There's no place like home

My husband and I have just returned home after a week's vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I'm part Carolina girl now. I've been to many New Jersey (that would be Jersey shore), Delaware, and Maryland beaches and Virginia Beach, but by far we have enjoyed North Myrtle Beach the best. I'm not sure if the fact that we haven't taken a vacation for about 5 years, has anything to do with that decision, doesn't matter, we had a great time.

I wish I could say that I stayed here, but unfortunately I didn't...maybe another visit.

Even the Army Core of Engineers beach renourishment project didn't bother us.

So I brought some books and magazines to read, in between watching the waves meet the shore. I actually read an entire book...one with no pictures.

Even a day of cloudy rain didn't deter our fun. There was always something to do, like go shopping.

and it was way bigger than I thought.

It's a shame, I didn't find a thing I wanted.

I have so much to share with you, and so many of you I need to visit, that although I LOVED our vacation, I am so glad that we made it home safe and sound. Considering that we had a tire blow flat on the outer loop of I95 around Washinton DC. If you have ever driven that stretch of the road, you can understand that I really thought that was the end for us.

There really is no place like home.

The Mushroom Festival and Tag Sale

You are all invited to my little town in Pennsylvania for the Mushroom Festival. This started out as just a small annual celebration each year for us locals and now has turned into a nationally known destination which attacts 100s of thousands to our little town. In the weeks to come I would love to share my town with you and you too may want to plan a trip to visit.

I live in town and walk up to the festival, several times a day. I don't cook on those days, we eat all of our meals from the food vendors...mushrooms are on the menu of course.

Three years ago I broke my ankle about this time in August and was in a cast and on crutches the weekend of the Mushroom Festival. I sat on my side patio, watching all of the cars go past my quiet little street and all of the visitors walking towards town, and through my pain, misery and depression, I couldn't even walk across the street, I had a brilliant idea. Why not have a tag sale on that weekend, and maybe some of the thousands of people coming into our little town would like to stop and buy something.

So that is what I did. Dona joined me.

We had a great time, met alot of people. It was actually the first time that we met Colleen from Fresh Vintage and she encouraged us to start a blog.

You are also invited to the 2nd annual Tag Sale on Magnolia Street, more on that to come.

"Today"

Everything is in it's place, at least for today. I am happy with the way my new chairs fit into my living room.

I love all different styles of decorating, and rather than clutter up every room of my house, I finally decided to decorate each room in a different theme with my more traditional and country pieces limited to my living room. This room has only dark furniture with a more formal feel, even though it is the room that we watch TV in.

The fireplace and the shelves kind of set the tone for the entire room.

This dresser was intended for my son's room, but after I got it home and cleaned it and inspected it, I decided against it. Now I have 3 more drawers to fill up with finds.

The detail in craftmanship cannot be reproduced.

And a special find for the day, as I left work early, I found a yardsale on the way home.

Words to live by.

Enjoy the day and every "today".

How did this happen?

The finds are literally falling into my lap this week. I didn't tell you about the drafting table that I found for my son's room for $1. A vintage fishing rod that I found for free or the boxes of treasures that were given to me.

Now I don't usually advertise how much I spend, but I think I can make an exception.

This was free, nobody wanted it...the ironing board that is.

The linens that need ironing were mine.

My husband laughed at me, my co-workers were nice and just smiled, but I did a search on ebay and who's laughing now??? If the auction is over by the time you read this, I just want you to know that the seller was asking $69.99 buy it now price.

It's an ironing table to be exact.

I found something pretty too, a pair of these adorable chairs. I imagine they are from the 40s. The upholstery matches my living room exactly and they are in great shape. I do need to clean them and then I can place them in their final decorative location. I can't decide yet where to put them, there are so many possibilities. If I told you the pair were $15 would you believe me? Well they were, and yes I'm excited. Who needs Raymour & Flanigan? Not me.

I still need to pick up a chest of drawers. I don't know how old that is, but the back is made up of boards, yes boards. I can't wait to pick it up. I have run out of wallspace so I told my son he has a new dresser for his room.

I'm off to straighten up a little bit more.

Just in time

I made room for more...

I found these prints at a sale and I thought that I had a real find. After doing some research on the Internet, I found out that they are not original 1870 French antique fashion & costume plates but reproductions made in the 1950s. They still have value as reproductions, and now I know what to look for because I never know when that original might happen to turn up. I'll be ready.

I found a chenille bedspread and I love the look on my daughter's bed. But I know that she will not go for it. She can only take so much vintage and antiques in her room and then she gets "old stuff overload" and she needs a Linens and Things fix. I'll enjoy it now, before she comes home from college.

I have a thing for chenille bedspreads. I have 6 white bedspreads and I use all of them.

My dear neighbor lost her husband recently and she is having the task of going through his belongings. Her children are helping but it is no easy task. She is also clearing out items that she inherited from her mother. Her children have taken what they want and she knows that I buy, collect and sell and so she gave me boxes of treasures to do what I want with.

Part of me knows that I only have room for so much and can display only so much, but it is so difficult to sell these beautiful things. Yes, they don't have lids, or they are tarnished beyond repair, but they will always remind me of my dear friend so how can I part with them? I can't.

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Behind the Scenes

That's where I've been, behind the scenes, organizing my house and my life. Cleaning out closets and drawers is more that just cleaning out closets and drawers, it is cleansing one's soul of all of the unnesseasary things cluttering up one's life. Do we really need that old coffee maker that no one uses anymore, just because the other one MIGHT break?? NO, let it go... It's gone.

You know how when you start one project it dominoes into another and then another? The dominoes haven't stopped falling yet. That's a good thing. I'm completing things that are long overdue. I'd love to show you pictures of my organized linen closet, basement, misc. drawers, and kitchen pantry, but you would be bored to tears. But I can show you what I found this weekend.

It seems like forever since I've been out treasure hunting on a Saturday morning. This weekend I took off Friday morning and I went shopping two mornings in a row. YEAH!

I went out by myself, Dona is vacationing, and although it's not the same, I did enjoy the time by myself, riding back roads on two absolutely beautiful mornings. I live in a beautiful part of the country and I cherish the undeveloped areas.

I found a tea set with dessert plates, creamers, and covered bowls, all made in Italy. What a surprise I found something made in Italy.

The tea cups have stains which I haven't tried to get out yet. All I did was wash them in soapy water. The next step is baking soda and bleach.

So rustic, earthy, bountiful.

I had this lone tea cup and saucer that I found a while ago. I thought they were the same, similar, but not the same.

There are 2 cups with a white background and 2 with a mustard yellow background.

I had the pitcher on the right and found the creamer on the left.

I like to shop internationally, so I had to add this linen made in Scotland.

I also found some other items that I have yet to photograph. That will be for another day.

I'm off to another picnic tonight. I'm averaging 2 picnics a weekend. It's a wonder I have time for anything else, busy, busy, busy.

Have a great weekend.

Dog "tired" days of summer

Friday, August 1st was the beginning of a very busy weekend. I told myself that July I was going to slow down a bit with buying, too hot, too few and far between sales, and too much for the price of gas, but in August I was going to get down to business and prepare for 3 September sales, 1 October sale, possibly 1 November sale and 1 December sale. I'm tired just thinking about it. So August is here. I haven't stopped since Friday after work. I've been cleaning every closet and drawer, nook and cranny, and I even cleaned the basement and made myself a storage area and workroom complete with work bench, not to be confused with a workout bench. Now Dona you won't hear from me anymore that "I love it, but I have no place to put it" because now I have someplace to put it. YAH.

I'm just now catching up with blogging from the last week.

Michelle from I'm a Little Tea Pot gave me this lovely award. Michelle and I share a love for milkglass. If you haven't checked out her collection, you should. She must have 100s of beautiful pieces. Thank you Michelle.

The rules...1. Please put award on your blog. 2. Add link to the person who awarded you. 3. Nominate 5 fellow bloggers for this award. 4. Add links to recipient. 5. Leave a comment so the recipients know they have received an award.

Barbara from Oodles and Oodles - she's got oodles and oodles of the things I like
Jean from Dreamer Jean - I'm dreaming of a garden as nice as hers
Dalia from Stokes Chic Antiques - and chic it is
Marie Antionette from Dolls By Marie Antoinette - she is the doll making queen
Gail from the The Tatterd Nest - she's made a lovely nest for her family

Also Glenda from Many Fond Memories posted about a rug that she had just found at an antique store. I just found her blog and I'm glad I did, I love her finds. She has such a pretty blog. So I'm looking at her rug and thought that how pretty it was ...well it turns out that I thought I had the same one. So after I took this photo and took a closer examination, I see that they are similar. Here's a photo of mine. Click on her link to see a photo of hers.

I'm wishing a wonderful week to everyone. I will try to visit during the week when I can, but there is more cleaning to do, closets to clean out, and my work room to fix up so I can actually work on a project.