Warrenton, Texas 2010...

Welcome to my World in Warrenton, Texas. I had intended to take more pictures of everything like I did last time, blog more, etc., but I had to go to Warrenton with a very heavy heart. My only child, my son, passed away on March 1. I went to Warrenton on the 14th! His birthday was the 31st of March. I won't say more, but I thought I needed to have an explanation as to why I didn't do the usual blogging. I am just now getting around to adding anything to my blog, but I think things will be picking up. It certainly keeps me occupied.

Vintage 1900's Night Shirts Made of Old Grain Bags

Old suitcase full of Boy Scout items from the 50's

Old general store display doll.

1880's French Settee that went to Dallas, Texas

One of the first sales of the show. Yes, that is Tiffany
blue. Two Tiffany goblets when the same day.

One of several showcases!

The top of an 1880's French Desk that went with
a decorator to Dallas. Second nice sale of the show!

Blogging From Round Top/Warrenton

Okay guys and gals...time to start blogging from Warrenton/Round Top. Give me a few days and then it all begins. I just want to give a warm and appreciative shout out to all of my dear friends that came by the Funky Finds Spring Fling. I appreciate you Terri, Martha, Pam, Grace, Renea, Janet, Angela and her mom, Carrie, Michele, Janis, Carissa from Festivities, and many gals that came to the shop. I really enjoyed seeing you all and getting to hug you. You have all been so supportive and prayerful. I couldn't be making it without you all. (My only son passed away on March 1) and where would I be without your prayers and concern.

Okay...also...got lots of people signed up for the workshops. They will start in May and I will sure get the word out on when they will be, cost, time, etc.

Thanks to all who came in the booth at the Spring Fling and left your email addresses. All emails go out blind carbon copy and no one can see your email address. I prefer to keep it private.

Well, yall leave a comment for me and let me know what is going on.

The Spring Fling

Spring Fling was fabulous dahlings! Great turnout, great pets and adoptions, doorprizes, live music. Great all around. People everywhere shopping! Here are a few pictures that I took that came out pretty good. Enjoy.

Okay...yall listen up and pay attention. I will be blogging from Round Top/Warrenton, Texas again in the next few weeks. I try and take lots of interesting pictures of people, places, and things. Tell your friends to check it out if they have never been. It is Fabulous dahlings!!!

Vintage for Sale

Here are a few vintage dresses that I like to say are "Mad Men" era dresses. Also, a couple of the really costumish items are from the early 1900's and are oddfellow lodge garb. They all will go on ebay as soon as I find the time. I have more, but chose to put just these on. Soon I am going to start listing items for sale from my blog. Stay tuned. Thanks.

Snow in Texas...who wudda thought!

Friend Angela Burk's Creative Studio

Friday I made a little visit to my friend Angela's house. We spent some time in her studio where she creates. I took a few pictures. They do not do the space justice. We had a sweet time and did some planning for the Spring Fling and our workshops that she will be helping with.

Busy Busy Busy

Well here it is February 27 and where goes the time? I am busy getting my creations ready for the Funky Finds Spring Fling on March 13. I have made collage, jewelry and more jewelry to sell, plus I am getting the info together to present the workshops I will be offering in May. I am also pondering what I am going to take to the big south Texas show in Round Top/Warrenton, Texas. I will have a 20'x40' canopy down there and I must fill it. I will be down there for at least three weeks. It really is a long show, but very worth it. There is never a boring moment. Fun, friendly, people from all over the U.S. Lots of live entertainment on the weekends and always some late nite shopping to attend after hours. I will be blogging from down there again, as I did last show in the fall, so watch the blog. It will be very informative and lively!

Great Old Finds

Take a look at this sweet little German Child's Paint Set. I gauge it to be from the 1930's. I love the illustration on the outside of the wooden box kit. I don't know who the illustrator was, but I thought it very typical of 1930's French illustrations. I was so happy and delighted when I found this! This little artist's kit measures 9"x13". I believe this child was so thrilled to get this little kit.


These are some of the old tube paints and crayons that were in the kit itself. The tube paints were labeled in four languages. This kit had many sheets of drawings that the child had sketched and painted, including one that was a picture of his/her house labeled "Our House -the finest".

This is the top tray of the paint kit with all of the brushes, oil paints, water colors, crayons, and instructions book. This tray lifts out and the sketches were kept underneath.


Another Little Orphan

Here is a sweet kangaroo I picked up at a recent estate sale. As you can see, he is fabricated of felt. He was well loved and cherished, you can tell, by the way they took the time to patch his neck, foot, and several patches on his tail. I don't know why, but I am attracted to, and must take in all little orphans of his type and give them a home in my studio. I have other pictures on the blog of my sweet little orphans. He is about 14" tall.

Welcome to February

Hello and welcome to February. This month is ushering in many new things and I am so glad. Last year went out with a sad sigh.

Today I decided on colors for my workshop area. I am living in a house that started out as an investment flip house, but as it goes, it is becoming quite homey and comfy. It is a mid-century modern that the original builder added Frank Lloyd Wright features to. My whole neighborhood is like that. Some have more FLW features than others. Well, anyway, my garage is being converted to a workshop/garage. I still need to park my little Miata convertible somewhere. But is is going to work out quite nicely. I picked out the paint today and it will probably be painted tomorrow.

Next, I have been playing with some new images I found on Etsy from a girl in Italy. I want to have a new business card by the time the Funky Finds Spring Fling comes up on March 13 and I am trying to design it myself. By the way, it doesn't work to click on the link above. I don't know why. I have also been designing an ad for their colorful, beautifully glossy magazine that is available for free at the venue. The Spring Fling has me sooo excited! I am trying to get some unique jewelry made, workshop examples put together, flyers, display ideas, and so on. You can click on the little Funky Finds doggy at the top and see what they are all about. Joe and Jessica Dougherty are very talented promoters, not to mention great illustrators and blog/web savy. I don't think there is anything they can't do. I am going to ask Joe how to add to my blog so I can start offering free images.

I vended at Canton First Monday this past week. Boy was it cold, but I still sold alot of stuff. A wide variety, some old frames, small pieces of furniture, two old military bags with eastern writing on them, books, jewelry, toys, and just a wide variety in general. I even parted with a few of my old cabinet cards. Sold them to a lady that uses them in making her custom jewelry. I may go back next month. Maybe it will be warmer!

Now you know what has been going on here. I can't wait until the workshops start again. Get to see my artsy fartsy, old and new, workshop leaders. Swell people that have really added color to my world.

Whoever is out there reading this, give me a shout and let me know your interests and ideas. I would love to see some of your art. If you are local to Ft. Worth, Texas and offer workshops, let me hear from you. If you have a workshop idea, let me hear about it.

Take care and I am as near as my little netbook. Isn't that comforting? :)

Peace and Love.

Happy New Inspirational Year

Well here it is a new year. I am excited about this new year! I have a new studio to work in and a workshop space also in the makings. I will do my "soft" creating in the studio and the "tool type" creating in the workshop. I hope all of you have in some way started something new as well. Whether it be a new piece of art, a goal, resolution, I wish you great success in this new year. Everyday is a new day to start over and start again to reach our goals. I believe we were created to be successful in our talents and desires. Faith plays a big, big role in how we face our challenges and the changes in life. I choose to be the best I can be this year.

I want to say a big hello to my friends and Followers. I know I have been slack in adding to my blog, but the past three months have been a challenge for time, emotion, and energy for me. I had to deal with several issues, but I'M BACK! I hope you will enjoy the new pictures I have added. These are things that make me happy, creative, and amused. Some of these things I will have with me forever and some of these things will be incorporated into workshops.

I want to tell you about a great artist venue that is coming up in March. It is the Funky Finds Spring Fling. It is March 13, from 9am-3pm. It will be held in the small exhibits building (poultry) at the Will Rogers Memorial Center, located at 3409 Burnett-Tandy Dr., Ft. Worth, Texas, 76107. It will be filled to capacity with artists and creations of every kind. There will be raffles, music, and the Humane Society will be there for pet adoptions. Eight pets were adopted last year. I will be vending there as well. If you were interested in vending, there is a wait list. YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS IT! Tell everyone you know and come make a day of it. Last year I bought some wonderful homemade soap, a cute headband, a felted bird's nest, and lots of assemblage pieces. Now that's a variety. You can click on the little Funky Finds dog icon to the left on my blog page to check the Spring Fling out and everything else that Funky Finds has to offer, including online shops, advertising, and giveaways. As an artist, I just cannot say enough about them. Funky Finds website lists art venues and goings-on all over the U.S.

I wanted to let you know that all of the pictures I have posted tonight (Sat. 16th, 2010) are current pictures that I took today, but I did not update the date option on my camera, so looks like they were taken back in 08. WRONG! All pictures are new and current.

Let me hear from you and I wish you happy trails.

Hidy Yall. Just a little post to let you know that The Altered Muse is working really hard on getting the studio and the workshop complete. I have run into a little delay due to a terminal illness in my family, but I am still very excited about my studio and workshop and am doing alot of planning for workshops. Angela that does the soldering workshops is going to be working with me to get things up and running and we have some exciting thoughts and plans. The Funky Finds Spring Fling is going to happen in March. If you click on the Funky Finds icon at the first of the blog, you will read all about it. There are artists coming from everywhere in the U.S. to participate. Talk about inspiration. I love to see what everyone is creating these days. Not just painters, for example, but recycling, refurbishing, re-using, reinventing, all those good words describing inventive ways to create and save the planet. That is what I am for.

I want to take this time to wish you all Happy Holidays. Be safe and be blessed.

Pam...The Altered Muse

Things Are Winding Down

Well good friends and followers, the physical location of The Altered Muse is about to come to an end, but everything else is still going strong. The closing sale has gone wonderfully and people have been coming in to pick up their favorite things on sale. I will be blogging about new locations where I will be selling and creating. Tuesday will be the last day. I have been moving stuff out for about 2 weeks. I am taking the cream of the crop...the creme de la creme...bee's knees...of the assemblage, ephemera, metal works, textiles, and just all the really great stuff to my studio at home and am leaving the rest to those that can create with it. The studio is all a mess with pieces everywhere just waiting to be put in their new little drawer or cubby. The studio is all abuzz with the new arrival of wood, metal, and texture. Can't wait to take some before and after pictures to show you.

Well I know I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks and I wasn't going to say anything, but I lost my precious little momma eight days ago and it has been a bit overwhelming as you can imagine. She was a jewel and definitely the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. I had that read at her memorial in her memory.

I hope you all have a great week and I will be writing again soon to show you the new studio. Take care.

NEWSFLASH

Hello Dahlings...just wanted to catch you up on the latest. The Altered Muse is "taking it to the road". I will be taking my mixed media components, assemblage pieces, antiques, and accoutrements in general with me when I do antique and art shows. I will no longer have a physical location. I had to make this decision and it was tough, but when the store is closed for two months at a time for outside jobs that are very lucrative, I had no choice, but to go with the most profit. I will still be blogging from interesting places, sending little email notes and reminders of where I will be, and just news in general. I have a little studio at my house, but I am going to expand into a workshop there also. I will continue to do workshops, starting in January, I hope, and will be inviting great instructors to continue their workshops. I have an estate liquidation service and have been quite busy with that. As you know, I just came back from Warrenton, being down there for almost a month. I am glad to be back.

I want to take this time to give a shout out to some great artists and instructors that have presented classes at the store. Michele Mayfield, Sue Gordon, Renea Hipp, Shirley Hand, Angela Burks, Carrie Gunning, and Ann-Denise Anderson, the crepe paper queen and featured Somerset artist. I so enjoyed having a fun workshop area at the store for artists to come and explore their talents. The workshop at my home will be just as fun and whimsical.

I want to say how much it thrills me to see the faces of the followers of the blog. Dare I say I would love to give all of yall a big ole Texas hug? I know a few of you are my personal friends, but more of you maybe watch to see hats, dogs, or amusing pictures, workshop info or whatever. In two weeks, my PC is going home with me (ooh thats scary, 24 hr access). I still didn't get all of the pictures on of Warrenton. That is not to say I won't though.

A GREAT BIT OF INFORMATION: March 13, 2010, will be the great Funky Finds Spring Fling in Ft. Worth, Texas. I will be there along with others who have done workshops here at the store. Jessica and Joe Dougherty have done a wonderful job of promoting artists, crafters, merchandise, and just plain informational (is that a word?) fun. Just type in FunkyFinds.us or click on the funky green little pooch at the top of this blog, and you will go to one of the most informative and fun blogs or websites in the the art world. Everything you need to know.

Well I think this is enough for today. Don't want you to get red eyes from reading or anything. I will be be back on here soon enough with some fun pictures. Please take care of yourselves and at this time remember our military and their families. I think we are blessed to have these dedicated warriors watching out for us.