February Fredericksburg Trade Days is in the Books

   We just finished a great February show at Fredericksburg Trade Days and started with a new look for our cottage.  My guy, Willie and our brother, Dennis came up several times to enclose the back porch and part of the front porch.  We did this for several reasons, one to gain more "room" space and more importantly to be able to close faster without having our merchandise damaged with the tarps we cover them with, blowing off .  There is still a little more to do, but we've already received great reviews for the new walls.  This allowed us to show off our advertising signs we have for sale and other architectural salvage items.

  This is the other side of the wall and eventually we'll add doors to this outer clossed in porch.

  We left one side open so we can have easier access to bring furniture in and more importantly...... load furniture into customers vehicles!  As you can see we gained an extra "room" by closing in one end of the porch.

Aren't you groovin' for this fab retro sofa?  This "bad boy" is actually a massage couch (but we're missing the cords to plug her in). 

The new walls gave us more space to display pictures like this great midcentury paint by number, four seasons set.

In keeping with the midcentury theme, we added this great atomic, space age Lux clock.

On the opposite side of the porch we went with an indurstrial, office theme, showcasing lots of file drawers.

Opposite the file cabinets we offer this school locker, a great chippy pink desk and a couple of paper cutters.

Elaine found these amazing vintage lanterns, made of a type of canvas and metal.

On the side of the cottage is where we have our rustic metal and lawn pieces and such.

One quick look inside, shows a great collection of aqua ball jars with the coveted zinc lids. Love these!
   I hope you enjoyed a little tour of our February show at Trade Days. Have a blessed day.
  Betsy

The Tale of a Junk Garden .. part 2

    I can't believe that I'm writing two blogs in one week after a 4 month sabatical, but it's true.  I'm really tuned into my Garden Junk theme, so I thought I'd show you how I Winterize our plants .. Junk style.

     We have the good fortune to have a built-in atrium to keep our plants cozy (and alive) all Winter long.  Our home is built in a U shape with a garden area in the U. We have a fiberglass roof to filter in the sun and during the Winter we put up a rather ugly but useful wall across the part of the atrium that is exposed.   With so many plants crammed in to weather the cold, it looks like a tropical jungle with plants, on the ground, on raised objects (i.e. garden junk) and hanging from the low rafters.  The picture above is one portion of it.

  I've added chippy statues like that angel to keep "watch" over my plants.

  I put an old child's rocker to use, holding a blooming bougainvillea, while a rusty sifter houses some succulents.

  my favorite rusty, chippy birdcage doesn't house any birds but looks beautiful among the old ferns.

   I've used old urn shaped lamps for accents and chicken feeders and hibachi grills for succulent planters.

      A groovy midcentury swag lamp doesn't work but blends well with all the hanging plants.

  Another view of the swag lamp shows off our ferns and the old fountain that houses more junk style succulents.

   A dusty old water jug and a plaster cornucopia accompany more plants.

    A rusty child's metal chair holds a repurposed plastic shell salad bowl which now houses assorted succulents.

     With the help of this atrium, we've managed to keep annuals like potato vines and impatients and coleus alive for several years.

    I even let some of my succulents "put on the Ritz" as I married them with vintage silverplate dishes.

      With the warm weather we've had this past week, it's tempting to put my plants outside, but old man Winter came back last night with freezing temps so I'm so grateful to have this atrium to keep my plants alive and thriving.

 Happy Gardening (whenever!)

Betsy

How does your Garden Grow? Mine's with Junk!

     One of my favorite magazines just came to my local Walmart (and of course, I HAD to buy it), so this prompted me to end the seige of no blogs and start the new year off with one of my favorite subjects.... Junk Gardening!
           When you're an antique/junker and you love gardening, it's hard not to mix the two.  My validation that I'm not totally off my crazy junking rocker is that I'm definitely not alone in my quest for mixing antique/vintage/rusty/found objects/junk with my flower beds and patios.  I also validate my obsession with the number of followers and pins from by Junk Style Gardens board on Pinterest and the many boards on that subject (here's a list just typing in the words junk garden of boards created about the subject).
         I'm also magazine obsessed with anything about garden related subjects to get ideas.(and these are just a FEW)

     I have longed for a cool garden/green house shed made with old materials.  I enlisted my guy, Willie, to make me my dream greenhouse out of old windows I'd been collecting, but sadly we left the windows outside and the weather has gotten the best of them so we're going to have to go searching for more windows.

  Many years ago, my dad build this little shed for mom to use for her gardening tools and the grand kids to use as a play house, but time and bad weather have taken their tole on it.

   Since my love of old and preserving it's beauty, still sees potential in this old shed,  I've suggested to my honey that maybe we could turn this into a shed/greenhouse combo.  Here's what I'd like it to become:

Here's the link for this  greenhouse shed.  Since, I doubt this is going to happen, I'll have to use my imagination to make it my own Junk style Shed!
       I know that once Spring rolls around, antiquer/junker shopper start looking for garden related junk for patios, homes and their actual gardens, so we at Sisters Treasures are prepared to meet that need.  I'm in the process of getting my license to sell plants so I can share my special love of succulents in particular with our shoppers.  I love to find unusal vintage items to plant my succulents in as well as to decorate my garden.  I'm into upcycling treasures into garden statues and bird baths and birdhouses.  Here's one project I'm working on:

 I'm combining a chippy plaster lamp base with the glass shade from a standing lamp that broke to make a cute birdbath.  I've taken several old lamps and made them into garden statues or ornaments and have sold them.

 I have a pair of these old paster lamps I converted in my garden.  The only downside is that the plaster cracks with age and exposure to the sun so I have to do some repairs on the mate to this one.
      I'll end this junk garden post with some of the junk items we have for sale this year:



Succulents in old tins



Succulents in chicken feeders



more succulents in kitchen tools like this rusty sifter



Screen doors have so much potential on a patio or in a garden... trellis?  potting bench backdrop?



birdcages and garden statues are always available with us.


  Here in Texas it's been in or near the 70s all week so it's hard not to start thinking of Spring, but if you're in the cold, cold North, perhaps this blog will be an imaginary escape of what's to come! 
  Thanks for reading,
   Betsy

Red Baron Mall... our newest "home"

   Elaine and I decided that Sisters' Treasures needed a place to sell our wares besides Fredericksburg Trade Days, and since we were already coming to Fredericksburg once a month, we signed up to rent a space at the Red Baron Antique Mall on Hwy 290 (Main St) just past downtown.  The owners, Henry and Shawn Umphreys and Shawn's mother, Margaret are the dearest people and extremely friendly and helpful.
       We officially started September 1, but they allowed us to move in the week before and thankfully we already had a few sales that first week.  We have to work 2 days a month at the mall which is a good thing, because it allows us to see what is trending there and we get to "fluff" and add to our booth.
      I did the first month last week, Thursday and Friday and took some pictures with my I Phone of some of the booths and items among the 50 plus vendors and wanted to share with you, what the mall has to offer. They have a facebook page Red Baron Antiques with more pictures of items for sale.

   I put together this collage but I apologize for the poor quality ( I think my camera lens is warped).
  I'll add some close ups Elaine took of some our our vignettes.

   I put together some collages of some of the vendors items that I particularly liked.

 I wanted to show this clever display separatelly because I loved the way this vendor, Paula (she doesn't have a name for her booth) used a dress form to display her collection of doilies and lace for sale. Isn't this clever?  (the picture doesn't do it justice).
  If you are in Fredericksburg, Tx either as a visitor or a resident and haven't been by the Red Baron, I strongly encourage you to stop by. 
     Plus for everyone in the Texas area, we will be at Fredericksburg Trade Days this weekend for our monthly show.  Come out and enjoy what is suppose to be nice weather and shop for some great finds.
   Until next time,
    Betsy

Collections or Obsessive Hoarding... You be the Judge

  In the latest issue of Flea Market Style Magazine, Ki Nassauer, editor and junk queen extraordinaire, asked on her editorial page, "What is a collection?"

 When I asked this question of myself, I started thinking of ALL my collections (Santas, Salt and Pepper Shakers, vintage clothes particularly Edwardian and anything from the 30's or older, lace, and my newest, poodles, in honor of my sweet black poodle, Harriett), I realized, I am probably classified more as a hoarder than a refined collector! However, that is part of the reason that I got into the business of selling antiques, was to feed my obsession  er collections!



That is my poodle, Harriet, in the background with my collection of stuffed poodles, The two on the left and the aqua one in the middle are vintage, probably, 50's or 60's.

Once I get started on a collection, my eye is suddenly like a radar beacon, honing in only anything poodle related, like these cute vintage figurines.  I have several, that include vases, a kitzy shell poodle, a funky nylon yarn ornament  and the made in Japan figurine of the girl and her poodle, to name a few.

Elaine even got me this giant (I'm guessing doorstop based on the weight) poodle that is definitely mid century

My latest is this tacky but cute crocheted poodle bottle cover.

   This collection is small compared to my Santa and S & P ones, but we won't go there because I definitely would start hearing the "hoarder" whispers!
       One thing I've learned is to collect what you love and if you tire of it, it's "OK" to let it go
..... And start a new collection!

Have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!
   Betsy of Sisters' Treasures