It’s heeeere… we’re just 24 hours from taking off for our trip to Antique Week in Round Top Texas.  We’ve got SPRING FEVER, baby, and a road trip is just the thing we need to cure it!!  This trip I’ll be traveling with my stepmom, Terry, who happens to also be my BFF.  She is my confidant, my cheer leader, and the ultimate traveling partner.

I’m soooo excited to hit the open road, go to my Native Texas, see friends, enjoy food & drink, and of course there’s the ANTIQUES & JUNK & TREASURES everywhere.   

Before I share my last little bit for our Round Top Countdown I want to send y’all to my friend Theresa’s website right HERE.  She has listed great sources for places to SLEEP & EAT. {who’s sleeping???} Once you’ve gotten the eat & sleep out of the way it’s time to SHOP!!  There are miles and miles of stuff but there are a few vendors that are on my MUST SEE list this year… 

Let’s start at ROUND TOP HILL {map ABOVE}:

H-M Valley Ranch
Located at Round Top Hill

Hand painted windows, bowls & canvases… hand made leather lamp shades, placemats, window coverings… custom furniture that is perfect for your home on the range. 

Now drive South on 237 to the little town of ROUND TOP…

Richard Schmidt Jewelry
Located on the square in Round Top, Texas

Schmidt Jewelry is second to none, each piece is handmade and a true original.  This is what Terry has been saving her money for all year long…

Melissa Brownlow
Located on the square in Round Top {in front of Royer’s Restaurant}

Melissa’s quirky signs and recycled art are must-have souvenirs from Round Top Antique Week.  Buy ‘em for your basement, you lake house, your best girlfriend who couldn’t make it this trip… she can also do custom signs!! 

The Round Top Square has tons of cute clothes & jewelry, cowhides and purses… it’s worth a pass around and of course, you have to stop for pie at Royer’s Round Top Cafe.

Now back in the car & south on 237 to MARBURGER FARM . MF is chock-full of the best of the best, but there are a few that I’m particularly anxious to visit!!

Queenie Tin & Mirror Company 
Marburger Farm

Queenie has a unique selection of mirrors that stand out in any decor, from Traditional to Rustic, she also has a great selection of tins and hearts that make exceptional gifts ~ check out the pics BELOW… 

 





 
Hot Tamale Antiques
Marburger Farm

I LOVE to visit Jan Orr Harter from Hot Tamale Antiques every season because she always has a unique selection of Americana Folk Art, a spin on current trends, and sage advice for anyone has a little part in this crazy business of buyin’ and sellin’.

 

Two Girls’ Stuff
 Marburger Farm

I came across this space last Fall and it was AMAZING.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone back and stared at the pictures I took for inspiration and imagination. I can hardly wait to see what they bring this year…


 

Artist Tent G
Marburger Farm

Vintage Sculpture’s recycled art, Around the Bend’s twig furniture, Found Images’vintage inspired lamp shades… and that’s just the first couple of spaces in Artist Tent G.  Don’t miss this tent at Marburger Farm!!  More pics HERE.

This is really just the tip of the iceberg of the goodies you’ll find at Marburger Farm… your trip to Round Top Antique Week is just not complete if you don’t check it out!!  More info about Marburger right HERE.

MORE AFTER THE BREAK BELOW… keep on readin’!!
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So you know we’re headed to Texas for Round Top Antique Week, and you know I can’t quit talking aboutMarburger Farm, but once you’ve been to Marburger there are about 2000 more vendors in 300 more venues over a 25 mile region that you might want to check out.  The biggest, brightest, sweetest & HOTTEST of them all is the Junk Gypsies of course!!!

We love these girls {2 sisters & their mama} to no end… their big hearts * road-trippin’ * free lovin’ mantra gets all of our juices going and I’m about as excited to see them as a kid visiting a candy shop.

So, if you’re headed to Round Top Antique Week make sure you stop by the Junk Gypsy tent… it’s in Warrenton, Texas on Highway 237 {MAP HERE}.  Their space is right on the highway so you won’t miss it, I PROMISE!!!

And if you happen to be in town on Thursday, April 1st then there’s a little shin-dig you ought to attend.  Ok, it’s a BIG shin-dig ~ the now legendary Junk Gypsy Prom.  A few years ago the Junk Gypsies were hanging out in Warrenton during Antique Week and started noticing all of the prom dresses that were being sold… it made them kind of blue to think of all of those lovely old dresses, cherished so much for one big night, then never worn again.  So on a whim they decided to dress up one night, crank some tunes and have a cocktail or two. 

Several years later it’s the biggest night Warrenton, Texas sees every spring and every fall.  Don’t know what to wear??  There is no dress code, just put on whatever makes you feel HAPPY and full of LIFE and join in the fun!!  {We posted a ‘what to wear to prom’ GUIDE last year right HERE}  The John Evans Band will be there, along with tons of antiques, crazy junkers, and lotsa’ dancin’ fools!!!  I cannot WAIT!!!

For those of you who can’t make it to Texas this year then you can still feel the Junk Gypsy Love on their awesome website, Gypsyville.com. 

You can also follow the Junk Gypsy Journey on their BRAND NEW BLOG right HERE.

Right now the girls are decking out a vintage 1953 Flying Cloud Air Stream trailer for Miranda Lambert’s Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars tour that is about to begin…  It’s going to be ah-mazing so hop on board and check it out!!

** Click HERE for more about the JUNK GYPSIES **

** Click HERE for more PROM PICS **

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Round Top GUIDE

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In FIVE short weeks we’ll be in Texas for Round Top Antique Week… one of my very favorite venues to visit during Antique Week is Marburger Farm. 

Marburger Farm covers 43 acres with TEN football-field sized tents and a DOZEN historical buildings filled to the gills with every kind of VINTAGE TREASURE * TREASURED ANTIQUES & FUNKY Art you could hope to find in one setting!!

This Spring ‘10 Marburger Farm will open on Tuesday, March 30th for early buying from 10am till 2pm.  This is serious shoppping, y’all, seriously the best of the best!!  Admission for Early Buying is $25/person.

MARBURGER FARM
Tuesday, March 30th ~ Saturday, April 3rd

Tues, 10 – 5
Wed – Fri, 9 – 5
Sat, 9 – 4
General Admission
$10/person

Admission is good all week.  They offer free parking, shuttle services, a nice place to rest during the day, & DELCIOUS food!!!

What’s in the water at the Marburger Farm Antique Show?
It just might be the fountain of youth.

On March 30 – April 3 nearly 400 exhibitors will arrive in Round Top with antiques that are cutting-edge, fusing quality with youthful hip. Those in-the-know have noted that the show attracts plenty of younger shoppers who enjoy being outdoors, visiting with friends and chasing down the bargains that are bound to be found in the mix.

The latest news? The dealers at Marburger Farm are getting younger too.

At age 29, Dakota Pratt will come from Los Angeles for his fourth year at the twice-yearly Marburger Farm Antique Show. Coming with him will be the folk art and furniture that he creates from antique tractor springs, vintage bottle caps and other reclaimed industrial fragments. And, if past shows are any indication, he won’t be going home with them.

Exhibitor Kim Hoegger of Kim Hoegger HOME in Dallas will bring garden antiques, including architectural concrete planters and statues, as well as her younger perspective on the appeal of antiques. “I don’t buy an antique because it’s 18th or 19th century,” she says. “I buy it because it appeals to me and because I love it and I know my customers are going to love it. I think that younger dealers focus on the look of something, not the history. If it is beautiful and useful and clients can appreciate it for being gorgeous—that’s enough for me.”

Dealer Brandon Nelson of Three Oaks, Michigan agrees. “I’m all over the map in terms of periods. I respond to things visually and viscerally. While I’ll bring some production pieces, I’m especially looking for one-of-a-kind, out-of-step pieces.” For the spring show, Nelson will offer a primitive carved maple head, about 100 years old, with, he says, “a stunning presence.” His booth will include industrial antiques, advertising signs, architectural salvage and Americana mixed with mid-century modern.

In her eighth year in business, jewelry dealer and designer Michelle Billette from New York says that “Marburger Farm is a steep learning curve. But there are lots of younger dealers and designers there now. It’s a community and you’re surrounded by inspiration with all the expertise and innovation of other Marburger Farm dealers.” Billette will bring antique jewelry, both Tiffany and vintage costume jewelry. She will also bring a collection of French drawer pulls and other delicate brass hardware that she has dipped in gold and fashioned into cuff bracelets. This “fusion of old and new,” as she puts it, “is a way to bridge the past, that you couldn’t improve upon, but to change the context of the pieces.”

Changing the context of the pieces. What else can you expect from an antique show with a presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube? And behind the scenes, the youthful owners of the show continue its original emphasis on finding the most adventurous and creative dealers anywhere and giving them time and space to create displays of antiques that inspire and delight shoppers of all ages.

That’s on top of offering a third food pavilion, an expanded parking shuttle fleet, wi-fi, on-site shipping, an ATM, air-conditioned rest-rooms and stirring into the mix special events and souvenirs like the Marburger Farm T-shirts that read “Peace, Love & Antiques.” Special events include Jo Packham, creator and editor of Where Women Create Magazine, signing copies of her inventive new publication, along with Gina Galvin of Peacock Park Design, whose workshop is featured on the spring cover. Marburger Farm welcomes the debut of the new book, The Parisian Cowboy’s Guide to the Round Top Experience, as well as a live radio broadcast from the show on Thursday April 1.

While the waters of Lake Marburger may hold a fountain of youth, plenty of long-time, experienced dealers populate the ten giant tents and twelve historic buildings of the Marburger Farm Antique show as well. But their spirit is cutting-edge, progressive and lively. As dealer Randy Farmer of Nashville’s Artifact Antiques puts it, “The dealers at Marburger Farm are friendly and excited about what they do. There’s not an old curmudgeon in the bunch.” As they tweet on Twitter, that’s pretty darn awesome!

The Marburger Farm Antique Show opens Tuesday March 30 for Early Buying from 10 am until 2 pm for $25 admission. Regular $10 admission begins at 2 pm until 5 pm that day. Parking is free and your admission is good all week. Shopping continues on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 am until 5 pm and on Saturday, April 3, from 9 am until 4 pm. All area shows will maintain their regular schedules and still get you home in time for Easter Sunday. For maps, photos and information on tickets, groups, the Marburger Café and special events, see roundtop-marburger.com.

** Click HERE for our **
Cactus Creek Round Top GUIDE

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Marburger Farm

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Every spring and fall for the past couple of years I have had the opportunity to head to my home state of Texas for Round Top Antique Week. In just six weeks we’ll be headed there again to meet up with old friends and make new ones, to eat and drink and be restored. And of course, we’ll be there to SHOP. Over the next few weeks I’ll be counting down and writing a little about what I’ve learned about Round Top Antique Week over my last few trips. One thing I’ve learned for certain is that I’ve only scratched the surface…

Let’s start with the HISTORY OF ROUND TOP ANTIQUE WEEK…

So what, exactly, is Round Top??  First off it’s a small Texas town, population 77+, located in Fayette County.  ONE hour East of Austin, an ONE 1/2  hours West of Houston, and FOUR hours south of Dallas.  The Round Top Antique Week, as it is often called, began over thirty years ago in the Round Top Rifle Association Hall, when Miss Emma Lee Turney {left} and her company, Antiques Productions, were asked to do an Antique Show in a little German town that was quietly being restored, Round Top, Texas.

The show quickly became a social event for Houston socialites as they retreated to charming Round Top every Spring and Fall.  The show was still small but it was the cream of the crop in quality dealers, and had the leaders and financiers of Houston buzzing.  The fresh air and country-style shopping gave the society folk a chance to let down their guard, pick for their beautiful homes, and even guzzle a Shiner or two beneath the shade trees.  {For a wonderful interview with Emma Lee Turney, and her account of the Round Top Antique Fair, click HERE}.

Round Top is no longer ONE SHOW.  {The Map to the left will be updated regularly!!}  Over the years it has become a 10 day event featuring 1000s of merchants spread out over four small towns: Round Top, Warrenton, Carmine and Shelby.   The Round Top Register guesses that there are now about 35 separate shows with at least 2,500 dealers.  Not to mention the surrounding fields, warehouses, and tents covering cow pastures and black tops…  Round Top Antique Week takes place every Fall and Spring with the next show beginning WEDNESDAY, March 24th, 2010 and running till April 3rd, 2010!!

So what ever happened to Miss Emma Lee Turneyand the original venue??  A couple of years ago Miss Turney sold the Original Round Top Antiques Fair to Susan and Bo Franks.  They have maintained the standards set forth by Miss Turney by hosting an exceptional quality of dealers, providing stellar service and adding two new shows in the Summer and Winter. 

The Original Round Top Antiques Fair now consists of two venues: Carmine Dance Hall and the Big Red Barn, plus two HUGE tents.  While the venues are close in proximity, the luxury of a transport and porter is provided to help you get to and from the parking lot.  Food from Royer’s Cafe will also be available {mm, mm, good!!}. There is a $10 charge per person, but the ticket is good for all four days of the show at both of the of the Original Round Top Antiques Fair venues & tents.

Last but not least on our itinerary is the Round Top Folk Art Fair& Creative Market.  After 40 years of Round Top’s biannual Antique BONANZA, Miss Emma Lee Turney is still in the biz producing this show which features “contemporary artisans in many areas of interest including woodcarvers, tinsmiths, custom and twig furniture makers, needle workers, creators of folk dolls, custom floor cloths, bird houses, paintings, country-style fashions, is a source for custom-made accessories, all to enhance the country lifestyle.” 

Click on the boxes below for MORE INFORMATION about Round Top…

Click HERE for Cactus Creek’s Round Top GUIDE

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78 hours and we’re GONE
to Round Top Antique Week…

Here at Cactus Creek we’ve been counting down for weeks till we leave for Texas to attend Round Top Antique Week, all in an effort to build excitement, and also to promote some friends.  But also with the hopes to inspire because truly, BIG Adventure is GOOD FOR YOUR SOUL!!  You might not be able to go to Round Top, Texas for Antique Week but by golly, you gotta’ get out this weekend and go somewhere.

We all work soo hard, whether it is at a job, taking care of a family, supporting our friends, encouraging our parents, all of the above… giving yourself a loooong drive with the windows down & music up will clear your mind.  Shopping junk stores, farmer’s markets and road side gas stations contributes to the good folks who are busting their way through the tight economy.  And spending time with friends, new or old, gives you a fresh perspective on the daily grind. SO GET OUT of TOWN!!  Do something FUN, even if it’s only an hour in the car with no kids, treat yourself and REFRESH YOUR SPIRIT!!

All of this banter is a perfect way to start off our last Round Top Countdown which is from the fabulous Kat Ford of Corpirate.  It was Kat who sent me a message last night saying “are you in Texas yet?? SPRING BREAK ‘09″.  See?? REFRESH, RENEW, Road trip… doesn’t matter how old you are, we all need a BREAK.

Kat’s art is the perfect combination of Outlaw Country and Rebellious Rock n’ Roll.  Whether it’s on a piece of furniture, a cow skull, printed on a t~shirt, or a canvas, Kat’s unique perspective and authentic self touches people.  And personally, I adore her.

Cactus: When was the first time you attended Round Top Antique Week as a shopper and/or as a dealer??

Kat: Fall 2008 was Corpirate’s first time at Warrenton. I’d never been before we showed up as a vendor. A lot of friends and clients in Texas had been telling us that we needed to go, so we went on a wing and a prayer. I remember thinking that we were in the middle of no where and wondering if we would ever get there, then over the horizon I saw miles of tent tops and thought “Oh man, these are my people!”.

(more…)

Do you like PIE?? What about SHRIMP STUFFED QUAIL?? STUFFED JALAPENOS …ANGUS PASTA??

These are justa few of my favorite things from Royer’s Round Top Cafe, an institution in Texas and an essential stop during Round Top Antique Week. Here’s the catch, Royer’s is such a phenomenal restaurant that they are PACKED during the big week, thus reservations are required. How can I make reservations you ask?? Well, do it TODAY after 2pm CST {that’s when they’ll start taking them}. Just call 979-249-3611 and they’ll get you taken care of.

While you’re waiting for 2pm CST {personally I have an alarm set to go off promptly at 1:59}, take a gander at Bud Royer’s COUNTDOWN to Round Top Antique Week…

Cactus: When was the first time you attended Round Top Antique Week as a shopper and/or as a dealer??

Bud: My 1st show was fall of 1987!!! The show was only on Sat & Sun. 75 Dealers were only set up at the Round Top Rifle Hall.

Cactus: How do you prepare for Round Top??
Bud: We start preparing as we speak.

L.I.T.S. ~ Life Is Too Short. Indeed.

Cactus: What is your advice to shoppers??
Bud: NEVER PASS UP WHAT EVER SPEAKS TO YOUR HEART!!!! It will never, never be there when you come back!!!! ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR HEART!!!

Cactus: What is the one thing first timers should NOT miss at Round Top Antique Week??
Bud: MAKING RESERVATIONS AT ROYERS ROUND TOP CAFÉ! We start taking them by phone on Thursday, the 17th at 2pm 979-249-3611. AND NEW THIS YEAR IS THAT WE TAKE MC/VISA IN THE CAFÉ…..WAWAWEWA!!!! www.royersroundtopcafe.com

One more thing, if you miss getting reservations at Royer’s Round Top Cafe while visiting Round Top Antique Week, you can also enjoy their fabulous dishes at Zapp Hall and the Big Red Barn!! For those of you who can’t make it this year, they also SHIP PIES!!!!

thanks, bud!! I am already planning every morsel…
cheers, fancy

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Royer’s Round Top Cafe

** Click HERE for our Complete **
Round Top COUNTDOWN

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{less than} TWO WEEKS AND COUNTING
till Round Top Antique Week…

We leave for Round Top Antique Week in exactly 13 days but there are already trailers, motor homes and even semi trucks, that are in route to Texas so that they can be ready for the best of the very best at Round Top… one of these road~ready merchants is the best of them all, the Junk Gypsy Company.

Not only do they have killer style and divine goods, the Junk Gypsies have inspired a new wave of mamas, sisters and bff’s who are decidedly willing to kick off their soccer mom shoes for a week & traipse through Texas for a few days… all for the sake of fab-O JUNK!!

Today’s ROUND TOP Countdown comes from one the many lovely ladies that makes up the Junk Gypsy Company, Lindsey Whittington. Lindsey, who is from Ennis, TX, has worked for the Gypsies for two years now while she finshes up her Community Health major at Texas A&M {whoop!}. You’ll recognize Lindsey from her super beautiful pics that pop up all over the Junk Gypsy website, Gypsyville.com!!

Cactus: When was the first time you attended Round Top Antique Week as a shopper and/or as a dealer??

Lindsey: Spring 2008 with the Junk Gypsy clan.

Cactus: How do you prepare for Round Top??

Lindsey: MONTHS in advance!!! Its all hands on deck at the gypsy warehouse a couple o’ months before Warrenton. We price everything in the warehouse – and I mean, diggin’ in every nook and cranny, every rack of vintage clothes and boots, every pile o’ junk in tha yard…everything! Then, we load up our trailers and large marge and embark on our mini-roadtrip, headed towards the middle of nowhere, away from the city lights. You wouldn’t think it if you saw us all in our dirty work jeans and gloves gypsyfying our tent (set up week really is the epitome of blood, sweat, and tears), but personally, Warrenton allows me some much needed R&R. Just being out in the fresh air, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, is like a spiritual rebirth.

Cactus: What is your advice to shoppers??

Come to Warrenton the last Thursday through the weeked so you can join us at the Junk-O-Rama Prom…it’ll be the time of your life!!! Junk-O-Rama Prom is Thursday October 1st at twilight.

pssst….** More about prom HERE!!! **

Cactus: What is the one thing first timers should NOT miss at Round Top Antique Week??

Well, I never could make up my mind, so I have a few. Even though I am of the iPod generation, I am a vinyl aficionado. I LOVE and collect old records, so my favorite place to visit at Warrenton is the ‘record man’ at Legal Tender. Its unbelievable what sweet deals and priceless finds you can get out of some dirty ol’ cardboard boxes – like Elvis Presley’s 68 comeback special, and Hotel California! And, of course, you can’t miss our tent – the Junk Gypsy tent, that is – and personally, I think it should be your first stop…or second only to a Zapp Hall biggo cup o’ tea!!

haha… love it!! We’ll be there… thanks, Lindsey!!

** Click HERE for the Rest of the Round Top Countdown **

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THREE WEEKS AND COUNTING
till Round Top Antique Week…

  Whenever I visit Marburger Farm during Round Top Antique Week I never pass up the opportunity visit with Jan Orr-Harter from Hot Tamale Antiques.  Based in Aledo, TX, Jan exhibits at Marburger Farm Antique Show every year in Tent Ab4.

In the three tours I’ve taken of Jan’s set up I am most impressed by how her look always changes.  There are many vendors that you can visit and year after year their style is the same.  While it’s nice to know what to expect, sometimes it’s fun to be surprised… Hot Tamale Antiques always surprises me!!  One thing you can count on is quality vintage folk art, furniture, textiles and Americana charm.

Cactus: When was the first time you attended Round Top Antique Week as a shopper and/or as a dealer??

Jan: I first attended Texas Antiques Week in the fall of 1997, driving down from New York City as an exhibitor. Now I live in Texas.

Cactus: How do you prepare for Round Top??

Jan: These days I prepare for each Marburger Farm show by interviewing ten or more Marburger dealers from all over the nation about their show plans and put these comments into a new notebook. As the Staff Writer for the show, I then write up a press release or two that can be read at www.roundtop-marburger.com.
Then… I review all the interview comments and study the results from my own last Marburger sale to determine what I need to try to find for the show— colors? neutrals? furniture? art? jewelry? smalls? under $100? over $300?

Then I start shopping, usually on long road trips—I just returned from 6200 miles, covering 12 states in 23 days, with my nine year old daughter. I do only a little shopping in Texas.
As I buy, I record each item in the notebook–does it need cleaning or any minor work? What do I need to charge for it? I list the colorful items in one section and the whites and more neutral colors in another section. I try to maintain my buying focus on the lessons that I gleaned to begin with. It’s a discipline, sometimes I stray! And sometimes, hopefully, I get lucky and find something amazing. This is the commonality among all the dealers at Marburger Farm: we are all motivated to find something utterly amazing.

Back at home, I study the notebook, and devise possible booth layouts and themes. I try to stay focused on getting the priority pieces cleaned, ready and loaded. Virtually everything has to be cleaned! Today I have to wash 3 cupboards from Minnesota and Kansas. I am a working mom, so it’s always a challenge to achieve liftoff. But when I do finally arrive, I’m ready to set up, with a good sense of how my inventory will all work together. And even with all this preparation….I’m just barely ready when the early buyers arrive on Tuesday morning.

Cactus: What is your advice to shoppers??

Jan: Come to have fun, as well as to shop. Unlike other antiques markets in the US, Texas Antiques Week has parties, great food and good music. If you are here early, go to the Saturday night Sept. 26 party at “Leftovers”on Hwy 290 in Brenham. And have dinner one night on the square in Fayetteville and shop the show on the town square–they stay open late every night.

Cactus: What is the one thing first timers should NOT miss at Round Top Antique Week??

Jan: Opening Day Early Buying at Marburger Farm Antique Show, Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 10 am. For lunch in the show’s cafe, try the new “Mar-burger” with all the fixin’s.  Can’t wait!!!  Thanks, Jan…

** Click HERE for more from Jan & Hot Tamale Antiques **

** Click HERE for the Rest of the Round Top Countdown **

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our Round Top Antique Week GUIDE

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THREE WEEKS AND COUNTING
till Round Top Antique Week…

Last week we talked about Marburger Farm being one of the top venues to check out when you are visiting Round Top Antique Week… Today we’re going to get insight from TWO of our favorite vendors at Marburger.  First up, Queenie Tin & Mirror Company.

I met Lisa McQueen {aka ‘Queenie’} on my first trip to Round Top and she is one of those gals who lights up a room… or a tent in the middle of a cow field. Her big smile and vivacious personality personifies her products and the hard work she puts into every single piece that she offers at Marburger!!

Cactus: When was the first time you attended Round Top Antique Week as a shopper and/or as a dealer??

Queenie: I’m going into my 11th year as a Marburger vendor. Holy cow!! Where did the time go??

Cactus: How do you prepare for Round Top??

Queenie: I have been gathering one of a kind mirrors and furniture pieces for the past 6 months.  I started right after the Spring show.  This year I am bringing some choice pieces of upholstered furniture done in yummy linens. I can’t get my car in my garage for all the room these little gems are taking up!!

Cactus: What is your advice to shoppers??

Queenie: Prepare for you trip to Texas 6 months in advance. Get online at the Round Top website to secure a fab, groovy place to stay. That’s a big part of the experience. Staying in a guest house with beautiful cattle lowing outside of your window while you sip a yummy evening beverage or coffee in the morning. Bring comfy shoes (boots of course!) and hot weather clothing. It’s usually HOT!! Last but certainly not least, bring LOTS of money for those one of a kind treasures you will be SURE to find!  {bring a coat, too ’cause you just never know!!}

Cactus: What is the one thing first timers should NOT miss at Round Top Antique Week??

Queenie: That goes without saying…….PROM NIGHT!!  You can try to describe it to someone but the first hand experience is one that will be MOST memorable.  The second must to thing is a dinner at Royers… make your reservations as soon as you arrive in Round Top as seating is limited and you won’t get in without one. Be sure to leave room for Bud’s pie.  YUM!!

Stay tuned to meet Jan Orr-Harter, owner of Hot Tamale Antiques, this afternoon.  She is another wildly creative vendor from Marburger Farm that will make you so, so anxious to get to Round Top!!

** Click HERE for **
more about QUEENIE

** Click HERE for the Rest of the Round Top Countdown **

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to Read our Round Top Antique Week GUIDE

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FOUR WEEKS AND COUNTING
till Round Top Antique Week…

Round Top Antique Week is more than just one antique show… it’s hundreds.  And one of the premiere shows during Antique Week is at Marburger Farm.  For many Marburger is the only place to stop while in Round Top and for good reason.  Their collection of over 400 dealers ranges in every style and taste imaginable… from high end French Antiques to vintage carnival games to Wild West lamps & shades.  There are artists, jewelers, and furniture craftsmen… modern, traditional, rustic and vintage.  You’ll see it all at Marburger!!

So, here’s the scoop… Marburger opens with a preview on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 10am.  The preview price is $25 per person.  Now I’m tellin’ y’all that if you want the best of the best then this is the time to be at Marburger.  I have seen women running from tent to tent, through the mud in high heels just to get the “good stuff”.  If nothing else it’s worth the $25 just to be a part of the mayhem!! 

Come 2pm on that same Tuesday the price drops to $10 per person.  That charge will get you into Marburger Farm every day that they are open and includes free parking.  This show is only on for five days, the dealers will start shutting it down on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 at 4pm.  DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW!!  It’s one of a kind.

Special Events this Fall 2009 Marburger Farm Antique Show will include…

1. We welcome special guests Kerry Rupp and Gretchen Moran and their photo crew as they visit Marburger Farm in preparation for the Parisian Cowboy’s Guide to the Round Top Experience. The Marburger Farm Antique Show will be a special feature in the book.

2. Visit from Reyne Haines, a media personality and local Houstonian who will be visiting Marburger Farm. Reyne’s new show, Art of Collecting, can be seen weekly starting in September on Houston’s NBC affiliate KPRC. She will be roaming the field looking for ideas for her show.

3. Live Plant Sale—Visit Wilde Weedz in Tent W, next to the General Store, for seasonal plants to fill those antique garden urns that you’ll find at Marburger Farm. Owner Agnes Strauss will offer blooming plants, bittersweet, garlands and wreathes in fall colors, plus garden antiques.

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