Showtime!

IT'S FINALLY HERE!! Tomorrow the gates open at 8:30 for the BIG show and I have almost finished setting up after 2 long days.......and I have almost survived so far.......
....although I was questioning the survival thing while trying to get in the first day.....
....since I wasn't even close to the gate when I hit this mile long line of dealers also waiting to get in (and the line wasn't moving at all)......
(*above booth pic is of how everything just gets thrown everywhere in the beginning--no matter how much you plan, and plan, and plan to do this in an organized way!)

.....and then seeing my little booth set back in the trees with the lovely sloping slant throughout (I had to wire everything together and then wire it all to the tent--which I hope is still standing when I get there tomorrow!) not to mention muddy ground underfoot (TGF straw!).....
(*this booth pic is of that tricky slant.... and beginning stages of trying to make a stark white tent look interesting!)

....and then having to wait as long to get back out (someone was blocking the road out for a very long time) which was really frustrating......this is the hardest work on the planet for sure!! (and I don't know how I managed to not take out everyone else's booth while negotiating those tight corners!)


I always aspire to be bright-eyed, energized, dressed nice, and ready to rock and roll when the show opens, but reality is more like this: total sleep-deprivation, worn to a frazzle, clothed in 'bag lady' finest (for comfort ya know), and ready for a nap!


So now that all the challenging, yet inevitable, behind-the-scenes show stuff is revealed....

LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!!!

More stash projects.....

Clock case shadowboxes have endless possibilities (they are a bit hard to find for a good price).....
.....this one started out quite damaged and with no top piece.....I spent more time trying to find the best replacement for that, than on the whole project!
You can hang them on the wall or set on a mantle, table etc......and they make anything you put in them look cool!

I hate tossing anything out, but what in the world do you do with these dresser mirror holder arm things?
This is about all I could come up with at the moment.....
....it turned out sorta Art Deco looking!

WOW...a winner already!

Terri Gordon is my 100th ETSY purchase giveaway winner...thanks Terri!!

Check out her blog at www.designsbyterrigordon.blogspot.com

Time flies...

I am SO excited to reach this milestone, and am offering a choice of these two sets for the 100th sale. It's been quite an interesting endeavor, and I'm looking forward to listing more new items very soon!

More stash collages.....

A decorative piece of Victorian wood molding married to an old sewing drawer makes a useful new wall shelf......

....and a little wood crate attached to a vintage wood panel.... with wire, hardware and an iron piece added....makes a unique hanging shadowbox.

More to come!

Crashin' the stash....

Diving into my mega-stash of awesome old components....
.....I managed to come up with a few new collages.


It's totally therapeutic to piece together cool vintage junk!

But it's time to part with it all now!!

Yup...I'm finally to the point where I have no reservations about saying goodbye to every last bit of the cool stuff I have collected over the past ?? years.

(You know it's time when you have dreams about tipping the house over and sliding everything into a big dumpster, and termite-infested walls from that beautiful termite-infested farm table!)


After the Country Living Fair--if I'm still alive--I will be stocking Queen of Hearts and my Etsy shop with all the remaining architectural, hardware, etc. pieces that I haven't used by then.... so come check it out!

(Now I'm not totally delusional....I'm pretty sure that when it's all gone, a new stash will mysteriously start to appear again--it's in our blood, right?)

Fall decorations for the show.....

This chippy orange reverse painted light globe is perfect for a Halloween vignette!
I really don't have much in the way of decorations for any season, but I dug around and found a little bit of Fall stuff for the CLF booth.

Country Living Fair--Stone Mountain GA--Oct 21, 22, 23

With a week to re-group after the Bella Rustica show, I'm back in mega-production mode for CLF, and among the projects I'm hoping to finish is finding a unique way to utilize all these silver creamers and sugars! The above idea is 'all I got' at the moment!
(I'm starting to pray for level ground...dry weather...and no blustery wind! Outdoor shows are so much fun but also very challenging!)

Tennessee backroads

Even though my flip trip was abbreviated, I still managed to get a bit of wandering in, and my favorite stop in Franklin was Scarlett Scales Antiques (just off the downtown area).......

.....and LuLu (on the main road through downtown).
My new favorite TN town is Leipers Fork (a short drive SW of Franklin).....the rural countryside around this area is absolutely stellar!
The main draw in town is Puckett's restaurant, which serves great food and features talented musicians throughout the week.

Serenite Maison was closed when I went through, but I have heard great things about this shop.
I loved the old vine-covered train depot I came across on the backroads out of town.
A quick stop in Bell Buckle yielded some good pickin's (don't miss the two antique malls BEHIND this row of shops) and leg-stretching before hitting the dreaded interstate.
Phillips General Store was having an open house---they always have awesome displays.
There is also a good restaurant--Bell Buckle Cafe--among the main row of shops.
So much to see....so little time!