What would we do without Mr. 58?

When on a whim, Elizabeth and I decided to rent the booth, Mr.58 jumped right in. He has become the ultimate repurposer, refinisher, truck driver and treasure picker. He sacrificed his garden this spring and instead polished his skills in the paint department. The heifer shed, located in the pasture, became the workshop and even his bulls seem amazed at his new found proficiency with a can of spray paint. You can find them standing at the door or gazing in the window as he turns the latest find into a piece of inventory.

He has become very sharp at choosing the chippy, tarnished, stained piece, even if he says he still doesn't "get it"! Last weekend at a rummage sale he went to the left while I went to the right. When we met at the check-out he claimed the prize..he had found an ironstone teapot and a large tarnished tray....We couldn't do it without Mr. 58.

Time 4 School

This morning as I fluffed our cluttered corner at ACM a bit, I added a white creamer with bright yellow pencils and wrote on a little chalkboard "Time 4 School."  A beach theme still sticks around our booth, but my mind is onto a new season.... Back to School!

I sent my first little one off to kindergarten this week.  What a milestone!  I even made it through Monday morning with only a  few tears.  Big day for our family.  Our little guy seems like a big man now... This mama is proud!

His biggest discovery to share on day one :  "Mom, guess what....  If you don't bring your lunch from home, you can buy your lunch in the cafeteria!  The boy that bought his lunch today got a corndog... Can you believe that???  But he had peas on his plate too, so I think I would rather you keep packing my lunch."

I asked Mom to share a few of her "vintage" back to school memories.... 

Peggy's school day memories from 1958...In the second grade little girls wore handmade or hand-me-down dresses and leather shoes with straps. I always longed for brown leather penny loafer, just like the big girls.

And the blisters.... new shoes rub the back of your heels and I remember the Band-Aids..it took weeks to break in those new shoes.

My lunch box was the same shape as you imagine construction workers carry. It was painted like a little red roofed cottage and the thermos, which had real glass, was held in the roof part with a little hinge.

Inside Mom would tuck a bologna sandwich, some potato sticks (that came in a can), and a cookie all wrapped in wax paper. On Mondays I might get a cold fried chicken leg instead of a sandwich. Mom could make one chicken cooked for Sunday dinner stretch a long way!

Now, I am off to carpool line.... Eager to hear about what new discovery today brings!

So Long Summer

What are you doing to say "So Long Summer"?  One last trip to the lake?  Catching a baseball game?  Tax free back to school shopping?  Or just staying in the a/c? 

We're packing away our pool floaties and pulling out our new backpacks around here..... Filling our new pencil box and counting our crayons and markers....  

Speaking of pencil boxes.... look at this fun surprise Mom found while junkin' last week.... This old cigar box was one of her finds, and when she got home she discovered it was full of treasures... baby photos, class pictures, letters, newspaper clippings... all from the 1920's and 30's.  You just never know what you'll  find! 

If you're looking for something to do this weekend for one last summer "hurrah", go meander through the Antique Company Mall in McKinney... Who knows what you will find!

Road Trip

As summer begins to come to a close, our little family is heading out of town for one more road trip of the season. We hope your summer is ending nicely too.

Booth 58 calls McKinney, Texas' Antique Company Mall home. If you have never made the short trek to this Dallas suburb, you are missing out! McKinney has been recently ranked #5 Best Places to Live in the Money Magazine August 2010 issue. Make some plans for your own road trip soon and come visit us. See what Theresa of Garden Antqs Vintage recently posted about McKinney. She moved into the Antique Company Mall August 1.... Love her look!

Recently found this blog On the Square.... some great stuff all about Downtown McKinney.... the place to be!!

Baby Scootin'

Got some great inspiration from Carolyn B's booths this week.  I am scootin' things around our big kids' room to make room for Baby #3 joining us this fall.  We are moving Sister in with Big Brother and we are in desperate need of adding some feminine touches to the already vintage cowboy room.  Loved Carolyn's cowgirl puzzle collection and other girlie goodies in her upstairs booth.  She always finds the coolest stuff to gather together.

Baby Brother will have a vintage nursery with extra touches of natical themed decor.  Have been eyeing this display all summer... cute! 

Will be using some heritage prints of our little guy's great grandfathers in their service uniforms.  Hoping  it will all come together super cute. Thanks for the jump start, Carolyn!

Fluffing

Mom and I spent the afternoon "fluffing" our booth yesterday while Mr. 58 babysat for us.  Despite the 103 degree August afternoon, we stayed cool inside and had a sweet  couple of hours together.  We always have such a great time rearranging our goodies, chatting with other vendors, and also meeting strolling customers. 

Yesterday, we dubbed Nancy of Ella Elaine, our "Booth Fairy" as she confessed to frequently "fluffing" for us when our booth needs some help.  Thanks, Nancy.  (Here is a recent post where she showed off some of our treasures.)  Nancy has such a touch.  Her booths are always gorgeous... here are a few of the treats we spotted that made us smile....

Was fun to meet Cindy of  Yapping Cat Studio and some of her other Paper Cow Girl Blog Girlfriends. Always great to see girlfriends on a roadtrip laughing and soaking up time together.  Nice meeting you gals! 

The Cluttered Corner

Mom and I are having too much fun shifting our clutter around our new booth downstairs. This afternoon, I was working in the booth and was very grateful for our taller ceiling and bit cooler air. Early this spring, upstairs was a perfect place for us to "dip our toes in" so to speak... in this adventure.  But, when the mall owner, Diane, asked us if we were interested in moving downstairs at the beginning of July, our answer was quick.

Come find us in the back left corner at Antique Company Mall in Historic Downtown McKinney. The more time we spend at Antique Company, the more we love it. Love the people, love the location, and love all the great old junk!!!! Come see for yourself.