Milk Glass Makeover

I finally finished my milk glass makeover!  I have two large tubs full to sell at the Carriage House.  I have slowly been taking in pieces so as not to overwhelm anyone.  It can be overwhelming when you see how big of a collection I had.  In the back of the top shelf is a hammered aluminum tray by Arthur Armour that I found at the Wilmot Flea Market.  It's a keeper.

The other cabinet has a mixture of colored glass, crystal, aluminum and milk glass.

While I was at it, I redid the cabinet in my kitchen.  That one has a mixture of milk glass, blue colored glass and a cabbage piece.

Since I was on a roll, I redid the cabinet in my dining room and cleaned out the little collectibles in it. I left the hammered aluminum pitchers on top of it.

I love that these collections are more tailored down to pieces that I really love.  I hadn't seen some of them for a while since they were so buried with other pieces.  I'm sure that I'll get the urge to redo the cabinets when it gets colder outside, but for now, I'm done!  I like how the cake plate looks with the hammered aluminum candlesticks.

With that done, I have been out treasure hunting as much as I can.  One of the best finds ever was at an estate sale last week.

These two cabinets were in the chicken coop!  I grabbed them right away.  The top one is all wood and really heavy and the bottom one is metal.  So cool....

Hope you have been taking advantage of all of the sales in your area.  Happy treasure hunting!

Redecorating

I have been on a mission to redecorate my house.  Nothing major. Just small changes.  I realized that I had some things for what seems like forever and I just didn't notice them anymore.  They didn't bring joy into my life.  So, it was time for a change.

I redecorated "my room" around the ocean painting.  My friend Cecilia gave it to me and it took me awhile to find the right place for it.  It looks great surrounded by some of my seashell collections.  I especially like how the pottery "shells" look with it.  My yellow wall seems to highlight the collections even more.  I love how the yellow walls always bring a happy note to my day.  

You can get a glimpse of my books and oddities that I collect like the vintage plastic cows and flower frogs that I use to hold pictures.  There are even some crafts that my boys made when they were younger that I can't part with.

On to the dining room.....

I had been looking for a vintage cow pitcher and I found one!  I went to a church flea market last weekend and it was there with some hammered aluminum coasters that I couldn't pass up either.  I put it on top of the china cabinet with the white enamel pitchers and milk glass.

At that same flea market, I found three vintage leather Coach purses for $5 each.  What a great flea market it was! The one on the top left is not vintage, but I found it at a garage sale for $3. I guess I'm collecting vintage leather Coach purses now.

On to my bedroom....

I worked really hard on my perfume bottle collection.  It looks so much better now.  I still have quite a few of the larger sizes.  The miniature ones are the ones that I really wanted to purge.

With each process of purging my treasures, it gets easier.  I keep tweaking the area and most of the time something else gets eliminated.  It feels good.  It feels lighter.

But....

I went to two flea markets this weekend.  The one in Belvidere IL was on Saturday night from 3pm to midnight.  I went at 3pm.  I can't stay awake that long any more.  I found a few things.  I like this once a year flea market because its small and there are always treasures to find.  Afterwards, we stop at Smokin Coop BBQ Pit for ribs and pulled pork sandwiches.  It's well worth the stop.

On Sunday, we went to the Wilmot WI flea market.  I haven't been there for over a year.  It's held every Sunday.  It was so much fun!  It is definitely worth the trip.  There is everything from total junk to rust to toys to food.  You name it.  

I found another Statue of Liberty to add to my collection and the best find was an Arthur Armour gold hammered aluminum tray for $5. I spotted that from far away.  

How exciting it was to read the Sunday newspaper and see that the Carriage House was chosen as One of the Best Vintage Clothing and Furniture shops by the reader's of the Northwest Herald.  

Sunday is the Elkhorn WI flea market.  Happy treasure hunting!

I'm a Little Bit Country.....

I used to be a lot more rock n roll.  (Now I'm kind of a mixture of many things).  I love living in the country.  It took me a long time to find that out. My mom was born and raised in Ginter Pennsylvania and when we would go to visit my grandparents, I hated the bugs and country living.  We lived in the suburbs in New Jersey but were very close to New York.  So Ginter was another world away.  It took me awhile when I moved to Illinois to get used to the openness and the farms surrounding me, but I grew to love it.  I wouldn't have it any other way now.

My fascination with cow items and cowboy boots started a few years ago.  I fell in love with wooden barns and at one time had about six of them.  They were larger toy barns so they took up a lot of space.  I have since sold all but one of them.  I kept my favorite barn (that I purchased at the Elkhorn Flea Market many years ago) which I moved to my living room last year so that I could enjoy it.  I love to create vignettes around my home so that each "room" is different.

The larger cow figure I purchased in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania.  I originally had it in my space at the Carriage House but it never sold.  I think it was fate because every time I saw it, I thought that I should just keep it.  So I did!  I love it.  I like to incorporate some other unique pieces into my spaces.  Next to the barn is a Haeger vase that is more modern and a really great orange jug (that I purchased about 20 years ago for $3.  It was filled with match books and I only wanted the jug.) I move it around the house to add something colorful to my decor.

I own a few pairs of cowboy or should I say, cowgirl boots.  Mostly black.  I was on a mission this past fall to find a different pair.  While I was at a thrift store up in Wisconsin, I found this great pair for $10.  It was end of year clearance.  I couldn't pass them up!  Look how great they look in front of my fireplace with a straw bag filled with flowers and one of my favorite red rusty toy trucks.  I seem to also have an obsession recently with leather items.  I have found four vintage leather Coach purses for $3-5 each. I have decided to keep them all!  They are all cross body types, which is my new preference in bags.

(I recently found a leather site that I'm finding out more about. I don't have any history or experience with them yet, but thought I would share it with you since it has my leather obsession covered.  It's not a surprise that their most popular item is cowboy boots).

Imagine how excited I was to purchase those red/black boots.  I can wear them or I can display them as part of my decor.  How exciting is that!

In my basement, I have hung some country pictures.  All of them are unique and were around $5 each.  Just goes to show that you can find a lot of treasures at garage sales.

Love the cows in this one! Very subtle.

These cows are more abstract.

I love the vivid colors in this one.

I love the jug better in this spot where I'll keep it.  It picks up the orange and brown hues in these barn paintings.  It also looks good with my yellow planter collection.

My country decor is very subtle but it fits into my style.  If you were to look in another area of the living room you would find my growing ironstone collection or milk glass collection which seems to blend in so well with each other.

I'm so looking forward to wearing these.....maybe at the McHenry County Fair August 1-6.

Happy treasure hunting!

Farmers Market Fun

Last weekend we were at a Pokemon Regional Tournament in Madison Wisconsin.  We have been attending Pokemon tournaments for years now.  The boys love playing the trading card game and have made so many wonderful friends from around the country.  Now that they are older and don't need my supervision (as much), I am free to explore the area.

I love to walk around the Farmers Market in Madison. http://dcfm.org/  It goes all around the capital building.  This year there was construction in the street but the market still went on.

It is the largest producer market in the country.  There were a lot of onions, rhubarb, asparagus, mushrooms, lettuce, spinach, vegetable and flower plants and of course, pastries, breads and cheese.
I ate my share of scones.  The Dairy Council held an event a few blocks away and had lots of cheese and ice cream vendors.  There was even a McDonald's tent!  Cows were the hit with the kids. There was a vintage auto show on a few of the blocks.  I found my dream truck.  Too bad it wasn't for sale.

 
It was a beautiful weekend weather wise.  When we returned home, it was a pleasant surprise to see flowers in bloom.  (Even with the weeds!)

Usually the deer get to this before I can spray to deter them.  I think I beat them this year.

How beautiful this is swaying in the wind!

The Mukwonago Flea Market in Mukwonago WI is this Saturday and Sunday. There is a vintage market in McHenry IL by Fairfield Market on Saturday on Route 120 in the old car dealer building with the large lions out front. http://mchenrycountyliving.com/event/fairfield-market/

Beautiful weather means lots and lots of garage sales.  The church rummage sales have exploded this week also.  I couldn't get to all of them.  I tried though.  Tomorrow is a day of garage saleing.  My perfect way to spend the day.

Happy treasure hunting!