True Confessions

One of our sales goals is to turn all merchandise every 30 days, meaning we hope to not own anything for longer than a month. Usually, we're pretty successful at reaching that mark. However, once in a while, we run into a piece that is just plain reluctant to part company with us. Case in point -- this crazy quilt, which I still think is fabulous:

I have to confess that we've had it for over a year now, and I don't know why. It makes a stunning wall hanging, but would be great draped over a sofa, folded in a cupboard, tossed artfully as table-scape base -- dozens of places. It is currently gracing the wall of our booth at Midland, so dear reader, if you'd like to help us out and give it a new home, it can be yours for the amazing price of just $34. We're waiting for those phones to start ringing!

I was much happier with how the booth turned out this time than I was on our last visit; think it needed a little more color last time, but we just didn't have it.

Two favorite finds this trip were a pair of grain elevator auger coils (which would make fabulous table bases, but also look great just as arty objects) and

a collection of industrial gauges, several of which are pictured here. We restocked Midland Saturday, then headed down to our space at the Burlington Antique Show, just outside of Cincinnati. It was definitely a frost-on-the-pumpkin affair, but a beautiful setting Sunday for our last outdoor show of the season. There was a good crowd all day, although Early Buy was quiet. We sold a wide range of product, with small tables taking the cake. Wish we'd had a dozen more!

Sunday afternoon, we put the tent away for the last time this year. The end of the outdoor season always feels like a turning point. It used to be even more dramatic, as we literally were outside every show, all summer long. Now we have permanent space inside during the summer, too, but it definitely still feels like passing an annual milestone when the canopy goes into winter storage.

This was my favorite find from the weekend -- a vintage classroom piece, full of fabulous flashcards. What wonderful graphics. What you can't see are the contents of the bags behind the little guy -- they are filled with vintage Christmas ornaments, a true reminder that summer's over. I'm getting really excited to start work on our holiday items. We'll have them out for the first time at Kane in November. Stay tuned for details and come and see us soon. xo

One Season Ends, Another Begins

Join us Sunday at the Burlington Antique Show (just outside Cincinnati) for our last outdoor show of the season. The weatherman says it will be sunny and in the 50s -- pack a cozy sweater, some cute mittens and a toasty thermos of hot cider! It will be perfect weather for scooping up all the great deals you'll find there! Check the show sidebar for details.

For our Chicago friends who aren't able to travel this weekend, don't forget that the Wheaton Antique Market begins its season this weekend at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. We'll also be restocking at Midland, both this weekend and next. Do come and see us! xo

Transformation Thursday: Pumpkin Pedestals

We recently ended up with these little metal film reels -- a "bonus" item in a bag of photography equipment. In my book, bonus item pretty much equals "project material." So, what to do with my little bit of lagniappe?

Since they almost look like miniature cake stands, I thought they'd make perfect Pumpkin Pedestals. With a narrow drill bit, we bore 3 small holes in the top of each one.

That made it easy to suspend crystals and voila, finis!

Our little pedestals would also be great for mini-trees, snowmen or what-have-you, as the next decorating opportunity is coming right up!

Thanks for joining us for Transformation Thursday. Click the link on our sidebar to see lots of other fun projects (after 8 pm CST)! xo

Grayslake: Contain Yourself!

Wow - I was so glad I grabbed my mittens Saturday morning, as a brisk wind brought a fore-taste of winter to our set-up time at Grayslake! Whew. I'm not ready, that's for sure. But it was totally cozy inside, with many booths packed full of seasonal decorations and Halloween eye-candy.

In addition to furniture, we featured a variety of containers -- old bottle of all shapes and sizes;

Totally cool industrial baking pans -- we've never seen them with these fabulous lids! Great for storage, but the tops would also repurpose into fabulous magnet boards;

A whole collection of vintage clock cases. These are fabulous for vignettes and any kind of assemblage project;

Industrial bolt bins -- again, great for storage; the perfect size for magazines, catalogs, file folders.

The show got off to a fast start Saturday -- many thanks to Lynda for her set-up help -- but slowed by mid-afternoon. Furniture held an early sales lead, but smalls carried the day Saturday. We were psyched to see many of our regulars, but also a few shoppers that we don't see as often. Sunday's pace crept along 'til about 10 a.m., when things began to pick up, but it wasn't 'til the very end of the day that we made our sales goal. Whew.

Some great news spiced things up Sunday morning: Zurkos, the owners of Grayslake, Wheaton and many other shows, will be doing a January and February show in St. Charles on the empty Kane weekend. Yes! We're so excited. Dealers were lining up at the office table to reserve spaces -- sounds like it will be a great show.

This week, we'll get a load ready for Midland, and then head to Burlington for the last outdoor show of the season. The year has blown by! Come and see us -- the weather is supposed to be sunny, but bring your mittens, just in case. xo

Don't Miss This Weekend's Grayslake Antique Market

Our Harvest Bouquets were a big hit at Kane -- come get the last of them at this weekend's Grayslake Antique Market. Show details are listed on our sidebar. Don't miss it! xo

Honest Scrap Award

We'd like to thank our friend Judy at Tapestries of Nature for bestowing upon us our first blog award! The award criteria states that recipients must tell 10 things about themselves that not many people know, and then must select 7 other bloggers to be so honored.

We tried to pick blogs that have not received awards -- especially this one -- in the recent past. So, drum roll please. The winners are:

Green Oak Shop Talk
Linda Crispell
Maddie Lisee
SoBo Style Journal
VanDaff's Interior Design and Antiques
Adventures of an Invisible Woman
Musings of a Sea Witch

All these sites are listed on our blog roll, so please hop over and check them out!

And for our 10 things, we divided the list up, 3 for Joe, 3 for me, 4 for rhubarb reign:

Joe is 1/16 Ojibwa (Chippewa); almost tried to become a professional bass fisherman; is a terrific cook (you should try his Stuffed Brussels Sprouts)

Sandy has lived in a small town (Plymouth), the suburbs of a large city (Chicago) and a foreign country (France); is nicknamed "Squirrel" (by Joe!) and collects them (not real ones); loves coffee way too much;

rhubarb reign participates in an average of 42 shows per year, in addition to stocking Midland and doing appointments; logs 30,000-plus miles annually on its trusty van and trailer; is headquartered in what used to be a car wash; had its initial meeting on 9/11

Hey, that was fun! We look forward to seeing what everyone else has to say. xo

Kane County: Diane's Dress Form

This tricked-out dress form in our neighbor Diane's booth at Kane County was sooo cute, I just wanted to bite it. I'm not sure why cute things make me want to taste them, but come on! Isn't it adorable? Diane added a hoop skirt embellished with silk leaves to her peeled form, along with a lovely vintage corsage. This dress form is definitely the belle of the Harvest Ball.

Over in our booth, that great dresser from the Allegan post was the first large piece of furniture to sell, followed by a beautiful round, Queen Anne dining table. Small furniture and decor accounted for most of the sales Saturday, while big furniture, containers and industrial dominated Sunday sales.

We had a great time celebrating Joe's birthday, both during the show and at a party Saturday evening hosted by the Boyds. Lynda's Applesauce Spice Cake was to die for. Definitely bite-worthy! We always enjoy see our regular Kane customers and show neighbors, plus were really excited to see some customers that we don't get to shop with as often. Dan and CJ were a great addition to our show neighborhood -- their booth looked terrific. Come and see them -- as well as us! -- at next weekend's Grayslake. xo