These photos are from the first Container Party at the shop in 2006.  It has been intriguing to look at these images from the shop’s past.  In the antiques trade so much material comes and goes that I sometimes forget about certain pieces that I really liked, and after seeing these photos again I think that maybe this or that piece should have come home to live.    However, there is that matter of making money and paying the mortgage.   The container for 2009 has arrived and I am currently in the process of unpacking and again going through that difficult process of sorting and culling and trying not to drag huge portions of it home….of course just to see how it looks in my house.   It’s a test to see if a new object can stand up to the other pieces that have already staked a claim in their current location in the house.    The 2009 Container Party is Thursday, September 24th at  5 p.m.  Click on images to enlarge.

Large academic drawing found in Belgium.

I am always on the search for interesting horn and antler material when shopping in Europe for the container.

Sawtooth shark noses, antlers, and altar sticks were the first thing you saw coming into the shop.  Mixing can be such a great experiment in shop and home design.

Shell collection in a lead planter in front of a Victorian painted fireplace mantel.

Bird case with dog paintings over a St. Louis general store cabinet.

This was a great garden trellis that I wish I had back in the shop for store display.  The architectural terra-cotta face was from Kansas City.

European carousel panels over a group of carnival knock-downs.  Click on images to enlarge.