Thrift Thursday - Round Top Awaits!

It's just not Fall without a trip to Round Top, Texas during Antique Week!

You can check out past posts of my visits to Round Top, as well as my Flickr Sets... while you wait to see what goodies I will share from this trip!

Patina Loft returns to Round Top this time as well - how exciting!  Patina Loft is a socially conscious company that refurbishes Chinese Country Antiques and sells them to dealers in the US.  Round Top is the ONLY time customers can buy direct from them.  My brother-in-law works for them, and they are a wonderful company with a great vision.  They have a map online where they will be located!

Pictures from the Patina Loft Booth Last year





October 2008



Spring 2008




YES - aren't you excited for me :-) ?  I will be sure to stop at Seafood and Donuts in Giddings, and have a Kolache!!!

xo, Anne Marie

Sunny Sunday - Roundtop Recap!

Roundtop, Texas - actually more like Warrenton, Texas - is THE PLACE TO BE in April and October if you like to shop for antiques, collectibles, junk and great buys....

This year marks.. wow, 3 or 4 years that we've been going - and it was a blast! A few themes emerge every year - and this year they included elephants, fabulous art deco pieces, creepy objects of interest, and cute baby stuff. So let's break it down by category and get going on the recap!

Deco
Of COURSE - this is my favorite time period of design - Art Nouveau comes in at a close second, then Mid Century Modern. Deco is growing in it's collectible interest - and the authentic pieces are pretty pricey. Always great for inspiration!











Creepy & Weird
I don't know what came over my girl friends - but they got into some creepy stuff this year - and the more I looked, the more it seemed that creepy was a theme across the fields.
















Baby & Cute
Well my best friend just had a baby - welcome, Hunter Ray Love! And I saw a few things that reminded me of her. I even had a dream about holding the baby while I was gone. He is just so cute and I can't wait to see him again :)









As always - hope you're inspired and entertained!

xo, Anne Marie

www.TheLoneStarLadies.com
April 18th, 2009 - The EVENT OF THE YEAR in Austin!

Le Garage Sale - Hip Fashion & Super Deals

If you're in the great city of Austin, Texas this weekend - and you like fashion & shopping - you NEED to go to Le Garage Sale!










This bi-annual event features over 50 of Austin's best boutiques and a handful of Independent Designers selling their wares at deep discounts.








I will have bags on sale from $10 to $45!!! I even have some brand new fall bags that are discounted at 25% and more. This is your chance to hit all of Austin's best boutiques in one place!











September 6th - 7th, 2008

PALMER EVENTS CENTER Saturday: 11am - 6pm
Sunday: 11am - 5pm

Admission: $10/person*
2-day pass available: $15/person

******** This is your ONLY chance this year to get *annemarie* bags on sale!!!!!!!!!*******

xo, Anne Marie

PS - Have you heard? A fabulous new event is on the horizon in Austin....

The Bearded Ladies Present: Shop Austin!

Treasure Tuesday: Reusable Produce Bags

Ok friends, it's really rare that I see something totally *new* when it comes to sewn bags. Everyone and their pet chicken is making or buying reusable grocery totes these days - and the variety, quality and prices of them is all over the map.





Today I spent a fair amount of time browsing on Etsy. They have this cool "Pounce" feature where you can check out what other people have just bought. I am normally drawn to brightly colored items, but today I was really drawn to the text description.







Esty Shop owner LisaAlso has come up with a GENIUS idea - she makes reusable PRODUCE BAGS! Her bags are made from tulle net, and won't add to the weight of your produce when you go to check out. They're even washable!






For some time now, I haven't used the plastic produce bags. Mostly because I am single, and I am only buying one or two apples or bananas at a time. I just toss the fruit/veggies into my basket, and go on my way. However, I would so use these! Especially for grapes or lots of small items like lemons.



One thing I think is really cool is that you could keep your produce in the bag and rinse it out inside there. So many options, such a genius idea! Go Lisa!

Lisa has been happily surprised with the success of this new product - and I hope you will go purchase some and add to that success. She charges just $8.00 for a set of 3 bags, and you can message her on Etsy to order larger quantities.

xo, Ambie

*annemarie* & Storyville

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Josh Harvey, part owner of the Storyville boutique on the UT Austin Campus. I am working to get my products in more stores, which is hard for a gal like me - because I would always rather be creating than selling!

Josh and his siblings (11 total!) founded this unique shop in their native Louisiana. They set out to create a store that featured apparel and accessories from local and college student designers. "Storyville’s mission is to celebrate local artists and designers and to encourage individual expression. That’s why our shops feature tees, bags, wallets, bracelets, kids/baby clothes, dolls, etc designed by local artists. And that’s why we make one-of-a-kind, customized t-shirts."


Launched in 2007, the Storyville mini-chain has locations at LSU and UT - you gotta love College Campus Stores! I went to UT from - ahem, revealing my age here - 1997 to 2002. The printed t-shirt has definitely picked up steam as the uniform of college kids since then. I remember still trying to be a little fashionista in school and wearing dresses and high heels most of my freshman year. What can I say, I like to get all dolled up.

Storyville also has a website where you can buy many of their tees. I LOVE all the pictures of students - especially because you can tell they are real people - not anorexic model types.


To start - Storyville is carrying some of my Mini Wallets and Wristlets - very big sellers that should appeal to the college crowd. I am excited about our new partnership, and hope you get a chance to check out their shop!

BTW - you can drop into Storyville and design your own tee for only $25! Sweet!


xo, Anne Marie

Roundtop, Texas - My Pretties

Ahhhh, so it's been weeks since I blogged - first it was a trip to San Diego, then SXSW, then the Zilker Garden Festival, and then a trip to Round Top - all these things I meant to blog about, but was so busy participating in, that I couldn't bring myself to sit down and type anything. I hope I will backtrack to cover somethings I really wanted to share...

For now, just a simple photoblog of items I LOVED at Roundtop. I bought lots of vintage linens, buttons, a few pottery pieces and a few kitchen pieces. Ohhh time to start saving up for next time!

Lots of my pictures feature circular items - apparently I am drawn to circles this year!

Hand crafted metal decor from salvaged chair and iron work!



Pink Planter with cool deco styling and circular edge shape.


Metal bed frame with circular design - I love these beds!



Feedsack fabric in my FAVORITE color - coral - with sweet circle and dot pattern!



Neat-o enameled metal pin - you can't see the petal detail, but they were curled under on the edges in a circular shape! I'm guessing '40s era



Uber cool lampshade - I loved the texture of the fibers and the way it softened the light.



Funky 60s or 70s lamp - so over the top!



Atomic Clock - 50s or 60s - too bad it wasn't working or I would've bought it!



Superb Whiting & Davis chain purse - I have never seen one with this kind of decoration on it, probably 30s or 40s, and priced for the true collector...



A shockingly green pottery vase - the dealer said it was very rare - I just loved the shape and color and the CIRCLES!



My favorite for last... a super cool clutch purse from - hmm - late 40s or early 50s. I am SO INSPIRED by this bag!



I hope you enjoyed the pretty treasures of this year's trip! Back soon with more pics and info!

Anne Marie

Thrift Thursday: New Goodies

So I actually went shopping on Tuesday - but waited to post my new stuff until today. I love THRIFT TOWN - and I was surprised to find they now have a MySpace account.

To me, thrift has always been hip. I like looking at a bunch of crap and spotting that one item that I just have to have.

This week I scored stuff for bags! I got two gorgeous vintage brooches, which I plan to put on some evening bags, and 6 plastic containers I will use in my display. I have all these little acrylic boxes that I use, and they were pretty pricey at the Office Supply - so at $2 each, these new boxes will come in really handy!



I am also about to finish my latest book - Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver - and I can't wait! I have been reading a lot lately, and this book is especially good.

Tonight is the monthly Babes in Business meeting - it's a local networking group for crafty biz ladies in Austin - and I am the new leader! I can't wait to see all my friends and meet new ones...

Happy Thursday!
Anne Marie Beard

Get your Shop On!

This weekend has some of the best Holiday Shopping in Austin, Texas. Who wants to purchase cool, one of a kind, modern, reasonably priced gifts? You do??? Well peep the Cherrywood Art Fair! I do this show every year, and we got great coverage in the Austin American Statesman today. Check out the article for shopping details on two other fabulous events - Blue Genie and the Armadillo!

ETSY Shop Now Open!

Friends! After many years of fiddling around with thoughts of how to sell my work online, I am pleased to announce that my ETSY shop is open!

What is ETSY, you ask? Well, it's a really fabulous site where you can create your own store online for just a small fee. Each item gets up to 5 photos, and once you figure it all out, it's quite easy to use.










For starters I have posted LOTS of Mini Wallets, several Cosmetic Bags, and a few Gift Sets. The Holiday Shopping season is officially here (duh, as of last week)... but if you're anything like me, you avoid the crowds at all costs.








Super fun shows just around the corner - check out all the links at left, and look for a special blog on that early tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for me that Yahoo lets my email out of "Spam hawk"!!!

Thrift Thursday: Glamorous Gold

It's funny how my taste fluctuates - just a few years ago, I thought anything gold was icky. I would not wear any gold jewelry, accessories, or tolerate any gold decor. The thing is, I was obsessed with it for awhile - my high school bedroom was "romantic" with lots of fancy gold frames or angels and cherubs and flowing white curtains - you know, the mid 90s look.

Now that gold has firmly re-established itself in fashion and home design - I am noticing how much I am in love with it - again! Except this time, it has a decidedly more "ethnic" vibe to it.

A few weeks ago - the gals and I hit up the two week long massive antique shopping event in Round Top, Texas. The first morning out was very successful. My friend scored these two fabulous lamps for $35 - that's for the pair!!!

The detail shot shows just how cool the asian floral motif is. Her fiance is not so sure he loves them - be we all did!

Today I am wearing my fabulous Green & Gold Czech Necklace. I love green anything, and these beads literally screamed at me from across the room at the bead store.

They were labeled as 1920s Czech Glass - for those of you who know Czech Glass - it is very collectible. I strung them together with gold jump rings, added an old earring as the pendant - and viola! Sexy vintage style - with GOLD.

And the quest for gold continues - today I got a pedicure - and had my toes painted gold... I just wonder what's next.

I love having my funky jewelry posted on iTaggit - I have so much, I can hardly remember it all - but iTaggit keeps my collections organized!

Roundtop, Texas - Fabulous Antique Shopping

A few years ago, a friend of mine told me about this bi-annual antique and collectibles show that takes over part of the Texas Countryside. Her name is Jen Perkins, and she and her family have been shopping this show for years...

Commonly referred to as "Roundtop" - the show takes over fields and fields of farmland in Roundtop and Warrenton, Texas every October and April. Dealers come from all over the country - and shoppers descend with trailers to take home their goodies.

My friends and I have been going for a couple of years - and the shopping just keeps getting better. The show continues through October 6th - so if you're in Central Texas - get on down there.

Look for lots of blogs about the treasures we saw and purchased at this year's show.... See more of my iTaggit Blogs here!