Busy....Busy....

The days just seem to fly by lately.  I have been accomplishing a lot, but I need more time to do the other things.

This weekend, we were in Ft. Wayne Indiana so I had lots of time to finish some knitting projects.  They are being felted in the washing machine right now so I'll post pictures when they are finished.  I always get more knitting done when the weather gets cooler.  This weekend was perfect for that since I was spending it inside at a Pokémon tournament.

I rearranged my space at the Carriage House Antiques to fit in a few more things.  A favorite hand made wooden garage is there now.  I'm trying to not add too many new items since the Christmas open house is coming soon.  But, I keep finding great treasures to put in the space.  I'm really busy pricing Christmas treasures and have sooooo many wonderful ones.  You won't want to miss the open house.  (More to come on that at a later date).

Sparrows Nest thrift store had their Christmas open house today.  It was loads of fun.  Lots of great treasures.  All of the stores have Christmas items in them now.

There are 2 church rummage sales in Crystal Lake on Thursday:  1st Congregational on Pierson Street starts at 9am and the Methodist Church near the Salvation Army starts at 5pm.


Happy treasure hunting!

Sh....The Garden is Sleeping

This past weekend I put the garden to sleep.  It was a little chilly, but perfect to work outside.  It was time to clean up the garden.  I usually refresh the soil in the fall, but this year I'm waiting for the spring instead.  The yield wasn't that great this year and I felt that refreshing it in the spring would be better.  Since the garden is a series of raised beds, I can start early in the spring getting everything ready.   Next year I'm thinking of planting only kohlrabi, swiss chard and maybe squash in it.  Time to change it around.

I had my garage sale on Friday and it was sooooo cold.  I had on multiple layers along with my gloves.  I didn't have a great turnout, but at least I sold some of the bigger items like a jewelry armoire.  I was a little disappointed in the lack of people shopping.  I love to haggle on price, but most people were looking for free items or very inexpensive.  If I had a price of $1 on an item, they wanted it for 50 cents.  It was definitely the most challenging sale I have had.  I donated whatever was left to Savers in Crystal Lake so at least my house is clutter free.  For now.

I added new items to my space at Carriage House Antiques.  There is a lot of jewelry there now!  I'm getting ready with my Christmas items.  An open house is scheduled for in November.  Details will follow soon.

Thursday, October 25th is the First Congregational Church rummage sale in Crystal Lake on Pierson Street.

Happy treasure hunting!

The Simple Things

Sometimes the simply things are the best.  I bought some wonderful dried flowers at the Cedarburg flea market last weekend.   The large bouquet was for a wood vase that I have and love and the other bunch was for in my pitcher that is a part of a wash set that is on top of a buffet.  Just those simple touches really warmed up the room.

On another note:  I finished setting up for my garage sale.  I decided to have it this Friday only.  I haven't done a Friday only sale, but thought that since the weather will be good that I would try it.  I don't want to hold anything over until the spring.

Happy treasure hunting!

Treasures Galore

These past few weeks have gone by so quickly.  I have been so busy trying to get my space to look just right.  This morning, I rearranged and added more treasures.  (I took a few things out that I will be selling at my garage sale.  They just didn't fit in with the look that I was going for.)  If the weather holds, I will have the garage sale on Friday.  One day only.  I wanted to have the sale this past Saturday, but with the rain, snow flurries and cold temps, I decided to wait.

My space is really coming along at Carriage House Antiques.  I have been busy hunting for new treasures.  My friend Cecilia and I went out again on Friday and hit some estate sales and rummage sales.  It was a blast!  We have a great time and it's nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of.

The boys and I went to the last Cedarburg Flea Market on Sunday.  Even though the weather was very cold, we had a great time.  We found a few treasures, but there weren't a lot of vendors.   It was way too cold to be outside all day.  I am updating the 2015 calendar of flea markets and events so be sure to look at it and mark your calendars for next year.

Zion Lutheran Church rummage sale in McHenry is on Thursday Oct 9th at 8am.  Autumn Drive in Woodstock along Garden Valley Road is on Oct 17-19.  Happy treasure hunting! 

A Few Things.....

Sunday was a beautiful day for the last Elkhorn Flea Market.  It didn't start out that way though.  Caldwell was following us, since he had to leave to be on his way to a business meeting, when his car died 2 miles from the fair grounds.  He did eventually make his way to the fair grounds for his car to be towed, but what a morning!  We did find treasures, as we always do.  (Except I forgot to take pictures).

I added new items to my space at Carriage House Antiques yesterday.  I changed around a lot and also took away some items that didn't fit right now.  I was so excited when my vintage barn sold.  The man who bought it was going to use it as a manger.  How wonderful is that!  It is a beautiful vintage barn.  But guess what?  I forgot to take pictures again.  I will be back in there on Thursday so I'll try to remember to take pictures then.

Here are some dates:  Sunday, Oct 5th is the last Cedarburg flea market in Cedarburg WI.  It is also the Fall Fest in Union IL at the Historical Society.  Thursday Oct 2 is a rummage sale in McHenry at the First United Methodist Church.  On Friday there are 2 church rummage sales:  Barrington United Methodist Church in Barrington Hills and in Harvard at the First United Methodist Church on Division St.  Enjoy these as well as the garage and estate sales.  The season is slowing coming to an end.

Happy treasure hunting!


 

Happy Fall!

I love the fall, but it came too quickly this year.  Summer just ran by.  I have been crazed with getting my treasures ready for my space at the Carriage House Antiques store, having the boiler serviced and trying to get my dryer repaired.  Whew!

I did make time to stop at a few sales this past week and found some really great treasures.  Some of them I will have for sale at Carriage House Antiques soon.  I fell in love with a newer small decorative sewing dress form and had to have it.  For now, she is standing in the doorway of my room.  I like how she looks there.

There are some rummage sales coming up:  Sept 25th St Joseph Catholic Church in Richmond at 9am, Sept 26th Mount Hope United Methodist Church in Johnsburg at 9am and Linn Presbyterian Church in Lake Geneva WI at 7am.  There is also a new Goodwill opening in Algonquin on E. Algonquin Road on Oct 2nd.

This Sunday, Sept 28th is the last Elkhorn Flea Market of the season and Oct 5th is the last Cedarburg Flea Market of the season.

Happy treasure hunting!

Open House at Carriage House Antiques

This is it!  Tomorrow is the start of the 10th anniversary open house at Carriage House Antiques and Good Stuff in Crystal Lake.  www.thecarriagehouseantiques.com or check out their Facebook page for more details.

Tomorrow is also the day that I officially start selling my vintage treasures.  Lots of finishing up going on at the store and in my life.  I have so many wonderful treasures being sold.  I am so excited for this new chapter of my life to begin.  I have been putting together treasures that I'm sure will be exciting and new.  I can't wait for it all to begin. The open house is from Thursday until Sunday.  Please check out the website.

In between waiting for my dryer/electrical work repair today, I'm organizing and pricing the treasures.  I have some painting to do, but that will probably have to wait until this weekend.

The last Mukwonago flea market was fun.  We ate so many cheese curds by the C.O.W.  (our favorite cheese curd person).  We found lots of treasures....especially Austin.  It started out as a chilly day, but turned into a perfect day later on.  We had loads of fun.

I'll be posting the 2015 flea market schedule as each one ends.  Remember to mark your calendars!

Hope to see you at the Open House.  Happy treasure hunting!

Carriage House Antiques Announcement

Carriage House Antiques will be celebrating their 10th anniversary at 21 E Crystal Lake Avenue in Crystal Lake next week by hosting an open house starting on Thursday Sept 18th until Sunday Sept 21st.  It's hard to believe that 10 years has passed.  I remember visiting them to treasure hunt when they began and have always dreamt of being a part of their team.

I am so pleased that they have asked me to join them.  I will be selling my treasures starting on the Thursday of the open house.  I am so excited!  I have been soooo busy sorting and pricing treasures that I'm sure all of you would love.

Even more exciting was what I read in the newest issue of Flea Market Style.  Awhile back, the magazine asked for suggestions on favorite stores and I submitted Carriage House Antiques as mine.  I was so excited to read that my suggestion was printed along with my blog name.  How cool is that?  So, the other day I was in Carriage House Antiques and a customer walked in and told us that she read about their place in Flea Market Style magazine.  Wonderful!  I couldn't have been more pleased.

I am very happy and touched to be a part of this wonderful place with some wonderful people.  I am looking forward to meeting all of the customers and bringing my love of vintage treasures to all of you.  Please stop by the open house to say hello.

On another note:  my friend Cecilia and I will be having a girls day on Thursday while hitting the church rummage sale in Prairie Grove on Route 176 and as many garage sales as we can.  Too much fun for one day.

I finished redesigning the white utility cart that I found at the Cedarburg flea market.  It had brown contact paper on it and was pretty ugly.  The contact paper came off pretty easily and I put on bright flowers to cover some of the rusty areas.  It looks really cute and can be changed really easy and quickly if a new look is desired.  It will be for sale at the open house in my space.

Happy treasure hunting!

Cedarburg Flea Market

What a blast we had at the Cedarburg flea market!  We spent the day there and made 3 trips back to the car.  It was a good thing that we didn't park that far away.  Caldwell actually paid the boys to make the trips with him to the car.  I got to treasure hunt instead.

The car was loaded when we left.  I found 3 Statue of Liberty statues.  This is my newest collection obsession along with Eiffel Towers.  Ethan came home with the most.....Disney glasses which are his recent obsession.  (I had to clear out another cabinet in the kitchen to put them in).  I'm glad he has a new collection.  It's fun to have something to look for.

I found a neat utility cart that is a chipped white...too cool.  I did find some aluminum too.  It's not a good treasure hunt unless I find aluminum.

On the way to the flea market, we passed a garage sale that didn't start until 9am and we didn't want to wait around since it was only close to 8am.  So, after the sale, since there was still some room in the van, we stopped by.  Caldwell had to buy a table saw which made us have to pull everything out of the trunk and rearrange.  But, we fit it all back in along with the lamp, topiaries and candle holder that I bought at the garage sale.  The lamp had to ride with us in the front since I didn't know where else to put it.  It was an amazingly fun day.  The last sale is on Oct 5th.

Tomorrow is a church rummage sale in Harvard on Diggins Street at the Harvard Trinity Lutheran Church and it starts at 7am.  On Sept 11 is the Church rummage sale in Prairie Grove at 9am.  Fall rummage sales are starting up.  The last Elkhorn flea market is on Sept 28th and the last Mukwonago flea market is the weekend of Sept 13-14.

Happy treasure hunting!

Small Projects Can Add Alot

This has been a quiet garage sale weekend.  Everyone is probably enjoying the last days of summer.  Even though it poured here this morning.

So, what better way to enjoy the day then to reinvent.  I finally bought a vintage shopping cart in a wonderful green cast from my friend Joyce at her garage sale.  I had a wonderful Lion Brand yarn bag that I put inside of it to hold my yarn.  My friend Mary had given me a delightful button and it worked so nicely with the cart that I had to hang it on the front.  It is such a fun look.  It makes me smile and think of 2 really neat women.

I am still working with Austin in cleaning up his room.  Only a few more things to go through.  Some of his items that I put up on Ebay have bids.  He's super excited about the sales and the money he'll be getting.  We had taken down a memo board since it was holding too much dust and he had outgrown the need for it.  In its place was just an empty wall.  So, for the time being until he figures out what to hang there, I hung a vintage bicycle basket.  I stuck in one of his Pokémon posters but he can put anything he wants into it.  I'm sure he'll change it when he gets home from school today.

I just love how one small change can really change a look.  I love how his room is coming along.  It's time to start making it look like a teenager lives in there and we are succeeding.  It's fun to see how my past treasures are starting to work out.  I only need to go through my finds to find the right items to complete the look that I'm after.

Matthew Mead is having a contest book giveaway on his blog at www.holidaywithmatthewmead.com
Make sure to check it out.  His blog always has good tips and wonderful pictures.

Happy treasure hunting!  Enjoy the last few days of the summer fun.

Milk Glass

I just love milk glass.  I know that others think that it is no longer popular, but I don't care.  I love how it looks.  I do have so say that my collection is huge and I'm outgrowing space for it.  But.......

Today I stopped in Second Chances Antiques & Resale at 421 N. Randall Rd in Lake in the Hills and found a great collection of milk glass at the back of the store.  My heart started thumping.....

I picked out 4 pieces that I didn't have.  It's getting harder to find pieces that I don't have.  I especially love the piece with milk glass sea shells all over it.  So, when I got home, I rearranged some of the milk glass pieces that I have in the dining room on the window ledge.  I also decided to box up a few milk glass pieces that I will sell in the future.  I want to make room for a new look.  I'll be parting with a few of the milk glass baskets. 

So, while I was in the mood to rearrange, I went through my dining room and kitchen areas and boxed up other vintage pieces that I will be selling in the future.  My tastes are changing and I want my home to reflect that.  I always come across new pieces for my collections which is the reason for treasure hunting.

I'll be garage saleing this weekend.  Can't wait to add treasures to my collections.  Don't forget, the Cedarburg WI flea market is on Sunday.

Happy treasure hunting! 

Finished Nutcracker Cabinet

I spent Friday night organizing Austin's nutcracker collection.  Actually, dusting it was more like it.  It's amazing how things get so dusty when left out.  I'm so glad that this cabinet has doors.  It's what I was looking for.  He offered to help, but when I'm in a cleaning mood, I like to do it alone.  The only thing left to find was a knob.  (I decided not to paint it white since I liked how it looked by just staining it.)

So, on Sunday we went treasure hunting to the Wilmot Flea Market in Wilmot WI at the ski resort.  It is held on Sunday in the warmer months.  We hadn't been there in a while.  It was a steamy day but the boys didn't seem to mind since they found lots of video games.  Caldwell even came away with tools.  My only find was a KNOB.  I thought it would look fine until I found one I liked more.  The man was so nice and told me to just take it.  He even found a screw to use with it.  How nice was that!  Well, it IS perfect and I love how it looks.  Austin and I found a hanging nutcracker in his collection and hung it on the outside of the cabinet on the knob.  It looks great!  He is happy with it and I'm happy that his room looks more organized.  (We even spent a few hours cleaning out his closet.  What a garage sale of toys I will be having this fall).

I can't wait for Cedarburg on Sunday.  The boys are super excited too.  With so many soccer games coming up, we won't be having lots of time for treasure hunting so we need to squeeze it in when we can.

Happy treasure hunting!

Eklhart Lake Wisconsin

We spent a lovely weekend in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin.  (Caldwell raced in Road America).  We always stay at the Osthoff Resort.  Love it!  It is a wonderful place.  We always look forward to making smores on the beach on Saturday night.  This year, we just finished making one when the rain came down.  We were soaked.  I haven't gotten that soaked in years.  Our clothes were plastered on us.  At least we all had one smores before we had to make a run for it.  Austin was lucky that he made his second one just in time.

Saturday morning by the train station is the farmers market.  We love visiting it and buying fresh vegetables, baked goods and other fun treasures.  A good place for breakfast/coffee is at Off the Rails right across the way.

My favorite shop, Rhine Street General, moved to Plymouth which is only about 6 minutes down the road.  It is now RSG located at 429 E. Mill Street in Plymouth.  I found some cute treasures even though they downsized.  Fibber McGee's located at 108 Caroline St, just down the street from RSG, is another favorite.  Always fun things to find there.  I stumbled across Maggie's Closet at 127 E. Mill Street.  It is a fashion and home décor consignment store.  I found a great pair of brand new shoes.  There are lots of neat stores along this street and is worth the stop if you are in the area.  Lots of antique stores also. 

Fun Fabric Day

Today was the day of fabric treasures.  I found great deals at almost every sale.  I'm loving floral patterns right now and found a bolt of blue floral fabric for $3 along with a vintage rose tablecloth for $1.  One fabric piece is put together like a crazy quilt and I just loved its $2 price tag.  I'm not sure yet what I'll do with it, but just had to have it.

Next week I'm going to make over a china cabinet that I found today for $25.  I'm hoping to paint it white and use it in Austin's room to hold his nutcracker collection.  I'll post pictures then.

I spray painted green that little gold stand that I found last week.  It turned out great!  I'm using it outside for a table next to a green metal swinging bench.  I thought that it really stood out with the angel on the bottom of it.

If you are on Oak Street in Crystal Lake tomorrow, stop by to see my friend Joyce who is having a garage sale.  She'll be there on Saturday also.

Happy treasure hunting!

Elkhorn Flea Market

It was a perfect day for the Elkhorn Flea Market.  Others must have thought so too, because it was crowded.  We got there early, as usual and had a great time.  I bought some costume jewelry, a Statue of Liberty statue and another seashell box.  Ever since we visited the Statue of Liberty this summer, I'm on the lookout for the older statues.  They sell really cheap ones now at the store on the island.  Out of about 500 vendors today, I only found 1.  I really thought I would find more. I was also on the lookout for an Eiffel Tower and didn't find any. 

This past week I found some really cute turtle items and more seashell pottery.  I've updated the display in my sunroom and it looks really nice.

Ethan didn't get to go with us today since he had some high school training to attend.  He's going to be a mentor for some freshman students.  It was his first time driving alone.  I was probably more nervous than he was.  He did fine and I'm sure that he will never be the same again.  Confidence is a good thing and I'm really proud of him.

At 8am, Joyful Harvest Church in Johnsburg is having a rummage sale on Friday and then in Richmond at 9am is a rummage sale at Community Church.  My friend Joyce is having a garage sale in Crystal Lake so I'll be going there also.  She always has vintage linens for me to buy.  Mukwonago Wisconsin flea market is Aug 16-17 and Cedarburg flea market in WI is Aug 31st. 

I've cleaned out my vintage linens and am selling some of them on Ebay right now.  You can find them under my seller name:  milena2000

Happy treasure hunting!

McHenry County Fair

The McHenry County Fair goes on until Sunday.  We had lots of fun on Wednesday when we met our friends for a day of rides and food.  We have been meeting them every year since the kids were little.  It's a shame that the "kids" are getting bigger and this may have been our last year of rides.  Hopefully we can still meet for the food and fun. 

My pillow and felted handbag entries won blue ribbons.  I am so excited.  Our vegetable and flower entries did well but this was not the best year for them.


The boys and I managed to sneak in a rummage sale at Calvary Church in Crystal Lake.  It is always a big sale and this one didn't disappoint.  Its always a fun one.  Lots of friends to catch up with also.


I also got to some garage and estate sales this week.  Today Caring Transitions had an estate sale in Woodstock and I found 2 vintage Christmas tablecloths and a few other vintage linens.  I still need to organize my linen collection.  I'm hoping to get to them soon.

Joyful Harvest Church in Johnsburg is having a rummage sale on August 15th.

Happy treasure hunting!

Busy, busy Summer

Boy has the summer flown by.  I was hoping for a lazy summer.  We traveled soooooo much this summer.  First we went to South Dakota, then Indianapolis and finally to New Jersey to see my family.  It was all fun, but now I'm tired and working like crazy to get things organized for the boys and back to school time.  We spent the day shopping for uniforms and backpacks.  Of course, we stopped at the Salvation Army and Goodwill in Mt Prospect and found some great treasures.

We finally got to see the Statue of Liberty and ride on the ferry to it and to Ellis Island from the Jersey City side.  It was awesome!  My father went with us as we walked up the platform of the Statue of Liberty.  We were exhausted until we realized that we only had around 20 more steps to go.  Then, the burst of energy.  It was a magnificent site. 

We spent time at Atlantic City.  I love the combination of the boardwalk and the beach.  There is nothing like it!  We helped my parents have a garage sale and at least cleaned out some of the basement.  They are going to have to have another one soon.  We also spent a few days in the Pocono Mountains and went to the Sailorsburg and Blakeslee flea markets.  I found a lovely concrete angel statue that is now in my dining room.  (Hopefully I can post pictures since I'm having trouble again with my internet).  I came home with a full trunk with items that I "bought" at my parents house.  It's always fun to bring home new treasures even if it takes me over a week to put everything away.

Last weekend were some really nice estate sales.  We found treasures all day long.  It was a costume jewelry weekend.  I was really excited.  Ethan has started to collect Disney glasses.  My father gave him one and that was all it took.  Ethan found 4 at an estate sale in Lake Harmony PA and 2 more at an estate sale in Woodstock last weekend.  I had to clean out my cabinet to make room for the Disney glasses.  I have started another garage sale box and added mugs to it after cleaning out the cabinets.

Since we were adding new treasures to our home, we have been cleaning out different areas.  Austin has cleaned out his plush collection and filled up a garbage bag.  That was when I realized that I will probably need to have another sale in the fall. 

The McHenry County/4H fair is this weekend.  I took over my pillow and felted purse entries yesterday and today the vegetable entries are due.  Thursday will be the flower entries.  I love the fair.  I will be helping to judge flower planters tomorrow and then will be on hand in the Master Gardener area to answer questions from 10-12.  I can't wait to eat an egg roll from Plum Garden.  That is my favorite part of the fair. 

The Elkhorn Flea market is on August 10th, Mukwonago flea market is August 16-17 and the Cedarburg flea market is on August 31st.

Happy treasure hunting!

Beauty in the Garden

With all of the rain that we have been getting, the garden (and weeds) have been growing wild.  The daylilies look beautiful.  I have been trying to keep up with the weeding but with going away for a few days and then other projects, they have gotten away from me.  ( a little) 

The McHenry County Fair is from July 30-Aug 6.  Entries are due by July 11.  I turned in ours this week.  I always look forward to the fair.  We keep our fingers crossed that the vegetables and flowers will be ready for that time.

My favorite store on the Woodstock square, Interiors Anew, has a change in ownership with Karen and Addie staying as owners and adding 2 new women.  It is now called A New Interiors Anew.  I met Ann today.  The store is starting a makeover and I liked the look of it.  I'm excited for the changes, but will miss some of my "old" friends.  I'm sure that I'll be seeing them around at sales.

Cedarburg Flea Market in Wisconsin is on July 13 as well as the Union Historical Society Fair on that day in Union Illinois.  The Algonquin library book sale is from July 17-20 and Mukwonago flea market in Wisconsin is from July 19-20.  The Master Gardener Garden Walk starting at McHenry County College is on July 12.

Happy treasure hunting!

Fun Filled Weekend!

Before I picked the boys up from camp on Friday, I fit in many sales during the morning.  One in particular was an estate sale in Cary.  I had been to their first one a few weekends ago and bought some great vintage tablecloths.  So, when I saw they were having part 2, I had to go.  I bought vintage costume jewelry (quite a few pieces) and a jewelry armoire to go with them.  I needed some more jewelry space and this was a nice large armoire.  I am very pleased with it.  I still haven't put anything into it yet.  I need to spend some time going through my jewelry and organizing it into what I wear most often to what I don't wear often enough.  I'm looking forward to going through all of my jewelry.

On Saturday was a day trip up to Monroe and New Glarus Wisconsin.  We always do a cheese stock up run in November, but didn't have time this year.  We were mighty low on cheese.  Most cheese freeze well (except cheddar), so we buy a lot and freeze it.  Swiss Colony had soooooo many good deals on cheese, cakes and candy.  We were in heaven.  The town of New Glarus had a "taste" of local foods and it was fun to sample different restaurants in the area.  They do it every year and it makes for a nice day trip.  We stopped at Van's Antique Shop in Walworth on the way home.  I found some things for Christmas presents already.  It's never too early to shop for Christmas when you come across something that you know a certain person will love.

Today was the Elkhorn Flea Market.  It started out cool and cloudy, but turned into a wonderful morning.  The boys and I actually did the whole flea market in 3 1/2 hours.  Pretty quick for us.  There were quite a few booths with $1 and $5 items.  Of course, we bought some things.  I bought a wonderful angel decorative piece for $5 and already put it into my hosta garden.  It is an angel area so this fit right in.  I had just mentioned to the boys that I wanted some pink flamingos and would you know it, there they were.  The dealer wanted $10 for the 3 of them.  How could I refuse?  Every dealer we saw after that was priced so much higher for their pink flamingos.  I already put them into the garden and they look so cute.  Since I only used 3 (and not a million), it looks cute, not tacky.  We had lots of fun at the flea market.  We probably spent most of our money on food.  As usual.  But, we did come home with some treasures.

The next Cedarburg flea market is on July 13 and on the same day is the Union Historical Museum day in Union Illinois where they have an auction and a thrift sale.  On July 12 is the Master Gardener garden walk starting out at the Demo garden at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake.  It is a self guided tour with a plant sale at the Demo garden.  It is a wonderful way to spend the day.

Happy treasure hunting!

Treasure Hunting Early

Bright and early start this morning.  I usually get up early anyway.  The day seems to last longer when I'm up early and getting started on my to do list.  This morning I wanted to get in line early for the rummage sale in Crystal Lake.  It was fun to stand around and talk to my rummage sale friends.  It's such a nice way to start the day.

The sale was quite large and I did find some nice treasures.  I found a giant pottery seashell ($5), vintage jewelry (mostly pins for 25-50 cents each) and a few vintage tablecloths for $1 each.  I even stopped at some garage sales and found the boys some video games.  Since they are coming home tomorrow, I wanted to add some things to their pile of treasures that I have found for them.

There is a church rummage sale in Barrington tomorrow on Church St.  I haven't been to this one before so it should be a nice surprise.  There are some garage sales listed in the paper that I hope to get to. 

There is a flea market every Sunday during the summer at Wilmot Mountain in Wilmot Wisconsin.  I haven't been there in a while but my friends say that they have found some treasures and that it is quite large at times.  I should probably get there to check it out.

Happy treasure hunting!

Blumen Gardens in Sycamore Illinois

My friend Mary and I headed out this morning for Blumen Gardens in Sycamore Illinois.  It was a little rainy, but the sun finally poked out later in the morning.

Wow!!!!! That is the word for Blumen Gardens.  It was amazing!  The merchandising was great.  Lots of vintage items were used in displays.  Just how I like it.  Every time we turned around, we were taking a picture.  I'm going to use a few of the pictures in my Flea Market Garden talk next year at Gardenfest.  We didn't want to leave.  It is definitely a place to visit to stroll through.  They had many ideas that I would love to incorporate into my own garden.  So many items can be repurposed and used in the garden as Blumen Gardens showed so well.  Mary bought me this cutest button.  I haven't figured out where to hang it yet, but she thought it said "me".  I love it!  The color is one of my new color obsessions. 

I finished my memory pillow today (Mary gave me a bright idea to make it more complete).  It has a Paris theme with some vintage Paris items to finish it off.  I'm happy with the result.

Thursday is a rummage sale at the Immanuel Lutheran School in Crystal Lake behind the Hobby Lobby starting at 8am.  McHenry East High School will have a sale in their parking lot on Friday.  Elkhorn Flea Market is on Sunday in Elkhorn Wisconsin. 

Happy treasure hunting! 

Vintage Treasures Day

What a fun day it was!  I started out extra early today to get to the St. John's church rummage sale in Johnsburg.  It started at 8am and I was there at 7:10am and was first on line.  It was the perfect time to chat with friends that came along a few minutes later.  I was sad to hear that a rummage sale friend had lost his sweet wife quickly to a brain tumor.  I have been going to these sales for years and have many dear friends because of it.  They have watched my kids grow up and I have shared in their joys and sorrows.  Today was a shared sorrow. 

The sale was wonderful.  I brought home many vintage treasures of linens, jewelry, metal mini trays for 25 cents each, 2 aluminum trays for $2, a vintage Paris plate for $1,  pottery including a McCoy swan (for 50 cents) and lots of other useful treasures.  Most items cost between 25 cents to $2 that I bought.  The prices were so reasonable that I couldn't pass up anything.  I also stopped at lots of garage sales and a few estate sales.  I came home with more vintage linens, including a hand embroidered crib sheet that is darling and a wonderful vintage lamp (for $5 that was a wedding present to the mother of the woman who was selling it) which is now in my living room.  I am still looking for the perfect lamps for the living room and may end up incorporating this one when I find another one that I like.   

Today was one of those days that I just wanted to keep going a little while longer.  It was that much fun.  Tomorrow the weather should be perfect for the garden walk in Woodstock from 11-4 and then the Belvidere flea market from 4pm-midnight.  I'm looking forward to treasure hunting some more this weekend.  Hope you can spend some time treasure hunting too!

More Completed Projects

The house is still too quiet.  At least I am completing my goal of finishing up on projects. 

I sewed another pillow that I wrote about the other day.  It has muted soft colors in a quilt top that I bought at a garage sale and on the back is another piece from a vintage tablecloth that I couldn't throw away.  They look really pretty together.

I also completed a felted handbag in a beautiful turquoise hue.  It has white repurposed handles and a huge blue flower pin that really plays up the color of the handbag.  Love it!

Not many treasures today while out garage saleing.  Tomorrow is the church rummage sale at St. Johns church in Johnsburg at 8am.  There are a lot of sales listed in the newspaper so I hope to get to many of them.

Happy treasure hunting!

Pink Floral Pillow

The house is way too quiet with the boys at camp.  The bright side is that I have been able to finish many projects that have been started but never finished.  I even cleaned the whole house today and hopefully it will stay clean until they get home.

I have been meaning to finish this lovely faded pink floral pillow for a while now.  The fabric is an old vintage tablecloth that was torn and stained, but too wonderful to throw away.  I sewed on a hand embroidered piece for a pocket and attached the small fabric yo-yo's that I bought recently at the Elkhorn flea market.  I sewed vintage buttons onto the yo-yo's for some detail.  I'm going to include some items into the pocket as I figure out what would look the best.  I started out by using a vintage rose floral handkerchief.  I really like how it came out.

Today I will be finishing up another pillow using a vintage unfinished quilt top piece.  The back will be another piece from the rose floral vintage tablecloth. 

It looks like many treasure hunting garage sales starting tomorrow.  The next Elkhorn flea market is on June 29th. 

Happy treasure hunting!

Surprises are Fun!

We just got back from dropping off the boys at camp for the next 2 weeks.  The house is already too quiet.  So, I figured that I would try to load some pictures since no one else is on the internet or video gaming and it worked!  I'm going to try to catch up.

The boys and I had bought some really great garden items at a garage sale last week.  I finally found a home for them in the garden.  The turtle especially looks so fun.

This past weekend had so many surprise sales that I couldn't take advantage of.  I had so much to do and wash to get the boys ready for camp that I had to pass up many.  I did go to a sale on Saturday in Cary and I'm so glad that I did.  They had a table of vintage tablecloths and I got them for $5 each.  I bought 5 of them.  The other ones just didn't grab my attention like these did.  These have the most beautiful and bright flower patterns on them.  I'm soaking them now in my Oxyclean way and they look wonderful.

I'm looking forward to checking out lots of thrift stores this week to keep me busy.  I do have some projects to finish so I hope that I get them done.

Happy treasure hunting!

No Pictures for Awhile

Sorry, but my internet is once again not working properly.  I haven't been able to load any pictures for the past 2 weeks.  I'll just have to make the best of it.

We just got back from a vacation to South Dakota.  It was really cold and rainy, but we managed to do all of the tourist attractions anyway.  It was so cool to see Mount Rushmore in the fog.  When the fog lifted, it was an amazing site.  We had taken the boys there when they were little, but they didn't remember it.  Now they will!

We got home this morning at midnight, but we were up early to go to the rummage sale at the church in Ridgefield.  We only found a few items.  I found more items at a few garage sales that we stopped at.  I wanted to go to more, but the laundry piles were calling me home.  I did find some sea shell collections for $2.  Since I love anything sea shells, I was happy to find them.  Austin has wanted a table for his room to put his Xbox on.  I found an old school desk and chair that was painted white and was now shabby/chippy for $3.  It was perfect and he loves it.  I told him to wait a while for the perfect table and it will come along.  It always happens.  Sooner or later the item will turn up at a sale.  We had stopped at some antique stores in South Dakota, but we didn't find anything.  I thought they were priced on the high side.

Yesterday was our favorite rummage sale at St. Mary's church/Montini school in McHenry.  I was bummed that we weren't home for the first day.  We stopped on today, but didn't find anything even at half price.

Saturday is a night flea market at the Belvidere fair grounds starting at 4pm.  It's also the Woodstock garden walk starting at 11am.  Tickets can be bought on the square.  I haven't been on the walk before.  It used to be held on a Thursday.  The Master Gardener garden walk at MCC is on July 12.  This year the gardens are all Master Gardener gardens.   It is always a great educational garden tour.  You can call MCC for tickets or get them the day of at the Demo garden at MCC. 

The boys are off for camp for 2 weeks.  This will be the first time that I'm without one of them.  I have lists of places to go to hunt for treasures.  Lots of towns that I haven't been to before.