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Saturday

You say Potato, I say Patina


  A dose of  patina anyone? 

 Excuse me for drooling every time I glance over at my new love of  this silver finish.
Anyone can cover a cabinet with gray paint, but only time and the extremely, extraordinary artsy kind can create a look like this.

Sprinkle in a little seasonal decor and I am a happy camper!
Merry Christmas to all of my junkin' buds!!

Wednesday

Christmas is teasing us

                  

                     
The elves are visiting early this season...
                                      

                      What a  wonderful time of year!

Thursday

China Trip



Whew! I am back safe and sound from a really good trip to the Canton Fair in China. 
I must say I faced challenges at every turn mostly dealing 
with the fact I speak/read/write English
 and not Mandarin. 

My trip mantra was,
 " Attitude is the difference between an adventure and an ordeal."
And wow, did I have quite the adventure!

This is a ginormous event held twice a year.
 Asian manufacturers have showrooms big and small
 for the wholesale buyers from all over the world to see their products.

 I can only share photos from the general areas. 
The showrooms are very protective of their goods and I totally understand and
 respect this.

What to eat was a huge ordeal adventure, but McDonald's french fries are good 
wherever you are...


Cheese pizza is not quite the same there, but to a hungry girl it was yummy!

I am glad to be home and my head is spinning with new ideas!

Monday

Miss Bessie

                     

One of my favorite finds from Antique Week was this charming old cow from a 1950's Nativity scene. 

She sits on top of a cool piece that I bought from Seed Box Antiques. 
It was intended to be a kitchen island, but I thought it was better suited to go in our dining room. 
 For Christmas I am planning to fill the bottom with gym baskets full of old Christmas balls and use the top as a buffet.
Oh, and add a bell to Bessie!
                                

Wednesday

Antique Week Time in Texas!

Junk shopping just doesn't get any better than at
 Antique Week in Texas!!

Most areas are open starting Sept.25th  until Oct. 4th.
Below are 3 pics from past shows.



Hope to see you there!!!

Monday

Fall


Okay, it's here!
  Leaf crunching, chili cooking, go apple picking time!

Make something pumpkin -y, roast marshmallows, 
go on a hayride time!

Eat candy corn, make a hearty soup,
 roast pumpkin seeds time!

Drink hot cider, learn how to can, get lost in a corn maze time!


Play dominoes, paint your Picasso under a tree, 
and stop by ACM to decorate for Fall time!

Friday

Studio Organizing made fun

Well, being organized is nice.
 Getting there is rough, time consuming and seems to be unending.
Finding creative storage is the fun part.
Cubby cabinets can hold a zillion and one things. 


 You know, all of those things you will use...one day.

So, I started filling my cabinet with paint that I
actually use...
That took up the top shelves. 
Now what can I find for all those other spots?  
Possibly a few of those,
 "I am going to use that one day," items.
I will let you know, soon...

Ella Elaine Studio Clean-out time


 You know those moods? The ones you have to be in to clean out a closet or a junk drawer? Somehow, I reached that point and I have decided to let go of  all  some of my fine treasures that I have gathered over the last  few many years.
I know they will find good homes to those in need...

ACM
 An artsy fartsy need...
A buttons and baubles need....

Or a hardware kind of need.
Even if you don't know what you need, I have it...

Monday

Ella Elaine and HGTV's Flipping the Block

                   



            FUN!!  Mr. Ella and I were watching the new show Flipping the Block on HGTV, when I spotted my Ella Elaine Mirror. 
My family had been warned that they would hear me yell the first time I saw one of my products on TV.
Okay, so I did squeal, pushed the pause button, jumped up from my chair and started taking photos of the screen. 
Mr. Ella  thought I had really lost my mind this time for sure.


                    
Amanda and Curtis of the Silver Team used the mirror in a bedroom redo with a relaxing and romantic theme.
Love the color palette they chose.


I also noticed my EE mirror during the intro to the show. 
It must be in an upcoming episode:)
I am on the edge of my seat now!!

www.Wayfair.com   Ella Elaine Mirror- Retail

Tuesday

Where does EE shop?


My pockets would be overflowing if I had a nickel for every time people asked me where I buy my inventory.
My answer is always the same, " Wherever I am...". 

Mr. Ella and I travel quite often for business reasons managing to fill our suitcases and vehicles with goods from every trip. 
We scout out junk stores, antique malls and flea markets every chance we get. 
We often trample across chigger rich fields, 
smelly stores, places that are blazin' hot in the Summer and freezing cold in the Winter. 
Packing our finds is like the grand finale of each trip, whether we are pulling a trailer or getting on an airplane.
Although, going through the airport security (metal detector) with silver pieces can be a little trying at times...
Sometimes I have a hard time letting go of anything aqua.  
My love for this refreshing color stems from my go-to 
Crayon colors as a child - Midnight Blue and Aquamarine. 

The only way I can sell any birds is that they all go to good 
bird-loving homes!
Architectural elements are getting more difficult to find and I snatch them every chance I get. 
Letters have been trending for several years.
 Expect to see new and creative ways to keep this popular for a long time to come.
Hope to see ya at The Antique Company Mall soon!

Monday

Traveling through Ella's Eyes

Mr. Ella and I have just enjoyed a wonderful trip that we will never forget.
We were awed by the history of the countries we visited and have tons of photos of ancient pillars, aqua ducts, temple ruins and more. 
These are what one thinks of when planning a tour of
the Holy Land (Israel) and Athens, Greece.
However, Ella's eyes seek out the old mingled in with the current.
Below are just a few photos that bring a smile to my face.
Travel along with me...
Our first stop was an unexpected long layover in Germany due to missing our connecting flight.
 (Not our fault.)
We used the time to take a train into Munich.
This was after traveling all night. I am not sure where our energy came from...
Little did we know that we would not sleep that night either and our luggage stayed in Germany as we went on to Tel Aviv.
Not good.
We would not meet up with our luggage until the fourth day of the journey.
Not fun.
We found an Antique Store, although everything is closed on Sundays. A local told us, "Just like in the U.S."
 Apparently this person has not been to the States since the 1980's.
The next photos are a mix of Israel and Greece. 
Such character around every corner.






I would go back in a heartbeat, even in stinky, dirty clothes...

Thursday

Spring Freshness


Vintage wallpaper, player piano paper and recycled cardboard are a few ways I chose to bring Spring freshness to my booth at ACM.
I decided to go for it and use all of my favorite patterns. 
Each one puts an instant smile on my face.
Oh, and of course, it wouldn't be Spring without a few new birds!

Tuesday

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail...


Need a rabbit (or two) for your Spring decorating?

                          
Let your bunny trail lead to the Antique Company Mall!