Events

P. Allen Smith is always an amazing speaker.  My friend Mary and I had a wonderful time at the Proven Winners event May 14 at the Chicago Botanic Garden. We ran into a few Master Gardener friends to share the day with.   It was the perfect venue for this event even though it was freezing outside.  The flowers were in bloom so our short walk from the parking lot to the event was breathtaking.

We chased P. Allen Smith down to take this picture.  Kind of like we were his groupies.  He was so accommodating and gracious.

Another speaker we enjoyed was Jack Barnwell from Mackinac Island in Michigan.  He was young and so full of energy that we were fully entertained.  

On my bucket list is a trip to the home of P. Allen Smith in Arkansas.  He opens it up for tours and events.  

This weekend I had a chance to visit the Dane County Farmers Market in Madison Wisconsin.  The weather was amazing!  We came home with some cheese, of course.

One vendor had these amazingly large hanging baskets for only $20.  I didn't buy any but just had to take a picture of them.  The rhubarb and radishes at most of the booths were so large and beautiful. What a good year for both of them.  I love the huge variety of flowers and pastries that are offered at this market.  It's a definite destination that is worth revisiting.

This Sunday, May 29, is the first Cedarburg WI flea market.  Not only is this one of my favorite flea markets, but the town is so charming.  We love to walk around it after our treasure hunting day.  June 4-5 is a really nice event at the Klehm Arboretum in Rockford.  There are so many flowers to choose from at really low prices as well as some garden art.

Happy treasure hunting!

Spring Open House at the Carriage House

Today starts the open house Thinking Out of the "Planter" Box sale at Carriage House Antiques in Crystal Lake. https://www.facebook.com/Carriage-House-Antiques-200034153465752/

We have been busy bringing in new treasures and setting everything up.  It looks great!  The sale runs from Thursday through Sunday.

Other sales:  Northwind Perennial Nursery in Burlington WI is having their Antique Fair on Friday and Saturday.  It's a beautiful setting and filled with treasures. Friday June 3 has 2 church rummage sales that day starting at 9am at the church in Ridgefield and the other is at the church in Crystal Lake on the corner of Crystal Lake Avenue and McHenry Avenue.  Both are really good sales usually.

There are sooooo many listings today for sales.  Enjoy them!

Happy treasure hunting!

Mother's Day Gift of Yard Work

Happy Mother's Day! Hope your day was special in some way.

All I wanted for Mother's Day was to have help with the yard work.  It was the first mowing and there were soooo many weeds to pull and plants to plant.  So, everyone pitched in and the work went fast.  Or maybe it was just easier for me. I don't mind doing the yard work, but the first few times are overwhelming.

I would rather be rearranging vignettes in my yard and enjoying those I created before.

On Saturday, I had visited the market on Pepper Road in Lake Barrington.  I especially loved the booth by Savvycityfarmer. http://savvycityfarmer.com/blog  Joy always has the most wonderful treasures and her displays are amazing.

I purchased a simple rosemary topiary for my yard.

There are some sales this week:  At 9am on Thursday is the Service League of Crystal Lake rummage sale at the Dole Mansion and at 3pm is a rummage sale at Grace Lutheran Church in Woodstock. Friday at 8am is a rummage sale at the church on Walkup in Crystal Lake.(I can't remember the name but if you go, it's closer to Crystal Springs Rd if you are heading towards McHenry.)  Saturday and Sunday is the Pecatonica Flea Market and on Sunday is the first Elkhorn WI flea market of the season.  Saturday at the Chicago Botanic Garden is the Proven Winners event with P. Allen Smith https://www.provenwinners.com/Outdoor-Living-Extravaganza-2016  I'm going to this.  I saw P. Allen Smith before and he is an amazing speaker.  He is so charismatic!  I can't wait.....

Happy treasure hunting!

On a Country Road (Sale Updates)

While driving the back roads to Belvidere, I passed this grazing land with cows on it.  One cow decided to leave the rest to sit down to relax.  I loved how it looked just sitting there looking around. So, I got out of the car to take a picture.  The cow immediately got up and stood there as if he knew I was going to take his picture.  He just posed for me.  I loved how the picture came out.  I didn't mean to disturb him, but maybe he is used to getting his picture taken.

I love driving rural roads.  You never know what beautiful sights you will see.

My garage sale was a little slow.  The weather was cold and the people didn't seem to be buying or coming out for that matter.  Usually this time of year, sales should have been good.  I did sell things and at least I made some money.  Everything that didn't sell was donated to Savers in Crystal Lake. They give out punched cards for a discount on your next purchase with your donation.  They were also giving out wildflower seeds for Earth Day.  (My next garage sale will be in the fall.)

Upcoming rummage sales:  Thursday at 8am is the Presbyterian Church sale in Woodstock.  Friday at 7am is the Linn Church sale in Linn WI and at 9am is the St. Johns church sale in Woodstock.  The Crystal Lake library sale is this Saturday April 30.  The antique stores in Ridgefield IL will be having their garden antique open house on Friday-Sunday April 29-May 1.  

This is what I have on my calendar for May so far:  The stores on Pepper Road in Barrington and vendors are having their second market on May 7, Sandwich flea market in Sandwich IL is on May 8, Pecatonica flea market is on May 14-15, Elkhorn WI flea market is on May 15, Northwind Perennial Antique market in Burlington WI is on May 20-21, the Woodstock IL fair grounds will have a garage sale/market on May 21-22 and Cedarburg WI flea market is on May 29.

Lots of great sales coming up!!!!!  Happy treasure hunting.

I'm Having a Garage Sale!

I'm having a garage sale this Friday from 8-3.  My friend Cecilia and I are having it together at my house.  I spent a good part of yesterday setting it up.  We originally wanted to have it on Thursday, but rain was in the forecast, so we changed it to Friday.  One day only.

I always wonder why I go through all of this work, but after it's over, I know why.  I love the clean feel of my house.  Most of the clutter is gone, until the fall when I do it all over again.

The sale is posted online and in the newspaper.  I'm surprised at how expensive the newspaper has become for garage sales.  You can't even see the listings with the new format.  That's probably why more people are using online sources instead.  Here's a link to one of those sources: http://gsalr.com/2-friends-garage-sale-woodstock-il-26755653.html

Everything will look much better when I get it out of the garage on Friday. I still have lots of fabric to set up on the rack.   Cecilia still has items to bring over.....we are going to have soooo much fun!

Happy treasure hunting!

Catching Up

So much time has past since my last post.  I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do.

The boys and I drove to New Jersey during spring break to see my family.  It was a quick trip but so worth it.  (I'm just about caught up with the little things since we got back).  On the way, we stopped at the Wendell August Forge flagship store in Grove City PA.

 They still hand create hammered aluminum pieces and since I'm a hammered aluminum junkie, I like to stop to see them at work.  This location replaced the old factory that burned down years back. They have a nice museum towards the back of the store before you enter the working area.

I especially loved these pieces.  They even had a baptismal chamber on display.

In the back of the store are shelves loaded with vintage hammered aluminum pieces.  My heart was beating!!! I bought a few of those pieces.  It was funny that I had so many of the pieces that they were selling.  We then toured the work in progress.  I love to watch these craftsmen create.  It is such a wonderful art.

We spent a little bit of time searching out treasures in the Unique Thrift store.  I found a few things but I found the cutest treasure when I returned at the Carriage House.  I was redoing my space when I spied it.

The cutest tin picnic basket with great old graphics of a little girl watering her garden.  I love gardening vintage items.  Now that spring is here (?) it held even more appeal.

Speaking of spring, rummage sales and garage sales have begun.  This Thursday in Huntley, starting at noon, is a rummage sale at the white church in the center of town.  (I can't remember the name of the church)  It is usually a nice one.  On Friday is another church rummage sale in West Dundee at 318 W. Main Street.  The Cary Library and McHenry Library book sales are this weekend.  The Crystal Lake Library sale is on April 30th weekend.

Happy treasure hunting!

"Signs" of Spring

Not only are my tulips and crocus popping up, but so are the sales.

My friend Cecilia and I went on a road trip and discovered Waterford Unique Antique Market at 209 N. Milwaukee St in Waterford Wisconsin.  It was such a fun place and we found loads of treasures. One space that we both loved was Bailey's Blissful Scentsations.  She makes the most wonderful soaps from goats milk.  Each bar has a scalloped edge.  We couldn't resist buying a few bars.  One of her soap displays was a vintage bathroom sink holding the men's bars of soaps.  It was really fabulous!  We especially loved the truck inside the old True Value store.

I lucked out recently when I found a barn sale.  My van was filled in every space available.  I bought some of the most amazing farm items.  I kept a few things (of course) and am putting the rest, little by little, into the Carriage House.  I only find a sale this great a few times a year.  How wonderful that it was so early in the season.

In between all of this treasure hunting, I wanted to create small Easter gifts.  I used terracotta pots and hot glued vintage trim to each of them.  I shredded a French dictionary to use for the filling and added rabbit and chick figurines and some eggs.  For the greeting, I used vintage Easter greeting cards and attached them to wooden sticks.  I think they are pretty cute.

I came across this red truck at the Waterford Unique Antique Market and had to have it.  For now, it's holding one of the Easter pots.  It was too great of a treasure to pass up.

Wishing all of you a wonderful Easter!  May it be blessed with family and friends.

Happy treasure hunting!  Start looking for those sales....

Thinking of Spring

We missed the heavy snow that fell in the Chicagoland area yesterday.  I was so happy.  I do love the snow, but at this time of year, especially when we had a warm weekend, I can't wait for spring.  It doesn't help the feeling since I spent some time outside, without a coat, cleaning up the yard of Christmas decorations.  Things were finally thawing out.

Inside was beginning to feel like spring too.  Away went the hearts and out came the Easter decorations.

I rarely find vintage Easter decorations, so when I do, I keep them for my collection.

My mother always makes stuffed cabbage (the best by the way).  So one year, I bought my brothers and her a pottery cabbage bowl.  Some were plain on top, one had some vegetables and a few had a rabbit.  I put mine out every year for Easter.

While shopping at Aldi, I couldn't pass up flowers for $1.50.  The house looks so much brighter with flowers on the kitchen table.

I have been changing them around with this assortment that was a birthday present from my friend Christine.

Since spring means that flea markets/rummage sales/garage sales will be starting soon, my friend Mary gave me a very thoughtful gift.  She filled a mason jar (that has a chalkboard space on it to write on) with items I will need when treasure hunting.  There was a flashlight, tape measure, hand sanitizer, coin purse with a dollar and a penny in it, a small bungee like cord, arrow sticky paper pads, black sharpee and of course, jolly rancher hard candy for sugar energy.  She had it in a great bag with french inspired tissue paper.  I'm going to try to decoupage the paper onto some vintage clip boards.

Which now brings me to the Vintage Shop Hop.  There are now over 270 shops in Illinois and Wisconsin that are participating on March 4-5.  It is sure to be a good day.  I will be at the Carriage House on Saturday March 5 for the Shop Hop.  Stop by to say hi. https://www.facebook.com/VintageShopHopEvent/

Another date you might want to write down is for Gardenfest at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake on April 9.  Every year the University of Illinois Extension McHenry County Master Gardeners hold a full day of gardening classes for beginners to advanced.  This year's keynote is: Kerry Ann Mendez. Registrations is now open. http://www.mchenry.edu/gardenfest/

On May 14 is the Proven Winners event at the Chicago Botanic Garden with P. Allen Smith.  He is an amazing speaker whom I have had the pleasure of seeing before.  I can't wait for this event. https://www.provenwinners.com/Outdoor-Living-Extravaganza-2016

I noticed that a few of my crocus are peaking through the soil.  Spring is definitely on the way!  Keep looking for those sales to find treasures to fill your garden.

Happy treasure hunting!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you.  I hope your day is filled with love and beauty.

I recently made these hearts with vintage trim and small doilies that I have collected over the years. I have an obsession with vintage trim.  I can't pass it up even if its only a tiny piece.  There is always a use for it.

This one made use of a vintage corsage that I just couldn't pass up.

Here are all of the hearts together:

I displayed them on a great silverplated tray that I found for $5 at a garage sale.

My 2016 Favorite Flea Markets page is updated with all of the current dates and websites.  Make sure to put these dates on your calendar.  It will give you something to look forward to, especially since tomorrow is supposed to be brutally cold here in Illinois.

Happy treasure hunting!

Hearts and Wishes

Yesterday was an emotional but fun day for me.  I turned 50.  I know that the number shouldn't matter but for the past 6 months I have been re-examining my life and remembering some childhood experiences and I just can't believe how fast time flies.  (Made even worse by Ethan turning 18 on Saturday). Today, I'm fine.  I thought too much and felt too much.  I have a lot to be thankful for and that's what I should focus on.

My good friend Cecilia spent the day with me treasure hunting.  We always have so much fun together and she made me enjoy my day for what it was.  We went to one of my favorite stores in DeKalb called, My Favorite Things.  It was her first time there and she loved it!  Last time I was there I bought a small heart sewn from vintage quilt pieces so there were some tattered places on it which added to the charm.  This time I found 2 more but slightly larger.

These had even more tattered places on them to add to their charm.

I also found a wonderful green rusted and chipped iron plant stand.  I have sold a few that I had displayed in my sun room and now have it down to three with this one included.  It is fabulous!  

Notice the snow outside of the door?  The sunroom is not insulated so I don't spend much time out there right now.  I have been slowly going through my planter collection and as soon as it warms up, I will be able to find a home for this stand in the sunroom.  For now it looks great on its own.  Like a giant flower.

Happy treasure hunting!

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!