Vintage Valentines

I've been collecting old Valentines for years.  There's no rhyme or reason to my collection; the only criteria is 'vintage' and they span the years from the 1800's forward.  Perhaps I collect them because I grew up in the age of 'cruelty', when at school parties everyone stuffed the boxes of the popular kids, and those of us who weren't didn't get many Valentines.  Anyone else remember that?  (Don't worry, I'm over it!)

Today I opened the smallest case.

It contains a random assortment, from the 1920s forward.  The little candy box is German, and one of the earliest I've ever found.

Common little cards charm me most.  I love the graphics and the sweet sentiments inside.

This one is early 1930s.

I adore her sailor dress.

Rosy cheeks rule! 

The sweetest of all are the home-made cards. 

I'll show you some of the more special cards 

if we ever get a sunny day more suitable for photos.

In the meantime, have a wonderful Monday!

(I'm off to check out a location to sell my treasures...more about that another time.)

'I never knew...'

Snow White Heart Post Stud E... TaylorsEclecti... $27.00	White Heart Short Vase, Cera... artlauren $18.00
LOVE: Tiny Pearly White Hear... AcuteDesigns $9.25	Hammered Silver Heart Charm ... RedGiraffeDesi... $18.00
White Heart Eco Felt Ornamen... SweetPB $12.50	Little Paper Hearts allthingswhite $4.00
White heart stained glass sq... BelloGlass $12.00	White Hearts - Paper Confett... FortheHome $12.00
White Heart Earrings, Simple... WildWomanJewel... $21.00	Personalized White Hearts - ... sarahandbendri... $190.00
White Hearts - Happy Valenti... eknuff $25.00	White Heart Appliques MyMothersMothe... $4.00
Valentines day Silver Heart ... DistortedEarth $9.00	Sterling Silver Hearts Earri... toolisjewelry $40.00
Silver Heart Necklace - Pear... LRichardsDesig... $38.00	Red Heart Die Cuts - Valenti... PaperNPeace $2.75

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Do you enjoy making etsy treasuries? I do, but rarely take the time to do it. I found easy directions for adding a treasury to blogger here: Try it!

My Heart Belongs to You - Naturally

Cleaning my storage, taxes, babysitting, photographing, shipping, crafting, listing...sometimes days go by and I've missed reading your blogs, and posting.  It's not because I don't think of you.  I could spend the whole day hopping from blog to bog and then jumping over to Pinterest to see what's going on in the world.  You all inspire me and when I miss a day, I miss a lot!

So now that the "have-to-do-list" is almost taken care of, I'm trying to follow up more often on all the inspiration floating around out there.  Valentine's Day is 'everywhere' and I decided to combine my love for natural materials with a heart shape and this is the result.

'My Heart Belongs to You - Naturally' hearts will be available soon in my etsy shop.  I'm just waiting for a sunny day to get some decent photos.  In the meantime, I'm off to catch up on some blogs, and link up to White Wednesday over at Faded Charm.  Follow me over there!

The Joy of Books

My love affair with books started in my childhood; I blogged about it, (click here), a couple of years ago.  Two summers ago I found this old sign at a flea market, for the princely sum of $2.

Yep, two dollars.  It resides on one of those awkward plant niches, 9 feet up, in my living room. Hence the extra-awful photos.  (I risked life and limb standing on a bench to try to capture it on this dreary day.) It's one of the few things in my home that will never be for sale. I love it.

It's made of plywood; the flaking paint is 'accented' by the random flowers. 

It works well with some of my old leather-bound books.  Contrary to what everyone says, I think you can judge a book by it's cover.  If it looks good, I love it and could care less what's inside!  (Wow, that sounds a little shallow doesn't it? Just so you know, metaphorically speaking, I do subscribe to the "can't judge..." adage when it comes to people!) 

I'm linking up with Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday...check it out!

...and if you adore books as much as I do, I know that you will love watching this amazing video.

What's Missing in This Photo?

After sleeping late on Saturday morning I got up and announced to CG that I wasn't going to leave the house all day.  I grabbed a cuppa and my iPad and leisurely started browsing the internet.  At 9:20, to my complete and utter horror, I learned that there was an auction, starting at 10:30 a.m., in a neighboring state.  The contents of a closed sign business were being sold.  AAAAAAAAAAAAwwwwwwwwwwwww - why didn't I know about that?  I ran for the shower and was dressed and out the door by 9:40.

I walked into the building just before 11:00 and a quick scan showed boxes and boxes of sign letters, not as old as I'd hoped, but lots of them.  By now I'm sure you all know how I feel about letters.

There were also some great old signs, but since I no longer have my van, I really have to consider every purchase that I make,  and whether I can easily get it home. I particularly loved this one:

Aside from being big, however, those glass tubes make me very nervous - they break easily, so I wasn't too tempted to bid.   I did however manage to load my vehicle to the brim with letters, as well as some great little parts trays. (To the concession guy who confidently stated "you'll never get all that in a Pilot", I'd like to say "yes I did" and didn't even have to use the front seat.  Organization is the key!)   I dropped most of them at my storage unit on the way home, but will be gradually getting them out and into my etsy store. 

So did you figure out what's missing in the photo?

Women!  When I go to an industrial-type auction I know that any women in attendance are usually there because they like the same types of things that I do.  Now I love my gal pals as much as anyone, but when I'm buying, I'd just as soon not be competing with a whole roomful of like-minded peeps. There were a handful of other ladies in attendance, including the very talented Mary of Urban Farmgirl. I've followed her blog for ages, but don't ever remember officially meeting.  It was great to get acquainted a bit.

All in all, I'm glad that my Saturday took an unplanned turn, but wish that I'd done my homework so I'd known what was cominig up!  Has this ever happened to you?

White Wednesday - If Rachel Ashwell Met Tim Burton

Quirky, offbeat, strange things always grab me and I found a doozie at an estate sale on Monday.  Kathy was with me and quickly dubbed it "the Tim Burton church".  I think she's right, but with a little Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic thrown in! 

The sale was in an old Milwaukee home.  The lady had been a cake decorator and I suppose that this had been created as part of a beautiful Christmas display at some point.

Trees made of netting with garlands of icing...

..."frosted" branches backed by angel hair...

...caroling angels...it's all there.

It had been stored in the decrepit attic.  There are bits of shingles, nails, plastic, and lots of dust on it.

I'm still debating whether to clean it up or leave it and use it in a Halloween display.  What would you do?

It makes me smile, and for now it's a keeper.

Have you found anything lately that brings a smile?

I'm linking up with Kathleen at Faded Charm for White Wednesday... go check it out!
Laura from B&B's Nest featured our Grayslake booth on her blog today.  You can see it here.  Thanks Laura - it's always fun to see you!

Grayslake Antique Flea Market

Day one is over, and it was a fantastic day, thanks to so many of you who came out and shopped on this beautiful day!  Don't worry, though, if you didn't get there today; the show goes on from 8-3 on tomorrow, (Sunday).  

Look who I caught sharing the joy of junk!  It's Diane Passi and Jeanine (ChiPPy!-SHaBBy!).  Both have beautiful spaces this weekend, as usual. 

There was a most unfortunate incident when I unloaded for the show last night. I opened the back of my vehicle and five beautifully aged clay pots jumped out. 

Did you know that clay pots don't have a clue about "stop, drop & roll".  They got the "drop" part right, followed immediately by "shatter".  Instead of being lovely containers for a bit of greenery, they became 'filler' for a planter box.  Ya saw it here first, folks.  I suspect that before you know it, Pottery Barn will be showcasing "shattered pots" in the catalog.  If they do, do not, I repeat, do not purchase them.  Give me a holler and I'll set up a little tutorial so you can make your own.  On that happy note, I'm dragging my sleep-deprived self to bed. 

Come on out to Grayslake...we'd love to see you!

Grayslake Antique Flea Market This Weekend! Half Price Admission.

We couldn't ask for a better weather forecast for the Grayslake Antique Market this weekend in Grayslake, Illinois.  40's in January?  Never happens!  It's a perfect weekend to get out and have some fun.  Thanks to Zurko Promotions you'll get half price admission during regular hours if you print out this post and bring it along.

Here's a little peek at some of the things you'll find in our booth.

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This old square "bucket" has the most marvelous "make-do" repair.  Giant light bulbs make great offbeat gifts for the one who lights up your life.

You'll see Valentines by the gazillions.

Trophies from Monaco, France, St. Moritz....

Brushes

A table filled with ephemera for your projects.

...and, of course, our signature "Fixin's Bar" filled with schnibbles and bits to inspire the artist in you.

We probably won't get another blog post up, but we'll try to post updates on our Facebook page - click here.

Other purveyors of marvelous things will be at Grayslake including Altered Ever After, Diane Passi, Rhubarb Reign,  and ChiPPy!-SHaBBy!   We'd all love to see you so print this post off and be sure to say "hi" when you come thru!