Texas - Day 2

Today Deb and I and our sisters were up at the crack of dawn (literally) to head out to Quanah, TX to a junk store that rivals the one we visited in Australia earlier this year.  About 3 hours from Forth Worth, Quanah is in a long line of VERY small towns that you pass on your way from Forth Worth to Amarillo (assuming you wanted to go to Amarillo). 
This place is right on highway 287...it's easy to spot because of all the junk outside.  I think the pictures will speak better than any words on this one.  Here we go...

On the road to Quanah.  Look at how low the clouds are to the ground.  The landscape goes on like this for miles and miles.  Just beautiful.


big sky of Texas

We stopped at a VERY nice rest stop on the way.  This was the sign going in...there was another one right by the playground. 
"Sure, go play kids, but watch out for the rattlesnakes"

Inside the rest stop was this sign...something you never see in California.  We have enough problems with the earthquakes and fires.

Deb and the sisters going in...you are not going to believe this place.  I must admit I only took pictures in part of the building...there is MUCH more here than what the pictures show.  It's one of those "see it to believe it" places.

Rows and rows of stuff.  All meticulously catagorized and priced.  It was hotter than Hades in there and the mosquitoes were swarming around our feet, but that wasn't going to stop us from looking.



pool balls $2



shoe forms $3-5

 

giant tubs of marbles





dishes and glasses



bottles, ink wells by the dozen



a whole outside area of junk

There was a huge shed building that had a gate that was closed.  My sister asked if it was open and the man said, "I'm just too lazy to open it today".  So, we didn't get to go in the shed.
We all walked away with something (I'll try and take some pictures tomorrow)...I do know Ellen got this metal thing.  She asked the man what it was and he said, "I forget", she bought it anyway.  Patty got cigar boxes and a small license plate with her name.  Deb got a fabulous tomato pin pushion full of old hat pins (for $3.98).  I got more cigar boxes for my junk, some small leather books, and a whole group of small bottles with little red labels (and maybe some other bits).  All in all it was a fun day other than the fact that after we left the junk place we had to drive directly to the local grocery store for some Benadryl for my mosquito bites!

Tomorrow were going east to McKinney, TX.
I'll let you know what we find...

Texas - Day 1

So here we are in Texas.  I arrived on Monday and Deb will come in this afternoon.  So I had to do SOMETHING today (I couldn't just sit around)...so my sister and I headed out to a new place, "Working the Flea" on Camp Bowie in downtown Fort Worth. 



love the message in the window

The store has new and old...a nice mix of good stuff.  We wandered through the store picking out some fun stuff to take home, and then we wandered around again and found some more! 



at the cash wrap

Lot's of jewelry and charms mixed with funky vintage.

Look at these sconces!  They wear FABULOUS!  I would guess they were at least 2ft tall.  $385 for the pair.  That is a great deal.  If these were in a Rachel Ashwell showroom they would be $1200 each.

Here's our find of the day...(more in our price range too)...vintage counting cards.  I have never seen these before so we snatched them up for only $10. 

 Lucky Day.

Tomorrow we're on a day trip driving to Quanah, TX with some stops along the way (one of them will surely be Sonic).  So stay with us...as the girls shop Texas.

On the Road...

We apologize for not posting more pictures of the Advent but we had to stop collecting for a few days and make some kits for this weekends classes.  Today we are at Scrap Happy Sisters in Glendale, AZ and then tomorrow at Making Memories Unforgettable in Tucson, AZ.  Then we fly to Texas for a visit with our sisters and 3 classes at Crop, Paper, Scissors in Waco.  This will be the first time we have taught in Texas (we normally just shop there) so we are excited to meet the ladies.

This is just a beginning of the Tray class kits we are teaching in Tucson and Waco.  Good thing Debbie has a great big island in her kitchen to set out the kits.  The sad thing is that the advent calendar has taken over all of Deb's big studio, one guest bedroom, and the large kitchen table so this really was the only place we had to even make the kits.  Sad but true!  On the other hand all the sparkly silver glitter, old paper, and a forest of little trees is great encouragement that the kit is worth all the effort... love those little trees.

Just a portion of items for the calendar...you should see the piles...in fact we weighed the box this week...just under 5 pounds.

hand glittered jingle bells

lovely stacks of collected butter pat dishes

We'll be back next week...blogging about what we see and do in the big state of Texas.  Wish it was Round Top, but it just wasn't in the cards for this trip.

just a little bit...

JuNk dRaWer AdvEnt CaLenDar

When I created the JuNk dRaWer AdvEnt caLenDar last December I did it on a whim to fulfill an assignment I was given for 7gypsies.  There was such an outpouring of interest, Deb said to me..."we have got to do that again next year but make it a complete kit."   My thought was, "are you nuts?" But after the Christmas tree was put away and I had taken a nap...we started the adventure to gather all the vintage bits to create the calendar.
So here it is...same burlap backing as last year and you might notice a few tags are similar.  I couldn't make the calendar again without our sweet little bird in the spoon, a traditional bottle brush tree decorated with mercury glass beads and the Eiffel tower to give it that French feel.  The rest of the tags are much more detailed and some new techniques have been added in.
There are two ways to purchase the Calendar.  You can join us for a class in Arizona at Debbie's house (yes, you get to see her studio) or you can purchase a kit online.
And if you just want a little inspiration you can follow along right here on the blog starting Monday, Oct 18th as we show you step by step how to create several of the tags (just like last year).  Spread the news, Christmas begins in October at One Lucky Day!

Junk Drawer Advent Calendar

This extensive kit includes items to make tags, pins, and fabric backing...kit also includes vintage treasures, 4 clear stamp sets, patterns for cutouts, ribbon, written instructions, CD with up close photos of each tag.  The kit will come beautifully packaged (we promise) in a sturdy, kraft storage box that will allow you to keep your tags preserved from year to year.  It's a family heirloom in the making.

Kit Price $159 + shipping

International shipping is available upon request. Please email before the go live date.

Supplies NOT included; harlequin stamp, paint, distress ink and other basic crafting supplies, ceiling tile (not conducive to shipping) but does include burlap fabric, ribbon trim and upholstery tacks to create your board.  You can see how I did it here.

A limited number of kits will go on sale 

October 1st 8:00am (PST)

Ship date - Oct 15th

To purchase (on or after Oct 1st), click on the orange ETSY button on the left side bar to get to our ETSY store.

Junk Drawer Advent Calendar Class 

(very limited number)

Sat, November 6th

all day

Debbie's house in Gilbert, Arizona

includes class kit + extra supplies, lunch, snacks, sodas 

Class price $189

If you would like to purchase this class, email us at: contact@2gypsygirls.com for availability.  We will send you an email to confirm your spot in the class before the kits go on sale on Oct 1st.  After confirmation, payment can be made by check or Paypal.

Be watching next week as we will have detailed pictures of the calendar and packaging.

If you have questions regarding the calendar you can contact us at contact@2gypsygirls.com.

photo frames House of 3 and Danielle Thompson for Jessica Sprague.com  

I want that

do we have your attention?
I thought so...

photo frames by Danielle Thompson at Jessica Sprague.com

John Derian at Target

Just a reminder... the new John Derian line for Target will debut Sept 5...that's only a few days away now.  John Derian is a fabulous New York decoupage artist, who has been creating captivating pieces for years.

I love browsing his website looking at all the interesting ideas for using vintage images.  Now, if only I could come up with a reason to spend $265 on 480 sheets of script tissue paper, I would.  (you can find it under ephemera on his website)  

Notebooks...I might need all three.

This is what the LA Times had to say, "Dreamlike images of butterflies, dahlias, leaves and feathers decorate the nearly 100 items, each under $25. Decorative trays such as the ones shown above ($12.99 apiece) are complemented with melamine dinnerware, ceramic mugs, coasters, stationery sets, notebooks and fabric-covered storage bins. The melamine pieces we sampled felt substantial and carried the same spirit (if not exactly the same look) as the original, more expensive glass pieces".  -Los Angeles Times

Clockwise from top left: Decorative Trays; Good Intentions, Phrenology, House-Mouse, Water Lilies ($12.99 each) I am in secretly love with the "Encourage good intentions" tray, but I like the brain too! 

Silhouettes Coasters, also available in Nests ($12.99 for a set of 4)  Are these not cool?

Appetizer Plates, about 6 inches in diameter, clockwise from top left: Butterfly, Dragonfly, Ladybug, Clover ($1.99 each).

Melamine Dinner Plates $2.99

The 6-inch dish with a flatware design is $1.99. The larger tray (shown in the Maze pattern but also available in water lily and dragon fly motifs) is $16.99.  (I'll take 12 of the flatware design plate, please)


NOTE: The last collection Mr Derian did for Target was hard to get in my area.  I went to Target, couldn't find anyone who had ever heard of him or even knew what I was talking about.  I asked for a manager, they said they thought the stuff I was looking for was in a box in the backroom, mind you it was the day after it should have been released, so beware!  Here's to hoping for a better showing this time around.