One Short Year Ago Today....

I didn't know any of you.

(now I have hundreds of awesome friends)

I didn't have a blog.

(now you can't shut me up)

I'd never used a camera other than a disposable.

(now I absolutely love shooting and editing my own photos)

I didn't have a booth in an antique mall.

(now I have a booth at Sunrise Antique Mall in Kerrville, Texas)

I didn't have an Etsy shop. (I didn't even know what Etsy was.

Now I have joined the ranks of online sellers with my very own shop)

I had never heard of, nor been to Warrenton, for Antiques Week.

(now I'm scheduled to be there with my friend Effie in the Spring, helping her sell in her space)

What a difference a year makes!!!

It hasn't all been sunshine and roses, but it's been pretty darn good!

Looking forward to sharing my misadventures with all of you in the coming year...and wishing all of you the very best!

And The Winner of "Make Me Laugh" Is....

 (Me, courtesy of yearbookyourself.com)

It was genuinely close, there were several real contenders, but the one that tickled me the most was this one, from Amy at Ligonier Living...

So a lady was driving through the desert on her way home from a business trip and she passes an old Navajo woman walking along the road. She backed up and asked her if she would like a ride. The old woman gladly got in the front seat. Driving along in silence, the old woman nodded askingly at a brown paper bag on the seat between them. The lady said, "That's a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband." The old woman nodded knowingly and said, "Ah, good trade."

I can't resist a good husband joke! ;-)

Amy, if you'll mail me your snail mail address, I'll send you a little something to make you smile for making me smile.

Thanks again to everyone who, in the spirit of the season, reached out to lend a hand.

I love you all.

The "Make Me Laugh" Giveaway...

If you've persevered and trudged through my past two days worth of posts, you'll know that I need a little levity in the worst way possible. In short, I need a good laugh.

This is where you come in.

In my comments section, post your very best jokes. Long or short, corny or erudite, it doesn't matter a lick, just help me to crack a grin, emit a chuckle, blow milk outta my nose...

To make it fun, I'll select the one that tickles my funny bone the most, and at the end of the day (12/28/09), will select a winner.

I'll send ya a little sumpin' sumpin' via the USPS for your trouble if I choose you! Nothing grand, just fun.

Nope, no names drawn out of a hat, no random number generator, this is one contest where you have to earn your spoils!

The past few days has been either laugh or cry, and I choose to laugh.

Help me pulverize these lemons here into somethin' drinkable!

Please Pray....

This is an incredibly difficult post to write.

My friend Mark, who I met through my booth at the antique mall, was brutally murdered on Christmas day. Shot and killed, along with a friend who remains in critical condition. This was not a random act...the killer knew at least one of the victims. Out of resepct for Mark's family, I will not go into further detail here, but would ask that you pray for all involved, including the murderer.

Although Mark didn't officially work at the antique mall, he was a close and dear friend to both of the owners. Indeed, he was a dear friend to anyone who had the privilege of knowing him. On any given day, you could find him there helping out, lending a hand in any capacity needed. On more than one occasion, he could be counted on to help me load or unload new pieces I'd bring into my booth, or to lend an objective eye about one of my booth vignettes.

He was a bit of a renaissance man, but was a preacher by trade. I find comfort in this, but feel little comfort otherwise.

You see this smiling photo of myself below?

It was taken by Mark just prior to the open house we had back in October. That was Mark for ya, friend, helper, preacher, furniture mover, mall security, teller of tall and entertaining tales, and even photographer when called upon!

You will be missed, sweet friend.

God willing, I'll see you on the other side.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.

And let perpetual light shine upon him.

May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen.

How Did Santa Know???

 

That Santa really does have eyes and ears everywhere!

I received lots and lots of wonderful gifts this Christmas, but I think by far my favorite was this one, which actually came by way of two of Santa's best elves, aka my mom and best friend, Tom.

They took one of my old business cards down to a local printing shop and had this absolutely awesome tote bag made with my business logo printed on it! And not only that, but they also had some T-shirts made as well! I'm not usually a mushball, but I started bawling as soon as I saw them.

Sooooooo.....

Thank you, Santa Mom and Santa Tom!

Y'all are the best!

What did all of Y'ALL get from Santa this year, hmmm???

Hope You Had a Very Merry....

Festivus!

An Ineffable Light

Nativity at Night by Geertgen tot Sint Jans, c. 1490

"...the virgin knelt down with great veneration in an attitude of prayer, and her back was turned to the manger.... And while she was standing thus in prayer, I saw the child in her womb move and suddenly in a moment she gave birth to her son, from whom radiated such an ineffable light and splendour, that the sun was not comparable to it, nor did the candle that St. Joseph had put there, give any light at all, the divine light totally annihilating the material light of the candle.... I saw the glorious infant lying on the ground naked and shining. His body was pure from any kind of soil and impurity. Then I heard also the singing of the angels, which was of miraculous sweetness and great beauty..."

 From a vision of Catholic mystic Saint Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373), which served as the inspiration for this painting.

May His ineffable light illuminate your path this Christmas season, and always.

With my love and very best wishes for you and yours,
Anne

A Late White Wednesday...

I couldn't miss out on the last White Wednesday before Christmas!

From me, to you...

Joyeux Noel...

 

 

 

Many thanks this year to Kathleen at

Faded Charm

for hosting this lovely event!

My Fruitcake Post

Okay, so ya know how fruitcake is kind of weird and wonderful, and slightly mysterious, as nobody ever really knows just what's in it? It's sort of a mish-mash of this and that.

Well, that's what this post is. Like a fruitcake, it's a little bit of
this -n- that, a little nutty. a little fruity, a little crusty, and soaked in booze....just like me!  ;-)
(please, I rarely drink!)

First order of business is this...

I received this wonderfully decadent set of three Sweet Grass Farm Soy Candles from my dear, sweet bloggy buddy, Ruth at  The Beautiful Life!

 

 

They all smell absolutely heavenly, and I plan on stocking up on these fabulous little beauties once I use these all up. LOVE the New England Woods scent.

Thank you, sweet Ruth!

Next up, I caught a fleeting glimpse of my future yesterday afternoon.

My husband and I were out picking up a purchase (more on that later), when I came across something which quite honestly took my breath away.

Big sigh here, because if money were no option, the property in the pic below would be under my name right about now, and plans would be well underway to throw up my shingle and open up shop after the New Year.

Behold the future home of Fiona and Twig, the Brick and Mortar Shop...

(click to enlarge)

 

 

I mean....just read the stats. This place was made  for me!

Can we do a raffle here? Anyone up for throwing a bake sale to help me fund this? ;-)

Shuffling off to our next order of bidness....

Wouldja get a load of this...

 

 

It's a vintage Shefco Kitchen Cupboard, in mint condition and pretty as a picture! Isn't that just the dreamiest, creamiest shade of yellow ever behind those doors?

Found this on consignment Saturday at an antique store in Bandera, Texas, Cowboy Capitol of the World.

My invaluable buddy Troy from Junk Exchange helped me figure out just what I had in this beauty, and we concluded that I pretty much landed this for a steal! We also agreed that this baby isn't going anywhere anytime soon, I'll be keeping Sheffie, thank you very much!

 

Please pay no mind to the random assortment of cr@p inside the middle compartment, that's not some bizarro vignette, I was just storing some stuff temporarily.

In ETSY SHOP news, I have my first SHOWCASE today!
Just click on the drop-down menu to the right and go to the "vintage" showcase.

The Showcase is Etsy's advertising program, designed for Etsy sellers. By purchasing a 24 hour spot in the Showcase, Etsy sellers highlight their featured items in prominent places on the site to increase shop awareness and boost sales.

So, yay me!

Lastly, there is this...

My buddy Angelique of Six in One Hand has been having a really rough go of it lately (read HERE), and has required the use of a cane, namely her Mama's back-up, Sunday-go-to-meetin', blue and white cane.

Now granted, that is blue you see in Ms. M's tresses, but honestly, I couldn't let my junkin' triplet hobble around with a blue and white granny cane! Uh-uhhh, instead, I found her the little badazz jewel pictured below this past Saturday...

 

Yep, all you've got to do is unscrew the 8 Ball on the cane handle, and what've ya got?

A SWORD!!!

Can you believe it?!? I kid you not.

Let's see that sassy mouthed hairdresser speak her mind now!  Ha!

It'll be on its way soon, Ang, be on the lookout!

I'm going to try to get some last minute Christmas shopping done tomorrow, so in case I don't post again until Wednesday, here's wishing you all a wonderful week leading up to Christmas!

Stay warm, be well, God bless!

Happy Sunday Before Christmas!

A Vintage Cowgirl Christmas, courtesy of Adrienne at
The Flying Bee.

She's the wonderful friend who gifted me with that darling cowgirl ornament in the lower left corner of my collage above, as well as the beautiful Christmas card in the upper right.

Friends like Adrienne make the rough times (like two days ago) a whole lot easier to bear!

Love ya, girl! (or as my vintage Texas cowgirl says above, "je t'aime"! ;-)

The Happiest Time of the Year?

Yes, it should be.

And usually it is.

But this year, as with several recent Christmases past, has been fraught with family related drama. Drama which rears its ugly head, just like clockwork, always just in time to ruin the holidays for me.

Today was that day.

I feel a heaviness of heart, and anger mixed with a sense of helplessness.

I do not wish to hurt those close to me, which is why I will refrain from going into details here.

Suffice it to say, I feel very 

tired, defeated, and bereft of any sort of interior peace.

I will pray, I will rest, I will persevere.

This too shall pass.

On the Sales Front...

(Vintage Embroidery Hoop, Fiona & Twig on Etsy)

I've been doing pretty well with my Etsy Shop, but contrasting that with my booth....as with most brick and mortar shops these days, the booth hadn't been doing quite as well. Oh sure, I'd been moving lots of smalls, but I hadn't really moved any big pieces yet.

Until yesterday!

Remember these? My killer vintage theatre seats? Well say goodbye to them, bid them farewell and wish 'em happy trails, 'cuz they're heading to a new home this week! I got a call from the antique mall yesterday saying a gent was really interested in them, but they couldn't find a price tag. I swear, I think gremlins come in during the night and remove all my tags, because I am forever getting these sorts of calls! Anyhoo, this was a pretty large ticket item, so I did a little happy jig around the house.

I'd been struggling with whether to continue with the booth after my initial 3 month lease expires in January...my sales have been steady, but nothing stupendous. Etsy on the otherhand, has been a ginormous moneymaker for me, so I debated whether I should just channel all my efforts that direction.

(Cinderella's Glass Purse, Fiona & Twig on Etsy)

A good pal in the booth over is throwing in the towel after this month. She isn't even making enough to cover her rent, so after three months, she's outta there. It gave me pause, until the phone call yesterday afternoon announcing my big sale.

So I'm staying put.

Bottom line, I love what I'm doing. Selling stuff and making a bit of money is great, but none of this has ever been about the money. I'd miss the people at the antique mall, I'd miss having my "playhouse" to dress and foof up whenever the urge hits me, I'd miss the chance to move to a first floor booth and test the waters closer to sea level...

(Chunky Vintage Gold Frame, Fiona & Twig on Etsy)

I haven't taken any booth photos recently, but here's a reminder of what my little playhouse looks like...

If you're ever in the area, I'd love to meet up with ya at my booth and grab lunch!

Have a great week!

Chairs of Welcome...My Christmas Decor, Part Two

I've been following a really wonderful blog party
these past few weeks called

Doors of Welcome at Some Days Are Diamonds.

There have been some really gorgeous examples
of warm and welcoming Fall holiday decor, but to be honest,
my front door ain't all that welcoming these days, so I sat this party out!

Sat being the operative word....see how sneaky I am?  ;-)

I just so happen to have a marvelous collection of
vintage-antique-primitive chairs that I like to "do-up" to fit each Season,
so I thought I'd give y'all another quick peek
at four of my dressed-up, scruffy beauties...

If you're in no hurry, sit a spell and I'll whip ya up
some hot cider or hot chocolate. If you're extra good,
I'll even bust into my private stash of Pennsylvania Dutch nog!

Blessings to All!