Allow me to fill your weekend with spring markets!

First up… McKinney, TX brings their annual Arts in Bloom festival on Saturday, April 14th to their beautiful historic square. Over 150 artists will bring their works and line the streets!  While you’re there don’t miss my friends Kaci and Luann at Patina Green.  Kaci’s husband, Robert, will make a lunch for you at their in-store cafe that will have you asking for an extra serving to take home for dinner that night!  He’s an amazing chef!  Eating and shopping under the same roof!  What more can you ask for?

Another one of my favorite stores is Cotton Hearts.  I love Dorie, the owner, and every stitch of cool clothing that she brings in her uber cool clothing boutique!  She carries my favorite brands… Odd Molly,  Johnny Was and Farrah B jewelry…so I always get in trouble when I make it to McKinney to see her.  (That’s trouble in a good way!)  Don’t miss her vintage laundry baskets and shopping carts outside the shop door full of great deals!

After you spend your morning and early afternoon in McKinney, head over to the Bishop Arts District for more shopping!  The Urban Street Bazaar  that we all know and love is back…just as it began…a modern craft fair on the streets of the Bishop Arts District in North Oak Cliff!  This bazaar runs two days…Saturday and Sunday!

Don’t leave without stopping in to see Denise and Keith Manoy at Indigo 1745 for a little uptown fashion inspiration!  You’ll also be surrounded by several of the hottest restaurants in Dallas.  Take your pick!  You can’t go wrong!

Last, but CERTAINLY not least, is a very special market on Sunday that my Stash {vintage finds} girls and I are involved in over at Random at Hillside Village in Lakewood.  Owners, Mark and Shelly Hearne have planned a Fresh Picked Vintage Market.

We’ve unloaded a fresh crop of the season’s freshest vintage picks and they’re yours for the pickin’ from 2 to 5pm this Sunday afternoon!

Find your invitation to this market here.   We sure hope to see you there!

What’s your favorite spot to shop to brighten up your home for spring?  What’s your favorite spring market in your area?  Do you plan to check out one of these events this weekend?

About a month ago, three good friends and I collaborated to show vintage finds and handmade goods at Dallas Market Center.  We were amazed at the positive response we received and how well our  individual finds came together to show so well!

We all wished that we had room in our homes for this amazing industrial table…

Stash is now a collaboration of Gloria Burson (A Modern Glo), Lisa Johnson (Cut and Paste), Dana Pugh (Tattered Style) and me!

One of the connections we made at market was with the wonderful owners of Random, Mark and Shelly Hearne.  Random is located in Hillside Village in Lakewood and filled with unique finds that you won’t see at other gift shops in Dallas. That’s why it was an easy answer when Mark and Shelly asked us to explore the opportunity to style their windows and display our finds in their store!

Gloria and Lisa did a “bang up” job on the windows while I was working and Dana was decorating her oldest child’s new pad in Austin!  Stop by soon to check out the unique find at Random!

While you’re there, stop by their neighbors, one of my favorite upscale consignment stores, Ditto Boutique!  You’ll find Chanel, Prada, Marc Jacobs and more!

I have some exciting news to share!  I will be participating in the latest temporary venue at Dallas Market Center this weekend with three of my most creative friends…Dana Pugh (Tattered Style), Gloria Burson (A Modern Glo) and Lisa Johnson (Cut and Paste).  This creative temp show is called Vintage Home FINDS and you don’t want to miss what we have in store for you!

We will be showing under the name of my vintage line’s name, Stash {vintage finds} and you’ll find us in the North Hall, along with other vintage dealers and Trailer Cakes in their vintage airstream!  We hope to provide interesting industrial pieces perfect for you to use as display in your store, as well as art to resale.  We’ll be available to help you come up with one-of-a-kind display and styling to give your space a facelift for the new year!   If a personal consultation is what you need, just ask, and we can arrange a visit to your retail space.

To make FINDS even more fun, all buyers are invited to participate in the “On The Road To FINDS Giveaway”!  Participants can pick up FINDS “Road Maps” at information booths, Red Rooms and registrations areas to start on their journey though the Temp Show. To qualify, buyers must visit three different FINDS locations (one must be FINDS in Market Hall) and drop their completed forms at a FINDS information booth for a chance to win great prizes. Highlights of prizes include: a Stella Scooter; Kindle Fire Full Color 7” Multi-touch Display with Wi-Fi; Bose QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones; Garmin 4.3” Portable GPS Navigator with lifetime map & traffic updates; Flip Video Camera; Sofia Cashmere Travel Set; Gift Certificate towards a luxury luggage set; Agloves, mobile device friendly gloves; and a “Build Your Own Road trip” including rental car, gas, restaurant gift certificates, and hotel expenses.

We can’t wait to share our finds with you!  Please share this exciting information with your friends that have a retail store and may be coming to market this weekend!  (Talk them into bringing you with them!)

We have your shopping bags ready to be packed with ‘Stash’!

Some of our favorite friends will be part of FINDS too!  Bud Royer is bringing his pies, candles and latest hit, Royers recipe card box!  Would this collection of over 100 of the cafe’s recipes make a nice addition to your inventory?

Our friends from Dwell With Dignity will camp out right next door to us!  They’ll have a space full of donated goods that will be professionally styled much like we saw at last year’s Thrift Studio!

Will we see you there?

Match-matchy is not for me…that’s why I’m putting these Bygones Flatware Bundles, from BHLDN, on my wish list!  They’re beautifully mismatched vintage silver-plated utensils gathered from flea markets and estate sales across the country.  These imperfect sets are perfection to me!

Each bundle, set of 10 pieces, $68

I also love mixing up my china.  I have a hard time passing up a pretty vintage plate at a garage sale or thrift store.  If you lack the time to search for these treasures, you can rely on Greenhouse Design Studio to pick the perfect unmatched set for you!

This sustainable company even offers a gift registry!  Brilliant!  Find all of Greenhouse Design Studio’s mismatched goods here.

Here’s a little “mixed up” table inspiration…

via intimateweddings.com

via seasiderosegarden

via stylemepretty 

via antiquariavintage 

via weddingbee 

Do you like to “mix it up” or are you the “matchy-matchy kind?

These vintage inspired star light fixtures are as close as you’ll get to the real deal!

Michael West, owner of West Vintage Trading Company, ages the metal used in these fixtures and God ages the wood…He calls this look “farm punk”…and I love it!

What in the world would I do with these, you ask?  I would hang them on my fence in my backyard, close to my deck…perfect for a Texas bbq!

Michael will even put your own custom spin on your star by painting the star or staining the wood to your specifications.  Aren’t they fun?

Would you paint your star a color?  Where would you put your shining star?

Could be just about the cutest invitations ever!  Send a nostalgic Viewmaster invitation to your guests with a custom picture reel and an insert card.   This would be adorable for weddings, anniversaries or any special occasion!

The Proenza  Schouler Spring 2012 collection shown at NY’s Fashion week was impressive….but the one thing that has me wanting more were the little camera bags!

I won’t be surprised if we don’t see many knock-off of these very soon!

Here’s how they strutted it on the runway…

…I’m sure that this model is cursing the day that she started biting her nails…bless her heart…

I wish the adorable chain strap was cross-body length…then this bag would be perfection for me!

I have my late Uncle John’s old camera and leather bag, so it looks like I’ll create my own vintage version of this Proenza hit!  What do you think?  Does it work?

Here’s a smilar version of a vintage camera bag that’s available now from Fossil on Zappos!

Saturday my precious friend, Dana of Tattered Style, and I did a little treasure hunting and I thought I would share some of my finds!

My “find of the day” was this vintage Bertoia chair.  After we had a delicious salad at Patina Green, we spotted this beauty tucked away in a corner.  I love it’s fun chippy paint!

It’s likely that all of my other finds will end up at Stash {vintage finds}, my little space inside Indie Genius.  This old minnow trap will soon become a pendant light!

How cool is this little lamp?  The image inside no longer revolves, but the lamp works like a charm and it says “The Fountain of Youth” at the bottom.  So fun!

These vintage tins are in perfect condition.  Ready to store all of your baubles!

Isn’t that stamp on top of this old safety deposit box great?  I may be keeping the C…it will probably end up on the fence in my backyard…

A treasure hunt is never successful without a great piece of art!   I’m not sure if you can tell, but this is a painting of a boy who has fallen asleep on his book.  The custom frame is fab and makes the orange really pop!

Giant Clabber Girl!  Turquoise and red…heaven!

This handsome man is getting ready for a make-over!  I have big plans for him and I’ll share the end results later…

Not a bad day, right?

OK…just when I think I’m the Queen of Knowing It All about what’s going on in my neighborhood, Jenny of Along Came Splendor, finds something in my own backyard that I know “nothing” about!  Thanks, sweet Jenny, for keeping me “grounded” and sharing with me about The Vintagemobile!!

This super rad bus is full of vintage clothing and treasures and will be parked at SMOKE and The Belmont Bar’s parking lots every weekend (Saturday and Sunday) from 11-4.  Oh, so Austin!

This large green bus is the brainchild of Jeremy Turner and his bride, Kelsey.  They’re all about making the neighborhood a better place by supporting the  local community by sharing the opportunity to buy green.

Looks like I have a regular weekend stop added to my schedule!  Who wants to meet at The Vintagemobile and talk about our finds at the Belmont Bar?  Sounds like a perfect Saturday afternoon to me!

Thanks again, Jenny, for sharing your blog post with me!  I’ll see you at The Vintagemobile!!

One of my favorite NYC shops has set up shop on-line!  PatchNYC has vintage inspired accessories for the home and yourself. Here are a few of my favorites…