AIN'T NOTHIN' LIKE A LITTLE JUNK SALVATION

Hey, Y'all! Don't ya just love it when your first stop makes you smile? This is how my Friday junkin' trip began...$20 got me a great pair of vintage Nocona cowboy boots and a large (chippy!) lead glass window! The big ole grin on my face as I pulled away and turned up  Miranda Lambert was priceless. Despite heavy summer rain showers, it was the beginning of a lovely day of JUNK...and an evening full of the FABULOUS FUNKY JUNK SISTERS, Linda and Dixie's, JUNK SALVATION. 

The Funky Junk Sisters always
 have a fun booth and a great show.

An honorary Funk Junk Sister

This luscious vintage market travels all around the Pacific NW and most recently to Texas, but this particular show was held in Puyallup, WA. Although I usually set up GARDEN CAT as a vendor, this time I went as an enthusiastic shopper.

A vintage toolbox full of  summer blooms.

JUNK SALVATION is always a great place to meet up with my JUNKIN' friends and get loads of inspiration!

A fish tank full of beautiful blue cornflowers thanks
to Linda of Luluz and 2nd Saturdayz Urban Market.

One of Luluz's pretty summer paper crowns.

Delicate, wispy lace creations
by Michelle Renee'e Art & Antiques.

Sisters, Izabella Blue and Michelle Renee 'e
Art & Anitques, have incredible Victorian to
 vintage bling and other glamourous essentials.

I just love this! An old Ford tail-gate as the back to a rustic bench!

Retrospective offered a cool collection of
all things I remember from my childhood!
 I think that officially makes me vintage/retro! :)



A few of the treasures I came home with...



PEACE, LOVE, AND ALL THE GOOD STUFF, Y'ALL!

RX For A JUNKIN' HISSY-FIT

Hey, Y'all! As many of you know we have our house on the market. It's a gorgeous, 4-2.75-3 "tree house" on half an acre located in the lovely Cascade foothills of Western Washington. Now here comes the shocking truth--turns out NOT EVERYONE is into the same Victorian-shabby-romantic-farmhouse-TX-French style that I love!! What a reality check! So to make our home more palatable to potential buyers, we had it professionally "staged." It looks beautiful, but it's just not the way I like to style it! What's a frustrated junker to do? Hit the road, of course!

So the when the "nicest man in the world"

(dubbed so by the one and only Pam of One Gal's Trash) --a.k.a. my Sweet Hubby could tell I was about to have a JUNKERS' hissy-fit --a TOTAL FLORAL EXPLOSION and unpack all my carefully stacked totes of vintage bark cloth, old ironstone, antique lace, vintage wicker, and rusty parts, he suggested we hit the road and see what Amy McCoy & Kris Williamson were up to.

It was just what a Junkin' therapist would prescribe! (Sweet Hubby knows me so well.)

Y'all what we found was Kris and Amy's new shop, Today's Country FARM & Frills located at 880 Main Street, Buckley, WA. Many of you may recognize the old 1920s gas station turned awesome, cute VINTAGE shop as the same location where Deb of Garden Party had her shop, Keepsakes Cottage Home and Garden nine years ago.

It is a fantastic location to showcase Today's Country FARM & Frills fresh, romantic farmhouse style and wonderful treasures.

Amy and Kris are celebrating their new shop with a GRAND OPENING, FRIDAY, JUNE 29th from 5-8 p.m.  Their regular store hours are: Wed-Sat 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sun 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.

If you're a frustrated JUNKER or just want to get inspired and SHOP, stop by and tell them I sent ya!

And by the way, this is my small contribution to our staged house (I couldn't help it!) :)

PEACE, LOVE, AND ALL THE GOOD STUFF, Y'ALL!

FIRST MONDAY TRADE DAYS OR BUST!

Our 26' U-HAUL truck with tow trailer...aka THE BEAST!

Hey, Y'all!! Happy June! I'm back from my recent road-trippin' to TEXAS! This was my ride for six days. Nice, huh? Now I can add "truck driving" to my list of fun adventures. It was a little intimidating at first, but soon I got used to driving it and making sure we stayed in our lane. It was a little hard to stop at every flea market, garage sale, and great looking shop I passed for 2,000 miles, but the views beyond the truck windows were stupendous...

Approaching Snoqualmie Pass in WA--yes, that's snow

at the end of May. It's up about 3,500 ft. and a

favorite destination of skiers and snow boarders

in Seattle and surrounding areas.

The lake near Snoqualmie Pass.

Another fun pass near Pendleton, OR--goes almost

straight up! Incredible views, though.

Finally leaving the rain behind...

Moab, UT-- I never cease to be amazed by this rock formations here.

Just south of Moab, UT

Thanks to my co-pilot and favorite son for

taking a pic of me driving the BEAST! This was early

on when I was more than a little tense.

After six days, one grass fire, lots of incredible country, and 2,000 miles later---TEXAS!

Maybe I'm the only one, but isn't this a great mosaic wall?
It's in the ladies' room at a rest stop outside Abilene, TX
on I-20...love a rest stop with an artful touch.

After we unpacked and unleashed THE BEAST in south TX, on to the FUN part of the trip...FIRST MONDAY TRADE DAYS at CANTON, TX!!
This was an extra exciting journey to First Monday Trade Days since I'd been invited by Girls Gone Junkin' to sign copies of my novel, First Monday Murder A Jimmie Rae Flea Market Mystery. What a huge thrill

to be here...with my sweet friends Cathy, Sue, Pam, Brenda, and Jenny at...Girls Gone Junkin' !!

GGJ's booth at First Monday Trade Days in Canton.
These sweet ladies have created a most magical space...

Left to right...Brenda, Pam, Jenny, and Cathy--
Sue was at a friend's wedding.

Such fabulous stuff at every turn...

This wonderful floral box went home with me.

Beautiful vignettes...

Don't ya love this sign?

Me signing First Monday Murder A Jimmie
Rae Flea Market Mystery at GGJ.

 Love GIRLS GONE JUNKIN' and their great JUNK!

And then, a crazi thing happened on the way to First Monday Trade Days...no, I didn't find a stash of stolen Victorian love letters like Jimmie Rae...something even better...a lost puppy! Someone had apparently dumped her along a busy highway on my way to First Monday Trade Days...so I rescued her. Her name is Gracie and now she's a new member of our family. She's probably one of my BEST finds in a long time!

Until later...

PEACE, LOVE, and

 PUPPY LOVE TO Y'ALL!!!