Have you ever had one of those days that is just great from top to bottom??  Today was one of those days & I am most grateful for it… I spent the morning shopping & eating fried food with a darling friend in Kansas City’s West Bottoms.  Every First Friday weekend there are several old warehouses that are opened up and stocked full of antiques, vintage finds & a few hand made goods.  We shopped till we dropped and barely got through half of it.

I was able to get a couple of new vendors for the Weston MO Antique Show April 27 & 28 {you’re coming for that, right??}.  Including crazy-fantastic Melinda Dennis who has an amazing eye and jewerly you’ll drool over.

I saw lots of people I know & love… it’s a good thing to be amongst people who are a part of your tribe.  They have that same DNA that you have that draws you to the beauty of old things.

As the the afternoon moved on good news kept falling all over me and I am feeling grateful to the good Lord above for continuing to carry me through this crazy chapter of life.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU JESUS.  Hope y’all have a great weekend!!  Monita will be at the shop while I take the boys on a little road trip.  be safe & keep the faith, xofancy

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1st Fridays in the West Bottoms

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Technorati Tags: antique show, kansas city antiques, kansas city vintage stores, kansas city west bottoms antique shows, west bottoms vintage

Good ol’ fashioned BINGO Cards are bound to be another treasure lost to technology.  Finding old ones, with character, and the luck of the winners who came before you, are a fun find.  But what-0-what to do with them once you’ve uncovered them at your next flea market, garage sale, or stumbling through ETSY {hint: those above are for sale there}.

{image via Shorpy: En Route 1939}

We use them in our car for road trip back-seat-bingo.  The boys look for the numbers on highway signs & license plates.  It keeps them engaged {not fighting as much} ~ teaches them to be observant {keep your eyes on the road, boys} ~ and it’s cheaper than installing a TV-in-the-auto {AND it’s easier to keep track of bingo cards than dvds}.  here are a few more genius ideas from the creative minds of ya-all.

BINGO Notebooks & Journals {above & below} … yes, you could make your own.  BUT these are only 30-ish Dollars so why not buy it??

{image via Refluxus}

One of my FAVORITES {above}!!  This could be the start of a thousand new projects… whose/what pics would you include?? maybe a motivational board, or count down to a holiday or big party???? thoughts are ENDLESS!!

{Image via Jen Hardwick on Flickr}

MIXED MEDIA ART {above & below}… the ideas are endless here, also. These BINGO cards are like a blank canvas where you can let your imagination run WILD!!!

 
{image via Handmade Spark} 

{image via Another Work in Progress}

i’m starting to think you can turn just about anything into a clock… or a lamp.  But I didn’t find a BINGO card Lamp. yet.

** Click HERE for other BINGO Ideas **
on the Pinterest

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Technorati Tags: bingo card mixed media, bingo card notebook, Bingo Cards, recycled bingo cards, upcycled bingo cards

{Image from Sassy Crafter on Junk Market Style}

The cutest little lady came into the shop on New Year’s Eve and gave me TONS of ideas on how to Re-LOVE all kinds of items… she bought old BINGO Cards to make journals, and a yard stick for making a shelf… but my favorite of all her ideas were for TROPHIES.  So I though I’d take a gander on the www for a few other TROPHY IDEAS.

{Image from Four Corners Design}

For a couple of years we have been gathering ideas for things you should always look out for while at garage sales, auctions, flea markets, etc.  We call it our Flea-Market Shopping List.  Trophies are definitely going to the top of the list!!

{Image from ikc design on ETSY}

As always I was amazed at the grand ideas out there… This bottle stopper {ABOVE} is my absolute favorite idea!!  Very clever, and a good price.  By the time I bought the trophy, figured out how to make it into this, etc, etc… well you know, JUST BUY IT!!

{Image from Flickr}

{Images Above & Below from Bingo Box on ETSY}

These trophies-turned-organizers {ABOVE & BELOW} are absolutely BRILLIANT.  Be sure to check out this ETSY SHOP for loads of great items for your shopping pleasure!!

{Image from Green Eco Services}

I don’t know where or how or why this trophy arbor would be re-created, but it’s a heck-of-an-idea and maybe one of y’all will have a good reason where or how or why.

{Image from Brian Carlisle on Junk Market Style}

And finally this GIGANTIC silver trophy turned bird house.  I don’t know where the heck you’ll ever come up with a trophy like this one but when you do you should find a way to enjoy it every day… sharing it with your feathered friends is a great way to do that!!

** Follow our Re-LOVED trophies on Pinterest **

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Technorati Tags: recycled trophies, repurposed trophies, trophies, trophy collection, upcycled trophies

Last Spring 11 was my first year to help organize Weston’s annual Spring Antique Show… inspired by women like Serena from Farm Chicks, Ki from Junk Bonanza, and of course my favorite Texas show, Marburger Farm, we’re a long way away from making Country Living’s Top Ten, but this is the 30th year of the show and it has deep roots.  I am so excited to be working on it again and thinking of new ways to stretch and grow the event.

This is, of course, an invitation to attend.  Our little town of Weston has loads to offer… a Main Street full of shops, eight B&Bs, a historic hotel, phenonomenal restaurants, a pub 5 stories underground, 3 local wineries… plus we’re only 15 minutes from the Kansas City airport.  There is no reason for you not to take a road trip, plane trip, bus or train.  Just get your booty here April 27 & 28 to check out our sweet little town + the ANTIQUE SHOW!!

IF YOU ARE A JUNKER & WANT TO SELL YOUR GOODS!!!!  Click HERE for an app… it’s super inexpensive to set up and we always have a great turn out with lotsa’ buyers.

My last temptation is the offer of Cactus Creek’s 3rd Annual Tamale Party… this year we are encouraging tamale attire {whatever the heck that means}… we’ll have fresh tamales, local beer & wine, live music & loads of fun.  Please join us. we’d be so happy to have you!!  xoxo, fancy

** Click HERE for more about the Weston MO Antique Show **

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We just posted this 1950’s Mexican Metal Spur Cola Sign right HERE this past week. 

 Spur Cola was produced {and distributed around the world} in the 1950’s by Canada Dry to compete with Coca Cola… it was advertised as a “COLA drink with Canada Dry Quality”.  Our sign says “Tome Spur Cola”, translated to “Drink Spur Cola”.  I wish I could remember where I originally found this little Mexican beauty but I always loved it and have finally decided it’s time to let it find a new home!!

There are so many ways you can use these old advertising signs in your home.  And the story about Canada Dry {and Spur Cola} is also pretty interesting…

Canada Dry is a brand of soft drinks owned since 2008 by the Texas-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group. For over a century Canada Dry has been known for its ginger ale, though the company also manufactures a number of other soft drinks and mixers. Although Canada Dry originated in its namesake country, it is now produced in many countries around the globe, including the United States, the Middle East, Europe and Japan.

In 1890, Canadian pharmacist and chemist, John J. McLaughlin of Enniskillen, Ontario opened a carbonated water plant in Toronto. In 1904, McLaughlin created “Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale”; three years later the drink was appointed to the Royal Household of the Governor General of Canada, and the label featuring a beaver atop a map of Canada was replaced with the present Crown and shield.

The “Dry” in the brand’s name refers to not being sweet, as in a dry wine. When John J. McLaughlin, who first formulated “Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale”, originally made his new soft drink, it was far less sweet than other ginger ales then available; as a result, he labeled it “dry”.

Canada Dry’s popularity as a mixer began during Prohibition, when its flavor helped mask the taste of homemade liquor. In the 1930s, Canada Dry expanded worldwide, and from the 1950s onward, the company introduced a larger number of products, including Canada Dry Spur Cola. Today, Canada Dry is owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which was spun-off from Cadbury Schweppes in 2008.

I love our Spur Cola Sign and it’s Western spin, it would look great in a kitchen or basement bar!! 

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Technorati Tags: canada dry advertising sign, metal advertising sign, Metal Sign, spur cola sign, Vintage sign

This holiday season we have gone over board on the DUCK DECOYS.  We used most of ours to decorate the Christmas tree by the front door and we have them FOR SALE RIGHT HERE!!!  They are a fun and totally unexpected gift for the man that has it all.

So what else could you do with a duck??  I thought it might be fun to come up with some fresh ideas for other ways to Re-Love this plastic-feathered friends. 

Originally used for hunting, duck decoys have become very collectible for their rareness & history.  They can also add a rustic touch to your decor… For collectors decoys can range in price from literally a few dollars, to a few thousand, depending on such things as who made it, the condition and rarity of species. 

If you like the way they look then you can always start with a less expensive one, then upgrade as you learn more about the values of duck decoys, and find them slowly… the thrill is still the hunt…

For more information about Duck Decoy Collecting check out ‘The Beginners Guide to Duck Decoy Collecting” right HERE.

Baby Duck. WOW. how else could I end this little post??  let your imagination go WILD!!!

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Check it all out on ETSY right HERE!!!

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Technorati Tags: Cowgirl Picture, cowhide pillow, Metal Sign, Retro Clock, serape, Vintage Cowgirl, Vintage sign

This weekend we were at some friend’s farm where they have Peacocks running free. I was stunned by their beauty and the rareness of keeping them as pets on a Midwest farm.  So I started thinking about the peacocks and how people use their feathers in their homes and in their personal style… I put together this little ETSY Treasury with a set of Peacock items that shows how many ways their elegance can be interpreted.

I did a little research and Buddhists associate peacock feathers with openness, since the birds display everything when they spread their tails. Buddhists also ascribe great meaning to the bird’s diet of poisonous plants which does not affect them, thus the ability to thrive in the face of suffering.  As I searched for symbolism of peackocks it wasn’t all sweet and cheerful, there was a lot of www chatter about their representation of “divine decadence” and “obnoxious pride”, and also their willingness to peck to death their mates and children. NOT a pretty picture but hey, they can’t all be pretty.

The truth is we all possess all of these nasty quailities but we also all have the desire to seek knowledge and “wisdom of the heavens” which is what the ancient Greeks saw in the “eyes” on peacock’s feathers. So let’s just call it like it is ~ we all desire “divine decadence” but accept “wisdom of the heavens” as a far better runner-up.

Birds of a feather ~ we all flock together,
seeking the wisdom of the heavens.

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Technorati Tags: etsy treasury list, peacocks, vintage peacocks

Fall has arrived slowly here in Weston MO… we have been blessed with a series of perfect weather days that start in the 50s and land in the 80s.  The absence of chilly air has meant that I’m still thinking Indian Summer but when I venture out I find aisles and aisles of kid costumes, and fields of pumpkins, indicating that Halloween is just around the corner.  So I thought we’d see what we should be looking for at sales, markets & auctions this weekend to create some one-of-a-kind fall decor.

#1 ~ look for LIGHT GLOBES: LOVE THESE from Hummadeeedlede

#2 ~ look for VINTAGE JEWELRY: so pretty from Poetic Home

#3 ~ look for BALLS OF TWINE… fun anytime of the year in different colors or even in a neutral palette, from Write it Down

#4 ~ look for DISCARDED FABRIC… don’t get stuck on orange, pick a fabric you love and make your own pumpkins, from The Simple Wife

#5 ~ look for DOOR KNOBS… too freakin’ cute for words, what a great project to do with the kiddos from Stephanie Lynn

Re-Cycle * Re-LOVE™ * Re-Deem * Re-Spend  

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WARNING: THESE IMAGES ARE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART, PETA MEMBERS, OR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SEND ME NASTY EMAILS. I DID NOT KILL OR STUFF THESE CREATURES, I MERELY PHOTOGRAPHED THEM FOR THE PURPOSE OF FINDING OUT IF THEY CREEP PEOPLE OUT, OR IF PEOPLE ARE INTRIGUED ENOUGH TO GET THEIR OWN DEAD CRITTERS.

When I was in Texas I tried very hard to notice any new trends arising… I asked several dealers but usually it was the same answer: industrial, tattered, maybe a shift towards 70’s & 80’s styles {Lordy, that’s vintage now isn’t it??}.  But one dealer in particular {actually he is the owner of one of the most popular antique/vintage stores in the country} said TAXIDERMY.

I was just wondering what y’all thought??  I do love that show Oddities that is currently on the Discovery Channel; it is set in a New York retail store that specializes in the buying and selling of strange and extraordinary science artifacts.  And the trend for biological and educational charts has been around for a bit… maybe these are what are causing people to be interested in TAXIDERMY.  Or maybe it’s a regional trend?? 

I kind of like the critters but that might be odd, huh??  what are your thoughts & opinions??

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Round Top Antique Week

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Technorati Tags: Round Top Antique Week, skull chandelier, taxidermy, Vintage, vintage taxidermy