Gather up your gilt mirrors, your marble busts, your vintage china, your grand taxidermy and your impossibly poised Grecian daybed.
Now artfully arrange it all on pallets and stacks of hay and carpets of sawdust, under mossy twigs and newspaper shreds and frayed tussles of rope and twine.
Voilá. Your Marburger booth is now a standout space and the buzz of the show.
Sometimes, just sometimes, my home accessories obsession expands to include fashion accessories.
This western-y Warrenton booth grabs you with its mountainous pile of big plastic letters. But if you wander in a bit you’ll see that in fact, it’s a great source of vintage bags, western shirts, belts and other fashion finds. The Gypsy Thredz blanket totes were my favorite, all tricked out with super nice leather details. Someone on my list will be getting one of these next Christmas, so cross your fingers.
And DIYers check it out: Mexican blankets… transformed into an upholstered footstool with a leather pouch appliqué detail that takes it to the next level of fabulous. Shouldn’t we all promise to add a special little patch or pocket or something to our future reupholstery projects?
There’s so much coming at me during the show that I can start to shut down and go a little numb. I don’t fight the overload fatigue; I just stay in cruise control and wait for something fresh and surprising to jump out at me, like these phenomenal custom mirrors from the Mirror-tique guys in the Arbor Field tents.
Some are distressed and some are imprinted with patterns of lace, landscapes, water droplets or abstract art. Some go modern, some are granny cool. All of them are smoky and subtle and any one of them would be perfect on your dining room wall.
These dealers definitely bring the goods for the girls and for the boys. This show they had a booth selling only authentic airplane parts. And an amazing kitchenware selection. Certain high-end retailers I know always put Texas Rose on their must-shop list, so that tells you something about the selection and the prices.
Am I the last person to know about Higgins Glass? How can something so mid-cench, artisinalicious, colorwonderous and still in production have escaped me? Step back, Heath Ceramics.
My Higgins stumble-upon happened in Warrenton at 2 Hats Antiques (you know them, the big tent on the other side of the street on the corner with all that great china and glassware). They’re longtime fans of the studio’s “modern miracles with everyday glass” and their booth has a divine display of vintage pieces.
I’m not sure which I love more, the glass or the story of Michael and Francis Higgins. They could’ve been East Austin hipsters! Here’s the short version: Young design student couple sets up kilns behind the sofa in their Chicago apartment to explore the art of glass fusion and eventually builds an empire. Thanks to the talents of Louise and Jon Wimmers, the Riverside, IL studio lives on today. Hmm, my parents both grew up about 45 minutes from there – could that be why I feel such a connection?
Don’t be shocked if you see me at the studio’s annual Holiday Open House sale this December. Let me know if you want to go with.
To best appreciate my affection for Demir and all of the guys at Nomadic, you’ll need to close your eyes. And feel the sun. Feel its baking ability. Really feel it penetrate the skin on your arms. Then feel your feet. Feel your soles becoming ever more tender. Now your knapsack. Feel the little treasures you’ve been collecting dig the string straps a bit deeper into your shoulders. And your water bottle. Feel its reassuring presence. Reassuring, but no longer refreshing, because the water long ago went tepid.
Now open your eyes! Enter the peace and cool and quiet and comfort of the Nomadic Trading booth. Look how beautiful. And listen. They’re sincerely glad you’re here, inviting you to come in and share their space for a while. They’d love to sell you a rug (and they have), but hey, no pressure. Please let’s just sit and enjoy and reflect together on how lucky we all are to be surrounded by such exotic beauty out in the fields of the Texas countryside.
The good news? You've discovered The Crush List. The not so good? I haven't been actively posting here for a few years now, which means the never terribly reliable details about my crushes are even more unreliable. Antique vendors have switched venues, shops in town have moved or passed on, donkeys may or may not be in the same front yards... In spite of the risks of massive misdirection I've left the site up in hopes that it still achieves its goal - to inspire you to visit Round Top for the Antiques Show or any time you have the time.
With that said, I leave you to explore this random list of my very favorite things about my very favorite place. I’ve tried to capture the area’s special pieces and parts. Some are big deal, some are small gestures, some are legendary and some are just tiny pip and squeak.
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