What's in your bucket?

I confess, I never saw the movie "The Bucket List" .

It's about two terminally ill gents,
played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman,
who take off on a road trip together armed with a list
of all the things they want to do before they kick the proverbial bucket.

I quite like the idea of this, and as of late, 

have felt compelled to slowly but surely empty my own  bucket after years of relative complacency.

So....what's in my bucket?

Since first seeing the magnificent Broadway musical 

Les Miserables almost 20 years ago, and having seen it 16 times since, 

I have always wanted to sing the role of Fantine on stage.

Something visceral stirred deep within me the very first time 

I heard the opening strains of I Dreamed a Dream.

Odds of accomplishing this: slim to none, 

but I can still sing the libretto joyfully while driving, cleaning, painting....

Next on my list?

To become more proficient and polished 

at the whimsical world of mixed media/altered image art.

I see a great opportunity now to produce and sell 

mixed-media creations in my booth, and eventually, in my own shop. 

Sweet and uber talented friends such as Dawn at The Feathered Nest 

have been encouraging and so very inspiring in this quest, 

so I hope to have some pretties to display soon.

Odds of accomplishing this: Pretty darn good *fingers crossed*!

Next item...

Go to Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat is one of more than a dozen magnificent temples 

in the vast metropolis of Angkor, the capital of the Khmer Empire 

from the 9th to the 15th centuries. 

Located in Cambodia, it is listed in Smithsonian Magazine 

as one of 25 places you must see before you die. 

I have to concur with the good folk at Smithsonian here. Breathtaking.

Next up...

Rest.

Breathe.

SLOW. DOWN.

That's probably the thing I most need to accomplish right now.

I've been firing on all cylinders for weeks now,
and truth be told, my tank's a bit depleted.

We sometimes forget to stop, take a breath, look around,
and actually congratulate ouselves on what we have accomplished.

Instead, all we tend to see are the dreams unfulfilled, the expectations not yet met.

My day job is as a respiratory therapist
and I often work in critical care settings.
In other words, real life or death stuff.
It really does serve to put things in perspective
when one is wont to reevalute their life.

So while my "bucket" might still be full of things not yet achieved,
my heart is actually quite full of all that I have.

And you?

How does your list look?

Don't forget, you have until

Saturday, October 10th, 11:59pm CST

to enter my

Rockin' Anthropologie Giveaway

Just sign up as a follower and/or leave a comment.

Have a great weekend!

This post was edited to remove
any photos not taken by myself, Anne Lorys.

Anthropologie Giveaway , Last Call

I had originally set the deadline to enter my celebratory 

Antique Mall Booth Opening

for earlier this week...but I've noticed that entries keep trickling in, 

with the majority of them saying they learned about 

it via the rockin' Dawn at The Feathered Nest.

Check's in the mail, Dawn! ;-)

Seriously, I want to thank everyone who has left me 

such kind and supportive comments, and for sharing in this happy occasion.

The drawing for the winner of this giveaway 

is still set for Sunday, October 11th, but you now have until 

Saturday, October 10th, 11:59pm CST to enter.

Here's a reminder of the loot and swag being raffled here:

$25 gift card to Anthropologie 

and

a lovely Anthropologie cloche

 

Plus a couple of surprises, too!

To enter, simply  

become a follower and leave a comment.

That's it.

Many thanks to all who have embraced me with their generosity and kindness.

May your kindness be returned to you hundredfold!

Blessings,

Anne

You better believe I made it without my hubby!

I seem to have become a handywoman of sorts
since opening my first antique mall booth recently.
I dunno, something about necessity becoming a mom or something....

The gals at Shanty2Chic are throwing an

I Made it Wihout my Hubby

party (or as I like to call it, Extreme Makeover, Ugly Dresser Edition) over on their blog, so here's my contribution to the festivities!

To my dismay, I have no true "before" pics,
but I purchsed this woeful little dresser at a local flea market
for a pittance. It was dressed in a thick coat of black paint and had no drawer pulls.

I thought I'd be thrifty and decided to tackle the paint job
with a super cheap gallon of white from the Habitat for Humanity store.

Exhibit A:

Oh, one other small detail...I'd never painted furniture before. 

Hard to believe, eh? ;-)

I pretty much took nastiness to a whole new level with this project.

Realizing that skimping and shortcuts just weren't gonna cut it, 

I did my research and headed off to the Depot to get the tools of the trade.

Afrer sanding, priming, painting with Behr Creamy White Paint, 

doing a Ralph Lauren Tea Glaze and putting on Antique Glass Knobs 

( all without my better half ), here's the final result:

All dressed up and ready for her new home at my booth!

Be sure to head on over to see all the other industrious wives at

Shanty2Chic!

The Man Behind Fiona and Twig

Meet my Handsome Husband...

I felt a bit guilty that I had no photos of my own from Warrenton which featured HH, but Theresa Cano of Garden Antqs Vintage came to the rescue! She was gracious enough to snap this pic of HH and myself in her beautiful space, and doubly gracious to allow me to use it here on my blog.

Now let me preface this bio on HH with this disclaimer: He is not really in any way shape or form into the whole antique-vintage-flea markety-junking-Warrenton thing.

Not a bit.

But boy oh boy, is he ever the go-to guy when you need someone to either push your Wonder Wheeler all stinkin' day long, cart heavy furniture to and fro, repair a wonky drawer so's I can sell it in my booth,  listen patiently while I prattle on endlessly about all my bloggy friends....you get the picture.

Heck, he was an avowed lifelong cat hater who has grudgingly come around to loving my girl, Winnie (although he'd be loathe to admit it *grin*).

So yeah, in many, many significant ways, he truly is the man behind Fiona and Twig.

But he is an astonishingly accomplished gent in his own right.

He was a Nationally ranked swimmer in college, and made it to the Olympic trials twice. At one point, he was ranked 8th in the world.

He is an accomplished thespian, having performed community theatre for years (and with the awards to prove it).

He has tirelessly taught High School Chemistry and Physics for many years, as well as coached swimming. In fact, 2 years ago he was named Coach of the Year for his region.

But his greatest achievement? It might just be putting up with me.

Love ya, HH!

Big Orange Betty Revisited

I'm re-posting one of my very first blog entries today, as I'd like input from y'all. I had every intention of selling Betty once I became a dealer and had my own booth, but now...well, now I'm sorta attached to the old gal. What would you do?

It's going to be tough to part with her once I get a booth or shop off the ground and running.

Oh, my apologies, I haven't introduced you to my newest family member yet.....this is Big Orange Betty.....

She's a little self conscious about her height, being 7 feet and all.
A chunky hearty farm gal from the plains of Minnesota, donchaknow.
How she made it to a flea market in the Texas Hill Country is likely a tale to rival the very best of Lewis and Clark!
And don't ya dare even think about calling her Ugly Betty...why she'd just as soon whomp you upside the head with a rolling pin as put up with that sort of sass.

One of the local antique store Proprietoresses (is that a word?) had her eye on Betty for a few weeks prior. I know this because said Shop Owner is a friendly acquaintance, and we've shared tales of our latest finds and acquisitions.

On the morning I picked Betty up from the market, my trusty friend Junker Earl informed me that Shop Owner owner had come by bright and early before I had arrived to make doubly sure that I still wanted Betty and was planning on picking her up. I know for a fact that Betty wouldn't have left with her anyway....even though I got her for a steal at $85, Shop Owner has a glorious shop full of beautiful but pricey treasures. Betty, being a simple gal, instinctively felt more at home with me.

So, me and dutiful husband and dutiful friend loaded her up and off we went. Got her home and began to play dress-up....

A little strip of burlap to temporarily cover the stains....

Enough lollygagging Betty, time to get to work!

Out with the unpacked wedding china, into your watchful bosom, old girl.

She's going to be tough to say goodbye to on that fateful day, but say goodbye I will. My shop will need a good-hearted, big-boned sentry like Betty to keep an eye on things.....donchaknow?

Can't a girl just get some love?

Meet Helga, my Booth Hussy.

 

As usual, ignore the fugly pegboard.

I brought some new stuff into my booth today 

(eeeks, I can't believe I just typed that last sentence! My booth! ) 

and I decided Helga needed some spicing up a bit. 

She already had the lampshade hat and brooch, 

but she wasn't quite saucy enough for my liking.

Enter the flashcards.

All I added was the question mark after "sailor", 

and I think she now has just the right amount 

of sass and cheekiness now. Dont ya think? ;-)

Reminder: Deadline for entering my big lollapalooza 

Anthropologie Giveaway is midnight CST tonight. 

Winner will be drawn from a cloche hat (how fitting!) this coming Sunday, October 11.

All you have to do is become a follower and leave a comment. Easy!

Anthropologie Giveaway Extended!

'Morning All!

Well, I had a such a positive response to my

Booth Opening / Anthropologie Giveaway

that I'm extending it for one more day.

 

See the beautiful Anthropologie Cloche above?

In celebration of my very first Antique Mall Booth Opening,
I'm offering one lucky winner this nifty cloche and a $25 gift card from

Anthropologie

Just like yesterday,  

all you have to do is become a follower and leave a comment 
 and voila! You will be instantly entered to win.
The drawing will be this coming Sunday, October 11th.

I want to give a big thanks to those sweet bloggers
who have linked back to my giveaway on their own blogs.
The generosity and selflessness is amazing, although not unexpected..

In the meantime, back to my booth sometime today to foof it up a bit (thanks, Sue!).

Have a great day!