Shopping Columbus & Pardeeville...and a Big Sale!

First of all, the big sale!  25% off everything at Gracie's Cottage on etsy.   Simply enter the coupon code 25off at checkout to save on everything in the shop.  This includes our huge numbers and letters section, ephemera, antiques, fun finds..everything! 

Now for the shopping report!

This week I had a chance to go on a fun excursion with my friend Pamm from Fresh Eggs Antiques.  Check out Pamm's etsy shop - I love her style.  And while you're at it follow her blog.  (Pamm  needs to blog about her home;  she's transformed a suburban home into a wonderful "cottage".  Show us some pictures, Pamm!)  

We spent several hours exploring the Columbus Antique Mall in Columbus, Wisconsin.  As their site says, it's

*Wisconsin's Largest Antique Mall* "Where dealers shop for their merchandise."
Over 82,000 square feet of antiques displayed and sold by 222 of Wisconsin's finest dealers in 444 booths in 18 rooms.
Open Everyday  8:15 am - 4 pm

Don't you love those hours?  
The majority of dealers at Columbus don't stage their booths; merchandise is packed on shelves.  There are some that do a great job of showing off their goods, like the owners of the booths pictured above.  Prices at Columbus tend to be very reasonable; a reward for the fact that you have to do some digging to unearth the treasures. 

After a quick lunch, Pamm drove us over to the Pardeeville Antique Mall , where we immediately fell in love with the greeter.  Meet "Sully".

Look at those eyes; they look straight into your soul and grab your heart.

Pardeeville is about 10,000 sf of pure shopping bliss. 

Each dealer stages their room-like booth in their particular style.

There are no messy shelves, no rummage sale lefttovers...it's all 'good'!

This shopping cart was a bit beyond my budget, but oh I loved it!

And what little cowpoke wouldn't look adorable in this shirt?

At the risk of dating myself, I remember watching Roy Rogers!

If you need a "shopping day" like I did, head on over to Pardeeville or Columbus.  You are going to have a swell time - I promise!

Baraboo and Barrington Sneak Peek

It's was just past 8 a.m. and I ran out to pull items from the garage for the shows this weekend.  I was out there for all of 10 minutes...the sweat is dripping off my red face.  I don't do summer gracefully!  Kathy will be with me at both shows and of course you'll find our usual assortment of prims, shabby, industrial, ephemera, and just plain fun stuff.  Here are a few of the items that will be with me at Baraboo on Saturday or The Arboretum of S Barrington on Sunday.

 The little white cabinet was a Door County find, as was the sweet round lunch pail. The old bucket is a favorite of mine - it's lived!

This small canvas-covered foot locker would look great as a base for your suitcase collection; but there's more than meets the eye here...

Faintly stenciled on the lid is 'Greenfield Police'.  This was an evidence collection kit; all the small parts are gone, leaving a perfect case to repurpose into a 'secret' office or artist kit.

There's a place to stash everything you might need  here, from pencils & brushes to paper & laptop.

We've got a small collection of farm-stand signs...

To remind you to eat fresh home-grown foods!
Hope to see YOU this weekend!

We're linking up with Faded Charm for White Wednesday.  Put on your sunscreen, grab a lemonade and follow me over to see the inspirational posts this week!


 

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!

Giveaway Reminder and Road Trip Finds

Hey everyone - time is running out to enter the Great American Grain Sack giveaway!  Enter by leaving a comment on the giveaway post.   Link to the giveaway post on your blog and note it in your comment for a second entry, and tweet a link to the giveaway post and note it in your comment for a third entry.  Easy-peasy!

Entries close at 8 a.m Central Time, Monday, Nov. 1st.  Entries will be numbered in the order they were received.  I'll then head on over to random.org to generate the winning numbers and post the winners.  Good luck everyone!

Now, back to the road trip.  Our getaway weekend included only one junker. Me. So, I consider myself quite fortunate that not only did I get to shop at Gold'n Country, but we also went into Waupaca where I shopped 44 North and Dane House Antiques.  I chose my first purchase thirty seconds after walking into Gold'n Country:

 Isn't this a handsome cubby?  It's wood, clad with metal. 

 There's only one little problem.  It won't fit in my van. Who would have guessed? It's waiting for me in New London until I can figure out how to fetch it.  Fortunately, the rest of my treasures did come home with me.  I love these early locker baskets...

 made from "crinkly wire"...

...and these "cathedral window" tin panels.

The chippy gray paint is delicious.

Someone labeled this old classroom stool so it wouldn't walk away.

You know how I love letters. 

These hand-made goodies spell a special word:

In Waupaca I found another 'cubby shelf'; pigeonholes from an old desk.

You'll see it at Grayslake in a couple of weeks.

When CG saw me carrying this:

...he commented,"I really hope she didn't buy the rest of the dresser".

(If it had been there you know I would have!)

Those wood balls in the drawer are from Victorian porch spindles.

They'll look great piled in a jar or bowl

And there you have it - weekend treasures.  (Can't wait to see what YOU found!)

 

Ten Chimneys - Genesee Depot Wisconsin

Theater legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne were a most successful celebrity couple.  Devoted to each other, they appeared only together; neither was in a production without the other from the late 1920's until their retirement in the 1960s.  In demand, they were able to have a clause in their contract that gave them every summer off to spend extended time at their beloved Ten Chimneys.

Situated in the beautiful hills of the Kettle Moraine, in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin, the estate is open for tours. Yesterday, a friend and I spent a lovely morning there.

This was our second visit to this historical treasure, and I'd love to go again.  Furnishings in the estate are original to the Lunts.  The Ten Chimneys Foundation did a masterful job of authentic restoration. You feel as if you are peeking into someone's home while they are away, rather than looking at museum artifacts. Most rooms are open so that you can walk around them to view objects up close.  (Not surprisingly, inside photos are not allowed).

The lodge, the main house and the honeymoon cottage, (photo above), each have a distinct personality. I so wish that I could have taken a photo of the bedroom in the cottage...white on white with sheepskin carpet; it was 'to die for'.  I know that you won't be disappointed if you ever have a chance to tour Ten Chimneys. In the meantime, enjoy these photos of the grounds.