Exploring Top Hat - It's all in the details!

Nothing excites me more than a new adventure....

Hello my lovely friends,

A belated very happy 2015! I trust the New Year has started off well for you - at least that is my hope and prayer for you. My new year started with many new adventures and I have lots to share. But today, I think I will begin with how I ended 2014 before I dig into 2015. I hope you enjoy my small adventure.

December 2014, I had a photo shoot to do outside Kansas City, so while in the area, I had to stop and visit my very good and extremely talented friend, Debbie Dusenberry, aka, Curious Sofa. Debbie and I go way back - in fact, we have known each other almost 12 years already - so hard to believe I have been in the Midwest so long. 

Have you ever had a friend, that you really loved and admired, but that friend still amazes you? That friend is Debbie for me. It goes without saying that Debbie is a very talented and gifted person, but she continues to amaze me with her creative talent to this day. But, if she were never to create a thing again in her life, I would still be amazed by her spirit. Because what she (or anyone) produces isn't who they are, but just an expression. And her soul is what I admire the most about her.

Debbie has an online store, which I encourage everyone to check out, if you haven't. But in addition to her online business, she is also part of a very fabulous event that takes place in KS City - First Fridays Vintage Event. The first friday (entire weekend, actually) of each month, there is a whole industrial part of KS City that opens up to sell their vintage wares and goods.

I have been wanting to attend just forever, but the timing was just never right. But, when I pulled over for some gas, I got just a glimpse of what was to come. As the gas pumped gas, I got pumped up at what I saw across the overpass, just waiting for me!

I arrived much later than planned, and was anxious to find my fabulous friend, but as I hunted down her spot, this is the area I encountered...

There were many, many, MANY more old buildings and vendors to see, but I turned around after taking the above pic and BINGO - saw Debbie's new digs:

Her new space is located in Top Hat Mercantile - isn't that just the coolest red truck ever? You MUST click on their website! It is just a fab site, and if you are in a need of creative inspiration, this site is full of great design. This website was designed by my talented friend, Debbie.

You see, most people who know Debbie, or know of her, are VERY familiar with her distinct taste, creative styling, and knack to select only the best of things to sell. But what most people don't realize is that she is a VERY talented graphic designer. (I know...is there anything this woman can't do? If I didn't love her so, I would hate her...) She designed the entire company identity of the Top Hat Mercantile...the website, the logos, the colors, the signs, everything! And there just isn't a thing about this location that isn't short of pure deliciousness.

Top Hat Mercantile is an antique mall like no other. While there are LOTS of great malls and stores in this industrial area to explore, Top Hat Mercantile has a very select group of dealers who "get it." Debbie designed the entry way and had an artist make these FAB rusty tin Top Hat signage (they are huge!). How great are these?

And look at this great light fixture that hangs in the entry way as well. She had someone make this as special. This is one of many things I love about my friend...she is all about the details. Those very details where so many, many shops just miss the opportunity to shine. It is those details that I believe only true artists create, seek, and explore the possibilities. I've been to a lot of shops over the years, and trust me, the shops that shine, are the shops with the creative details. Top Hat Mercantile is Top Choice when it comes to the details in my book.

Right after you enter, Top Hat even has its own gift shop right inside. Vintage displays, great gifts, seasonal items. Remember, I went in Dec, so they were all prepped for Christmas - I can't wait to go back. I have to tell you, I was really impressed with the prices - VERY reasonable, and not even sure how they can sell such great items at such great prices. 

I went on the hunt for my friend and loved everything I was seeing - I knew this would be a "three-lap" visit. Meaning, I would need at least three laps around the store to see it all and take it in. 

I just love "three-lap" stores.

Oh, and those fab lights below? I later discovered this was one of Debbie's spaces.

And TA DA!! I found my beloved friend, working away, as I went around the corner (above) and discovered that the space I love so much (above) is also hers - of course.

And something "ordinary" like a price tag, is anything but when it comes to Debbie's creative mind. Check out these old pics she uses to tag her items.

In addition to her infamous, Curious Sofa space, Debbie has now added a new addition to her business: Tobacco Road. I have to say, this is such a great addition. It is part industrial, part rustic, always vintage, and always well, what can I say...always Debbie. Her select items celebrate textures, worn wearables, and creative comfort lifestyle. Basically, Debbie has a way of selecting and pairing items in such a way that on their own, may seem familiar, but her discerning eye pulls unlikely items together that creates an environment that one just has to be a part of and wants a piece of it to take home. 

Trust me, you will want forge your own familiarity with Tobacco Road. It is a road  that you will definitely want to travel.

I decided to take another "lap" and explore the store...

How cool is the little grotto? The basement in Top Hat is just fabulous! No basement has a right to be this great. GREAT stone walls everywhere, piled with vintage items, displayed creatively. 

This is a HUGE all glass "chain link" chandelier that greets you when you first enter Top Hat. Mesmerizing. 

Like I said, Debbie leaves no stone unturned when it comes to company identity. Not even the loading dock doors go unadorned. Need some light over the stairwell? Well, she hunted down these top hat light fixates - go figure! Nothing is standard with her creative mind...and I just love that.  Even the little directional signs all have style, yet purposeful. (Okay, I think I have a girl crush...:-)

Well, by the time I did my "laps" it was way later when I finally got out to explore other areas. I made it only to one other store, but did get some snaps of a few of the buildings (there are MANY more!) Well, this gives me a reason to head back soon to explore again...

I did manage to sneak inside a store before closing, but honestly can't remember the name, but the interior was fun to see as I zipped about quickly...

And of course, no visit with Debbie isn't complete without kisses and running in circles with Pearl, her (dog) friend, Pearl. She is a living doll...no leash...her own outfits...never far...and never underfoot either. And, if "missing" one will find her on the most comfy sofa or chair in the area - pretty and smart too!

I hope you enjoyed my adventure at Top Hat Mercantile. If ever in the KS City area on First Friday of the month, this is a MUST stop to shop, get inspired, and grab up some goodies. I can't wait to go again, and next time, I am tempted to bring an empty trailer!

I have much to catch you up on, and will be announcing a new venture I am working on. I am so excited about it, and you will be the first to know.

May your 2015 be filled with adventures that bring you joy, inspiration, and a fun-filled lifestyle that will have you running in circles with the likes of a friend like Pearl.

from my house to your house,

Cherishing Time From Long Ago

My cherished clock turns back time for me.

Hello,

I hope all is well in your world. Like most everyone else, I have  been super busy and when I got a request to write about a cherished treasure, I thought it was a good time to slow down and share a bit.  I was asked to write about a cherished item in my home by Chairish, a very cool site that allows vintage lovers to sell and buy fabulous objects and furniture. I am not getting any compensation, only a request to participate blogging about a cherished item, which of course, is a favorite topic of mine. But do take a moment to check them out - there are some really neat items on their site!

This is my cherished 1890's German clock that belonged to my father. I grew up with this special clock in our dining room. The memories of that clock....Oh, how the minutes just dragged by as I would look up to check the time until Charlie Brown Christmas was due on the tube (as we called television back in the day). And yet, how those minutes flew by when my mother would announce that bath time would be in 20 minutes. I was usually busy making intricate spirals with my Spirograph wheels and colored ink pens - and with no intention of stopping for a darn bath. 

I also learned to count from the clock with its musical chiming throughout the house. Being a night owl, I remember counting to 12 as I laid wide awake in my bed and then being confused that it chimed 12 times then only just one chime on the next hour. By daybreak, I would forget my confusion. But one night, at the stroke of one in the morning, I remember getting up and sliding down to my parents room (in feet pajamas, one can't just walk, but one must "slide" or "skate" down the hallway), tapping my dad on his forehead and telling him something was wrong with the clock. Understandably confused, and he not being the Leave-it-to-Beaver-type of dad that pounced upon teachable moments to explain time to his four year-old daughter at one in the morning; no, he sat up, grunted, "Whaat? Who?  What the hell?" And told me it's late, nothing is wrong, and took me back to bed. However, I wasn't convinced that there was nothing was wrong with the clock, because I was pretty sure how to count and for quite a while, I felt that "my" clock was just mixed up a little.

My favorite memories of my clock have more to do with my father, than the clock itself. The above pic is how I remember my clock as a little girl. It seemed so high up (to keep curious little hands off it, no doubt) and it looked so impressive. This is the viewpoint I had of my clock for years - unless I stood on the stairwell, and suddenly I was tall enough to see it straight on. 

I remember my father winding the clock every Sunday. I was most definitely a "daddy's girl" and would lean on his leg, looked up, as he opened up the door and took the key out of the "secret" hiding place. 

I was fascinated by that little key - it looked nothing like car keys, or the house key or the little key that locked our tool shed. I often wonder if my love of old keys today stems from this clock key.

But mostly, I loved that key, because when my brothers and sister weren't around, my dad would pick me up and hold me with one arm, as he turned the key with the his other hand. And on rare occasion, he would let me "do a turn" as I would beg. He would show me the secret hiding place for the key, and always remind me that I wasn't to play or touch the clock, which I never once did. 

My dad would sometimes wipe down the wood, and I would reach out and gently touch the wood myself and felt all the curves and knobs. All the while, pulling on my dad's neck, as he held me, while I leaned in to stroke the polished wood.

I often think about cleaning up the old marks, the worn areas, and buffing out the pitted stains - that is what my dad would do. But there is a part of me that likes to believe that those old marks are the last marks from my father's hand. My logical part tells me that it is just aged over years of travel, boxed up, and natural patina. My father never really allowed it to tarnish. But his last two years of life, his health was very poor, and I would be very surprised if he cleaned his clock at all during the last year of his life. I like to tell myself that these marks are left by him, and so, I want to keep them. And a part of me also wants to believe that somewhere, there may be a small fingerprint from my childhood, left from those days that I held tightly onto my father's neck as I left my own mark.

When my clock chimes, it warms my heart, brings back memories, and although I am so much older now, the sound of the chimes make me feel young again. I like to think of my clock as my own time machine - stuck in reverse.

But reverse is just fine. While the future holds many new adventures, it is nice to relive those memories that hold my father.

May your own reverse time machine take you to a place of joy.

from my house to your house,

A Ball of Fun with Jars and String

*String, Jars, and a Tangled Ball of Fun*

Hello my dear friends!

I have been out of town with my barber husband for a week and just got back today. We went to a little fishing cabin and enjoyed the beginnings of autumn in nature - a lake - some fishing - campfires - zero cell coverage, and just sitting on the porch discovering more stars than we have seen in ages! On the way home, we stopped and antiqued a bit and as I unpacked my goodies on our back table, the light was hitting my treasures "just so" and so I grabbed my camera and took a few shots.

I am on a mission to rid of all things plastic. Well, almost all things plastic. And my first project is to rid of all my tons of spice "jars" that I get when I pick up a little spice here and there from the markets. I hate those little plastic containers they come in when I am buying just a tad. Some spices do come in glass, but many (actually most) come in plastic. 

Why the sudden disdain for plastic? Well, it really isn't sudden, but I am finally getting around to do some changes in my lifestyle that has been on my  mind for some time now. Plastic just isn't healthy (for our body and our planet), plain and simple. We have collected some vintage refrigerator jars to hold our water (and we love them!) as well as vintage glass refrigerator food storage containers to replace tupperware. So, I am determined to rid of plastic wherever possible, and replace it with only vintage jars to hold all of my spices and ingredients. I found these little jars and I love the "shot glass" bottom that a few of them have! 

I found the cutest little "baby" mason jars (1 pint) that are perfect to hold larger quantities of some ingredients such as my variety of sea salts, pepper corns, whole basil leaves, cocoa powder, baking soda, vanilla sugar, corn starch, and so on.

And then I found this fab vintage counter jar that is perfect to hold some course cornmeal I bought at a little Amish grocer while on vacation. But even better? For only $18, I get the fab jar filled with spectacular string! Can never have enough string, twine, rope, thread, yarn, or whatever else type there is out there. I just love it all, actually. 

So, I had to play a bit...

I think even though I am 50, I am still like the kid at Christmas who spends the morning gleefully playing with the boxes and wrapping paper...give me a jar of string and you find me in my own box of joy.

It's "late" and we are still technically on vacation, so we are settling in to watch a movie, eat Amish snacks, and have the kitties on our lap tonight. I hope your Sunday is spent in your own "box of joy"!

from my house to your house,