The New Year. It always starts with a clean slate, which fills slowly but surely. This past year wasn’t much different from any other year. Travel and friends mixed with art and junk to create a very good time. Also this year, I opened an Etsy shop, bought a cargo trailer for hauling all my junk, graduated a kid from high school and sent the same kid off to college at the University of Chicago. You won’t see any of that personal stuff here. This is your tour of my junking year, with a few art stops along the way. So strap in and get ready for a LONG ride. Maybe you’ll see some familiar faces along the way or make some new friends. Hope you enjoy the trip. I know I did! {P.S. This was posted mostly from my phone. They have updated the app, and now I can edit it online. And, most importantly, you can click on the photos to see them at a larger size. You are welcome, Theresa Cano.}
The photo above is from the Peacock Park Design showroom in Dallas. January market is actually a holiday market, with previews of new Halloween and Christmas merch (none of which is pictured here). Peacock Park had a Christmas line for the first time. It was TDF (to die for).
Fab farm sale in early March… I made three trips to this sale (full price day, 25% off day, and half-off day). The final day, I was determined to get everything in one load. As you can see, a bookshelf had to be lowered in through the sunroof. This was hands down the best sale of the year. On two of my trips out, I saw the awesome mom-daughter duo of Accumulations. In fact, I gave up the coolest canvas seed spreader in exchange for their undying friendship. LOTS of familiar faces shopped this sale. It was huge. I think I bought 10 antler mounts, among loads of other things.
Over spring break in March, I hit the well-worn trail to Waxahachie for A Paper Cowgirl art retreat. (I made that crown above!) Petticoats on the Prairie had taken their West Texas show on the road and set up shop that same weekend. It was a super fun weekend, and hopefully no one caught the bacterial infection I was unknowingly harboring. Steroids made me feel up to making the trip. Yay for good drugs. And good friends, like the rockin’ women below…
That’s Karla, Beth and Lisa, three of the Paper Cowgirl teachers. And this is some serious foreshadowing for another art retreat I went to in April.
Dear Amy And Betti (above). Betti travels all the way from NYC to come create with Paper Cowgirls. Secretly I know she comes just to see me. I had the chance to visit her in NYC a few weeks ago. She’s a fantastic hostess. She and I may get to spend some time together in Warrenton this spring. My fingers are crossed. Amy is my good neighbor. We love to make plans, but they almost always fall through. We need to work on that in 2013. I think I see some juice bar dates in our future!
See Troy. See Robelyn. See Troy hug Robelyn. See the cutest picture ever. These two are my favorite Waconians…together at last at the Petticoats show. Junk brings out the best in them, don’t you think?
No trip would be complete without a Debbie and Cat Daddy sighting. Even in Waxahachie! Just between us, they are terrible at following driving directions. With them is Lisa Love Harris, who has the best smile I’ve ever seen. She moved back to Texas this year after living in the Pacific Northwest for far too long, IMO. So glad she’s back.
On the left in the photo above is head cowgirl, Cindy (we’ve since talked about her strange arm pose. She promises to correct it next time.). Susan is in the middle. That’s NY Betti on the end. Can you tell it was St. Patrick’s Day? Betti had just spilled an entire cup of coffee on her brand new white ruffled leggings, but New Yorkers are tough enough to live with a huge stain out in public for an entire day. Watch for my meet up with Susan down the road in April. After this breakfast, Betti, Cindy and I headed to Ft. Worth for the Cowgirl museum and flea market shopping. Also we consumed some bundt cakes. Yes. Plural. They were small.
Amy, Cindy, Betti and me… at some famous burger joint in Ft. Worth. Amy’s mom, Terri, took this photo. I think this was after we had shopped the Cattle Barn flea in Ft. Worth. I taught them a little something about ordering animal style.
Now it’s the end of March, and we’re in Warrenton and Round Top, Texas. Ah, Happy Belly’s final Warrenton show. Gone are the days when I would bookend my Antiques Week visit with luch at Happy Belly. Oh, how I miss the meatloaf sandwich. Deb, you promised me the recipe. Don’t make me come to Florida to find you!
Blue Hills show in Round Top. I’m in love with Love Train Antiques.
Queen Lisa took the tiara theme seriously at Theresa’s blog party, bless her heart. She’s the coolest thing ever. She sells at Zapp Hall field in the teepee tent.
Amy and Ms. Blends of Georgetown. I have made the most of my velvet jacket and pants this holiday season, D.
This really dark shot looks to be Kim of City Farmhouse (middle) and the blog party host herself, Theresa, on the right. Please help me identify the woman on the left! {BTW, I don’t know any of these people. I just show up and take pictures so I can brag on this blog. Ha.}
I made her wear that crown. It was in her booth, and if I was expected to wear a crown, the hostess with the mostess was going down with me.
Things sometimes get a little nutty after hours during Antiques Week.
ToT!
Shelley and Christie. Did I just botch the spelling? I’m just now realizing how well-represented Florida Is during Antiques Week and how long this post is! Hang on. We’re just getting started.
The two Pacific Northwesterners invade Warrenton… Pam, of Plucky Maidens fame, and Lisa, the Garden Cat. Lisa has one murder mystery under her belt and is working on her second novel.
Betsy and Elaine of Sisters Treasures joined in on the blog party fun. You can find their wares for sale at Fredericksburg Trade Days.
ToT and Sweet T… and they seem to be behaving.
Sandy came all the way from the west coast to enjoy our hot, humid weather. With her is Charlene and Lisa. They are all artsy girls.
Happy. The only word to describe how Cindy makes you feel. Well…maybe not the only word. For reals I have no idea who the man is. We just liked his sign. And he was happy to pose for us. Why wouldn’t he be?
You know trouble’s brewing when the sewing circle gets this large and the sun starts setting. That’s Lisa, me, Pam, Janie, Lynn, Elaine, Lisa, Cindy and Betsy.
Kim, Debbie and the man who would like to be the next Cat Daddy. Goodluckwiththat.
And speaking of CD, here is a gang of imitators…except David, who seems to exist in his own hot little world.
Paparazzi shot. All that’s missing is a hand covering the camera lens. She did throw me to the ground after this was taken…as a warning.
Luncheon at Royer’s, featuring Carol Bolton. That’s Charlene and Cindy with Carol in the photo above.
Junk haul from Warrenton!
Sweet Talk/Rubbish’s sweetie, Janet, at Marburger Farm. You should see this girl pack. She has serious skills.
Stephanie’s junk at Marburger. She and Janet both sell in Dallas At a KILLER shop called Curiosities.
Now it is some other month and we are in PLANO, TX. Yes. That is me with my BFF Tim Holtz.
And now we add Susan to the mix. She later took me to lunch in her sweet convertible. Tim, sadly, did not join us.
More art fun. This time with KC Willis in Ft. Worth. Somehow I didn’t get a picture of her. But this is the cover of my class project, a fabric collage book.
And the art tour continues with Cami and Lisa, as we traveled to Kansas for Karla’s Birdsong retreat We got sidelined in Oklahoma for a few hours…junking.
Karla in her element… at her home in Kansas. That is a blog post itself. She has an amazing home and is such a generous host. Her cooking skills are mad.
The Texas Birdsong crew… Me, Nicki, Tammy, Cami and Lisa. Tammy flew. On a plane. The rest of us carpooled Nicki is a drivin’ fool.
I love this picture of Beth. Looks like she’s leading the art zombies to drink some kool aid.
New friend from California, Dottie, who I plan to visit, with Karla. Yes, Dotti, I’m a known couch surfer. So don’t ever offer up your home — especially in Cali — unless you mean business.
Karla poses for us, after we are loaded to go home…
Then she somehow falls from the bumper to the ground, causing thunderous laughter. She wasn’t hurt.
Now it is the end of May and we are in Hico, at the Homestead antiques show.
Brenda and Mike, the lovely owners of Homestead. All the Hico show vendors RAVE about how fun it is to vend at their shows. They cherry pick the best vendors. It’s a beautiful show.
Random: My bedroom, sporting some Red.Neck Glam on the wall.
Major junk haul over the summer from Lisa in Ft. Worth. Now she has more for me. She is threatening to send her sweet baby daughter to work the corner in her ‘hood if I don’t come claim the new goods soon.
Citywide in Austin…Debbie and Theresa
Cat Daddy and Cruz at Citywide…
Antiques Week, Warrenton/Round Top fall show…shopping in the rain with funk and junk queen Nancy.
Oh, David… Thanks for sharing him with all the rest of us, Kim. You are a trooper.
Another decent Warrenton haul…
After hours in Z app field with Debbie, ToT and Robelyn… Rex and Shelley… I think some tequila may have been consumed prior to this meet up. I won’t tell who consumed it.
Awww…Marburger…
Yep. Back in Warrenton.
Now it is October, and we are back in Waxahachie for Paper Cowgirl Wicked Tea. New instructor Binky was a huge hit. She is junk + art. Bonus! You can find her shop in Llano, Texas, right next door to Whimseys.
In October, my mom and I drove to Colorado City for the Petticoats show. I bought this, along with a trunkful of junk. Why there are no pictures, I’m not sure.
Then there was the Rusted Gingham barn sale in Gonzales, first weekend in November, where I actually sold for a change. Okay, I bought there too. But this is some of my stuff. It’s a fun show. It was huge this year. And I think it was hugely successful, too. Why don’t you add it to your junking calendar. First Saturday in November, and the evening prior.
Final junk purchase of 2012. When my sister brought her to me, her hands weren’t posed like this. I can’t show you that picture. One word: Nephews. I can’t decide if I’ll part with her or not. Right now she’s still pretending it’s Christmas, with a wreath around her neck and some sheet music in her hands. My cats love that she’s now wearing a fur coat. They are bonding with the fur.
That ends my “what I did in 2012” XL blog post. I hope it was a good year for you, junk-wise and personally. May 2013 be full of joy and prosperity! See you again soon. Next time, maybe you can be my co-pilot!
Junkology 101 