where have i been?

that is such a good question for which i have no answer...at least no good answer. perhaps too much on my plate, too much excitement, to much doing...that is probably the truth of it right there...too much doing!

now here it is the season of Christmas...lights through fogged window glass, fresh trees tied to the tops of cars, spicy-good scents in the air, and the familiar tunes from years gone by playing constantly in the background of our minds.

...all of that and more means we've been very busy with this wonderful season at fancy that!

keeping all the displays fresh and full, welcoming new merchandise almost daily, gift packaging lots of ornaments and gift bags, as well as catching up with our customers' holiday plans keeps us hopping. boy oh boy--we love it!

speaking of customers' holiday plans-this thursday is our last special shop evening of the year. for two hours, 6:30 until 8:30 pm, you will find Old World Christmas ornaments, jewelry, fashion, home decor, books and more all at very special pricing just for you.

and as an added thank you for being a fancy that! customer, we will be offering free over-the-top gift wrapping on your holiday gift purchases. mix that all up with Christmas music, festive refreshments and the laughter and fun you have come to expect at fancy that! and you have an evening that is not to be missed. so don't!!

so we will see you there...thursday, December 17th from 6:30 until 8:30 pm. it's going to be a holiday blast...like we said, don't miss it!

in the fields

so monday was the first day patricia and i went wandering through the fields of warrenton...and it was hot. Hotter than i expected and there was no shortage of folks sharing that same or very similar sentiment. i can tell you though, that there was one very smart fellow who had the right idea...here is a photo of rascal, enjoying a big breeze from his favorite fan.

the rest of us were not so lucky but it didn't keep us from stalking the best and brightest. After several hours of hunting and pecking, Patricia leaned over to me and said "i love stuff".
well, i absolutely loved it, because so do i! and that is the beauty of just meandering around the fields...you just never know what you might find that you can't live without, or something that a customer can't live without and you certainly never know when you will stumble upon greatness.

And we did that a few times, two of which i want to mention.

Allen Jancik and Donna Youngkin have a precious corner up there called The Gilded Peddler. Just wonderful design ideas, and great, great items of all kinds. We especially loved their cherubs...here and there, on lamps or not. And wonderful lighting...lighting is so important, often overlooked, but so important.

and another surprise was Reborn Rubbish, by Donna Fussell. You might know Donna from her other enterprise, Virgins, Saints and Sinners. She is from Baton Rouge and is focusing this area of her talents on sustainable, recycled, reborn rubbish, to be exact! You cannot imagine what a great spread of delectable goodies she brought to show. Great apparel, home decor and jewelry. and her tag line is the best...
"it's never too late to be what you might have been"
Thinking that that is true in all areas, at all times of our lives.

Wednesday was not at all like Monday...Wednesday was cool...read as COLD, and wet. Refreshing, yes!! A little too cool, yes!  Fueled by steaming hot Earl Grey tea from the Coffee Bug, we made our way with umbrellas in hand. It was a great day and we loaded up on vintage linens, a few excellent furniture pieces for the new front room, and some 'project pieces'--those things we buy and let sit until a moment of inspiration hits and bodda-bing-bodda-boom! we make magic happen.

Speaking of magic, you better have your calendar marked for October 1st! From 6:30 until 8:30 we will be having a magical time at the shop with our Fashion Fiesta. You must come, we will have snacks and swag bags and all sorts of most excellent values on our amazing new fall fashions. And with a little bit of help from UPS, we will have our new fall arrivals from Maria de Guadalajara that everyone has been waiting for. So make it a date and we'll see you then.

Course there will be more blogging and updates from Round Top before then! Have fun and see you shopping!

today is sunday

propped up in my soft cotton bed, a solitary hummingbird sipping nectar from tropical salvia just beyond the window...it's sunday morning, i am quiet.

my dear friend dean harmison is a wizard in so many ways, but easiest to convey this morning is his way with a camera lens. i have always loved images of leaves on water; i sometimes float leaves in shallow containers to achieve the same  visual depth of serenity in my space. my mind sometimes ventures to my to-do list, but i gently guide it back to just being right here, right now.

the hum of the air conditioner, the infrequent sighs from Bhakti, or Girlie, as she is most often known around the shop, punctuate the otherwise city-silence that surrounds me.

i imagine sitting, looking across a pond as a single leaf falls from the tree above. it glides to the surface of the water and takes a slow, leisurely ride. such is life...a ride, be it slow and leisurely or more like a torrent. as the leaf takes to the watery ride beneath, with no resistance, today i take to the day, likewise with  no resistance. at least that is my intention for the day, the rest i leave up to God.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

Earth's crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God;

And only he who sees takes off his shoes;

The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

done!

i keep musing on those sayings about 'a job well done' and the like. i do enjoy sitting in the 'new front room'...could be because i am tired! so i need to hear from you--when you come in, tell us what you think of our new space.

here we are at the door step to the autumnal equinox and the weather has felt different, the oaks out in the county are shedding a few yellow leaves. Dare i say, the forecast even mentions a nighttime low in the low 60's this coming week. and i am loving the cloudy days.

...and here we are at the door step to another Round Top Antiques Festival...it is always such fun both to attend and to host our regular shoppers who venture from the Festival to our Downtown Area. Many shops will feature late night hours and i will post those shortly.

i will be rousting-about Round Top and neighboring Festival surrounds myself- it is always a fun time, an inspiring time and a time to walk about in the fresh air, meet new folks and connect with some you haven't seen in awhile. hope to see you there!

just comtemplating this morning about silence and how little of it there seems to be these days. either the hummmmmm of the refrigerator or air conditioner seems to be ever-present. outside in the garden, the discernable noise of the freeway, even at a distance, but there.

so much to distract us from ourSelves...so much activity, so much to read or listen to. and alas, here i am creating more--more content, more more more!

today is a holiday--hope you'll indulge yourSelf and observe some silence, some serenity...honor the activity you do daily by taking a moment, savoring the silence, listening to your own breath.

Sink into the peace that is central to your being...just now--turn your listening ears inside, feel yourself settle down and withdraw your attention from the outer. a deep breath lets you relax a bit more...             ...and a bit more...

return here often, it is a safe place to be and to be nurtured.

haven't felt the flutter...

If you've heard that fancy that! must be closing because their front room is a mess, well at least part of that is true! The front room is a mess...in fact it is in boxes! And we are making way for a big change in that space.

Now don't frowny-face me...we are aiming to retain the peaceful, comforting feeling that you have come to expect about our front room, but admit it...the floor plan, the fabrics, the furniture...it's all the same ol'-same ol'. And the same ol'-same ol' is brining me down. We need a change...I need a change. So here it comes...I can't tell you what exactly it is that is coming, but I'll know it when I feel it and see it. Merchandise is arriving from here and there and shipping dates are not all exactly what we would have chosen, but this makes it more of an adventure, right? Some new things now, some new things in a month or so.

I feel a flutter in my heart when I get into the new space in my head and that is a good thing--and it is something that hasn't happened in awhile. So indulge me for goodness sakes and don't be afraid you have lost your restful space...you will be discovering a new one-and that, is what life is all about!

change is in the air!

well, the boxes are gone--stored away for now until we get a floor plan that makes us warm and fuzzy. every diesel motor noise makes us run for the window to see if "the new" is here yet. i feel like a school girl waiting for her first date to arrive--yall remember what that felt like?

some of yall ask me why i wanted to change 'the front room'...everyone loved it the way it was. Well that space has been 'the front room' and pretty much the same since the day Leftovers, Michael and Ed's most excellent adventure, left our doors. As they moved into their new spacious surrounds up on highway 290, fancy that! moved into the front room. Furniture got placed, curtains and fabric got hung, rugs were thrown, and well, really...not a lot has changed since then. And that is too long ago for 'no changes' for me!

...so here we go with a new floor plan and some new fabrics, and a new look or two, but our hope is to retain the peaceful, comforting feel you all have expressed to us as one of your favorite things at fancy that! You will have to tell us how we do-but don't judge too quickly. Though we plan to have the front room open again within about 7 days, the full potential of the space will evolve over time-just like we all do. It takes time to grow the space --we will be starting at the bare walls and working our way to a new creation. don't feel alone in your impatience...you can bet we are all eager to see our 'desired outcome' even more than you...and truth is, we aren't particularly sure what our 'desired outcome' is--maybe it is not so much an outcome but a journey...a ride! well all righty then --Yee-Haw!