How was Canton ?

Canton was beautiful this past weekend.. the crowds were large and even though it was a bit cooler, we had a lot of travelers. Louisiana seem to all come for a visit. Seems like every other customer was from Louisiana, with some saying they were having so much fun they were coming back next month.
Met some customers all the way up from Austin and San Antonio who fell in love with the booth.
Here are some pics from our booth this past month. Enjoy and we hope to see you there next month ..

tufted french bench .. you can't really see them in the pic, but i made some buttons for this bench using cotton string .. they look like little pom poms ..

love the little slipcovered childs chairs .. Rod made a table to go with using old banister spindles as legs ..

i love the look of a sweet little antique chair stacked with pillows .. the top pillow is from our new line of vintage pillows .. just the sham, ma'am ..

darling ruffled initial shams .. cute!

don't you just love this pair of stools .. i believe they originally were a pair of cocktail tables .. the base is heavy metal and was already painted gold when we found them .. i covered them in burlap and i love the way the tufting turned out .. i also made some special buttons for them using threads of the burlap ..

another pillow from our new line of vintage pillows - just the sham, ma'am - the pillows are made using discarded and saved scraps of vintage fabrics blended with burlap, canvas and muslin ..

just the sham, ma'am - vintage toile pillow ..

i love our union jack pillows ..


We hope to see you in Canton this coming month.. keep watching the blog for updates on finished projects for the show.

Love ya'll
Troy

Price-y Project ..

Rod found these old metal price tabs that were originally part of an antique cash register .. We knew we wanted to do something fun and easy with them, they were just too cool.

We settled on having him make bases for them to rest in, made from an old painted 2 x 4. He plans to clear coat the bases.

Didn't they turn out cool? They would look cute scattered throughout a bookshelf .. Or buy the one that best suits your situation .. know someone who is always giving their .02 ?

I decided to price them individually so everyone can pick their favorite ..

They will be at Canton this week.. come see us ..

March 31st thru April 3rd ..

Arbor 2, spaces 217 & 218

.10 a dance?



.01 for your thoughts? odder than a $3 bill?

NO SALE ..



Have a great Sunday .. love ya'
Troy

Leah Grace update and New Stuff for Canton ..

I got an update on Leah Grace.. the benefit sale was a success .. they raised almost $9000 and were thrilled with the turn-out. They used my title ' A Cup of Tea With Leah Grace ' as their slogan .. which I thought was awesome .. so happy to have helped this little precious angel in whatever way I could. If you helped and kept her in your prayers, thank you.

Also, here are some things we have been working on for Canton ..

an old needlepoint i stitched / patched to the front of a piece of vintage mattress ticking i had and backed it with a piece of vintage chenille ..

sometime ago we purchased these glass cloches or bells .. i epoxied various seashells on the tops to act as knobs for lifting .. i have a stack of vintage salad plates that work great as underplates for them .. i like these a lot ..

this is one of my favorite ones .. love the seashell on this one .. i have a limited supply of these .. only about 18 .. i priced them out at $9.95 to $11.95 depending on the seashell used and then the plates i priced at $4 - $5 ..

this is a swatch of wallpaper .. the colors are more vivid than the pic shows .. esp the pinks and blues .. i have a nice size roll of this vintage paper .. wait until you see the what i did with some of it ..

judy hill seems to have made old paint brushes popular .. who would have thought .. but here at the junk exchange, we hope to supply you with all your decorating needs .. so, if you want old paint brushes .. here they are ..

if you aren't able to make it to Warrenton / RoundTop .. i hope you can make it to Canton .. come see us in Arbor 2, spaces 217 & 218...

well, off to do more sewing, painting and creating ..

love you,
Troy

back to creating .. back to blogging ..

i'm fixin to get back to creatin' and bloggin' ..

my uncle - on my fathers side passed in february .. i had my gallbladder removed in february .. so the last couple of months i have wanted to do very little .. feelin better..

i am going to be at Canton at the end of this month, so would love to see you there ... wish we were doing warrenton / roundtop but it has just gotten to be too long of a show .. fun .. very fun .. but it just exhausts me .. so i will be sticking with Canton ..

here are some things we have been working on creatin ..


these are cute little 16" muslin pillow shams .. a fancy curly style initial adorns the front of each ..

sweet raw edge linen style fabric sham .. 16" square .. adorned with a Paris design ..

our popular Union Jack pillow in a bed pillow size sham .. 21" by 26" .. canvas with muslin strips ..

new this month .. burlap toppers for our muslin slipcovers .. block printed with a fancy curlicue initial .. tied at the corners with muslin strips ..

closeup of the burlap topper .. the backside is the same as the front ..

come out and see us .. we are in Arbor 2, spaces 217 & 218 ..

love ya'
Troy

A Cup of Tea with Leah Grace ..

Three year old Leah Grace needs a heart transplant ..
A local craft mall, named The Craft Gallery in Waco has donated space for a booth. All the proceeds go to help pay for a heart transplant for Leah Grace ..


You can read more about Leah Grace HERE.

Mr. Bill Gillum of Waco has donated over 400 teacups and saucers to be sold for Leah. Stop in and purchase a set. You may also call the Craft Gallery at 254-751-0693.





later .. love ya'll .. Troy

bathed in light ..bathroom redo

I thought I would share with you what happened at our house while we were gone to Illinois to visit Rods sister the week before Christmas.

Mindy made a post on her guest bath and it reminded me that I had never shared this with you all.

While we were in Illinois visiting Rods sister, Lori. Our business partner, Sherry stayed behind to work on product for the next show and offered to keep an eye on the house for us. We placed our puppies in a kennel.

Anyway, this is what our downstairs bathroom looked like when we left.


when we purchased the house, i pulled up a single tile to see what was underneath. it was a sticky mess and i never got around to pulling another up. it was something i figured we would get around to this spring.

notice the cabinetry and walls outlined in the pretty pink color? they match the tiles real nice don't you think? i thought the black toilet seat was a nice touch..

a full on view of the downstairs bathroom before its transformation ..

This is what the bathroom looked like when we walked into our house after a 14 hour. trip. Tired and bleary eyed.

sherry and her husband, steve spent the week we were gone redoing our downstairs bathroom. can you believe it? i felt like i was on an episode of trading spaces..

gone is the pink trim ... gone are the sticky tiles ..

i was in shock .. but loving every last minute of it .. it is rare to find a friend who knows exactly how you would have done something ..

look at that tub .. i didn't think i would ever see it that clean ..

can you see that floor? isn't it beautiful? i was so afraid there would be damage underneath all those sticky tiles..

Sherry said she didn't think she was ever going to get the sticky up. I love my new bathroom. I didn't show you the medicine cabinet, but they started stripping the layers and layers of paint. Our plan is to take it down to the original wood and seal it. We also have an interesting treatment for the bathroom window planned that we saw while we were in Illinois. Stay tuned.

I am still in complete shock that Sherry and Steve did this while we were away. I just can't help but walk by it and stand and look. Rod says I shouldn't worry too much, we have another bathroom upstairs that is almost identical to the way this one used to look.

I told Sherry we might take a vacation around my birthday in June. Do you think it could happen again?

Love you,
Troy

about the bear ..

Do you see the little black bear sitting in the corner of our oak settee? We call him Momma Bear (yeah, I know - him/her). He sits there all quiet as if he has nothing to say. But, as you will soon see, he has plenty to say.

I made him the fall of the year my mother died. In the fall of 2001. I made him while I sat spellbound as the lives of many changed forever. I had been dealing with my own grief over the death of first my brother-in-law and then my mother in the spring of that year. I felt I had a head start on dealing with grief, so I sat mesmerized as the whole country dealt with loss. And I sewed.

Sewing always relaxes me, just as cooking does.

My first thought was to make a single bear who would sit in a corner much the same way this one now sits.

One turned to two and two turned to four.

The fabric I used? I had just enough to make the four I needed. I carefully chose the colors from my selection by their wear. The fabric began as clothing that had belonged to my mother. The pattern fabric was a nightgown she spent a good deal of her final 6 months wearing in the nursing home where we had to place her. The black fabric was a jogging suit she would often wear to visit our fathers grave when she was able.

And I began cutting and sewing. The more I cut, the more I sewed, the more I cried.

Finally they were complete. Four identical bears made from the clothing of our mother. Just in time for Christmas. I wrapped each one identical.


Each of my brothers and sisters got a bear of their very own. Except I forgot to make one for myself. So, how did I get this one? He is the bear that belonged to my older sister, Sister, who died in June.


This is my oldest sister, Sister with her Momma Bear.


My baby sister, Renee with her Momma Bear.


My baby brother, Kevin with his Momma Bear.


My middle sister, Becky with her Momma Bear.

Just a reminder in this stress filled time, some of the best gifts come from the heart and don't cost a dime.

All my love and hoping each and every one of you has a Glorious and Merry Christmas.

Troy

Those Fabulous Beekman Boys

I saw this idea and thought I would share.

I don't know if you enjoy watching the Fabulous Beekman Boys, but I discovered them this fall and have enjoyed watching their program.

I also am one of their many fans on facebook where they shared this decorating idea.

Winter Morning Wreath.





I hope you have a wonderful day ..

love ya'
Troy

ice ice baby ..

I couldn't resist. (the title of this post) Picture me smiling at the thought I made you smile.

I redecorated our fireplace mantel. Not sure I am completely through with it. I know I have a MERRY CHRISTMAS sign I want to place on the wall above the mirror, but I can not find where I packed it.

Here is what the mantel looked like for Thanksgiving and fall.


close-up view of one end of the mantel


side view of the entire mantel

And here is what it looks like this morning. I was inspired on many levels. I saw some pink and pastel color ornaments at Sams club and liked the way they made me feel. There is a new baby in the family, hence the 'baby' hues. I have always wanted a 'White Christmas'. I found some faux ice chips that I fell in love with. And I wanted something simple, quick and easily put together, easily packed away. So, here is my take on all of that.












Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy the day.

Love ya'
Troy

Canton ..

This weekend is Canton. We are located in Arbor 2, spaces 217 & 218.
If you make it to Canton this month, please stop in and see Rod. He is doing Canton on his own this month.

Here are some pics of a few of the new pillows that we are doing.


This is my version of the popular Union Jack pillow. The one pictured is a 24" square. I also do these in a standard bed size pillow size. Both are shams.


14" square sham with raw edge ruffle. JOY


14" square sham with raw edge ruffle. HOPE


14" square sham with raw edge ruffle. NOEL


Standard bed size pillow sham with raw edge ruffle. BELIEVE

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

My middle sister is in town this weekend and we are spending time together. We are attending a memorial service for our older sister, Sister, who passed away in June.

If you are in Canton, stop in a say hi to Rod.

Love ya'
Troy