The Belle Of The Ball

If you are lucky enough to know Theresa Cano of the infamous Garden Antqs Vintage then you know why I call her the Belle of The Ball. She is charming, beautiful, her smile is infectious, she just gives off an aura. As if it isn't enough that she is a wife, mother of two, has a real job, and has booths at two antique malls~~she also sets up twice yearly at Zapp Hall in Warrenton and hosts a fabulous blog party. Her last party was over the top! Fabulous food, wine, tons of bloggers~~some from as far away as France, and a book signing to boot.


There's Ms. Cano on the left giving some direction to none other than Deb and CD from Talking Trash, who also had a fab booth at Warrenton.


A crowd gathers around the book signing table.


Okay so here's where I have to out myself about my poor memory for names... The handsome dude on the left is the owner of Park Hill Collections (sorry I forgot your name), in the middle is the fabulous Melanie of Seed Box Antiques, and sorry I never met the woman on the right... tsk tsk.


The grub.


Stan Williams author of The Find.


More bloggers getting to know each other.

And now for pics of T's booth. She had a lot of nature and botanical themes going on, and I think she is the only other person I know who loves wasp nests like I do. She has tons of them...





Here's an inside tip for shopping in T's booth~~rumor has it that when Mr. Garden Antqs Vintage is manning the booth you are likely to get DEEP discounts... Just kidding Theresa!! You go Cruz...

Fabulous Fall Decorating

There has been some talk lately in the blogging world about fall and holiday decorating. Some people love it - others don't. Here are some pictures of a house that I have photographed before (Saratoga Style). I love what they have done - although over the top, I am sure for some.

Even though I, and most people, can not afford the volume of pumpkins and gourds shown here, there are some great take away ideas that we all can use. Keep your decorations natural - no plastic! Use a variety of materials - pumpkins, baskets, gourds, mums, cabbage, hay, and vines. Keep your decorating cohesive - every lamp post is done the same as are the displays lining the walkways and near the back gates. Decorate the entire house (if you can) - not just parts.

The walkway leading to the front of the house is lined on both sides.

Close up of the front walkway. Notice the jockey statue - a tradition in Saratoga Springs. Most are painted in the color of the owner's racing stable silks.

Looking inside the front gate. Look how big those pumpkins are!

Close up of one of several lamp posts surrounding the house. Notice the statue of the ballerina. I am sure she is a tribute to the New York City Ballet which is in residency here during the summer.

The front fence also is covered. If you look close you will see a horse statue in the background. This horse is one of several made by local artists which are on display through out Saratoga Springs. It is hard to tell from my picture but this is a chocolate horse with a gold foil wrapper. One of the ears has been "bitten" off.

Close up of the front fence. Love the hay hanging down and all the vines wrapping around the pumpkins and gourds.

The side gate also includes an abundance of decor.

Close up of the side gate including another jockey statue. This one is painted differently than the one at the front of the house - same colors, different silks pattern.

Finally - even the planters surrounding the house have smaller pumpkins. I hope you enjoyed seeing this beautiful house all decorated for fall. It is truly a treat to drive by and see. A big thank you to the homeowners for sharing their holiday spirit with all of us!

Leftovers~~Brenham Texas

If ever in Brenham, Texas please do yourself a favor and drop by Leftover's. Now they probably won't be hosting a bash like the one we get to attend, but still the shop will knock your socks off honey. This time they had decked the room with the gorgeous stone fireplace out in Christmas finery~~including huge white bears! OMG! Thanks for your Texas size hospitality Michael and Ed!



The girls~~Lauri(2Chippys), Lisa(LaRustique Market), moi, TOT(Time Worn Interiors), and Teresa(Garden Antqs Vintage)




Teresa and Lisa

White Wednesday**Short But Sweet

After three attempts, I was finally able to upload a few pics from the show for White Wednesday. Much more to follow so please stay tuned...

Willow Nest


Doris's booth at Marburger


French Pear


Sweet 1800's cabinet in my booth


Leftover's in Brenham

A River Runs Through It~~The Sequel

Have you heard of the movie by this title? Well, it seemed appropriate to borrow it to describe the Fall Marburger show. Where do I begin... We arrived a day earlier than usual, which was a wise decision, because it gave us time to be less stressed putting the booth together and we got to spend more time with our peeps. I, unfortunately, succumbed to a cold on the way so that was an obstacle I didn't anticipate~~but I was able to suck it up and get the job done. We put together what I feel was our most awesome booth ever. We finished early in the day on Monday and had time to schmooze and hang out with our friends, and had dinner on the grounds with TOT, Craig, Teresa and Lauri at TOT's camper.

Suddenly, the heaven's opened up and we got the most awful storm and buckets of rain poured down. When it slacked off enough to go to the tent we all saw the worst thing you could ever see the night before a show opens.... Our booths were flooded with several inches of water. We had put down straw to make the floor look more rustic, so we had a soup of water and straw. So after three days of sweating til we had none left, fighting a cold, and feeling just dog tired we had to completely tear apart the displays in the front of the booth and move it all to the back of the booth which was drier. We drove to our motel in more rain and listened to it storm all night.

We arrived before daylight the next morning not knowing what we would find. It was a muddy mess outside and the booth was still holding water. We added another layer of straw to the soup to try and soak it up and proceeded to put the booth back together. The show opened and we had an awesome show~~my best yet~~in spite of all the chaos. Here's the booth in all it's wet glory....

























Okay so you think the drama is over right? The last day of the show~~Saturday~~our luck ran out again. It started to rain before noon and never really stopped completely. I had a good day in spite of it~~antiquers are die-hards aren't we~~and ended with a strong sales total. The show ends at 4pm and the frenzy of load out begins. At 4 pm practically on the dot, the sky opened again and we loaded out in the pouring down rain. We finished in the dark with a flashlight, soaked to the bone and filthy. I know when we shuffled into Dairy Queen (the only thing still open) they had to wonder if we even had the money to pay for our food. We were rode hard and put up wet (not joking one bit). We drove two days home in the rain, sometimes so hard we could hardly see the road. Still grateful though for a safe trip, good times, great sales, and all the new friends we made. Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth and found a treasure~~~see you in the Spring!!