Memories of the King of Pop

First Ed McMahon, then Farrah Fawcett, followed by Michael Jackson. But to have it topped off with the OxyClean guy (Billy Mays)? That's just too much to take in one seven-day period.

The sad turn of events has made me nostalgic (even more so than usual), and my memories took me back to seeing the Jacksons on their Victory tour back in the '80s. Was there any chance I could have saved my ticket stubs? Anyone who knows me would have bet the farm on my having kept them.

Most of my ticket stubs and other travel memorabilia went into a scrapbook that with a thick marker I aptly titled "Scrapbook". I excitedly dug it out and flipped through the pages with anticipation. And there they were, in between tickets to Knotts Berry Farm and the local Putt-Putt...

My ticket to see the Jacksons (ignore, if possible, the misplaced apostrophe on the stub) at Texas Stadium in Dallas on July 14, 1984. My cousin Laura and I saw the concert from a box at the stadium, home to the Dallas Cowboys until this year. What a way to see a concert...windows open, all-you-can-eat/drink and Michael Jackson singing "Billy Jean" just a few yards away.

Less than one month later I saw the group a little closer to home at The University of Tennessee's Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, although I must confess I don't remember much about that show. It's interesting that the show started at "dusk." That's a pretty broad definition, don't you think?!?

I'm also lucky enough to have an autographed photo of Michael Jackson, but sadly it is in a box deep in my garage at the moment. In 1986 my dad's company owned a charter airplane and the King of Pop hired it for five months during his Bad tour. In the picture he is sitting in the cockpit. I was just chatting with the pilot the other day and he said what a nice guy Michael Jackson was. I can't wait to hear more stories and find my photo (I'm not worried since I never throw anything away...).

Just a few pages away in my "Scrapbook" was this little gem. My friends Angie & Vannessa and I saw Elvis in concert with our moms, just six months (almost to the day) before he died.

I'm sure there are those who will profess that the King of Rock 'n Roll and the King of Pop are now together, secretly hiding out as the world mourns their deaths.

I will just be happy if their ticket stubs can live on side by side in my "Scrapbook."

Unique Uses-More Round Top

There's no end to the unique uses people found for things at Round Top. Alas, these things did not come back eastward with me. I do hope they found good homes. {Sidebar: Rancho Buck came a'callin' last week with all of my purchases (click here to see them). All arrived safely and I didn't even regret anything.}

A yellow drum topped with glass and set on feet makes a dainty round cocktail table.

While we're on the subject of round things...I loved this huge yellow rose-y of Texas star yard art piece, which used to be a wheel of some kind. And top right, tire frames were outfitted with mirrors. Random hoops were scattered on the wall to make an artsy statement, bottom right.

Garden items could be found in multitudes. A few of my favorites were: an iron headboard turned garden bench, old windows formed into a miniature greenhouse, golf clubs with random metal pieces added to make kooky-face garden stakes, water meter covers used for stepping stones, windows on top of a makeshift porch roof and a little ferris wheel that held potted plants on the "seats" (it actually rotated!).

This vintage window could be hung on a back porch with plants placed on various open window "shelves."

One trip to Round Top and you'll be convinced that anything can be made into a lamp. If you know how to weld, you might want to set up shop down there because these things were selling for hundreds of dollars each (yes, many had "Sold" tags on them). In the center, some type of cutting blade was welded onto a lamp form. Top left is an old rectangular iron piece used as a lamp base and bottom left, an old beekeeper's mask was converted into a light. Top right, some old clamps form "C"-shaped lamps and bottom right, an old orange wheel served as the base for a lamp.

Of course not everything was meant for the serious shopper. Consider this bovine-painted door or the banjo-playing man made of nuts, bolts and license tags. The tin man thought he had it bad...

Fun Stuff at Round Top

Just please don't tell me you're tired of my Round Top posts, because I'm not done yet. There was just so much to see and photograph, it's overwhelming. Only a few more, I promise! As you can see from my pictures, collections of things make a bigger statement when grouped together in large numbers...

Blue and white cast iron mermaids sunning on a bench.

Colorful wooden baskets {not vintage (not that there's anything wrong with that) but pretty anyway).

A pickup truck bed full of rusty Radio Flyers.

Speaking of rust...a pile of old water pumps.

Bottle caps of every beer denomination, set in epoxy on top of a counter at a diner.

More bottle caps, this time adorning one of those bouncy animals we used to see outside the grocery store. I was happy not to find any beer caps on this old kids' ride.

Who would have thought metal carts could look so inviting? Reminds me of stewardesses (i.e. "flight attendants" for the politically correct) for some reason.

Whether you find this sign offensive or funny, it pretty much sums up Round Top in three words. I can't say I'd be happy if my beloved junk ended up under this sign one day, but I guess it's better than the landfill. I would rather give my kids fun memories to remember me by anyway.

Sue Whitney at Round Top

One of the highlights of my trip to Round Top was meeting Sue Whitney, junk connoisseur and founder of Junk Market Style, her brand that revolves around-you guessed it-junk. Just my kind of gal!

Sue was there signing copies of the new book she co-authored, Junk Beautiful: Outdoor Edition. Of course, I scooped up my copy right away and asked for her Jane Hancock. I can't wait to implement some of her wonderfully creative ideas! She has co-authored other fabulous books, including Junk Beautiful: Room by Room Makeovers and Decorating Junk Market Style. Just the other day she appeared on the Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda.

Sue's booth was totally inspiring. Items from the antiques market were pulled together into a stunning vignette and sold. Proceeds went to Houston's Habitat for Humanity. Next time you want to throw something away, just remember that even junk can be charitable.

One man's trash truly is another's treasure.

Round Top Recap #2

I actually did find some "serious" stuff in Round Top...everything wasn't totally off-the-wall, as seen in my last post. The best part was the price! The total cost of all of my purchases was less than what I'd pay for a nice sofa. I think Al was hoping I'd bring home only what I could fit in my suitcase. No such luck! It's all being shipped to me by a company by the name of Rancho Buck (what a cool name), which I used before when I shopped at Scott's in Atlanta. They are apparently fixtures at the major markets and move the heavy stuff all around the country.

Our new house will have a screened porch and we plan to dine out there as much as possible. I found a great brown and turquoise table that seats 10-12 and these colorful chairs to go with it. The table was formerly used in a convent in Pennsylvania. I do hope it won't be offended by any of our dinner conversations.

Our twin boys will be sharing a bedroom (I'm sure everyone will pile in there at some time or other) and I wanted them each to have a full-sized bed. I found these two painted beds (incidentally, they are the colors of my alma mater, William & Mary, an unplanned but very convenient coincidence). The yellow bed was a steal at a mere $75.

Being a huge fan of all things animal print, I was thrilled to find this vintage desk, freshly painted a pink leopard for my daughter's room. The top lifts up to expose a mirror and secret compartment. The drawers are lined with sheet music, a lovely touch! To complete the ensemble, I couldn't pass up the little black chair (for $56!) and coordinating leopard flower magnetic board.

I loved this cute red desk for our oldest son's room.

This desk will be perfect for our twins' room, since it is long and has 2 cubby holes already. It's from an old school and has lots of graffiti etched on top. I even spotted a "dirty word" but I'll be able to scratch it out with a sharp object before letting their young eyes read it.

For $2 per pair, these salt and pepper shakers were a bargain.

I'm really excited about this find but the photo doesn't do it justice. I bought two of these pendant lights for our screened porch. Four metal industrial crates were welded together to make an unusual light. Possibly not everyone's cup of tea but I think a good addition for what is shaping up to be an eclectic porch.

I bought one of these round metal spheres, maybe to just set out in the yard as a "sculpture," or I might wire it and use it as a rustic chandelier.

This little $35 light is going in our powder room, after I paint the metal areas silver.

I fell in love with these two sets of lockers, straight out of old schools (I heard kids don't even use lockers these days? How do they pass notes and catch up on gossip? I miss the days before text messaging!). The blue set will find a home in my storage room and the kids can use the red ones and have 2 lockers each.

Another "old school" find. How cute is this turquoise water fountain? Its new location will be in our mud room. The kids can run in from the backyard and get a drink, courtesy of this salvaged fixture from a school in Laredo, TX.

This piece from a carnival ring toss game (bought from the same vendor who sold me the little duckies) will look great in our playroom.

My cousin Laura surprised me with this fun wooden sign for our lake house that she bought at Round Top in the fall. I love the colors and it has bottle tops all over it! A lady paints these right outside Royer's Cafe for those of us who like to shop while we wait to be seated for dinner. I can't think of a more perfect combination.

Unique Uses-Round Top

There's no better place to find things that are used in a unique way than a flea market or antiques market. Round Top takes the cake! Here are some fun items I purchased while at Round Top. My husband thinks you have to look pretty hard to find the good qualities in this stuff, but I think the beauty is pretty evident, don't you?

This is a vintage golf ball bucket, the kind we used to find on driving ranges. It has been turned upside-down and wired to be a pendant light. I just saw one of these (new, of course) in a catalog! I plan to hang it over the sink in our laundry room. Being from a family of golfers, how could I pass this up?

Another pendant light, which I plan to hang in my "potting shed" (which is actually just a glorified storage room off our garage). It was made from an old copper creamer pot.

There was a big basket of these glass pieces, for $1 each. It used to be an enormous dangle from an equally enormous chandelier. I think I'll use it as a butter dish (after a good soaking, that is).

Another big basket held these little glass jars, which formerly held cream on tables in diners and restaurants, back in the days before plastic took the beauty out of everyday objects. They will be cute as bud vases, along with these little test tubes I picked up for a mere 10 cents apiece.


I found some brightly colored items at a cute booth called Vintage Girl, including these two candle holders and a couple of old door knobs, which I'm going to put in my daughter's closet to hang scarves or belts from.


Vintage flower frogs were everywhere! Aside from the obvious use (arranging flowers, for those of you who, like me, aren't particularly tuned in to floral convenience items), I might use one for a pen holder. The test tubes will fit in the bigger frog for an unusual flower display.

Vintage wire baskets, racks and trays were also in abundance. I'm going to hang this one in my closet to display necklaces or scarves.

Also from Vintage Girl, this vintage register was hanging with several others, all of which had been painted fun colors like turquoise and bright orange. Even though it weighs a ton and is coated with what I'm sure is lead paint, I still think it's sort of cool. Necklaces could dangle from this quite well.

Don't ask me why this caught my eye. It really is pretty funny though. It's one of those large red vintage Christmas light bulbs turned into a mosquito! I'm hoping it will ward off the real thing when hung by fishing wire on my back porch.

Last but certainly not least are these vintage duckies, straight from a stint at a carnival near you (I love carnivals...we could walk to one when I was little). I purchased them from a vendor who had bought out a carnival that was going out of business.

One for each of my little duckies. And just like my duckies, they don't all want to stay in a row.