It's In The Details

If there is one thing I truly appreciate when going to a shop, restaurant, or other public place it's a great bathroom. There's just something special about places that take care to provide really nice facilities. A clean place to put your purse and hang your jacket, nice soap to use at the sink, and special touches that let you know they care about the details. When I opened my new shop I knew I wanted a really great bathroom not just for myself but for my customers as well. So I took great care to make it warm and inviting, and I actually have people come in and say someone told them to be sure and use the bathroom while at my shop! So I decided to give you all a peek inside. Enjoy!

Pages from old books of insects and botanicals that I decoupaged on the walls.



Wire dress form that was a gift from my Mom.


Old frames, 1928 communion pic and old mirrors on wall.


Old stool I covered with a grain sack. Great place to sit your purse.


Looking into the bathroom at the sink area.


Close-up of 1928 communion pic in old frame.


Great old mirror above the sink.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone the Happiest Most Romantic Valentine's Day! I will be posting some new shop pics soon so stay tuned. Tomorrow the shop will be closed as I am going shopping for treasures at Renninger's Extravaganza in Mt. Dora FL! Love a shopping day!

Until Next Time,

Shelley

Altered Art For Sale

Hi everyone! I am offering for sale here on my blog the work of California artist Linda Keene. Linda uses old paper and ephemera to craft one-of-a-kind pieces that are charming and fabulous. I have had the pleasure of selling her work in my shop over the past year and am now sharing them here with you. All pieces are on a first come first serve basis and are one of a kind. Please contact me if you'd like to purchase something and I will send you a final total with shipping. I can accept a money order, check or you can pay via paypal. Happy shopping!





Garden Girl~13 and 1/2" tall. Made from old paper on miniature dress from. $95 plus shipping.
GARDEN GIRL IS SOLD~~THANK YOU!!





Heart In Hand Altered Art Sketch Book. 6 and 1/2" by 5". Made of old papers and ephemera. There are pages to sketch, journal and places to put found objects. Beautifully done, you will treasure it forever! $85 plus shipping.





Keeper Of The Nest Altered Art Book~6 and 1/2" by 5". Keepsake book to journal, sketch or tuck in found objects. Exquisitely hand made from old paper and ephemera. One of a kind. $85 plus shipping.
KEEPER OF THE NEST BOOK IS SOLD. THANKS!




Victorian Puzzle Blocks~6 blocks covered in old ephemera. Rearrange to make a new picture as you change the blocks. Charming and very vintage. Blocks are 1 and 3/4" square. $50 plus shipping.

Please contact me via phone at 407-619-2099 or via email at spri6789@cfl.rr.com to purchase.

Big News

Well everyone, I have some really awesome news to share! About a year ago, I got the bug to go to Texas and see what the buzz is all about. I love to read all the blogs that my friend Theresa from Garden Antiques posts about Canton and Round Top. It was definitely on my radar to go there someday and see it firsthand. Well lately I have been getting encouragement from some customers in my shop to venture outside of Florida and try my hand at selling in Texas. And since I have made some really awesome new friends lately who sell there as well, I decided to quit thinking about it and do it.

Long story short, I applied to become a dealer at the Marburger Farms show at Round Top in April and have been accepted! Woohoo! I am extremely excited and will definitely give you all a full report of the experience when I return. And lest I forget, a big thank you goes out to Theresa Smith for her recommendation to Marburger on my behalf, and to Judy Hill for her patience in answering all my questions. Both of these awesome friends are Marburger dealers as well and always do a fab job at bringing really cutting edge antiques to the show and displaying them beautifully!

A final shout-out goes to my friend Theresa Cano for her encouragement, for hooking me up with Theresa and Judy, and for helping me with questions and "concerns" about the show. You are an awesome person "T"! Can't wait to meet you in person!

If you are planning to go to the show in April, please stop by tent H and say hello! I'd love to meet you!

Shelley

I've Been Tagged

Gosh I feel like it's been forever since I posted to my blog, so I decided to get with it again. My friend Theresa at Garden Antiques tagged me with an award so now I am to share 7 facts about myself and then tag 7 friends as well. So here goes:

1. I am about to become a grandmother (thought I would make it to 50) for the first time this spring. In March I am getting a granddaughter and in May a grandson!!!!!! Pretty cool huh?

2. I love candy. But most of all I LOVE Peeps! And if they are just a little stale, that's even better!

3. I live in Florida but I own twice as many winter clothes as summer.

4. I must always clean the house before we go on a trip. Drives Mr. Sweet Pea bonkers.

5. I hate driving on bridges over water, but every day I do just that on my way to my shop. AND in the water are lots and lots of alligators. Creepy!

6. I love to watch shows about Bigfoot and haunted houses.

7. I have never tasted shrimp. I think they look totally creepy and I can't bring myself to try one.

Well there you have it. 7 facts about me you never knew. So now I must tag 7 friends to share their secrets too. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Dawn from The Feathered Nest
2. Margo aka Robolady
3. Sherry from Prairie Home
4. Lidy from Little French Garden House
5. Sara from Sadie Olive
6. Heather from PresentPast Collection
7. Lisa from The White Cottage

You Are In The Presence Of Royalty

Hey everyone! Check out my new title! I saw this on one of my new favs White Cottage Memoirs.

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Imperial Majesty Shelley the Elegant of Fritterton on the Marshes Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

You too can become a "royal". Just click on the link and follow the instructions. Before you know it we'll all be sticking our pinky out at tea!

Ta Ta!

Shelley The Elegant

Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon

Lately I have found out just how small the world I live in is. This post isn't really about Kevin Bacon, but I couldn't resist using this phenomenom as a tongue in cheek comparison to my new friend Theresa Cano. Now if you aren't familiar with The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon just google that expression and you'll get my point. Anyway~~I have come to know Theresa Cano through the world of blogging and hers is my favorite because she is like a world class reporter on the subject of junkin'. Not to mention that she's just a downright nice person.

Well after emails and commenting on each others blogs, I find out she knows Theresa Smith of Cottage Gardens in Kentucky. If you will remember, Theresa's fab house was recently featured in Country Living and I had kept the article before I even knew either of them. So, this past weekend on my way home from the mart in Atlanta I dropped in on my pal Deb Orrick at Exit 109 Antiques in Vienna Ga. and find out she knows Theresa and Craig Smith from Scott Antique Market in Atlanta and also French Vanilla~~wonderful dealers who do the Marburger Farms show at Round Top. I feel positive that Theresa Cano knows the French Vanilla dealers as she always shows us great pics when they are at a show there. So you can see how all this got me thinking about Kevin Bacon... Maybe we didn't quite make six degrees but you have to admit it is a small world afterall. Hmmmm.......

Blessings!

Shelley

Weary Traveler

This past weekend, Mr. Sweet Pea and I travelled to Atlanta to turbo through what we could at the Atlantasmart market for retailers. Why do I say turbo? Because while most buyers spend the better part of a week there, we had two short days to power through! If you've ever been, you can appreciate what a challenge it is. Floor after floor of product, and honestly a whole lot of it looks alike and most of it doesn't belong in my shop. But I was in need of some new vendors and so off we went. I did find, I am happy to report, several new lines that I have ordered and am eagerly anticipating their arrival. So all you loyal Sweet Pea customers (you know who you are) and those who haven't been in for awhile~~get ready for some fab new stuff!

I also had the pleasure of joining a dinner for shop owners organized by Debbie Dusenberry of the infamous Curious Sofa at a charming little restaurant called the Pleasant Peasant. It was invaluable to meet and network with other shop owner's from all over the country, and hats off to Debbie for putting it together. Many of us read each others blogs also and it was nice to put a face with a name. Great fun!

Lastly, I hope you have noticed that my blog has been given a wonderfully charming face-lift! I have been checking out so many other blogs that are so fantastically designed, and being techno~challenged as I am I needed some help to make mine equally as fun. So, I contacted the very talented Sara Duckett at Sadie Olive to work her magic on my blog. She does web design as well and that may be next on the horizon for me. She is really easy to work with and as you can see she's way talented!! Thanks Sara!

Until next time, stay well and keep living the creative life!

Shelley

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

Hello Everyone! Well sorry to have been absent from blogging for so long, but I've had several rather unexpected experiences lately that have monopolized my time. One of the biggies is that my beloved Isuzu Rodeo died. Why was it beloved, you ask? Because it was paid for!!!! So I was forced to venture into the car market, quite unwillingly! You see for me, going to a car dealership is like going to the dentist. And the longer I can put it off the better! Anyway I am now the proud owner of a 2006 Ford Expedition which I lovingly refer to as the Beast. I know it's not eco-friendly but in my line of work as an antiques dealer and shop-owner it's a must have. The room inside this baby is unbelievable and it also has towing capacity--two factors the rodeo was lacking. So now maybe I can actually consider heading off to do a few really great shows a year, and heading over to meet my new and dear friend Theresa at Garden Antiques in Texas. If you haven't checked out her blog please do so. She is listed in my favorites and her blog is fabulous!

I'd also like to announce my first annual OUT WITH THE OLD~~IN WITH THE NEW SALE starting on Dec. 26th and running thru Jan. 10th. This is an opportunity for those of you who can stop by the shop to get some fabulous deals on seasonal and everyday accessories and select antiques. We are heading off to market in January in search of fresh new treasures for 2008 and so we are slashing prices on many items. Hope you can stop by and pick up a great deal or two!

Happy Holidays and Be Safe!

Shelley

The Thrill Of The Hunt

Greetings everyone! Well last Friday was the first day of Renninger's Antique Extravaganza here in Florida and as I was in need of some smaller inventory, I took the day off and when antiquing. First off, the weather was glorious here! I actually started the day off in a coat, but by afternoon I was in a sweater. 40's in the am and 60's in the afternoon. That's winter here in always hot and sunny Florida! As I am not a native, I welcome these breaks from the typical weather and to combine the cooler temps with antiquing--well it was almost more than I could take! But I endured, as all us die-hard antiquers do and pressed on in search of treasures. I wanted to share some pics of my finds below. Lots of tarnished silver, some ironstone, a great old drawer, great frames, two cute stools, a plant stand, an oil painting and a print in old frame and wavy glass, vintage soft balls (I don't know why--just thought they were fun), an old working clock, 2 fab old books with hand-written dedications inside (love old hand-writing), and a great old route 259 sign. I also got a great chimney cupboard (not shown) and a really awesome old cafe umbrella with cigar advertising on it. That will appear in a future post I promise. Well enough already--please enjoy the pics of my finds!

Happy Thansgiving To All!

Shelley