Antique Season 2011 is Upon Us!!

A reader asked me to notify her of the antique shows coming up in the spring in Texas.

 I will be happy to do so, and to go beyond that and list some others around the country that are in the near future. 

Let me know in a comment if you want to add any to the list! All are welcome since we are all over the country as bloggers and antique lovers, right?

As I mentioned here this past weekend was the American Antique Show in NYC. As a follow up I would like to mention some fun facts I learned today here.

Photo Source

According to Nancy Gibson, of VandM.com's Design in Tell,  Leatherwood Antiques had quite the turnout in their booth with Martha Stewart, Bunny Williams, and John Roselli all in the booth at the same time!

Leatherwood specializes in early children's pottery.

Photo source

This little historical treasure was in the booth of Just Folk, from California.
 

If you didn't visit their website when I posted before, you really should.
 It is so well done and such fun!

According to Nancy, the hooked rug was purchased by a client of Mary Douglas Drysdale, an amazing designer who incorporates Americana into many of her designs.
This would be such a great show to attend......it is on my bucket list!


Speaking of Americana, the big Heart of Country Show is coming up in Nashville in February.

It is one of the prettiest shows I have ever seen. It is held at the Opryland Hotel and begins February 17, with Thursday evening's preview party,  and runs through Saturday, February 19.

I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about two other shows going on in Nashville during the same few days.
 
The Tailgate Antique Show
  is held at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds and is also a fabulous show.
I went last year and saw some stunningly beautiful booths full of really, really good antiques.

February 17-19, 2011
Thursday-Saturday
Show Hours
Thursday early bird:
8 a.m. to noon
$40 early bird admission includes both Tailgate and Music Valley plus readmission all three days.
General Admission
Thursday- noon to 5 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
$12 per day includes both shows

Yet another great show in Nashville is the Music Valley Show.

Click here for the scoop on both shows at the fairgrounds.

It runs in conjunction with the Tailgate show, also at the fairgrounds.
These shows used to be held at different hotels in the Opryland area and I remember trudging through snow and rain, across roads and highways to visit all the different hotel rooms where dealers set up. It was an adventure and fun, but the new set up is much easier on many levels.

The new venue at the fairgrounds makes for two unique, big, incredible shows, offering many more creature comforts!


February 17-19, 2011
Thursday-Saturday
Show Hours
Thursday early bird:
8 a.m. to noon
$40 early bird admission includes both Tailgate and Music Valley plus readmission all three days.
General Admission
Thursday- noon to 5 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
$14 per day includes both shows

CONFUSED? Don't be. Just show up at the fairgrounds during the times mentioned and you will see two beautiful antique shows all in one area.


Another beautiful show is the
 Nashville Antiques and Garden Show, held a little bit earlier in February, from the preview party on Thursday, February 10 through Sunday, February 13.

There will be several guest lecturers, one of whom is Charlotte Moss! Check out the show website for details.

Now, on to a Texas show that is smaller than the above, but a very good show.

It is the Boerne Antique Show, held at the park in Boerne, Texas. Boerne is just outside of San Antonio in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. This year the show will be the weekend of February 26 - 27.

This was my booth last year. It is a little picked over in this photo as it was a very busy morning. This show brings antique lovers from all around the area and is one of the most popular of the Texas smaller shows.

Of course, folks are gearing up all over Texas for the Round Top show and all that encompasses!

During the last few weeks of March dealers begin setting up all along Highway 237 outside of Round Top. Lots and lots of dealers set up around and in Warrenton, Texas.There are so many different shows going on up and down this highway that I could never mention them all. For different dates and locations go to
The Show Daily.


I will mention some of them, and if I miss you and you want to be featured, let me know!

The Zapp Hall show is a fun show. Zapp Hall is on Hwy. 237 between Warrenton and Round Top. There are dealers inside as well as all around the outside of Zapp Hall.

There is good food to be had and lots of spirited activity, music, and great dealers.

This show runs from Friday, March 25 through Saturday April 2.

Zapp Hall is a real place and is chock full of great antiques during the season.


Cole's Antique Show, also on the road from Warrenton to Round Top, runs from March 24 through Saturday, April 2, and is full of over 200 dealers. It is also in an air conditioned building with real bathrooms. If you have ever been to these shows you know why these are worth mentioning!

Another show down the road a piece is Ex-Cess, where dealers like Ed and Michael from Leftovers in Brenham, Texas have set up in the past.
There are other high end dealers in this show and it is definitely worth a stop.



A popular stop as you get further down the road towards Round Top is
Clutter.

Known for great antiques, fabulous displays and good food, this is a must stop. Even if you don't buy, the displays and tons of merchandise is all eye candy!

No list of antique shows would be complete without mentioning the FAMOUS

Marburger Farm Antique Show!

The show will be from Tuesday, March 29 through Saturday, April 2 this spring.

Getting bigger and better every year, the Marburger Show has something for everyone. From the finest of European antiques, to the quirkiest of folk art, to the finest of early country antiques, you have to see it to believe it!

The show is well managed and has lots of spots to rest your feet and enjoy a delicious sandwich or snack, or a glass of wine or margarita at the end of a long, full day.
I can't tell you how much fun this show is. Lots of bloggers will be writing about it in the weeks to come.

Here are just a few of my favorites from years past...............

Last, (for this list, but not for the season)

but never least by any means, is the show that started it all years ago.

The Round Top Antique Show

43rd ANNUAL SPRING ANTIQUES FAIR
Mar. 30, 31, Apr. 1, 2, 2011
Big Red Barn & Tent, Continental Tent
Carmine Dance Hall
Big Red Barn location open
9am to 8pm on Wednesday and
9am to 5pm Thursday through Friday
and 9am to 4pm on Saturday
Carmine Dance Hall open 9am to 5pm all days
Admission $10 Good for all days at all locations.

There you have it - the details.

Now for some photos from past shows.....

All photos from the Round Top show website


This is a show of quality dealers, good food, indoor restrooms and air conditioning.
 Like I said before, if you are a seasoned "Round Topper" you know why I mention some of these details!
If this will be your first trip, it won't take you long to figure out it is usually hot in Texas,
 Spring or Fall,

and port-a-potties get old, really old, fast!


NOW, lest you think I am finished......not so fast!

After you have so much fun at the above mentioned shows, you might find that when you go home you feel a little let down, a little withdrawal, shall we say, from antiquing.

Food doesn't taste as good, your kids and pets aren't as cute, you just can't get excited about anything......
Wait, you are not depressed. You just need another ANTIQUE FIX!


Well, hang on for just a few more weeks, and then make your way to

COMFORT, TEXAS 

for the best little country antique show around!

Comfort Park
403 Hwy 27, Comfort Texas
Only 1 hour from San Antonio on IH-10 West

Saturday - April 30, 2011 - 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday - May 1, 2011 - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

Come see me at the Boerne show and the Comfort show, and meanwhile, enjoy the plethora of  spring shows!
Chin up - the fun will begin soon.

Happy hunting!

Hill Country Antique Show

Set up day is always interesting in the world of antique shows. Some shows are held in wonderful old barns, some in hotel convention rooms, some in tents and some in the middle of fields. The show I participated in this past weekend was held in the buildings of the local fairgrounds of Boerne, Texas.

Early morning on Friday - lots of unloading, hauling, unpacking, and much creativity needed!

This is was what I had to work with. Big, open, ugly, ugly fan. Nice, huh?

Mmmmmmm......cinder block walls........nice. And what are we going to do with that big, NASTY,fan?

 Oops, shot the photo before we steamed our burlap table covers.......but, notice the antique log cabin quilt? A perfect fit hanging over the fan.

  

My friend, Betsy, shared the space with me. I have a little bit of everything - tole trays, hooked rugs and other antique textiles, tramp art, vintage stoneware, concrete lambs, and Mexican pottery.   Betsy has the best of early American furniture, crocks, textiles, and old buckets with wonderful, original paint. Let's just say we make an interesting mix!

 

Our friend, Sandy, finds the best of old urns, baskets, statuary ..................

 

If it has old white or creamy paint, she loves it.

 Dealers from Austin, Sandra and Jim, always set up a great booth with the best of country and garden items - always lots of good old paint, too.

  Peg and Jon Van Dyne of French Vanilla specialize in antique garden items and architectural elements, and very, very creative lighting designs.

  This is a favorite sign that I spy at a lot of the shows I go to.  The dealers do not want to sell it, but enjoy hanging it in their booth at shows and I think they live by what it says! I keep asking them to sell it to me but so far, no luck!

  

Wayne Ayers is a folk art dealer from Chappell Hill, Texas (Round Top territory).

 His collections are folky, eclectic and guaranteed to make you smile. 

All in all, it was a great weekend and antique show. Most dealers sold more small items than large, but just as I say that I remember the dealer across the aisle from us loading out three pieces of furniture to the same customer yesterday afternoon................. so, as they say, go figure! I had a great show and sold to some of my favorite customers. Thank you to each of you!

The next show coming up is the   Hill Country Vintage Home and Garden Fair on March 10 and 11 in Driftwood, Texas, near Dripping Springs.  To learn more about it, go to Bloom and Bee Swanky blog or to Garden Antiques Vintage blog.

Blogging Detour and finally, the Nashville Antique Shows!

My friend, Barbara, and I have planned for months to visit her grandson and my daughter in Nashville in February. For antique lovers, February is a big month here. The Heart of Country Show is here, as well as the Music Valley Show,and the Tailgate Antiques Show.

We think it most convenient that we have kids in college here, especially this time of year!

I love this sign from an old furniture store. I found it at the Heart of Country show one year and had to have it! It kind of says it all, doesn't it?

As sometimes happens, our plans did not go exactly according to the way we imagined. My daughter and I had to make a detour for a funeral in Dallas and have just arrived a few days later than planned to Nashville.

While we saw amazing and beautiful snow in Dallas, and enjoyed the company of sweet family and friends, and attended a very touching and meaningful funeral service, we sure are happy to be back where we started - or where we wanted to start!

I will be selling at the next Texas hill country show in Boerne, Texas, but meanwhile I LOVE a good show to browse.

Who knows, I might just find something new to start collecting!

Photos from my personal collections in my home.