Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

While I was getting my car tire repaired, I took advantage of the free WI-FI and looked up ideas on Pinterest.  I came across a recipe for Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake from Taste of Home and since I had frozen blueberries I thought I would try it.

It was easy to make (one of my baking requirements) and most importantly, it is delicious!  The recipe is on my Baking section on Pinterest if you are interested.

Since I decorate extensively for Christmas, I keep my decorations for Valentine's Day at a minimum. I like treasures with pinkish flowers and lately I have started a new collection obsession with small floral pitchers.

Make sure to check out the Vintage Shop Hop (https://www.facebook.com/VintageShopHopEvent)
March 4-5 where at least 250 shops in Illinois and Wisconsin are participating.  Each stop has their own specials and lots of treasures.  Carriage House Antiques is on the list!  It's such a fun way to have a day of just vintage shopping.  Obviously you can't get to each shop, but its nice to find out about other shops for a future trip.  We had people coming in throughout the year that had found out about us from this event.

Happy treasure hunting!

Barkcloth Pillow

Finally on Monday, I stopped by Material Girl in downtown Crystal Lake to get the wonder tape that I needed to complete the pillow I had been wanting to make for some time now.  (The downtown area in Crystal Lake will be having their "Slidewalk" sales this Thursday through Saturday.)  The Material Girl has beautiful fabric to choose from and there will be some fabric on sale.

I had found a small piece of barkcloth fabric this summer at a garage sale.  It was the perfect size to make a pillow. Recently while cleaning out my linen closet, I came across a variety of trim that I had forgotten about.  One of them was a rose colored tassel trim.  It blended perfectly with the flowers on the barkcloth.  I love the big bold print of the flowers.  It is so vivid.

I stopped at Shy Violet, an antique store in Burlington WI today.  It is in the downtown area.  There is also a nice clothing consignment store that was having big sales a few doors away.  Shy Violet has 3 floors and it was fun to look through.  I also like to compare prices with what I sell to make sure I'm on target or sometimes a little lower.  (Shhhh.  My secret).

Shy Violet was on my bucket list of places to visit as is Lucky Junk in Arlington Heights.  Lucky Junk is open this weekend (starting tomorrow) so hopefully I will finally make it there.  I do enjoy the downtime from all of the sales that I go to so that I can visit local businesses that I don't always have time to get to.  I'm trying to get in as many places as I can.

Happy treasure hunting!

Finishing Projects

Since this weekend was extremely cold (again), I decided to finish some small projects that have been on my to do list.  While spring cleaning, I was going to throw out a dried flower bouquet when I remembered that I had a white/black enamel handled cup that would be perfect for a floral arrangement.  I used some floral foam to hold the arrangement, but didn't glue it down.  I didn't want to ruin the cup so that it could be used many more times.

I put the arrangement away for now since the flowers were more for the fall.  I am very pleased how well it turned out.   All because I didn't get rid of that enamel cup!

The second project that got finished today was in Ethan's bedroom.  He has a large turtle collection and it was getting really dusty.  I had a wonderful soda crate from Paterson New Jersey that I couldn't part with, so Caldwell hung it up for me.  I didn't want to put any holes in it since there were already open slats in the crate.  He used large washers with the screws to hold the crate in place. I rearranged the turtle collection and cleaned it up.  It was hard to believe that many turtles fit on his shelf.  Ethan wasn't sure at first that he would like it, but after he saw the finished project, he was pleased.  My spring cleaning in his room is now complete!

Notice the 3 framed aluminum pieces on his shelves? He made those when we visited the Wendell August Forge aluminum foundry in Grove City PA.  We had visited the original foundry many times before a fire burned down the building.  They have since rebuilt in a different location in Grove City. You could pound whatever design you chose from their selections onto a piece of aluminum to get an understanding of the process that goes into making a piece of hammered aluminum.  I love hammered aluminum (where at one time I had over 300 pieces) so it was always fun to visit them.  Sometimes we got to watch an artisan at work.  They had a museum of their older designs where one of the pieces on display was a covered box that I had sold on Ebay. I didn't know it was for them until I visited their museum and saw it there.  I don't know if they have a museum in their new place since I haven't had a chance to visit it.  They are still making pieces today and the new location also has a showroom where you can purchase their items.

I was just about to start a pillow project when I realized that I was out of wonder tape.  Too late and too cold to go out to buy more so I'll have to start that project tomorrow.

Have a wonderful week! Hope you find some treasures.

Extra Touches

I love Christmastime, but look forward to putting away the decorations for a less crowded house. Since Valentines Day is coming up, I put up my vintage Valentine treasures.

The adorable girl planter I found at a garage sale last year.  The red felt hearts I made a few years ago and attached vintage findings to them.  There is a ribbon on them for hanging, but sometimes I just prefer to rest them on a tray.

I am just about finished spring cleaning my house. Ethan loves paint by numbers, especially religious ones.  I have an idea for using a crate as a shelf for his turtle collection.  I'll be working on that soon.

A few years ago, Austin wrote to Weird Al Yankovic (his favorite) and received a signed picture of him.  He was soooo excited and of course wanted to display it.  I had a wire bicycle basket (I love wire baskets) and used that as a container on his wall to hold a few things.  There is even a frog climbing on it.  I love the look on his wall.

I haven't changed these items around in a few years since we are all happy with how they turned out. Decor has been changed around them, but the boys like how their rooms look as is. At least I can get into their rooms to give them a good spring cleaning.

I'm hoping to be finished spring cleaning completely by Friday so that I can visit some sales/thrift stores.  I deserve it!

Happy treasure hunting!

Still More Organizing

I took advantage of the cold weather to continue organizing and cleaning out.  My goal was to go through my linen closet.  I finished it quicker than I thought I would.  Here is how it started out:

I couldn't fit anything into it.  The top shelf held my fabric collection.  Piece by piece I went through it and discarded a lot.  I tried not to put too much thought into it or I knew that I would keep most of it.  To my surprise, once I started putting pieces on the "do not want" pile, it got easier.

I had gone through the tablecloths in the past, so I didn't need to spend too much time on them.  I did pull out a few embroidered tablecloths that I didn't want.   I also went through all of my yarn and put knitting/crochet needles and purse handles into the "do not want" pile.  There is so much more room now for future treasure hunts!

We spent the afternoon in Lake Geneva WI when the snow began to fall.  It is beautiful there anytime of the year, but especially sitting in Starbucks by the fireplace with the snow coming down.  It made for a wonderful afternoon.

Since the temperature forecast this week is expected to be in the teens, I'll start my spring cleaning really early.  Wishful thinking on my part.

Stay safe and warm during these snowy days.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!  I hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday.  I did even though it went much too quickly.  Much more quickly this year (I thought) then in the past.  I guess that happens as you get older.

I still have my Christmas decorations up.  (Except for the tree which was too dry to keep up any longer).  I celebrate Serbian Orthodox Christmas on January 7th so I usually keep the decorations up until after that.

Then, the cleaning begins.  I am going to tackle an early spring cleaning to get ahead of myself. Especially since the weather forecast is for extreme cold next week.  A perfect time for me to stay inside and do some work.

I spent 4 1/2 hours redesigning my space at Carriage House Antiques yesterday.  I took out all of the Christmas treasures and put in lots of white.  The January issue of Country Living spotlights milk glass.  I recently went through my milk glass collection and took out the duplicate pieces and ones that I didn't want anymore.  I added them to my space yesterday.

There's also some pieces on the side shelves.

I definitely like how the space is much more open now.  It seems brighter and easy to look through. Here's a picture from another angle.

I'm looking forward to doing some thrift store shopping today.  I didn't get to do that much while the holidays were here.  I did get to an estate sale on Saturday and found quite a bit of vintage embroidered Christmas linens.  I was thrilled!

Happy treasure hunting!

Organizing and Cleaning Out

At this time of year after I'm finished shopping for gifts, I like to get my house organized.  I started cleaning out the file cabinet in my basement and organizing past paperwork.  I am usually very organized but things started to slip away from me a little.  It felt really good to get back to being organized.

I usually start going through my closets for items to donate (and sell to Clothes Mentor in Algonquin/Lake in the Hills) and then I work on the rest of the house. It feels really good when the clutter is gone.  (I will start working with the boys on their rooms over the holiday break from school).

During the summer, I found a wonderful cherub lamp that needed to be rewired.  I put it away for a future project.  (I have one more lamp that I need to work on soon).  I had been saving a shade that I had from another lamp that I thought would work well with it.  And it does!  I finally rewired it and I'm so happy with how it looks in my bedroom.  I needed something more.  I was tired of the lamp that I had been using since my childhood.  This cherub lamp works well with what I had in mind.

The basement will be on my list next to reorganize.  I will bring in the new year organized and happier with less clutter.  With more time to craft and hunt for junkentreasure!

Vintage Christmas Decorating

The snow is falling today in Woodstock.  We are not supposed to get much accumulation.  I love the snow (when I'm watching it from home).

I didn't put out as much vintage Christmas decorations this year as I had in the past.  I chose the treasures that I hadn't set out for a while as well as ones that I found this year.

A few of the bottle brush trees were found this year.  The pink one was a gift from my friend Cecilia. It is on an oil can with rhinestones around the base.  She had it wrapped with the most beautiful ribbons.

My three small aluminum trees come out every year.  Each has a different theme.  All Santa:

Round/shiny ornaments:

Vintage figure ornaments:

This wind up musical Santa is a favorite flea market find from last year.

We put up our Christmas tree (a real one that we usually get at Menards) early this year.  We had time on Sunday so we decided to decorate it so we could enjoy doing it.  My friend Mary, who also likes to knit, gave me this wonderful felted ornament that she purchased at the Woodstock Farmers Market.

My tree is usually decorated with an assortment of ornaments.  No theme really.  The ornaments were found on travels, memories of the kids activities or ones that I just really loved.  The tree is always full and we have fun talking about them as we put them up.  Each year different ones go up depending on which ones we like at that moment.

Enjoy this wonderful season of decorating with treasures that you love!

Bargain Holiday Decorating

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I usually host Thanksgiving, but as soon as the company leaves, I'm taking down the decorations and getting ready for Christmas.  I really love Christmas and all that goes along with it.  I didn't put out as many decorations as I used to, but it was fun to look at all of the vintage Christmas treasures that I have.  It always amazes me what I have found over the years (and what someone was willing to part with.  I guess that's why, "One man's trash is another man's treasure.")

This year I found some really inexpensive fake trees, garland and wreaths at the thrift stores that I frequent.  I really like the plastic holly anything, especially for outside.  It looks nice, but withstands the harsh weather.

The wreath on my garage only cost me $6!  It shows up well against the color of the garage.

I try to put something decorative over the well cover so that area of the yard doesn't look so bad. I just wrapped that plastic holly garland around an ice cream parlor chair and stuck a fake tree in the mix.  This cost me $3.

On my front porch, I keep a black iron bistro table and chairs with a decorative iron stand on top of it which I decorate seasonally.  I used a plastic wreath and stuck a fake tree that was decorated with fruit inside the wreath.  This cost me $2.

It doesn't have to cost a lot to decorate.  Since these are outside, I don't feel bad if they get ruined by the weather since I don't have that much money invested in them.  I usually can use these things for something else, even if I break them up and use them in a different decoration.

On Friday evening, the Woodstock square had it's lighting ceremony.  This year we took along Austin's friend David.  He had never seen it before.  He was delighted, as we were.  Getting in the holiday spirit gets an early start.  (And it's for free. Another bargain!)  The Opera House has trees decorated by various organizations and there is always a line to get in to see them.  The display is also open for the rest of the holiday season.

Have fun getting ready for the holidays.  Take some time to hunt for that treasure!  Many stores are having holiday open houses and are stocked with that one of a kind item.  Enjoy!

Snow, Snow, Snow

Wow did it snow!  Unbelievable for the first snowfall of the season.  I'm guessing well over 12 inches in my yard.  The boys and I thought we had enough time to get home from Peoria yesterday (since the snow was forecast to start around 9pm).  Boy was I in for a surprise when I hit Rockford,  It was horrible. The snow had started before 6pm.  How can something so beautiful be so dangerous in the dark?  We made it home safely, but I was way too stressed after that.

This morning, it was beautiful with the trees covered in snow.  I love the snow when I'm home safe and can enjoy it.  It was a good day to stay home and get things done.

The Holiday Open House at Carriage House Antiques is this weekend.  I worked on Thursday and it was soooo crowded.  It was so much fun to see the happiness on everyone's face when they found a vintage Christmas treasure.  Tomorrow the store is open from 12-3.

I can't wait to decorate my house for Christmas.  I love vintage Christmas treasures and just love to open the boxes where the ornaments are stored.  Every year is like finding something new!

A few sales are still popping up.  Happy treasure hunting!

So Many Ideas

I have been gathering ideas/pictures for different Christmas/holiday displays when I finally starting putting it all together.  I have soooo many pots/containers and recently found small trees.  So, I decided to put them together after I gathered other "stuff" that I seem to accumulate.  It sure came in handy this time.

I had two great green boxes that I filled with pinecones and a tree for a simple quick display. Yesterday I found a really cool cheese box and decided to fill it with a tree, sparkly ornaments and a gold glitter deer that I did last year.  The deer was red but was missing color in patches all over its body so I didn't feel bad covering it.  This display came out cute with some bling.

I also love buckets, which I have many.  So, I just added fake trees with pinecones to a sap bucket and red/white enamel bucket.  Love the look!

While I was creating with small vintage trucks, I came across a vintage Santa that I have always loved and didn't want to part with.  I just added him to a truck, filled it with an evergreen pick and added some trim around the truck.  It's a keeper!

This past summer I found a chippy green stand that I knew would be great as a stand for a wreath.  So simple to tie a wreath to it.  I chose a red berry wreath so both would stand out.

This morning I had some extra time, so I finished putting two bottlebrush trees (one is vintage) onto vintage wooden blocks and then added some trim.  A hot glue gun really comes in handy this time of year.  They will be cute to add a little extra something in a display.  I love to use vintage items as often as possible.  I have been saving vintage wood blocks and I'm glad that I did.  They give the trees so much more character.

I just wanted to share some ideas for simple holiday displays.  I'm off to a few estate sales today where I'm sure to find more treasures.  

Happy treasure hunting!

Life With an Almost Nonexistent Internet Service

Where I live, our internet service is almost nonexistent.  (I have blogged and complained about it often.) We use a satellite service for most of our needs plus another phone service so the boys can play their video games.  Well, we used up all of them a few weeks ago and have been struggling to keep going.  So, I have unfortunately not been able to even view my blog until today.  It's so sad and with no remedy anytime soon.

The good news is that I have been to a few Holiday Open Houses recently.  I love this time of year and try to get to as many as I can.  I stopped by one in Woodstock on Friday at the American Barn.
I love the shed in their yard.

That night, my neighbor Jan and I went to Christmas on the Farm in Belvidere hosted by Ann from Nellie's Barn Sale.  We had such a nice time and I got some great crafting ideas that I had to try out as soon as I got home.

Today was Mistletoe Magic at Grace Lutheran Church in Woodstock.  They have crafts, vintage jewelry and soooo many homemade goodies.  Ethan met me there (he loves the cookies by the pound).  It was nice to see so many friends that I only see a few times a year.  We did buy way too many goodies, but I freeze them (after we eat our share) to bring out during the holidays. 

I found some really great rusty and vintage metal toy trucks and followed an inspiration on Pinterest to create a holiday scene.  I just love the red trucks!  I have been stocking up on small Christmas decorations.  They came in handy with this project.  This idea with vintage trucks is showing up a lot lately that I had to try it for myself.  I am pleased with how they turned out.

Wednesday, November 11, the Pink Geranium on Route 14 in Barrington and the stores on Pepper Road will be having their open houses from 4-8.  On Friday, November 13 (Thursday with a $10 entry fee) starting at 4pm is the Algonquin Library Book Sale.  One of our favorite book sales!

November 19-22 is our open house at the Carriage House.  I have been busy going through my vintage Christmas and boy do I have the vintage Christmas treasures.  It's hard to believe but in one week I'll be setting up for the open house.  I'll be there on Thursday.  Here is your invitation:

There are still sales here and there.  I was at a fun estate sale in Crystal Lake.  I found really great bark cloth drapes in a bold brown floral pattern.  Love them!  Once again, I bought lots of vintage linens.  I have to be careful to stop keeping them for my own collection.

Enjoy this wonderful season.  Happy treasure hunting!

It Was a Baking Kind of Day....

Today was a baking kind of day.  The weather was chilly and slightly misting outside.  I spent some time visiting thrift stores, but just wanted to get home to bake.  That happens to me when the weather starts to get chilly.

At Autumn Drive in Woodstock a couple of weeks ago, I picked up butternut squash.  I have this wonderful recipe for a squash bread that I love to make in small bread pans so that I can freeze them. I baked the squash yesterday and scooped the flesh out.  I like to do this the day before to save time on the day of baking.  I made six mini loaves and we already finished one during dinner. Technically, the recipe states to cut it the next day after being in the refrigerator overnight, but we couldn't wait.  It was delicious!  Good thing I have more of the squash frozen.

Yesterday at the last outdoor Woodstock Farmer's Market for the season, I bought apples from Royal Oak Orchard.  I have been craving Pita with apples that my Baba made often.  It is usually in the fall that I start to crave it.  I used 6 different kinds of apples in it and it is the most delicious Pita with apples that I have ever made.  (I ate way too much of it).

I did have my garage sale on Friday.  The weather was a little chilly and it misted a few times, but the people still came.  It was the most profitable one I have had in a while.  Last year at this same time of year when I had one, it was a bust.  I'm so glad this year was better.  I even had a really nice person come back on Saturday to buy something that she passed up.  I still had it so we were all happy.  I donated everything else to Savers in Crystal Lake.  Once I put it in the garage sale pile, it doesn't come back into my house.  I took it over right away after boxing it up so my garage was cleaned out and my car could go back in.  The other good thing with donating it is that all of my garage sales have different items.  It's not the same stuff all the time.  People like that.  Especially since I sometimes have 2 garage sales in a season like I did this year.  I also price my items somewhat inexpensively because my goal is to get rid of it.  Some things are priced higher, but that's not my norm.  I want to make money and move it.  Since I was having a one day sale, my goal was to move it.  I'm so glad the bigger items did sell early on.  I actually had a really good time and met some really nice people.

There are a few estate sales listed for tomorrow.  I need to replenish!

Happy treasure hunting!

Still Finding Sales....

There are still so many wonderful sales going on.  This past weekend was Autumn Drive in Woodstock.  That was so much fun!  This year the weather was perfect for a fall day in the country.  I got to spend it with my cousin as our yearly ritual.  Finding a few treasures makes it even better.

My family and I spent this past weekend in Ft. Wayne Indiana for a Pokemon Regional Tournament. As we were driving home on Sunday, we drove past a sign for a vintage resale shop.  I did a quick u-turn and found Spill the Milk at 3152 W. Morthland Drive in Valparaiso Indiana.  It was a fun stop. They have been open for 1 year and have a really nice mix of items.  They are having their Christmas Holiday Market on Nov 21-22 from 9-4pm.

I have been monitoring the weather for this week so I can have a garage sale on Friday.  It feels like I just had one.  I brought home a lot of garden items from the store and will put them into the sale.  I just wanted to clean out my space at the store to make room for the holidays.  Not to mention that I needed to clean out some things from my house too.  I started organizing and setting up today. Tomorrow will be the busiest day for setting up.  I like to have things ready way ahead of time.  So, as I was bringing stuff home, I decided to keep a really rusty base.  I just love the patina and look.  It looks really nice in front of my garage with a metal pumpkin on it.

There is a rummage sale on Thursday at the 1st Congregational Church on Pierson Street in Crystal Lake starting at 9am.  Keep looking for those garage sales and estate sales.  Since the weather has been so nice, garage sales are still going on.  

Happy treasure hunting!

So Much To Tell......

So many things to blog about.  I don't even know where to begin.

I went to visit my new favorite stores in Dekalb this past week.  I have been looking for a wire basket (I love wire baskets) to hold some crochet blankets.  They are too nice to hide away in the linen closet, but a regular basket wouldn't do.  I wanted to be able to see them.  So, I found a bicycle basket at My Favorite Things for $14.  I took the hardware off it and it now holds the blankets.

The stores in the downtown area are having their Christmas Open House (I know, it's almost here) Hometown Holidays on November 6 from 5-10pm.  My favorite dealer in My Favorite Things is having an open house at the Gittleson's Farm at 2903 McGirr Road in Steward on Nov 18 from 3:30-6:30pm and Nov 19 from 8:30-3:30pm.  It sounds like it will be so much fun. I definitely have this one on my calendar.   www.facebook.com/TheJoyfulJunkers.

I went to Nellie's Barn Sale in Roscoe on Friday.  I didn't know what to expect, but quickly found out how exciting it was.  It was super busy and hard to find parking.  I used the boy scout area that you had to pay to park in.  It was close enough to the sale.  There was a nice variety of vendors and people were buying.

 I bought a wonderful necklace from Miss Magpie's Reliquary which is in Vintage Bliss in Beloit Wisconsin.  (another of the stops on my bucket list)  They have a great selection of jewelry.  I was super happy with my purchase.

I saw a few people that I knew, even my neighbor who was honking at me as I walked back to my car.  The next sale is Christmas at the Farm on Nov 6 in the evening and Nov 7 during the day at Meyer's Tails Up Farm 5390 Irene Road in Belvidere Illinois.  I think my neighbor Jan and I will go together to this one.  https://www.facebook.com/NelliesBarnSale/

Not to mention that I stopped at soooo many garage and estate sales these past few days.  A rummage sale too where I found some vintage Christmas.  (No one but me looked at it.  I couldn't believe it). By tomorrow I will be so tired.  (Even a soccer game thrown in there and getting the boys ready for their homecoming dance).

Oct 16-18 is Autumn Drive in Woodstock.  https://www.facebook.com/autumndrive  This is another fabulous way to spend the day.  I'll be there!

Happy treasure hunting!

Another Weekend of Sales

What a fun weekend I had!!!! It started off on Friday with my friend Cecilia and I going out for the day to treasure hunt.  We try to go out frequently since we have such fun treasure hunting together. We bounce ideas off of each other.  The best part is that we don't often fight over the same item.  I say not often because we kind of did this time.  We take turns though on who gets what.

We started off going to the Methodist Church rummage sale in Barrington.  We were there for a few hours at least.  The car was pretty full at that point but since we just started, we had to keep going. We continued on to more garage sales and a few estate sales so the car just kept getting fuller and fuller.  We even made use of the back seat.

Sunday was the final Cedarburg flea market for the season.  That one is always my favorite because of the fall theme in most booths.  It was pretty crisp (we needed gloves), but it was really enjoyable. It was definitely a vintage tablecloth and jewelry day.  I came home with 10 tablecloths.  I found one with a Paris theme.  I was so excited.  I had always wanted one and couldn't believe it was only $1.  It has some stains on it, but I'm soaking it right now.  This is definitely one for my collection.

Today a group of us Master Gardeners put the Harvard Community Garden to rest for another season. We harvested the remaining vegetables and pulled all of the plants and irrigation.  It's always sad to me when the gardening season comes to an end even though I enjoy the fall and the cooler weather. Now I need to put my own garden/yard to rest.

Friday is a rummage sale at 8am at the Lutheran Church in McHenry on Route 120.  Nellie's Barn Sale Vintage Extravaganza is on Oct 9-10 from 10-4 at 10985 Main Street in Roscoe IL.  There is a $3 admission fee.  There is supposed to be a flea market on Saturday Oct 10 in Capron on Rte 173 and 4th Street.

Enjoy this cooler sweater weather.  Happy treasure hunting!