Just a few more backroad pics.......

Any picker would brake for this sight on the road! It's a 160 year old house/antiques shop in Cave Spring, GA. Not great pickin' as it turned out--you just never know......but the architectural features were awesome.


I don't know why corbels are so fascinating.....the craftsmanship and creativity of the woodworker makes these amazing works of art. I wish I knew how they did this with basic tools, which makes me think: could I do this with my humble little hand jigsaw, files, etc? Maybe, if I had a week to spend on each........our lives now spin on a faster scale, so it would never pay.

Everything looks like it was custom made to fit!

More backroad pics.........

I can't get enough of photographing old houses I see along the way.......

These old iron fence posts are too cool.......


Side view of another great old house......

Backroads Pickin'.......

With the whole world headed to Texas, I got travelin' fever and hit the trail for a little backroads pickin' in Tennessee and Alabama. Spring hasn't quite made it's full reveal yet, but it was still beautiful and I got some of the winter cobwebs blown out of my brain so maybe I can get creative for the next show!

I didn't find the "honey hole" or make any prize picks, but I found some neat stuff for the next show and got some really good leads---you never know! (You'll have to endure the travel photos first though!!)

This restored cabin was sitting along the Tennessee River.....I love to see the old structures preserved.

The river looks like a lake it's so wide....and the water is clear and blue.

Alabama sure is different.....they have the only coon dog cemetery in the world (true fact).....and what's up with this tree full of shoes on the side of the highway?

(More backroads pics to come.....)

Bella Junque.......

It's always fun to post about new dealers who are into creating and repurposing! Meet Danielle Christian of "Bella Junque"who has recently moved into Hall G at Lakewood. Danielle loves making unique items from vintage pieces, and enjoys working with old books, jewelry, postcards, and much more. She is very talented, and I can't wait to see what she'll be doing next month for the show!

Cool prism collage pendants.......


Custom vintage plate monograms and tin magnets.....

I love what she does with paper and lettering......how clever to run the old book pages through the printer with a large font letter on each page to make her sign! Wish I'd thought of that ;)

What a great show.......and we still have two more days to go!

We have the best customers in the world!.......thank you so much for coming out and shopping with us!

It's so much fun to create and decorate for Spring.....

Floor Lamp/Chandelier Collages.......

It's so much fun to work with these components.......you can hang all sorts of things from these. For the show I'll put little pots of ivy, nests, birds, or ? in the silver sugar bowls, teapot, and wire mesh pots.

Spring Fever...............

The recent nice weather has completely paralyzed my creativity, and I only want to be out riding! But now it's RAINING, so I am finally forced to get some projects done......I'm warming up with the little stuff to get myself back into gear for the big ones that I've been putting off........

These corbels are really ancient, and have quite unusual designs that don't show up in the pic. I collaged them into a wall shelf with some iron hangers.


I can't remember where I saw the bird nest in the bed spring idea (somewhere in the bloggerhood, I think) but I ended up adapting it to a piece of molding I had. I may do something different with the springs by showtime....maybe holding little vases of flowers?


I found this gigantic bird cage (it can hang or rest on the stand) at a little junk store I had never been in before..... it will go to the show next weekend.

Lakewood dealer spotlight.......

Meet Jan Jones, an artist who sets up across the aisle from Margaret (in the previous post). I knew Jan's work from years ago when she was doing architectural and furniture collage and mosaics....she works in ALL media, and I love her new collages above........

She will take your photos and adapt them in so many different ways, from jewelry.......

to memory boxes showcasing family keepsakes......

Her contact information is janjonesdesign@windstream.net, and www.janjonesdesign.com. and you can find her in the center of hall G at the Lakewood show every third weekend of the month.

Lakewood dealer spotlight..........

Margaret Davis of VINTAGE MEMORIES specializes in all types of handmade collages and stitcheries using vintage linens, quilts, and photos.


She always offers a nice variety of antiques at very reasonable prices, so make sure you stop by her booth -G438- and say "Hi".

Lauri Love........

We are so glad Lauri (Chippys) is back at Lakewood!! She out-did herself this weekend as you can tell in these pics of her fabulous booth! Lauri is mega talented, and works in all media--jewelry, fabrics, furniture.......she does it all, and better than the best! She'll be selling at Marburger in Texas next month, and I know she'll rock out there!! (Just don't forget to come back, ok?)

I get to leave my stuff at the show each month since I am in a permanent hall, but she sets up and takes it down over the course of the weekend, and makes it look so effortless to pull together such a beautiful display in a short amount of time!

Thoughts of Spring.......

While wishing for an early Spring, and giving my hands a bit of a rest from the heavy wire work, I thought I'd use up some of my paper stash for a quick (not very-- as it turned out) project for the show (this weekend).........these collages will be part of a banner hanging along the arbor.

Creating with wire comes easier than trying to make something out of paper stuff......I am never secure with the results.........I salute all you paper artists!

A bee skep for Miz Trash.......

Deb at Talking Trash suggested I make a wire beehive, so I got busy this morning and this is what I ended up with. Great idea, TT!!!
(I have no bees, so it gets strawberries)

This -n- that.......

I tried this vine/birds design with one of my leftover chicken wire dress forms, and it was fun to work with......the vine at the top holds a vintage net hat aloft, and provides a way to hang the top bird while the lower birds dangle on long thin wires.




I hinged an old wood tray to a vintage shallow vegetable crate and added some of my dried sunflowers and a wire fence. It is secured with a hook to keep it shut and finished with a wire to hang it on the wall.
(This was an easy project, but I have had the tray for years, and never could figure out the best use for it until I found the crate!)


Below I wired a tray to a birdcage stand and wrapped vines around the top so that all sorts of fun stuff can be hung on them. The tray could hold a large photo frame, fern, vase of flowers, or whatever.