Thrift Thursday - Round Top Goodies!

It was another successful trip to Texas' best flea market/ antiques fair... and I wish I was still there...

Just an hour away from Austin, TX lie the treasure trove towns of Round Top and Warrenton, Texas.  Each year miles and miles of country fields are turned into a shopping experience unlike anything else.



From fine antiques at Coles and Marburger Farms, to thrifty deals at Northgate Field and Zapp Hall, there is something for everyone.  But only the hard core shoppers need go... I for one, can only handle 4 hours at a time- by then I am hungry, tired, and ready for a shower.  My girlfriends' are HARD CORE SHOPPERS and they will spend 3 or 4 days in a row out there from 8am to 6pm!



This time I spent almost two days making jewelry from past Round Top purchases.  I love to make jewelry - I have been making it since I was about 6, and am considering selling some of my latest creations. 

Trends I noticed this year:

Black and Yellow:

Detail of a Chartreuse/Yellow Lead Lamp Shade.  Not a Tiffany, for sure - but still very striking in a Art Nouveau Design.



A Reverse Painted Glass Picture of a Lady - my mom has several of these... this one wasn't in the best condition, but I love the design.




Is that Yarn? Wow - the ugliest lamp I've ever seen! But cool!



A gorgeous Vintage Compact.  Oh I wanted this one!  But it was out of my price range.. would have made a KILLER necklace, too!





Sassy Ladies:


African American Head Vase.  Head Vases are really popular these days - but the most common ones look like the original Barbie - with chunky eyelashes and pearl earrings.  I loved this one because she was unusual and very pretty.



Raggedy Ann. Awwww, I used to love Raggedy Ann! Mom dressed us up as her for Halloween! I love her WILD RED HAIR!




Skinny B*tch Longing for Food. I couldn't help but snicker at the irony here. The world's flattest, almost 2-D Mannequin, posed next to a sign for FINE FOOD. Poor baby...



Spanish Beauty! Wow, check out her BRIGHT green dress! I love figurines that have a good expression of movement.. and her colors are just wild. I could see a bunch of these as awesome table centerpieces...

Robin's Egg Blue (Or Turquoise, or whatever you call it): 
My favorite color every year!  My apartment is bursting at the seams with tchotchkes this color!


Genie in a Teapot.  Rad! I don't even like hot tea - but I would make Hot Cocoa with this sexy teapot!




A baby Singer Sewing Machine!  Awww... just the cutest little thing ever!




'50s Lamp. Man - blue glass with sleek wood and a metal jack design detail? Love at first sight!!!





The Most BEAUTIFUL LOVE SEAT. Ever. Ok, not the exact shade of blue, but this love seat was really breathtaking. Supple leather, gorgeous hand carved design, caster wheels on the perfect legs... I was drooling, big time.







And last but not least... everyone's favorite category!!!!

CREEPY!

Vintage Diet Poster. Yeah, because I look like a huge-a** Hippo, and thinking about myself as a Giraffe is going to make me want to starve off the weight.




Anne Marie loves Sharks! Yes - the only set of Shark Jaws I spotted - and we needed to get all snuggly, and close and...



Beaver. Priceless.




You can also see pics and finds from Jennifer Perkins' blog, and Austin based Design Crisis.

xo, Anne Marie

DIY Wednesday - September Events Recap

Oh how time does fly!  Just two weeks ago I was out for one of the busiest weekends I've had all year.  On Saturday Sept. 19th my friend Amy Barber of Sweettooth Bags, and I, set up during Gruene Market Days in beautiful Gruene, Texas.

This was our first time to do this craft show, and it was a lot of fun!  You can shop the handmade market for everything from soaps and body scrubs by Fleegal Farms, to handmade pottery, wood-inlay jewelry, wooden boxes and bowls, metal art and much much more.











The real highlight of that weekend was the We Make Stuff event produced by Candace Carlisle of Electric Promotions.  The event was a fun evening of crafty-demos by The WonderCraft, an exclusive Handmade Vendor Market, and a Fabulous Fashion Show featuring handbag designs by *annemarie*!
Anne Marie Beard and Candace Carlisle at We Make Stuff.







Gorgeous Model from We Make Stuff Fashion Show



The thing I enjoyed the most about the evening was getting all gussied up in my outfit!  A few weeks ago I attended the debut Fashion Show of local Designer Anslee Connell of Savannah Red.  I fell in love with her dresses, and asked to "dress" me for the event.

We found the PERFECT dress, and I have not felt that sexy in a looooooong time!  My amazing hairpiece was courtesy of Sweettooth Bags, and my unusual one of a kind necklace by Spoilt Victorian Child.  Viva Le Austin Designers!



The sassy pictures above are courtesy of Austin's busiest Photo Booth Man... Trevor Ray Thompson.  Allison and I are proud that he provided the photo booth for our first Shop Austin Event, as he is getting all famous now!

The Fashion Show was photographed by John Pesina, and you can see more of the pictures of that here.

October looks to be a fun filled month on the Austin Craft Scene and Austin Fashion Scene as well... look for details on Handmade Happenings™  by The Lone Star Ladies coming soon!

xo, Anne Marie