a round up from MARBURGER FARM Antique Show!!

10.10.11 Round Top, TX— Marburger Farm has done it again. The twice yearly mega-show in Round Top, Texas has overcome hurricanes, wars, recessions and more. This Sept. 27–Oct. 1, the prospects included all of those, plus the tail end of the driest, hottest Texas summer in decades. But the not-so-little show that could pulled off a winner again.

After two hot days, about noon on Thursday, a clap of thunder sounded. “In our tent,” said Patrick Kenny of upstate NY’s South Porch Antiques, “with each clap of thunder, people clapped back. When the rain started to pour, they cheered and yehawed, as only Texans can yehaw. At Brimfield, we cried over rain. At Marburger Farm, they were cheering in the aisles.”

As the rain continued, someone turned up the volume on “Amazing Grace” and shoppers found that the 10 football field size tents and 12 historic buildings on Marburger’s 43 acre site provided perfect cover for shopping over 350 exhibitors from 38 states and several nations. Kenny sold gilded frames, a pair of nine-foot tall glass doors from an 1890 Pennsylvania building and a three foot wide mirrored ballroom ceiling disc from a 1920s Catskill resort. Like many antiques sold at Marburger Farm, that piece will travel further west to a Seattle shop.

MORE AFTER THE BREAK >>>

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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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Hard to believe we’ve already been back from Texas for a week… I think I’m finally getting caught up and back into the groove of things.  As always I have returned and feel like I didn’t see all the people I wanted to visit with, didn’t take nearly enough pictures, and could have stayed at least another week.

Thankfully I did get some time to visit with Judy Hill from Judy Hill Designs at Marburger Farm.  She is one of my favorite people to visit with because she is always so humble and sweet and honest.  Judy’s spin on “soft industrial” is always spot on and her merchandising is over the top.  I have included a few pictures of this Fall’s space for you to swoon over… past years are HERE.

I’ve probably shared this story a bazillion times but here goes again… one of the reasons I enjoy Judy so much is from a conversation we had on the phone a year or two ago.  This may or may not have been how the conversation went, but this is how I remember it… I asked her if she had any personal collections and she said, {insert her tiny texas voice} “No.. and if I ever have then I don’t remember them.”  then she said, “I love to buy beautiful things and sell beautiful things. I don’t like to collect beautiful things.”  It was like someone had given me wings… I was freed from collecting and I was free to buy and sell all things, because after all, they are just things.

Thanks Judy for all the inspiration & never ending ideas… xofancy

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More BEST OF CCD as we count down the last few days before heading to Texas… this post is from Spring 2009 after I was first introduced to Richard and Janet Schmidt… their joyful spirits and attitudes ooze out of their beautiful jewelry… even if you can’t make it to Texas {be sure to visit the Schmidt’s this fall at Marburger Farm!!} you have a great opportunity to get to know their work on their website right HERE. 

Last fall during Round Top Antique Week I was introduced to Richard and Janet Schmidt ~ a married duo whose talents, creativity, and keen eye create endless STYLE. During Round Top Antique Week they set up an unassuming display for their jewelry on Round Top’s town square. It’s not until you enter their little white tent that you realize you have stumbled upon something really special… jewelry that is created with SPIRIT and SUBSTANCE, and is sure to be the next big rage.

This spring I had a chance to peek into Richard and Janet’s permanent showroom, Schmidt’s, which is in the town square of La Grange, Texas {just 20 minutes south of Round Top, and halfway between Houston and Austin}. As suspected, I was not disappointed… Art, jewelry, photography and pottery are just the beginning of the journey through Schmidt’s.

Richard’s distinct jewelry designs set the tone for the space which has been a family owned business since 1977 {Richard and Janet have owned it together for 9 years}. In addition to their own designs, Richard related that “other artists they show are Dave Newman, Brad and Sundie Ruppert, Clayton McDermott, Rustic Attitude, and Tara Gasparian. They also have a great selection of diamond and colored stone jewelry, santos, oaxacan pottery, wrought iron and wooden crosses, beads and many other great tchotchkes.”

I also asked Richard about how he got started designing jewelry, “I first made jewelry about 30 years ago while in college. It wasn’t until 1995 when Janet and I decided we wanted to raise our children in the small town I grew up in that I decided to do jewelry design full time. I am mostly self taught with lots of trial and some error. This is truly my passion and I am blessed that I get to do this every day.” Richard’s passion is evident in his detailed and INPSPIRED designs.

“Schmidt’s is a small town store and gallery with great merchandise, Texas hospitality, and a warm atmosphere…” The Schmidt’s work hard “to find unusual and one of a kind pieces that will fit even the most discriminating budget.” This is definitely a place that you must stop if you are traveling between Houston and Austin ~ or go for the day, it’s a great drive… ROAD TRIP!!

Click HERE for more pictures of the Schmidt’s Jewelry

** Click HERE for the Schmidt’s **
COUNTDOWN to Round Top

** Click HERE for our Western Jewelry GUIDE **

** Click HERE for more **
Rustic * Western * Vintage FASHION

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More from years gone by at Round Top Antique Week… this from what I believe is the biggest and best of all the show that take place during Antique Week ~ MARBURGER FARM.  This Fall’s Show will start on Tuesday, September 27 thru Saturday, October 1. 
{more info about this Fall’s show HERE}

I always love the time spent at Marburger Farm Antique Show during Round Top Antique Week… 40 lovely acres of Texas country covered with a dozen tents, and a dozen buildings, all full of the finest antique dealers from around the world. We saw everything you can imagine, from crystal chandeliers worth tens of thousands, to repurposed bath tubs, to quirky art… and everything in between.

There was even a star sighting when Tori Spelling & her husband Dean who were in town to shop for their new store in Sherman Oaks, California called InvenTORI which will carry antiques, gifts & more.

In the booth above they had taken an old bath tub, cut it down, and made it into a chaise lounge… I actually walked by it, and another one they had which was white, several times before I realized that it was a bathtub. They had also taken these old framed photos and drawn on them ~ notice “JAY” written on the picture above the bed… great ideas!!!

{more pics including the other tub/chaise on our Facebook Page HERE}

Picture above is from The Shop Antiques which specializes in CARNIVAL, AMUSEMENT PARK & CIRCUS items.

I LOVE this bed displayed with hay bales, there is another one that is AFTER THE BREAK Below >>>>>>>>>>>> I’m going to have to borrow this idea one day…

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MORE rewinds from years gone by… this morning I posted a lil’ ode to prom and this has been another popular post {originally posted in Sept 2009} about WHAT TO WEAR!!!!!!!!

The last few weeks we’ve been counting down to Round Top Antique Week which is just days away from getting started.

Today we heard from Lindsey, a member of the Junk Gypsy Company, a group of women who are critical characters in the Round Top story… You see, in addition to the piles of antiques, flea market frenzy and plethora of food an drink there is also a legendary PARTY during Round Top Antique Week, held by the ladies themselves, the JUNK GYPSY JUNK-O-RAMA prom.

Junk Gypsy Dimestore Cowgirl Hat * Tall Tops & Tutus TEE * Vintage Petticoat

Every spring and fall during Round Top Antique Week in the tiny town of Warrenton, Texas, there is a little shin dig called the JUNK GYPSY JUNK-O-RAMA prom. For anteekers, junkers and lovers of all things Junk Gypsy, prom is like a royal ball… everyone gets all gussied up, spit~shines their boots & gathers for a night of rip roaring fun. If you’ve not been before then GO, even if you only go once it’ll be an event you won’t soon forget… adults dressed up in all of their finery, sipping on champagne & brewskies, dancing, laughing and getting giddy, all in a cow pasture surrounded by miles of heirlooms and antiquities.

Dirty Dancing Dress * Junk Gypsy Petticoat Dress * Melon Tulle 1950’s Strapless Prom Dress

One SERIOUS question arises when discussing prom, What exactly does one wear?? SERIOUS in the way that you prepared for your own high school prom… Do you remember how important it was to get just the right dress, have your hair done just so and by golly, the boy had better bring me a pretty corsage!! As adults we’re not usually so fussy but still, JUNK GYPSY JUNK-O-RAMA prom is your opportunity, as a grown up, to be anyone you want to be for one spectacular night.

Russet & Lace Bell Bottom Jeans * Junk Gypsy Cowgirl Hippie Necklace * Prairie Jeweler Native Cuff

My gal pal Michele, aka the Prairie Jeweler, and I have spent many late nights sending one another pictures & ideas to create an album of what~to~wear IDEAS, most of which I’ve posted here, along with pictures from JUNK GYPSY JUNK-O-RAMA prom of years past.

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ROUND TOP ANTIQUE WEEK is just a couple of weeks away!!!  Sooo excited about the trip and all the BIG things happening this year down in Texas… Yesterday the Junk Gypsy Company posted the LOW DOWN on all that’s coming up {’cept for a few surprises still to come} and included a link to this post that I wrote after the Fall Show two years ago… THANKS to my favorite girls for including CCD.com!!!!  More from past shows in the next couple of days…

After last spring’s Junk Gypsy JUNK-O-RAMA Prom I was inspired to write an ‘ode to Prom. Feeling like I had something to live up to I’ve taken another stab at rhyming. It’s not Shel Silverstein but it’s definitely from the heart…

We had a doozey of a time at this Fall’s prom… already counting down the days till next spring. I think I speak for many when I say that we are all grateful to the Junk Gypsies for starting this new tradition and giving so many ‘grown ups’ an excuse to act like kids again for at least a couple of nights every spring & fall…

Check out our Cactus Creek Facebook Page for more Prom PICS.

** THANKS to Gay at Whistling Dixie for letting me ‘borrow’ a few of her pictures!! xo **

** Click HERE for our Junk Gypsy Prom GUIDE **

** Click HERE for last Spring’s PROM PICS **

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Welcome to CactusCreekDaily.com’s Round Top Antique Week GUIDE. We are by no means experts on Round Top but we sure do LOVE IT & this is our little version of a TRAVEL GUIDE ~ for us and YOU. Since it is online we will be able to update it with new pictures, tips & more as our Fall & Spring trips to Round Top Antique Week evolve.

Round Top, Texas ~ Then & Now

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 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, September 21st, 2011 and running till October 2nd, 2011!!

So where do you start?? Locals, weekend warriors and dealers alike all say that enjoying the town of Round Top is a great way to settle in before you start your shopping spree. Here are a few of the local venues that make Round Top not just a lovely place to shop ~ but an enchanting way of life for 77+.

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Technorati Tags: Junk gypsy Prom, Marburger Farm Antique Show, Round Top, Round Top Antique Week, Round Top Texas

Marburger Farm Antique Show in Round Top, TEXAS begins in a few weeks on Tuesday September 27, 2011 and lasts through Saturday October 1, 2011.

Here are 10 Things you need to know happening at Marburger this Fall… 

1. This fall, a portion of our ticket sales will benefit the Houston Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  Visit the Susan G. Komen tent at the show Tues – Sat to help in the fight, to learn about the upcoming Race for the Cure in Houston and for Susan G. Komen t-shirts, which are also available in the Show Office.

2. Book-Signing by author Leslie Sinclair of Segreto: Secrets to Finishing Beautiful Interiors On the Promenade

In 300 pages of breath-taking homes, Sinclair’s shares the secrets, tips and techniques of fine plaster and paint wall finishes that will complement antiques, art and a love of texture and patina. “We work on some of the most beautiful homes, with rooms and wall textures that please both men and women,” says Sinclair, who confesses that she got her start painting the walls of her Barbie house. Today Segreto Finishes is the largest plastering company in Houston, offering fine plaster and paint finishes for older homes as well as new construction homes. “Each project in the book is unique,” says Sinclair. “Like the antiques at Marburger Farm, nothing I do is mass-produced. In walls or in antiques, texture appeals because it gives surfaces depth. Texture takes the flatness out and gives multiple layers of interest.”

3. Marburger has a new mobile website designed for smart phones.  Access it through roundtop-marburger.com, which offers complete show information.   Follow us on FaceBook, Twitter and YouTube.

4. Food & Libation News – The Austin catering company, Sterling Affairs, will offer two food and beverage pavilions at the Marburger Farm Café with hot and cold sandwiches and other re-enforcements; try the “Marburger.” Party Thyme will offer a third food pavilion with tacos, as well as coffee and desserts, all on the Promenade. Take a break at the Blacksmith Bar for beer, wine and “Marburitas.”

5. Insider tips: In addition to the ten tents of vendors, be sure to visit vendors in the twelve historic buildings at the show. Many offer air-conditioning. All shoppers will receive “The Howdy”—the official guide to Marburger Farm with maps, vendor locations and information about on-site shipping. Look for the red magazine racks filled with free publications on antiques and home decor. The 43 acre site of the Marburger Farm Antique Show includes an ATM, comfort stations, free wi-fi, free parking and a courtesy parking shuttle.

6. Register for the daily cash drawings by placing your admission card in the “Marburger Mailboxes” or at the Show Office front porch.  

7. In the Blacksmith Shop, Marburger Farm welcomes a benefit booth for the Brookwood Community, a non-profit organization that has supported adults with special needs since 1985. Their wares will include holiday and home décor items, all handmade by functionally disabled adults. See www.brookwoodcommunity.org  

8. Find our new Marburger blog from the website roundtop-marburger.com/blog be in attendance, taking advantage of our VIB program – see website for additional details.

9. Media: We welcome guests from the Maine Antique Digest who will be greeting shoppers and offering free copies of this national publication. Brenham’s KTEX 106.1 FM Radio will broadcast live from the show on Fri. Sept. 30. Kansas City’s Junk Mafia “Junk in My Trunk” radio program will broadcast from the show on Thursday Sept. 29.

10. Marburger Farm is available to host your next event. During the antique “off season,” you can book weddings/receptions, reunions, corporate gatherings, parties or other events. For information, see marburgerfarmevents.com or call Rick McConn at 713-703-6371.

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dancing under the twinkling lights of a big Texas sky
* rockabilly tunes filling the perfect, clean night air *
beautiful cowgirls brimming with enthusiasm * flowing cocktails * vintage charm seeping from every corner *
“buck wild” men

Sounds like an ad for the
Junk Gypsy Junk-O-Rama prom…

I’ve saved this story for last because it is an important part of Round Top Antique Week.  Wherever you go, all week long, almost anyone you talk to, everyone asks “Are you going to prom??”.  It is the event of the show, and also the event that will define this generation of Round Top vendors, and shoppers, alike.

PARTY PICS ~ Pretty Cowgirls & a “Buck Wild” MAN

 The Junk Gypsies are a pair of sisters and their momma ~ girls who have made a name for themselves by being full of heart & ambition, mixed with a little bit of country, and a little rock n’ roll.  Prom is the culmination of all of their hard work and notoriety.  With an almost paparazzi-like buzz, the girls move deftly through the prom crowd, cameras flash, and the gypsies meet & greet, revealing their beautiful smiles and down-to-earth character.

PARTY PICS ~ Crazy Cowboys & the John Evans Band

With wild abandon the Prom guests let their troubles {troubles here being empty wallets & tired feet} melt away…  They visit with their comrades and re-fuel their spirits for the last few days of Round Top Antique Week.  It is without question an event unlike any other ~ so many uncommon things coming together to create a fabulous display of LIFE.  But that’s what the Junk Gypsies, and all of Round Top, are about.

Fancy & the Junk Gypsies

** Click HERE for more about the Junk Gypsies **

** Click HERE to read all of the stories about ROUND TOP ANTIQUE WEEK **

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