Hard to believe we’ve already been back from Texas for a week… I think I’m finally getting caught up and back into the groove of things.  As always I have returned and feel like I didn’t see all the people I wanted to visit with, didn’t take nearly enough pictures, and could have stayed at least another week.

Thankfully I did get some time to visit with Judy Hill from Judy Hill Designs at Marburger Farm.  She is one of my favorite people to visit with because she is always so humble and sweet and honest.  Judy’s spin on “soft industrial” is always spot on and her merchandising is over the top.  I have included a few pictures of this Fall’s space for you to swoon over… past years are HERE.

I’ve probably shared this story a bazillion times but here goes again… one of the reasons I enjoy Judy so much is from a conversation we had on the phone a year or two ago.  This may or may not have been how the conversation went, but this is how I remember it… I asked her if she had any personal collections and she said, {insert her tiny texas voice} “No.. and if I ever have then I don’t remember them.”  then she said, “I love to buy beautiful things and sell beautiful things. I don’t like to collect beautiful things.”  It was like someone had given me wings… I was freed from collecting and I was free to buy and sell all things, because after all, they are just things.

Thanks Judy for all the inspiration & never ending ideas… xofancy

** Click HERE for more from MARBURGER FARM **

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My absolute favorite, must see vendor when I go to Texas for Round Top Antique Week is always 2 Girls Stuff at Marburger Farm… they didn’t make it last spring so I was so happy to see them last week and I’m dying to share the ideas that they brought to the show!!

They don’t have a website, they don’t do other shows… they are just two girls with “real” jobs who love to pick and show up every Spring and Fall.  This year they showed up as usual with their quirky, western, Navajo, industrial style that I just can’t get enough of.

Cactus + Antlers + old Iron Container… love

I have been collecting & selling gauges like this for a while without a real certainty of what to do with them.  I have seen them on stands and attempted to translate the idea but have yet to find someone who could do it for me.  I’m not sure how to do this either but it’s freakin’ fantastic…

This guy was SOLD within the first couple of hours of opening the booth. I’m not surprised… 

When I grow up I want my store to look just like this!!!  Thanks for the inspiration 2 girls… xofancy

** Click HERE for more from 2 Girls Stuff **

** Click HERE for more from **
Marburger Farm Antique Show

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Today I had the great opportunity to attend a luncheon at Rachel Ashwell’s new store and B&B, The Prairie by Rachel Ashwell.  BIG thanks to Kelly Copeland from The Hidden List for hosting the lunch which was catered by the ALWAYS delicious Royer’s Round Top Cafe {Shrimp BLT & Chocolate Chip Pie was to die for}.  After lunch we got to visit with Rachel Ashwell and have a personal tour of her store and Bed & Breakfast.

Rachel purchased the property about a year ago and has transformed it into a Shabby Chic mecca with Texas charm and vintage style that is trademark Shabby Chic ~ white cottons, florals and distressed textures.

We had lunch here, in the Ranger’s Lounge & Common Area. Did I mention that we had Royer’s Round Top Cafe for lunch?? Holey sugar high & happy happy palette dance…

Even the bathroom is pretty as a picture… I loved the juxtaposition of feminine wallpaper, rustic metal & masculine barn wood.

sooooo much more after the BREAK >>>

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Sure hope to run into these girls again during Round Top Antique Week!!!

On our very last day in Texas we were taking one last spin through the fields in Warrenton and I came across these girls… Wendy and Ciindy from
Ms. Wendy’s Antiques in Senoia, Georgia. I just loved their style and merchandise!! I really wanted to take home those BIG BROWN leather chairs but there was no way I could fit them in the truck and I couldn’t find them a ride home… next time I’m taking a very big trailer!!!

** Click HERE for more from Round Top Antique Week **

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More BEST OF CCD as we count down the last few days before heading to Texas… this post is from Spring 2009 after I was first introduced to Richard and Janet Schmidt… their joyful spirits and attitudes ooze out of their beautiful jewelry… even if you can’t make it to Texas {be sure to visit the Schmidt’s this fall at Marburger Farm!!} you have a great opportunity to get to know their work on their website right HERE. 

Last fall during Round Top Antique Week I was introduced to Richard and Janet Schmidt ~ a married duo whose talents, creativity, and keen eye create endless STYLE. During Round Top Antique Week they set up an unassuming display for their jewelry on Round Top’s town square. It’s not until you enter their little white tent that you realize you have stumbled upon something really special… jewelry that is created with SPIRIT and SUBSTANCE, and is sure to be the next big rage.

This spring I had a chance to peek into Richard and Janet’s permanent showroom, Schmidt’s, which is in the town square of La Grange, Texas {just 20 minutes south of Round Top, and halfway between Houston and Austin}. As suspected, I was not disappointed… Art, jewelry, photography and pottery are just the beginning of the journey through Schmidt’s.

Richard’s distinct jewelry designs set the tone for the space which has been a family owned business since 1977 {Richard and Janet have owned it together for 9 years}. In addition to their own designs, Richard related that “other artists they show are Dave Newman, Brad and Sundie Ruppert, Clayton McDermott, Rustic Attitude, and Tara Gasparian. They also have a great selection of diamond and colored stone jewelry, santos, oaxacan pottery, wrought iron and wooden crosses, beads and many other great tchotchkes.”

I also asked Richard about how he got started designing jewelry, “I first made jewelry about 30 years ago while in college. It wasn’t until 1995 when Janet and I decided we wanted to raise our children in the small town I grew up in that I decided to do jewelry design full time. I am mostly self taught with lots of trial and some error. This is truly my passion and I am blessed that I get to do this every day.” Richard’s passion is evident in his detailed and INPSPIRED designs.

“Schmidt’s is a small town store and gallery with great merchandise, Texas hospitality, and a warm atmosphere…” The Schmidt’s work hard “to find unusual and one of a kind pieces that will fit even the most discriminating budget.” This is definitely a place that you must stop if you are traveling between Houston and Austin ~ or go for the day, it’s a great drive… ROAD TRIP!!

Click HERE for more pictures of the Schmidt’s Jewelry

** Click HERE for the Schmidt’s **
COUNTDOWN to Round Top

** Click HERE for our Western Jewelry GUIDE **

** Click HERE for more **
Rustic * Western * Vintage FASHION

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A couple of years ago I got the best gift ever, from the best restaurant ever… Royer’s Round Top Cafe ~ here is another BEST OF CCD & another must not miss place if you are headed to Round Top Antique Week!!!

p.s. you must have reservations if you want to eat at Royer’s in the next couple of weeks ~ reservations are now being accepted {but they are already 75% full}!!!  just call 979-249-3611 to get hooked up ~ the cafe will be back open & taking reservations Tuesday at 4pm!!!

Today I came home to perhaps the greatest gift I could receive… a Pecan Pie from TEXAS. My very, very favorite at Royer’s Round Top Cafe!! Thanks, BUD!!!!! Big love, Fancy

Every time we visit Round Top our trip begins with a feast at Royer’s Round Top Cafe on Monday night… it’s the perfect way to prepare our tastebuds for a week of indulgence. One of the best parts of a visit to Royer’s is sitting on the front porch waiting for dinner. Bud Royer {an owner at the Cafe} always sits outside with his clipboard in one hand, glasses perched on his nose, hands covered in turquoise while he welcomes each guest.

Like the sign says, it’s the only porch “Where People Rush to Wait”. Trust me, it’s worth the wait!!

During Round Top week, stationed just outside of Royer’s Round Top Cafe, is a cheerful tent occupied by Texas artist Melissa Brownlow. Her bright art catches your eye immediately and makes you think of HAPPY times.

Perfect for the beach house, lake house, ski house, bar basement or as a big, happy “gooood morning” in your breakfast nook ~ Melissa’s junk~turned~art is a must have for Round Top shoppers.

Learn more about Melissa HERE.

Order your own pie HERE.
sorry, I’m not sharing mine.

** Click HERE for Bud Royer’s Countdown to Round Top **

** Click HERE for more ARTISTS **
you will LOVE

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More from years gone by at Round Top Antique Week… this from what I believe is the biggest and best of all the show that take place during Antique Week ~ MARBURGER FARM.  This Fall’s Show will start on Tuesday, September 27 thru Saturday, October 1. 
{more info about this Fall’s show HERE}

I always love the time spent at Marburger Farm Antique Show during Round Top Antique Week… 40 lovely acres of Texas country covered with a dozen tents, and a dozen buildings, all full of the finest antique dealers from around the world. We saw everything you can imagine, from crystal chandeliers worth tens of thousands, to repurposed bath tubs, to quirky art… and everything in between.

There was even a star sighting when Tori Spelling & her husband Dean who were in town to shop for their new store in Sherman Oaks, California called InvenTORI which will carry antiques, gifts & more.

In the booth above they had taken an old bath tub, cut it down, and made it into a chaise lounge… I actually walked by it, and another one they had which was white, several times before I realized that it was a bathtub. They had also taken these old framed photos and drawn on them ~ notice “JAY” written on the picture above the bed… great ideas!!!

{more pics including the other tub/chaise on our Facebook Page HERE}

Picture above is from The Shop Antiques which specializes in CARNIVAL, AMUSEMENT PARK & CIRCUS items.

I LOVE this bed displayed with hay bales, there is another one that is AFTER THE BREAK Below >>>>>>>>>>>> I’m going to have to borrow this idea one day…

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MORE rewinds from years gone by… this morning I posted a lil’ ode to prom and this has been another popular post {originally posted in Sept 2009} about WHAT TO WEAR!!!!!!!!

The last few weeks we’ve been counting down to Round Top Antique Week which is just days away from getting started.

Today we heard from Lindsey, a member of the Junk Gypsy Company, a group of women who are critical characters in the Round Top story… You see, in addition to the piles of antiques, flea market frenzy and plethora of food an drink there is also a legendary PARTY during Round Top Antique Week, held by the ladies themselves, the JUNK GYPSY JUNK-O-RAMA prom.

Junk Gypsy Dimestore Cowgirl Hat * Tall Tops & Tutus TEE * Vintage Petticoat

Every spring and fall during Round Top Antique Week in the tiny town of Warrenton, Texas, there is a little shin dig called the JUNK GYPSY JUNK-O-RAMA prom. For anteekers, junkers and lovers of all things Junk Gypsy, prom is like a royal ball… everyone gets all gussied up, spit~shines their boots & gathers for a night of rip roaring fun. If you’ve not been before then GO, even if you only go once it’ll be an event you won’t soon forget… adults dressed up in all of their finery, sipping on champagne & brewskies, dancing, laughing and getting giddy, all in a cow pasture surrounded by miles of heirlooms and antiquities.

Dirty Dancing Dress * Junk Gypsy Petticoat Dress * Melon Tulle 1950′s Strapless Prom Dress

One SERIOUS question arises when discussing prom, What exactly does one wear?? SERIOUS in the way that you prepared for your own high school prom… Do you remember how important it was to get just the right dress, have your hair done just so and by golly, the boy had better bring me a pretty corsage!! As adults we’re not usually so fussy but still, JUNK GYPSY JUNK-O-RAMA prom is your opportunity, as a grown up, to be anyone you want to be for one spectacular night.

Russet & Lace Bell Bottom Jeans * Junk Gypsy Cowgirl Hippie Necklace * Prairie Jeweler Native Cuff

My gal pal Michele, aka the Prairie Jeweler, and I have spent many late nights sending one another pictures & ideas to create an album of what~to~wear IDEAS, most of which I’ve posted here, along with pictures from JUNK GYPSY JUNK-O-RAMA prom of years past.

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ROUND TOP ANTIQUE WEEK is just a couple of weeks away!!!  Sooo excited about the trip and all the BIG things happening this year down in Texas… Yesterday the Junk Gypsy Company posted the LOW DOWN on all that’s coming up {‘cept for a few surprises still to come} and included a link to this post that I wrote after the Fall Show two years ago… THANKS to my favorite girls for including CCD.com!!!!  More from past shows in the next couple of days…

After last spring’s Junk Gypsy JUNK-O-RAMA Prom I was inspired to write an ‘ode to Prom. Feeling like I had something to live up to I’ve taken another stab at rhyming. It’s not Shel Silverstein but it’s definitely from the heart…

We had a doozey of a time at this Fall’s prom… already counting down the days till next spring. I think I speak for many when I say that we are all grateful to the Junk Gypsies for starting this new tradition and giving so many ‘grown ups’ an excuse to act like kids again for at least a couple of nights every spring & fall…

Check out our Cactus Creek Facebook Page for more Prom PICS.

** THANKS to Gay at Whistling Dixie for letting me ‘borrow’ a few of her pictures!! xo **

** Click HERE for our Junk Gypsy Prom GUIDE **

** Click HERE for last Spring’s PROM PICS **

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Welcome to CactusCreekDaily.com’s Round Top Antique Week GUIDE. We are by no means experts on Round Top but we sure do LOVE IT & this is our little version of a TRAVEL GUIDE ~ for us and YOU. Since it is online we will be able to update it with new pictures, tips & more as our Fall & Spring trips to Round Top Antique Week evolve.

Round Top, Texas ~ Then & Now

So what, exactly, is Round Top?? First off it’s a small Texas town, population 77+, located in Fayette County. ONE hour East of Austin, an ONE 1/2 hours West of Houston, and FOUR hours south of Dallas. The Round Top Antique Week, as it is often called, began over thirty years ago in the Round Top Rifle Association Hall, when Miss Emma Lee Turney and her company, Antiques Productions, were asked to do an Antique Show in a little German town that was quietly being restored, Round Top, Texas.

The show quickly became a social event for Houston socialites as they retreated to charming Round Top every Spring and Fall. The show was still small but it was the cream of the crop in quality dealers, and had the leaders and financiers of Houston buzzing. The fresh air and country-style shopping gave the society folk a chance to let down their guard, pick for their beautiful homes, and even guzzle a Shiner or two beneath the shade trees. {For a wonderful interview with Emma Lee Turney, and her account of the Round Top Antique Fair, click HERE}.

Round Top is no longer ONE SHOW. {The Map to the left will be updated regularly!!} Over the years it has become a 10 day event featuring 1000s of merchants spread out over four small towns: Round Top, Warrenton, Carmine and Shelby. The Round Top Register guesses that there are now about 35 separate shows with at least 2,500 dealers. Not to mention the surrounding fields, warehouses, and tents covering cow pastures and black tops… Round Top Antique Week takes place every Fall and Spring with the next show beginning WEDNESDAY, September 21st, 2011 and running till October 2nd, 2011!!

So where do you start?? Locals, weekend warriors and dealers alike all say that enjoying the town of Round Top is a great way to settle in before you start your shopping spree. Here are a few of the local venues that make Round Top not just a lovely place to shop ~ but an enchanting way of life for 77+.

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