Raised In Cotton

Texas Chic

So if you are like me, one of the major tasks when planning a trip is "what should I take to wear?"  Especially considering the potential for rain and cooler temperatures.....but the days could be a tad bit on the warm side so......a nice hat to help avoid more sun spots on my face......like her's....... I call this a great "attitude hat"......you know she is sure of herself with the perky smile and bill turned back on her hat. I don't think I could get away with wearing my hat sideways, but the denim shirt and cute scarf are "fierce".

Now this outfit really talks to me, love the details on the shirt and the belt. Check out the ruffled skirt. Do I need some matching leather gloves and boots.........hmmm.....maybe not appropriate for vintage hunting but I might think about the rope to tie my purchases down.....

How about some suede and fringe......might find some from my Junior High days I could still use.........

Sigh.....probably will just go with my old standards of shirt and jeans, wait.... gotta bring my cowboy boots.....and my Ostrich for hauling things home don't you think:)

Texas Antique Week Marathon Training

Back in January I did a post on things I was planning to do this year. At the top of my list was going to Antique Week in Texas and shopping all of the shows and flea markets in and around the town of Roundtop.  Well, we leave this week!  I am so excited about this trip, my niece Shelly is going with me and she is more like the Sister I always wanted. Shelly is about 5 years younger then I and we have been close our entire lives. My cowboy brother Mike who passed away in October was her dad, so this is a much needed comfort trip for us.  To top it off, my sweet gal pal Heather is going with us!!!! Needless to say, we are going to be doing some marathon shopping. Because of the ton of walking and me turning the big 50 in October, I decided I was going to get myself in better shape. So for the last 8 weeks I have been doing a daily 1-2 miles or about 40 minutes on my treadmill in anticipation for this fun trip. I have always been active my whole life but because of family obligations, I had let exercise slide.  The first day I stepped on the treadmill I thought you have got to be kidding, I could only walk about 1/2 mile at a slow pace without getting out of breath. To top it off, I was holding on for dear life thinking I was going to fall on my face. Slowly but surely, I increased the speed and figured out I could walk without the death grip on the handles.  This Texas trip has been the best motivation ever!

This is a picture of the 1800's style Log Cabin we will be staying at. I will post more details about the trip in a couple of days!

Happy Easter

Just a quick note to wish everyone a Happy Easter!

Come on Spring!

Another cloudy and rainy day in the Midwest. It seems Winter is holding on tight deciding when it wants to leave us. I had to buy a little touch of Spring yesterday when I saw these bright yellow daffodils. Their little heads just perked up overnight and also perked me up:) Love fresh flowers~

I have an easy little project for your home office or studio. I like hanging my ribbon or string near where I am trying to work just for easy accessibility. Make this little holder~Take a purchased white or paper mache craft box and paint it your favorite color. I used a basic cream color then I rubber stamped in a sepia ink a pattern on the top and sides. I made a little puncture hole in the middle of the lid to feed my ribbon or string through. I tied more ribbon around the base of the little box to use as a hanger. These are pretty all lined up hanging with different ribbons and string, and they keep everything untangled. 

A Fish Story

Well what did you do this weekend? For me I worked at the shop yesterday and found out that I had won a "name the catfish" contest.  Huh? Sit tight while I tell you a fish story (my family got really tired of my fish jokes after the weekend) It goes like this........Bass Pro Shop just opened up one of their huge retail stores in Independence, Missouri. For those of you who have never heard of Bass Pro, it is the retail nirvana for hunting and fishing gear. Featuring over 3,500 area antiques (which I love) and artifacts, up to 400 trophy fish and wildlife mounts and many lovely murals depicting outdoor scenes reminiscent of the area which the stores are built in. Grown men are known to have a glazed look on their faces upon entering the store, including my College sons who were on Spring break and my husband. Well it so happens that the store has a huge aquarium filled with fish. They were having a contest to name the 103 pound female catfish that was caught in the Missouri River.  The fish was huge and definatley knew she was the Queen of the tank. So I told my husband, I know what her name should be.....Bess, for  first lady Bess Truman who along with Harry made Independence their home. Guess what? They picked my entry out of 4,000! LOLOL~here is my response on learning that my name of "Bess" had been selected~

They made the formal annoucement in front of the tank yesterday and introduced me as the winning entry. I recieved a prize package~or I should say my husband and sons got a bunch of great loot! I wanted to show you a picture of Bess, but she hid behind a rock the whole time the ceremony was going on. That Bess! Of course I had to take some pictures of the the beautiful antiques! Loved this cabinet filled with old fishing baskets and creels.

 

Great sofa!

I was really "gillful" (sorry) to get the chance to name Bess!

My silly sis in law Brigette.

Burlap Is Cool Again

Not your Mama's potato sack dress anymore but Burlap is cool again. Maybe it's because everyone is going "green" but burlap material is really hot right now. Burlap is perfect to mix with checks, florals, stripes and toiles echoing the look of a French farmhouse. Here are a few of the Burlap offerings that will be on the website.  Speaking of, I have had several requests~Thank You by the way:)~asking when the site will be launched. We have a target date of the first part of April. I have several exciting projects that I am working on along with the website, just not enough hours in the day! For me it seems I have an issue of staying on track with one task! It's just that my brain is constantly creating and day dreaming about all the fun things I can do and make.  I am honestly having a great time though, beats the heck out of the Registered Nurse thing I did for 28 years:)   

Spring Jewels

A few years ago, I used to make and sell jewelry to fairs and shops here in the Midwest. The last few months I have again started making a few pieces, mainly because of all the beautiful beads and chains you can find now.  I have a category on the website that will be dedicated to handmade art with a vintage focus.

Speaking of creating, please check out my friend Heather's article in Romantic Homes. It was beautifully written by Tara (a star in her own right) and featured Heather's lovely Tessie Faye design!