A few years ago, a friend of mine told me about this bi-annual antique and collectibles show that takes over part of the Texas Countryside. Her name is Jen Perkins, and she and her family have been shopping this show for years...
Commonly referred to as "Roundtop" - the show takes over fields and fields of farmland in Roundtop and Warrenton, Texas every October and April. Dealers come from all over the country - and shoppers descend with trailers to take home their goodies.
My friends and I have been going for a couple of years - and the shopping just keeps getting better. The show continues through October 6th - so if you're in Central Texas - get on down there.
Look for lots of blogs about the treasures we saw and purchased at this year's show.... See more of my iTaggit Blogs here!
Austin is known for its slogan “Keep Austin Weird” because of the unique culture that thrives in the heart of Texas. From the “Hi, How Are You?” frog mural by Daniel Johnston on the side of the old Austin Sound Exchange music store on Guadalupe, to being dubbed “The Live Music Capitol of The World,” the eccentric side of this city is visible where ever you are. 666photography was founded by Gayla, a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and her vision adds to what makes this town so great.
She has always been interested in modern rockabilly culture, art nouveau, vaudeville, and Victorian fashion, so she was naturally inclined to begin shooting glamorous pinup photography. Gayla has early recollections of family outings to antique auctions or estate sales and has been collecting distinct pieces since she was small. Her first major purchase as a child was a 1930's armoir, and her furniture collection has since grown so vast that her storage room “looks like a bomb blew up in a vintage store.” There is no idea Gayla and 666photography can't recreate for their models. They build their sets from the ground up, and often hand make their costumes, hats, and accessories to form the concept perfectly.
Gayla was the photographer for the cover of Halloween Man, which I featured last week. Jami Deadly, who portrays the character on the cover, has modeled for Gayla on numerous occasions, and is married to Drew Edwards, the writer/creator of Halloween Man. Gayla knew if she combined her photography with Jami's look, they could give Drew the cover shot of Lucy, a main character in HM, he was looking for.
666photography currently has numerous projects in the works including two books, one of them covering the Seven Deadly Sins, and their schedule is filled through December 2007. If you would like to make an appointment and discuss a photography shoot with Gayla, you can reach her through her MySpace page here. To ensure you grab her attention, she humorously encourages titling messages to the effect of “Read This! I Want To Give You My Money,” and that should bump you up to the top of her respondee list.
Be on the lookout for the conclusion of this trilogy with my upcoming blog featuring Jami Deadly!
Today I used iTaggit's awesome research feature to find out more about a piece of pottery I purchased last year. It's a funky bowl from the 1950's with a gorgeous linnear design and a pretty glaze. I was able to make out DITMAR URBACH on the mark, and found a website with a history of this pottery online, as well as photos of their marks.
It's a Czecheslovakian factory that has it's origins in the late 1800s, and was two factories combined into one. After going through several ownerships, it was confiscated by the Nazi's in 1938, and then nationalized in 1945. I found this info on the Collector's Circle website.
I was also able to find a matching piece online! I have contacted the owner of this vase to see about buying it, and used their selling price as a reference in valuing mine.
Now - onto Texas Traditions. For those of you who don't know, Texas has a rich history of immigrants from Eastern Europe. One of the cultural groups that is thriving is that of Czech Descendants. Any Texan can swear by a homemade Kolache - yummy pastries with fruit (or many other) fillings that are sold all over the State.
I have fond memories of going to the Texas Folk Life Festival as a kid, eating Kolaches, and going 2-Steppin' at the local SPSJT Hall. In fact, no road trip from Austin to Dallas is complete without a stop in West, Texas - home of the best Kolaches around!
So you see - I was meant to own this piece of Czech Pottery - it's right at home here in Central Texas! Without iTaggit, I never would have learned all this info. One of the things I love so much about collecting is how it can enrich your life!
See my decorations collection here, and check out more of my blog posts here!
