49th Annual Dolly Johnson Antique and Art Show

 I am beginning to count down the days until I load up my big old green Suburban and head for Ft. Worth, Texas! 

I will be setting up at the 49th Annual Dolly Johnson Antique and Art Show, a show that has been an institution in the Dallas - Fort Worth area for, well, 49 years now!

 The Dolly Johnson Antique Show is one that I used to attend when I lived in Dallas years ago.

 In fact, long before my dear friend, Barbara, was my dear friend, I remember seeing her set up at the show,  and , and.....well let's just say I spent a little money with her in those days.

She exposed me to many fine antiques back then and continues to have a strong influence on me today. I have featured her home several times on Hill Country House.

In fact, we've even been known to sell each other antiques, only to buy them back from one another later on!
  Crazy?
 Yes, we know.

She was one of my, and many others,  favorite dealers back then and still, today, is my favorite antique loving friend!
 We have made many memories over the years in and around the antique business together!

So, the show was founded in 1963 by Dolly Johnson of Ft. Worth, Texas. 

During the 1990's Dolly's daughter,  JJ Frambes, joined her mother in running the show and eventually took over leadership.

In 2009 JJ sold the show to Jan Orr Harter, owner of Hot Tamale Antiques of Aledo, Texas.

Jan Orr-Harter

Jan has long been a favorite dealer of mine, as well.

 Her classic Southwestern style has always been complemented by the unique and quirky antiques she adds to the mix, which of course, have always spoken to me!

Jan has added art and a broader range of antiques to the show, making it a diverse and fun show in keeping with the times. 

I am excited to set up at this show next to my friend,

JANET

of

 SWEET TALK !!

I took these photos when I met Janet in 2009. 

We chatted for a while and I immediately was taken with her warmth and sincerity.

 I was amazed at her creativity and unique style!

I am still in awe of her creativity and style and it has been fun watch her as she has moved to Marburger Farms to a perfect spot in an old farmhouse where she can be found each spring and fall as a regular dealer, AND she writes the awesome blog,

Talk Sweet Talk!

Another dealer I am excited to be with is also Marburger regular, Stephanie, from Tyler, Texas.
 I have bought from Stephanie regularly over the years,but have never gotten to set up at a show with her.
 Looking forward to that, too!!

 I love the people in the antique business as much, if not MORE, than the antiques!

Photo Source

Also on the list of great dealers is my friend,

Steve Wiman, artist,
and
   owner of Uncommon Objects in Austin.

Steve has an artist's eye for the unique and interesting, both in single objects and in the fabulous ways he pulls objects together.

I can't wait to see his space at the show!


As you can see from the photos of past shows, there will be quite a variety of antiques and vintage treasure to see......

One might see everything from giant hands that must have been from a store display, to vintage western wear, to more traditional antique trunks with amazing early paint finishes.....

What a great show and I am honored and thrilled to be a part of it!

So, if you are anywhere near Ft. Worth, Texas next weekend, come see me and 74 other antique dealers. 

We promise not to disappoint!

Kitchen JOY!

The most comments I have ever received on this blog were when I asked for design help in trying to decide whether to paint my kitchen cabinets or not.

 I had already tried to brighten the kitchen with whitewashing the ceiling, painting the walls yellow, adding a new light fixture, and adding bright fabric window treatments. 

Still, nothing special. Nice, yes, but no pizazz.

The original light fixture - the light shone straight down on the island.

Many, many people said "PAINT !!!" with no hesitation whatsoever.

 Lots of people not only told me what color, but gave me step by step instructions on what color to paint the island, the bottom cabinets, the top cabinets, and what paints to use. 

My question stirred up lots of interest, and some controversy.

A few scolded me for even so much as thinking of painting the sacred antique long leaf pine.

In the end, I decided to wait.

New light fixture, Roman shades, bright walls.......still leaving me unfulfilled.

 Our house was for sale.

 One of the big selling points was, and still is, the long leaf pine and the natural stone used throughout the house.

 I agree that they are beautiful materials, but I also believe in a house reflecting the personality of those who make it their home.

 I decided to be conservative and leave the kitchen as it was.

Well, months have gone by and I have finally reached a point where I am just tired of living in a house where every decision is  based on whether we may or may not live here next month or next year.

I had been studying painted kitchens and painted floors for months on end,  pinning pictures on my Pinterest boards and searching madly through my design books and magazines for inspiration.

Finally,  I decided to GO FOR IT, with my husband's blessing.

I called my favorite, oh so talented painter, Tom Proch, and we put our heads together to do some magic in my kitchen. 

Oh boy did we do some magic!!

I could not be happier, and fortunately, my family loves it too!!

The best part was the process.

 In the beginning, I did not have a specific picture in mind of what the kitchen would look like when it was finished.

 I knew the color needed to flow with the rooms that the kitchen opened in to -  the dining room in particular. 

So, we started with the base color used in that room, Benjamin Moore Covington Blue, HC 138. 

Tom painted all of the cabinets that basic blue, and we decided to paint the surrounding area above the cabinetry blue as well. 

The rest of the way, we talked through the process.

 This is where Tom's mastery as an artist shines. 

He would say "What now?" and honestly, I'd stand and look and think and say "Hmmm....maybe a little deeper" and he would mix together some pigments from his magic tool box of paints and paint a cabinet door and say "how's this?" and I'd say "hhhhmmmmm.....maybe a little bit richer and a little more blue" and he'd nod and add a little more something......and so on and so on.

He worked magic at times with a dry brush, and he worked magic with a glaze, and the finished product is a paint finish that has depth and movement and a richness that my photos cannot possibly capture, but let me assure you, they are beautiful and I love them.

Another gift Tom has in his bag of tricks is a great plaster looking wall finish that works beautifully with the rock walls in my house. 

We never even discussed color.

 There is a finish in my entry hall that is similar, and when I said I wanted to get rid of the yellow, he asked if I would like the walls treated like the entry walls with the plaster look finish. 

Yep! 

......and off he went.

 Isn't it perfect?

And, uh, I decided to do something new with the floor as well. 

Did you notice?

So,  about that floor!!

Oh my, am I crazy about that floor! 

I looked and looked at painted floors!

 I considered all kinds of patterns.

 I needed something that did not have a real start and finish, though, because of the open ends of my kitchen; that is, the way my rooms flow openly from one to another.

I found these different patterns and finally adapted my floor from the last one:

 Still one of my all time favorite kitchens - not too trendy or fancy, but it just speaks to me. 

 Fun floor - kind of wild and colorful.

 I love this all over pattern.

It sort of reminds me of old linoleum, in a good way!

 This one is similar in feel to what I ended up with , especially with the dark, distressed wood like ours.

Love this as a variation of checker board.

This one was the final inspiration, although ours is really an adaptation.

 Ours is not quite as busy, in that we do not have an inside circle in the large circle, 

and our "fleur di lys - ish"

 shapes are bigger, and we left more floor space between all shapes.

 Looking towards the dining room......

 Looking from the dining room towards the end of the kitchen.

 Love how the stencil takes a little peek into the powder room!

 Looking down hallway from office towards TV room/den.....
We decided to leave all doors unpainted to remain consistent with the rest of the house. 

Looking from TV room into kitchen.......

Down the other side of kitchen towards dining room.....

 From the dining room looking into the kitchen.......showing some of the blue used originally in the dining room.

This picture shows how well the plaster wall color works with the rock walls. 

Tom, you are a genius!!

So,I think you get it now. 

I painted my kitchen and stenciled the floors and could not be more thrilled with it.

 It just proves once again what a reflection our homes are of us and our personalities. 

I hope your kitchen makes you as happy as mine does!

As always, thanks for reading Hill Country House!

Round Top Winter Antique Show

I set up at the Winter Round Top Antique Show last month. 

The winter show is held every January for just one weekend.

 It's a great show, held at the Big Red Barn, and is a appealing mix of regular Round Top dealers, some dealers who typically set up at Marburger Farm during the spring and fall, and a variety of other antique dealers from Texas and other parts of the country.

Antique lovers, and curious lookers come from all over, but lots and lots from surrounding towns. 

I had quite a few customers from Houston, Austin and Dallas.

It was clearly a great getaway weekend for some groups of women.

 I could tell by their spirit of laughter and chatter - probably a great respite from the hectic pace of the holiday season just passed.

 

I won't say my booth was sparse - it was too full to be called gallery style - but I wanted to have some space around my things this show.

The French chairs sold immediately, so I really did  have some open space!

Some folks like lots of clutter treasure to dig through - I do too sometimes - and some like seeing a booth with fewer items displayed clearly, easy to see and study.

My photos were taken with my iPhone, so they are not the best, but I did have fun with some of the apps! 

Can you tell?

I love old handmade textiles and exhibited some of my best hand hooked rugs, professionally mounted and hanging on the walls. 

I think antique hooked rugs are often under appreciated for the art form that they are, and mounting and hanging elevates them to the level they deserve. 

Apparently several people agreed with me and a few went home with happy customers - actually, happy designers, taking them to clients!

The tramp art cross from North Carolina sold, and I have to say, it was one of my favorite pieces of folk art and hard to part with!

This is a fabulous offering box of some sort that I still have  - have to say I am not too sad about that.

One day it will find the right home!

The top of a painted tramp art box that left the show on Sunday - tramp art was a hit at this show.

The triangular chip carved folk art shelf came from Vermont years ago.

It has actually been in my collection and was one of those things I thought I would never part with.....but alas, if one wants to continue to collect, one must continue to sell!

 It went home with a designer from La Grange, Texas..... who, by the way,  I had the best time talking with and sharing antiquing stories with!! 

Just down the row from me were Hector and Susan Skinner of Fun Dustrial.

They always have the coolest things and set up the best displays!

Love the variety of dress forms.

What a wonderful old scale.

I LOVED this old urn filled with old iron garden stakes and wish I had stopped long enough to price these pieces. 

The urn itself had such gorgeous edges.

I thought the swans were such fun!! 

You can't see if from my photos but they had some old glitter on them, which I am always a sucker for!

Another great old urn!

 When I finally got to stroll around the barn on Sunday,
 I paid a visit to my friend Theresa of Garden Antiques Vintage.

She always has the best things and these clock faces are a great example!

Dress forms, vintage lace dresses, cowgirl hats,

old pewter, silver, and

love the yellow bicycle!!

I was so happy to see my old friend, Agnes, at the show. 

She used to sell tons and tons of dried flowers and wreaths, and may still.....but now she is also selling lots of sea shells and beautiful bottles with shells on top. 

All different sizes of bottles, and all shapes and colors.

 She had had a fantastic show by the time I saw her on Sunday, so she was low on inventory, and I still loved all that I saw!!

 Imagine what I missed!!

            She had a couple of lamps in her booth that I also liked as they reminded me of lighthouses. 

Aren't they great?

Love these.

Brought this one home with me!

Another old friend, and antique dealer extraordinaire, is my friend, Gayle Green. 

Gayle has been an antique dealer for years and years, and is now a regular Marburger dealer.

Gayle's antiques are classic. 

She is not a trend follower. 

Her things are good, they are true antiques, and they do not go in and out of style - they are timeless.

She knows majolica, chalkware, textiles, tramp art, and a variety of other antiques. 

I bought some of my first vintage faux bois pieces from Gayle many years ago before faux bois was in or out, and certainly before it was reproduced in big box store catalogs. 

Good, old chalk kitties.

I always love a good old basket with layers of old paint. Just love it.

So, there you have it. 

Just a smidge of what was good at the Round Top, Texas Winter antique show. There was a ton more - I just didn't get to see it all because I was so busy!! 

Next on the agenda? 

Fort Worth, Texas!! 

Yes sirree!! The 49th Annual Dolly Johnson Antique Show!!!

In fact, I am so excited about setting up at this show, it deserves it's very own post.....so, stay tuned!!!