I found the miniature pot on the right at the Nottingham Flea Market to add to my collection of Italian pottery. It is a pretty close match to the pitcher that I already had. It makes me wonder if they were painted by the same person.

I also found this wool hooked rug. I haven't washed it yet. The colors should pop as soon as I do.

The last flea of the year

Dona and I made a trip to the Nottingham Flea Market. Is this a huge barn or what? The great thing about this place is that they are open year round. We will be back this weekend, they will be getting a lot of things from an old house. Dress warmly when you go inside, it's freezing. It's warmer outside than in. So I wrapped up in a wool sweater, coat, scarf, and gloves to go shopping.

There is plenty to look at.

This is just the first floor.

On the ground floor there is more. They have one room that is much more organized than the rest.

I think this room is adorable with lovely things.

I made 2 small purchases this trip. I'll add them later today after I wash them up. Dona bought a lovely chair for her bedroom. I can't wait to see the pictures on her blog.

After Christmas Shopping

I just couldn't stand it any longer. After being in the house for 2 days for a little R & R after Christmas, I needed to get out and rummage through shelves of junk for treasures. I couldn't believe that I found this rooster and hen at Goodwill. I have a friend that lives in an old stone and log farmhouse that I pick up roosters for. I hope she likes them.



I also stopped at the Yard Sale Store and they were having a 50% off Christmas items. I usually don't buy anything at these types of stores because I am cheap, excuse me, frugal, and I know that I can get the items for less than they are selling, but at 50% off these were a great buy.

You can't tell but Miss "O" is missing a wing. I didn't realize that until I got home, but I don't mind.

I also found a Miss September angel. I searched e-bay to learn about the calendar angels and didn't realize that they too are collectibles. I have no intentions at this point to collect the other 11 months. But watch, this summer I will now see them at everyother sale that I go to.

It has been at least 3 weeks since Dona and I went out on a shopping adventure. We have plans to go to the Nottingham Flea Market tomorrow. I was there a few weeks ago and got some bargains. I really miss the summer yardsales when the truck is packed with finds and we have even had to stop, unload at either one of our homes and go back out again, only to fill the truck up one more, or two more times. Oh, the memories.

I hope to have new finds to share with you tomorrow.

More excuses to snuggle

I promised to share with you more of my afgans. I can only put out half of them at a time, so I have to store the rest. It is getting more and more difficult each year because I find new ones every year, they are bulky and take up space. I always have an afgan on my bed all year round so I can enjoy each and every one of them. I change them with my moods.

This afgan belonged to a very special lady that I knew. She was in her 90s when she passed away and in her last years she was in a wheelchair and would have this afgan layed across her lap. This was a lady that didn't know the word quit. She traveled to Europe by herself when she was in her early 80s and wrote her memoirs when she was in her late 80s. She was a classy lady and was one of those people that made you feel special that she stopped to talk to you.

Although I didn't know who made these other afgans, I can imagine that they were made by special people for special people.

Some are older than others.

Some are more colorful than others.

But I enjoy them all.

My bed as it looks today. Tomorrow it may be a different look.

Another way to stay warm in the winter

I have come to the conclusion that thrifting, collecting, buying second hand, or whatever you want to call it, is a form of therapy. For me, I buy what I love and what gives me pleasure, things that have a history and an untold story and that brings beauty to my life. I have found that in a certain year different items are presented to me and all I need to do is to open my eyes and see them. This past year it was ceramic Christmas trees. I must have passed up 10 trees until I realized that I am supposed to buy them. So I ended up picking up 6 and putting them around my house this Christmas.

Another thing that was everywhere this year was religious statues. At one yard sale there were 10 alone. I didn't open my eyes soon enough and I only picked up 4. I wish I had bought everyone that I saw. Should of, could of, would of. I hope to keep my eyes open this season.

I have a thing for afgans. I first started picking up afgans with the squares surrounded by black. I love the look. I had full intensions of reselling them because I think that they will be the next collectible, just like quilts are thought of today. Quilts were once only thought to be utilitarian, now they are antiques and pieces of art.

I saw an afgan similar to this one in an antique store a couple of years back. They were asking $85 for it. I even brought this one to a couple of sales and tried to sell it for $55. I am so glad that no one bought it.

This one was washed by someone and shrunk it a little.

I had the red, white and green afgan on my bed for Christmas. The flowers are roses, but who cares.

I can't bear to part with them. I can't put a price on the love that someone put into them to make them. That is why I am trying to save the most recent afgan that I bought. I know that I thought that I would try to have it complely fixed by Christmas. I must have been dreaming on that one. I have more afgans and I will share them with you in another post.

How to stay warm in the winter.

Find some firewood.

Bring into the house a little at a time.

Light.

How do you stay warm?

Time to relax

Are you as exhausted as I am? I finally have a week's vacation and I am enjoying every minute of it so far. As I am cleaning up and picking up I can now enjoy my house all decorated. I was so busy that I didn't have the time to sit and really enjoy my home. I don't know about you but I am in no hurry to put everything away. I didn't take out all of my decorations this year. I didn't want to clutter up too much because I just knew that I will probably keep the house decorated until mid January. Yes that is what I say now, I will know when it is time.



One thing I don't need to pack away is my red glass collection. I used to take all of these dishes out only at Christmas and one year I set the table with them. I have tried just about everything in these shelves, books, pictures, pottery, ceramics. I never was happy with anything, until one year I decided to keep them up all year long.

I have them on both sides of my fireplace. The red glass was my first grown up collection. I found my first 2 vases at an auction. When I was a teenager, a house down the road was having an auction. I was 16 but I didn't have a car, so I road my bike to the auction. There is something to say about being young and naive. I bid on a box of stuff and got it for $5. In that box were some bottles, which I still have, and 2 vases. I was bitten by the bug and started getting ruby red depression glass for birthday and Christmas presents. I always keep my eye out for more pieces, and I have found 4 more pieces this year.

The built in shelves are on both sides of my fireplace.

When you come in my front door this is the first thing that you see. This was the reason that I fell in love with the house, and I still am.

Look who stopped by

My family got together at our house Christmas Eve and we had a wonderful time. There were 3 generations together celebrating the season. Everyone is so busy during the year that I am thankful that we can all get together on the holiday.

I hope your celebrations were filled with joy also.

A Vintage Christmas at last

Where had the time gone? I have been so busy in the past 2 weeks that I haven't had the time to post. I've been visiting as best I can when I had a free moment.

The tree is finally up and decorated.

I love to decorate, but I was very selective with what decorations came out this year.

I usually have 3-4 trees but this year only 2. This is the "fun" tree.

Have a wonderful Christmas.

Connie

Music...makes the world go around

Over the years I have aquired a few Christmas CDs. Most of them I got at yard sales for $1 or $2.

I love all kinds of music and get to sample different music at little cost.

Of course, I have my faviorites. I highly recommend the Winterlude series. The music is just lovely. That is only word that I can think of to explain it. I also have another CD just titled Winterlude at work.

And then there is Frankie. My family knows that I love Frankie. My daughter just gave me the Sinatra Christmas CD for my birthday.

There is a local radio station that plays Saturday with Sinatra and then Sunday with Sinatra with DJ Sid Mark who has been playing his Sinatra show for years.

I wish I brought my father to see Frank Sinatra in Atlantic City when he appeared there. But my children were younger, and I was busy, money was tight, and I always thought that there would be another time. I think we all have one of those stories.

That is why when a couple of years ago my newest love appeared in Atlantic City, I told my husband that I was going to see him come hell or high water. That this was a chance in an lifetime for me. My dear husband to make me happy and to repay me for traveling the East Coast with him to see the Eagles play. Yes, we went to Columbus, Ohio, Washington DC, Atlantic City twice and Philadelphia twice to see the Eagles, and they were fabulous. I would see them again if they come this way again. So...he bought me great tickets to see my love. And who would that be?

Click here

and then there is this classic.

Now my plan is to see him appear again....in Italy.

An unexpected surprize

This is a case of beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I work at a retirement community and residents make donations of furniture and miscellaneous items that are available for staff to buy. Some items which are felt that are of no value are put on the "free" shelf. This wrought iron plant stand was on the "free" shelf because the top self is broken. I don't know if you can tell from the picture but this is an old piece of wrought iron. When I brought this up to my desk, the girls from the office just didn't get it. You know what I mean by they didn't get it. Seeing things for what they can be not for what they are. They couldn't get past the little bit of dirt, the broken part or the scraped off paint. Neither could someone else, that is why I got it for free.

If you are like me you miss all of the Saturday sales. There is a big void in my weekend. Even with the decorating, shopping, entertaining, and baking I still miss the yardsales. It's a sickness you know. Nothing compares to searching for previously loved items.

This Saturday I had to go get my picture taking for my license and afterwards I thought I would stop at the Nottingham Flea Market that was not far away. It is a huge, and I mean huge old barn just filled with "stuff". Dona and I have been there before when their are no sales. This Saturday I went with one purpose which was to look for a new fireplace grate. They didn't have the fireplace grate but look what I found, and at great prices I must say.

I found this lonely ice cream parlor chair. It is shabby and I am going to keep it that way for now.

I have been looking for just the right chair for my bathroom and this is the one for the moment. I laid a quilt on the seat to be softer on the tushes.

I also found this handmade linen hidden in a box on the floor. It has fringe all around but I think it is a bed coverlet. It has some condition issues, but I couldn't pass it up for $3. I am going to sew it back together and then wash it and hope to get it completed by Christmas.

I also found this vase. I will put this away until the spring. I have another vase that was made in Portugal in the shape of an iron. See, this is what I do. I just couldn't leave the vase there, but I don't need this vase. I'm afraid that this will lead to more and more vases. Do you think I need an intervention? Is this normal behavior?

I have satisfied my addiction for now.

I will save the Goodwill for next weekend, if there are no sales.

A Vintage Christmas Part Two

I have been struggling with where to put my angels this year. I have moved them once already. For the moment they are on my red cupboard until I find the perfect place.

It's another one of those collections that sneaks up on you. You find one you like it so you buy it. You find the second one, you think I know what that is I have one. Now you have two. Before you know it you have 20. I would like to keep them all together rather than separate them. Most of them are Napco from 1957 to 1959 with some still having their tags.

I also love the 2 reindeer keeping watch.

I still have more decorations to bring out. I hope to get everything done on Saturday. Dona and I are going to the Candlelight Christmas Tour during the afternoon and then I am having a dinner for my daughter's birthday on Sunday night. My baby turns 20. I can now say that all of my children are in their 20s. You know, I'm not sure how I feel about that.

A Vintage Christmas Part One

I don't want to go to work tomorrow. Not that I don't like my job, it's just that there is so many other things that need to get done. That is why it is almost 11 pm and I am trying to catch up with visiting everyone and posting for the day.

I thought I would share my decorating one step at a time. I can only do so much each day.

I am so surprized at how many vintage Christmas finds I have. I collect all year at sales and put them in a special drawer. When I get into that drawer in December it is like seeing them for the first time. It's like a Christmas present to myself. I only got so far as decorating my twig with vintage balls. Well, how about a branch. A lilac bush branch. This way the colors and designs of the balls don't get lost in a real tree. I guess I could have put on lights and strung some beads first, but I was so anxious to get started that I couldn't be bothered.

Aren't they adorable!!

I put some of the larger balls in bowls until I get a tree.

I still have more boxes to open. I think I will need another twig, I mean branch.

Next thing to do is to get out all of the angels. That's another day.