one more little story

Earlier this month I posted this picture before my dd and I left for the antique festival. But, it ties so well to a story I have to tell today~
Two of the last customers in my booth on Sunday were sisters. Not only were they buying Christmas gifts & gifts for themselves; they were buying for each other. Talk about fun~this was quite interesting to see one try to buy a piece of jewelry while the other one wasn't looking! It worked out in the end, but just yesterday I received an e-mail that was really neat.
Sister no. 2 had bought the angel necklace I designed, and wanted but didn't get a pair of earrings to match. She was contacting me about buying a pair. At noon she had lunch with Sister no. 1, and while talking to her about e-mailing me & asking about buying a pair of matching earrings, Sister no. 1 went out to her car and got the pair of earrings that matched. They were one of the items she had bought her sister for Christmas!
They both spent the final hour in my booth, and at one time Sister no. 2 had at least 4 necklaces on at one time. They looked beautiful on her. I said I must take a picture! But, I ran out of time, and didn't get the shot. It would have been a great one!
The Sister's necklace was made and left in Belllville at Nothing Ordinary Antiques & Oddities. I specifically made it for that shop, as I had also put the name of the town, Bellville, Texas, on the back. (I graduated from BHS, so Bellville holds alot of special memories for me). The necklace just turned out so beautiful. I must say it was hard to part with. I love how the delicate rhinestone catch dangles perfectly off the bottom charm. And, the faceted mother of pearl beads catch the light and shimmer with beauty and grace. I will be making more.
One more thing, at one point, Sister no. 1 said to me (while Sister no. 2 had all the necklaces around her neck)...."and imagine growing up with her". What I saw when she said it, was her gentle resolve and acceptance. She loved her sister, just as she was and still is.
That was just beautiful to me.

things i learn at shows

Last weekend was my largest show of the year~the Sami Show held at the Merrill Center, in Katy. It was a very good show for me, but thinking back on it, I always come home with lessons learned. Yes, it is good to make the booth rent, but I know & have always known, it is the people I enjoy. Because I am a people person, I normally have alot of good conversation with my customers, and even with those who just choose to look. Did I learn this from my grandmother, Josie, or from her daugher, my mother, Vivian? My great grandmother, Rosa's mother Rosalia, sits in the picture above, in the black dress. I never knew her. She spoke only Czech.

I learned the previous weekend, at another sale, the reason why people did not smile in these photos. You may or may not have noticed. Elsie said, in those days it took so long to take the picture, that the subject was told not to smile, or move during the taking of the picture, as it would ruin it. I never knew that. The only reason we talked about it at all was because in another one of my photos (all family members), now used in my display, is a picture taken of my two uncles and an aunt as children. My uncle, Eldie, is the baby in the picture, and he is smiling. She commented they were never allowed to smile. I told her he smiled all his life, and because he was a baby, they probably couldn't stop him. Eldie never married, and had the best disposition of anyone in my entire family. He smiled alot. I inherited his home, which was my grandparent's, and all the pictures left inside. A box full of cabinet cards and old photos. I am eternally grateful that they landed in my possession. I scanned them for safekeeping, and will not use them forever, but for now they are my muses at shows.

I had so many wonderful compliments on my set-up. Thank you all....I felt like I was sitting in my own little corner of bliss. Was it because of all the family photos that surrounded me? The vintage suitcase to the right held a wedding picture of my grandmother, Rosa's, brother and new wife. The wedding dresses they wore were gorgeous, and the headdresses even more so.
The primitive pumpkin and witch were bought at the Warrenton Antique Festival.

A pair of stick freshwater pearl earrings sat quitely waiting to be purchased.

An iron dove sat on one of the tables, keeping watch for me.

I had the sweetest neighbor, Nona. It was her booth's lattice work that I used as a back drop behind one of my tables. It worked out beautifully, as I hung a lovely guilded mirror and a piece of my art, a collaged Frida, on it. Voila!

Nona designs and sells purses, bags and other fabric items made from vintage fabric and trim. I have bought 4 purses from her in the past 2 years. I just love them.

"The highest courage is to dare to appear to be what one is".

~John Lancaster Spalding

More Angels

Angels come in many different shapes & sizes. The one on the left is the grandaughter of a teacher, in from the valley, who bought several of my soldered charms yesterday. She was in Katy visiting her beautiful daughter and grandaughter.
See the new little girly skirt her grandmother bought her from another vendor at the show. She is a little dancing angel in her grandmother's eyes.

The angel on the right is my little ceramic worshop angel. She sits on top of one of my rolling bins in our office/my worshop. She is very patient. Something I am not. She didn't know she'd get to come along to the show today. But she did.

She sat in the perfect spot on one of my tables.

Set-Up Snaps

The Sami Show set-up turned out just as I had envisioned. Smooth. I had quite a few compliments on my jewelry display, which made me quite happy.

Business was good. The sale tomorrow is from 11-4:30.

The best part of shows is always meeting new customers & other vendors. But mostly, being with my husband all day. He is a great business partner, helper and receipt-writer. I am so blessed to have him.
The vendor on my right, Nona, is selling hand-made purses, pillows, place mats and runners. They are made out of the most beautiful fabrics. The one I picked out is made of silk. The trim is devine. I had bought a smaller one from her almost two years ago. I immediately added it to my wire dress form.

Two women wanted to buy my jacket! If I had not been there, my husband probably would have sold it. He says everything is for sale! Well, dh, not exactly......