buy buy buy / sell sell sell / SALE SALE SALE

FINALLY!!! Back and coming up for AIR!!! We survived the wonderful Roundtop-Warrenton Antique show, have finally gotten the shop back in order and have RESTOCKED with wonderful merchandise. Yes, we have been shopping and now it is time for the Annual Trinity District Sidewalk Sale. The sale will be a one day sale on May 1st and will begin officially at 9:00AM and run until 5:00PM. Shops and vendors will be displaying their items on the street and inside shops at discounted prices. What a great way to spend the day and get massive amounts of shopping accomplished. This area has really grown since we first moved to the area 17 years ago and with the new bridge coming next year and with developers combing the area it is sure to only get better.

DON"T FORGET!!!
The next weekend will be the Annual "GARDEN SALE" at Portia's home May 6th from 6PM-8PM and 7th from 10-3. More detail of the sale will be posted next week.

* * * Let There Be Lighting * * *

Alan has been hard at work tweaking and rewiring everything that's sitting still our over 5,000 square foot store. We have 6 new alabaster lamps, a lamp made of shells (killer-the base lights up) one French made cherub lamp, a couple of stained glass fixtures and some beaded petite chaneliers. Come in and see them before we sell them or take them to the antique show at Zapp Hall in Warrenton Texas at the end of March.

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SNOW KIDDING

TWELVE INCHES OF SNOW in DALLAS? WOW!
This is our son Ben and his friends Nate and Ethan Paulsen ( from Lots of Furniture Antiques, one block away from our store) They went sledding on the Trinity River Levee with homemade masonite sleds. They had a blast and slept very well that night.
Despite the bad weather, we had our large SUV and had less competition shopping last week and got some real treasures. My favorite pick? The 17" clam shell of course.
Gina

YOUR HEART'S DESIRE

Yes, Valentine's day is just a bit away. To celebrate we have gathered up the coolist jewelry pieces and they're starting at just $2.00ea. Many range from $4.00 to $15.00. Ribbon jewelry is HOT!(Won't your friends and family be impressed that you know that?) If you buy a pendant we'll string it on any color of seam binding you want for free. (Over 60 colors to choose from).

Just mention this blog.

So... Happy V.D. (OMG, Get your mind out of the gutter! Don't even go there!) LOL Gina

To Market--To Market

Dallas' Total Home and Gift Market is held at the Dallas World Trade Center twice a year. However, the January market is the time to go for a preview in home design trends for the year.

Alan and I went this year, as did our friend Portia Maloney (Garden Party ). Dallas is now home to the Internation Floral and Gift Center (translation:KILLER Floral displays!)

Our impressions on Color: the award goes to: Chartreuse, turquoise, and white. Secondary were orange, red and purple. According to Pantone the color for 2010 is turquoise. The Christmas (and floral) scene was dominated by chartreuse - usually mixed with white, silver, glitter and acrylic. Sometimes it was mixed with bright turquoise, purple and hot pink.

I hope burlap doesn't cause cancer because it was everywhere! Like 2009 natural decor was "IN"- even more twigs, branches, tree trunks, vines, and pine cones, but with a modern twist. These materials were seen in stark-like displays with metal, glass, acrylic, fiberglass, etc.

Check out the Two's Company "green" light fixture made with empty laundry soap bottles in every color! Way Cool! We tried to get all the "legal" photos we could while there.

P.S. Vendors we talked to reported an increase in orders (up to 25% increase) over last year, so that's a hopeful sign for the economy. YEAH!

P.P.S. Saw our friend Gina Galvin of Peacock Park Designs at our store and in her temporary booth @ WTC. Just three words for her display "FAB-U-LUST"

More Later, Gina.

New Inventory

An uplifting note of our progress here at Country Garden Antiques. The Estate sale we conducted was a complete success. Considering the deadline we were facing and the amount of inventory involved, we were able to sell 90% by Sunday. Monday we were able to meet with our client and surprise him with the clean and empty house.

Canton seemed to be very slow this month. At least half empty with dealers and few buyers. The forecast was probably the major contributor with freezing temperatures and snow lurking in the West. It's great exercise though!

Between tasks I have been working on an unusual upright antique metal showcase. The poor thing had been painted at least twice and left outside for no telling how long. With glass on all 4 sides and locking door, I decided I wanted to purchase it and tackle this project. So far I've managed to strip off layers of rust but am still not quite happy with the results. It is a lighted piece so I will be rewiring it soon. I can see the gleam in Gina's eyes knowing that her plans for a Vintage Christmas Ornament display is in the making.

We've managed to pick up a few items in the past few weeks. I will post a few of those photos too. Check out the huge and heavy Concrete dog water bowl!

BIZZY BBEEZZ This week ESTATE SALE !!!

So much has been going on that we just haven't had time to stop and smell the roses. This week we were asked to put together an emergency estate sale. The house has sold and needs to be empty by next Tuesday. The owner is now in a nursing home and the family home of 50 years is full. It looks as though the soonest we will be able to open will be 12:00 noon on Friday.
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The location is great. Just 4 doors off Garland road and backing up to the Dallas Arboretum. The first street north of the Arboretum is Timplemore. We will be at 1155 Timplemore and sorry but due to the pressure of getting the sale together we will not be answering the door early. The owner started the Dallas Quilters Guild and was very active in sewing and quilting. We have several nice pieces of furniture including a punched tin pie safe, a Hoosier cabinet, tile back wash stand, decorated Iron and Brass Victorian bed, quilt tops, 4 sets of patio furniture, picnic table, concrete bench, flower pots, great BBQ, glassware, pottery, bedroom furniture, excellent side by side refrig, and also a freezer. Hours will be 12-5 Fri., 9-5 Sat, and 12Sun. I will be posting addition information on last weeks time we spent at the market learning about upcoming trends and ways to use the internet to promote our businesses. There was alot of helpful information. I'm not one for wasting time but this one seemed to have some possibilities

Back in Town-End of the Year SALE!!

Christmas was such a great time, especially for the kids and especially since we had such a wonderful White Christmas. We were able to spend some "away" time, and even got snowed in at the log cabin for a while. After being out of town and ending the year on a positive note, we are getting back to business. We are offering a 30% storewide sale which will run until January 7th. We do have new merchandise we managed to pick up along the way. Just ask for your Bloggers discount.

Christmas Palooza!!! 25%off or More

We're in full swing this Christmas season. We keep hearing from our customers that we have the largest selection of vintage Christmas ornaments they've ever seen. Yeah, we know! It's awesome! We also have a huge selection of vintage jewelry and gift items,, all at great prices! Hey, have you seen all the other shops in our area? (Free shopping maps of the Trinity Antique Area at all stores) Over a dozen cool shops and malls. You could spend a whole day in our area-just a few blocks long, and never have to hunt for a parking space. O!M!G! Have you tried to squeeze a car into Northpark's parking lot lately? Don't forget- mention this Blog for 25% off the original price on whatever you purchase.

-------OUT OF MEXICO------

Over the past few years I have managed to accumulate a few pieces of Mexican art. Pottery and Folk Art have been just a few of my perks but the Silver and even American Indian Jewelry have also been a favorite. One area I have not gotten many photos of is my collection of Pre-Columbian pottery. If you have any interest in checking out the inventory, feel free to click on this link.
http://s1018.photobucket.com/albums/af308/cgantiques/Mexican/?albumview=grid

CHRISTMAS - O - RAMA

Christmas is fast approaching and we are ready to help you decorate. Our store is loaded with vintage Christmas ornaments in unusual and unique displays. Take a look at our ideas- come in for inspiration. There are containers galore filled with pastels and silver colors, or brightly colored Shiny Brites. Thousands of ornaments and other Christmas decor.

Hours: Mon-Sat 11-5

Country Garden Antiques-for Home and Garden : Your vintage Christmas Headquarters!!