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!

i think it’s pretty evident that food is monumentally important to our family. not just any food. GOOD FOOD. i mean really, really, good food. and most of all, we’re talkin SouTHERN-inspired, HONeY-HuSH, good-GAWSH-we’re-so-glad-we’re-from-TeXAS FOOD. from homemade, down-home, buttermilk biscuits & makes-ya-wanna-slap-yo-mama, cast-iron skillet cornbread to GriLLED ShRiMP BLTs on JaLapENO-sourdough bread. we. LOVE. good. food.

we will re-route a roadtrip for the rumor of a good cafe. BuT this here cafe…is worth more than the re-route of a roadtrip. it IS a roadtrip. it’s worth every mile. and as BuD ROYER says “it’s just a good conversation from anywhere.”

{RoYERS RounD ToP CAFE...sits cozy by the glow of the moon and the twinkle of the lights...}

{gourmet food, teXAS-style...it just doesn't get any better, y'all}

 AnD not just because of the darn-good grub, or the OMG pies, or the ‘less-is-more’ decorating philosophy…but because of ALL of these things, and because eating at ROYERS is about more than just filling yer belly…it’s filling yer soul with a really, really great experience. an experience in a wonderfully-perfect, mayberry-esque town that will make you remember that every now and then it’s good just to slow down….and have a piece o’ pie…a la mode.

{the FAMOUS RoyERS pie line-up...BuD ROYER made his first pie 23 years ago...and the rest is history}

And now, RoYERS NEEDS YOU…your country NEEDS yOU…SMaLL-ToWN AMERICA needS YOU! ROYERS has been honorably nominated for ABC Nightline’s THE PEOPLE’s PLATELIST Contest.

{CLiCK the image! and VOTE!!!!!!!}

VoTE for ROYERS! vote for PiE! vote for every delicious SOUL-FOOD calorie! do it for your COUNTRY and for everything that is good fer yer BELLY! VoTE NOW…voting ends SEpTEMBER 26!

COME on y’all…LET’s MAKE hiSTORY! and then hit tha road to ROYERS and have a piece o’ STRAWBERRY-RHUbARB pie on BuD (don’t tell him we said that!:))!

we quietly kicked off JuNK-A-PaLOOZA FriDAY morning by cranking up the siren & lights on our 1939 InTERNAtionAL FiRETRUCK & dropping the velvet rope between the Fu DOGS..while ArCHIE and NAte (an innocent victim volunteer) donned life-size wings and top hats and handed out tickets for the JuNKtaSTICAL giveaways!

{the first people in line had driven 5 HouRS! and decorated a tee just for the event! XOXOXO to y'all!}

{let me hear ya say 'wooo-hoooo!!!'}

they came from near. they came from far (18 hours!).

{DaNA & GARY came all the way from KaNSAS!}

they came. they saw. they got the tee shirt

(did we mention el cheapo souvenir tees??!!).

we saw old friends…

{AnGIE & KeLLY...2 long-time JG shoppers...and friends}

{MoLLIE & GAbriELLE...all the way from NeW ORLeaNS!}

{catchin up with BiLL ALLen and his renegade motorcycle posse}

and made new ones…

{WahOO SUE of the RuSTY RanCH in BLAnCO, TeXAS}

WaHOO SuE and her deAR hubby made an appearance in this rockin’ ride! we tricked it out JG style…with one of our neW HiPPie HiGHWay VeLVET steering wheel covers

{TriCKin' out the RuSTY raNCH ride...makin it road-worthy gypsy-style!}

& a ’well-behaved women rarely make history’ BuMpER stiCKER!

{you had me at 'wahoo....'}

yeeee-hawwwww, sister!

FRoM boots to pies to DiNG-DoNGS…the giveaways were a BLaST!

{ELaINE posing with her new ToNY LaMA kicks she won!}

the film crew got the inside scoop…

{gettin' the scoop...}

MoTORCyCLERS rolled in like the RoCKSTARS that they are…

{a waaaay beyond-cool grand entrance....}

OvER 40 in number…their exhaust pipes rumbled, their black leather fringe drifted gently in the hot summer air, THey. ARe. So…..CooL.

{bill allen of BiLL aLLEN's MotorCYCLES...the ultimate NiCE guy...spreadin' the LuV!}

 we worked. we danced. we JuNK-A-PaLOOZa’d!

{scootin' a boot to the JoHN EvANS BanD!}

and we partied til we were pooped….

{after 2 days of JuNK-A-PaLoozin' it, MoLLIE decided to take a break FLeaMARKet-style!}

A ShouT out to all the folks that helped this JuNK-A-PaLOOZA rock!

• ThE DiXIE ChiCKEN
• ToNY LamA boots
• ChARLIE 1 HoRSE hats
• ThE BAKE shoPPE in CypRESS, TEXAS
• RoYERS RounD ToP CAFE
• anthologie images
• JoHN EvANS BaND
• CLeM MiKESKA BBQ
• FaRMHOUSE CaFE

AnD a special XOXOXXO to our new FiLM CrEW FriENDS…JeRRY, PierS, ScoTT, ChriS, MoLLY, DaVID, JaRED, KeLLY, COReY, ALiSON, and of course…DaWN….makin’ it happen…

{jerry & CoREy}

{ScoTT, PiERS, and JaRED}

{jared....from NeW JErSEY to LA to TeXAS...XOXO!}

{CoREY, MoLLY, & JeRRY}

{ChRIS (aka FeRRIS)...catchin the dance moves!}

aaaannnndddd roadside on our roadtrip…

{DaWN, MoLLY, CoREy and ScoTT}

AnD MoST mucho importantly…BiG, huge thanks to EVeRYBODY that traveled from near and far to come to our biggo GaLACtiC JUNK-A-PaLOOZA!!!! thanks for making what we do soooo much fuN…you make our hearts go pitter-patter!

seeeeeee y’all sooooon! WaRRENToN ANTiQUeS WEEK is just around the corner!!!!!!

stay tuned…RoyERS RouND TOP CaFE, RachEL AsHWELL, and AnTIQUES week comin soooooon!

i’d heard about the legendary RouND ToP 4th of JuLY parade for years, the oldest 4th of JuLY parade this side of the MiSSiSSiPPi. i’d read about it & seen pictures. i’d been told about the tractors, the longhorns, the floats…

{a great day for pictures...blue sky, AmeriCAN FLaG, spectators dressed up in their patriotic-finery}

but nothing could have prepared me for the feeling of actually being there…standing amongst all the thousands of PaTRioTiCALLY PRouD people in the middle of the SqUARE in RouND ToP, TeXAS on the 4th of JuLY. feeling like i was an extra in a scene straight outta HoPE FLoaTS or like i’d gotten lost somewhere between MayBERRY & HaZZARd CounTY.

 pride. excitement. happiness. freedom.

get ready y’all, this is how we do it in texas…

GoVERNOR RiCK pERRY, the STar-Spangled BaNNER, a prayer, and a BLaST of the OFFiCiAL war cannon kick off the parade…

{GoVERNOR RiCK pERRY giving the kick-off speech...(this was right after he told me he liked my boots :))}

and speakin’ of boots…here’s me, T-SmiTTY, and CB pre-parade…

amie & InDIE GuS (aka…my doodleBuG)

LeT the parade begin!!!  from FaiR QUeeNS…

TiJUANA TaXIS,

and BoRN on the 4th of JuLY FLoATS…

to roDEO quEENS,

ReDNECK KinGS…or something…actually, i’m really not sure what to say about this next one, except maybe apologize to you, the reader…

and HaPPY dAYS at the RaNCH…

to the GrAND priZE winner, RoYERS CaFE FLoat…complete with a ‘larger-than-life’ image of BuD RoyER on the front of the truck and GiANT-size pies!

and just a few more of my teXAS-style favES…

FARMaLL tractors… 

sweet little angels on HOrSEBACK,

PoLitiCIANS on stilts,

and of course ridin’ LonGHOrNS bareback-style…

{a whole herd of longhorns...only in TeXAS, y'all}

spectators drinkin’ mint juleps southern-style,

{actually, i think they're drinking bottled water but in my mind they're drinking mint juleps and saying "it's a mighty fine aftanoon for ah pahrade...why don't y'all come on (pronounced 'own') up an' sit uh spell?"}

and does it get any better than this….

i think not.

GoD BLeSS y’all. and GoD BleSS AmERiCA.