wooly eggs...

just received another box of hand crafted creations from my mom.  these are easter eggs she covered with bits of sweater, lace and braid.  this was taken this morning, and the basket is half empty now at the end of the day.  price $2.50 each

here's the smaller version.  found just the right display piece as i was going thru my easter decorations.  the little bunny is half empty now also.  i've already placed an order for more eggs as they're so unique i want to keep them in the store year round.  price $1.50 each

setting up shop...

as usual, i'm gettng the cart ahead of the horse.  but i couldn't resist getting something in the window to start a display.  and what better than this old cream and green wood cook stove.  the plaster is all knocked off the ceiling, lathe exposed and after a coat of thinned down elmer's glue is sprayed on, hopefully not too much of the chinking will fall out and hit people in the head.  

july 4th is the target date for opening, but as my to do list grows and grows, that might be pushing it. 

check back in from time to time and see how i'm progressing.

blast from the past...

another great piece left in the hotel. once we got the old victrola uncovered and opened up, it just took a few cranks and we were listening to some old tunes from the 40's. 

great old records!

we found a whole box of brand new records in the original shipping box from sears and roebucks under a chair.  this has been a most unusual treasure hunt.  we've found pieces of linen sets, dish and glassware sets strung from top to bottom between the hotel, antique store and plumbing shop.  some great antique wool comforters were found in a trash bag down in the plumbing shop.  i dropped them off at the dry cleaners yesterday and they assured me they would look good as new when cleaned. 

with each new discovery, it's like looking through a window into the past and trying to imagine what life was like in the early days of the Olympia Hotel.  for now we just keep working to get it reopened.  there will be time for more research later.

she's at it again...

just received a new shipment of my mom's custom made skirts.  they're adorable!  they're one of kind 'marriages' between jean skirts and hippy skirts.  i don't know how she does it, but each new skirt is better than the previous one as i'm pulling them out of the box.   

    

 and for only $25, they're a real bargain!

pimp my ironing board...

with an abundance of old ironing boards on hand, i decided to turn them into displays.  they're a little hard to see, need to remove some retail stuff from the lower shelving.  but with the aid of old tool trays, wire baskets, fencing and hooks, they turned into a great display area for all the marigold items i've been collecting for the past year.  it took me all day to get it put together and heaved up onto the wall.  that's the way it usually goes when my better half is out of town.  it would've taken him less than an hour to complete it.  needs more work, but after several hours up and down a very tall ladder...well, i'll think about it tomorrow.

more digging, more stuff...

these old signs were found in a pile of lumber.  looks like they were on the way to being kindling for a good warm fire in the wood stove. 

beds galore.  they probably all came from up above in the hotel.  i'll say one thing for the past owners, they were hoarders...thankfully !

i'm just sure if i plug the television in, i love lucy will be on.  hate to admit this, but i can remember watching a similar tv as a kid.  the chest on the left is in need of some tlc, but will make a great piece up in the hotel.  each day brings new discoveries...which also add to the work load.  but how can i complain, it's all a labor of love!

time travel...

with a little spare time on my hands today (how often does that happen?) i decided to browse the online denver public library photo archive.  in my never ending quest to find photo's of the hotel, i was thrilled to find several!

the year is 1904.  this is indicated by the mob of miners in front of the union hall, just to the left of hotel and plumbing store.  a dry goods store and shoe store occupy the lower level of the hotel.  not much can be seen as to what occupies the plumbing store.

although more of the miners union hall is visible, there's just enough of olympia furnished rooms sign on the upper side of hotel to identify it.  the plumbing store still isn't giving up any clues.

with this picture, the other end of painted sign is visible and the barber shop is identified as oak barber shop.  plus...the word 'the' and 3 letters, 'bru...' on the front of plumbing store really have my inquiring mind begging for more information!

this one is taken mid century, 40's - 50's?  it's a shot up north 4th street with the victor hotel first and then the olympia...now sporting a billiard, pool hall?

a little work on ancestry may afford some more clues.  but for now, these pictures from the past are making me so happy!

some assembly required...

what started as a simple his/her project of assembling a set of lockers for the hotel bathroom led to an idea for a great new reality show.  it would be called 'some assembly required'.  competing couples would be given the same project to assemble.  slowest couple gets voted off.  each week the project would get harder with more vague instructions.  we found ourselves pretending we were the contestants as we were assembling the locker by goading each other that the 'other' couples were getting ahead of us.  it sure made the 'testy' project of working together go alot smoother!  we actually did a good job, didn't have to backtrack one time like we usually do.  just hate when that happens!