High Tech Trouble

Oops! Got some new equipment today, and I'm temporarily lost! Will post again once my computer guy Gerry comes back to help me find my photos in the new cyber maze. See you in a bit! xo

To Market, To Market: Off to Grayslake

We've been really busy this week, getting ready to head out for the Grayslake Antique Market, http://www.zurkopromotions.com/, which is THIS WEEKEND -- a one-time date change due to a schedule conflict at the fairgrounds. See the sidebar for details. Joe bought some beautiful pieces at the auction this week, and I've been working on lots of new projects, including this found-object collage, pictured while still in process. The weather report says it will be lovely -- sunny and in the high 70s. What are you waiting for? Grab your wheely cart and get out there! Can't wait. xo

Road Trip: Indy to Columbus and Back Again

Midland (www.midlandathome.com) was the first stop on this weekend's road trip. We were thrilled to find that ALL of our big pieces had sold, so we could restock with this week's auction haul.
Love the hat blocks Joe found, as well as the map case on the right -- what a great storage piece!

Our friend Lynda bought all these pulleys for us at Kane last weekend(www.kanecountyfleamarket.blogspot.com). Our original idea was to make a stand to hang each one individually, but a search of the studio didn't yield enough suitable materials. So we came up with this idea instead -- a pulley "tree" -- using one rail from an old rope bed. Thought it ended up kind of Ralph Lauren-esque!

After our Midland fluff, we hit the road again and were relaxing in the vintage wicker chairs on Katie Palmer's (www.sobostyle.com) yummy front porch in Columbus, Ohio, by 9:30 p.m., enjoying cocktails and the fabulous snacks Katie scored at her farmer's market that morning. Yes!

Sunday morning, we unloaded at Sobo. Garden has been a big seller for Katie this spring, so we brought as much of that as we could find, plus some choice pieces like this pretty table -- Joe's favorite from last week's shopping -- to add to her vignettes inside.

Katie had lots of great new smalls in stock, including this super-cute covered cupcake pedestal and two-tier petit four stand. Wouldn't they be adorable for your next tea party? She said they've been a huge hit!

We were headed for home by lunchtime, but took a break to stop at one of our favorite malls, the Heart of Ohio, just outside Springfield.

We stocked up at our friend Jaime's booth, finding lots of cute frames for next week's chalkboards, some terrific tables and lots of cute jars. At Midland, we found two great motel chairs and a charming two-seat glider. All these goodies will give us a good start on our Grayslake load. Come and see us -- remember the market is now both Saturday and Sunday. See the sidebar for details! xo

Grayslake Is NOT This Weekend!

Headline news, market fans -- Grayslake Antique Market is NOT this weekend, it's next weekend -- June 20 and 21. See the sidebar for details. And for an update on Eddie Ross's visit to Kane last weekend, check out our friend Angie's post on her site I'm Going Back to the Start, listed on our blog roll. Have a great weekend. xo

Summer Lovin'

I'm a fickle collector; I lose interest quickly. So I was relieved to read one day an account of a fellow flea-marketer's confession that she indulged in "crushes" -- collections that only lasted as long as her thumping heart allowed. Once the pitter-pat ended, so did the collecting. A perfect solution! Thought you might like to take a quick look at two of my most recent "affairs":

Vintage colored pencils -- I even love the boxes!

And old carnival buttons -- oh so sassy.

Like Susan Sarandon's character Annie Savoy in the movie "Bull Durham," I am faithful for the duration of the (summer flea market) season. So, without further ado, I'd like to proudly introduce my crush for this summer's season:

Amazing bits of vintage jewelry, especially old rhinestones and holy medals.*

We use these for embellishing all sorts of projects, plus I've been toying around with some Amy Hanna-inspired necklaces. How much fun is that!

I'd love to hear about what inspires you. What do you collect? Are you a "crusher" or are your collecting passions life-long? Leave a comment and let me know!

*And Heather, if you're reading this, you always get dibs when we're together! Who loves ya, baby!? (: xo

JOIN US AT KANE COUNTY

Come and see us this weekend at Kane County -- we're in the main building, same as usual! Word on the street is that Martha Stewart's Eddie Ross (http://www.eddieross.com/) will be in attendance. He's touring some of the top markets in the country and picked Kane as one of his stops. See the sidebar for details. Don't miss it! xo

Allegan: The Perfect Day

It was a perfect day. Please join with me and say it like the little mice in the movie, "Babe,"
"a perfect day...". It was the best weather possible for antiquing: sunny, no wind, high hovering around 70. For the shoppers, plenty of dealers. For the dealers, loads of shoppers. Got to spend time with some of our favorite customers, colleagues and cyber-pals. Had a wonderful picnic lunch, plus all-you-can-drink coffee actually brought to our booth every couple of hours, courtesy of one of our neighbors. Found some of the stuff on our shopping list and had a great selling day. WOW!

For a quick market report, smalls dominated our sales sheet. Garden, projects, industrial, ephemera, small furniture and original paint did well. News on the street was that big furniture was not selling as strongly. Next, it's off to Kane. Can't wait. Come and see us. xo