Antique Shopping Success!

THGGM, Oldest Son and I went antique shopping this weekend.

I found this WONDERFUL enamel ware pot with a glass top at an incredible bargain price.

It seems very much at home here.

Front Porch Sittin'

Found at the flea market early this morning.

An old wicker chair!

It needs a tiny bit of TLC, but is very sturdy.

I love the pink paint it sports!

Now...where to put it...

Tiny Splashes of Color

THGGM and I took a drive to our favorite plant place this morning.

We picked up quite a few things at great prices.

I'm always looking for something to put in this great bucket-type-thingy.

So, this is what's sitting on the table on the front porch.

At least until we get new boards for the seats on our picnic table in the backyard. Then, it will sit on that.

I used to start my plants from seeds. I've grown.

Pretty Little Footstool

THGGM found this great footstool at the flea market this morning.

I'm looking for the perfect place to put it.

Also, I'm happy to report that it has passed the 'sniff' test.

Somethings do not. We get rid of those, quickly!

Bean Pot and Towel, Ahhh...

I got this cool bean pot from my sister for my birthday!

I love it!

I have sister's who know just exactly what I like.

The towel for the back drop is the wonderful bath sheet I got from my other sister.

I love it!

My Backyard

It's a gorgeous June day here.

Perfect for quilt washing.

I don't believe that there is anything that smells better than lined dried bedding.

Well, except for sweaty baby heads.
There is always the problem of birds when one hangs their bedding under trees.

Oh well.

Into each life some...

...bird poop must fall.

Or, something like that anyway.
This is to prove that I truly cannot get things to grow in my backyard.

These are painfully poky pesky thistles.

Back when I didn't know what it was, I let one grow to over six feet tall. Apparently, as it grew it sent out shoots all over my backyard.

They are everywhere.

Yet, even this horribly annoying plant is having problems in my backyard.

If you look closely, you will see that it is FULL of ants.

This year it looks like even my weeds won't be flowering.

More Shadows

I have always been intrigued by shadows.

This week I have been enjoying the longer hours of light.

My favorite shadows have always been those made by light shining through lace curtains.

Strangely enough, I don't have any lace curtains anywhere anymore, but light through old wripply glass looks pretty good to me also!

Wooden Tray, Hurray!

THGGM found this wooden tray in the cutest ever antique store in Sutton's Bay.

I LOVED this shop!

A very friendly woman who owns the shop also lives upstairs. What a life.
Sutton's Bay right outside your door.
This was the most expensive thing we bought while we were gone.

It cost $15.oo.

Today I've been working on arranging things in it. It sits on my coffee table.

I'm starting to pick up the glass dome-ish things whenever I see them. I found two at the thrift store last night. Everything looks better under glass. Even my $1.oo tea cup.

It also shows off my "MaryJane's Farm" book, which was graciously sent to me by a friend! I love how the colors work together.

I will probably change this a million times. And, I am sure it will eventually hold our usual array of pens, nail clippers and mail. But, for now, I'm pleased. VERY pleased!

Four Blue Bowls

I found these four small blue bowls in a little celtic shop in Frankfort on Saturday.

My plan was to set them on the shelves with the other cobalt glass, but they seem too small for that.

Hmm. What to do.

It will be fun trying to find just the right spot for them!

Potty Seats

These are my other three potty seats.

The light blue one in the center is only on the porch to have its picture taken.

It lives in the bathroom.

That one is my favorite, because it has a Westie face on it, and I miss my dear old Niki.

Just so you know, I cannot drink coffee out of those BIG cups that are all around lately. They just look too much like a potty seat to me.

Front Porch Living

This is where THGGM loves to spend his free time.

Blue Windmills and Colored Pencils

Two little cups with windmills, purchased at Wilson's Antiques in Traverse City.

I have two similar ones that I use to hold my Prisma colored pencils.

My new colored pencils appear at home in these.

Don't they look charming?

I love the monochromatic simplicity of the cups!

You Know You Are Incurably Weird When...

...you go on a vacation and come home not with native artifacts, but with an abundance of dish rags!

Yes.

But, if that isn't weird enough, you roll 'em up and then display them in an enamel ware potty seat.

I have four enamel ware potty seats.

Even I think that is weird.

Cobalt Blue Dutch Couple

I found this adorable Dutch couple at a thrift store today!

I think they are SO cute.

THGGM and I drove to a thrift store on the other side of town, braving awful traffic. Usually we hit this one about twice a year, and leave disappointed.

I'm happy that we went there today!

Somewhere, I have suction cups. When I find them, these will hang from the window on the back porch, with the other cobalt and Dutch stuff.

Aren't they fantastic?

Picnic Basket

I looked inside my picnic basket today, and it is empty!

Really. Picnic baskets like these can still be found in thirft stores for very cheap, and at antique malls for not so cheap.

I find them to be the best storage baskets around.

I'm thinking I might use it to store paper plates and napkins and plastic table wear.

Although I fear if I do that, I will forget it's there and buy more.

This white cabinet in the kitchen THGGM found at a thrift store. It was a dark 'antique' green. He painted it white, which was a great improvement. It only cost $30.00 and provides us with some much needed storage.

Our Favorite Word - CLEARANCE!

THGGM found this wallpaper at a flea market. If I remember correctly it was two dollars a roll.

Later that day, we found the 'window treatments' on sale at Younkers - napkins, on clearance for a dollar a piece.

Then, we decided not to wallpaper the kitchen, so stored away all of those wonderful finds.

And, forgot about them.

Then, one day we went out to look for paint or wallpaper for the kitchen. Suddenly we remembered that we had already had a plan.

Hadn't we bought stuff already? Where did we put it?

Yes. We had. It was on the back porch in the dryer that hadn't worked for a year.

It made for a very affordable kitchen and back porch re-do!

Old/New Pitcher

I've given the new/old pitcher a place of honor in the kitchen window.

It holds the iced tea spoons wonderfully.

I'm tempted to look for more.

Favorite Corner

A favorite corner of my kitchen.

I like the "Days of the Week" towels.

The towels and plates were my birthday present from THGGM last year.

He remembered that I had admired them while at Cracker Barrel.

Green, Red and Blue Aprons

These are my other three rescued aprons.

I think I might have to try my hand at making this kind, before I move on to the pattern variety.

I'm sort of sorry now that I let all the other ones go.

I hope they have found good homes with a crazy lady who will take lots of pictures of them!

At least, I saved them from the trash.

The "Stork"

This is my lovely aunt who came to visit Saturday.

She brought me a baby bottle for my collection!
I've added it to my shelf.

It's the center one on the top shelf.
I've never seen one like it before.

I've been trying all day to get a great shot of it, even filling it up with different colored water.

This is the best I could get.

It says "Stork" on it.

I love it.

Little Pitcher

Tomorrow I hope to take some time to find just the right place for this little pitcher.

It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it!

Nice Old Pitcher

THGGM found this old pitcher today.

I think I'm going to use it to hold iced tea spoons.

It looks very old.

B a b y

I found this cute little baby pillowcase today!

I love the embrodery on it.

Chicken Scratch

I rescued this apron from the trash!

I only kept a few of them, the rest I brought to my unfriendly neighborhood thrift store so someone else could reap the benefits.

Aprons are so cool. I really really should wear them, but I'd rather just look at them.

My kids wore aprons for bibs. It worked so much better than those tiny little pieces of cloth that passed for bibs in those days.

The 'Stuff' of Everyday Life

I found this apron at an antique mall a few years back. It reminded me of my grandma.

My friend Pat gave me the old wooden ironing board. I love how the apron looks drapped haphazardly over it.

The yellow lunch box is one of my favorite finds. I love it because it has been repaired. Notice how one handle is shorter than the other. To think that someone took the time to repair it makes it worth something to me!

My Favorite

This is my favorite magazine EVER. "Home Companion" is one of my favorite magazines, but that isn't what I mean. This PARTICULAR issue, from the fall of 1998 is my favorite.

My Aunt gave a copy to my mom, who gave it to me when she was done with it. I'm still not done with it. Almost eight years later, I'm still gleaning from it.

This is actually the second copy I have. I bought this one at an antique mall in Lansing, MI for 60 cents. I remember it well, as I was so thrilled to have another one.

Try to find this one. You will not be disappointed.

Just in case I were to lose both of my copies, today I took digital pictures of the inside.

I know. I'm pathetic.

Shadows On My Wall

1920, Rock Rapids, Iowa

This is a wedding picture from 1920 of (i think) THGGM's grandfather's sister. It was taken in Rock Rapids, Iowa.

I think this picture is so beautiful.

And they look like pleasant people.

Yogi Bear Would Be SO Disappointed!

THGGM had a vacation day today. I found this old picnic basket at an antique store just a mile or so away from us. It was on sale.

It has a cool basket that fits on the top, which is actually the reason I bought it. I thought it was spectacularly cool.

Picnic baskets are SO useful! This one is number seven in my collection. One was a wedding present, the others I found for really cheap.
The wedding present one holds boxes of cereal on top of the refrigerator, an idea I copied from my cousin, who kept chips and things in hers.

The one I bought today has been put to use for all of my crochet needs.

Notice how the tableware holders hold the crochet hooks so well?
I have it in my sewing corner. The white picnic basket has all of my pin making stuff in it.

i took the neat little basket out and stacked that too, to hold pieces of fabric while I decide what to do with it.

What do I use the other four picnic baskets for, you might wonder (you need more to do!)?

One holds stamp projects, one I decoupaged and it now holds decoupage scraps, one holds the past seven years worth of tax stuff, and one...I can see it from here, but I don't have a clue what is in it. I'll check later.

The really weird thing is, if I were to go on a picnic, I would not dream of using one of these.