UPDATE: Half-Off Admission to Expo Show This Weekend, Plus a Sneak Peek of What We're Bringing

Thanks to the nice folks at Zurko Promotions, we have a little gift for you -- 50 percent off admission to this weekend's Expo Center Antique Market in St. Charles. Just print the first page of this post and bring it with you! Print as many as you'd like to share with friends, but be sure to bring them along. This offer is just for our blog readers and e-mail list customers!

This is the Expo Center show's second season -- it started last year since there is now no Kane County in January or February -- and it was TOTALLY AWESOME. No doubt this year will be even better. Many of your favorite dealers will be there, so make plans now to spend part of your holiday with us. Show hours: Saturday, January 1, 11 to 5, and Sunday, January 2, 9 to 3. Details are just a click away on the show sidebar. Here's a peek at what we'll have:


Some wonderful industrial pieces, like this great vintage bindery cart;

A whole group of lovelies for all you Francophiles out there;

Great graphics, including some awesome new alphabets, framed and ready to hang;

Lovely furniture, both big pieces and small. Plus we have a ton of great smalls, terrific new handmades, and containers, containers, containers (great for getting the new year off to a more organized start)! Can't wait -- see you there. xo

Half-Off Admission to Expo Show This Weekend!

Thanks to the nice folks at Zurko Promotions, we have a little gift for you -- 50 percent off admission to this weekend's EXPO CENTER ANTIQUE MARKET in St. Charles. Print off as many as you'd like and bring a bunch of friends -- but you have to bring the "coupon!" JUST PRINT THIS PAGE. This is the Expo Center show's second season -- it started last year since there is now no Kane County in January or February -- and it was TOTALLY AWESOME. No doubt his year will be even better. Many of your favorite dealers will be there, so make plans to spend part of your holiday with us. Show hours: Saturday, January 1, 11 to 5, and Sunday, January 2, 9 to 3. Details are just a click away on the show sidebar. Check back later this week for a peek at what we will be bringing! xo

Heartfelt Holiday Wishes

From my house to yours, a very Merry Christmas. Thanks for all you do for us all year long!

We Will Be At WHEATON THIS SATURDAY!

Join us at the DuPage County Fairgrounds SATURDAY for the Wheaton Antique Market!

We will have a TON of handmades for gift-giving and decorating, lovely furniture, great industrial pieces, lots of smalls, plus a sale on vintage ornaments. Don't miss it -- details are just a click away on the show sidebar. Early Buy from 6 to 8 a.m. Wheaton will also be hosting an indoor French market downtown, across from Starbucks, from 8 to 2, plus the town is full of great indie retailers. Why not make a day of it? Ho-ho-ho. And as always, xo. See you Saturday!

Should We Stay, Or Should We Go Now?

What do you see when you look at this map? (Other than it might be time for us to break down and buy a new one.) Well, Chicago to the west, which is where we were Sunday evening, after packing up at Grayslake. Plymouth, to the east, where I live and would like to return to. Anything else? Well, Lake Michigan...Right! Now you are getting warmer. I'll give you a hint: it sits below the lake, seemingly innocent in print, but actually is the Bermuda Triangle of winter driving in Indiana -- LaPorte County.

Sunday, Chicago had its second snowstorm of the season, and road conditions seemed tough enough locally that we should stay over. Monday, things were looking much better in Illinois, but roads in Indiana were still closed. Due to lake-effect snow, which was still falling, LaPorte County had gotten more than 20 inches in less than 2 days. Drifts were 7 feet high in places. And that's on the road. News reports told of 100s of stranded motorists. Even fully-loaded salt trucks were in the ditch. Black ice and 50 mile-an-hour winds pushed them around like a child clearing Tonkas off a table. Our friend Lynda was kind enough to take us in for the evening, but by Tuesday morning, we really needed to get back.

According to the state police, Route 30 eastbound was now "passable." And man, that's all it was. Actually, it was barely passable. Above is the roadway just outside of LaPorte County; below is the road IN LaPorte County about 5 minutes later:

Blue sky is gone. A foot of snow and ice are still on the road, with more coming down. The front of the van is jumping around "like a buckboard wagon," as Joe put it. And the back of the trailer is heading for the ditch, to join the legion of other cars and a semi already there from the weekend's carnage. It is only a 10-mile stretch, but you have to go through it. And just like the troll under the bridge, it's gonna make you pay.

Ten miles at 25 MPH seems like an eternity. But once we were through, we were only 15 minutes from home. Whew. We'll be headed back Friday for Wheaton, so keep your fingers crossed that Old Man Winter will be taking a break this weekend.

Many thanks to everyone who came out to support us at Grayslake! The show was very busy Saturday, and it was great to see everyone. Extra super big thanks to those who came out Sunday, despite the weather. Check back later this week for a Wheaton update and plan to join us there Saturday! xo

Enchanted Forest Coming to Grayslake

We're bring an entire ENCHANTED FOREST to Grayslake this weekend. Full of new winter and holiday projects:

Wondrous woodland creatures:

Fairy crowns, snowflakes and more!

Plus a brand-new load of auction finds, furniture and industrial. Come join us! Details are just a click away on the show sidebar. xo

Kane Update; More Miss America; Snow Day

Chicago got its first big snow of the season this weekend, just in time for the Kane County Flea Market. Not necessarily the two things you want to see happen at once. The show was definitely quieter than normal, but over all, not bad, considering 6 to 8 inches had fallen between Friday night and Saturday noon. Here's a peek at a couple of projects:

These cute illustrations from a children's book were purchased this summer from our favorite paper dealer Patty Suttle. We found these nifty barn windows just last week and thought they'd look great together. Something I'd never seen before are these little iron stars, original to the windows:

Have you ever seen these? Joe thinks they are simply decorative pulls. Or maybe they functioned somehow to hold the window open? If anyone knows anymore about them, we'd love to learn!

Last week we also found these funky old wheels, which worked just great on the lab stands we also purchased over the summer from our pals the Iowa Junk Gypsies. We just needed a little expertise from our friends at Argos Hardware to come up with the fasteners. Just like so many things in life, it takes a village! Many thanks to all who braved the weather to attend the show; we never take your support for granted. Today, work starts on Grayslake, so plan to come and see us there.

But first, a Miss America update! Shellac is the final step in our makeover process, adding a rich, dark patina to the paper structure. If you want to try it, work in a well-ventilated area. Put down some disposable plastic and wear gloves -- things are gonna get messy. Use a disposable brush or be prepared with a can of ammonia to clean up afterward. And work fast; shellac dries extremely quickly.

But nothing else give such a great finish; here's how she looked before-hand:


One last thing: we got out first snowstorm of the season last night -- looks like at least 6 inches to me! I always love the hush that snow brings to our busy street; we live in town, but everything is muffled by nature's handiwork.

Today is also my son Jack's birthday. His big day generally coincides with the first storm of the season, just like it did 16 years ago. He always feels this snow is just for him -- and enjoyed the 2 hour school delay this morning! Like a good son, however, he went out and shoveled the walk. But here's a small-town bonus -- some nice neighbor had already taken care of our driveway. Sigh. It's gonna be a good day. xo

Last Kane of the Year; More Miss America

I can't believe I just wrote that, but it's true: this weekend will be the LAST Kane for 2010. Come join us! We'll have lots of fun stuff, including these nifty letters:


More holiday:


Plus tons of furniture, smalls and more. Great ideas for gift-giving and decorating, too. So ho-ho-ho! Come stock up before the show takes its annual two-month break. Details are on the show sidebar. See you there!

Back to Atlantic City. Our first contestant will definitely win Miss Congeniality, as she was the nicest of the bunch starting out. At least in terms of physical condition. Step One in re-doing a dress form is removing the fabric. On MC here, this was a breeze, as the stocking was all one piece. I gave her a nice rub-down with a little bleach water then set her up to dry. Her stand was brushed down with a pad sander to remove rust, then buffed with a sanding sponge. Check back next week for her before and after make-over photos and for an update on our next two contestants. Miss Congeniality will hit the run-way tomorrow at Kane. Be sure to stop by and say hello! xo