It has been so much fun this week looking at everyone’s COLLECTIONS…. gave me so many great new ideas & things to look for when out & about…  And there are tons of things going on in Weston MO this weekend… auctions, sales & more auctions.  Hard to hit it all, if only I had twice the time & twice the money, you know…  Please stop by the Cactus Creek STORE if you’re going to be in the neighborhood!!!

The image above is my favorite personal collection ~ Mexican Bateas.  I’ve collected them for years and have gotten to the point that I’m pretty picky on size, wear and price.  I like them well-worn, cheap, and either really big or really small… these are in my laundry room which is a place I seem to spend a lot of time.  I figure if I have to fold clothes then I might as well be surrounded by the things I love.

Who knows what next week will bring… but I hope to see you here.  Have a great one… love, fancy

p.s. Round up of all of the week’s COLLECTIONS below… plus a few more batea pics.

Reading LIST: Collecting

COLLECTING: Pottery

Artist Tamara Ruiz’s BOOT COLLECTION {plus new jewelry}

COLLECTING: Pendleton * Trade * Camp * Vintage * Beacon BLANKETS

Artist DOLAN GEIMAN’S Rescued Wood Construction COLLECTION

COLLECTING: Paper * Postcards * Posters * Personal INSPIRATION

Jewelry Designer COREEN CORDOVA’S Collections

COLLECTING: BRIGHT Fiestaware * Santos * Mexican Pottery * Turquoise jewelry & MORE!!

COLLECTING: Honey Pots

** Click HERE for more COLLECTIONS **

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One of my favorite girlfriends here in Weston MO is Christy Shafer who owns a FANTASTIC store called Locust Grove Antiques & Interiors.  Christy has spot on taste ~ you should see her house, I’ll take pictures sometime, it’s so beautiful!!  Anyway, when I started doing all these COLLECTIONS this week she sent me a little note, “do you want to see my honey pots??”  Hmmmm, yes, I guess. I had no idea what she was talking about.

Then she sent me the pictures of her Honey Pot collection… what a great & unique assembly of little pots!!

But then I had to ask, what, when, where and how much?? 
Here is what Christy had to say…
You know how it happens – I bought one really cute one that caught my eye and then not too long later I noticed another one.  Whamo! Instant collection!  And it took off from there.  Then family got in on it and I was getting them for birthdays and things. 

I had this sweet handmade cabinet that my husband’s grandpa made which had a green wash over it and looked awesome with the pots.  I started putting them in there and I knew once it was full the collection was done.  So I told the family to quit buying them for me and I got a lot more selective. 

The cabinet is full now and my collection is complete.  I still check prices if I happen to see one while out junking, I guess I know I could always squeeze one more in if I had to.  I started this collection in the mid nineties and you could still pick them up for $12-14 or so.  Now I’d say they are usually $20-25, even a little more for special ones.

Be sure to check out the BIG SALE at Christy’s store ~ Locust Grove ~ this weekend in Weston MO… so many beautiful things at a great price!!

** Click HERE for more COLLECTIONS **

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These are more collections, full of BRIGHT COLORS, that have inspired me for years.  I love collecting Mexican Pottery for myself, and loads of turquoise jewelry… I hope someday that I’m able to find a space to add in some Fiestaware {and of course that Ransburg Pottery is still singing my name!!}.

{via Country Living, June 2010}

{via Country Living, November 1993}

** Click HERE for more COLLECTIONS **

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Coreen Cordova is a jewelry designer best known for her necklaces {and now belts} laden with pendants from around the world.  The beauty of Coreen’s jewelry is that it’s personal, as each person designs their own pieces by choosing the necklace they love, and then picking out pendants that speak to them, one by one, until they have created a COLLECTION that reveals the things they love.

Coreen’s passion for her business is palpable as she is committed to each and every customer’s joy with the jewelry they choose for themselves.  Just as customers pick out their COLLECTIONS, Coreen is deeply inspired by her own personal collections…

from Coreen… “My house and the collections are an enormous influence on my jewelry work! I live with color, texture, shape, symbolism, and faith and those same elements are reflected in the jewelry that I design.”

love it all!!!!  thanks so much, Coreen… xofancy

** Click HERE for more COLLECTIONS **

** Click HERE for more **
Rutic * Western * Vintage Fashion & Jewelry

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Someday I’m going to have an entire wall {or hallway or room or whatever} dedicated completely to all the images I love…. pictures of my boys when they were born, inspirational quotes, restaurant menus, vintage concert posters, and souvenirs from vacations.  Sooo, these images are great examples of COLLECTING all the ephmera that make you YOU. 

Something a little like this…………

{via Domino Magazine, August 2007}
John Derian’s ~ decorative arts designer ~ workspace.

{via Architectural Digest}
Vintage Poster Collection ~ stunning colors and a great way to remember life’s getaways.

{via Country Home}
This was one of the early images that seemed to inspire the whole black & white-photo wall-pottery barn-look from several years ago.  It’s classic, and still a great way to display personal and inspirational images.

{via Country Living}
“with a little imagiation, and a few inexpensive frames, you can transform anything ~ postcards, wrapping paper, place mats ~ into a masterpiece.”

{via Country Living, September 2009}
My favorite part of this image is the shadow boxes filled with small groupings ~ who says the only thing you can hang on a wall is a picture??  Put an alarm clock, feather, shells, jewelry, belt buckles…. anything, into a shadow box and it becomes instant art.

{via Country Living, March 2009}
If you use all black & white pictures then try mixing up the frames for more interest!!

more COLLECTIONS tomorrow… xo+fancy

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Talking this week about COLLECTIONS & I want to share this one from Artist Dolan Geiman… His stunning art work is most often inspired from life’s cast offs.  I have been to his studio in Chicago and it is really stunning to see how Dolan’s creative spirit can turn his life experiences, stuff on the streets, and inspiration from nature, into spectacular rustic art.

From Dolan about these materials… The pieces of ephemera that get stuck in life’s teeth tend to attract my attention the most.  I often say I collect like a scientist, I deliver like an evangelist, I sing like a sailor, and I think like a farmer, planting ideas and getting my hands dirty every day. All of the things I collect only live in my arms for a short time before I disassemble them, reassemble them, reinterpret them, or add them as ingredients to my next art meal. A snakeskin or rusted license plate to me is like a nugget of gold in the miners grip.

Dolan’s work and creative process continues to inspire me… thanks Dolan & Ali!!!  y’all are the best…

** Click HERE for more from DOLAN GEIMAN **

** Click HERE for more COLLECTIONS **

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I love collecting blankets and textiles… for years I have hoped to take vintage blankets and use them to recover a great pair of Old Hickory chairs that currently sit in our sun room.  When looking for images for this post I also saw the idea of re-covering headboards with vintage blankets ~ LOVE that idea!!  And there is also the idea of taking some blankets with holes and salvaging them for pillows or quilts…

So what is it about BLANKETS??  the colors, the textures, the HISTORY…

{source unknown}

“CAMP” blankets were originally manufactured from 1920 to 1940 by the Beacon Manufacturing Company. In fact they sold so many {21 million/year in the late 1930′s} that “Beacon” became a generic name for the cotton camp blanket. Beacon pitched its product as a modern marvel: a fluffier, less expensive, moth-proof alternative to wool that was easier to clean and just as warm. Their designs originally copied Navajo hand weavings although at their peak, Beacon produced as many as 1500 styles.

{via Country Living House of the Year 2009}

BRIEF HISTORY of Pendleton Blankets:

1909 ~ Brothers Clarence, Roy, and Chaunecry Bishop opened a wool factory in the town of Pendleton, Oregon.  After studying the design preferences of area Native American tribes, Pendleton rolls out its debut Indian trading blanket, a jacquard weave.

1916 ~ The Bishop brothers partner with the National Park Service to produce a series of blankets celebrating treasured American landscapes.

1924 ~ Pendleton expands into men’s apparel with wool shirts.

1941 ~ During WWII, Pendleton devotes all its manufacturing to making blankets that keep American troops overseas warm.

{Pendleton History via Country Living, February 2010}

{source unknown}

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** Click HERE for more COLLECTIONS **

** Click HERE for BLANKETS from Cactus Creek!! **

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Here at CCD.com we love Artist Tamara Ruiz… she makes beautiful MIXED MEDIA Jewelry and Western & Landscape ART.  She has some beautiful new jewelry to show us, but first I want to share her fantastic BOOT COLLECTION {below}. 

This week is all about collections… seeing people’s collections is like a window into their creative hearts.  It’s an opportunity to see their favorite colors, shapes, textures and designs.  All of these define a persons style, which means that Tamara Ruiz has a kick-booty style.  LOVE these boots!!!!!

And now let’s look at Tamara’s new jewelry…. Inspired by our WEDDING WEEK she decided to put her own spin on ”wedding whites” with some new necklaces. 

She used nuggets and chunks of citrine, rutilated quartz and agate to give the necklaces a more organic feel.  She combined matte and smooth beads of cork, recycled glass, mother of pearl and bone for a variety of textures.  

She also incorporated some vintage white Masai beads from Africa, heishi shell beads, a Victorian bone button, a weathered beach stone from Lake Michigan and a chunky piece of creamy fossilized coral to give my necklaces an unexpected element.  A couple of the necklaces feature centerpieces of handforged steel to push the rustic feel just a bit more. 

Thanks, Tamara!!!!! xo+fancy

** Click HERE for more COLLECTIONS **

** Click HERE for more **
Rustic * Western * Vintage Fashion & Jewelry

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{via Country Living, March 2003}

Ransburg  Pottery Collection… I’ve always loved this form of pottery and have thought about starting a collection.  Pretty sure this image is just what I needed to start collecting immediately.  Learn all about Ransburg Pottery right HERE.

{source unknown}

Nemadji Pottery Collection.  Learn more HERE.

{source unknown}

Zulu Telephone Wire Art… wow.  I’m not sure how often I would be able to find this art form here in Midwest America, but it’s really amazing.  Learn more HERE!!

{source unknown}

Zuni Pottery Collection… stunning.  More info about Zuni Pottery right HERE.

 So many COLLECTIONS that are tempting.

** Click HERE for more COLLECTIONS **

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Last week was a whirlwind with summer activities and VBS… I was barely able to organize a complete thought, much less a post on CCD.com.  After posting the one collection of crosses that I was able to eek out, it got me thinking about collections in general.  Everyone has that one thing that they collect, while some of us have many things we collect and acquire.  THREE is the official quantity that qualifies something as a collection, while some people they have 100′s of items in their collection {I hope its not dolls like those folks on hoarders ~ yikes}.  Whatever it is that draws you in and captures your attention in multiples, one of the greatest parts of collecting is displaying.  The impact a collection makes when displayed as a whole transforms a room and gives it the distinct personality of the owner of the space.  This week on CCD.com we’re going to talk about collections…

SO, WHAT DO YOU COLLECT??

** Click HERE for more BOOKS we love!! **

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