Category — AnTIQUES WeeK & JuNK-O-RAMA PrOM

some of you may remember our ‘searching for mayberry’ post…and if you do, then you may remember that we ended the post with the promise of a big announcement. big news on our next great adventure.

{that's right, population 77. one of the smallest incorporated towns in texas}

we finally found a place to put roots for our gypsy souls.

yep, we just put the town population over 80. that’s right, we moved. we loaded up the fam and headed to the wild blue yonder. to the country. to the wide open spaces of sprawling oak trees and rolling pastures. (well, we’re not officially moved yet, BUT we’re in the MIDST of moving…baby steps buy the land, baby steps move the fam, baby steps move the warehouse. it’s all about baby steps at this point, y’all :))

round top, texas. home of the FaMOUS RouND ToP/WaRRENTON AntiqUES WEEK and birthplace of the JuNK GypSY JUNK-O-RaMA prom. it’s where we’ve made some of the best junker friends in the world and it’s where we decided we never wanted to be anything else other than a junk gypsy. (we’ll tell you the story of our first show at warrenton soon)

it’s home to the world-renowned FeSTIVAL HiLL, the LEGENDARY 4th of JuLY parade, a general store called the RounD ToP MERcANTiLE (which is, i might add, one of my most favorite places…it’s where you can buy anything from organic spinach to hardware to deer corn…everyone knows your name AND you can buy it all on tab), and of course RoYERS ROUND top CAFE.

{the concert hall @ festival hill...you have to see it to believe it}

and here, yes here, is where we are going to build our FirST-EVER-long-time-comin JuNK GypSY store. we realize this seems like a slightly muy loco decision. to build a retail store in a town whose population sign reads 77. we’ve weighed our options, we’ve driven miles and miles across all of texas including every major city, we’ve looked near and far from here to there. we’ve spent hours (actually years) deliberating this decision…pondering the proper zip code for our flagship store.

{yep, this is our view...and you probably can't tell in this shot but that's a crane over to the right on the pond}

as i type this blog, i glance out the window and see a beautiful country pond with peaceful ripples from the february breeze. it’s recently been inhabited by several ducks that are effortlessly cruisin their temporary home. the pond is shaded by evergreen cedars and spanish moss-filled live oaks. and past the pond, i see longhorns grazing in the pasture and horses kickin’ around in the cool morning. other than the rattle of the keyboard… i can hear the wind. and the birds. and that’s all.

alas, it’s because of this and so much more, that we’ve concluded, without doubt, that the country is the ONLY place for the first-ever, long-time-comin’ JuNK GypSY store.

where there are more trees than parking spaces.

where you can see the stars at night.

where things are still done on a handshake.

where the green grass grows.

we’ve hugged the trees (there’s over 100 on the 10 acres we bought for JG)…

we’ve planted bluebonnets…

{amie & me pausing from bluebonnet planting to pose AmERICAN GoTHIC style}

well, kind of…

we’ve moved in portable buildings to the construction site to temporarily office out of…this one came straight from AUSTIN CITY LIMITS to the new JuNK GypSY world headquarters in RounD ToP, texas. amie, mom, & i felt like rockstars…the keys were labeled “artist 1″ and “artist 2″. :)

{oh yeah, feelin pretty cool right about now...}

{over to the right is our temporary office...straight from ACL:)}

part of the JG crew is moving to MaYBERRY too. archie (our resident super-model) & crazy legs will soon be round top residents. we like to think the business that moves to the country together, stays together. we’ll be moving the shipping warehouse soon into the one below…fannnnncy!

{cleared the gate by 3 inches...whoa, baby!}

we’ve completed phase 1 of operation: old macGYPSY farm…

{relocating the soon-to-be chicken coop/GoaT hotel}

we’ve flagged the future site of our store…

and we hope to break ground soon…stay tuned for the play-by-play!

 tomorrow, we start PhAsE II…we’ve rescued an old farmhouse that we’re movin on to the property…it’s the cutest little thang this side o’ the mississippi!

{she's got potential :)}

as they say, you can take the girl outta the country but you can’t take the country outta the girl…and we’ve decided, you can take the girl outta the country but she’ll find her way back as fast as she can. 

happy trails from the gravel road….

it’s around this time of year, just when we puny texans are gettin’ really stinkin’ sick & tired of the entire 2 weeks of cold weather we’ve had, just when we think we can’t take anymore of the arctic blast, just when we think we might just lay down and DIE if the weather gets below 50 one more day….yep, it’s about this time of year, every year, when i start gettin’ downright giddy about WaRRENtoN ANtiQUES WEEK.  

{the state flower of texas....thanks to keelymariescott.com for the shot}

we’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. it’s a soul vacation…it’s spring time in texas. it’s eating royers food under the big tent and twinkle lights at zapp hall. it’s bluebonnets in the cowpastures. it’s dancin under the stars at JuNK-O-RaMA prom. it’s miles and miles and miles of junk as far as you can see. it’s the mothership – the mecca of fleamarkets. it’s being disconnected from your email, your work, your cell phone. it’s wide open spaces & pure country air …. and, we believe, a little thing called junk therapy.  

{a shot from inside the gypsy tent...love, love that chandelier!}

{janie findin' the good junk}

{amie & archie doin' the heavy liftin'...gypsies heart dairy queen:)}

{hangin' out with miranda and ashley monroe after a day at the fleamarket}

{archie and GeoRGIA...XXOXXO!}

and did we mention gypsies love vintage circus paraphernalia too?  

{amie's proudest moment...she scored 2 awesome vintage circus wheels}

we thought y’all might wanna take a gander at our full pitch reel….it’s a 10-minute pocketful o’ sunshine that we hope you’ll love.

let us know what ya think! :)

y’all get ready! blue skies are headed our way! is it march yet?

ANtiQUES WEEK SpRING 2011 show dates:

FriDAY, MarCH 25-SaturDAY, ApriL 2.

JuNK-O-RaMA ProM: ThurSDAY, MarCH 31st @ the gypsy tent!

HeRE we are in WaRRENTON, TEXAS…we’ve ShoPPED. we’ve unloaded. we’ve totally JuNK’d out our cow pasture JG store! and we’re ready to open the GaTES tomorrow!!!! we’re soooo excited about WaRRenTON ANtiQUeS WEEK! it’s the MoTHER LOAD of all antiques shows!

{OLdE GOOD things at the GiN by ZaPP hALL}

 annnnd a sneak peek at the GypSY TeNT…

{we're sooo lovin this bed! it's like a little LeMON pie happiness! right there in yo bed!}

WhO, please tell me…DOES NOT need a LarGER-THAN-LiFE WaLTER MaTTHAU picture??!!!

{in the GYPsY tent...WaLTER MATTHAU greets all who enter...}

the SuN has set…and we’re open tomorrow!!!! y’all come on out! YoU sooo don’t wanna miss this! tha BeST JuNk in the UniVERSE!

{sunset on the WaRRENTON skyline}

JuNK GypSY selling dates: FriDAY, september 24-FriDAY, OcTOBER 1st! JuNK-O-RaMA PRoM, ThurSDAY,SepTEMBeR 30th @ the GypSY TENT!

for yer GPS…. 4217 S hwy 237, warrenton (or round top), tx 78961

Y’aLL hit the road for good times and GREaT JUNK! can’t wait to see ya!!!!

much love and tacos from the cow pastures of ZaPP hALL in WARRENTON, TEXAS 2 U!!!

XOOXXOXOX! the gypsies

“come to london. kettle on for tea.” said the text that came into my phone at 4:46 am.

a dear friend had just touched down in London on a jet plane straight from LA. it was 4:46 am here in America, 10:46 am in London. this is one of the things i dearly love. texts. texts from friends in far-flung corners of the world…even in the hours before dawn. 

it is a simple little gift. a text. even at 4:46 am.

i happened to be awake.

{photo credit - http://www.flickr.com/photos/good_day/}

so as I drifted back to sleep, i envisioned her gracefully stepping off the plane in a pair of beat-up cowboy boots. fog heavy in the air. steam wafting up from iron grates on the tarmac. gently throwing an old cashmere sweater over her shoulders and brushing her dirty blonde hair back from her freshly Californian tanned face and smiling as she felt the feeling of home wash over her.

 and then i envisioned her getting in a big black taxi, the old-fashioned kind of course, and watching as all the sights of London passed by the window. her gentle grey eyes blinking back jet lag as she anxiously awaited settling into her wonderful English flat.

and then I envisioned the creamy white walls of her flat and the worn-out wood floors as her old cowboy boots shuffled across them , the twinkling of the tiny antique French chandeliers that i know must hang from the tall ceilings and the well-worn, soft pink slip cover that surely swallows up a big down-filled sofa. the hand-written quotes on tiny scraps of paper that peek out from old oil paintings, the photos of her children, and mementos from across the world.

i see all the details of a much-loved home.

all the details of a life well-lived.

all the fineries of a purposeful existence.

 i see the beautifully tattered little details that could only be the mark of one person. . . of one of my icons, of one of my dearest friends, of one of  the most selfless people I’ve ever been privileged enough to know . . .

meet Rachel.

Rachel Ashwell.

{RaCHEL...surrounded by peace and beauty}

my love affair with Shabby Chic and hence Rachel Ashwell began many years ago when I first began my journey into junkdom back in 1998. when i first began hopscotching across the country seeking out all that is tattered and worn and junky and funky. and i will never forget the first time i saw Rachel. it was on the cover of her second book, RACHEL ASHWELL’S SHABBY CHIC, TREASURE HUNTING & DECORATING GUIDE.

i saw this person sitting atop an old table in old jeans and older cowgirl boots and well . . . I fell in love! i snatched up the book and read it from cover to cover! i wagged it around from fleamarket to fleamarket as if it were a bible, alongside wrinkled road maps and scribbled-in journals. it was as if Rachel herself was my co-pilot.

a few years later, JuNK GypSY was no longer a dashboard dream of mine, it had become reality. and on my bookshelf sat every book Rachel Ashwell had ever written. still years later, she was an icon to me.

{RaCHEL in the early days...the thrill of the hunt}

 and then one day, in Warrenton, Texas while selling all things junky at the fleamarket  in walked none other than Rachel Ashwell herself. as she said, in her deliciously decadent British accent, “would this happen to be Junk Gypsy?” i looked up from my job of folding t-shirts, as if in slow motion, and said “yes, it is.”

“hello, I am Rachel Ashwell, my friend Mary Emmerling said I should look you up. Would you happen to have dinner plans?”

so that night us three Junk Gypsies, 3 little junk dealers from Texas, dined with junk royalty, with the QuEEN of all things shabby, the world famous, Rachel Ashwell.

{accessorizing before RaCHEL's first JuNK-O-RaMA prom}

then our tremendous friendship ensued. years of texting about anything and everything, phone calls about business, about life, about love, about love lost. about children. about parents. about deaths. everything else falling away except the friendship between two women who set out in search of wonderful junk . . . and ended up finding wonderful lives

{a dinner party at RaCHEL's MaLibu home...heavenly}

and we learned her back story. dropping out of high school. leaving London as a teenager. coming to America. getting married. Having two children. getting divorced. and with a small loan, and two babies, starting something that was a dream, Shabby Chic. building it to a multi-million dollar empire out of nothing but sheer determination, brilliant creativity, and a good heart. a golden heart.

{we love this pic...it's just soooo....rachel. we snagged it off her blog...which you MUsT READ!}

in her exact words, “I never had any formal training in anything, life has been my school.” and for that, all of us can be thankful. Shabby Chic is neither manipulated nor planned, it is organic. it is real. it is built out of Rachel’s ongoing love for the prettiness of imperfection.

Maybe that’s why she loves us, she believes in the “prettiness of imperfection.” :)

and in spite of being copied over and over again, the real thing, Rachel Ashwell’s Shabby Chic Couture, continues to survive. and thrive.

you can shop her  Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture stores  in Santa Monica, SoHo, or London. or you can shop for Simply Shabby Chic at Target.

her 6^th book, Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Interiors: my rooms, treasures, and trinkets, tells the story of a huge transformation in Rachel’s personal and professional life over the past two years. it was written at a crossroads in her life. purchase one HERE (they will also be available in our tent at warrenton)

and now,we three junk dealers from Texas are honored to host her FIRST TEXAS BOOK SIGNING at our JuNK GypSY tent in Warrenton, Texas at the Zapp Hall Show. Come join us 11-3pm on September 30, 2010 for a wonderful question and answer TeXAS sit-down with our favorite London cowgirl, Rachel Ashwell.

{her new book...Rachel Ashwell ShABBY CHIC Interiors}

 Godspeed Shabby Chic.

XOXO, the junk gypsies (sisters in all things shabby, tattered, and torn)

ps – the most recent text I received from Rachel “need good home for my grand white sofa from Malibu house. handing it down to the Junk Gypsies. if you want it. hope you don’t mind – Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and myself have all slept on it.”

will someone please pinch me?

LaWDY, LaWDY…it’s been sooo long! as y’all may have guessed, our ‘out in the middle of nowhere’ internet connection left me the day after the last post, never to return. soooo here we are, [a hundred years later it seems] back home…sorting through all the good timin’ memories of yet another show. 

there’s so much to tell…from the AiRSTREaM REveAL & MirANDA’s ReACTion, from TeNT set-up to FleaMARkeT FINDs,

from JUnK-O-RaMA prom to tons o’ good times… 

{SuNSET at the RoADSiDE BArS & PinK GuiTARS AiRSTREAM reveal}

 her first reactions… 

{amie moving aside the FLeaMARkET velvet rope....MirANDA's first glimpse}

 and of course…the FiNALLY finished product… 

{interior shot the night of the reveal...sooo many more details to tell you about!}

 MiRaNDA lovin on the ‘JUsT liKE a gypSY GuiTAR with WinGS’ sconce….(more on this later, we promise!) 

{AmiE & me with RaN seeing her 'JuST LiKE A gypSY' sconce for the first time}

awww…. group hug… 

{sharin' the love with a group hug}

 to all of our GreAT FLeAMArKET MeMORIeS… 

{the somewhat completed tent set-up}

{SyRIAN chandelier above the counter...with our super-sized CaT canVAS in the background}

{yep, that would be our sweet AmY ALLeN...on a mechanical bull...beside a teepee...just your everyday, ordinary kinda scene}

 and of course, no WaRRENTON antiques week is complete without pics in the WonDERiFFIC JG ouTHOUSE turned photobooth! 

{strikin a pose the day after prom}

 and speaking of JUnK-O-RaMA prom….

{night falls on the FLEaMARkET as the JOhN EvANS band gets the party started}(thanks to anthologieimages.com for the pic)