Extra~Extra~Read All About It! Romantic Homes Mag.

Get your June, 2010 issue of Romantic Homes here at Cottage Panache!

Perfect additon to her Mother's Day Gift $5.99 per publication!!!

What is Junk or Junque! A four letter word or as I prefer SIX!

How about some clean junque'! These antique bottles have the words Lysol, Clorox and Hydrogen Peroxide in raised lettering! Also very Cool Junque' to!

Now this French Chaise is some  junque' that I don't mind laying (or fainting) upon! Very pretty junque' in very good and almost perfect shape? It is on casters and very easy to move around! Bought 3 weeks ago at a very nice Estate (I mean junque') Sale!

I looked up the word junk in a 1946 dictionary and couldn't find it ~ no such word! Then in a newer one and there was a picture of a China boat ~ called a junk! Then a friend, Sondra looked it up in an even newer one and it said ~ trash, refuse! Now some dealers in the business and blog friends, without hesitation have the work junk in their name. There is even a magazine called Junk Market Style, a book publication of ~ I think it might be Junk Style Decorating. I know Cathy and Deidre of The Girls Gone Junkin ~ I could go on and on! Do you have to spell junk ~ junque', for it to be stylish or for it to be good junk (junque)? Should I be offended by the letter that I received from this city that my shop is in, referring to my junque as junk? Let's see maybe instead of Cottage Panache Antiques, Gifts & Decor ~ I should have called it ~ My Lil Junk Cottage or My Cottage Full of Junk or perhaps ~ Panache Junque Cottage ~ WHATEVER!!!
When I received the letter dated June 20, 2010 (which was hand delivered ~ supposedly before I opened on Thursday~and placed on my porch doormat on the 21st) I was aghast with disgust of their description of my type of store! It read ~ NO JUNK DEALER, SECONDHAND DEALER, SECONDHAND SCRAP METALS DEALER OR PAWNBROKER SHALL TRANSACT OR ENGAGE IN BUSINESS WITHIN THE CITY UNLESS OR UNTIL HE SHALL HAVE OBTAINED AN ANNUAL LICENSE, WHICH MAY BE PROCURED BY COMPLYING WITH THE APPLICABLE STATE LAW AND REQUIREMENTS OF THIS ARTICLE. 
It states that I must pay the application fee of $100.00 for the permit and it lasts one year.
They will begin going to businesses on May 17, 2010 and begin enforcing and inspecting and if the permit is not posted at that time a citation will be issued.
Now, I am over the fact that they think that I am a junk dealer! Junque is good ~ right? And I have some good junque here (that's the way I will spell junk from now on~so there!) My question is ~ how can they give us "Junk/Secondhand dealers" less than 30 days to comply? I don't even know if that is legal or not!
Money is tight ~ I just went to the dentist and forked over more than $1500.00 for that work! I paid the local sales tax that I collected last year ~ and paid my personal property tax for my shop and inventory (hey wait a minute ~ I think I paid the wrong percentage! I am licensed as an Antique Dealer on my permit and paid at that rate ~ don't they owe me some money back, after all junk is junk to them. The definition of junk ~ trash and refuse!  Junk should be in a lower tax bracket ~ right? I already paid for a license to run this business by registering and getting that most important Certificate of Occupancy after making repairs that the inspectors required of my building! Geez! What's a junker like me to do?
Here's where you all come in ~ please tell me if you will and under no uncertain terms that I am wrong about this!!!  Twenty-six days is what they gave us to comply! Are they trying to chase us away from their fair (!!!) city or what? Or are they just broke like the rest of us! PLEASE leave a comment, and if you think, I'm making too much of a dealer about this, let me know that too. Law buffs out there ~ did they give us enough time.? I didn't want to go into full detail about other details for compliance ~ example ~ purchase and selling of goods ~ logging every item with the following: All junk dealers, secondhand dealers and all pawnbrokers doing business or offering to do business in the city shall at all times keep on hand record books in which shall be legibly written by the dealer at the time of any such transaction an accurate description in the English language of the article purchased by or deposited with the junk dealer, secondhand dealer or pawnbroker; the amount of money paid for such article or loaned thereon; the date and time of purchase or deposit; the name, age, sex, signature, residence and race of the person selling or depositing such article; the source and the place from which such article came or was obtained by the seller or depositor, as reported by the seller of depositor; and such other records as required by state law.
A junk dealer, secondhand dealer or pawnbroker shall require every person selling any property to him or depositing any item with him to produce a driver's licence or other government issued photograph identification. A junk dealer, secondhand dealer or pawnbroker shall also obtain from each seller or depositor of any property and insert in the registration book the number of of such identification and when it expires. If for any reason the seller does not possess a driver's license or other government issued photograph identification , the reason for no possessing such license shall be set forth in the registration book. 
Each lot, sack, barrel, box or other container of junk or other merchandise purchased by or deposited with licensee shall be kept intact and have written or stamped in a conspicuous place either on the contain or if no container on one of the articles the serial number of the report made as set out in section#$#$*%&-*(*&, which numb er shall at all times be kept plain and legible. Such number shall be affixed on every secondhand article b y means of a tag on which is legibly printed the corresponding serial number of the report of sale and purchase required by section blah, blah , blah, blah!
Unless otherwise prohibited in state law, each item of junk and each secondhand article shall be retained in its original form, shape and condition for a period of ten days after such purchase or deposit, during which time no part of such junk or other merchandise shall be sold or permitted to be redeemed or removed from the business of such dealer.
No junk dealer, secondhand dealer or pawnbroker shall purchase or receive for deposit or have in his possession any article of junk or secondhand article from which the manufacturer's serial number or brand has been removed or obliterated.
Each article purchased by or deposited with any junk dealer, secondhand dealer or pawnbroker shall at all reasonable times be open to inspection by any member of the police force of the city.
No junk dealer, secondhand dealer or pawnbroker shall purchase or receive in pledge or on deposit for any purpose any article from any minor or which may be owned or claimed  by or in the possession of or control of any minor unless the parent or guardian of the minor shall state in writing that such transaction took place with such parent or guardian's full knowledge and consent, which written statement shall be signed by the parent or guardian and have thereon the address and telephone number, if any, of such parent or guardian.
Oops, I forgot, I wasn't suppose to be going into great detail, was I! ? Well here's some more junque' you might like to see! So sorry for the rambling!

And Congratulations ~ you've got junque'! This little bell is so cute and tiny, isn't it?!

This pin was made during the WW by I suspect an enlisted or drafted soldier while out there in a bunker at war, thinking about his only love, Barbara! It's made from stripped down radio wire and radio solder, you know the kind that you see inside an old junque' radio with the orange solder! Romantic Junque' is so cool! I think I'll put this on Etsy! But right now it's still in my junque shop Cottage Panache for sale! Oh I bought this at an Estate Sale 4 weeks ago in Euless!

Oops! I forgot this junque' is no  longer available as it sold to another Junque' dealer ! But you may still have another chance to own them as this Junque' dealer may put them on Etsy or Ebay.

So, how does this all apply to a retail Antique, gift and decor store? I am not a pawnbroker and I don't buy Diamond rings and gold jewelry, scrap metal like copper and I don't buy video games or hardware like that! I shop at estate sales, garage sales, other antique malls and other small shops and auctions, including online auctions and sales! Can you imagine if I had to ask each and every one of them for an affidavit that they really own what they are trying to sell and that Oh By The Way can I get your full given name, license number date of birth, address, sex, race, signature, how much did you pay for it and where and when did you get it!!!  uuuuuuuhhaa! WHEW! GEEZ ! LOUISE! Try saying that without taking a breath! I love Junque! Don't ya love it ~ ya just gotta love it!

I really love the Earthy tones of Junque' like these quail eggs nestled with a pretty vintage hankie.Happy Earth week! Now this junque' sold at Cottage Panache today to a customer! Sorry you missed out but don't worry I have more earthy junque' left to go around!

About 6 weeks ago I bought this from a sweet little lady! I will call him my Junque' dog. He is very heavy and made from cast iron. I think this is some Old Junque'! Saweet!

Now they had better not call my Bessie Junk! She even has a music box and she has held up for a long time! Okay, I guess if it pleases you ~ you may call her Bella Junque"

Now please if you will (I know this was like reading a short story novel!) please leave a comment about my City Saga!

Thank you and Adieu!

Maureen

A Few New Things To Share

Just wanted to share a few of my latest additions to Cottage Panache! More pictures to follow! Hope you find something that you love.

Maureen

Happy Birthday Cottage Panache with "Some Kind of Wonderful!"

February marked the Second Year for Cottage Panache...how quickly time flies when you are having fun! It has been alot of fun, eye opening and have met so many more wonderful people. You know that song "Make New Friends and Keep The Old" ! What insight to life that phrase has, we should all live by that. Whoever came up with that must have had life experiences that we all go through at some time in our life.
When running a store and everything, you feel is upon you with decisions and new ideas, it is always enlightening to have people around you that want you to soar and be your best that you can be. I take every suggestion to heart and will never take offense.
I have two more rooms to finish and I know that everyone is probably saying ~ well get on with it already! What has to be done to finish these two rooms is so overwhelming that when I walk into these two rooms I just want to walk right back out.

If you've been to my shop and have seen the beautiful hardwood floor in the room staged as the bedroom. You have probably heard me describe how I had to dissolve hard, old adhesive, then scrape it up with a putty knife, wipe on paper towel and then scrub it smooth with steel wool. Getting down and dirty to do two more rooms has me in a tither!

Forget the fact that I have to redo the walls in one room - that, I can do standing and not on my knees! Therefore I must decide if this is the time to try the feat ~ and I shall! I will try to muster up the inner guru in me...get the kids to school and go directly to Cottage Panache with paint and scrub duds on to work a wonder on two more rooms! Too bad I am not 40something instead of 50something!

One of the rooms will be for lease and I'm just wondering if there is anyone out there that would do the job for a free months rent on that room!!?? It would need to be a Seasoned Lover of the Vintage and Antiques and probably younger than me and have enough free time to handle this task! I have had some people that say I should just rent one of the floor sanders and restain and revarnish! It would not have that vintage patina that I love and is befitting to the cottage so I just don't know. The other room will be a studio/meeting/classroom. I am thinking that I could do a mixed media on that floor since there is an area where the floor is painted white! Any ideas??

A New Friend at Cottage Panache! Linda Kinnaird's Jewelry is one of the lastest additions to Cottage Panache. Check out these three creative pieces, which are just a few to speak of! Everyone of these pieces are under $50!

                                Angela of Filigree  Moon ~  I will call an Old Friend here at Cottage Panache, because she joined us here after my move last Fall and is still creating her fabulous paper artistry and soldered charms and other wonderful creations using vintage jewelry. She has a keen eye when searching for that charming vintage treasure like this silver butter dish and butter knife that you will find in her spot!                                 

Filigree Moon Circus Tag

Gracie of "Lindsey's Cottage" another old friend to Cottage Panache has recently re-done her room and added some wonderful vintage pieces as well as new Spring and Easter Decor!  Don't you just love the neutral tone of that vintage Sanger Harris Hat Box! And how about this mint condition hat? Have you picked up that Easter  Bonnet yet? We have several to choose from!

As always thanks for visiting my blog and hope that might, on some sweet day make it into Cottage Panache because there is always more to come as we add daily, more treasures ~ some new ~ some old ~ some chippy and rusted ~ but I am sure that all will be............Some Kind of Wonderful!

A Wonderful Week to All!

Maureen

Emily's Amazing Grace

This is a picture of my daughter Emily, the day after we received record snowfall for our area. Why am I now showing this so late after the fact, you may be asking! Well  it just happens to be the most recent picture of her smiling and happy. But one week ago today (Tuesday, March 9th) after school she went to the park to take some shots for her Photo-journalism class. (She is way behind because for the past weeks she has been battling Mono!) Monday and Tuesay she was feeling like herself again and was able to complete two full days of school!
So anyhoo, on Tuesday at the park she had a slip and a fall while balancing on the monkey bars while taking a photo! Moms don't let your little girls play on them as you don't realize just how dangerous they are. In fact don't let your little boys on them as well! I promise that I will never laugh at another FHVideo or the like on the telly as I know all too well what damage can be done. You know what I'm talking about - it's how they fall that seems funny at times and it is usually a guy that falls and straddles that bar - right? I had just called to tell her that I was on my way to pick her and her friend Savannah up at the park. Of course she pleaded to stay a little longer, but I was already on my way. After a long drawn out OOOKAAAY  - I heard her begin to scream - help me Mommy - oh it hurts -and then -I'm Bleeding!!! I was only a minute from the park but it seemed like it took me forever to get there and I had no idea what was happening to her. So I finally got there and noticed as I was shuffling her into the car that the backside of her jeans was already saturated with blood - she was worried about getting blood on the seat - but I didn't care! I don't want to go into too much detail but I took her to Cooks Urgent Care/Emergent Childrens Care. The attendant behind the counter saw how white Emily looked and saw the desperate look that I'm sure I was wearing, bringing immediate attention to our emergency and came right out of her area to take Emily back to be trioged. The waiting room was full and so was the parking lot. I was so thankful that she had the ability to scan the line and to take notice of our true emergency! Emily was in so much pain and had lost alot of blood. On top of that - the x-ray revealed that she had also fractured her tailbone as well.  Now if she thought that it was hard to sit through a whole class at school because of Mono ~ how on earth will she fair sitting in those hard chairs! The donut that they sell nowadays is a blow-up one to take the pressure off while sitting, which is in now way helpful like the foam ones that they sold when I was 26 and had broken my tailbone! If anyone knows where I can get a nice foam one - please let me know! I don't know who the smarty was that came up with the blow -up ones but sorry - they are worthless!!! I'd like to have my money back! Well, Emily is healing and it was by the Amaxing Grace of God that it wasn't worse and Thank God that she has this week off for Spring Break! Thanks for listening to my lastest woes ~ I promise the next post will be more upbeat.
P.S. Please keep those girls and boys off those spindly monkey bars!!! They should be outlawed!