Gracie's Cottage Goes Rummaging

I don't love to rummage as much as some of you do, but now and then an ad captures my attention and off I go.  Today I took off down a country road. This abandoned farmhouse grabs my heart each time I pass by.

I think of how proud the builder must have been when it was completed...

...and wonder what circumstances led to it's current condition.  A few miles further and I see that I'm approaching my first destination.

This looks promising.

A tent, a barn, and a yard filled with stuff.  I came away with a few little treasures and hit a couple of other sales before arriving home.  Here are the 'down & dirty unloading in the garage' pics of some of my finds. 

I know what this is...do you?

Buttons.

These look much better since they had a bath.

What do you think?

Love this 'coo-coo' condo...three levels, probably for pigeons or doves. 

I'm loving bright colors this summer.

Blue, white...just right.

Just in time for summer fun.

and... this great industrial stool.   


I'm linking up with Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday -  let's go get inspired!

Pansies & French Ephemera

My pansies have never been happier than they are this year. 

The lack of a proper spring in Wisconsin apparently agreed with them, and they've been smiling & waving for weeks, with no end in sight.  These sweet little blooms, along with my recent windfall of French ephemera for my personal collection, reminded me of some great pieces in my inventory.  They had been waiting to go into my etsy shop and now are there.

This is the piece that first came to mind.  An original pen & ink sketch colored with watercolors was first titled 'Giroflees' which was then crossed out and 'pensees' was penciled in.  

In the same group were some wonderful pieces of correspondence dated 1857-59.  Can you imagine? Bits of everyday paper that survived for over 150  years.  The script is beautiful and the postmarks are so graphically 'right'. 

A wonderful early 20th century wallpaper brochure is inspiring.

The simplest little things can bring moments of joy; each of these items &  more can be found in our etsy shop.

P.S.  I've been a bad blogger lately; time flies by before I get around to posting. We've set up a Gracie's Cottage facebook page and will be posting updates and special offers there, on a  more regular basis...check it out!

Please visit Faded Charm for White Wednesday.

I'm linking up and headed over to view all the prettiness there right now! 

White Wednesday - Courtesy of the Red Shed

Did you all hear me squealin' from here to Texas awhile back?  Back in April, I'd tossed my entry into the ring for a great giveaway over at The Red Shed and went on my merry way. The Brimfield trip in May put me seriously behind on my blog reading.  I finally started catching up at the end of May and read that the winner of the giveaway had been announced on May 9th. I think my heart actually stopped for a moment when I saw that the lucky winner was Moi!!!!!!!!!!

I've been dreaming about a shopping trip to France with the 'Red Shed Girls' since I first learned about their tours; yesterday the brocante came to me.

 Just look at this postal courier bag....a perfect summer bag, complete with interior pockets to keep things organized.

A tiny bit of trivia about me...I don't wear perfume, room fresheners give me headaches, and the only scent that I truly crave for my home is lavender. Guess what this beautiful sachet is filled with? My beloved lavender...sigh!

 Look at the very cool jar, filled with white buttons...and a bar of delicious French soap. 

A book of poetry, sweet treats and a bicyclists map...

 ...mounted on linen. I've got the perfect spot in the office for it. 

 A packet of ephemera made me swoon.  

 You all know how I feel about old paper.

 This huge stack of old documents and cards is just dreamy.

 A fabric sample, a bit of lace and did you catch that beautiful necklace in this photo?

 I'm sure I've forgotten something.  I was the fortunate recipient of the most generous giveaway ever, and I want to shout out a big  "THANK YOU" to the Red Shed...unpacking that box was better than Christmas!  

I'm linking up with Faded Charm for White Wednesday - check it out!

A Country Auction

It was hot & humid on Saturday when I arrived at a country auction near where I live.

The auctioneer neglected to mention that the second & third floors of the barn had not been emptied, 

until he started the auction there.  It was accessible only by ladder.  

So, with no chance to preview, Kathy & I crawled up the ladder with about a dozen others.  There were interesting-looking items, but knowing that the only way I'd get stuff to the van was back down that same ladder,my purchases were limited to a few small items:  a partial wasp nest, a couple of feed sacks, a store display piece and a cherry can with unknown contents, (more about that later).  

There were a few people that that wanted the same things that I wanted. (Hate it when that happens!)

The fan and table were on my list but went far beyond what I would have paid. 

This sweet little doll trunk did come home with me.

I was charmed by the rosy paper inside.

The lid was firmly stuck on the aforementioned cherry tin.  Some guy guessed that it was probably filled with deer tails that the farmer had disposed of when he butchered.  It didn't seem all that unlikely!

So I gloved up and got to work on it yesterday.

This lid is the sweetest...perfect for the upcoming show in Door County.  You can imagine my relief when the lid popped off and inside it was packed full...

..of receipts from the 1940s & 50s. 

Love these 'egg tickets'. 

...and other fun stuff!  I also got these pretty hat boxes.

and in the spirit of whimsical summer fun I couldn't resist this little bank.

A few other things came home with me; overall it was a moderately fun but not 'heart-stoppingly good' auction...I'm still waiting for one of those to come along this summer! 

 It's gonna 'bee' a busy week here...I've got to buzz off now.  Have a lovely week!

***Pssst...by the way - I've created a sale section in my etsy shop and the items there have been marked down 30% to make room for new finds...check it out!  

Ledgermania - Antique Ledgers

I'm not sure what it is about ledgers that tug at my heart.  Is it the bindings?

....marbleized endpapers?

...fanciful fore-edges? 

...carefully scribed entries?

...calligraphy?

....columns?

 ....notations?

...history?

...longhand?

...pen and ink?

 ....numbers?

....check marks?

 ....tabs?

...labels?

.............................or bindings?

Whatever it is, ledger love reigns at the cottage. We were fortunate enough to find a bounty of wonderful old ledgers at Brimfield recently. We've just made a few available in our etsy shop and will be adding more later on.