PresentPast Collection

Farm Chicks Bound

June is fast approaching and things have been very busy around here getting ready to head to the Farm Chicks Show. A few years ago my Mom and I decided to take a spur of the moment trip to fly up and shop the show. It was full of farm fresh style and homemade goods and we had a blast!

This year Present Past Collection will be packing up and heading on a road trip to be a vendor at this years event which will be held at the Spokane County Fairgrounds on June 7 & 8th. It promises to be a fantastic weekend filled with an appearance of the Country Living editors, book signings and wares from a fabulous list of vendors. I'm really looking forward to meeting some of you!

Creative Touches for Mothers Day

With that special day right around the corner I thought I'd share a few creative ideas to make your gift unique. It's fun to think outside the box in terms of your gift giving and here I put together a gift inside a box. I used a small antique wooden box found at the flea market and tied a hand crocheted ribbon around it then secured a vintage pin and old millinery flower.

Tucked inside are small treasures like an antique cup and saucer, an old prize ribbon and a small rhinestone crown. These are all things that are on my hunt list when I'm out shopping the antique stores and flea markets. It would also be great to add a gift certificate to a tea room or The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

Nestle in a petite bouquet of home grown roses. These are my personal favorite Abraham Darby. You can keep the flowers fresh by using a small vase or flower vial available at craft stores. The netting under the flowers is actually an old Barbie doll skirt.

I know a few moms who would love to receive such a thoughtful gift. To add a whimsical touch use an antique cabinet card instead of a new store bought one. It will be completely unexpected and she can frame it later or tuck it inside a mirror frame.

Here's a few other ideas to spark your imagination.

• Fill a vintage locker basket with sea shells, a classic book like this one or a beautiful one like this and a gift certificate to a restaurant with a gorgeous ocean view. You could use an old photograph of some bathing beauties as a card.
• For the mom that loves to read, fill a basket or crate with shredded old book pages. Just use your home shredder to create long streams or you can cut them with decorative scissors. It might be good to make sure the books aren't highly valuable before starting this. Add in a few of her favorite reads or some new ones she might not have thought about. And a gift card to enjoy some coffee.
• Use a vintage hat box to fill with scrumptious beauty products and nestle in a vintage compact or hand mirror or even some beautiful perfume bottles to dress up her vanity. You could also tuck in a gift certificate for a mani-pedi.

I hope that some of these ideas will encourage you to find ways to add a few special touches that show how much you care. With our busy schedules I know how convenient it is to just give a gift card or send flowers but every now and then creating something by hand with thought and love can be more precious than the gift. Appreciation can't be bought, another lesson learned as I get older.

Bring on the Bling

Who knew that making jewelry would be so much fun? Why didn't you guys tell me? I think this might be a craft I could actually finish! I've been hoarding collecting piles of vintage rhinestone pieces for years and have been wanting to try my hand at remaking some of them into everyday favorites.

Of course, I decided a good time to start my new craft addiction would be about 10:45pm on my office floor, in bad light, without the proper tools or having my stash organized. After realizing how much fun I was having I then proceeded to do what all compulsive people do, search the internet for more stash and findings. Again, why didn't you guys tell me?

Here's my first semi-finished piece on the left. I just need to add a clasp to it. I can't wait to wear it! No plans to turn this into a cottage industry but I can see myself making these for birthdays for my loved ones. And I don't think I'll feel so bad anymore about not being gifted in the sewing, knitting, crocheting, decoupaging, painting or embroidering departments because hey, this girl can make something! Hello my name is Heather and I am a crafter.

More Please

Alright my vintage friends, here's a few more photos as requested. These willow baskets were incredible. I wonder what they were originally used for? They were very tall, perhaps displays from an old French boulangerie?

I really liked the old French metal numbers too but they were $39...each! That's high even for this So Cal girl. Let's just say I heard a lot of dealers complaining that the prices were a bit steep.

There were loads of beautiful linens and textiles all thoughtfully displayed. I did manage to buy dozen or so European shams. And I also bought these charming baby shoe molds from Theresa Smith.

Oh, and these vintage grain sacks to use as pillow covers for my outdoor swing.

This booth had tons of chandeliers, vintage chalk ware and beautiful tole painted pieces. I really liked the booths that covered the floors with straw. It gave them such a nice feel when you walked on it instead of the dirt or grass. Small detail but I noticed.

Shelley of Sweet Pea put together this wonderful post office inspired booth. She had a fantastic selection of vintage goods to choose from and came all the way from Florida to be a vendor.

This cabinet display was from Judy of J. Hill Designs. She also hosts a local show on her property and if you live in the area it would sure be worth the trip. Check her website for details on the upcoming dates and times.

These next three photos are from the opening night party at Leftovers Antiques Destination. We heard that the morning of the party a dealer came in and bought 90+ pieces of furniture/antiques and they had to redo the entire store before the event! Can you imagine?

Here's a few highlights of the fabulous people we met along the way!

This is Sharon Bright out shopping the fields. We ran into her several times during our stay and she was always dressed so adorable. I told her she was Rockin' It, Texas Retro Style! She owns Sack Lunch which is located next to Clutter. They serve yummy sandwiches and sweets. Look how cute this place is.

This is Frances Bailey, Senior Design & Lifestyle Editor for Country Living Magazine. I've had the opportunity to meet her several times and she is always so incredibly gracious. We chatted about the antique show, magazines, upcoming events and she complimented me on my work and wanted to keep in touch. So exciting! More so for me than for her, I'm sure!

Here I am with Deb of Curious Sofa and my faithful road warrior Carol. We had lots of fun discussing various booths, styles, places to shop and "what's hot". Both have posted great photos and stories on their blogs, be sure to check them out. After our day of non-stop Marburger shopping we went to Royer's Cafe for dinner.

And a trip to Round Top wouldn't be complete without having a meal here. It's an experience in itself. And was the perfect way to spend our final night in Texas!

Marburger & Warrenton Vignettes

Isn't this wreath gorgeous? I wanted to buy this in a bad way but knew it would probably get destroyed shipping it home. Maybe I'll have time to make one some day. Loved it!!

Since my days are now running together these photos are all snippets from days 4, 5 and 6. There are so many great vignettes to enjoy from all the shows. I hope they spur some creative energy for you. You know how much I love chairs, aren't these cool?

These chairs were from the Texas Rose Show across the street from the famous Marburger event. If you ever have the chance to visit, you don't want to miss this one. The owner Vickie was full of Texas hospitality and invited us into her home so I could take some photos. I'll have to do another post just on her incredible place. But in the meantime, here are a few her displays at the show.

And I know how much you all love vintage pink prom dresses! There were plenty available to choose from and I found one to bring home. I'll have to take a picture of mine when it arrives.

This display is from Theresa Canto's booth. She had lots of creative touches here. I'm saving most of the photos from her booth for something special but wanted to share her talents with you. Check out her blog for some of her photos too!

I really love the contrast of this rustic barn and dozens upon dozens of crystal chandeliers. This is the epitome of rustic elegance.

Well gals, I have over 1200 shots from my Texas Junkin' trip. Let me know if you're sick of seeing them. I still have pictures of Robin of Magnolia Pearl and her booth, the Country Living editors, our fun night at Royer's Cafe with Deb of Curious Sofa, a trip to Uncommon Objects in Austin, and too many more to count!

I'm back home now and were getting ready to take the boat to Catalina Island tomorrow. It's Spring Break time!

Zapp Hall Blog Party

We started off Day Three of our Texas Junkin' Trip with the Blog Party. Here's my sweet friend Carol and her awesome niece Shelly Sparks. Things wouldn't have been the same without these two gals!

And these blonde beauties I lovingly named the Texas Trio. From the left we have Cindy Richmond, Roxanne Spradlin and Jana Thacker. They came from Abilene to shop the antique shows and it was so much fun meeting them and running into each other while shopping. We got to watch Roxanne test drive the super cool vintage turquoise bike she bought. Their friend Dalia couldn't make it but gets a shout out "Hey Dalia, you've got some great friends"!

This is Theresa Cano, the most wonderful gal in the state of Texas. She is incredibly gracious and made us feel like part of the family from the minute we met her. She had a fabulous booth and I'll share some photos of it in my next post.

This is Debe Leone who came in from Houston to come to the party and do some antiquing. She gave us some tips on a few "can't miss" booths. Another truly delightful Texan I'm so glad I got to meet. Debe doesn't have a blog but perhaps we inspired her to start one? Keep us posted Debe!

Here is the most talented jewelry designer Kim Chiasson and her adorable daughter. Her shadow box necklaces are miniature works of art. Each piece is unlike anything I've seen before, truly unique. My friend Shelly bought one of her necklaces and we were so delighted to meet her at the blog party!

Warrenton veterans Cheryl Schulke and Chris Brown were working on their collaborative zine project featuring highlights of the whole junkin' experience. I'm sure it will be chocked full of cool photos and incredible insight from these two road warriors. Keep an eye on Chris' blog for the upcoming publish date.

We were also joined by two incredible vendors who each have had their share of national attention. Linda Marcov on the left in white and Theresa Smith sitting next to her. You may remember Theresa's beautiful home featured in Country Living magazine, it's just stunning!

And I don't want to leave out the darling Amy Botkin pictured in the red floral top. She's close friends with the Texas Trio and another friendly Texan who stopped by the party before shopping. Thank you all for coming to the Blog Party. It was so much fun getting to know each of you in person. The world of blogging opens up so many doors of opportunity for people all over the world to connect and share in their common interests. And I'm so thankful to have had the chance to visit with each of you!

My next post will be lots of photos from the shows. I can't believe how many I took but I promise they will not disappoint. The booths were fantastic, creative and filled to the brim with vintage goods!

Texas Junkin'n Day Three

Hey everyone, I thought you'd like to see a little more of the Junk Gypsies. Here's the main entrance to their tent.

Here's Mama Gypsie loading new goods. We've seen them buying more inventory around the shows. I'm guessing they are selling like hotcakes.  Here's the tamale shack. Haven't tried them yet but isn't their building hysterical?

There are lots of great old buildings scattered all across these small towns.

I have so much more to share and I think I'm going to have to wait until I get home to give you the full blown stories. We had the Blog Party which was so much fun, are still eating pie and may switch to cake today, and have been spending money like water. See? Lots to share! Thanks so much for coming along with me on this great trip, more to follow! Hugs, Heather

Day Two

Swedish furniture guy, oh my! Really beautiful stuff here. I seriously could load up a freight train with his things.

There are also acres and acres of French finds. Some things were a bit on the spendy side but it didn't stop people from laying down the cash. I've seen one dealer spending thousands everywhere I go. Apparently she's in from Wyoming. Who knew?

Here's a few peeks at the Junk Gypsies spot. Lots of fun funky Texas style here.

Of course, I had to pick myself up a Vagabond pillow. Too cool to pass up! Check back in later! XO, Heather

Texas Junkin' Day One

Howdy Ya'll. I've been going non stop since I landed in Austin. This place is packed! There are tents and dealers as far as I can see. Here's a few shots from Day One. It might be short since I ran my laptop battery down trying to find an internet connection. I promise there will be more in the days ahead, now that I know where I can connect.

Aren't these barstool slipcovers cute? I'd love to have some made in burlap or antique linen. I'll add this to my inspiration to-do list. Oh, and I thought you'd like to know we've been eating a very healthy diet of pie. Pie for breakfast and pie for lunch and yep, there's pie on the dinner menu. But don't worry, they are very small mini pies. Texas mini pies. YUMMY!  I'll check back in soon. I've shot hundreds of photos already. I think I'll edit them at night and try and post lots more in the next day or so.

Oh, and the stories we have already. Unbelieveable. Famous people, crazy people, really nice Texans, ostriches and peacocks! Some wild happenings at Round Top! Chat soon, Heather

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I'm headed to Texas, the big state full of great bbq, boots, cattle and antiques! This is going to be one heck of a girls get away. I'm going to take lots of photos for those of you who will be coming along with us via Blogland. You will be with us in heart and spirit. For those who are attending Round Top & Warrenton we will be meeting on Sunday the 30th around noon at Zapp Hall for a Blog Party. It's going to be very informal, just a bunch of gals taking a break from shopping and/or selling to get to know one another. Hope to see you there!