Ida, Blanch, Lottie, Mabel & Genevieve in January 1899

 

Meet the mysterious Ida Jones, Blanche Griggs, Lottie Pratt, Mable Wallis and Genevieve Miller.

Don't you just love old photos?

So Long Elkhorn...Thanks For A Great Season

It's probably time for a new camera.  After surviving a dunking in a tide pool last summer, my old Coolpix came back to life, but has been "wonky" ever since.  Yesterday at Elkhorn it had to be forced to take photos and most didn't turn out.  Other than that, it was a splendid day in every way!  We had a little fun with quirky items for Halloween.

 Cynthia, of Beatnheart came from California to shop. It was great to meet her!

We also met Chris from Walnut Ridge Primitives , Jeanine from ChiPPy!-SHaBBy! stopped by, (sorry we didn't have more time to chat...), and many other special friends & buyers were there. It's been a great season at the Elkhorn Antique Flea Market and we sincerely want to thank each one that came to visit or shop...we'll see you there in 2011!

Elkhorn Antique Flea Market - Grain Sacks & Time Travelers

This Sunday is the last of the season for the Elkhorn Antique Flea Market in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. This is by far one of the best flea markets in the Midwest with 400-500 vendors of vintage and antique items.  No new stuff is allowed so you won't wear out your tootsies bypassing soy candles, knock-off handbags or t-shirts.  As always, we'll bring a nice mix of items for you.

We'll have a selection of grain sacks at a very special price

 

Seasonal decor & accessories

and even "Time Travelers"c

See YOU there!

One Tiny Treasure

While looking through  my inventory for items for etsy, I found some vintage French sample paints that I'd forgotten about. This can is just over an inch tall.  Isn't it the sweetest?

Here it is next to a gallon of paint.

I do love miniatures!

Hunt & Gather, Minneapolis

Our buddy Jeanine gave us a heads-up on a great shop in Minneapolis, Hunt & Gather.  They had a fabulous teaser booth at Junk Bonanza and kindly opened the store an hour early on Sunday so we could shop before heading home. (THANKS!)  The store was loaded with people soon after we arrived.

 I suspect that everything was a bit picked over after Junk Bonanza.  (I know that Tamarah and Angie had a whole lot of fun there one evening, and I'm sure that dozens of others filled their shopping bags as well!) Still, there were zillions of items to see - from the traditional...

 ...to the offbeat

This huge dome with birds was aMAZing!

But my favorite part of the store were the two rooms to the right of the entrance; a chaotic cacophony of all of my favorite things, letters, numbers, schnibbles & bits.

I can't wait to return!

P.S. Now that Junk Bonanza is over, we've got a bit more time to devote to our etsy shop.

Watch for new additions daily!

Junk Bonanza Wrap-Up

Junk Bonanza.  I'm still processing the entire delicious experience.  A little random thinking brings the following memories to the top...

• an endless parade of humanity
• great sales
• taking different routes to the bathroom so I could at least see some of the booths, (no time to shop)
• sleep deprivation & achy feet
• a decadent dinner including chocolate cake & milk with Candyce & Jill
• realizing that I missed connecting with so many that I had hoped to meet
• all of the truly nice shoppers and fellow vendors that we met
• the poor Canterbury Park guy assigned to moving benches with a forklift during the craziness of load-in...no wonder he was so crabby
• my hero Kathy who did not let her van troubles ruin our trip
• jellied brain - couldn't add 2 + 2 by Saturday
• the most amazing show ever!

There was never a moment to go around and take more photos; I'll leave you with what I have...

Rooming with that wacky Tamarah left Margo talking with a "Tex-tralian" accent and taking photos with the lens cap on....

By Saturday afternoon the shoppers were feeling as silly as we were. The lamp parts queens...

...the girl with stinky feet

...and the deep sea diver

It seemed that the fun came to an end just as we were settling in...can't wait til September 2011!

Snapshots from Junk Bonanza

Now we know why everyone raves about Junk Bonanza. Opening day was a blast with a never-ending parade of folks that came to b-u-y.   It was fun to meet Tamarah ,(from Australia!), and Margo.

Vendors loaded their booths with an amazing assortment of unique & fabulous finds. (I hope to have time to shop a little tomorrow.)  When things slowed a bit at the end of the day I ran through and snapped a few photos.  Lots of folks are mimicking the graphics of route signs, but none are nearly as interesting as the real thing.

We hope to visit Hunt & Gather before heading home.  If the shop is half as interesting at their booth here, we are going to have FUN!

By the time I found the Histories booth, many of their wheels had sold. These had a great look.

Would you be surprised to find that you can be assisted by royalty in one booth?

Candyce and Jill are amazing artists...and terrific friends of ours. (It was great to finally have a chance to get together for dinner tonight!)

And finally, everyone needs a good laugh at the end of a long day.  This buyer, (who shall remain nameless), showed us how she intends to re-purpose the reflectors she purchased.  Creativity abounds in Minnesota. 

You Are Going to Love Junk Bonanza!

Kathy would like to thank everyone who offered help and encouragement today for the issue with her van.  (Some comments weren't published because you mentioned your phone numbers for assistance...thank YOU so much!)

A mechanic less than a mile from our hotel was recommended.  I drove Kathy over to speak with him and he had his tow truck pick up her van within a half hour.  Once my van was unloaded at Junk Bonanza, we made two trips back to the garage to move Kathy's things from her van into mine and back to Junk Bonanza. 

Of course all those extra trips put us way behind in our set-up, but thankfully the management of Junk Bonanza didn't kick us out as early as they could have.  We got our booth pulled together as much as possible given the limited time. You'll find us in what is called the "Side Building" under our brown canopy. (We're near the Gorilla Glue table.) 

As we hauled our things to our booth, we were blown away by booth after booth loaded with amazing finds. If you are coming to shop Junk Bonanza you are going to be delighted with the selection.  See you in the morning!

Shakopee - Need A Little Help from the Locals

...warning - not a normal blog post  <:O
 
Kathy and I arrived in Shakopee around 2:30 this morning - barely.  At a gas stop 20 miles out Kathy's van was making a horrible noise.  It was deserted there but a guy "happened" to pull in just as Kathy was popping the hood, and he was a mechanic. His guess was that it was the water pump or possibly serpentine belt.  There were no warning lights on her instrument panel; he thought it would be ok to try and get to the hotel.

We cautiously made our way here, checked in and pulled around to park. Just as Kathy was parking she lost her power steering. 

After just a few hours sleep we aren't thinking too clearly.  We can't get in to Junk Bonanza until 10. Do we unload my van, then come back and load her stuff into my van and take it over?  Or do we try to get her towed and have the tow truck stop at Canterbury Park so we can unload it - is that even possible?

Can anyone from this area recommend a good garage?  The guy at the gas station last night suggested Firestone because they have a nationwide guarantee...

Hello & Goodbye...Junk Bonanza or Bust!

The cubbies are loaded...

...the van is loaded

...I have a great view out from my rear-view mirror, (not).

The only thing left to do is shut down the laptop and head for JUNK BONANZA!!!

P

P.S.  Kathy & I both have older vans that have been temperamental lately; if you think of it we'd appreciate your prayers for an uneventful trip tonight...it's about 4 hours as the crow flies, 6 1/2 hours if you observe the speed limit....

Junk Bonanza...Feeling BLUE

We're just days away from loading up and heading to Junk Bonanza.  I'm sharing a space with Kathy.  Two friends, two overloaded vans, one 10 x 10 space...yikes!  You can be sure that we'll be re-stocking daily because there's no way that it will all fit into that space for the first day.

I've always loved blue and use it in my home year-round.  It's cheery in spring, beachy in summer, mellow when paired with brown in the fall and and there's nothing that says "winter" more than crisp blue & white nestled among fresh evergreens.  It's no wonder that I found a lot of blue when I started pulling together my Junk Bonanza inventory.

Without further ado 

I give you.............blue

White Wednesday - Junk Bonanza Gets a Bit of White

Thanks to Kathleen at Faded Charm for hosting White Wednesday.  Participants are creative and if you haven't checked it out you're missing some great posts!  This week we're featuring a few items that are ready to travel to Junk Bonanza next week.

While these locker baskets aren't technically white, the oxidation gives them a white "aura".

We've gathered some architectural elements...chippy, shabby - delicious!

This old white wheel makes a perfect garden accent and if you know Rose Ann, please tell her that we've got her sign!

Enjoy the day!

Cedarburg - Fun at the Flea Market

The weather was perfect for the Cedarburg Maxwell Street Flea Market yesterday.  Kathy & I brought a lot of our "tired" inventory to move out, along with some fresh finds.

 The best part of any flea market is people watching.  This guy was checking himself out...so cute!

This guy should have checked himself out in the mirror.  Cute?  Ummmm...not so much.

It was Kathy's birthday and we celebrated by sampling all of the good food on the grounds including, the Big Bar, the deep-fried cheese curds and this delicious Kettle Korn, made on site in a big, (surprise!), kettle.

I never did find Mary Ann's space, or Margaret's, or get around to see Kathy-from-upper-Michigan's booth.  We were in the same neighborhood as Jeanine, (ChiPPy!-SHaBBy!)  Her vignettes are always amazing and things were sproutin' wings and flying out of her booth.  I loved the way she paired the hydrangeas with the whites...

This is about all she had left at the end of day when Jeff came to help her load.  I think this photo has an "American Gothic" vibe, don't you?

 Cedarburg was the last show we're doing until Junk Bonanza; we'll be loading the vans a week from tomorrow.  Frightening...I'd better get busy!