3 New Antique Keys Necklaces. (Best Suited for Unlocking Hearts)

Cathedral

Century

Library

Urban's Movin' to HOTlanta!

That's right...we're relocating after a kajillion years of "we should..." "one day we're gonna..." "we're planning on..." and I have to admit, I get pretty excited when I think about it.

So when you saw that photo of peaches in my last post, did it make you curious or just hungry? Last week, we packed up T the Dog and drove almost 900 miles south to look for our new digs. 

Top 10 Reasons Why It Pays To Have A Trucker At The Wheel:

1. He loves to drive
2. He loves to drive at night (when I can't see squat!)
3. He can read a map like nobody's business
4. He can teach you how to navigate just by knowing the numbers and colors of the road signs
5. He trusts you when it's your turn to take the wheel...he'll actually go to sleep!
6. He's full of funny trucker stories
7. He's determined to "make good time"
8. He knows where the clean bathrooms are
9. He knows where the best coffee is
10. He loves to drive.  That bears repeating!

At Love's we found the best and widest variety of coffee (from mild to kick-ass), the cleanest restrooms and most charming cashiers--plus the occasional friendly truck driver just dying to tell anyone who'd listen how long a drive he had ahead of him.  Godspeed, Steel Dragon... :)

Coming through the Carolinas, we were greeted by some questionable weather.

Ominous skies gave way to a brief torrential downpour.

But I do love a rainy evening traffic scene.

The rainbow afterward was a sweet reward and urged us forward!

"How far is this place? Is this trip ever going to end?"

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

It was T the Dog's longest road trip ever...like going to Grandma's and back in one stretch...and then some! He whined about as much as any stir-crazy 7 year-old trapped in a mid-size non-luxury car, but he made up for it by sleeping like a wino on the way back home.  Gooooood dog!

Downtown Atlanta is beautiful and diverse.  Little Five Points smacks of 
the East Village in New York City.

Amazing --and amusing-- storefronts galore

and shops with cheeky names

Oh, for the love of GRAPHICS!  This storefront left me speechless.

What I love about college towns

This gum tree is my squeamish aunt's worst nightmare!

I found our dream home! The operative word being "DREAM".  So, if it should ever come up for sale, would somebody please let me know?  In the meantime, I'll be saving my pennies...

It was a very good trip.  I'm still a little stunned that we finally buckled down and made it happen.  I may miss all the snow and that typical Metro Northeast sense of urgency about everything, but then again, maybe not...

In the end, after a full grueling week of searching and exploring and second guessing, we finally settled on a nice town just 15 minutes north of the city with enough amenities for both me and the hubs.  It will be hard to say goodbye to our friends who will undoubtedly be a little shocked at the quickness of it all, but just like when I left my day job, it felt like it was now or never; we didn't need to give ourselves any additional time to chicken out!

And speaking of chicken...

The Big Chicken! Isn't it the darnedest thing? So campy
and retro-licious!

  And somewhere over the rainbow, something waits for me...

"Nom nom nom nom nom!!!"

See?  Eventually everybody moves down there. Even 
hogs from Ohio! ;)

It's 12:09 am. Do You Know Where Your Keys Are?

New Doorkeeper Leather Key Fob with Antique Key

Dogs in Kilts? Not on This Train!

Kiss Me...I'm Scottish!
This is the dog that got booted out of the train station for not being in a pet carrier.  Even a fluffy white pup in a handmade kilt could not soften the hearts of the gritty New Jersey Police officers!  Too bad we missed the parade of Westies in the New York City Tartan Day Parade on Saturday, but after venting over hot coffees and fresh bagels, we licked our wounds and took our parade to the dog park. 

Sizing up the competition...

Picking up chicks...don't let the kilt fool you--he's all boy!

Checking out the art installation...

Winning friends and influencing people!

For the record, this is how he rolled last year.  These awesome pipers were kind enough to pose with our pup for a picture.  Don't they look like they belong together?

Hopefully next year we won't miss the big parade, and maybe we'll show up with an Urban Heirlooms pet carrier?  Until then, we'll do our butt sniffing at the dog park, thank you very much!   It turned out to be a great day after all.  ;-)

Hello, Spring ... It's Show Time!

I heard a knock on my door and it was spring.  She’s a welcomed guest who never arrives empty handed; she always comes with bags full of expectation.

Like, the sun will be out more; therefore, so should I!  Goodbye cuddling on the couch under plush faux fur lap throws! Goodbye!  She comes with bright energy…outdoor activites…like festivals and craft shows!  Spring is perky as hell.

Oh, alright, so she wheedled me out of my snug comfort zone and before I knew it, I had applied and been accepted to two juried shows.  And I’m not gonna lie—I’m anxious.  There’s been lots of deep sighing, nail nibbling, and bags of innocent crunchy things devoured in front of the computer.

The last big show I did was over 20 years ago!  I was still in college and had discovered the wild wonderful world of millinery, making quirky hats from fabric sample headers rescued from a huge clean-out of my university’s Interior Design Department.   Nothing gets my creative juices flowing like the words “free supplies”!

As apprehensive as I was about doing something new, I never forgot the excitement of seeing customers’ reactions to what I had created.  There was such big joy in watching them have fun with my stuff.  So, while I am flying by the seat of my pants to prepare for these two upcoming shows, I’m also looking forward to the festive atmosphere.

White tents and flying banners get me high.  They do!  People milling about from tent to tent, being surrounded by artisans and art lovers, people who know the value of a handmade item and who appreciate the un-mass-produced…the oohs and ahhhs when they’ve discovered something neat are like classic rock to my ears.

I hope you’ll wish me luck!  I’ll be reading all kinds of tips for preparing to have a good show, and I hope that in my frenzy I won’t forget to bring my camera so I’ll have some fun pictures to share.  And speaking of sharing, here are some photos of what’s on the work table at Urban Heirlooms.  Happy spring!

Leather Steamer Bi-fold Wallets-to-be...little four-eyed creatures with tails

These beautiful old keys do make the most unusual clasps!

I'm road testing the new long-line Genteel style wallet...love!

I'm switching to antiqued snaps for a more discreet entrance.

How I like to close this wallet: holding it in the palm of my left hand, i slip my thumb under the tab, then use my right hand to slip the key inside.  Easy-peasy!