A Great Time at the Homestead Antique Fair....

My dear friend Georgia saw this red industrial table being unloaded and was immediately drawn.  The next morning when I arrived (before the show started), I noticed it has a sold sign on it.  She is going to use it in her den as her television table.  She said she would send pictures....going to be so cute!

My mother and I had just talked about keeping the silver piece on this table (the one with a plant in it) and using it in my backyard...it sold within the next hour!   I don't have a clue what it really is...but I loved it.

This was so cute when we opened, but the bottom row of glasses sold quickly and left a hole.

These wire baskets were HOT this show...I had several and they went the first day.

The "Beware of Dog" gate sold to a regular customer (Kathy) who is giving it to her boss as a gift.  He raises and shows dogs!  I hope you score big points with him!

I guess everyone is working on their yards as several pots were bought.

This wonderful old wooden cart sold to Jennifer from the Pecan Inn.  Jennifer has bought an old building in downtown Hico and restored it.  On the second level are 3 rooms that are for rent and we were lucky enough to get one.  I will spare the gushing as I plan to post pictures later....but it is incredible.  She is opening a Wine/Liquor and Food shop downstairs and this cart is going to display wine.

The yellow did not sell well.  Don't know if it was the stuff or the color?  I love it and guess we will try again later.

I love the red!

This birdhouse certainly got a lot of looks, but ended up coming home with me!

Did not know there was such a market for old sprinklers.  Folks kept asking me if they worked and I would have to explain that I bought them simply for decoration and color!

The birdbath behind the fence caused some technical difficulties...see the last picture below!

I love this old rusty birdhouse....it is going to the mall next week.

The backdrop to the scene was suppose to be several wonderful old shutters and windows hanging at different levels.  Unfortunately, the wind would not let this happen....so you have to punt and change your vision.

As I was lifting a VERY HEAVY birdbath that a customer bought, I was mortified to hear a loud rip.  The breeze coming in my shorts led me to know that I had just ripped my pants BIG TIME!  But luckily, I am blessed with wonderful friends at the show who quickly offered support in the way of flower pins and chip clips.  Although I loved the support, I finally had to run back to the room and change my shorts!

We had such a wonderful time at the Homestead Antique Fair this weekend.  It is a great show with amazing dealers and customers.  It is truly like a family reunion as we set up and then again as the regular customers start coming in.  Mike and Brenda (the owners of Homestead) take such good care of all the dealers and bend over backwards to make us comfortable and successful.  They host a wine reception Friday night for the dealers and I bet the thought we would NEVER leave!  Mom and I talked on the way home about how much work it is to do this show and the time and vacation commitment it takes.  But we both quickly said that it was so very worth it to get to spend time with all the amazing dealers and customers that we have grown to love.  Mark your calendars for the Fall Show...the second weekend in October!

Stuck Between Styles?????

I think I am currently searching for a new style???  I am going to the same places I have always scored big in the past, but just not finding the wonderful pieces or inspiration I used to.  I think maybe my style has changed, or is trying to....and I am searching for it.

I still LOVE the old and unusual.

I will always be attracted to things that remind me of my childhood...like the wonderful old iron beds with cozy linens and quilts that my grandmother's had.

I think I will always have a passion for red.  I heard a designer once say that you should always have something red in a room...no matter how small.

Color in general is appealing to me.  Picking a pallet and creating a room around that is something I love to do.

Maybe a nod to a more french look????

I also love the idea of mixing in industrial.

Some more formal pieces are catching my eye now!

And my country (farmhouse) roots are still there.

I don't know...maybe my style is growing into a great big hodge podge of clutter.  Mixing some formal elements with a farmhouse look...throwing in some french inspiration with a piece of industrial and a great pallet of colors!  Now, if I could just fit in the iron bed...I would have it all!  I will keep looking for my style over the next few months...what inspires you...what makes up your style?

Thank You Donna Summer...

Okay, you will please bear with me as I post an unusual post for me.  Usually I post pictures of vintage finds either at our Antique Mall, a show that we did or inspiration from other dealers.  But today I am taking poetic license and ramble a bit about Donna Summer.  Weird I know!

I was shocked to hear that Donna Summer has passed away from cancer.  I had not even heard that she was sick.  Apparently it was a very well kept secret as most in the industry did not know.  After the initial shock wore off, I was surprised to feel a bit down the rest of the day.  I am not a celebrity worshipper.  I certainly have singers and actors that I enjoy and am a fan of their work....but I would never approach a star for an autograph or even make an attempt to get close.  I have never written a fan letter and don't follow any of them on Twitter.  So I was puzzled why Donna Summer's death had left me feeling so sad.

As her death seemed to weigh heavy on my mind,  I pulled up videos of her on YouTube last night and watched her perform some of my favorite songs.  As I was glued to my computer and kept clicking on the next song, I found tears rolling from my eyes.  REALLY!  After several videos, it finally struck me that I was not necessarily mourning the death of a celebrity, I was in some weird way mourning the  loss of my childhood. 

Every song brought back a flood of memories.  Donna Summer's music was a staple of my high school years.  A time where I had no mortgage payment, was not worried about a 401K and did not have to grocery shop....food was just always in the pantry!  As I listened to Hot Stuff and Bad Girls, my mind raced with memories of my Grand Prix full of friends on a Saturday night, with the windows open and us cruising the roads between the Sonic and Gibson's Parking lot.  These songs blaring on the radio and us dancing and singing to the top of our lungs as we drove.  No worries except scraping together a few bucks for gas.

Last Dance closed out every high school dance!  You were sweating in your polyester clothes and tired from the night of socializing, gossiping and dancing....but you knew this song symbolized the end of the evening.  You quickly grabbed your date, wrapped your hands around their waste and danced slow for just a minute....then Donna would hit her note and the drum would start to pound.  You let go of your date and danced with all you had to that disco beat for the last dance of the evening.

I never really understood the connection that my parents and their generation had with Elvis.  People touring his home, traveling for miles to pay homage on the anniversary of his death....and the passion they held for this man.  I think now I get it.  Elvis represents something for them.  Something innocent, yet daring.  A simpler time, but a rebellion from their parent's values...a coming of age.  His music was new and had a beat that had not been heard before....Elvis' hips and sexual appeal was so daring for his time and the youth flocked to it as a symbol of their independence.  I think this is what Donna Summer was for us.  Her disco beat was new and came at a time when my generation was getting ready to come into adulthood.  We danced to the sounds of her moaning out Love to Love You Baby with reckless abandon...as I am sure our parents were shaking their heads.

I know I have rambled on and on and I am sure to some it seems trite....but I have come to realize that every time I hear a Donna Summer song (until I am 100 years old), my feet will tap, my body will sway and my mind will go back to a carefree and wonderful time in my life.  I will forever be grateful to Donna Summer for giving me this and she will never die as long as her music is played and a generation of polyester wearing, platform shoe dancing adults smile and remember!   Thank you Donna...RIP.

A Sneak Peak at Stuff for the Homestead Show...

Some Chippy...

Some Rustic....

White and Fancy....

A Little Retro....

A Great Cart....

Some Religious....

Some Yellow....

Lots of Outdoor....

Plant Stands....

Great Industrial....

A Little Whimsy....

Windows....

And Some Iron....

Homestead Antique Fairs of the Past....

It seems like just yesterday that we were asked to do our very first show.  Several dealers from Lone Star Antique Mall decided to set up at the Homestead Antique Fair in Hico Texas.  I was certain it was a one time thing!

We absolutely did not have a clue what we were doing!  My eyes were MUCH LARGER than our space and I remember my jaw dropping when I walked in and saw the space marked off and how much stuff I had brought. 

Although we sold really well, I still went home with tons of stuff (it did not help that I did a lot of shopping while I was there as well).  We had such a great time and immediately knew I wanted to do this again....if they would have us!

We did come back for the fall show in 2010 and went all out red!  Apparently I did not learn my lesson from the first show and again, brought WAY to much stuff!

I had so much fun buying all this cool vintage red stuff and really crammed a ton merchandise in our space.

Although this is my favorite booth we have done at the Hico show, it was the weakest performing.  Customers visited and reminisced and told us how much the loved the booth, but it just did not sell as well as the others.  I took the remaining inventory to Lone Star and it sold like crazy!  What started as a temporary design for a booth has remained and our red booth still is the strongest seller.

The bright spot of the show was selling a vintage dress to Jewel!  I must confess that I did not recognize her and later that evening when we were told she had visited the show, I searched my checks and found out she had bought this dress.

Spring 2011 was about turquoise for us.  We moved from the tent and set up next to the Homestead building and had this wonderful rock wall to use as our backdrop.

It was a great show and remains our best selling effort.

It was windy and we had to fight to keep things standing.  Poor Jennifer (Betty Jane's) in the booth next to us had to abandon her makeshift dressing room as it kept blowing over.

Fall 2011 was the show of Harvest.  This was a bit of a departure for me...not having a focus on any single color.

It was cold not being in the tent, so we went across the street and bought a floor heater to keep us warm!

The crowds were great and our dealers really did an excellent job decorating and displaying a variety of antiques.

We had a great time wearing Halloween get-ups and sharing the spirit of the season with all the shoppers.

We have decided to move back into the tent for the upcoming show.  I will miss the beautiful setting we had here, but am excited to be around all my wonderful dealer friends again where I can socialize more.

Thanks for the walk down memory lane.  I hope everyone will come out and see us for the Spring 2012 Show.  I will post some hints to our theme this show in an upcoming posts....going to be a fun and bright booth for us!