As you know I volunteer at the local op shop and I adore every moment I am there. What I love is that we all have different areas that become our wee domains. There is someone who does all the bedding, another who is all about sewing projects. We have another lady who is really clever at finding out about some of the older and potentially valuable items that make their way to the store. She puts them up for sale on websites and she brings in more money than the rest of us combined.
I worked there a few weeks learning the ropes and then one day I asked if I could do a window and a love affair was born. I love the challenge of it – we are a second-hand store and so our stock is not shiny and new. It’s easy to make a stunning window display with beautiful things but I need to do it with objects other people have discarded.
A couple of months ago I had a really bad “head day” which is my way of saying I woke up with a particularly foggy brain. I hope you know what I mean when I say that there are some days where you feel that getting of bed was your first mistake and then it’s all downhill from there. I was in my car and really struggling but I was also trying to think of a way to make the day better and so I drove to the op shop.
I spent the next two hours creating a window and on that particular day it was exactly what I needed. It’s something creative, it does not tax my wee brain and to be honest it’s also a solitary job which is what I need on days where my words are all jumbled.
I rarely use the till anymore because I was struggling with adding things up but - can I find all the red and black things in the store and make a window out of it – yes, I can!
The day I did a Facebook post about my blog Nelly the op shop manager posted it on a local site with the words “we got you” and they really do. Its such a safe place for all us weirdos to play in and thats because of the boss. It all flows down the stream in my humble opinion.
I love sculptures and if you ever visit my home, you will find lots of them dotted about the house. I was playing around with some clay, the kind you bake in the oven and I created a wee angel that I was really thrilled with.
I then had an idea about how I could share these angels with others.
I put my wee angels in a see-through bag along with a card that reads “Hi – I'm a Hope Angel who can live in your pocket or you can pass me along to someone who needs me. Everyone can use an angel in their pocket!”
They sit in a jar next to the till and because they are free, I am constantly replacing them. Again, it’s just a small creative thing that gives me pleasure.
If you are a local – come down and get your own hope angel and I guarantee that you will also find something you didn’t know you wanted.
We ban the word “need” in our store – we are all about “wants” (at incredibly good prices!).