Past, Present and Future

As for the present, Judy Hill's Open House is this coming Thursday, December 3, from 10 - 5. If you need directions, per Judy, call now, as in presently. Thursday morning will be insane. Here is her website with her blog. Check it out. If you didn't get to go last year, well, here are the pictures I took at the 2008 Christmas show. Judy and her hubby, Bill, are A-ma-ZING!

In regard to the past, last weekend, we enjoyed a wonderful Open House at Winnie & Tulula's. Thank you everyone who came out! It was a pleasure sharing my egg nog with some of you!

I finally got all of my pictures up. Most of them were taken Saturday, after the dust had settled. If it's not labelled, I believe it's mine. I think I got everyone else's identified. I hope! Here's a little taste:

Margo's magic...

Charrise put together this beautiful gold and silver vignette...

I loved this wheel hub arrangement by Whatsoever Things...

Liz and Fran can teach us all a thing or two about sparkle, glitz and glam!

Debbie and Danny have skillz.

Did you see my vintage taxidermy forms? I think these are to die for! Imagine one with a paper mache dress pattern, or atlas pages, or colored comic strips, or even newspaper. Oh, the possibilities! I like them as is, myself.


It's like having a dead animal on your wall and the killing wasn't necessary. Well, kinda!

Now, regarding the future. In the very near future, this Saturday, as a matter of fact, Primitiques will enjoy a Christmas Open House from 10am-3pm. Today, my sister came up to the store to help with preparations. I am getting excited!!!

We're getting ready for you! Did I mention I take a truckload up there every time I go? We are loading in lots of new goodies. Fun!

Happy Monday!
~Mindy

Who has time to breath?

I barely do. Now that the Christmas Remembrance Open House at Winnie & Tulula's has been a huge success, I am focusing on the Open House at Primitiques. It is this coming Saturday. Are you coming?

Here is your personal invitation:

David has his W&T's slideshow up. If you want to see the slideshow, just go to his blog here. To view without the slideshow, click here. Enjoy!

I am out the door to work some magic at Primitiques. Maybe I'll work on breathing while I'm there. And yes. My favorite elf will be with me. Maybe he'll take some pictures while we're there.

Happy Sunday!
~Mindy

Wanna See?

No time to visit...gotta get back to Athens for more fun. A big thanks to those who came out last night. We had more fun visiting and laughing with you!

Wanna see the pics I took before the Grand Opening? Pardon the mess! Click here and enjoy. Better yet, get to Athens and see it first hand.

Happy Saturday!
~Mindy

Cheese Crisp Fiasco

It all started when I was asked to bring a "signature dish" to a holiday party. Ummm. I don't have one of those. So, I picked up a holiday cookbook and started looking. Mind you, I don't cook much. At all. But, I found this recipe:

and thought I'd found my signature dish. Look! Simple ingredients.

Last night around 11, I was going to make a batch. But, I discovered the need for the cheese to be "softened." So, I put off the baking until the morning. I should have known then that I was doomed. A foreshadowing of things to come.

This morning, I got the cheese out for softening. After the desired softness had been achieved, I looked for my cheese slicer. Couldn't find it. Steak knife? Not a good idea. Bread knife? Better than nothing.

Desired thickness, 1/4" huh?

I couldn't find a 1 1/2 round cookie cutter. This melon baller worked pretty good. Improvisation. No problem!

Yes. I took pictures. I thought it was going to be a wonderful signature dish and I just knew I was going to want to share my adventure/recipe with you! Check these out:

I'm thinking all is well. I went with 10 minutes and didn't take a peek until 10 minutes was up. Mistake. Here's what I saw when I opened the door to my 17 year old, uneven cooking oven:

Uh. A crispy, burned, sizzling, greasy, drippy, fire hazard, cheese fiasco. This picture does not do justice to the smoke emitting from my oven as the grease attempted to burn itself off the bottom. I guess maybe the cookie sheet might have been better if it had lips. Like a roasting pan! Watch out. It got on my wood floors next.

If one tries to scrape burned, greasy cheese off a hot pan with a plastic spatula, they will find that plastic spatulas melt.

If one tries to be overly cautious, they might end up with cheese gooey, instead of cheese crisps. Is anyone feeling healthy about this greasy goo?

I had left over cheese so, I tried to make the cut up left over pieces into tasty cheese crisps without proper form.

This is what happens when you go to update status on facebook and forget about the cheese in the oven. Everything tastes like burned grease.

Dear people. There will be no Mindy's Signature Dish at the Holiday Party. Nuts. Mindy will be bringing nuts. Cashews? Almonds? Maybe a nice mixed assortment. Or perhaps, cubed, cold, firm monterey jack cheese?

Now, for what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving. This year, I am thankful for the sound of laughter. My mother's laughter. My mother laughed like I had not heard in years when I told her the Cheese Crisp story. See? It was all worth it.

Happy Thanksgiving my friends and family.
~Mindy

Guest Vendors at Winnie & Tulula's

Guest vendors are the icing on the cake. The bacon on the burger. The egg in the nog. They are what make something good, even better.

The Remembrance of Christmas Open House at Winnie & Tulula's is going to be Oh, So Good. But, what's making it even better are the guest vendors. The Queen Mother of Winnie & Tulula's and The Sweet Pea Collection, Gloria, has outdone herself. She has invited some amazing guest vendors, two couples in fact, to our event this Friday and Saturday. Wait til you see what magic these teams are stirring up. Pixie dust is flying. Doves are in the air. Glitter is, well, glittering.Linda and Ludmil of Willow Nest have agreed to share their magic with us. Their creative creations will be the talk of the town. I did a word search for "Willow Nest" on flickr. Here are the resulting photos if you would like to peruse. They all, indeed, appear to be our L&L.

Wanna know who the other magic couple is? You may know them as Jon and Peg. Or maybe you know them as French Vanilla. Ooo la la. I saw them when I first walked into the store Sunday, but I had never met them. Didn't know who they were. I kept walking by the window and then, in short order, I saw the birth of beauty. I saw the look of "French Vanilla". I immediately figured out who they were and introduced myself. I searched for them in flickr and had no luck. So, check out this post by Patina Green. They know good when they see it! And TOT with Time-Worn Interiors had this to say about French Vanilla. See? Did you look?

Can you see what all the excitement is about with these guest vendors? Are you convinced it will be worth your drive yet? What more do you need?

You can count on more pictures after the Open House. For sure!

Here is another teaser from my space.

Happy Tuesday!

~Mindy

Workin' It

Whew! Between a secret mission trip to a secret place to pick up some secret, way, super cool, I can't tell you what, stuff on Saturday and re-working my space at Winnie & Tulula's on Sunday, it was a fun, full workin' weekend. I know you wanna see, don't ya?

Here's the broom I worked. Nope. It won't be the funky vintage piece in my space. It's just a broom. But, look all around. See? Uh huh. There's some cool stuff, I do believe.

And here's a little metal, concrete and glass. Hmmmm...which would you like to take home?

Ready for some gold?

I doubt you've forgotten, but here's your reminder. Winnie & Tulula's. The day after Thanksgiving. Friday from 4:00pm to 9:00pm. Five U.S. currency dollars will get you in the door for a preview of our Remembrance of Christmas Open House. Come and celebrate the season with us. I'll be there with bells on! Or something. Probably not bells. I don't know what I'm wearing, but I'm not sure I'll be working the bells. hmm


Happy Monday!
~Mindy

Open House at Winnie & Tulula's

Black Friday, it beckons

to Athens we'll go

White Christmas at Winnie & Tulula's

Ho Ho Ho!

Can there be too many Ornaments

Glitter, Gold and Pixie Dust?

Silvers, Pinks and Greens

Shiny Brites are a must!

Friday or Saturday?

Will you be there?

Egg nog and Guest Vendors

Plenty of Food to Share.
The Beads and the Baubles

in Silver and Gold

Who's coming? Do tell,

before I get old.

This poem must end

I'm getting so silly

Come see us in Athens

Don't be willy nilly!

Happy Thursday! ~Mindy

Licious Lamp

Licious isn't a word, is it? When I first laid eyes on this lamp, I was told that is was funkalicious. On first look, it was ornate-a-licious. Maybe too much-a-licious. This is what it looked like with the shade it came with. Elegant-a-licious. Nice-a-licious. Ok-a-licious.

I got my hands on another shade and this right here, folks, is funk-a-licious! Fab-u-licious! De-licious!

I love it!

Perhaps you prefer the more elegant? Which licious lamp do you like best? Or is it too oddilicious? Not-a-licious you?

A shout out to Debra at Common Ground. She sent some goodies my way this week, including this awesome necklace. I love it, don't you?

The lady has got skillz. Thank you, Debra. Bloggy love rocks!

Happy Wednesday!

~Mindy

Glamping in Oklahoma

Have you ever been glamping? Do you know what glamping is? Glamping is Glamorous Camping.

Imagine, if you will, 100+ acres of Oklahoma land. Trees and land filled with natural habitats. Trails for hiking and 4 wheeling. River access for kayaking and fishing. Tree stands from which you can view nature. Are you with me? Do you love nature but hate the hassle of packing for a getaway? When glamping, shelter is provided, be it a camper, cabin or a tent set up under the stars. Fires are built for you. Gourmet meals are prepared. You bring clothes and your camera, and everything else can be provided. Are you familiar with glamping?

This past weekend, David, my sister and I enjoyed the beginnings of my cousin and her partners' glamping haven. Just over 2 years ago, Pam and Cara purchased 60 acres and the work began. They have since expanded their dream to 100 acres. Wow! One weekend at a time, they are building Rock Creek Retreat.

Wanna see one of the coolest things on their land? It's a bridge. They own a bridge. I think I have bridge envy. I do. I do have bridge envy.

Can you imagine enjoying a dance on a bridge overlooking the river? Ah, the possibilities for some great events at this venue.

Cousin Pam was a wonderful hostess waking us in the morning with scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy. Yum!

You know I was interested in the cool old stuff they've found on their land. Old bottles, fossils, turtle shells, skulls and bones of various animals. I loved this old rusty sign by the bridge. Something about the load capacity.

I think David's favorite "finds" were the photographic opportunities everywhere.

Here's a picture I took of the lichen.

Wanna see more? Click here for more Rock Creek Retreat pics taken by Cara.

One night, some years ago, some really bright folks built a fire on the bridge. The bridge that is made of wood. Wanna see what happens when you build a fire on a wood bridge?

A hole. You get a hole. If you look close, you'll see the river down below.

Did I mention I love the bridge?

Cara said I can't have it.

Cabins are in the works. A tree house (literally) has been built, complete with a fireman's pole. A dance barn is in the future. I can't remember all the plans they have!
Rock Creek Retreat is going to be a heck of a glamping destination for couples, families or large parties to gather and make memories. When they open for business, you will be the first to know. They said I could tell you first. See? You like them already, don't you?

Happy Tuesday!
~Mindy

ps. A blog party in Oklahoma!? Hmmmm

pps. Today is my very own mother's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Reds, Golds and Creamy Trees

Having a home and 2 stores can be so very much fun when it comes to decorating. I can play with color and looks in each venue, as the spirit moves me. This morning, I went and played with red and gold at Winnie & Tulula's.
If you like what you see, you better come shop now. It will look different for the Open House, November 27 and 28.

I hear Robelyn from Red Neck Chic carried this gold bedspread around at a sale last Saturday. And then she changed her mind. What? Have you seen the bags she makes? Here's her Etsy store. Go look. I'll wait. I imagine she could have worked some magic spinning this gold!

Even though I enjoy working with a neutral pallet, these reds and golds were fun!

I know y'all don't care about all this. You want to know about the creamy Christmas trees from yesterday's post, don't you? I got them. he he he I can't wait to play with them. And yes. I will keep you posted on when and where they might make a public appearance.

Happy Wednesday!
~Mindy

The beginnings of Christmas

Did I mention that I wanted a brown Christmas tree this year? Well, I did. But the one I found and liked was not in my budget. Yesterday, I found this green tree at a thrift store. I like the size. 9 foot. The fullness is great with lots of places to hang ornaments. Not too wide, but not really a pencil tree. And in my budget. Yea!

If you squint your eyes in a low light setting, you will see that it has bark on the trunk.


I was all kinds of excited at the thrift store when we plugged it in and all the lights worked. Yee haw!

Now. Look back at the top picture. See the lack of full lighting? Apparently, the ride home caused some rebellion and the lights don't want to work for their new owner. I guess I'll get the ladder out and start playing, sweet talking and wiggling the wires/bulbs. Ugh. I feel like I am living an episode of Seinfeld.

Today, I stopped by a different thrift store and saw these twins.

What color, exactly, is that? Reckon their lights work?

I like this print. The back is lined with newspaper dated 1972. Nope. It's not very old (said the 40 something year old blogger). But, it's cool!

While standing in line at another thrift store, I got bored and started taking pictures of my soon to be purchases. A bag of gold rope.

I'm loving the colors of these ornaments.

How's your shopping going? When the time comes, I hope your lights work for you. Every single one of 'em.

Happy Tuesday!
~Mindy