Even though it is cold outside and we are expecting the freezing temps this week, I put away my Valentine decorations and brought out spring and Easter treasures. I needed that pick me up and I thought...why not? The house was starting to look a little dull and dark and I wanted to pick it up.
I always change out the doilies and used my brighter purple/aqua colored ones. I even changed the pillow covers to spring colors. The room definitely looks brighter and more hopeful for warmer temps. I'm going to spring clean the bedrooms this week so that when the weather gets warmer, I'm going to be outside enjoying it.
Let's hope spring is listening.....
Monday, February 24, 2014
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Vintage Linen Heaven
Today I was in vintage linen heaven! I stopped by the Sparrows Nest in Cary and found racks and racks plus a table full of all kinds of vintage linens. My heart started to beat....faster and faster. Each one was on a hanger neatly pressed and the smaller ones were folded on a table. I love vintage linens of all kinds. I tried to be good and particular....so I passed up ones that I had similar ones of at home. The prices were fine on some, but really high on others. That was a factor for me also. I bought a few tablecloths (I found another really huge one today) in summer/spring colors, some embroidered doilies with butterflies and flowers, 2 handkerchiefs (1 of North Carolina that was embroidered) and a tiny tiny crochet piece. There were many crochet pieces also, but my favorites are hand embroidered. They also had lots of towels and aprons. I stopped collecting towels to focus on the others that I liked more. To make things even better, they were 20% off today. Prices ranged from 50 cents to $8. There were a few that were higher priced, but I didn't purchase them. I'll have to look at them another day if they are still there.
I have a few of them soaking in my blend of 5 scoops of Oxyclean and hot water in the washer. I bought a few that had stains on them and I want to see if I can get them out. I couldn't pass them up since they were really beautiful and unique. Stains are something that most vintage linens have and they don't bother me. I try to lighten them up if I can't remove them. I like to change the linens seasonally so some of them were blue in color to use in the summer. Not all of the linens had stains on them. Some looked like they were never used. One of the tablecloths has hand embroidered sunflowers on it. I don't usually buy linen tablecloths, but this one was really pretty that I had to.
The past two days I have been finding vintage linens. Last year I found them at the beginning of the treasure hunting season and then not again for the rest of the season. I hope that's not the case this time. I'll make sure that I buy them when I see them. They are too hard to resist.
I have a few of them soaking in my blend of 5 scoops of Oxyclean and hot water in the washer. I bought a few that had stains on them and I want to see if I can get them out. I couldn't pass them up since they were really beautiful and unique. Stains are something that most vintage linens have and they don't bother me. I try to lighten them up if I can't remove them. I like to change the linens seasonally so some of them were blue in color to use in the summer. Not all of the linens had stains on them. Some looked like they were never used. One of the tablecloths has hand embroidered sunflowers on it. I don't usually buy linen tablecloths, but this one was really pretty that I had to.
The past two days I have been finding vintage linens. Last year I found them at the beginning of the treasure hunting season and then not again for the rest of the season. I hope that's not the case this time. I'll make sure that I buy them when I see them. They are too hard to resist.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Valentine's Day Fun
Happy Valentine's Day!
It is always busy this time of year at my house. A few birthdays to celebrate this month along with Valentine's day makes this a very special month. Even better today was the weather. A little warmer and not so dreary.
Since Ethan had a half day of school, I "made" him come along on my treasure hunting. He's always a good sport and just comes along for the ride....to talk. We stopped at an estate sale in McHenry and found a seashell lidded box and a pewter candlestick holder. At $2, they were too nice to pass up. Then, on to the Sparrows Nest in McHenry. I found a nice bracelet there. I hadn't been into the Pink Door (across the street) for a long time, but since we had time, we stopped there. It was so much fun! They had lots of nice treasures. I ran out of time and will need to go there again soon. I couldn't leave Austin waiting at school.... I found a long vintage tablecloth, a swan needlepoint doily, a pottery swan and a frog for my garden. All were priced reasonably. It's a nice clean store and well organized. I even ran into a gardening friend that volunteers there a few days a week. It was nice to catch up with her.
A few more estate sales are popping up. They are listed in the paper or online. Make sure to check them all out.
It is always busy this time of year at my house. A few birthdays to celebrate this month along with Valentine's day makes this a very special month. Even better today was the weather. A little warmer and not so dreary.
Since Ethan had a half day of school, I "made" him come along on my treasure hunting. He's always a good sport and just comes along for the ride....to talk. We stopped at an estate sale in McHenry and found a seashell lidded box and a pewter candlestick holder. At $2, they were too nice to pass up. Then, on to the Sparrows Nest in McHenry. I found a nice bracelet there. I hadn't been into the Pink Door (across the street) for a long time, but since we had time, we stopped there. It was so much fun! They had lots of nice treasures. I ran out of time and will need to go there again soon. I couldn't leave Austin waiting at school.... I found a long vintage tablecloth, a swan needlepoint doily, a pottery swan and a frog for my garden. All were priced reasonably. It's a nice clean store and well organized. I even ran into a gardening friend that volunteers there a few days a week. It was nice to catch up with her.
A few more estate sales are popping up. They are listed in the paper or online. Make sure to check them all out.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Redesigned...
I kept thinking about a necklace that I made a few weeks ago. Something just wasn't right about it. So, I spent some time yesterday and today trying to redesign it. I lengthened the chain and changed the layout of the rhinestone piece. It turned out really nicely. I'm happy with it now.
Only about 1 month before the rummage sales begin. The first one on my list, so far, is the church in Prairie Grove on March 13. If everyone is as stir crazy as I am, the line will be very long. This is usually a good sale. The Algonquin Library book sale is from March 13-16 with the 13th charging a $10 entry fee. The other days are free to get in. Check out their website: www.appld.org/friends for the times. Another great sale.
Only about 1 month before the rummage sales begin. The first one on my list, so far, is the church in Prairie Grove on March 13. If everyone is as stir crazy as I am, the line will be very long. This is usually a good sale. The Algonquin Library book sale is from March 13-16 with the 13th charging a $10 entry fee. The other days are free to get in. Check out their website: www.appld.org/friends for the times. Another great sale.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Italian Soup
Another day of really cold temps. It is a high of 5 degrees. So, what better day to make Italian soup? In the Jan/Feb issue of Midwest Living, there was an article on having a soup get together. One of the recipes was for Italian soup. I tried it a few weeks ago and loved it. I substituted the sausage with a chicken sausage that I picked up at Sam's Club. It has some cheese in it and really adds to the soup. Fresh bread from the bread machine and a side salad will make a great dinner tonight.
With these cold temps, I really have been wishing for spring. I did an allium presentation on Monday for a garden club and the vivid photos were enough to make the whole group dream of spring. On Wednesday, I had a Gardenfest meeting to start putting some finishing touches on it. I can't get away from wishing for spring. Gardenfest is on April 5 at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake. We have Amanda Thomsen who wrote the book, "Kiss My Aster", as the keynote. There are also 36 classes to choose from. The most we have ever offered. So, make sure to attend this event by contacting the college to register.
With these cold temps, I really have been wishing for spring. I did an allium presentation on Monday for a garden club and the vivid photos were enough to make the whole group dream of spring. On Wednesday, I had a Gardenfest meeting to start putting some finishing touches on it. I can't get away from wishing for spring. Gardenfest is on April 5 at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake. We have Amanda Thomsen who wrote the book, "Kiss My Aster", as the keynote. There are also 36 classes to choose from. The most we have ever offered. So, make sure to attend this event by contacting the college to register.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Birthday Surprise!
My birthday is coming up and I received a box full of wonderful surprises today from my brother Michael and his wife Tina. It was so much fun going through the box. Michael wraps each item in layers of bubble wrap and it takes time to unwrap each one. That makes each treasure even more special since I had to take my time and really look at each one.
They both know that I love seashells and the ocean. I must have mentioned it before (50 million times). So, I was thrilled to get 3 painted seashells with scenes of the shore and lighthouses, a copper shell tray and a lighthouse painted cloche. I have been looking for a cloche and this one is perfectly me. They sent me lots of other wonderful treasures, but these are my favorites.
I really can't wait for summer. I will take spring instead of the snow that is coming down right now. I already have a place and idea in mind for the shell treasures that I got today. In the mean time, I'll just have to dream of warmer days.
This weekend is the Grayslake Flea Market in Grayslake Illinois.
They both know that I love seashells and the ocean. I must have mentioned it before (50 million times). So, I was thrilled to get 3 painted seashells with scenes of the shore and lighthouses, a copper shell tray and a lighthouse painted cloche. I have been looking for a cloche and this one is perfectly me. They sent me lots of other wonderful treasures, but these are my favorites.
I really can't wait for summer. I will take spring instead of the snow that is coming down right now. I already have a place and idea in mind for the shell treasures that I got today. In the mean time, I'll just have to dream of warmer days.
This weekend is the Grayslake Flea Market in Grayslake Illinois.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)