Hello World!

Hello and welcome to my little blog! Here’s a little story behind the inspiration of my website, this blog and my boutique.

I’ve always wanted to start my own blog, but never had the time or content ideas until now. You see, my mom had the case of the clutter-bug. She held on to EVERTHING. Packrat, that’s the word I’m looking for. So, when she passed away a year ago today, we finally had realized how much STUFF we had just crammed into our little 1400 sq. ft home. I mean, I knew we had a lot of stuff, but we never realized how much stuff Mom stuffed into little corners and cabinets and closets everywhere throughout the house. It took me literally every weekend for six months to go through and shred all of the envelopes and piles of paper that she saved. We had a suitcase that weighed nearly 80 lbs filled with mostly black fabric that she never used, over 300 purses and wallets, and half a garage filled with pots, pans and random household items. But, I have to say that while going through all of Mom’s stuff was overwhelming and painful, I also found a lot of comfort in it. More importantly, she kept us well stocked and prepared for all types of natural disasters. We had enough toiletries, paper towels, and dried goods for an army!

I would have to say that I am just as guilty as she is when it comes to holding on to everything because I know that I have way too many things for my room, but much like my mom I have an appreciation for pretty things. To make it even harder, I love arts and crafts and diy home improvement projects so I knew that in order to support my hording habits and keep up with my passion for creating pretty things, I had to find a compromise. As a result, I present to you Kimmie’s Bargain Boutique.

Kimmie’s Bargain Boutique creates a virtual space where I can “store” my beautiful creations without having to physically have any of the projects in my house. Many of my art projects will be sold online at my Etsy boutique for your enjoyment. More importantly, in an effort to be more environmentally-friendly, my projects will be made from odds and ends that I already own, purchased from local thrift, or is repurposed. Doing this would give me the pleasure of creating beautiful art without the extra clutter. Mission accomplished! =)

As I continue to celebrate and remember my mom and the life that she led, 10% of each sale that I make will be given back to the community and to various charities (i.e. American Heart Association, orphanages in Vietnam, pulmonary hypertension research, educational programs, etc.) depending on the theme of the project with hopes that these funds will provide a better life for someone else in the world and a sense of hope and love, just as Mom had given to us.

K.