Flower Ladies at Catawba Valley Pottery Festival

Arrangement at the entrance to the Festival.

I was a vendor this past weekend in Hickory at the Catawba Valley Pottery and Antique Festival selling antiques and pottery.  This annual show is always eye candy for pottery lovers but also for flower lovers.

Making a floral arrangement.

Making a floral arrangement.

Three sisters from the area volunteer each year to make flower arrangements for the entrance to the show and for the dinner tables. Volunteers bring in an assortment of raw materials for the sisters to use.

Lenten rose or hellebores.

Contorted hazel branches.

 But the fun part for me are the arrangements they make for the individual booths.

Vendors take a piece of pottery to the sisters, and they design an arrangement in that piece and bring it back to your booth. 

One of the "flower ladies" in my booth.  Notice the arrangement in my green vase.

Even if you are not a pottery collector enjoying the floral arrangements is worth the admission to the Festival each March.  

Something For Everyone...New Bern Antique Show 2013

Fancy Blue Ridge.

Each February the New Bern Preservation Foundation sponsors an Antique Show in the Civic Center---a beautiful venue for the show.  And for over ten years now, I have been a vendor at the Show.  It is always a lot of fun.  And sales are usually pretty good.  There is always something for everyone.  Here's some of those somethings from this year.

Pretty Blue Ridge plate in my booth.

Unusual Blue Ridge wall pocket in my booth.

As I was unpacking one of my boxes during setup, I discovered a little hedgehog that I didn't remember having.  I was debating whether to sell it or keep it.  I love hedgehogs.  My friend Marcia came over, bought it, and then gave it to me for Valentine's.  That's called "having your cake and eating it too."  Marcia is a great friend.

My cute little hedgehog.

Virginia, a vendor whose booth is across from mine, usually has something that I can't resist.  This year it is a lovely maple bowl with a hand-painted design that I bought for Dan as a Valentine's gift.

There's always lots of furniture.

Nice chest in one of the vendor's booth.

Usually some vintage toys.

Vintage baseball figures.

Pretty vases.

Victorian picture frame in my booth.

Can't you see how much fun this is?  I always look forward to this show where many of the vendors have become good friends and where there is always something for everyone.