awesomeness ..

willows at home .. these people were set up down from us at this past canton .. their names are fred & peggy hunt .. their website is willowsathome.com .. my dream home is filled with items they create .. set off in the woods .. away from the daily grind .. with my pets and loved ones ..

their display set-up was so welcoming and warm .. i loved it ..


i didn't get close-up details of the furniture, but the finish on the tables is so wonderful .. it is a checkboard pattern - kind of like the old picnic tablecloths ..

their twig furniture is made here in the states and the most comfortable and sturdy i have ever seen ..

i love the chandeliers ..


their topiaries and accent pieces are so wonderful, you must see them in person .. so the next time you are in canton - come see them - they are in the arbors - Arbor 2 - just down from us...

laterz,
troy

face it ..

aren't these cool? there was a couple set up across from us at canton - well kind of across and down or up - husband and wife team - howard and sharon - they have been doing canton as long as we have, maybe longer - off and on .. they are very creative and very friendly .. actually, i think they are setting up in what used to be judy hills space - in arbor II - spaces 219 & 220 ..one of the many things they do is re-cast old mannequin display heads .. these are copies of mannequin heads they have collected and this is only a small portion of the styles they have available .. they wholesale them for $85.00 - so cool .. i am thinking about one, but cant' decide which to get .. howard makes these himself .. here in America .. which i think is a big plus ..

group shot .. love the look a group shot creates .. just gorgeous ..

the vintage hats are not included and are part of their personal collection .. not sure if the hats are for sale ..

doesn't she look like katherine hepburn .. howard said back in the day when the originals were created they wanted to create mannequins that looked like the movie stars without looking like them enough to cause lawsuits, they you will find mannequins that resemble certain stars .. i think she looks like katherine hepburn ..

this one reminds me of lauren bacall ..

off to work in the warehouse .. new look for the booth coming up for the fabuary february show at canton -

laterz,
troy

new space and friendly faces ..

yesterday was spent unloading the van and trailer .. and starting a mock-up of the new space - we didn't do a mock-up of the space this past month and i think it hurt the look of the booth .. yes, we have a new space - the coming month at canton, we will be in spaces 207 & 208A .. if you are familiar with the Arbors, we will be one step closer to the large walkway - alley - at the end of Arbor 3, before entering Arbor 2 .. 2nd vendor on the right .. to the left of the Green Tree Pecan vendor trailer .. that big reddish burgundy trailer ..

anyway, sharing some pics I took of this past weekend..

the entrance area to canton, off hiway 19 - there is a large parking lot across the hiway from this - there is a large iron entrance with the words 'canton first monday' - or something like that above this statue ..

next month we will be down the left side of this big trailer .. into the left side of Arbor II .. 2nd vendor on the right .. they sell nuts of all varieties out of that trailer and are busy all weekend long .. i got a big bag of raw walnuts for $4.75 .. they were/are delicious ..

the following pics are of some of my favorite places to shop .. just some random shots .. if you can figure out where they are, then you know where i like to go hunting for treasures on the canton grounds .. but i am not going to tell you .. maybe if you come see us, i will point you in the direction .. maybe ..




if there were any doubt in my mind, i think looking at the pics i took this weekend confirms for myself, i am a junker .. i love junk .. piles and piles of junk and the more junk the better .. it was cold and miserable this weekend and there weren't near the vendors - or customers - there usually are .. the PERFECT time to find some real goodies ..
have a wonderful candlemas day - according to the history, today is the day you should remove all your Christmas decorations ..

"Down with the rosemary, and so

Down with the bays and mistletoe;

Down with the holly, ivy, all,

Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas Hall"

— Robert Herrick (1591–1674), "Ceremony upon Candlemas Eve"

i think i just barely made it .. tell the truth, do you still have your decorations up? .. i didn't have all that much stuff .. still have a tree in the bedroom, a little one .. very little .. anyway, next year i will wait until feb 2 and now i know a reason to wait that long ..

laters,
troy

ready for shoppers ..

sherry and i ended up staying home today and rod went to canton.. the plan was that sherry and i would list on etsy .. since the weather was going to be wet and cold .. well, i didn't get very far .. one thing led to another .. and the day just kind of slipped away ..

so here i am at the last minute tonight .. making a post with the pics i took of the booth on thursday morning ..

i am headed to canton with rod tomorrow .. but for now, enjoy the pics of the booth .. and i will try to get out and take pics of other booths and the scenery ..

i love old clocks .. whether they work or not ..

some clothes pin bags sherry and i made using an old pattern .. then we stuffed them with shredded paper and nestled a bottle in them for placing a small bouquet ..

the sofa table size table is actually a nice heavy wall mirror that we had rod build a base for using old table legs .. and the picture frames are fitted with mirrors we had rod cut ..

come see us .. ARBOR II, spaces 203 & 204A

troy, rod & sherry ..

ARBOR II, Spaces 203 & 204A

canton then ...
canton today ..

i think we got it all in .. after pushing and shoving through most of the day .. it is all unloaded .. and somewhat displayed .. we will freshen it up in the morning ..

i was afraid we didn't bring enough .. there is always one more thing to try and get done .. then panic sets in and you wonder if you brought stuff that people will want ..

looking forward to the weekend .. wishing i could make the sale of the century on saturday .. in fionaland .. maybe ..

off to the land of nod myself .. and feeling pretty proud about living in waco after reading robelyns blog post ..

hope to see you in canton ..

troy, rod & sherry ..

hopping along ..

getting everything packed and loaded to leave for canton .. we leave tomorrow .. this will be my first time back as i missed last month, but rod and sherry were there .. i am excited about seeing a lot of people i used to set up with .. lots of old customers .. some new ones too .. excited about seeing theresa of garden antq .. excited about seeing friends howard and sharon .. excited for the food .. there is a little cajun restaurant - cookin cajun .. i think is the name .. they make the most delicious chicken & sausage gumbo .. not too excited about the weather .. they say maybe rain ... maybe snow flurries .. we will be coming back to waco every night .. or most every night .. so i will try to post pics of what is happening and our booth and the people around us ..

have a good tuesday ... hope we get this done in time for american idol tonight ...

a collection of reproduction paper mache bunny rabbits .. love them .. they will be with us at canton this month ..


come see us in Arbor II, spaces 203 & 204A .. this thursday - sunday - jan 28 - 31 ..


an old double gooseneck desk lamp .. love these ... kind of remind me of mad men ...

see what sherry and rod did to it .. rod painted it and sherry slipped the cuffs from the sweater that i used on the shaw walker chair over each shade .. i love it .. cool idea ..

laterz,
troy

1940s arm chair redo with slipcover ..

it has been awhile since i re-upholstered anything, well anything other than a footstool .. so i was nervous about starting this project .. we picked up the chair at a yard sale .. i knew when i saw it that i wanted to do a slipcover for it .. i also knew i would have to recover it before i could make the slipcover ..

and what a perfect time to join in on some worthy blog parties ..

make it for monday at cottage instincts .. thank you, cindy!

make it monday @ the persimmon perch .. thank you, jules!

making the world cuter monday @ making the world c.u.t.e.r .. thank you, tiffany!

just something i whipped up monday @ the girl creative .. thank you, girl creative!


surprisingly, the springs were still in very good condition and i would not have to rework them.. which i hate doing .. i would just need to redo the arms and then cover the whole chair .. but the fabric i wanted to use - a neutral off white .. i didn't have enough .. then i found the vintage striped mattress ticking and sherry suggested i use the two fabrics ..

now, honestly, recovering a chair is 1 part know-how and 5 parts patience (if 6 parts makes a whole) .. i just took my time removing the old and marking it in what order it was removed .. then once it was all removed, i reversed the order - pressed the pieces i had removed and used them as a pattern to cut the new .. i made some errors and while i am not 100% happy with the project .. i am pleased with the way it looks ..
now i was able to start the whole reason i purchased the chair .. the slipcover .. i already had the fabric .. a vintage cohama screen print from the mid 40s .. quilted stitching .. and i had the perfect matched fringe .. it was just a matter of fitting the fabric .. cutting it .. pinning it .. and sewing it together .. i did make myself a paper pattern first, but only because the fabric i wanted to use was limited and i didn't want to make any mistakes or chance making one ..

i started with the inside back, since that would be the area that would make the first impression .. i wanted the pattern centered in the back and seat .. i cut and trimmed the back then cut and trimmed the arms and sewed the arms to the back ..

i knew that i would be leaving the back outside of the chair for the very last ..

i also knew that i would want to have areas of the slipcover trimmed out in welting or cording .. this was the fashion with slipcovers in the golden age of slipcovers and i knew i wanted to repeat this look .. so i cut the fabric strips that would cover the cording .. i cut the strips on the bias .. i learned this will help the cording bend and curve with the lines of the slipcover more easily that cutting the strips in running lengths ..

i also decided the slipcover would be a shortie .. i liked the look and wanted to trim it with the fringe i had and didn't want the slipcover to the floor ..

i loved the way it was coming along .. if i still smoked i would have been standing back admiring the work and taking a cigarette break .. slow and easy .. i could actually see greer garson or even eve arden sitting in this chair ..

it is done .. the trim is in place and all it right .. there are some things i would have changed .. i wished i would have had more of the fabric .. i got out-voted on painting the legs to match the trim .. (democracy sucks) (kidding) ..

side view .. i noticed a slight dip on the corner right underneath the arm .. i didn't notice this when i was sewing it .. actually i worked on this lifting and lowering it from my work table .. ideally, have a work table at least the height of a childs desk or table .. it's easier to see that everything is even .. and measure .. measuring is good .. sherry is still horrified that i do NOT always pin pieces together before sewing ..

i love this chair .. so pleased with it .. new life .. kept from the landfill .. so charming .. someone will just have to have it .. if not i guess we can always use it for firewood ..

laters,
troy

(i'm kidding about the firewood - but come see us in Canton this coming weekend - we will be in ARBOR 2, space 203 & 204A - or the chair gets it! )

silver sunday no. 4 .. Op Art Patrick Dupre

some time ago, someone threw these in the trash .. i pulled them out .. there was just something about them that made me want to keep them .. i think they will eventually end up in my 'dream bedroom' area ..

the artists name is patrick dupre .. from what i have found out about him, he is well collected and his signature pieces were these 70s/ 80s era op art metallic pieces .. the print has a foil or metallic appearance .. very reflective .. or as buddy the elf would say .. shiny ..


visit beth @ gypsy fish journal for more silver sunday posts by other bloggers .. thank you, beth for hosting such a fun event ..

off to sew some more ..

laterz,
troy

ready for canton ..

i'm not personally, there are tons of things to finish up .. but i took some photos of things we recently completed that are ready for canton ..


another sweater lampshade .. this one accented with a large hand made cream burlap rose ...
love the way these sweater shades are turning out .. so you will know, the sweater lamp idea was NOT my idea .. i got the idea from the current issue of country living magazine .. the credit goes to them .. but thank you for thinking i am that creative .. lol!! oh, and this is a large floor lamp size lamp .. would make a great pendant lamp - the rose is only in place with a T pin - it can easily be removed .. and this one i added a 'rolled' strip at the top to finish it off ..


this one is my idea kind of - i saw it on an old old old lampshade in an old old magazine .. i liked it and have been doing them for years ... this one is covered using vintage YSL lining fabric ..

this was rods project .. one sherry and i dreamed up for him .. we loved the patina of the old pine wood and hated the thought of painting over that .. so we remembered the vintage linoleum we had ... and thought it a perfect amount of vintage without painting ..

back to work - i am procrastinating over a slipcover .. can't think of another excuse to put it off .. darn it ..

laterz,
mor pics to follow - we have a busy few days here before canton ..

troy

a chair to remember ..

do you remember this chair?

i bought it back in november of 2009, i think .. it is a vintage 60s era shaw walker with aluminum legs .. with the original fabric and the original metal tag label on the back .. rod and sherry took it to canton last month, but it didn't sell .. so they brought it back ..


then i saw an article in country living magazine where they took old sweaters and recovered things .. lampshades, bottles and the like ..

so ... this is what i did .. i recovered the chair in a grey sweater i picked up at a thrift store .. it wasn't until i was cutting off the excess that i noticed the original tag on the sweater ... also, i left the original tweed like fabric on the chair ..




then i was having such a good time with the sweaters .. and looking for things to recover ... i picked up this pink sweater and recovered a large drum shade .. i like the 'button-up' look ...

i left the old fabric on the shade .. lazy i guess .. but also i was afraid i would end up having to line the shade .. i wanted to avoid that ..

off to work some more .. footstool to upholster and slipcovers to make .. rod is painting today and sherry is working on signs .. and keeping us all organized ..

laterz,
troy

Tornado in Canton ..

just heard this from a friend and then i located this website -


http://daviddrummond.com/blog/2010/01/20/012010-tornadoes-reported-in-northeast-texas/


has anyone heard how laurie anna's shop fared?

post if you have heard anything .. please ..

troy