A Few of my favorite things

1. raindrops on roses

2. whiskers on kittens

Okay… I can’t list among my favorites “bright copper kettles”  because I’m more of a matte-finished girl — though I do prefer copper to, say, brass.

At Homestead, I’m among a group of women that share a space together called “My Favorite Things.”  Unfortunately, it really has become kind of a dumping ground for things that don’t quite fit in our own spaces.  So we’ll be getting together on Saturday to install a little “Christmas in August” corner, and the rest of the space will feature some markdowns for a couple of weeks before we undertake a major overhaul.  Just like a lot of things … it might get worse before it gets better.  When we started the booth, all of us were going to put together lists of our favorite things to rotate on a little message board.  Like the rule follower I am, I did my list.  No one else ever did.  But the message board sold quickly anyway — or maybe someone took it home after my favorites tired them out.  Whatever…  I do have MANY favorite things.  I have so many, in fact, that I can’t even remember what I included on my list.  But here’s a randomized list of things I always enjoy:

1.  Chandeliers – especially the ones with lots of old crystals.  But I do love the $40 Target special that hangs over one of my showers.

2.  Graphics –  I have old gas station numbers lining my hallway.  I have at least seven Rodney White prints.  I have a huge “K & B,” originally from a Ben Franklin store, hanging on the wall of my bedroom, which is also home to part of an old peely fabric gameboard that has the most beautiful numbers on it.  I have a big ol’ restaurant menu in my kitchen.  Letters, numbers…love them all.  And I ALWAYS have scrabble letters for sale in my space … and usually a bingo card or three.

3.  Dress forms — the shabbier the better

4.  Doll heads and other parts — I put a bunch of bisque heads in a Halloween display last year that really rocked.  The heads I have now — I think there’s only one left — are composite baby doll heads, mostly peely and from the 1920s.  They don’t really creep me out, so I decided they didn’t need to wait till Halloween to make an appearance.

5.  Empty frames  — great with a hat hung in the middle, or stacked together — especially in front of mirrors, which brings me to:

6.  Mirrors — framed, beveled, hand mirrors — I love them all.  I sell the heck out of celluloid hand mirrors in Llano.  But my hands-down favorite are the silver hand mirrors with monograms… leading me to:

7.  Monograms — on silver baby cups, old loving cups, hankies, pillow cases, suitcases…and speaking of suitcases…

8.  Suitcases — I always try to have a stack on hand.  I really like train cases, and I’ll include hat boxes in this category just because I can.  I like metal trunks with the lift-out drawers, too.  My favorite suitcases ever were a set of salesman cases.  Black.  Yummm.

9.  Rhinestones

10. Pearls — especially fake glass pearls.  Multi-strand if possible, please.

I could go on and on for days, probably.  And I’m leaving out a host of things, such as architectural pieces.  I’d love to know what you love. Do we have anything in common?  I’m betting yes.   

My eyelids are heavy, but my heart is light, as I’m hoping to find some of my favorite things on a junket tomorrow…

It’s a nice day for a white Wednesday

A few months ago… back when it wasn’t humid and hot, and a sinkhole wasn’t swallowing up the town I grew up in, my husband and I made our second visit to New York City.  It was December.  The stage was being set for the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center.  It was cold.  Before we headed home, I headed to the shops — to window shop, mind you. 

I’m thinking mid-summer might be a nice time to re-visit the spectacular holiday windows of Bergdorf’s.  So if you didn’t get a chance to gaze upon their beauty last December, now’s your chance.  Hopefully they’ll chill out your summer… if only briefly!  Merry Christmas in July!!

Feeling cooler?

Loving Llano…again

As promised…more, more, more photos from Llano, Texas.  The following pictures were taken at the shop next door to Whimseys.  So … here we go again.  Starting with the business card:

Now I’ll give you a peek at her porch:

and another:

And now we’ll go inside for a look-see and our white daily white fix:

Binky’s one of the nicest people you could ever meet.  Unfortunately, she was out of town Monday.  Her displays are always spectacular.  Below is one of my favorites.  Simple, but oh so creative:

More fun with Binky’s items of eld:

This is Texas, after all.  What did you expect?!

The entire wall of one room is covered in sheet music.

This girl’s not quite as commanding as the corset-clad chick featured earlier.  And I really dig her jewelry.  It’s so dry in Texas, they’ve taken away all our outdoor faucet handles so we won’t waste any water on our lawns.  Here they’re re-purposed.  (Okay.  That’s a bit of an exaggeration. While we are in the midst of pretty tight water restrictions, rest assured our outdoor spigots remain intact.)

Feel a road trip coming on?  Llano’s also home to a wonderful jewelry shop called Create/A Rosy Outlook;  A cool clothing store called Ruby Cowgirl; a non-profit coffee house called Fuel, which frequently features live music; world-famous Cooper’s BBQ; and a handful of other antiques shops across the street from Whimseys and Binky la Faye.  It’s a short drive to Austin, Fredericksburg, Comfort and Boerne, nestled in the Texas hill country.

For the Llove of Llano, Part I

As I’ve mentioned, I have shop space in San Antonio, where I live, but also in a lland far, far away — 104 miles to be exact.  The shop is called Whimseys, and it’s llocated in Llano, Texas. (That’s the end of the excessive double Ls, I promise.)  I made a trip there today to pick up a cabinet for Homestead in San Antonio and drop off a few items, including some really funky chairs.  And guess what?  I TOOK MY CAMERA!  So grab a drink, sit back, and enjoy your guided tour of Whimseys.

Let’s start with the business card, designed by Avalon Mackenzie of Create and A Rosy Outlook (Llano):

The back of the card has all the info, and is just as cute, but I only scanned the front!  The shop is at 305 Bessemer.

You can’t miss it:

Let the games begin!

Wall behind the counter with bike suspended from the ceiling…it’s a fun and funky place.

For all you lovers of white, so I won’t lose you straight away:

Today was a big re-do day, so I was hard-pressed to find put-together displays.  And I can almost guarantee that most of what I did capture was rearranged later in the day! Most of the pictures are from the Queens of Funk and Junk space, though I did snap a couple in our space, including the one below:

The bottle barely visible in the picture above sold today.  I think Stephanie from Georgetown’s Gatherings may have purchased it, as I heard tale that she was making the rounds in Llano today.  (As I was in a VERY vintage state, I wasn’t meeting anyone.)

Another one of the girls in our space:

My silly little charms:

More from the Queens of Funk and Junk:

And that’s just a start… In my next post, I’ll take you next door to visit another great shop!  I can’t wait?  Can you?  I have met some really fabulous women through this blog, and I’d love to hear from all of you!  Feel free to give me a holler if you’re out there and let me know what you think!

All this useless beauty…

…isn’t really useless at all.  Bringing together vintage Bingo cards, old lace, and fabulous images from Lisa’s Altered Art encased in old slide mounts I happen to have hoarded was a bright spot in my day — beauty, even,  in a house overflowing with testosterone this week.  I’m on boy overload and needed a quick fix.  So when I smell dirty socks, I’ll just have a look-see at my little lovelies, light a candle and dream of feminine frills…

Grace

Beauty

Genuine …I love the old tape measure!

Giggle

Five bucks a pop at Homestead Handcrafts…a small price to pay for an L-7 smile!

Lovin’ the Curbside Grab

After a week of R & R, I arrived back in SA ready to hit the junkin’ trail.  The shop survived without me, so all is well, though I would’ve preferred to return to a sold-out space.  Who wouldn’t, right?! 

I hit the flea market Sunday, finding a few things, but nothing out of the ordinary.  The best buy of the day was probably a $5 pocket watch.  Its case is in perfect condition and the crystal is intact.  I’ve been a little more organized than usual, having sorted my new finds into piles according to their destinations.  I must say that is quite an accomplishment as I’m not known for my organizational skills.  But I’m seeing a big payoff for finally stocking my booth that’s almost two hours away from home.  I don’t go there often, but I did a big drop over the 4th of July weekend and sales have really taken off.  I’ve vowed to take better care of that space, since it’s taking such good care of me this month!

I got a wild hair last night, and sketched a new design for my big space at Homestead.  I started painting some mirror frames in preparation of a big re-do, as I’m considering a wall filled entirely by different shapes and sizes of mirrors.  We’ll see.  Early this morning, when it was nice and steamy like a sauna, I loaded the minivan then headed to get a start on the re-vamp.  Sadly, I only got a small portion redone.  I’m incredibly slow, even with a sketch.  And I always, without fail, overestimate how much space I have.  I worked this morning on creating a porch area with an iron loveseat, window screens on the wall, white sparkly wreaths, columns and broken cement pieces filled with paper flowers I made out of old patterns and coffee filters.   I overestimated by only one window screen and a screen door, but the area came together quite nicely, I must say.  The downside is…I have more than half the space left to work on.  Like I said…slow…as in turtle slow.

On the way home from the shop, I copped a curbside goodie — a long dresser that was calling my name.  Luckily I had room in the minivan.  I always worry that the homeowner just happened to sit whatever-my-find-may-be on the curb for a moment, never intending someone to scoop it up.  Call me paranoid.  So I rang the doorbell, just to make sure it was a freebie.  No one answered. I loaded and bailed.  Yippeeee!  Free stuff makes me smile in a large way.

Since I can’t seem to remember to take my camera with me to the shop, I’ll share a couple of photos from the vay-cay… It’s always fun to get away, but there really is no place like home, however steamy it may be…

An appropriate sign for a ghost town, don’t you think?

Since my SA yard is baked to a crisp, it was refreshing to be surrounded by a lush green landscape.

Look at those blue skies… they’re even more amazing at night, when they’re flush with twinkly stars.

Now I must hit the laundry and put my paint brush back to work.  All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy.  ummmm, wait a minute …oh, never mind…

All my bags aren’t packed, but I’m ready to go…

My blog posts have dwindled to zip.  My face glows non-stop.  My kids’ brains have rotted from Harry Potter computer games. Death is everywhere, including my yard.  Someone spotted a chupacabra in the ‘hood …must be summer in Texas!!! Can I hear a Yee-haw?!!

But…my shop spaces are fully stocked, the laundry is almost done (and it’s not even midnight), and mid-day tomorrow we head for Texas’ only mile-high “city.”  We’re going to do some caving while we’re gone, swim in a cool spring-fed pool, see the newest Harry Potter flick at a really old theatre with really bad sound, and see (hopefully) the Marfa mystery lights and too many stars (in the night sky)  to imagine.  I can’t WAIT!  Mostly I’m ready to relax on the deck in my hammock under some of the darkest skies around, sans pesky mosquitoes and blistering heat.  The mountain air is rumored to have healing and restorative powers, especially for tired women.  Please let it be so…