Fun and Games with Doojie!

When I went to the cottage in Leesburg yesterday to get Amy's things for The Queen's Ink Art Asylum show tomorrow Amy showed me the newer version of photo of us last weekend. She pointed out to me the TWO differences between each photo. If you can find the TWO differences between the two pictures you win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The prize? You win A LIFE. Once you've tackle this exercise it's time for you to go outside, away from your computer, interact with live people, and get a real life. Until then enjoy the new, improved, Swedishly symmetric version of our party pic.

We'll be playing at The Queen's Ink at Savage Mill tomorrow, Saturday, Cinco de Mayo, 11 to 7. See you there!

what tha are YOU looking at?

And she's just that mean. This is Ellicott City Show House Cat~we call her Ellie. When we did our first Historic Ellicott City show house several years ago at Font Hill Manor and they were clearing out the garage for our barn shop, when they moved the refrigerator, there was a mother cat and her kittens. Well the mother took off and left the kitten so after pondering a few minutes and some discussion with the haulers I picked up the only one with markings. We had lost Paul's beloved Taryn the year before and he had been talking about getting another cat (I'm the dog person~there's been only one true cat in my life, Seymour~and there shall be no other until we meet again by the riverside...), so I thought, voila! Paul had been thinking about getting a male this time but like I said, I picked the only one with coloring. It turns out she's a dead-ringer (my puns are ALWAYS intended) for Taryn, looks wise. She's a little warmer and fuzzier though. She sleeps with us (Taryn always left the room when someone entered), will ALLOW us to pet her occasionally but she's also mean as &*^% and will go ape on your butt without any notice. You walk by her and she just reaches out and claws you or will grab an ankle and goes at it with four paws o' claws and all her teeth. It's a love/hate relationship~cats...

the world IS a better place in my hands...

If figured I'd post this picture before all y'all started hysterically wanting to know how the Duncan bowl looked in the other stand after I put the globe from this stand onto the "new" stand I got from Karen last weekend. Whew, y'all wear me out!!! But you gotta give the public what it wants, right? You are welcome, not a problem. I'm sure this all started out with me coming to my computer to do something responsible to get ready for the show this weekend but, as usual, I musta seen something shiny over there, then there, and then...okay, back on my head (Nene), back to my rat killin' (my dad), back to work.

I've Got the Whole World In My Hands

I have waited five, count them, five years to get my grubby paws on this wonderful old metal stand and last weekend I finally got my wish. Karen was so tired at the end of the PFM that I took advantage and used that against her to trade this stand for a wicker table.

I bought this huge, beautiful globe from PJ's last year and had it on another wonderful wash stand but that wash stand was supposed to be for the Duncan bowl my sis gave me when she moved to Oregon. The bowl fits perfectly in the stand. It was nice on the table (all this excitement has occurred in the dining room) but we always had to move it when we eat in there and all that moving makes me nervous. Sooooooo, I had always wanted this stand with nothing in particular in mind until it re-emerged last weekend,I thought of the globe and there was my justification.

I think Karen was pretty happy with the swap; it was a really nice wicker table that I had just gotten from PJ's for the show. One of the treats that Hope brought to me, the card, left, is so cozy on the rim of the stand~a sweetie girl saying, "Hello There", welcoming visitors to the globe.

Paris Flea Market~the cottage~Leesburg, VA

These are the girls who are responsible for all the fun and frivolity over the weekend. They are Linda and Ann, owners of the cottage, the shop where The Paris Flea Market is held. They are as beautiful inside and out as their wonderful shop is. It's hard to work up a lot of sympathy for all of our hard work doing shows when you catch us on film having the time of our lives! Well it IS a lot of work but this is what really makes it all worthwhile...I can never (and hopefully never will) get over how blessed I am by all the friends I've made through this crazy biz. Talented?~oh yeah, fun?~you bet, carney-like?, uhu, great friends?~the best! It's away camp for little girls who accidentally grew up. Hope Wallace/Paper Relics, Amy Powers/Inspire Company, Stephanie (me with the pigtail coming from my buzz cut~I have no idea what that is)/Doojies. Check out both Hope and Amy's blogs for more pics. Also Hope has some of her own beautiful pro photogs on http://flickr.com/photos/thesoulofhope/tags/parisfleamarket .

Above is my spot o' fun.

Below is part of Karen's area minus a lot of cute and pretty items she had already sold. I didn't take this 'til Saturday afternoon~I forgot to whip out my camera until then~and missed her previously-packed space. I think I hear her crying on the way to the bank, oops I mean Georgia Tech, to pay next year's tuition. Amy's little still~life with her little ballerinas and Eiffel Towers~sooooooooo Amy!

Amy in her cutey apron acting as sales girl helping a customer. There's no need to "sell" when it comes to Amy's sweeties, everyone wants them all. A view from the back of the yard to the back of the cottage. The tents were a great idea, we had rain off and on Friday (did NOT dampen any one's spirits especially the customers!) but, thankfully, not 'til the end of the day on Saturday.

Fab fabric laundry bags, sachets, and all manner of cuteness abounds...

This gal had lots o' wonderful nature items and her 12 year old daughter's fashion designs!, plus some of the cutest, unusual toy items I've ever seen. I made what I called perhaps my most frivolous purchase ever with her~band aids that look like a STRIP OF BACON. The really frivolous part was that I bought THREE BOXES and I feel it to be one of the best investments of my life!