A Good Day Pickin'

Today was a wonderful day, and not just because it started with a long overdue visit to the dentist!  We're having the warmest stretch of March weather on record, daffs are blooming, birds are singing and the picking was great.

 Here are a few things I picked up.  If you are reading this Olive, (Olive Out), I'm sure that big green funeral basket caught my attention due to your recent post.  You'll see how I'm going to use it in my next post.

This door is fabulous...I can't get the color to 'read' right on my monitor.  It's creamy yellowish-off-white over green.  If you are a girly-girl you'll like the other side even more. P-I-N-K!

The sweet little black wire table has a removable tray top, perfect for serving lemonade or sweet tea this summer.

From an old pharmacy cabinet, comes a slant-top unit, complete with dividers for holding medicine labels.

And for you sports fans, we've got this 'films' & 'score pads' cabinet.

On the top you can just make out "Training...library".  Is that not cool?  I wish I knew where it came from.

There's more, but I've got to get this all loaded up and ready to roll out to Waterloo tomorrow.  See ya!
P.S.  Follow me over to Faded Charm for White Wednesday  - you'll find drool-worthy posts all linked up there!

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!

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!

All Keyed Up

Can you pass up a pile of keys?

I can't....I've got boxes of the little gippers. Car keys, lock keys, luggage keys, skeleton keys...

If I find them at a reasonable price I'll buy 'em.

 It's not like I have plans for them.

Out of the hundreds of keys I've had over the years, maybe 10 have actually been used in projects.  I think I just like to dig through them and admire the shapes.  In a bit of an un-hoarding effort, I've listed some in my etsy shop.

Is there something you keep buying, even though you don't need one more?

I'm linking up with Kathleen at Faded Charm for White Wednesday, cause hey, some of my keys are "white metal"!   :)   You really need to go check out all of the posts featuring wonderful whiteness - follow me, I'm headed there now!

Letters & Numbers ...It's Been Awhile!

You know we love our letters and numbers.  Sadly, not many have found their way to my outstretched arms lately!  Thanks to Hippie Tom I did get some BIG 24" gas station numbers last week that are de-lish-us!

And...my pal Margaret - Lady Liberty's Treasure Chest, found a few big 12" white letters for me recently.  Thanks Margaret!

Both types have been added to the popular Letters & Numbers section of our etsy shop.  Check it out!

We're linking up with Kathleen over at Faded Charm for White Wednesday; you'll be inspired by all the delightful posts you'll find there!

Got Staff?

Some days I wish I had household staff.

 They would be quiet, efficient and attend to my every need.

 My laundry would be done and each morning my clothes would be laid out for me.

 There would be someone charged only with planning menus, shopping, cooking & serving.

The newest member of my staff would be assigned to cleaning. She'd be a natural, keeping the house spotless.  Yep, my household would run like a well-oiled machine... if I had a staff.  Would you like to have household staff?  (The professional ladies above are currently available in my etsy shop)

I'm linking up with Kathleen at Faded Charm for White Wednesday.  Check out this wonderful linky party!

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!

White Wednesday Brimfield Style

Congrats to Kathleen at Faded Charm on her 100th White Wednesday!
In honor of the occasion, I'm sharing the "white-iest" of my Brimfield photos.



The white line on the side of highway 20; it was very important to stay on the right side of it when dashing from field to field...we didn't want to be squished by a loaded truck or a driver distracted by the stuff in the fields.


Loved,loved loved those Swedish clocks.

Lots of sweet whiteness here.

Wish I'd brought some of these home.



Chairs from Holland...





...too delicious for words!



This will bring back memories for many folks that grew up in the Dairy State.




Sigh...



Ironstone galore




The church at the end of the fields.
Now let's all get in line and head on over to Faded Charm and shout out a big "thanks" to Kathleen for hosting White Wednesday!

A Heart-Grabber

Possibly my favorite find on our recent trip.

weathered and worn...

...with a terra cotta top

...on a cast iron base

....sigh...

(I'll show you where I found her in my next post.)