Everything on Sale!

 We're having a year-end sale at  

Gracie's Cottage on etsy.  

Everything is 15% off.

Simply use coupon code 

goodbye2010

at checkout.

(Coupon expires 12/31/10 at midnight CST.)

 Choose from 118 items in our

letters & numbers section,

fun finds like this stencil wheel

grain sacks & textiles

fun antiques like this escutcheon

sweet ephemera like this

...and everything else! 

Feeling A Little Pink Today

Here's hoping that you all had a marvelous Christmas!   The decorating got a late start here at the cottage, but even so, I'm ready to pack Christmas away and look at something else.  

Today....pink.  

 This pretty old watercolor found it's way upstairs.

I love the full, loose, perfectly 'cottage' roses.

And this lovely pink flower...

...is on the most beautiful Victorian child's dress...

...layers & layers of dreamy silk in shades of pink.

It's entirely stitched by hand.

 

But wait...there's more!

The flower isn't pink this time...

...but it's on another amazing pink dress

...suitable for a princess

Sending wishes your way 

for a  pink-a-licious day!

 

We Wish YOU A Merry Christmas

 We've just come in from a walk in the beautiful Christmas snow.

Before the family celebrations begin, we wanted to take a moment to wish each of you a 

Merry Christmas.

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Guess Who Is Wearing White?

Oh...it's my sweet old dress form!

 As the day gets darker, she gets prettier!

She's wearing C9 LEDs and an old frame insert around her neck.

She will forever be one of 

my favorite finds of this year.

Head on over to Faded Charm for

White Wednesday for some fabulous inspiration!

Finally The Tree Is Up

Real trees are the best but this year I'm really thankful that we have a tree-in-a-box.  Put 3 parts together, plug it in and add ornies. You'd think I'd have had it done weeks ago. Nope. Just wasn't feeling it.  Tonight it had to be done.  Here's where I started.

 My favorite vintage ornaments live in the suitcases.

Each year I wrap them carefully and tuck them away.

The first things I spotted were two hanging cards.

They were from my grandparents when I was very young.

They've been on every tree that I can remember.

This little red bell is not valuable, but it is priceless.

It's from our family tree and I

can still hear my Dad's voice saying that he liked this one.

(This will be his 30th Christmas in heaven...)

 Most of the rest of my vintage ornaments are from 

estate sales and auctions.

I love their simple charm.

This dog always brings a smile to my face.

 And the infant is sweet. 

This is one of the earliest.

See the angel? 

She's perched on a blown glass stem

that's about 6" long. 

It's amazing that it survived.

The blown glass icicles are most at

risk when little ones are present.

They're fascinating and irresistible.

By the time I was finished

I wondered why I'd waited so long to get to 

the tree. Seeing the old ornaments 

was like getting together with old friends.

I'm sorry I waited so long to see them!

White Wednesday

It's a beautiful morning.

Sunny, clear blue skies...

and one degree.  

O-n-e.

Occasionally nature presents us

with a peace offering when we have to cope with extreme temps.

It's called hoarfrost - 'glitter' on every surface.

It's fleeting; once the sun is up it doesn't last long.

I'm always reminded to stop and enjoy the 'moment',

before it's gone.

May you  have many moments to treasure this week!

I'm linking up with Faded Charm for White Wednesday.

You'll be captivated by all of the participants...enjoy!

A Change in Plans and Sweet Little Antique Frames

For weeks I've been planning to travel to Michigan for grandparent's day at the school that two of my 'girlies' attend.  In a Midwestern winter, one's travel plans must always be tentative, subject to the weather.  Originally I was going to leave on Sunday, then yesterday...but areas of Michigan and Indiana were treacherous. 

At 3:30 this morning, the weather won and my last chance to get there on time evaporated into the frigid air. It was disappointing, but now my fingers are crossed, hoping that they will be able to make it here for their Christmas visit.

There's always a plan B.  

Mine was to continue stocking my etsy shop.

These lovely little photo frames were photographed and ready

to go.  Don't you just love the patina on each of them?

As I was listing them, an order came in and an etsy milestone was reached.

Eight hundred and fifty items sold on etsy since July of 2009.

I am so appreciative of each of my customers; I love the personal connections on etsy, the friends I've made, and the fact that my little treasures are going to good homes. 

THANK YOU
   to each one that  has visited my shop. 

Cherub Cheeks!

We've been a bit busy around the cottage today, 

but just  had to show you this.

While getting ready to list some cabinet photos in my etsy shop,

I flipped one over. This was on the reverse;

I 'd had it forever and never noticed.

Sweet, isn't it?

Gurnee Antique Center - Christmas Sale This Week

I recently rented a case at the Gurnee Antique Center in Gurnee, Illinois.  This 24,000 square foot mall is exceptional in terms of management, customer service and quality.  When I inquired about a space, I was a little surprised to learn that there were just two cases vacant. Nothing else. If you've been in any antique malls lately you know that this is not the norm.  

Just in time for the annual Christmas sale this week, dealers have loaded their booths with tons of great vintage Christmas items.  Most dealers are offering 20% off their entire inventory.

In the "small world" department, Antique Show Insider blogged about the owners of the mall today.  After reading that, I realized that my favorite booth most certainly belongs to the owner, Jerry Watkins.  Check this out my carny-lovin' friends.  Is this an amazing collection, or what?

This is just one corner of his space there.

The Gurnee Antique Center is just off

I-94 North of Chicago, at the Six Flags exit.

If you're ever in the area, don't miss it!

Estate Finds - Little Treasures

An estate sale in an overloaded house is always fun for me...I love to dig!  

On Friday Kathy and I attended just such a sale in Illinois.  

After going through the house at least three times, we unearthed some fun finds.  

My first purchase was the shabby velvet painting of Kewpie, who I introduced to you in my last post.

On my third foray into one of the bedrooms I found a box with a pink silk baby bonnet, coat & dress. Tucked carefully in the bottom of the box was this sweet dress.

I thought it was adorable and it got more interesting when I saw the label. I have not been able to find any references anywhere to this line of clothing relating to the Quints; 

if anyone has info I'd love to hear from you.

Two WWI trench art rings that I purchased were made from French coins.  

They are each engraved "World War 1914 - 1918"

I adore anything that reminds me of the beach so had to buy a big box of shells & sea creatures. I also purchased a bunch of travel scrapbooks from the 1950s & 60's. 

I suspect that these were collected on one of those trips.

*Update 12/6.  See the brown starfish? It's g-o-n-e.
Heard Gracie crunching on something and went to check.
She was by the stack of suitcases where this was sitting and
there was not even a crumb left of the starfish. And,
she had the green one on the floor and was about to devour it as well.
????

The green starfish is my favorite.

 This toy iron is perfect in Christmas colors.

 

A match safe is attractive on this side...

...and on the reverse. 

Corrosion adds just the right touch of shabbiness to this elegant pen & pencil set.

Several old books with interesting covers came home with me, including this 1870's primer.

A keeper for sure, this is the oldest paintbrush I've ever found.

That's a sampling of what I brought home.  Can't wait for the next fun sale; they are few & far between around here.