Cat Bite

Just how much fun can one tomcat on the prowl have at The Greatest Show On Dirt?You tell me!

Photo courtesy of Amy Boland...prettiest photographer in Texas!

A Cat With Nine Lives!

Somebody is a birthday boy today...I wonder who? How old you ask? Can you say dirt? What about cheese or the Pyramids? He is, however, not as old as say...Sir Mick AKA The Lips!

The Man has found his pose...how about y'all?

The line forms to the left at SweetT's blog party Sunday for hugs! I'll have him hosed down, Texasified, and waiting for you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAT DADDY!

Cabinet Meeting

Good morning glories! We're getting packed up for our long weekend at Zapp, but I wanted to do a post before we head out tomorrow. I'll be back on Tuesday with photos of all the wonderful things...and people we saw. In the meantime...I'm always fashionably late for parties, so why change now. I'm gonna cover a lot of ground in this post...so tighten up those bra straps and let's get started.Everyone could use an extra pair of hands in the kitchen...right? We live in a tiny house and the kitchen and (ahem) dining area is no exception! I have virtually no counter or cabinet space. What's a girl to do you ask. W-e-e-l-l...she visits her local salvage yard weekly in hopes of remedying that unfortunate situation.

Y'all know me. Nothing in my house or life comes without a back story and this one has a happy ending! Cat Daddy and I were at our local salvage yard looking for anything when what do my wandering eyes see, but this cabinet. Talk about having my skirt blowed up...come to mama! I was excited beyond belief! We took measurements...('cause like I said tiny)...and hurried home to measure.

I couldn't believe my luck...she would just fit with inches to spare on each side...sweet serendipity! There was only one small problem...the yard closed at noon and it was 10 after. That meant I had to wait until Monday...be there when the doors opened...and hope no one had bought her out from under me!

For the record and just to keep it honest...folks...meet my dining room! This was all we had until I confiscated the living room! I look back now and wonder how on earth I ever raised two children in a house this small. Thank goodness we loved each other or all that togetherness might have been a problem!

BTW...do you like the table and chairs. My big junk hunter drug those Italian chairs home from a garage sale and the Saarinen table he dug out of one hot mess in a thrift store. (Don't bother asking what he paid...if I told ya, I'd have to kill ya...if the price didn't! Same goes for the cabinet...don't ask-don't tell) I'm telling ya...the boy should have lace on his underwear, he has such a good eye for style!

After an agonizing weekend, fate smiled on me Monday! She was just sitting there waiting on me. She must of loved me as much as I loved her otherwise she would have sang her siren's song to someone else!

Cat Daddy picked her up that afternoon and brought her home where she belonged. All I had to do was give her a bath and she was ready to be installed.

The hussy came backless and since I already had the wallpaper up...instant backdrop! All those drawers just waiting to be filled...cabinets above and below. I promise y'all up and down...she doubled my cabinet space in one fell swoop! (TINY!)

I immediately began filling her shelves with all my favorite things beginning with ironstone my mother and grandmother had bought at yard sales for me before I was married.

My grandmother's Fostoria crystal given to her as gifts for years and years. Not my favorite pattern, but definitely my favorite grandmother!

Silver collected over the years from Dallas hotels...many of those grand old ladies now just a memory of luxury past!

Photos of loved ones now gone. This is a photograph of C.D.'s grandmother and mother back in the day. Remind me to tell you about this pair some day. They were a couple of ring tail tooters!

Speaking of tooters...someone very near and dear to me has a birthday tomorrow! Here's a hint...he's tall, dark and...well he's tall!

My small collection of French enamel coffee pots...I'm always looking for more!

I've collected church plates for years. It always saddened me to see these discarded, so I made it my mission in life to try and save some. I look for the sepia tinted and black ones...preferably Texas ones. There's so much history printed on these plates. I use them on occasion for Sunday dinners just 'cause I can. I call them my Sunday school plates!

C.D.'s mom had the most beautiful, naturally curly, auburn hair. She was a petite woman, barely 5'1"...but man alive...she was a pistol! Jenn is so much like her to the point we called her A.R. (another Roberta) when she was small!

When you have a Munchkin kitchen, you learn quickly how to make do and boy howdy...did I make do with this beauty.

Like I said in the first part of this post...I'm always late for a party, but hey...better late than never! I'm linking up with Kathleen and her White Wednesdays...

Debra and her Vintage Inspiration Friday (lookie here...I'm actually early for this one!)....

and Jen's Hutch Party!

Whew...that's a lot of partying even for this chubby lady with the middle name Party!

(Hidden deep within this post is a little test to see if y'all actually read the words I agonize over or if I'm just talking to myself!)

Adios for now and I'll be back Tuesday. Y'all be sure and behave while I'm gone!

Pick Pockets

Hidden on the back roads of Wacky Waco, locked away in the confines of her Fortress of Aluminum Siding, one woman works tirelessly in her laboratory to conquer once and for all...crimes against fashion.Her quest...to arm every woman with a unique, one-of-a-kind handbag (such as MY La Trash Bag crafted of the finest garbage sacks available)...to wipe out cookie cutter purses...to enable all woman-kind to make her own fashion statement and to no longer live in fear of seeing her handbag on someone else's shoulder!

(INSERT TICKER TAPE PARADE HERE!) DA DA DA...DA-A-A!

Taking that which is considered castoffs by others...locked behind the walls of her Taj Mahal...she tirelessly fights fashion faux pas and creates Fab U Lous Porte-monnaies!

Her mission...to reduce landfills and to save the planet...one handbag at a time while encircling the globe in a melange of duct tape and color!

Armed only with a sewing machine, seam ripper, and a chain saw, she fearlessly dismantles sofas for the velvet...rips into leather pants for shoulder straps...wrestles cowboys for their belt buckles...tracks the elusive Pleather then using her secret powers of transformation, renders ordinary objects...extraordinary!

Quietly living a secret dual life...by day known only as RobUhLyn, mild-mannered, demure, graphic designer...but at night...becomes Red.Neck Chic, mistress of duct tape, Queen Of The Double Wide!

Sadly, the hours spent hunched over a sewing machine and too much time sniffing duct tape has taken it's toll on our gallant heroine.

(In other words...she is a little tetched in the head or as I like to say...throwed off!)

She is removing the mask of anonymity and is giving away a Red.Neck Chic pocketbook AND a matching chapeau just by visiting and voting.

Are you brave enough to take her challenge? Will you risk everything to vote and tell her...and the world...you love hats and you're not afraid to wear 'em?

The strain of having to get ready for Zapp Hall has rendered her powerless to stop herself. This purse and matching hat can be yours!

Her able-bodied partner Mindy, The Rust Rustler, will be announcing the winner in their tent at Zapp on the 27th. Malissa (Pent Up Photos) will be making the drawing of one...and only one...person's name. Your last chance to be tray sheek a la Red.Neck Chic will be Saturday, September 25th at the stroke of noon...high noon!

If you're planning on going to Warrenton for the antique show...you must get by Zapp Hall and see what this crazy crime fighting duo has cooked up in their tent! I promise you plenty of gicks and kiggles!

See you at the blog party...I hope!

(Disclaimer: There were no animals harmed in the typing of this post!)

Talk To The Hand!

Hey y'all! Let me introduce myself. I'm Debbie's doppelganger...TrashMouth and not...as asked by a certain someone ...The Talking Vay-Jay-Jay! (Don't know if I was supposed to say that here, but I figure it's easier to beg forgiveness than it is to ask permission and risk being told NO! Besides if Oprah says it...it must be in the dictionary!)Anyway...Debbie let it slip that Debra has been hosting a really cool party every Friday and I'm an old hand at what constitutes a good party. Ask anyone! So when I noticed her back was turned...I snuck into her office, fired up the ol' computer and proceeded to do a little hand to hand combat with it...again, forgiveness vs. permission! (By the by...does she remind anyone else of Cousin Itt?) I thought y'all might like to get the truth about SweetT's blog party from me....kinda one hand washes the other...ya know?

I was at the last party and it was a doozie...hands down! BTW...did I mention I was first runner-up in the Miss Custom Button contest? I woulda won, but TOT went around and bribed everyone with lady fingers...not really...it was chocolate...again, joshing... but it makes me feel better to think that's why I was runner up and not the QUEEN! (Bitter much?) But I digress...just like my handmaiden Trash does. A word to the wise...Squirrel Disease is contagious!

But back to the subject at hand...are y'all ready for me to hand out all the info you'll need to make the scene? Here's all the 411 you will need.

What to wear should be handled with care. Remember this is Texas in the fall where a cool spell for us is 90 degrees, but Debbie says suffering is the price one must pay for beauty! So drag out those cowboy boots...heck...it's only for a little while and then you can put those house shoes back on. But on the other hand, if you're really worried about being cute...SweetT's got you covered...literally!

THE Gypsy Brocante will be a special guest with her new line. It promises to be Fab U Lous as always. You'll be able to hand pick your favorite and I can hold a sheet up while you change right there on the spot! I promise not to peek!

(I should mention I did a little five finger discount shopping for this photo from T's blog. Ssh! Don't tell her...'kay? Remember...forgiveness!) Here's a quick check list for you and I do mean quick.

1. Check the batteries on your cameras 'cause you don't want 'em to go dead right in the middle of a "money shot" and there will be plenty of those to go around not to mention the celebrities you'll be wanting to photograph! How many you ask? Let me put it this way...I don't have enough fingers to count 'em all...that's how many!
2. Check your lipstick 'cause there will be plenty of camera operators trying to get their own "money shot"!
3. Check your "good girl" attitude at the door. As SweetT says..."This ain't no tea party!" Leave your white gloves at home! Plan on being loud, raucous, bawdy, silly, outrageous, laughing your fool head off and just plain having a good time! What is it the Junk Gypsys say? Oh yeah..."Well behaved women rarely make history!" I'd like to add..."Misbehavin' women make mayhem, mischief, and memories!"

Start practicing your pose right now. You heard me! Get in front of that mirror and find the one that is most flattering. We all got one...find yours and use it! Trust me on this one...if you fight the cameras (and there's going to be plenty...I can't stress that enough) you're gonna end up with a face (or body position) that only a mother could love. Y'all have got pretty faces. Boldly face that camera...smile...do the "Hey Girl Wave" a la jazz hand....hold it...hold it...say Brie! While you're getting your hand jive on, be prepared to be inspired! CWH will be handing out autographs on her newly published book that you'll be able to purchase hot off the presses....new, not second hand! Need I say more? Carolyn is so well known for her beloved style, she could easily go by just her monogram...kind of a junker's JLo! I know for a fact Debbie is quite in awe of her talent and doesn't mind the world knowing it.

You want more? SweetT's giving you more! Polly of Counting Your Blessings is blessing us again with a return visit to the party AND a little birdie told me she's not traveling alone OR empty handed. That's all I'm gonna say on that...wouldn't want to be tipping her hand...you know what I mean?

(This is another sticky finger photo I stole, I mean borrowed from Sweet T!)

I've heard there is gonna be a contest for finger food and their serving pieces. Take it from me...don't bite the hand that feeds you and no hand-to-hand fighting over the last piece of cheesecake! I gotta hand it to that SweetT...she thinks of everything! She's really got a hand-le on how to throw a swell shindig!

Ooops! I see Debbie outta the corner of my eye and she's making wild hand gestures at me to wrap it up! Curses...caught red handed!

I sure hope you come out to the blog party for all the inspiration you could ever hope to find in one place. I'll be holding a seat just for you and rest assured...my lips are sealed and my hands are tied. What happens at the blog party...stays at the blog party...until the posts start going up!

(PSST! Speaking of secrets...there just may be a tiny guest at the blog party who will be hand delivered by one of my favorite Cat Daddy kittens!)

Before I go, would you like for me to tell you your fortune? Give me your hand. Ahhh yes! I see you in Warrenton Texas, September 26th when the little hand is on 6 and the big hand is on 12. How's that? Oh...you wanted a tall, dark, hand-some cowboy too? Come to the party and I'll see if I can't give you a hand making that come true...for both of us! Reckon Howdy Doody is still available?

Hands in the air everybody...raise the roof! We got a party to get to!

Thank you again Debra for having this brilliant idea for Fridays. TGIF!

Moon Pies

I've been reading all the posts about the upcoming Antique Fair in Round Top/Warrenton and started having myself a good old-fashioned pity party for one! As I said earlier, Cat Daddy and I are not going to be able to make contact with the Mother Ship this fall and it's killing this chubby lady! While feeling sorry for myself at all the fun I'll be missing, I decided to stroll down ol' memory lane with a little look-see at past shows. SQUIRREL ALERT!

I don't know if folks realize the time AND money that goes into preparing for a show this big and this long, but nine days is a lo-o-ng time. It takes a lot of careful measuring and even more moolah to have enough... A. Space on the trailers for everything

B. Room under the tent for everything

C. Enough of everything to last that long...including underwear

I've always said my goal is for Cat Daddy and I to be sitting in two folding lawn chairs with an ice chest between us at the end of a show! Hasn't happened yet...but a girl can always dream!

I'm sharing this information with y'all because I think there is a rumor going around that we dealers find our merchandise either in the trash or on the side of the road. I'm here to tell ya...baloney! I'm not gonna lie to you...sometimes we do come across something dirt cheap, but the days of finding mother lodes are long gone. We are out there wearing the tires off the truck to find the latest trends and hopefully start a few in the process.

Before you think I'm fussing at y'all, please wait for the caboose to this train of thought. Really unique stuff is getting impossible to find at a fairly reasonable price. We're paying a lot more for things than we did even three years ago...supply and demand...ya know? So-o-o...do your homework. Know what you're willing to spend on something you dearly want and when you find it...be kind to that vendor. It's OK to ask for a better price...just don't go in expecting 30-50% off. I don't care what the experts tell you...don't do it! One last word on this and then I'll move on. Don't be offended if the dealer says the price is firm. Just remember how much sweat (and money) went into getting it ready for the show and you....and how much you love it! Y'all will be happy to know that will be my only advice column for this year's fall show! Can you say whew?

(We now return to our regularly scheduled program!)

While I was strolling down memory lane, I came across different photos of the past blog parties and it dawned on me, I hadn't reminded y'all of SweetT's party! Now keep in mind...this is still the summer and just like TV in the summertime, all these photos are reruns....and I'm not doing a lot of links.

(I'm truly not lazy...just tired. I was with Jenn and Bella all day going to doctor's appointments...with shots!)

Let me show you what you'll be missing if you don't come Sunday, September 26th starting with the SweetT herself. Theresa has worked her patootie off on these parties in the past and she ain't about to stop now. When I say she works...I mean like a rented mule. She sets up her space for the show plus designs and decorates a special place for the guests of honor. She makes sure no one leaves hungry or thirsty and this year ought to be a hoot with the Junk Pot Food Contest she's cooked up...no pun intended! (As a matter of fact...Cher of The Texas Woman fame has thrown down the gauntlet to one and all to try and top her entry! I'm thinking Trash Can Punch...what do y'all think?)

If you're new to the party...not to worry. T goes out of her way to make everyone feel welcome. I promise you up and down you'll feel like you've know her for years before she's done with you! If you're wondering what to wear...again not to worry. There's no dress code. Just look at these photos. It's boots to bling baby...anything goes...except nekkid! Wouldn't want you to get sunburned!

I promise you'll rub elbows with celebrities...rock stars (in our world)...and the "will-never-be-another-one-like-him" Cat Daddy. That's right boys and girls...we may not be setting up, but there is no way on this green Earth that we would miss the party! Remember...Party is my middle name!

There will be the much anticipated guests!

There will be the long and short of it ones!

Let's hear it for the Honey Baked and the girls-just-wanta-have-fun ones!

There will be bloggers out the wazoo just waiting to meet ya...more than you can swing a Cat at!

There will be laughing, hugs, kisses and all the things that make life good and Texasified!

There will be the chance for making new friends....

and getting to hug old ones!

I'm sure you can understand now why I wouldn't miss this for the world and I hope you can come. I'd love to get to hug you too!

I'll call this a wrap in just a sec, but I thought I'd mention something else while I got y'all on the hook!

I won't be in my familiar tent by Royer's, (btw...go to the Junk Gypsy blog for a great ongoing contest Royer's is in!) but a certain someone will be and she has promised me faithfully to keep the party going in my absence!

Malissa and Lurch will be launching a brand new enterprise at this show. Have you dreamed of the man in the moon? Have you danced by the light of it or even howled at it? Heck...have you ever just mooned somebody? Well...here's your chance to make dreams a reality (all but the mooning part...remember that sunburn!)

Make plans...in fact plan an outfit for...Pent-Up Photos! Is this not over the moon clever? Mal will be taking photos that you can take home with you that day...no waiting or mailing...right then and there! She has an on going love affair with vintage photos and has taken that love and created Pent-Up Photos. Your photo will be a reminder of what a wonderful time you had at Zapp Hall or a great blackmail pix...your call!

She'll be easy to find. If you know where we usually are...that'll be her this show. If you've never been to our tent...just listen for the sound of laughter, the smell of pie and you are there!

Talk real nice to me and I might even let you have a photo made with The Man!