ON A LIGHTER NOTE...

Not the Tin Man, but Mr. Twig, while visiting me in Warrenton last month.

In true junker spirit, he demonstrates the re-purposing of a vintage oil funnel.

It's a good look on him, dontcha think?

WE'RE THINKING...AND PLOTTING....AND HOPING

And looking.

Always looking.

Two years ago when my husband and I moved back to the Texas Hill Country, we needed to find a home in a hurry, as my teacher hubby was due to start teaching SOON and we needed a place to live.

We have a lovely little place in the country, but it is far from my dream home.

It's not our forever home, which at this point in our lives, is what our next home will be.

So just 6 or so miles down the road, there's this little blue farmouse.

For sale.

Taunting me each time I drive past.

Daring me to enter, enticing me to call the realtor to set up an appointment to come inside and see if maybe, just maybe, THIS could be our forever home.

The price just dropped 20K, which should seem appealing were it not for the fact that it was overpriced to begin with.

I mean, 250K for a home with only one bathroom and only window units for A/C???

The vinyl floors would need to be replaced, and the out buildings would need some work.

Still....

it is an early 1900s farmhouse.

With a bunkhouse.

And two barns.

And acreage.

And a detached guest house.
And good bones.

With likely enough projects to keep me busy until old age sets in.

Tell me, what do you think?

And the bunkhouse...A man cave, at LAST!

So?

Whaddaya think?

We still owe an arm and half a leg on the house we moved into two years ago, but there's something about this little blue treasure that I just cannot shake.

Here's the listing right HERE.
Go check it out.

It's a dream.

Here's hoping all your dreams come true!

AN UNDISCOVERED GEM....

....that would be the divine Christie.

During Antique Week in Warrenton, she can be found between Zapp and Renck Hall, in an ethereal, cottage-y tent, an oasis of white and whimsy where she has created a little shop of wonder.

And the singularly talented Christie is only undiscovered in the blogging realm, as she isn't a blogger herself. Those who have shopped the fields of Warrenton, more often than not, are well acquainted with the charming lass, and she has developed a loyal following of those who head to her tent, day after day during the shows, to see what magic she'll be conjuring up that day. 

I purchased quite a bit from Christie during my week in Warrenton, and came to think of her as a friend.

I hope you will, too!

Here's her space...don't forget to click pics to enlarge...

Take a bow, Christie!

You can find her at The County Line Market in Huffman, Texas, or in Warrenton next Fall.

And speaking of, I still have more Warrenton pics and posts in the pipeline, hang in there sports fans!

Have a great night!

LIVING IN THE REAL WORLD

As opposed to where, you might be asking?

Good question.

This post is going to start with a few disclosures, which may or not take the shape of a discombobulated rant. Hang with me, it'll become cohesive by posts end. At least I'm hoping.

For the past 15 or so years, much of my life has been lived online.

In the mid to late 90s, I converted to Catholicism.

Around the same time, I purchased my first computer, and the very first thing I typed into the search engine was "Catholicism".

The woefully inadequate catechesis I received from my RCIA program was supplemented by the many wonderful Catholic resources I was able to find online. Hooray for cyberspace!

Fast forward a few years.

Frustrated by the lack of like-minded dating prospects in my geographical area, I gave online dating a try.

Yes, I'm one of those people.  ;-)

At the behest of a friend, I placed a profile on match.com, making sure to keep my faith and pre-reqs for a mate front and center, as I was wary of the sort of Pervy Pete's you read about in all those cautionary tales out there.

One day later, I had received many, many contacts, but one stood out from the crowd.

Online, he went by a variation on the name Christopher Robin from Winnie the Pooh.

Today I call him husband.

Again, a big huzzah for the net!

This time last year, I had a somewhat fuzzy notion of what a blog was, but had never read one, much less given thought to starting my own.

I think we all know how THAT has turned out, right?

Initially, the purpose of this blog was to document my journey into becoming a shopkeeper, with all the twists and turns and obstacles and little victories along the way.

So I went to Warrenton.

I was inspired.

I opened my first booth in an antique mall.

About three months into the journey, I discovered Etsy, and amidst much fear and trepidation, opened my Etsy Shop.

And I think I did pretty well, actually! I've achieved 70+ sales since November, and although it's an awful lot of work to list, photograph, pack and ship, I've still found it to be both financially and artistically gratifying.

Did somebody say financially?

Yep, that'd be me.

I found that things I thought were awesome and killer were sitting and sitting and collecting dust in my booth, month after month.

Without fail, I'd pull something from my booth, list it on Etsy, and within days, it would sell...only confirming my deeply held belief that if only somehow, some way, all my bloggy friends could make it to my booth, I'd have booth sales out the wazoo.

You know what they say, if the mountain won't come to Mohammed...

To be fair, it wasn't anybody's fault.

Pardon my language, but the economy sucks.

Booths and shops are hurting all over, and honestly, my upstairs location in the mall wasn't doing me any favors.

Decision time.

I wrestled with whether to just give up my booth altogether, and some months, I wasn't even making the rent. And why would I? I was putting all my best stuff on Etsy, what the heck did I expect???

Around this time, there were rumblings that I was in line for a coveted, first floor spot, so I decided to just hang on and see how things played out.

By the time I knew I was headed to Warrenton to sell, I also knew that I would be moving into that prime piece of downstairs real estate, so here's where we finally get to the point of this post.

Still with me?

Confession time:

I'm suffering from Etsy Ambivalence.

I can't seem to find the motivation or the inspiration to re-open my Etsy Shop, and here's why.

Conventional wisdom dictates that a downstairs booth equals much more foot traffic and visibilty, which should translate into more sales. And so far, this has proven to be the case.

Given this irrefutable fact, why on earth wouldn't I give it a fair shake and place the very best of my wares into my booth...give 'em a chance to sell, to see if the old adage location, location, location REALLY is the case?

Now in a perfect world, I would do both...have an Etsy shop AND a booth. And work my full-time job as a therapist, manage a household and solve world hunger. And all of that would be before lunchtime on a slow day for me.  ;-)

But, being only a mere mortal, something has had to give, and for now, that something is my Etsy shop. It's on vacation mode until further notice.
I'm choosing to live more in the "real" world for a season, and to see how my wonderful Warrenton wares will be received in my own neck of the woods.

Have I made the right choice? I won't know the answer to that for a few more months, but that's the direction I'm headed, and I do hope that all of you will weigh in on what YOU think about my decision.

I'd also love to hear from ladies and gents that have wrestled with similar situations and how you've handled things.

Share your struggles and little victories...at the end of the day, isn't that what blogging's all about?

And now it would be your turn.

Talk to me.

THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME

After not visiting my local podunk resale shop in several weeks, I just happened in yesterday and discovered this...

It's a side table made with a drawer! Isn't it too cute?

And lookie, here's another one just like it, only smaller...

They were being used to hold puzzles in one room and small stuffed toys in another. They didn't even have prices on them, but that never deters a true junker, right? You don't get if ya don't ask, that's Picker 101.

I never divulge what I've paid anymore, but they were cheaper than dirt.
Can't wait to take them to the booth next week!

I'm off now to a doctor's appointment in San Antonio, wish me luck!

Edited to add some exciting giveaway news from Shellagh at Ticking and Toile!

Shellagh has a wonderful interview with the talented founder of Cabbages and Roses, Christina Strutt.

To celebrate the fab new book, "At Home With Country", Shellagh is having a C&R giveaway!

Click HERE to enter.

ME? A PHOTO STYLIST?

No, I'm not, but I play one on my blog.  ;-)

Actually, while selling in Warrenton with the Texas Junque Slinger, Effie, I decided to play photo stylist with that gorgeous belt buckle I received from Jill of Gypsy Brocante.

I thought I'd snap my big-show bling in some vignettes I created, and then submit them to Jill to see if she approved and wanted to use any of them on her blog or in her advertising.

Vote for the one YOU like best!

Number One:

Number Two:

Number Three:

Number Four: 

Number Five:

Just having fun, I don't 'spect I'll be getting a call from one of the mags anxiously requesting my services.

As long as Gypsy Jill's happy, I'm good.

Lots and lots more to share, including some amazing new finds, my giveaway wins, surprising Etsy news, and yes, much more Warrenton Antique Week stuff! But I still have a couple of hundred photos left to edit, so you'll more than likely be getting Warrenton posts from me all month long. Can ya stand it?

Off for now, have a great night!