Road Trip - Upper Mississippi

With a beautiful October Saturday on deck, CG and I made a last-minute decision to take a little road trip to the upper Mississippi river, and headed out last night. We spent today touring the little towns on both the Wisconsin and Minnesota sides of the river.  Peak color is past, but there were still spots of brilliance here and there.

We arrived at one of the locks just as a barge was going through.

The Nelson Creamery was our lunch stop.  This former cheese factory now serves the best sandwiches...and ice cream!

You can also buy hundreds of varieties of our delicious Wisconsin cheese.

The sense of history in the old towns is palpable.

You can borrow a bike in Stockholm...

We stopped at a few antiques shops; honestly, none were very exciting...but you never know!

We're spending the night above a storefront on the river...tomorrow we head home.

 Did you do something fun this weekend?

Down the Rabbit Hole - A Visit to Simply Iowa

I left early on Saturday for Cedar Rapids so that I could make a stop at Barb's place, (Simply Iowa).  Barb's shop, known as "The Rabbit Hole" did not disappoint.  Barb has a heart that is bigger than the vast acres of Iowa cornfields.  She feels the history of each old piece that comes to her, and finds a place for each one.  The cozy shop is packed tightly from floor to ceiling, with little trails leading from section to section.

There are honest old survivors at every turn. I was awed by the soulful collections, and in looking at the photos now I'm noticing things that I don't even recall seeing!  Enjoy the tour, and don't forget to click on the pics to enlarge them!  

A big thanks to Barb for taking the time to visit with me on a busy day.  (Barb's dear friend Peg is struggling with some health issues right now and many are praying for Peg. Watch Barb's blog for updates.)

Collector's Eye - Iowa

Collector's Eye and the Midwest Antique & Art Show occur together twice a year in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Midwest Antique Show showcases high-end dealers with museum quality primitives, art, advertising and furniture. My favorite sightings included some amazing trade signs. Wish I'd had a chance to get some photos.

The Collector's Eye is a more casual show, featuring a nice variety of mostly traditional antiques and collectibles. Mid-Century and Industrial items were spotted here and there but not in large quantities.

Things were hopping as the show opened, and slowed down in the afternoon. It was 70 degrees and sunny; I imagine that contributed to the quiet afternoon in a big way. Ginger and Garth stopped by and it was great to see them. (We met when I did the Mount Vernon show last year and they saved my bacon several times that weekend!)

Following are random unedited pics from our booth. Kathy and I are still in Iowa and looking forward to shopping our way home today...watch for a report later in the week. (Next post I'll tell you about my visit to the fascinating "Rabbit Hole" at Simply Iowa.)
































Thanks to everyone that visited us at Collector's Eye!

Everything From Kitsch to Americana - Collector's Eye Show - Preview Part 2

"Sam" will be the official greeter in our booth at the Collector's Eye Show in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Sunday.  He's seven feet tall and a wonderful example of vintage Americana.  (I think I shared the story previously of my three year old granddaughter walking in and seeing him,  "Jesus!" she said. We told her he was "Uncle Sam" and for the rest of her visit she referred to him as "Sam", "Jesus" or "Sam-Jesus".  On her most recent visit she had his name right "Sam", "not Jesus...cause Jesus is God".

Sam's message this weekend: "buy American"....or better yet, "buy VINTAGE American goods".

Of course it wouldn't be right to have only serious merchandise in our booth...that's not how the sun shines in our world. There's gotta be room for a little silly fun.  How about this mid-century doll sofa?  It's got a little secret!

It's a hide-a-bed, suitable for a mid-size doll.  (Or five friendly couples.)  Is that not fun?  We think so, and so it's headed to Iowa as well.

Serious antiques, kitschy fun and everything in between...come see us in BOOTH #18!

Collector's Eye Show - Preview Part 1: Ephemera

Sunday: Collector's Eye Show in Cedar Rapids Iowa.  I've heard great things about this show but have never attended as a buyer or a seller.  I'm bringing a wide range of fun stuff including goodies from my huge stash of ephemera.   Here's a small sampling:

Luggage labels

Never opened 1960s flashcards

Early instructional books and 1860s hand-colored prints

 Menus, Victorian trade cards, photos

1860s copperplate maps

Foreign books

Sewing cards

French ephemera, 1850's - 1960's

Beatuiful paper from every era.

Will we see YOU at Collector's Eye?  Hope so!

P.S.  One of the things I'm looking forward to is shopping on the way home on Monday - if you have any great suggestions for me in a generally E/SE direction from Cedar Rapids, please sing out!

Debra at Common Ground hosts Vintage Inspiration Friday....we're linked - now let's all go check out all the participants, shall we?   
:)