My Booth, Etsy and a Fabulous Giveaway...

I finally took some more pics of my booth this afternoon,
as so many of you have asked me to do so.
It's coming along...I'm not entirely feelin' the love for how it looks,
but it's getting there. The additions from Troy's Big Sale surely didn't hurt!

Really unique papier mache Santa boot I procured from Troy.

 

Some old, some new. The nightstand that I painted and stained is new, 

as are the cases and hatbox. I've added a lot of smalls, 

but the "bigs" ain't budging yet. Ugh. 

However, I had a fabulous week sales wise, 

big-white-furniture-not-goin'-nowhere notwithstanding. 

I kept hearing that these days, it's all about the smalls. Call me a believer.

I just love this chandelier votive. The crystals are so delicate.

I'm learning the fine art of packin' it in!

Booth overview. Note the big white pieces mocking me,
obstinately refusing to budge. I curse you, cottage-y furniture!

Hey, wait a sec...who's the broad on the dresser?

Do I detect a rival hussy in Helga's booth???

 

Why, by golly, I think a vintage showgirl floozy
has decided to hang her pasties in my booth!

The claws are sure to come out, as Helga is plenty territorial.

Except Helga doesn't have claws. Doesn't have arms, for that matter...

 Assorted other views...

 

 

So in other news, I'm finally getting my butt in gear with regards to my Etsy shop. 

You know, the one that doesn't exist yet? 

That's not entirely true, I have my profile, shop announcement 

and shop policies all filled out. Not only that, but I also have 

Etsy superstar Adrienne of The Flying Bee helping a sista out! 

I chatted her up for at least a half hour this afternoon, she is a doll! 

Now to just take the pics, describe and list the items, 

and figure out the whole shipping business. Oh, and say a prayer!

Moving right along to someone who has it ALL  figured out...

  

Tracey from one of my absolute favorite blogs, French Larkspur,
is having a fabulous giveaway, and that gorgeous French tablecloth above
is only ONE of the prizes!

Click HERE to enter.

Sleep well, my pretties!

White Wednesday...On My Christmas List

My new-found antique dealer friend Bill
is in possession of something so elegantly over-the-top,
that of course it made the very tippy-top of my Christmas List this year.....

Have you ever???

I sure haven't.

It's just a wee bit pricey,
but well worth it, in my opinion.

Only if we all pitch in and do our part
can this divine treasure be mine.

Fiona and Twig accepts donations
via all major credit cards and Pay Pal.

I'm just sayin'.

 

Visit Kathleen at Faded Charm

to see more wondrous whites!

And be sure to head over to visit Jana at
Collected Treasures to enter her November Giveaway

She's giving away FIVE handmade 

Victorian cones like the ones above!

This gal is as generous as she is talented,
so you definitely don't want to miss out!

The Followers Thing, Part 2

The response to my post on The Case of the Missing Followers 

generated a lot more conversation

 than I ever anticipated, so I thought I'd add a few new thoughts here. 

Well, new for me, at least! 

I'm learning that there's not much one can do 

in the blogging world that hasn't been done

 before (and usually better), so just bear with me

as I re-invent the wheel here.

Okay, so way back when, I promised that I'd always 

try to be brutally honest, even at the expense of my so-called reputation. 

This time is no different.

I've confessed to unabashed booth envy, s

o I might as well own up to suffering the occasional bout of blog envy as well. 

There are just sooooo many insanely talented folks here in our midst 

that it's been known to bring out the ugly little inner green beast on occasion. 

But it's not the sort of envy that creates a "why her, not me?" mentality....

rather, the kind that inspires and motivates me 

to create better content and to just be an all-around better blogger.

So when I see a top-notch blog with an abundance of followers, 

it's an encouraging sign! It reaffirms my conviction that the cream usually rises to the top, 

and that excellence is recognized and rewarded.

Which leads me to why we blog in the first place
and what we hope to achieve from it.

While some of us incorporate career aspirations into our blogging (guilty as charged),
many blog simply for the joy and fulfillment it brings.
Both are valid reasons, and I'd like to think that I'm a combination of the two.

My backstory: for many, many years, writing has been my first love.

In a perfect world, I'd have finished up a journalism degree
rather than going into medicine, which is not to take anything away from what I do for a living;
I love my job and my patients, but as I've said before,
writing feeds a need deep within me that nothing else ever has.
But would I love to also be able to earn a living through my writing?
Heck, yeah!

Likewise, I've had a passion for decorating and antiques and junking for ages,
so I'm thrilled to be able to combine these two passions in one venue.
But again, would I love to be able to earn a living as a shop owner?
I think we all know the answer to that one!

Through blogging, I've also discovered a newfound passion 

I never dreamed I would embrace so fervently... photography and photo editing. 

Who knew it could be so darn much fun? 

Not me, so that's been an unexpectedly pleasant surprise along the way.

But the greatest joy of blogging thus far has been the friends 

I've been fortunate enough to make. If I lost every follower I have tonight, 

I'd still count it as a gain for the friendships I've been blessed with. 

I won't name names, because there are just way too many of you to single out a handful, 

and to list them all would take all night. 

But just know that I'm a better person having "met" you, 

even if we haven't come face to face yet. 

We will, God will make a way.

This post feels like one big, long ramble, so I'm hoping it doesn't read as one! 

I'm hoping to tie things up in a pretty burlap bow here in just a bit!

A thought I wanted to incorporate into this post 

was the saying "To thine own self be true..."

That speaks to me in how it pertains to blogging, 

because I feel that being authentic and transparent are two key ingredients 

to connecting with readers.

The adjective crafty will never be used in conjunction with my name, believe me! 

So if I attempt to mimic my uber talented friend Dawn at The Feathered Nest, 

you savvy folks will see right through me 

and high-tail it over to the genuine article. And rightfully so!

I can only be the best Anne, and trying to be a pale imitation of anyone else 

is a plan doomed to failure. If you deem me worthy of following, 

I want it to be because you genuinely like me (channeling Sally Field here, folks), warts and all.

I can hear snoring in the cheap seats, 

so it's time to pull the plug here!

Again, thank you for your friendship, 

your comments, your inspiration, and above all,

for changing my life for the better.

That is what blogging has meant to me!

~Anne

Hey, Where'd Ya Go?

Ever look at your follower list
and see one less follower than you had the night before?

I was talking about this with my buddy Angélique of Six in One Hand
the other day.
You ask yourself, "Was it something I did? Something I said? Something I didn't say?
Egads, did they meet with an unfortunate accident???"

All of this is said tongue-in-cheek. 
I don't do a running count of my numbers and stats on a regular basis,
'cause that's not what it's all about for me.

But do I want to get my name and my brand out there?

Sure! It's no secret that my two great loves
are being incorporated in this blog, writing and junking.

And to eventually land a gig which allows me
to do both would be the realization of a dream.

And it's a simple mathematical fact that the more readers your blog has,
the greater your chances of making some of those dreams come true.

But the human element always has to be placed front and center
as far as I'm concerned.

Which means that if you were kind enough to leave me a comment,
I'm going to take the time to get back to you and leave you one, too....
take a bit of time to peruse your blog and leave a personalized comment,
something other than an impersonal "Great blog, come visit me again!"
which to me, is worse than leaving no comment at all.
I've seen that done, and it always sort of grates.

Granted it might take me a day or two to get around
to visiting everyone who visits me, but I feel very strongly that I owe you at least that much.
Not only that, I want to get you know you all!

So to all my friends and those who follow my blog, I thank you profusely!

It's a joy to read and be a follower of so many of you, too!

And speaking of friends, I had the thrill of 

getting to chat with the incredible Debra of

Common Ground

yesterday afternoon! She is exactly as you'd imagine, just a real joy to talk to.

Heck, I even finagled an invitation up to Missouri 

to spend time at the Common Ground Homestead!

Wishing you all a blessed and joyful junkin' week ahead!

As Promised....

I didn't realize until after I pimped out my front deck
that this wasn't even everything I'd purchased at Troy and Rod's
Junk Exchange Mega-Sale
yesterday!

Yep, I merchandised the heck out of of my front porch,
20 miles out in the country, all for your viewing pleasure! Well, and theirs, too....

Whenever I go into full-on set designer mode out there, 

they look at me like I've totally lost it.

So, minus a suitcase and a handful of other vintage pretties, 

here's my haul from the big sale, still going on through tomorrow.

 

This is where my rose watercolor will be permanently residing. 

Nope, there's no way in heck I could ever part with it, just too lovely.

"The Heavenly Twins!"

This is whimsy at its finest, 

and it was love at first sight when I spied this ceramic piece.

I snagged every single suitcase 

I had scoped out in Troy's pre-sale preview pics.

Score!

Love the nightstand dressers! 

They'll be headed to the booth next week.

 

Vintage office chair sporting a State Fair of Texas Jr. Beef Heifer Show Banner.

Say THAT three times quickly!

 

Some of the vintage bottles I brought home.

 

 

 

This old photo is a riot!

The higher the hair, the closer to God.

 

Check out the cool metronome.

Hmmm, and a little somethin' for Debra, maybe?

Adorable papier-mâché Christmas boot.

 

LOVE me some monogrammed luggage!

Enlarge the pic above to follow the narrative on the flash cards.

Too funny! What a little weenie that kid is!

Going to photocopy these and use them as price tags.

Troy's brilliant contribution to Team Fiona and Twig.

 

Pictures don't come close to doing these vintage fabrics justice.

  

 

 

 

Amazing vintage chenille bedspread.

 

Old wallpaper, to be used for decoupage, among other things.

This was a wish-list item. 

I'd almost given up ever finding one in as good condition as this one.

Leave it to Rod and Troy!

 

And finally, this....

Junkin' buddy  Effie is picking this up for me in the next couple of weeks, 

this might end up going with us to Warrenton, not sure yet.

So that's it.

Thoughts? Favorites? See something in my sale pics yesterday 

that you can't believe I passed up?

Hate me more now?  ;-)

If you're ever in the area, I'd love to have you visit my space 

at Sunrise Antique Mall, 820 Water St, Kerrville, Texas.

Pretty much everything you've seen here 

will be for sale there before the holidays, 

so don't miss the chance to share in my spoils!

Thanks again to my dear friends Troy and Rod 

and the Junk Exchange gang for making it all possible!

A quick thank you to my

Anthropologie/The Find Giveaway Winner Kate of Salvage Dior

for the lovely write-up on her blog!

You are most welcome!

Have a great weekend!