Ep. 454: Carson Kressley Mini-Series Pt. 2 - The Junk Gypsies

How to Decorate

Caroline McDonald

Arts, Business, Design

4.4 • 838 Ratings

🗓️ 24 February 2026

⏱️ 74 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We are back for Part 2 of our Carson Kressley takeover! This week, Carson invites his "partners in crime," Amie and Jolie Sikes—better known as the Junk Gypsies—to the podcast. Broadcasting (virtually) from Round Top, Texas, the sisters share the story of how they turned a love for "junking" into a global lifestyle brand. Carson and the Gypsies discuss the magic of the Round Top Antiques Fair (the "Super Bowl of Junk"), why you should mix velvet with raw wood, and how to decorate with "glitter and dirt." Quick Decorating Takeaways: Mix "Glitter and Dirt": The Junk Gypsy aesthetic is all about contrast. Don't be afraid to pair a crystal chandelier with chipping paint, or velvet upholstery with rustic wood. The friction between fancy and rough is what makes a room interesting. Buy What You Love (It Will Fit): When shopping at flea markets or antique shows, ignore the "where will I put this?" doubt. Amie and Jolie believe that if you truly love a piece, you will find a place for it—even if it ends up in the bathroom holding towels. Souvenirs > Trends: Your home should be a scrapbook of your life. Carson and the girls discuss why buying weird, unique items from your travels (like a giant roadside sign or a beat-up guitar) beats buying a generic trend from a big-box store every time. What You’ll Hear on This Episode: 00:00 Welcome to Part 2 of the Carson Kressley Mini-Series! 02:00 Meet the Junk Gypsies: Amie & Jolie Sikes 05:00 What is Round Top? Explaining the "26 miles of treasure" in Texas 09:00 The "Glitter and Dirt" Philosophy: Mixing fancy with rustic 14:00 Why you shouldn't worry about "where it will go" when buying vintage 20:00 Designing for Miranda Lambert: Airstreams & Tour Buses 28:00 The "Wander Inn": The sisters’ hotel project in Round Top 36:00 How to shop a flea market like a pro (and why you need a flashlight) 45:00 Carson’s favorite finds: The "Giddy Up" art and "Howdy" pillows Also Mentioned: Junk Gypsy Company (Amie & Jolie's Brand) The Wander Inn (Round Top, TX) Round Top Antiques Fair Shop the Carson Kressley Collection at Ballard Designs Please send in your questions so we can answer them on our next episode! And of course, subscribe to the podcast in Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. You can always check back here to see new episodes, but if you subscribe, it’ll automatically download to your phone. Happy Decorating! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to How to Decorate from Ballard Designs, a weekly podcast all about the trials and triumphs of decorating and redecorating your home.
0:09.1	I'm Caroline. I'm on the marketing team. And I'm Taryn and I'm a product designer. I'm Liz. I head up the creative team.
0:14.8	We're your host. Join the expert team at Ballard Designs for tips, tricks, and tales from interior designers, stylists, and other
0:21.2	talents in the design world. Plus, we'll answer your decorating dilemmas at the end of each episode.
0:25.4	We love answering your questions, so don't forget to email us at podcast at balderdesigns.net.
0:30.5	Now on with the show. Okay, we're back with episode two of the Carson Cressley mini-series here on the podcast.
0:39.2	Of course, if you haven't listened to episode one, you got to go back and listen to that because it was so funny.
0:44.7	Carson, you and Tom are just, y'all have the best banter.
0:49.2	So we had a lot of fun there.
0:50.4	But today, Carson, why don't you talk to us about our guests and what we'll be
0:54.9	hearing about? Yeah, today we're going to talk with Amy and Jolie Sykes. They are also known
0:59.9	by their business handle, the junk gypsies, and they are two sisters. They had a mom who took
1:06.6	them around to tag sales and flea markets and antique stores when they were little kids growing up
1:12.3	in, I think it was East Texas or maybe even Arkansas. I should know this, but they grew up
1:18.4	loving thrifting and doing that with their mom and they started their own business called
1:23.4	the junk gypsies. They've had television shows. They have their own design. I'm going to call it
1:29.6	an experience in Roundtop Texas. It's more than a store. And they're going to tell us all about,
1:35.0	you know, how they got started, how they started out in the corporate world and said, you know what,
1:38.9	we're creatives. We need to do something different. How they pivoted and they've been such a
1:43.0	success. And we'll get some
1:45.1	inside scoop about some of their favorite clients like Miranda Lambert and some of the other
1:49.8	country stars they work with. And also, which I could, you know, talk forever about, how to navigate
	...

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