My Valentine present from Steve were these adorable Frozen Charlotte Twins. He does listen and pay attention! On our trip home from Arkansas over the holidays we made several stops at antique shops and flea markets. There is one on the outskirts of Birmingham, AL and if you can tolerate the lady that works there they have some great things, but way overpriced on most things. Everything I looked at or touched she proceeded to tell me about it. I finally said, would it be okay if we just look around and if I have any questions I will let you know. I did find some old letters, a 1926 French book and a few old silk ribbons.
Then I spotted the Frozen Charlotte Twins and Steve said why don't you get those to go with the others you have. I didn't even know he knew I had the others as they are in an old wooden box sitting on a shelf. Once again he does pay attention! She has them locked up which tells me they are over priced and I am in no mood to dicker with her. As I made another quick round he asked about them and then wished he hadn't as she proceed to tell him all about how rare Frozen Charlotte's were, blah, blah, blah. He finally said my wife has a nice collection and you can find them all over etsy, ebay and in antique shops, flea markets and estate sales. I think he ruffled her feathers a little and I was rather proud.
I laid down the things I had picked up and she had something to say about the old letters and I told her I was an artist and used them in my art. Her response was, you don't dress like an artist! Hello....I had on a starched white shirt, jeans and my tennis! Now just what does an artist look like? Well I should have left, but even her being what I call snooty didn't stop me from making my purchase.
Back to my Frozen Charlotte Twins. A couple weeks after the holidays, Steve called asking what my username and password were on ebay and etsy with a do not ask attached to it. A couple weeks before Valentine's Day I received an email telling me I had won blah, blah, blah! I just laughed and I didn't say anything. I was thrilled to see what he had done and what was coming my way. The week of Valentine he told me he was expecting a box and it would be addressed to me, but do not open it. I thought, no problem, I already know what was in it and I still had not let him know I had gotten the email.
Valentine's night we went out to eat and then he gave me the box. I acted surprised and then had to tell him about the emails. He just laughed, said he had not thought about the emails until he won because he knew he had put a high enough bid on them he was sure to win and when he realized I was going to get the email he thought he would see just how long a would keep my mouth shut. Well I didn't say a word, I acted surprised and he was happy he had made me happy.
Lesson learned: Never under estimate your husband, they do pay attention sometimes! And let them ruffle feathers when the opportunity arises, it makes them feel good and you too!
Even though it is official, the marketplace is not open yet, but it is getting very close. The blog is up and things will be posted there as we progress.
January 1 through February you can comb the beaches of Jekyll Island to find beautiful, one-of-a-kind glass fishing floats. Each day a select number of the floats are placed along the beaches just above the high tide line. I spent many days walking and searching for one of the hidden treasures, but always came home empty handed. Steve surprise me with this gorgeous white glass float created by artist Mark Ellinger. Each one is individually crafted with the same techniques that have been used for 200 years to create glass art. All floats are engraved on the plug with Jekyll Island, Georgia's Jewel, the year, and the artists signature. 
We left early Friday morning making our first stop within 30 minutes at Me and My Partner Antiques and Collectibles/Woodbine International Fire Museum. I found some old school report cards from 1917 and Mr. Windy the owner pulled out a few other papers he had in a drawer to give me. I just love the sign he has out front! It certainly has gotten my attention a few times. I would highly recommend a visit to Woodbine to this great antique shop and the Fire Museum is awesome...fill with tons of history. We continued heading south making several stops along the way. 
I have been asked to do a solo exhibit for the month of May at 
