shop front, I display some of my own artistically repurposed and handcrafted items on my own website www.ArtsyOccasion.com and will build my Etsy shop that will one day be overflowing with one of a kind gifts that will support my bigger goals and when the time is right, all of the pieces will fit into the perfect puzzle, after all, I dreamed it up in a local Life MasteryRetreat (an amazing 2.5 day leadership course). So, as the summer comes to an end, and the evenings turn cool, many of my happy hours will be spent creating and repurposing new artifacts of my own. Enjoy the last days of summer Vegas and check out ARTIFACT and some of the other cool events like First Fridays Downtown, this coming weekend.

Written by Nickel Lowman