Thursday, January 13, 2011

Something to gush about

Lauri woke up the other day feeling very generous so she hosted a giveaway on her new blog, Lauri Evans Designs. She challenged us to tell her what item she makes is our favorite. I didn't know if she had ever made any burlap pillows with an ampersand on them, but thought that they would be charming. Guess what? I was right! It is very charming. The best part is, I won it!! Lauri custom made it just for me. She was even more generous to give away not one, but TWO pillows! Both Karen and I won. It's on it's way to me and I can't wait until it arrives.

Lauri can usually be found here in Texas at the Marburger Farm Antiques Show in Roundtop. Her booth is always stunningly beautiful.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Junking Trend

We are entering into a new phase of television viewing - JUNKING!! First, most of the programs shown on HGTV, DIY, etc. were all about arts and crafts. Remember the Carol Duvall show? Then, when the prices of homes were skyrocketing, they were all about flipping houses. Well, we know how that turned out. Because of the housing crash, the shows started to be more about how to get your house sold or how make part of it an income property.

Enter the current phase - JUNKING! Now, we're talking. We get to enjoy shows like American Pickers and Pawn Stars on the History Channel and Storage Wars on A & E. Tonight, HGTV is getting in on the action. It looks like it will be a girl version of American Pickers.

The new show is called Cash & Cari. Cari Cucksey is the star of this show. She is an antiques dealer and appraiser.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HGTV

From the HGTV site: With her razor sharp business sense and an eye for spotting diamonds in the rough, estate sale guru Cari Cucksey combs through her clients' basements, attics and garages in search of hidden treasure. And once she and her team have organized and priced the entire contents of the home, they hold an estate sale right on the premises. From antique furniture and vintage toys to retro electronics and rare cars, there's something for everyone, and everything must go!
PHOTO COURTESY OF HGTV

I figure that she won't be buying bicycles and other motor-head items so she'll be running in different circles than Mike and Frank. I think that these two shows will complement each other very nicely. I already have my satellite to autotune so I won't miss it.