Busy, busy, busy!

 My year has been blowing by so far, how about yours? Can you believe it is almost April? Wow! I for one have been very busy! I am in the middle of my third estate sale for the year and start my fourth tomorrow. Plus I have 2-3 more coming up. The Lord is good! In between working on these sales I sneak a little time to take care of my antique mall booths. I was there Monday sprucing up and adding more merchandise. In one of my booths I added some vintage watercolor paintings by Alberto Meza, all with south Texas wildlife and so detailed. There are also three vintage cactus paintings which used to hang in the Casa De Palmas hotel years ago. The Casa De Palmas still sits in the middle of downtown McAllen but is now called The Renaissance. My husband and I spent our wedding night there in one of the towers back in 1981. The towers are no longer open, boo! It is a beautiful old place! My mother used to be friends with the manager's daughter back in the 1940's or 50's and would swim in the pool.

 Here is a view of my second booth at Mimi's Attic. I completely rearranged it Monday and brought new things here, too! It is barely in the picture but in the top right corner is a vintage retro orange hanging light fixture covered in orange prisms, so cool!!! I found it at an estate sale years ago and my daughter used it in her room. It is so unique!!! You can always click on my photos to get a closer look!

 I have been rearranging/purging at my house too! I had my brother refinish my old hall tree which turned out really nice and brought it to the shop. It is so beautiful with a heart shaped bevelled mirror. Love it! I also tried my hand at Annie Sloan paint and book page wreath making! I painted this table and then accented it with gold trim. My two book page wreaths are hanging on the heart hall tree! I loved the Annie Sloan paint AND making the book page wreaths!

 Here is Mimi the owner of Mimi's Attic. She has recently changed everything around at the mall and it is looking wonderful and so inviting! She has some great antique showcases and counters at and around her checkout area just full of wonderful things to tempt you with! She works so hard and it is a pleasure to rent my booths from her! If you are local and haven't been to downtown Weslaco in awhile you are missing out! There are now seven shops selling antiques, collectible and vintage merchandise all within three blocks plus other stores and the Weslaco Museum. It is not that far either. I can get to her mall in about 20 minutes from my driveway in McAllen!

 We have had a glorious winter and spring with summer coming quickly. I stepped outside this morning and the weather is just beautiful! It was a bit windy and cool and just perfect! This pot of lobelia and petunias is just bursting with blooms. That petunia was barely alive when I bought it for 75 cents at Lowe's back in October. Amazing what a little tender loving care will do, huh? The purplish blue lobelia blooms are awesome but will be gone once our summer heat shows up around May.

 Since the weather was so awesome I decided to do some pruning and trimming. I have several piles now so I guess I went a bit trim happy but it was needed. I had put seed out for the birds right before I started trimming and they patiently waited in the trees and bushes for me to get finished so they could eat! My cat was right there helping me and she came to see where I went when I went inside for the camera.

Here is another pot of lobelia, geranium ivy, ornamental cabbage and lantana, so lush and overflowing!! Well, I enjoyed my morning but look forward to working my newest estate sale tomorrow! Stay tuned!!!

Booth Sign & Altered Embellished Bottles

Don't you just LOVE old dictionaries??? I pick them up when I can as they come in so handy for crafting of all kinds! Right now I am working on a sign for my new booth. I wandered all over Michael's last night getting all kinds of inspiration.  Got a little distracted, too, if you know what I mean!

 When I got home I started looking around for something to make the sign out of. My husband even got into it, too! He kept saying use something you wouldn't expect, something no one else has. He ended up pulling out of my many piles and stuck away corners of stuff this old carved oak piece. It was probably the top crest of a dresser or sideboard mirror and long ago I had started to spray it white. I decided to mod podge dictionary pages for the background which I love to do.

 I was so wound up with excitement I just sat down and got with it. It went really fast and is now all done and ready for the embellishing!

 My daughter had bought me some chipboard letters a couple of years ago and I had to search awhile to find those suckers. You have no idea how many places I could have put those things but I found them, finally, and they will look just great. More pics later when it is done.

 Last night while I had the mod podge and dictionary out I got inspired to finally embellish some old bottles....something I have wanted to do for ages. That is really the reason I didn't finish the sign...hee hee. Once again, I got totally distracted!

 I cut the pages and mod podged them onto the bottles and left them to dry. I actually made myself go to bed or I would have kept going!!! With the time change I went to bed at 2:30. This morning I fully intended to go to church. Forgive me Lord, I didn't quite get there but I did work on my bottles.

 After over 30 years in the antiques business, plus still scouting and buying all the time, I have quite the stash of old goodies to work with. I love keys and the largest bottle got a key that still had a little paper tag as to what it opened. I left it with the old string and tag and tied it up with an old button and paper flower. It now shares space with a vintage lavender earring. I used old handmade lace, antique and vintage buttons and odds and ends of old jewelry and assorted bits and pieces on the other bottles, too!

 I also have vintage beaded and embellished trims, old silk binding, vintage tiny nosegays and old dress clips to play with. With all my stash the possibilities are endless.

The tallest bottle still had it's original rusty lid so I left it alone. The others I added old clip on earrings for the tops. Well, for a first time try I think they turned out pretty good, don't you? These are now headed to my new booth.....they close at 6:00, I can just make it!! Later gator!

My new booth!!!!

 Finally!!!! Yesterday I spent 7 hours working on my new space and I can tell you, I am exhausted!!! Anybody remember that great aqua table from an earlier post??? It is now center stage and covered up with cake stands, garden art, etc. made from vintage ceramics and glass.
  Before I unpacked these though I took everything out of all my locked cases. I dusted and cleaned the glass shelves and then unpacked the new "old" stuff I had priced and brought. Then the fun part! I slowly started arranging my merchandise and I just love how it all turned out!

 In this case I focused on pinks, cranberry, gold, black and pearls with a few other things mixed in! I love mirrors too, and collect them, so see the three I have in this case. Remember to click on my pictures for a closer look! I took these pics just as I was ready to leave so it was quick and not close, sorry. Better pics next time! The mall owner was ready to go so I took them fast!

 I love this cabinet as it is lit, large and locks! I grouped items by color this time and really like how it looks. I find when I am shopping that I am drawn to groupings like this so I decided to give it a try. There's a lot of interesting items in this case.

This is my locking gun cabinet turned showcase. It was at an estate sale that I conducted and had no buyers so I bought it. I am so happy with this case. It could use some extra goods so I will bring more later. Believe me, I have LOTS to bring. It is hard when you are a dealer AND a collector. When I am out "hunting", I can ALWAYS find something to buy. Most of you out there know what I mean. Sometimes I just have to say calf-rope! Enough is enough.
  Just kidding! I can never get enough....................

My new "OLD" display pieces!

 I have been truly blessed this past weekend. I was in a bit of a funk trying to decide how I was going to decorate my new larger booth at Mimi's Attic Antiques Mall. Well, lo and behold, I found this great long old aqua painted store table at one of my favorite junking spots! It has just the right amount of worn pale aqua paint on the legs and skirt and shabby peely white on the top. I posted about it on Facebook and my oh my, everybody wants it!! Sorry everybody, display only-don't you just hate when people say that? Me, too!

 Then on Sunday I ventured out to the monthly flea held indoors, the first for the Fall season. Oh my gosh!! I had so much fun!!! I kinda wound around to the different tables as some were all set up and others weren't. I was buying here and there and then got to one of my favorite sellers. I have a bad habit of looking down at the merchandise on the tables and not at the sellers or what is behind the tables. Well not this time! Staring at me was a very cute 1950's Mexican china cabinet......still with the key!

 I asked how much really thinking they were going to say it was sold........they told me the price, really reasonable, and I said, after only a few seconds because I couldn't believe my luck, I'll take it! The lady was stunned I think because I didn't even go behind the table to look at it closer. It didn't matter, I wanted it! She asked where to deliver, OMG-delivery, too?-but I told her I had my truck, old faithful, with me and I would be taking it once I was thru shopping. I paid her fast!!!

 Isn't is cute?? I was upset last week because a locking display cabinet at my parent's booth had sold that I had my heart set on using and this will fit the bill! Thank you God! God is so good to me. I had to skip church to go to this sale and He didn't let me down. I will be at church next week for sure!

This cabinet is in my dining room and is the same kind, 1950's Mexico, and has the key. I love these sweet cabinets as they have so much possiblity. I painted mine and have it full of some of my favorite things!!! The new one I think I will just use as is for now and fill it up with great goodies at my other booth at Weslaco Antique Mall. I am so excited! Everything is all coming in to place and the weather is even beautiful today. I'd say I have a great start to my week! Check me later!!!! I will be posting photos and blogging about my two booths after all this gets down there and arranged!