Of and Running

Happy New Year!

I started out the new year in New Jersey visiting my family. It was the first time in way too many years that both of my brothers and me were together with my parents for the holidays. We had a great time!

We spent some time in New York since it's only about a 35 minute train trip from my parents house. It was sad to see that Lord and Taylor was closed. We always loved to stop in. But, Saks Fifth Avenue was spectacular!

We always stop in the Nintendo/Pokemon store in Rockefeller Center. Here I am!

We spent a few days treasure hunting with my brother Michael. Pickin's were slim but I did find these...

Of course I couldn't pass them up! They were at the Summit Antiques Center in Summit NJ.

On our way home, I always like to stop at Wendell August Forge in Grove City PA to get my fill of hammered aluminum. It always is amazing there! You can watch the artisans at work and just walk around to see some history and buy some amazing pieces.

Here are some of my favorite vintage pieces:

Here are some newer pieces that were fabulous....

I still have about 250 plus pieces in my collection that are put away in bins. I'm setting aside time next week to go through it all. I have decided to only keep those that I really love and can display in my home. All of the others I will let go. The trick is to decide which to keep and which to let go. I'll keep you posted.

So, now I'm back home and trying to catch up. I managed to fit in an estate sale and couldn't believe that these were still there 2 hours after the sale opened....

I kept a few and will be using those trucks for my vintage Christmas crafts. Love the color green on them!

Here are 3 events to mark you calendar for: Carriage House will be participating in the Vintage Shop/Hop again this year with 400 plus stores on March 1-2.

On March 10 is the Elgin High School Flea Market in Elgin IL. I will be in space 180 in the gym. I have been doing this event for a few years now and its great! It falls on daylight savings time so be sure to set your clock.

April 12 from 4-9pm is an amazing Vintage Market at Smith's Garage in McHenry IL. I am so excited and honored to be a vendor at this event.

There is so much to look forward! I will be updating my favorite flea market list so you can plan. Keep looking for those sales!

Happy treasure hunting!

Christmas Memories

Since this is such a special time of year, I wanted to share some Christmas memories and a few new ones.....

My love for vintage Christmas was because of this aluminum tree.

We had it for soooo many years while I was growing up.

No one else had one like it.  All of my friends had a green one.

It can be seen in this photo too with my grandparents and younger brother.

I certainly wasn't shy when it came to being in pictures.

My brothers and I always wanted a green tree instead. We couldn't understand why my mother only had that aluminum tree.

Much to our surprise many years later, she got us a green tree and left the aluminum tree in front of the house for someone else to love. It wasn't until later in my life did I realize that that aluminum tree was so special. I now have three small aluminum trees in my house and I decorate them with a theme each year. That tree was the start of my love for vintage Christmas items.

I had a pleasant surprise the other day. A good friend of mine gifted me with her vintage pink ceramic tree. She is downsizing and thought that I would like it. Like it! I love it! Her generous giving spirit will always be in my thoughts when I look at it.

It's beautiful lit up!

I am blessed with some amazing friends who know me all too well. My friend Mary made me this wonderful ornament that is a second to a set....

For many years I have passed Windhill Pancake Parlor in McHenry IL and have never stopped.

Isn't that the way it happens so often? You live in an area and notice places and always plan on stopping but never do. Well, I recently started following vintagevspot on Instagram and she mentioned this place with some pictures of their wonderful Christmas decor.

So, today was the day to go for lunch with my two sons. I like to eat somewhere special on Christmas Eve for lunch. The decorations didn't disappoint and everyone was exceptionally nice. Next time I'm having the pancakes!

This is so cute....

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a blessed and healthy New Year!

Happy treasure hunting!

Where Have I Been?

I'm still here! Things just kind of got away with me.....

Thanksgiving came with my thoughtful friend Sue dropping off some home baked goods.

The Friday after Thanksgiving was the Lighting of the Woodstock square. We try to go every year. It was pretty warm this year so there were record crowds.

November brought us a record breaking snowfall. 13" to be more accurate.

It was the perfect time to start decorating for Christmas. I couldn't go out for awhile until the snow was cleared so I spent my time listening to Celine Dion's Christmas CD while decorating.

I have been changing out this bird cage seasonally. 

And this gumball machine gets changed out seasonally too.

I filled up my milk glass cake stands with vintage Christmas corsages. I tried to color coordinate them.

There's more.....

And there's this group....

Here they are with some of my other collections.

The Westmoreland sleigh holds vintage ornaments.

Love my vintage aluminum tree holding Santa ornaments. It's my Santa tree!

Some of my vintage Santa's, Pixie's and Angels.

Reindeer and Santa's....

Soooooo cute.....

This was one of my finds this year....

A few more finds....

And then I couldn't pass him up....

Here's a look from my dining room.

Usually this time of year I get the urge to clean out collections and to finish some projects. I have been looking for a vintage frame for my maternal Grandparents wedding party photo. I recently found the perfect one and hung it up above my paternal Grandparents wedding photo.

The frame is amazing! It is so beautiful. I kept the German confirmation certificate underneath the photo to act as a border. It looks so nice.

My friend Cecilia added to my collections with our Christmas present exchange....

And there's more....a vintage corsage....vintage jewelry....

At a last minute stop at an estate sale, I added to my vintage corsage collection. Love!!!!!

This is my favorite time of year. My favorite holiday decorations to find and to collect.

Happy treasure hunting.....

So Much To Do!

These past few weeks have been filled with Holiday Markets. It is amazing to see the work that goes into hosting and preparing for these.

My friend Sue and I were at Nellie's Barn Sale Christmas at the Farm in Belvidere. It's always a fun event.

Then it was off to the Urban Farmgirl in Rockford. She had an amazing hot cocoa bar and sugar cookies! The location housed in an older home is so charming.

Just loved this truck!

We hosted our Holiday Open House at the Carriage House last weekend. It was fabulous! There were about 25 plus people waiting for us to open. They headed straight for the vintage Christmas! Who could blame them?

This Santa picture drew so many people in to shop. It's one of my favorite pictures. Here's a few more from my space....

There's still lots of Christmas.

Most of my little trucks that I put together with vintage Christmas items sold. It was exciting for me that so many people liked my creations!

Here's a wider view of my space all decorated with vintage Christmas items.

Here I am in the midst of all that goodness. I love wearing my vintage Christmas pins.

Here's my space this week with vintage Christmas items moved around. I have so many vintage plastic candy holders still available.  I was so lucky to have found so many.

This weekend is the Washington Street Market in Naperville. I'm hoping to keep the holiday excitement going and visit them. If you like going on home tours, check out this beautiful restored mansion for a Christmas house walk Dec 1 in Libertyville.

Happy treasure hunting!