Trash to Treasure Art Giveaway

Look at the tremendous Giveaway that Lynn from http://trashtotreasureart.blogspot.com/

is having! Oh my gosh, who wouldn't be able to find a use or special place for each and every item ~ and it grows by the number of followers that sign up! How gracious is she! So many treasures to behold!

Oh my aching bones! Will I make it through this Lord!

Lord have mercy on me~I pray that while I sleep tonight that some little elves will come out of the woodwork and finish the job...for I can hardly move and we may be only halfway done with the process of refinishing the hardwood floors! Who would glue indoor/outdoor carpet to a beautiful hardwood floor!? Some told me to use a floor sander, but when I went to pick up the sander the attendee of the rentals said that it would just gum up on the pad. So once again we opted to dissolve and scrape on hands, knees and bottoms! I could hardly get off the floor, once down! My dear sweet husband is helping me this time. I think he now realizes how hard I worked to get the first floor done! My real dilema is ~ we had to remove all of the things that have been in these last two rooms since my move, into finished rooms, which are now blocking and filling the walkways other rooms. Thus leaving no room to move about for customers. That being said ~ I have found it necessary to stay closed another day. Hopefully after spending another full day on it on Monday, I will be able to place some things back into those rooms! The floors are looking just beautiful and I know that all of the hard work will be worth it. The classroom will be the first room completed! Whoot~whoot! Hurrah! Then the Vintage Couture'! So maybe they won't be ready by the May 15th Anniversary Sale & Antique Flea, but I will not give up trying!

Stirring Up A Little Dust & Hanging In There!

Plans for the Cottage Panache Second Anniversary Sale & Antique Flea Market are underway!   The desire to have the second phase finished includes the refinishing of the hardwood floors in the last two rooms! In order to do this I found it necesary to close for 3 - 4 days as I am afraid that we will be stirring up a little dust ~ cough ~ cough! I began yesterday and I will continue through the weekend working diligently to finish at least the floors in these last two rooms!  My actual Anniversary was in February but wanted to wait until I had these last two rooms finished first. I will be open next week for Mother's Day shopping and all gifts for Mom will be discounted 20% all next week so be sure to stop by and check out what we have for Mom! I have many items that I am bringing in are from my collection in my barn, home and storage. Unpacking things that have been sitting in containers is like going shopping all over again.

This is a WWII satin pillow cover. I just love this poem for Mother!

I am trying to find all of the treasures that honor Mother! I know that I have more items for Mom, similar to this MOP broche. This one is listed on my etsy shop. ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/cottagepanache )

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