The Progress Principle in action

 Years ago, I stumbled on a book called The Progress Principle by Teresa Amabile and Steve Kramer. It was a great book about motivation and maintaining focus. My most important take away was that making progress on important goals is one of the motivators for employees. Over the years, I have found this to be true in not only working with others, but also motivating myself.

We are pretty certain that renovating a historic building is an exercise of patience and faith. We have big dreams for this space and have been wrestling with when to start phase two of renovations on The Market and putting together all of the pieces to make the next steps happen. This waiting is a little discouraging and there are times when we think that just haven't done enough or are behind our self-imposed schedule.

This week Jeremy had the brilliant idea to use Google Earth to look up older images of the building before we started any work. Wow! What a difference!

This was just the motivator that I needed to remember how far we have come (focus on the progress) and an important reminder of the fun work ahead.

The first collage shows a before of the front landscape and the next two show off our work so far - tree and fence removal, new windows, and new doors! A transformation!

The side and the back of the house show off just how much was hidden by the trees that needed to be removed. Removing the door to no where and the fiberglass wall of the shower (not kidding!) and just priming the siding were a huge step forward.

So, today, we are celebrating the progress, thankful for how far this project has come. And, we are hopeful for a quick start to the next phase!

Vintage finds: Vintage sacks

Vintage sacks used for flour, feed, seed, laundry, ballots or banking have a special place in my collector's heart.

I am finally ready to let go of some of my favorites and have been sorting and eventually pricing them for The Market.

One of my favorites - the Cheyenne Steam Laundry bag that we found in Denver. Check out the phone number!

What do you do with these great vintage finds, especially when some may only be in "cutter" condition? Some of my favorite projects are for pillows like the set we have in our living room. There are also some really cute potholders that I have pinned on my project board, but haven't gotten around to making. I am also a huge fan of making these into bags.

 We found this bag in an antique store. I couldn't pass it up because I loved the vibrant colors.

 A talented seamstress friend transformed a seed corn sack into a bag. I love the spaciousness and the great pockets she included. My mom has a matching version.

Another talented friend made this more modern version. I love that it is lined with a sweet "country" cotton fabric and the outside it essentially weather proof!