Come See Us At Kane County Sunday

First attempt at blogging from an iPad...booth pics:

Kane County Flea Market - A Little Peek

It's 'show season'....finally!  This weekend we'll be at the Kane County Flea Market in St. Charles, Illinois.  You'll find us in the Robinson Building, Space 42.  Along with a fun mix of finds,  we're gonna have a 'fixin's bar' filled with fun ephemera and loads of schnibbles & bits.

 If you need a place to stash all of your little finds, Kathy is bringing a most amazing dental cabinet - perfect for the job.

We'll also have a limited supply of  'The Great American Fleabag'

We're saving imperfect grain sacks from the landfill....one stitch at a time.  Some are nearly big enough to hide a small child, but we're not endorsing that.  We do, however, recommend that you get one right away to carry all of your vintage treasures.

If you can't make it to Kane, we'll be at the Grayslake Antique Market next weekend.  The weekend after that is our "home" show....the can't-be-missed Elkhorn Antique Flea Market. We hear that this show is sold-out.  Hundreds of vendors, inside & out...and all vintage.  We hope to see you soon!

I'm linking up with Creations by Kara for Look What I Made

Go check it out!

The Happy Couple

Have you heard? 

Royal nuptials are about to happen!

 Wills and Kate are gonna be trothed!

They'll be blissfully happy...(*at least for awhile).

 In their honor I'll be loading these happy couples into my etsy shop

 ...and linking up for Blogger's Bodega and White Wednesday.

Follow me over for sweet inspiration! 

He Is Risen!

Wishing you a blessed Easter...

 ...He is risen indeed!

Easter Smiles....Easy Craft Idea

Do you have anything that cracks you up whenever you see it?

 For some reason, this little Easter hat gives me a chuckle every time.

 It must be the way the bunny is teetering on the top, looking alarmed while the chicks surrounding her are blissfully ignorant of her predicament.

The bunny is marked "Occupied Japan", which dates it c1948-52.

 Gather the kids and make some chuckle-bringers of your own.  All you need are paper plates, embellishments, and some round elastic for the chin strap...smile!

One Of A Kind Tote

Since getting my iPad, I've found that I have to have it with me everywhere I go. 

 It needed a fun travel bag.  

This fills the need.

Here's the other side...

 I've found that it's sturdy enough to provide extra storage when it's not out and about with me.

 Would you like to see the "before" shot?  Here it is:

A portrait...a little damaged and not terribly well done.  Purchased for less than the price of a cuppa joe. 

Your kind comments on the grain sack totes have inspired me to get busy.  I'll have some available at the Kane County Flea Market next weekend...I want to 'test market' them live, before offering them online.  Thank you all for your inspiration to keep sewing!  

I'm linking up with Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday and At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday

Grain Sack Totes

***Update: Thank you for your kind comments on the totes; I'm not yet offering them for sale as I'm still tweaking the process. I'll do a blog post if/when I make them available for sale. 


Finally, my sewing machine and I are getting reacquainted.  I'm ashamed to tell you how many years it's been since we've spent much time together. And frankly, rebuilding the relationship is taxing my patience. I'm expecting more from it than it's willing to give. It seems my machine  has a delicate constitution and doesn't like to go through multiple layers, but we're working it out.

Since I acquired hundreds of grain sacks last year and began selling them, I've noticed that many of them have been shunned.  A few small stains or a flaw in the fabric and they get passed over.  Since we've previously established that I love "gnarly", I decided to sew a few totes from some of the "less than perfect" sacks.
 They're big and can hold loads of great junk at a flea market.

The fabric has a wonderful earthy feel, soft & sturdy at the same time.  The little imperfections don't bother me.

Finally, a moment to create and I'm pleased with the outcome. I do, however, have a longing for an industrial sewing machine!  



I'm linking up with Faded Charm for White Wednesday - follow me over and enjoy the eye candy!

Bloggers Bodega 25% Off Sale At Gracie's Cottage

Three weeks from today, I'll be on a plane with my friend Margaret, headed for four days of shopping at Brimfield.  If all goes well I'll be returning with loads of fresh smalls to stock my etsy shop.

 We've decided to 'clear the shelves' and offer you 25% off of everything.

Just enter the code bodega25 at checkout to receive your discount.

It's ALL on sale at Gracie's Cottage

Sale ends tomorrow, April 20th at 10 pm. CST

(sorry, does not apply to prior purchases)

I'm linking up with Capers of the Vintage Vixens Bloggers Bodega 

Hop To It - Get Your Junk Bonanza Early Bird Tix Now

Finally, my vintage Easter bunnies have come out to play.

 Spring is was here.

This photo was taken three minutes ago. April 18, 2011!  It's still coming down and I'm desperately trying to find my happy face.  But I digress. This isn't all about me. Back to the bunnies.

They're here to tell you that it's not too early to start thinking about our favorite event of the year...Junk Bonanza!  Three days of the best vintage shabbies, industrial items, schnibbles & bits and upcycled goods that will have your heart racing the moment you rush in!   In just five short months, this will be 'the day after', and if you miss it, you'll be feeling bluer than a bunny without a carrot.

Junk Bonanza will take place on September 15th thru 17th in Shakopee, Minnesota. If you're not familiar with JB, head on over to the Junk Bonanza Blog.  On their sidebar is a list of posts relating to last year's event. You'll see just why we're so excited to show there again this year!  While you're there, grab your Early Bird tickets, which get you in a full two hours before the masses.

Hop to it....get on over there now, before the Early Bird tix are sold out!

We promise...you're going to LOVE it!

 

Sunny Skies in Grayslake

Wide awake at 3:00 a.m.  That can mean only one thing...I'm supposed to hurry up and thank all of my wonderful buyers that shopped Grayslake this weekend.  The weather was perfect and everyone was in a great mood, ready to freshen their decor or add to their collections.  Popular categories included Easter, Schnibbles & Bits, Textiles & Industrial.

Across the aisle from me, Lisa, (The Frenchman's Wife), had a beautifully curated booth.

Next to me, Barbara & Karen(?) had the most charming peacock chair, among other things.

 Other photos that I took during set-up didn't turn out at all.  Please visit my friends at ChiPPy!-SHaBBy!, Altered Ever After, and Rhubarb Reign where I'm sure you'll soon find complete reports on the show. 

***My heart goes out to all of those affected by the severe weather across the Midwest yesterday - I sincerely hope that none of you were in the areas hardest hit......

Living Dangerously in Paducah

 It was cloudy on Monday as I left CG at the hotel and headed out to do a little shopping in Paducah, Kentucky. Many of the shops were closed, but at Courtyard Antiques, the lights were on and I received a friendly welcome from Aleta.  As the shop name implies, there's a beautiful courtyard behind the store. It had started to rain but I couldn't resist a peek outside. 

 Over in the corner I caught a glimpse of  something interesting perched upside down on the wall. Aleta dashed out in the rain to bring it in so I could take a closer look.  It was a beautiful urn....see the closeups in yesterday's post.  She's a keeper, for now.

My next stop was Antiques, Cards & Collectibles.  They are in their final days of going out of business. Everything that was left in the historic five-story building had been brought to the first floor and piled in a heap. A gent named Patrick was working and he invited me to dig.  And dig I did. I started piling things by the counter...old receipts & other ephemera, pull-down maps...and it grew darker outside. 

The rain came harder, bouncing off the pavement.  Patrick turned on the radio. Severe weather was in the area. The tornado sirens started blaring. I took a quick look outside and didn't see a funnel cloud so continued pawing through boxes.  Old games, books and industrial waste baskets were added to my pile. CG called to check on my welfare and the sirens kept blaring. The warnings on the radio grew more serious.

 I reluctantly decided that dying in a tornado in a quest for great junk would probably not be looked upon favorably by my family, (they just don't "get it")!  I settled up with Patrick and we loaded my boxes in the van, getting drenched within seconds.  Back at the hotel CG loaded our luggage and we headed out of town.  I just hate it when a good junking outing gets cut short, don't you?