" Love is in The Air..."

Today Out of All Days Is a Time to Reflect, Love is in the Air...

Its Valentines Day!

Not Only a Time to Enjoy the Ones You Love, or Your Sweetheart, or What Truely Drives Your Heart ~ Your Passion! I Have Been Really Busy These Past Few Weeks Creating "Folk Art", Buying Antiques and Getting It All Together For The Antique Show I Just Finished Up Last Night.

 I Can Only Say, "I Love What I Do!" It Was An Amazing Show-"Antiques at Music Valley" Right Here in Nashville,TN. Many Dear Friends, Customers and Just Nice People Attended, With Such Encouraging Words and Inspiration!

 My Best Friend Billy and I Pulled Together The Booth and Tried to Be Minimalistic. (Ha Ha Ha ...Well It Was For Us!)
 An Over All Look Was Very "Garden" Inspired, Mixed With Architectural Pieces, Folk Art, Bunnies and Bears, Birds and Birdcages, Textiles and Quilts, Even Good Classic Country Furniture!
Enjoying What You Do Is Such A Pleasure, I Love It!
"Wishing Everyone a Very Happy Valentines Day!"

Have a Great Week, Too!

Jason

"Snowfalls in Nashville..."

  I Have Been Working on So Many Great New "Folk Art" Items to Share Soon! Having Such a Busy Week, As We All Get...It Was Nice To Stop And Enjoy A Little Quiet Time.
  I Was So Excited the Other Day on Friday, Woke Up and No Snow? Went About as Usual... I Was Collecting the Items From the Workroom Cupbord Shelves To Create Some, That Day. I Had My Arms Full, Turned Around and Looked Out The Window to See Snow Falling!
  I Grabed the Camera and the Pup's and Went Outside to Take Some Pictures of the Beautiful Snowflakes.

  It Was So Nice to See in the Back Yard My Statues, Benches, and Urns Just Starting Out With the Winter White Look. It Was So Odd to See the Snowfall Keep on Comming Down with Not Much Hesitation. I Was Working Some, Looking Out the Window More and More. Only to See It Getting White All Around!
  Yesterday Was Serene As Well, When I Awoke There Was "Peace and Quiet". Not a Sole on the Road or Out, Then All The Neighbors Started to Appear as The Day Went On...Dogs Being walked on Their Leash, Kids and Some Sleds, And Us Adults Having "Snowball" Fights!
   Its Been Quite a While Since Nashville Has Had a Snow This Big, All Said and Done it Was About 7 Inches of Snowfall, But So Well Worth The Wait! It Made Me Along With Many Others To Stop a Moment, Look Around and Just Enjoy the Day!

The "Antiques At Music Valley Show" is Fast Approaching...


Hope to See You There and Enjoying All the Great Antique Shows In Nashville This February!

http://www.musicvalleyantiquesmarket.com/

Hope Everyone is Enjoying Where They Are,

 and Have a Great Day! Jason

"Today Is a BIG Day..."

Looking Back I Can Not Believe I Am At A Milestone in My Life As Today! I Enjoy Life So Much and Am a "BIG Kid" at Heart, Lots of Energy and Imagination, Almost to the Point of Sillyness. I Am Who I Am...And a Mere Forty Years Ago I Came Into This World Ready To Take It On! I Was a Premie'; Weighing in at One Pound and A-Half...I Have Since Caught Up, LOL I Was Ready To Start Living and Enjoy All That Is Out There.

Mom Always Said to Me, "You Are Here For A Purpose...I Feel It is For Good!" I Try to Use My Creativity to Make People "Smile!"Growing Up in the 70's Have Always Feuled My Love Of Creating, Crafting, Gardening and Using What We Have. My Family Instilled in Me the Sense of Accomplishment in Making It Myself and Enjoying the "Simple Pleasures in Life!"

Today I Enjoyed My Morning Looking at Antiques, Junque' and Treasures at the Tennessee State Fair "Flea Market." Sifting Through All the Booths of Unknown Items, Looking for Items To Transform into Wonderful "Folk-Art" Masterpeices. One Item I Found Was an 1880's Bible, So Beautiful, Well Worn and Incredible Images on a Hand Written Peice of Paper in the Front. I Will Enjoy Looking at It!

Today I Also Met Up With My Sister, Amy. She Is About to Have a Baby Boy in March. The First Grandchild...Let Me Just Say, "He Hasn't a Chance in This Family- He Will Be Spoiled Rotten !" (Just Like ME!) I Am Helping Her Some With The Baby's Room , and Had to See The New Modern Crib That Came In. So Exciting!

Well Folks I Will Let You Know How the Rest Of My Birthday Turns Out, As Of Now, "It Is a Perfect Day!"
My Motto to Live By:
"In All Things Be True; And Try To Be a Better Person Everyday!"

Have a Great Weekend!
Jason

"I Am Ready For Spring Flowers!"

Looking Back at The Wonderful Show I Did Last February in Nashville At "Antiques at Music Valley", I Had To See What My Look Was Then and Now For the Next Show!

I Was Absolutely Amazed to See What Billy Phillips and I Could, "Get So Much in Such a Small Space!" That I Had To Share Some of the Pictures With You,Too.

All The Fantastic Antiques, Folk Art, Garden, Textiles, and  Springtime Holiday Items Were Bursting at The Seams... We Both Have Such Fun Setting Up the Whole Look, I Hope You Enjoy it With Me!

I am Such the Attention to Detail Guy...I Even Separated All the "Jelly Beans",and Aged Them Before Using  In The Displays. Searching For Just The Right Primitive Furniture, Garden Urns, Old Metal Fence Pieces and Bunnies; Is My Passion. Then When it is All Pulled Together I Add My Favorite Finnishing Touches, The Flowers!

 I Have Always Been an Avid Gardener, Must Have Been From Always Being at the Family Farm Growing Vegetables All Summer and Planting Flowers in The Fields. My Favorite Flower (Weed) is "Queen Ann's Lace, Classic! But For the Show I Used Many Tulips and Forced Branches, ALong With Fresh Pussywillow Stems.

We Look Forward to Having Another Great Show, Next Month in Nashville,TN...Can't Wait to Show Everyone All The Fantastic Antiques, "Folk Art" I've Made, and Collections of Wonderful Everyday Items, Too!
http://www.musicvalleyantiquesmarket.com/

 Have a Great Day~Jason

"In All Things Be True!"

In Character, In Manners, In Style, In All Things,
The Supreme Excellence Is Simplicity.
Longfellow 1807-1882

It is a Wonderful Day Today...The Birds Are Singing, The Sun is Shining, and I Have Been Working for Months on My "New Plan" for 2010! When I Said I Wanted to Devote All of My Time and Energy To My Artwork-Folk Art This Year I Meant It...
Today Is an Exciting Time For Me I Am Starting Out Selling My Wares on a Wonderful Website That Focuses on the Handmade. http://www.theprimitivegathering.com/

I am Overwhelmed with Exuberance and Have So Many Thoughts, Ideas and Projects to Work On! I Have Never really Taken the Time To Sit a Moment and Come Up With A Game Plan for My Visions. With Me Stepping Back, Looking at What I "Really" Want to Do Has Been Invigorating.

Last Year I Saw Myself Getting More and More Elated When I Was Creating in My Workshop, My "Folk Art". I Know We All Have a Purpose and Are Here For a Reason...I Think Mine Is To Make People "Smile" When The See My Art! Not For The Money or The Fame...Just For The Excitement of Enjoying A Vision of My Creations. I Always Have Had a Very Vivid Imagination, Now I Want To Put It To Good Use.

I Haven't Felt This Way Since I Showed My Artwork At The First Show I Did in Nashville. I Was So Pleased I Hand Stitched, Painted and Put Together "8 Pieces", Only To Be Bought By The First Person That I Spoke To. I Was In Shock That Someone Wanted The "Whole Collection", Very Humbled and Pleased That I Made Something That Others Appreciated As Much As I Did. It Was So Funny Too; I Still to This Day Remember I Said "I Guess I Am A True Artist Now, I Sold Out and Have Nothing Else For The Show...What Do I Do? Go Home and Make More Now!" So I Stayed Up All Night To Have At Least One Piece for the Rest Of The Weekend Show. Those Were the Days...The Beginning of My Career!

Over the Years I Have Been Very Blessed and Lucky! Back When I Was Just Out Of High School I Started All Of This Creating "Folk Art" Full Time. I Have Sold My Folk Art to Shops Across The Country and Abroad. Being Lucky Enough To Sell My Wares Though The Museum of American Folk Art, Galleries in New York, Hawaii, and California. I Was at That Time Making So Much, Like a Factory That I Got "Burnt Out!" I Chose To Take My Creative Ideas A Different Route For a While, Doing Buying For a Furniture and Gift Shops, Interior Design and Event Planning.

Now I Am Back To My Roots- "Full Circle!"

Thanks For Listening to My Thoughts and Aspirations. I Am So Pleased to Be Doing What I Am Doing with My "Folk Art" That I Had To Share My Thoughts With You Today! Have a Great Weekend and Check Out The New Venture at "The Primitive Gathering!"

Jason

"Spring Is In The Air..."

YES, Spring Comes Early in Tennessee for 2010! I Have Started Early in Anticipation for the Nashville Antique Shows in February I Will Be Involed In... So I Did My Booth in "My Look"...Folk Art, Primitive, French, Industrial, With A Little Modern Twist and Themed it ALL NATURAL! Tones of Brown, Cream, and Blue-Greens All Say; Change In the Season Is Here!
Check Out My Booth #309 When In Nashville! http://www.gaslampantiques.com/

An All Natural Look for Springtime with My Form of "Recycling", Vintage and Antiques! Started Out With Old Metal Sawhorses that Are a Rusty White with Vines And Leaves Appear to Be Growing on Them; Are Topped Off With An Old Painted Green and White Wooden Door. Made a Grand Table to Set the Theme! A Textile Quilt from the 1860's in the Backdrop with Tones of Cocoa Brown, Black, Grey and Indigo. I Think it is a "Butter Churn" Pattern, Thats What Some of My Fellow Antiquers Told Me...Is Fantastic, Yet Modern Today!

Old Wood, Wicker and Metal Vibe Well, "Like People of Different Intrests Can Still Work Well Together if You Have an Open Mind and Are Placed Together!" Hahahaa

An Assortment of Old Ironstone Dishes, Pottery, Baskets, Glass Cloche' Domes, Even Real (Hollowed Out) Natural Eggs and Herbs ~ Rosemary! ( Real, Faux', and Dried, By Me!)

 Folk Art Knomes Hand Sewn and Painted Waits Sitting Atop a Felted Cabbage in an Old Flowerpot and Wood Base, Adorned With Antique Millinery Flowers, Crafted By Me!

One Of My Favorite Finds a 1930's Bird with a Nest Sitting on a Log Planter, Sits on an Old Ironstone Plate Protected With Its Tall Glass Cloche' Dome. I Added Some Natural Excelsor and Candy Eggs to Complete the Look. A Great Old Redware Clay Baking Bowl With Two Handles, Covered With a Wire Mesh That Resembles "Chicken Wire" To Me...Filled With My Own Dried "Rosemary Herb Potpourri."
Simple - Dried - Spring

A Grouping of Odd Flowerpots Always Make Me Smile...It Brings Back Memories of Being Asked to Go Out to The Shed and Get Some Pots to Plant Some Seeds In; to Put in the Windowsill At My Grandmothers House, "MaMa2". Yes, That Is Still What Everyone Calls My Grandmother! Funny Story About The "Nickname" Given By Me, Oh So Many Years Ago...I was About 2 1/2 and My Mother, Grandmother and I Were Going to Our Favorite Grocery Growing Up, H.G.Hill's. I Was In The Shopping Cart Being Me, "On Stage!" Some Lady Asked Me, "Who Is This?"...I Answered; "This Is My Mama and This is My MaMa2!" So History Was Made, Not to Mention I Was The First Grandchild and Still Put On A Pedestal To This Day By My Grandmother. I Love Her Oh So Dearly! She Actually Is The Reason I Am "Who I Am Today!" Growing Up I Was Always Told I Can Do Anything I Set My Mind To; Believe Me It Is Oh So True and Endearing. I Learned to Sew, Bake, Garden, Paint, Write, Create, Dream, Have Self Confidence, Never Be Afraid, Always Be Positive, Do It Yourself, and Do It Big...All From My "Mama2"! Now That I Had A Heart Felt Memory I Will Get Back...To Decorating for Spring, at Hand.

Use The Unexpected When Decorating for Spring and Use What You Like!
Grouping Old, Odd Flowerpots Are an Easy Look. They Can Hold Candles, Nests, Eggs...Imaginations the Limit! Even Little Vintage Dish or Saucer With a Small Glass Dome is "Calling for a Cupcake!" I Like Spring Scents to Liven Your Home Too...Forced Paperwhite Bulbs, Fresh or Dried Rosemary.
One Of My Favorite Candles "Crepe Myrtle" By NOUVELLE I Buy at A La' Maison on 8th Avenue! I Just Found Out That New Candles Just Arrived There Today In Scents Called; New Orleans, Delphenium and Grapefruit Blackberry! Cant Wait To Get Those,Too! http://www.shopalamaison.com/ 
Old Music Sheets, Even Player Piano Music Rolls Echo's for the "Fabric Songbirds" Made Out of Vintage Quilt Top Pieces.
I Found This Old Metal "Egg Separator" That Held 6 Dozen Eggs With The Original Paper Holders Inside. I Added Some Eggs and a Paper Music Sheet That States; "I Need a Home!"
Well I Have Enjoyed Pulling Together Some Ideas and Sharing My Springtime Ideas; Even a Little Reminicing...Now Think Spring and Have a Great Day!
Jason

Also Check Out My Website of Shops I Sell To Along With The Upcoming Shows and Events!
           http://www.jasonparkercouncedesigns.com/