"I'm Wyma and I'm a JUNKie," was my answer to a Bible study's leader's get-to-know-you question. When you answer your pastor's wife with an insinuation like that, you know that the world of collecting from time's past has taken hold. What started out as a weekend pastime with my mother 45 years ago has led me to the endless pursuit of the next treasure at flea markets, estate sales, or even the corner dumpster.
I can't help it. I love discovering, collecting, restoring, repurposing, and arranging antiques, vintage collectibles, and, to the untrained eye, junk.
In 1992, I gained my appraisal certification and began serving individuals and families with the downsizing or liquidation of their estates. I love seeing the stories that the houses and their belongings tell, truly considering it an honor to serve families during this life-changing time.
The walls of my house were caving in with all of my adopted vintage finds by 1994. So, I took to helping these treasures find good homes through various antique malls and shows. Having more outlets than just my home to display my finds allowed me to stretch my decorating and re-purposing muscle even more, just further enabling my "junk" addiction. My current finds can be found at the Oxbow in Palestine, TX where I have had a space for about three years. Love this place - great antiques AND great homemade pie!
The idea for a semi-annual home show came about simply because my antique addiction is in full force and my space at the Oxbow just cannot hold everything that I have been finding! Right about the time that I was scratching my head at my overflowing shed, again... my husband's childhood home became available. Not only would this home be great for an office closer to our house, but would be great for holding, of course, more antiques! Knowing I did not want it to be simply a collection of what I tend to cull together, I asked my favorite fellow antique addicts, the ones whose spaces that seem to always have me reaching for my pocketbook, to see if they would be interested in combining for a semi-annual home show. Seeing as how we all have been friends throughout the years tromping the grounds of this flea market or that one and none of us can resist an opportunity to pull together our finds, I got an overwhelming response - YES!
So, that is the short story of me, at least my junk-ie side.
When I'm not unearthing a family's treasure at an estate sale I'm working at or making my way through the garage sale on the corner, I love spending time with my family - our combined three grown sons and daughter, their spouses, and our eight grandchildren. I go through a new book about every 10 days, have an infamous pound cake recipe, and can be found mowing our 1/2 acre yard or digging in our flower beds.
I hope you enjoy this blog. Check often to see when and where the latest estate sale is in the Palestine, TX area, some of the great finds I have found from my latest flea market searches, and the details for the semi-annual home shows that you will definitely not want to miss!
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