Hi, Everyone!

I'm hoping to be back on a regular posting schedule but you know what is said about the planning of mice and men. I'm told that applies to women as well!

What a week, what a weekend and what a DAY yesterday was!

If you read my blog on an even semi regular basis, you know that yesterday was the first day of opening for the Corner Nest, a new 18,000+ square foot antiques and gifts mall in which we have a spot. It was also the day for "Elvis" (Jesse Wade) to perform at the Shop Around the Corner, another antiques mall in which we have two large rooms.

"Elvis" was scheduled to perform at 12:00 noon; he was hired for the specific purpose of attracting the 400 red hatters (learn about them HERE if you're not familiar with them) to that shop. It was a free concert for them and everyone else who wanted to be there, as it was paid for by shop owners Linda and Mike Glover.

Here's a picture of Linda and Mike - cute couple, eh?

I've come to know Linda very well and am pleased that we've become friends. She's a wonderful person and I could carry on with all the accolades that wonderful people deserve. But I won't simply because you've surely heard positive comments before. Apply them all here to her.

Okay, before I digress too badly: My husband and I approached the Shop around 12:15PM. I commented to him that I didn't hear any music. Once we actually reached the shop we were immediately impressed with the beautiful sea of red and purple hats. Yes, it does seem that the two colors would clash but put them on a group of aged 50+ ladies who are out to have a good time and trust me, it's glorious.

There I go, digressing again. Long story short, Elvis was late. Almost an hour late. I wanted to start a crowd chant of "Elvis, El-VIS!" but Linda basically threatened serious harm to my limbs so I passed on it. Although most people were past the stage of restlessness and Linda was very near entering the manic zone, she somehow handled it with her typical grace. When Jesse Wade did appear, it took very little time for him to set up and get into costume and a much shorter time for him to charm his audience. I've never seen so many ladies of respected society swoon and (some) actually cry. It was a sweet experience. Really. And loads of fun.

I threw my own reservations to the wind and chased him around until he danced with me. If my children are reading this, let me assure the two of you that you would have probably been appropriately embarrassed by your mother's behavior.

(In this picture, he handed me his belt and I promptly tried to sell it for $5 to anyone on the street.)

Linda (who says she doesn't dance) and I even danced. Geez, who knew this 59 year old body could still shimmy? (Gulp!) You can see the rest of the pictures here if you want: http://family.webshots.com/album/561207122aRodex

Yesterday was also the first day of business for the Corner Nest. The girls at the checkout counter were busy the entire day.

You've already seen so many "under construction" pictures of this mall that I won't post a bunch of those pix (I do have an on-line album, if you want to take a peek: http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/561211061oYVbfs ) , but I did want you to see this particular repurposed item:

How nifty is this? Someone cleverly converted an old organ into a desk.

I didn't see the price tag on it but will find out. I know you trash-to-treasure artists and seekers will want that info!

Also, look at this:

Can you believe it's a CAKE? Every bit of this is handmade and eatable, with the exception of the tiny flowers laying next to the cake.

My hubby and I were sure impressed. Honest to goodness, even up close it looks like a hat box carefully wrapped in cloth.

This is the work of Carol, who owns a local B & B and also does catering. Sorry, I don't have any additional info but will get that for you. She has an antiques booth at the new mall and will also be handling some food preparation when the restaurant part opens.

That's all for now but I'll be back soon with more of my own trash to treasure ventures! Thanks for stopping by!

Almost "Normal"

Almost normal. That's what I keep trying to convince myself. Soon things will return to being almost normal, whatever that is. "Normal" for me is generally considered manically abnormal for many. But before I get started on that, here's a pic of the chest re-do I promised you last post: I really wish I could get a better picture of it, but try as I did, I couldn't. You'll have to trust me that it's a beautiful piece. We replaced the broken and nonexistent drawer knobs with porcelain knobs. The top and sides are no longer rough and warped, a broken leg that someone had tried to fix with something that looked like that bubbly kind of window insulation that swells up has been properly restored and, of course, the dirt that had accumulated over the years (probably from sitting in someone's barn or attic) was eradicated. It now sits in our room at Robin's Nest (now known to my husband and myself as "the little shop") in Elizabethton. When I was there yesterday dropping off some "new" wares, I noticed this old window that someone else (probably Sylvia, I don't know her last name) put together. I think this is a really cute fall display as well as a different way to re-use a window that was headed for the trash. The glass panes have been removed. She sanded off some of the top paint, added a chain for hanging, and these cute wood cutouts that she probably designed herself. Robin is also the Proprietor of the new antiques mall. I wanted to show you this man's creations from old barnwood. These items will last forever; after all, these old barns stood for well over 100 years. His work is tremendously popular with those of us who love the primitive or rustic look and of course, this is another way of preventing this resource from going to the landfill or filling the air we breathe with smoke pollutants. Think of it as being an unsung hero and putting cash in your pockets at the same time. And here's some eye candy for some of you sign and memoribilia collectors:

These great old advertising signs have found a temporary home on the ramp leading from the first to the second floor. There are many more that will be for sale throughout the building, but I loved the statement that all these old soldiers make, quietly lined up and leaning against the brick wall.

Here's a piece that caught my eye:

It's simple but elegant. And probably expensive (I didn't check out the price tag!) But the good news to you crafters and do-it-yourselfers is, you could probably create your own version rather simply. The red velvet body is a cord of velvet that may have been wound around something like a styrofoam form.

In Robin's "little shop", I saw this primitive stump doll:

I love primitive pieces, whether it's an authentically old piece or one like this one that has been purposely stained (or "aged") to achieve the loved-long-ago look.

I know some people don't "get" primitive; others get it but don't like it. This is for all of you who do.

And how's this for a blast from the past?

This old privy (or outhouse or "John", as some may prefer) sits in the lot of the little shop. It's probably chock full of tools or whatever. Many people buy these and use them for storage buildings.

I remember when my uncle's house was renovated to include running (well) water and indoor plumbling. He still opted to use the outhouse. The notion of defecating inside his home was just absolutely disgusting to him.

And, of course, just one peek at my Christmasy display outside my booth at the new mall (which opens Saturday, a week from today! Yaaaaay!). As you can see, I'm still "stuffing and fluffing" things there. More garlands will be added, along with more linens and olde collectibles. I've also been busy making handmade ornaments (ornies) for this formerly "nekkid" (as my friend Cathy aka Hazelruthe from Delphi's P&R board calls it) tree.

Before I go, I want to urge you to check out the patterns and collectible Hallmark ornaments I have listed on Ebay http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZoldtimemeartist. Who knows, you might find something you can't live without.

And leave me a comment or two! You all have been really quiet these past couple of weeks!

A Change of Plans

The only thing constant is change. I don't know who first said it; I know only that it's been repeated many times, probably mostly by me. I also know it's true. The date for the Grand Opening of Elizabethton's new antiques mall has been pushed back once again. This time, the date is reset for October 27. I'm presuming that's this year, 2007. All the necessary inspections have yet to be made. Not cleared, mind you, but made. The first inspection to be put off a few weeks ago was that of the city's electrical personnel. He was on vacation. And yet I still enjoy small town living.

If nothing else, my time here on earth has taught me to bounce and bend with changes. So, as far as our spot in the new mall, I've removed all traces of Halloween-type decor and memorabilia and am replacing it with:

That's okay, I like Christmas much better than Halloween, anyway. We're hoping to get the display finished some time this week.

By the way, that's my hubby up there. Hi, Honey! He's neither part of the display nor for sale.

I expect that the other venders will soon follow suit with the Christmas displays. I mean, if the shop does open October 27 of this year, we'll have only three short days left before November. Thanksgiving doesn't get the attention it deserves (JMHO) so doing a Christmas theme only makes sense to me. Meanwhile, here's what some of the rest of the mall is looking like:

If you want to see more pix of the new place, click HERE.

My TRASH TO TREASURE endeavors have had to move to my proverbial back burner, although my sweet husband did somehow find time to work on this:

The picture doesn't show its injustices. In addition to the entire piece being filthy, the top was warped, the sides cracked and I won't address what I think probably lived inside the drawers.

The "after" pix of this piece will be posted in a couple days. Yes, just a couple days. Not next week-and-a-half. But don't hold me to it. Just kidding.

I really will see you here again in just a couple days! 'Til then...!

Don't yell at me ~ I already know I'm late with this post! I'm hoping that, by tomorrow at this time, all will be better. Let me explain: I'm blaming this all on my high speed connection.

I was on dial-up for years. Seven of 'em, to be exact. Then I switched to Embarq (formerly Sprint) high-speed. All was fine for awhile. That was before we had to start using the Embarq email program in lieu of the Earthlink program (they must have had an agreement with Earthlink that either expired or went sour). That's when my computer started freezing up almost daily, causing me to start rebooting my computer VERY often, getting a lot of "Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close..." type messages and waiting (for what seems to be forever) for my pages to load. Slower than dial-up! Long story short, I discovered that many of my online pals who are with Embarq are experiencing the same problems. My hopeful solution: I'm having Charter Cable hook me to their system tomorrow afternoon. Wish me luck. ;-)

By the way, Charter has an online special going on right now - $14.99 monthly for six months. Just thought some of you might want to know.

If you read this blog with some regularity you probably have probably been thinking that that the time I haven't been waiting on a slow computer connection has been put into our spot in the new mall. You would be right. It takes a lot of time to clean and repair linens (no, not all dealers do this but we make an honest attempt to stock merchandise that is in good condition), clean up olde kitchenware and, of course, clean and repair and sometimes paint furniture. So, as of right this minute, this is what our new spot looks like:

The first picture is standing at the door looking straight to the back; the second is of the side that looks out onto the area next to me (a cake decorating service will be immediately on the other side of that window). See that basket in the corner? I have some soaps that I ordered from Susan at Harmony Handmade Soaps (http://harmonyhandmadesoap.com/ ). I discovered her soaps a few years ago while visiting my son in Indiana and have been addicted to them ever since. Hers are the only soaps I use. They smell sooo good (especially "Tranquil Sleep" - my favorite!) and leave your skin feeling silky. I oftentimes give them for gifts. They smell so delicious that just about every person who comes into one of our shops has to take a few moments extra to enjoy the fragrances.

The little two drawered chest was a white and gold French Provincial piece before I decided to transform it into a blue FP piece. Looking at this pic, I suddenly realize that I believe I put the handles on backwards.

This is the outside of the booth - I added some stars and garlands.

...and this is the wall inside the booth directly behind the shuttered windows.

As you can see, I still have a lot more to do before the (new) opening date of next Monday.

I've been working on several handmade items; you'll see those and (hopefully) more trash-to-treasure items next time.

Thanks for stopping by!