We Have a Winner!

Wow - what a day!  Haven't had a moment to sit down until now. Thanks to everyone who entered the Fleabag Giveaway.  Your entries were numbered in the order they came in...if you qualified for two or more entries you were assigned two or more numbers.  Random.org determined the winning number. I was going to take cute pics and show you all this but you'll just have to take my word for that - I'm pooped! 
  :)
Now let's have a little drum rolllllllllllllllll.   Congratulations to you Linda at Coastal Charm - you win the Fleabag!  (Please email me at cobblecreek at wi.rr. dot com with your contact info and shipping address so a Fleabag can fly to you.)

By A Child's Hand ....and Giveaway Ends Tonight!

You never know what may turn up at an auction.  I was casually hanging out while furniture was being sold on Saturday.  There was an old tea crate sitting on a table; I hadn't looked inside.  Just as it was being sold, someone lifted the lid briefly and I caught a glimpse of calico.  I shot my card up and won the old box.

 Imagine how thrilled I was to discover that the box was packed with over 100 quilt blocks.  Some were pieced on pages of the 1910 Chicago Tribune.

The crate dates from the same era, so I imagine that the blocks were done in that time frame and tucked away, never to be assembled.

 My favorite blocks are small...

...and imperfect.

The corners don't line up. (Not even close!)

Look at those sweet stitches!  Big stitches, little stitches, crooked lines.  Obviously stitched by a child's hand.

 Can you imagine the concentration on her little face as she tried to line up the patches?   These little blocks are what I call "heart-grabbers".   Simple little bits of history that tell a story.  (I'm sharing a few of these little blocks in my etsy shop.)  Have you ever made an "accidental" purchase that turned out to be a heart-grabber?

Now...a little reminder!  Entries for our Fleabag giveaway end tonight... click here for details! 

Who Is This Woman and Why is She Wearing Pearls? Junk Bonanza Sneak Peek

Mysterious lady alert!

It looks like she tried to cut off her nose to spite her face...

 ...and when someone asked her for a hand, she gave it to them.

 Turns out she's a model for Fruit of the Loom!  She's wearing a sample dress.  How cool is that?   And all along, I thought they just made skivvies, represented by those wacky guys running around in tights wearing fruit costumes.  Check out the Small Earth Vintage blog to see a real life FOTL dress. Cute!

I think we should give her a name, before she gets packed up for her appearance at Junk Bonanza.

Any ideas?  (No prize for coming up with a name we adore, but if you want to win something you should be entering our giveaway!)

If you want the scoop on what else we're taking to Junk Bonanza check out our Facebook page...we'll be posting pics there regularly.

Time for A Fleabag Giveaway!

We've just returned from a short vacation and can't wait to jump back into the fray.  In just three weeks we'll be arriving in Minnesota, ready to set-up for Junk Bonanza.  See us on the Junk Bonanza blog today.  There's a whole lotta work to be done here.  (Did you know that etsy will have a display at Junk Bonanza?  We're excited that two of our favorite selling venues have teamed up,  all for the love of vintage!)   But I digress....we're here to announce a giveaway!

 We're giving away a Great American Fleabag! The winner will choose from a selection of bags, and yes, international entrants are welcome.

It's simple to enter...just leave a comment on this post, telling how you'd use a fleabag.

A comment gets you one entry.

 IF you were a blog or facebook follower on or before August 23rd, mention it in your comment to get two entries. If you were following both the blog and the facebook page on or before August 23rd, you get three entries.  (Giveaways are often designed to attract new followers, but we think that those of you who've been loyal followers should have a little extra opportunity to win.)

Entries close at 11:59 p.m., August 30th.  We'll draw a winner and post the next day!

  Good luck to all!

UPDATE:  Note to self. Stop blogging in the middle of the night - you might forget something important!  Get one additional entry if you post a link to this post on your Facebook page, blog or Twitter. Leave a comment for each that you do!

P.S. It's White Wednesday - check it out!

Going Home

We spent the past few nights in my childhood home in California. My brother & his wife own the place now and I hadn't stayed in my old room in decades. The land that used to be pasture is now planted with a young walnut orchard.




The trees, along with the gardens my s-i-l nurtures give the property a real sense of sanctuary. I love how she loves the land. (She's also makes killer jelly from these pomegranates!)


A chicken coop is a new addition and the residents roam the yard.



The old barn that sheltered the sheep and calves that I raised is feeling it's age...



I still think it's beautiful.




I'd forgotten how spiders proliferate in a warm climate. I'm not a fan.



Daisy rules the trampoline while Rocket spots her.






These two entertained us daily.



...and I was tempted to sneak Rocket into my luggage and take him home.





Have you gone "home" lately?

Seen at the Flea - Elkhorn Wrap-up

 Oh!

Elkhorn Antique Flea Market, you are the b-e-s-t!  I had to run over to the office during the afternoon and stopped to snap a few pics along the way, wishing for time to really shop.  I'm sorry I didn't get into some of the buildings to check out other friends.

My pal Margaret and  her granddaughter were enjoying the great weather. 

I can't believe that this piece wasn't snapped up right away.

Julie & Ann of Tattered Tiques.  These fun sisters are high-energy and have great stuff.  Their Mom wasn't able to be at Elkhorn this time, but the three of them have a shop that I'm dying to visit one of these days.  (Thanks for the shout-out on your blog girls!)

 This was the first Elkhorn for Laura from B&B's Nest. 

I hate to think of what I missed in her booth since I didn't get there until late in the day.  Laura puts things together in the most delicious way.  

I can't end this post without thanking all of our wonderful customers, old friends and new.  August is traditionally the slowest of the shows at Elkhorn but you really surprised us this time. Industrial, clocks & flea bags were the 'hot' categories.  (I really never expected to sell snowshoes in August either!) We truly do appreciate your business.  

***On a personal note, we'd been concerned that we hadn't seen one of our favorite shoppers this year at Elkhorn. She was there yesterday and it was so good to see her.  It's not our story to tell so I won't say more, but dear one if you are reading this, please know that you are in our hearts & prayers. 

Next up for us?  JUNK BONANZA!  WooooooooHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  

Follow the Junk Bonanza blog and facebook page for the latest news, and make plans to be there. We know that you will love it!

Come on Out to Elkhorn Sunday

It's gonna be a good day at the Elkhorn Antique Flea Market on Sunday.  It's an easy drive from Chicago or Milwaukee.  We're all set up in the Small Animal building, Space 29.   I don't have any photos of our entire booth.  Early buyers snatched up most of the major foundation pieces of our display for this time, so it's all a little disjointed but I'm here to tell you that we still have loads of great items left for YOU!  Here's a sampling:

,

We saw a lot of your favorites there too, including Melissa from North Shore Flea , Pete & Mo, Dale & Sarah from Antiques on Main, Laura from B & B's Nest, Mark from Room 363, Janice, and so many more.  Come on out...you never know who you'll run into!

Elkhorn This Sunday!

I've seen lots of Wisconsin and Illinois corn fields this past week.

Beautiful farms,

 cute animals,

steam-powered tractors,

flea markets,

and farm sales.

All in a quest for the best junk on the planet. If  Elkhorn is this weekend, can Junk Bonanza be far behind?  No!  And we can't wait.  Elkhorn and Junk Bonanza are two of our favorite places to be.  Gracie's Cottage and Down Lilac Lane will share space at Elkhorn so you know we'll have a huge assortment; there's sure to be something for everyone.  Here's a sneak peek.

You could roll up your towels and store them on this awesome vintage comb display.

We've got a passel of ice cream cone holders. They make the cutest mats for summertime pics.

The Great American Fleabag.  You betcha!  Watch for 'show special' pricing!

Schibbles and bits from the Fixin's Bar - of course!

We're never without some letters and numbers for your projects.

cool old rubber stamps

The best gnarly hard hat we've ever had, hands down.

 architectural bits

and so many other great finds from the Dairy State. 

We'll be in our regular spot, Space 29 in the SMALL ANIMALS building. 

See ya!

P.S. Are you following the Junk Bonanza blog?  If not, you should be!  Rumor has it that we'll be featured in an upcoming post.