What do you collect?

Yesterday, while walking through the fields of Warrenton, my junking buddy Janet asked me that title question. All I could come up with was Floraline pottery. Yes. I spare NO expense when it comes to my collections! But I couldn’t name anything else. Duh.

I’m a sucker for anything with my name on it. Luckily, with a common married name like Day, I run across stuff regularly. The photo above is of my most recent purchase. I’ll probably frame them.

Hope you’re having a nice DAY! (That joke never gets old…)

Hats for sale!

My helper likes the hat boxes too. I need to get them to the shop before she destroys them!

My favorite hat box shape

I've never heard of this shop. Have you?

Labels. I'm always tempted to remove them to use in art projects. But usually I don't.

This is my favorite hat from the weekend score.

This looks like "Caps for sale!"

This top hat is a little bit Trash, a little Peacock Park Design, a little Vintage Rescue Squad, some Swoon, and a little Tim Holtz all on top of Redneck Chic!

When my kids were little, we loved reading, “Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!” Those lines must’ve stuck. I can’t seem to pass up a cheap hat. And I love it when there’s a cute label tucked inside. And I love it even more if the hat comes in its own box. And even better is when that box is from a Texas department store!

So my weekend in Waxahachie and Ft. Worth had me on junker’s cloud nine, with a score of five vintage hats and three Texas hat boxes. The hat form was a Ft. Worth cattle barn flea market purchase too!

The bottom photo is my entry in the top hat contest hosted by the rodeo queens at the Petticoats on the Prairie show in Waxahachie last weekend. Had Robelyn been wearing it during the judging, I’m sure it would’ve won! Watch for it at the Redneck Chic tent at Zapp Hall in Warrenton. You’re going to the big show, right?!

Junking season is in full swing

Victorian baby buggy!

Something so sweet deserves a second shot, right?

Cute little decorative bird cage...

Wicker desk. Sold immediately. It was TDF for sure.

Old green basket. Didn't hang around the shop for long!

Love the size of this piece...

Chipped pottery. I can't resist it.

Beveled mirrors...another one of my many weaknesses.

This is my to-do list. It's rather lengthy, but loads of fun.

Long about the time our live oaks begin shedding their leaves, junking season seems to kick into high gear. I love spring and all its shopping opportunities. I love the crazy busy days of March and April. I even like that first little burn on the back of my neck from keeping my head bent, searching for bargains.

I just returned from a fantastic long weekend full of art and junk (more on that later). But, in typical fashion, as I was preparing to leave town last week, I got a junk tip I couldn’t resist. So…I spent a full day last week hauling treasures to the shop. Then I was forced to clean out my car (bottom picture) just in case I found even more irresistible junk in DFW. I did. Natch.

In just a few hours, I’ll be chasing yet another buying tip. Then it’s cleaning and pricing time, topped off by a wee road trip Saturday to Warrenton. Hope to see you there! Happy, happy spring!

It’s my blog.i.versary!

Three years. Random posts. Latent periods. Good junk. Great friends. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

xo
Kristi

The Pie Man Sayeth

When Bud Royer talks, I listen. He said to post this, so I am. I can’t run the risk of him withholding my pie…

If you’re a blogger and  you’re interested in attending, just follow the directions… I attended the luncheon last year at Rachel Ashwell’s The Prairie. It was beautiful! The food is nothing short of divine. And the proceeds benefit Dwell with Dignity.  Hope to see you there!!

Fresh from the farm …

coffee stained eggs nested all in a row on stamped muslin...

Farm implement is marked and dated late 1800s. Eggs were a little fresher than that but not much.

I totally dig old boxes. This one has the hinges, but needs a little work. As is, the lid simply lifts off. It's quite tattered and matches a wicker sofa that is behind it (but not pictured) perfectly.

So mingling with the cows, sheep and chickens wasn’t the only thing I accomplished at the farm sale last weekend. There was so much crusty stuff to be had. The photos above show off just a couple of treasures that came home with me. The metal piece is dated. It’s some sort of cutter. I thought it would make a great centerpiece. So… I emptied some eggs last night and coffee stained them. It’s a great way to use eggs that have outlived their expiration date. I found lots of other (I can only guess) former food products while scrounging for the eggs, so today most of the fridge got emptied too. And I discovered another carton of eggs in the process! Good thing Easter coincides with spring cleaning.

Springing forward

spring table setting in all its glory

I love the patina on this old scale. The measuring cup was missing, but it's a perfect resting place for a little bird's nest.

I'm so in love with these chairs. I recovered them in old barkcloth. I wasn't sure how the fabric would look against the white, but it's perfect. I just want to stare at it all day.

Easter place setting...colorful gloves for napkins, and handmade flowers for napkin rings.

Close up...I love all the colors of spring.

SPRING! It weighs a TON. And a lovely prize ribbon with quite a travel history.

Thankful for the quick sale of the big piece in this photo!

It must be close to time-change time. I’ve been waking up to bright light this week, thinking I’ve somehow overslept. It seems to happen overnight. Well, I realize it literally changes from dark to light while I’m asleep. But I swear it was still dark when my alarm woke me up just last week. And suddenly? It’s bright and shiny before my non- grocery store feet hit the floor in the a.m.

Slowly but surely I’m springing forward at the shop, too. Yes. Those are springs — big, heavy springs– on that table. Get it? SPRINGS?!

And I’ll be re-doing that wall soon, too. That big, heavy piece sold the very second I brought it in. It’s unbelievably heavy cast aluminum. An outdoor piece in a former life, it’s going to a great new home.

When you’re alone, and life is making you lonely, you can always go…

The moon beside the Tower of the Americas, downtown San Antonio

Wouldn't it be great if this were for sale? Sadly ... it's historic.

So many happy people were enjoying this fountain.

We got culture.

… downtown.

Despite having a really busy junk fest this weekend, I made two separate trips downtown Saturday.

I always dread driving downtown. It’s usually swarming with tourists, and I don’t know how to navigate all the one-ways very successfully. I can’t find parking. I can’t figure out how to drop off a passenger safely when there’s no parking lot. I feel like a suburbanite, wishing for a black car and driver.

But, as luck would have it, I had no choice Saturday. Once I’d deposited my passenger at his destination, I drove aimlessly for a while. I finally found free street parking and set off on an explore.

Truth be told, I love cities. And it’s a shame that I avoid our city center most days. Saturday was a beautiful day in San Antonio. It was a perfect day to discover a new cupcake shop. I watched a grown man ride his bike up the side of a building. (No, not all the way up.) There was a throng of people at the base of the tower, anxious to catch the elevator for an amazing view of the city. There were girls wearing shimmering formal dresses with red Chuck Taylors playing on the all-wood playscape where my boys played when they were younger. Mostly? There was sunshine. And smiles. And lots of laughter.

After a quick trip home and a change of clothes, I went back downtown for an evening at the symphony. My husband drove this time. He knew exactly where to park. We quickly made our way to the majestic Majestic Theatre. And I was wishing for some Chuck Taylors of my own.

“You’re a good shopper.”

Back out at the farm sale once again. Cows a-grazin'!

I could live here. It's really charming. And the house is in really good condition, with hardwood floors.

When I asked, "Have you any wool?" they got all Baaaaaa-y and ran.

A tight squeeze, but it worked! Thank goodness for sun roofs!!

Is it obsessive to visit the same estate sale all three days it’s open? Is it telling when you offer up identification at check out only to be told, “That’s okay. We have your info on ALL THE OTHER CHECKS you’ve written?!” What about “Where’s your pile today?!”

I did run into mom and daughter duo Mickey and Brandi (I really have no idea how to spell their names) from Austin’s Accumulations TWICE. In San Antonio. From Austin. Maybe I’m not the only one who is junk crazed! I even graciously offered up a great canvas feed bucket to Mickey, though I threatened to punch her if she ever resells it. She assured me she’d bequest it to me, which got a little morbid for my tastes. Anyway, it was Mickey who gave me the high junking compliment: “You’re a good shopper.”

And with the help of some really awesome men, everything got wedged into the 4-runner… though it may take the jaws of life to get it unloaded.

Job Perks

This is St. Joseph's Chapel, built in 1905. There was a one-room school next to it, but all that remains is the footprint.

Beautiful stained glass

Side view of the chapel

Reaching for the heavens

Obviously I liked the look of this place.

On the chapel grounds. His and hers?

Hills and trains roll behind the farm.

Not for sale, but really good lookin'!

Also not for sale, though there were some really big wheels of some sort for sale.

Non-Texans sometimes mistake our spring for fall. Our live oaks are starting to drop their leaves now.

These boots were made for walking, but not out in mushy fields. I love them nonetheless.

One of the greatest things about junking is the scenery along the way. The great outdoors rose to the occasion today, with sunshine and temps topping out around 85. Besides loading down the car with rusty treasures, I stirred up some peaceful cows who really didn’t care to be caught on film.

Tomorrow I’m heading back to the farm to pick up a gun cabinet I purchased for my husband. It’s half-off day at the sale. Don’t know if there’s much left, but I’m getting photos of a windmill and some sheep for sure.

Hope your weekend’s full of beautiful scenery, no matter what that means to you.