Kane County: What's New Now

Just back from a GREAT day of buying -- can't wait for you to see what we found for this weekend's Kane County (IL) Flea Market. Just a few examples:


Super-cute oil paintings, plus some great frames;


Original paint child's adirondack;

A lovely group of crusty metal bases that will make some wicked jewelry stands;

A whole role of vintage linoleum -- I am beside myself with excitement, thinking of all the projects that will put it to good use;

Stacks of corbels -- over 20! Plus we got tons of industrial, containers, smalls, furniture and more. Be sure your weekend plans include Kane County -- click on the show sidebar for details. Don't miss this one! xo

Allegan: Chez Dan and CJ

I was extra-anxious to finish with set-up at Allegan on Saturday, as the date for our long-awaited visit to fellow dealers Dan and CJ Zondervan's house in Grand Rapids had finally arrived. Located in a historic Grand Rapids neighborhhood, Dan and CJ's apartment is the first floor of a fabulous Victorian.

One step inside the front door and I totally understand why people hire an interior decorator like CJ! There is something wonderful to look at every time your turn around -- my favorite kind of space.

CJ's talents as a seamstress are also in full view, as are Dan's as a master carpenter and cabinet maker -- he completely renovated the spacious kitchen. Plus, there are rows and rows of decorating books; I could just move right in! (Maybe they wouldn't even notice me if I stayed very quiet.)

CJ's previous house had been featured in the Better Homes and Gardens book, Flea Market Decorating (pages 48-56), so you can take a better look. Be sure and stop and see them at Allegan next month; we're trying to lure them up to the Chicago shows again, maybe in the fall.

I should add that there was plenty of great conversation, dinner at the best burger-joint in town, and a quick peek at Zondervan's space in the Blue Door antique mall (front counter picture below), while they pulled a few items for Sunday. The mall was great -- you should definitely stop when you're in the area.

Back to real life! Sunday was the perfect show day weather-wise, and the crowd did not disappoint. Great to see so many of our favorite Michigan, Indiana and Illinois customers! We could have sold a whole truck load of small furniture, so that will be high on our shopping list for this week. I bought a couple of nifty industrial pieces that will form the basis for our Kane load. Check back a Friday for a preview! xo

Allegan: MapQuest and What's New Now

The school maps I bought last time we were at Burlington were snapped up right away, making me wish I'd bought more! So the first thing I did this month was to purchase all the ones the vendor had left -- come see them this weekend at Allegan!


We'll also have some lovely tin pieces;



Dress forms;

Cute smalls like this metal Conservo/pie safe,

(which would be excellent for storing vintage papers, office supplies or other treasures, and -- it's magnetic, you know who much I love that);

Plus this adorable vintage shopping cart, lots of new furniture, ephemera, graphics, hand mades and much more. The weather is supposed to be fabulous on Sunday -- sunny and only 79 degrees! WOW. Details are just a click away on the show sidebar. Don't miss this one! xo

I love a space -- any space -- that's full, but not cluttered. Enough to look at to keep things interesting, but enough white space to give the eye a chance to rest and make individual objects stand out. I was pleased with what we were able to do Saturday at Midland -- plenty to choose from, but enough room to breathe:

We're also still excited about anything deconstructed. Our last Midland settee sold right away to an artist for an installation. It will be interesting to see where this one finds a home. Deconstructed pieces have great sculptural presence, but can also be quite functional -- this settee would make a fabulous store display. At home, it would be terrific in an entry. I can even imagine it on the wall!

Speaking of on the wall, check out Midland's lobby -- love, love, love it! And this is only a portion of the display. The staff's creative ideas are just one of the many things we like about the gallery -- be sure to stop when you are in the area (details are listed on our show sidebar).

While there was no shortage of HOT and HUMID Sunday at Burlington, we ended up having a pretty good show. Plus, lots of fun stuff found its way into the van to come home with us -- a great dress form, more vintage maps, a giant pile of thin, oak drawers/trays that will make killer shadowboxes, frames and more. One item I ended up passing on was this whole box of old piano keys, although I did think really hard about them. I know there's a project in there somewhere...in fact, when I saw them, my inner 3-year-old went "Ooooo-ah." Remember that sound? The sound of discovery..."oooo-ah." And talk about deconstructed!

This week, we're getting ready for Allegan. Can't wait! Check back for a sneak preview and get the show on your weekend calendar. xo

Right off the Truck: Midland/Burlington Here We Come!

If you were to happen by the studio this week, here are some of the finds you'd get to see, all patiently waiting their turn to primp:

This lovely Spanish chandelier will get cleaned today and have its crystals restrung;

We haven't had one of these vintage shopping carts in an age -- they make great storage pieces (I use mine for phone books and catalogs);

Wouldn't this Hot Dog Shop sign look great in a kitchen or rec room? (Do we even say "rec room" any more?!) Can just picture it on a white wall.

Today we'll finish up this load, bound for our spaces at Midland and Burlington. Tomorrow, we'll pack and head out. I'm bringing lots of spending $$, as these are two of our favorite places to shop. Do come and see us -- details are just a click away on our show sidebar. Check back next week to see what we find! xo

Grayslake: Market Update

Just wanted to say THANK YOU from the very bottom of our flea-marketing hearts to all our excellent customers who came out for this weekend's Grayslake Antique Market. Your support is what it's all about for us! Things were hoppin' Saturday -- sales were strong in all categories, including:

garden...these fabulous lions found a home right away;

hand mades...such as Joe's fun ceiling-tin lid for this vintage trash can and

our signature vintage-handwriting collage, this time in a vintage window frame.

Furniture also performed well. Our excellent friend and customer Tina Mullins met us for dinner after the show. We got to visit her space at the Barrington (IL) Flower Shop and see the sweet green bachelor's chest she'd just purchased from us displayed in the shop's front window! The store is to die for -- be sure to check it out when you're in the area!

This week, we'll be heading south -- Midland on Saturday and Burlington on Sunday. Do come see us -- you'll just never know what we'll find between now and then. Check back later this week for a sneak preview. xo

Grayslake: Paper and More This Weekend

Ephemera. It's such a lovely word. Go ahead -- just whisper it. Ahh. Magic. I like it so much that I almost named the business "Ephemera." I was only held back by its meaning -- impermanent, transitory. Probably not the best thing for a business to be! But still, ephemera is a well-represented category at rhubarb reign -- we love all things paper. And we know you do, too.

So here's the scoop -- this weekend at Grayslake, we will have a special selection of ephemera for all your project needs. And we won't be the only ones showing off our paper -- this Grayslake's "Show Withing a Show" is Paper and Postcards. What could be better?

Vintage papers are perfect for collage, scrap booking, framing, you name it. For the chosen few with the foresight to own a document shredder, a damaged book with no further shelf can be reborn into fabulous piles of paper fluff, perfect for nestling into containers. Arrange a few glass jars full of different papers on a tabletop and voila, instant centerpiece.

Of course, if you're not into DIY, we will have a great new selection of our finished paper projects, plus lovely furniture, a literal TON of garden concrete, a dress form or two, and much more. So don't miss the Grayslake Antique Market this weekend -- click on the show sidebar for details. xo

Fourth of July: The 4 Fs

Hope your Fourth of July included a full serving of the four Fs: fabulous food, wonderful friends, awesome fireworks -- and some terrific flea-marketing! Our hosts, the Boyds, took care of the first three items on the list -- food to die for, excellent guests from as far away as the United Arab Emirates, and lovely fireworks watched from atop a bridge over the Fox River.

And our excellent customers at the Kane County Flea Market took care of number 4. Despite the heat, large furniture out-sold small furniture.

Graphics, ephemera and handmades, such as these lovely French beaded flower bouquets

and our signature chalk boards, sold very well.

Today we were busy getting to work on our load for next weekend's Grayslake Antique Market. Check back later this week for a preview of what we're bringing! If you're looking for something special, leave a comment. We'd love to help you find it. xo

Kane County, Starring Michigan J. Frog!

Hey there! Does the name "Michigan J. Frog" take you right back to Saturday morning cartoons? He was a Looney Tunes classic, and we think our dapper concrete friend here looks just like him! He'll be a featured attraction this weekend in our space at the Kane County Flea Market, and says he'd love to come home with you. Also starring will be a

killer French Provincial buffet, a lovely walnut sideboard with beveled glass mirror, and a fabulous line-up of other furniture, both big and small. Our supporting cast will include great new chalkboards and other handmades, terrific new graphics and a never-seen-before table of $1 ephemera. So grab a friend and spend part of your holiday with us! Details are just a click away on the show sidebar. See you there! xo