Accessories???

The ESN scavenger hunt this week is Accessories.  My first thought on this was of clothing accessories; shoes, hats, jewelry.  Way back when, we got a new Sunday-go-to meeting outfit every Easter.  Mama usually made our dresses. In fact, I don't recall Mama ever buying a ready made dress; maybe an occasional pair of western cut pants, or a winter coat, but never a dress.  I had some store boughten dresses but seems that my aunt was responsible for those. Of course, Auntie sewed for me, too, but she did sometimes buy a dress. But Accessories were something else.  Each Sunday outfit had to have special shoes, bag, hat, and gloves to accessorize it.  Shopping for these items was a special treat.  We would go up and down Houston Street in San Antonio, from store to store, trying on shoes and looking for just the right ones to complete our outfit.

Looking for accessories on ESN, I found accessories for American Girl Dolls.  And patterns for kitchen accessories.  I got to thinking about the shows I love to watch on HGTV and how they use accessories-lamps, pillows, knick-knacks, etc.- to finish out the decor. That led me to realize that here in the music store, we say that we have musical intstruments and accessories.  Those accessories are things like guitar strings, reeds, drumsticks, stands, straps, what have you. I googled accessories and found accessories for all kinds of electronic devices. 
I looked up the definition of "accessories" and here is what I found:
ac·ces·so·ry noun /akˈses(ə)rē/ 


accessaries, plural; accessories, plural
1.A thing that can be added to something else in order to make it more useful, versatile, or attractive

- a range of bathroom accessories

2.A small article or item of clothing carried or worn to complement a garment or outfit

- among the hottest items are hair accessories such as rhinestone-studded barrettes

3.Someone who gives assistance to the perpetrator of a crime, without directly committing it, sometimes without being present

- she was charged as an accessory to murder

adjective /akˈses(ə)rē/ 

1.Contributing to or aiding an activity or process in a minor way; subsidiary or supplementary

- functionally the maxillae are a pair of accessory jaws



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Web definitions

clothing that is worn or carried, but not part of your main clothing
a supplementary component that improves capability

accessary: aiding and abetting in a crime; "he was charged with being accessory to the crime"


With these definitions in mind, I went back to look at the ESN photos again and found some items that will add beauty to your decor.

I found some neat garden accessories, including this garden gnome at Barb's Bargains.

Here's a really unusual and neat accessory, a brass door knocker from Eccentric  Thrifter.

And of course, you can count on Carolina Blue Lady to have some beautiful accessories for your home such as this Magnolia Bell.

Going back in time, I found this crochet pattern book for bed and bath accessories from Bargain Express.

Whatever kind of accessories you might be looking for--except those giving assistance in crime--take a look at the ESN ProStores.  Chances are, you'll find something to add beauty or usefulness to your life.

Kountze Big Thicket Trades Days Revisited

On April 22 and 23 we set up at the Big Thicket Trade Days in Kountze, TX for the 3rd month. It was Easter Weekend, so the crowd was off a bit; but Saturday was a pretty good day.  The weather was good.  Of  course there was no rain which we we glad for those 2 day.  But truth be known, we are really desperate for rain in these parts.  There were even wild fires in the area north of us that weekend.  That is unusual in East Texas and the Big Thicket.  The temperature was nice--not too hot and not cold.  We are expecting it to be really,really hot as the summer progresses.  Our main complaint was the wind.  Friday it blew straight out of the south and wreaked havoc--blowing our stuff around a lot.  Saturday it blew probably just as hard, but a bit more from the east or ESE and didn't seem to blow stuff around as much.  Really, I guess we should be very thankful as the wind kept it from being so hot.  I know the fire fighters in north Hardin and Tyler County did not like it, though.

We've come a long way since our first trip as vendors at the Trade Days.  We've gotten 2 long light-weight tables. And for April, we added a canopy.  We've also picked up some garage sale rugs to spread across the gravel to make it easier to walk.  Everyone hates the rocks, but I keep saying that IF it ever rains we will be glad they put the rocks in.  We hope next to get some side panels for our canopy since we plan to be there every month.  For May, we are trying to figure out how to attach some of our extra grid wall from the store to the sides of the canopy to display the sun hats I am making.

Our Space for April!



The next Trade Days is May 27-29.  The Big Thicket Trade Days is a really nice place to sell or to shop.  The vendor areas are all covered with rock, the "streets" are paved, there are porta-potties on practically every street and they recently opened a large new parking area.  It only costs $2 to park for the day.  We also see golf carts carrying people too and from their cars.  Each vendor space has water and electricity available.  You see a little bit of everything for sale, including a big choice of yummy food items.

A few of our neighboring vendors in April!



Check out the Kountze Trades Days here.  And our previous trades day blogs here. See ya there!

Watching the Sky

I've missed several scavenger hunts and blogging in general lately, but I am back this week and on the search for the ESN items.

Our theme this week is Sky.

My first thought was the colors of the sky. And I found this blue tee shirt that reminds one of the fair weather sky.  Even the yellow letters look like sunshine.



King of the Ring, ring bearer's t shirt from Embroidery Fashions Boutique
They have a good selection of custom t shirts for the wedding party.

When I was a kid, we always sat on the front porch and watched the weather.  For the longest time, I thought I had to be out where I could see the sky when it was threatening.  I don't suppose that was really a good idea, but if you can see what's coming, you can know what to do.

Here is another Blue item of a darker nature, maybe reminiscent of storm clouds gathering.



Check out Carolina Blue Lady for this and other Fat Beagle Pottery pieces





It's always intriguing to watch the night sky. Especially if you are out in the country away from all the city lights.  Another good way to see the stars is to visit a planetarium.  My first experience at a planetarium was as SAC (San Antonio College) It was very impressive. It is now called the Scobee Planetarium.  And sounds like it would be even more impressive today.

Way back when, we used to sit on the front porch out in the piney woods and watch our little patch of sky between the pine trees. About dusk each evening, we could see satellites go over. The setting sun would hit them just right for us to see them easier that time of day.  This was a good diversion in the cool of the evening.

Here's a pretty dish to remind us of the night sky.



Vintage Moon and Stars Candy Dish is one of the pieces in this theme
available at Bargain Express



 Eons ago, San Antonio chamber of commerce must have advertised San Antonio--where the sunshine spends the winter. Because half an eon ago I heard my parent's version as San Antonio--where the sunshine spends the winter behind the clouds.  Actually, here in Texas we see the sun in all its glory a good bit of the time and this yellow ashtray made me think of sunshine.

Shawnee Ashtray available at ComycGyrl Collectibles

It's nice to have lived a life that has allowed a lot of porch sitting and sky watching. Even now we enjoy our front porch. I have been blessed.

Hope you will take time to shop all the stores on the Ecrater Store Network. You are sure to find some real treasures. Also would invite you to checkout our treasures at Hazel's HodgePodge.  Now that our other little "job of work" is complete, we will be adding more treasures each day to our on-line store.

Railroad Crossing...Look out for the Cars, trains, and trucks in our town.

Our scavenger hunt for ESN this week is transportation. How apropos!
Silsbee is a Santa Fe Railroad town from way back.

The "Santa Fe" yard, now run by a contractor, is right in the middle of town.  We can hear the cars bump, bump, bumping at any hour as a new train is put together. Often, when one is going from north to south or south to north down "Main Street" -actually 5th St. or Business 96--you will "catch a train".  That means a long, long wait while a long, long train pulls out of- or into- town, or a train goes back and forth across the street adding cars.  Mimi always reminds us that the train means someone has a job.  Here is some of the history of Silsbee as compiled by the Silsbee Bee.
And everything you might want to find out about the History of Railroads in Texas.

all railroad pictures are from google pictures.

Another form of transportation we are well aware of in East Texass is the log trucks, which go by our place day and night en route to the paper mill at Evadale.  The loaded log trucks come from the west on Hwy 327 and stop at the traffic light at 327 and 96.  They do make a racket as they take off on their way to hwy. 96 and east to Evadale aka Stinkydale or Evil Smells.  Again, people who work "at the mill" and their families say "that's the smell of money".  The paper mill is owned by Meadwestvaco. and I just researched a bit and found that Meadwestvaco is much more than just a paper mill.  I also found this site with skadoodles of log truck pictures.

This all being said about, I turned my thoughts to travel and searched ESN photos for places one might go. Preferably quiet, serene places, like Hawaii.
You can pack your beautiful floral hawaiian shirts from Eccentric Thrifter and head for a tropical paradise.

One of many available at Eccentric Thrifter

We can even travel back in time with a good book from Barb's Bargains.

Barb's Bargains has a good selection of books.

We could travel around the world. Even to such a remote place as Russia. These salt and peppers from ComycGyrl Collectibles are reminescent of the Russian nesting dolls.

adorable salt and pepper set
.

We might look to Bargain Express for money for our fantasy trip.

One of the collectible coins at Bargain Express

Whatever you are shopping for, be sure to check out the stores on ESN, including my store, Hazel's Hodgepodge.

Royal Purple

ESN scavenger hunt this week is for things purple.
Purple--the color of royalty!
Purple is one of my favorite colors.  Since I have a "fall" complexion, it is a color I love to wear.
There are so many shades of purple from the palest feminine lavender to the deep dark purples of the egg plant.
Here are some of the purple items I found on ESN this week:

What can you find in purple on ESN?

1. A super cute flower girl hat from Embroidery Fashions Boutique.

2. Wall decor from Walls that Talk.  And these are available in your choice of colors, not just purple.

Classy and fabulous quote and butterfly.

3. Ladies Long Sleeved Merino shirt in purple and lavender plaid from Eccentric Thrifter.
4. Also from Eccentric Thrifter is this adult purple knit toboggan cap. They also have toboggans and other hand knit hats in assorted colors.
5.  Beautiful white porcelain enesco plate is available at Carolina Blue Lady.
6. Also the silk wool thread from Barb's Bargains has some beautiful shades of purple included.

Whatever your favorite color, take a look at the photos at ESN. You are sure to find what you are looking for.  Happy Shopping!

Big Thicket Trade Days--Kountze, Texas

This past weekend, after several months of considering it, we took the plunge and got a space at the Big Thicket Trade Days in Kountze.  It was a very humble beginning as we didn't want to put a lot into tables, canopies, or the other things it takes to really do a space up right.  We borrowed card tables, took one of our plastic shelves, loaded up several boxes of HodgePodge stuff and were on our way.  We also took a few guitars, our one in-stock violin, a few straps, picks, and guitar stands from the music store. 

I thought that overall it was a rewarding weekend.  The weather was good.  It was not too hot, or too cold.  I got a little sun on Friday, but there was a nice north breeze and the temperature was okay.  Saturday was overcast most of the day but again a nice day.  Sunday was a blustery, windy day. This time it was a south wind. It did not rain though, just a little mist.  We were not out there long on Sunday which was a good thing.  We made some sales, but spent most of the time packing up the HodgePodge stuff.

Joe and Moe, our leprechaun windsocks, have a new home for this St. Paddy's Day. I put them in a small tree as eye catchers.  Turns out someone wanted to buy them.   Like Paul says, almost anything we have is for sale. 

A collage of our space at the Kountze Trade Days in Feb.



I brought along some of the Wilton cake pans that I have collected over the past few years. Not having any more room to display them, I spread them out on my tarp. As it turned out,the cake pans were our #1 selling item for the weekend. I even brought more with me Sunday afternoon and sold quite a few of those, too.

These are some of the cake pans I still have.
You can see and buy them at Hazel's HodgePodge

If you like to learn more about Kountze and the Big Thicket Trade Days click here.  And be sure to take a look at the video.  This gives a good overview of the Trade Days.

I enjoyed people and pet watching myself.  It is amazing how many people had their puppy dogs with them. Some were being pulled along by a large dog on a leash. Some were carrying small dogs. And I saw one man with an elaborate stroller with a cage on it and his little dog inside.  Wish I had taken a picture of that!

You could even buy a dog there --or adopt a pet.

The advertising for the music store was worth the cost of the space.  I figure we made a lot of contacts by having the guitars out there.  We handed out a lot of business cards.

Yes, it was worthwhile endeavor!  We will be better prepared in March and have more merchandise.

See you at the Big Thicket Trade Days March 25-27. 

Vintage-- Just what is vintage?

The scavenger hunt at ESN this week is for Vintage pieces.

This got me to thinking about "just what is vintage?"
I decided to do a little research.
This is what I found.
First, I did a dictionary search of the word: Vintage
I found that it mostly, or primarily, refers to wine. 
Here are some definitions of Vintage as an adjective.  I think in describing our items we usually use "Vintage" as an adjective.
6. (of wine) of an outstandingly good year
7. representative of the best and most typical: vintage Shakespeare
8. of lasting interest and importance; venerable; classic: vintage films
9. old-fashioned; dated

I also found some who claim that the term "vintage" is over-used.  It probably is.  I know, I was not really aware of the nuances of vintage. Maybe we tend to use it as "old fashioned and dated" rather than as "representative of the best" of an era.  There seems to be a consensus that vintage items must be well made.Some sources say that vintage items should be at least 40-50 years old.  Others say at least 20 years old.  I also get the idea that a vintage item should be listed with a date or at least a date range, like 1950's.

It is pretty standard to consider that an antique must be 100 years old.  This has always fascinated me, because things that were not considered antiques when I was a child can now be antiques.  In fact, I have quite a few pieces of antique reproduction furniture that I acquired new in the 1960's and 1970's.  I have joked that it is wasn't a real antique when I got it; but I've had it so long that it is now--or soon will be.  I wonder now how these reproduction pieces fit into the "vintage" "retro", "antique" scheme of things.
Here is one take on antique vs. vintage furniture. As you can see here, not everything old is vintage.
Apartment Therapy also offers some insights into the difference between antique and vintage.

With all this in mind, I searched ESN photos for "vintage" items.

Carolina Blue Lady has a number of vintage Avon pieces listed. These are from the 1980's which at this point qualifies as vintage, using the 20 year old criteria.
One example is this 1984 Avon Christmas Lyre Ornament

which you can purchase here

Carolina Blue Lady also has some lovely vintage glass pieces available.

I found that Bargain Express has several sets of vintage Salt and Pepper Shakers. Even though there is no date listed, they are "made in Japan" which puts them well back in time. One example is this bird/pheasant nodder set.

Look here to get details and/or purchase.

You can also find vintage collectible coins at Bargain Express.

ComycGyrl has several Easter Cards that are described as Antique.  There are also a number of pieces of vintage glasssware including some neat collectible character glasses and advertising collectibles in her store.
Here is one of the antique cards:

See it in more detail here.

If you are interested in the good quality old "vintage" things or in collectibles of any sort, or even antique items take a look at ESN.  You are likely to find what you are looking for plus many ecrater shopkeepers are even happy to look for that special item for you. Of course, I would like for you to check out my store, Hazel's HodgePodge soon.