Will and Kate

Oh those Brits know how to design and wear a hat!

Trolley Hop...Hell or High Water

Tonight is our Derby Trolley Hop. Hope Mellwood Avenue is open!!!

Store Open 11-4. And re-open 6-? for the hop. See You There!!

Congrats to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

We Don't Need An Ark....Yet

Due to the closure of Mellwood Avenue, My store at the Mellwood Arts Center will be closed today. The Arts Center is on a hill but the road leading to it is not. Have a great day! Stay Dry!

Eye Artware / Robbie Hacker

Robbie is a master fabricator @ Twelveth House Designs. In his spare time he used re pourposed copper, brass and a couple pairs of old magnifier glasses. You can actually wear his functional cool art eyeware.

Derby FAT Friday Trolley Hop April 29th.

oooppps Forgot to Celebrate Earth Day

The Countdown to Derby Continues....

Easter Sunday

To all my peeps.......Have a wonderful day with your friends and family.

Happy Easter

Early Mother's Day Story / Kent Epler

When Kent's mom Ruth would come to Kentucky for a visit it was always a treat. Kent would plan out their days filled with shopping locally and regionally. Ruth who always loved a bargain returned to Montana with packages galore.

It was Ruth who once said after viewing the inexpensive, quality goods at T.J. Maxx "There is NO excuse for people to dress bad or have ugly homes!"

One year they went to Nashville, Indiana which is a small town filled with cute galleries and shops. The town has an established artist colony. So Kent and Ruth were in heaven going from one adorable art gallery to the next when they discovered to their horror that they were in a store that sold imported cockoo clocks. The older German couple immediately engaged them in conversation so it was too awkward to back out the door. Ruth whispered to Kent "5 minutes". So the two pretended to be interested in clocks when all of the sudden...out of the blue...amid the cuckoo clucking...Ruth spied a 50% off sign about the same time Kent discovered the Native American, hand made, sterling silver watch bands. The owners tried to explain how this wound up in their store but Ruth and Kent were already collectors of such and didn't listen. An hour later both were the proud owners of Native American, hand made, sterling silver watch bands (NAHMSSWB) @50% off.

I always loved this story and made Kent repeat it often when he wore the watch...But recently discovered THE REST OF THE STORY.

20 years go by...Compliments whenever Ruth or Kent wore the watches with the NAHMSSWB. Ruth passes from this world to the next and Kent now owns her much smaller watch band. Kent wants to spend any amount of money to add Ruth's band to his. He goes to a jewelry store and mentions that it belonged to his mother and will pay anything to join the two watch bands. The jeweler spends one minute showing Kent how the two bands fit together perfectly. No Charge!

I love this P.S. to the story . I smile thinking about Ruth and Kent in the Cuckoo Clock store trying desperately to exit then spotting a bargain. Love it that Kent had the two bands joined for a bargain. Ruth still sending her love from above.

Hat With A Past / Robbie Moriarty

Hat With A Past / Robbie Moriarty

Steel Magnolias / Robbie Moriarty Art

Rose Purse / Robbie Moriarty Art

A rose by any other name is still a rose...or maybe a purse.

This purse with a past has been given new life with silk rose petals and leaves.

Have a glue gun and you too can go from Prom to Derby.

Pink Rose Purse / Robbie Moriarty Art

The roses are pins and can be removed so you can add another flower or not.

Run For The Roses Hats

Horse Shoe Purses and Hats @ My Store

This past year I scored some dirty horse shoes from Churchill Downs. I spent a weekend removing the "organic matter" (manure) from the aluminum shoes. Then I found purses to embellish with the shoes and some decorative aluminum wire.

The horse shoes are upright to keep all the luck inside. Lucky In Kentucky Purses can be found at my store located @ The Mellwood Arts Center.

Foo Foo Pumps / Melissa Milburn

Rick's adorable niece Melissa was at Hats For Hope @ The Mellwood Arts Center this past Thursday.

She was wearing really cute foo foo shoes and managed to strike a pose for me.

One of her friends scored two show stopping hats for The Kentucky Oaks and Derby.

Love to see young women out supporting a worthy cause!

The Mega Horse / Robbie Moriarty

Hats For Hope / Mellwood Arts Center

The University of Louisville and the Brown Cancer Center sponsor The Hats For Hope tonight 6-9:30 at the Mellwood Arts Center. This is a silent auction of Derby Hats,Gift Baskets, Goods and Services. The proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. Making strides aganist breast cancer. My store will be open 6-9:30 Too! I always support pink causes. Think Pink!

Horses And Hats / Gallery JanJoBe

This is one of those hats you pin to your hair. I bet it is much cooler and more comfortable than a real hat. But there is the element of mystery when you're wearing a hat.

Robbie Moriarty Art / Mellwood Arts Center

My store Goddess in pimped out in her Run For The Roses finery. The roses even spin if there is a wind.

Art Show Booth / Dan Barnes

Janan Juliff / Dan Barnes

Let them eat cake. The American Craft Council has it's 70th Birthday. The Cake Diva, Janan Juliff made a cake (left) of Lexington Kentucky artist Dan Barnes Wall Sconce (right). Way Cool!

Happy Easter

Bunny Collection / Robbie Moriarty

Love this funky crochet bunny and chicks.

Easter Collection / Robbie Moriarty

Think Pink / Robbie Moriarty

Punk Ponies / Janet Bailey Burch

Janet is part owner of Gallery JanJoBe where you can find a great selection of her work. Tis the season.

This cool mural is located on Bardstown Road in Louisville.

Bonnycastle Club

Bill Schreiber, aka Schreib passed from this world to the next last week. I will miss his great energy and smiling face. Schreib often spoke of the Bonnycastle Club and was a frequent member. This is truly a case of Only The Good Die Young. Rest in Peace Schrieb!

Spring Fling Necklace and Brooch / Robbie Moriarty

Artist Swirl Bracelet / Fig Ear Rings / Robbie Moriarty

Dot Pendant / Brooch / Robbie Moriarty

The Mane Event Brooch / Gypsy Graffiti Necklace / Robbie Morarty

Bottle Trees / Bruce Eveslage

Bruce has real bottle trees. I love the fact that he took re-bar and stuck it in a cedar posts and put bottles where he wanted. This technique paves the way for the bottle tree border I plan to do in my yard this year.

Sam is re-designing our front yard to park his motorcycle and scooter with in the picket fence. It will also house his tomato plant garden. My found object, Statue of Liberty. 20 Jeff Underwood rusted daiseys. Dozens of Yard Birds, Not to mention my old bottle trees from last year and the newly created bottle tree border.

I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Rick and Kent / Daffodil Doo-Dah

The boys wearing jaunty spring hats on a lovely Sunday afternoon!

In the background one of Swampview's off beat yard art...a random red beam hanging from a tree. You never know when your going to see one.

The Emrald City / Bruce Eveslage

When walking in Bruce's woods you never know what you will discover.

Bruce made these pillars from all sorts of rusty gears and other found objects. He is always on the lookout for cool rusted stuff. If a building is ever being torn down Bruce is there.

Bruce tells a funny story of his excitement when he found a barn full of rusted parts. So he asks the owner how much? The owner says just get a pile of what you want and I'll give you a good price.

After Bruce and his partner Scott have spent hours and have a sizeable stash stacked up....the first item the owner sees on the pile he couldn't possibly sell because it blonged to so and so. The next item he just couldn't sell. The next is precious...this goes on and on.... Were talking broken rusted parts of no use to anyone but Bruce. Finally Bruce wore the man down and he sold Bruce a truckload of rusted discards. Not sure the final cost but more than rusted scrap metal is worth I suspect.

Carrot Meister / Albert Gorman

In 2004 the Louisville Visual Art Association (LVAA) ,located on the Ohio River, had a show of art made from objects found on the banks of the Ohio. Al Gorman found this assortment of stuff at the Falls of the Ohio. He later donated this item to the LVAA's Art Auction. Where one of Bruce's savvy friends snapped it up and gave to Bruce. She is also the same person who gave Bruce the bottle cap chain.

Cool Collections / Bruce Eveslage

As a lover of found object art I couldn't get enough of the bottle cap chain that was hanging from the spiral staircase. I had hoped that Bruce was tired of it and wanted to sell....No such luck. Now I am on a quest to save bottle caps and make my own. So save your bottle caps for me.

Swampview Daffodil Doo Dah / Floyd Knobs, IN

Bruce and Scott have a cool house in the middle of woods and land that Bruce has carefully cultivated into Swampview. So every spring when the daffodils bloom they have a garden party or a Doo-Dah as they like to call it.

The house is a large rectangle with a wrap around screened in porch. All the doors in the house open on to the porch. I LOVE the way the home and land is pimped out. Not to mention that Bruce is also a chef. Really yummy food and drink! Perfection!