MERRY CHRISTMAS

I love the lights at Christmas time. I think there is a basic truth revealed in them -- there is something fundamentally comforting about a light shining in the darkness. Jesus came to bring that light, whether to the vast darkness in Newtown, Conn., or that which crouches inside every heart. "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned." Isaiah 9:2. For your share of the celestial light show, all you have to do is believe: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him, shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16 This Christmas, let your light shine! Believe. Have a wonderful holiday. xo -- Sandy and Joe

Wheaton This Saturday

Join us this Saturday for our last show of the season -- the Wheaton Antique Market -- from 8 to 3 at the DuPage County (IL) Fairgrounds. We will have new furniture, great smalls and all the holiday you need for decorating and gift giving! Print the red coupon on this page for HALF-OFF general admission (or show it on your smart phone at the door). Need additional details? Just click the link in our calendar sidebar to visit the promoter's site. See you at Wheaton on Saturday. xo

Kane Report: Marvelous Megillicutti; Grayslake Coupon

Kane Report: As the calendar slowly but surely turns into December, I find myself with a vague sense of dread growing. Most of this is due to the weather -- the possibility of snow and ice just add another layer of uncertainty to the stratification that always exists in this business. Plus, a number of our show neighbors take the month of December off for various (lame!) reasons, like family commitments. Blah-blah. OK! Just kidding. But we do miss our regular pals for real. While the weather turned out to be reasonably lovely for early December on Kane weekend, we knew we were missing several of our favorite show neighbors. BUT! We couldn't have been happier to have Melissa Parks of Megillicutti fill one of the empty spaces. From the fabulous merch to the fair prices, not to mention the amazingly creative displays, Megillicutti was a big hit. We found ourselves begging Melissa to come back on a regular basis. Plus she, and her helpers*, husband Jerry and son, Davis, were super nice to boot!

Another regular space was ably filled by Judy of the Iowa Junk Gypsies, so all in all, we didn't fare too badly at Kane -- good weather and good neighbors!

Last week, we restocked our space at Mishawaka Antiques. The store looks really lovely. I posted some photos on Facebook so you can take a look. Do stop in -- there are lots of wonderful pieces that would look great under your tree -- or in your living room!

And if you scroll to the bottom of this post, you will find the HALF-OFF general admission for this weekend's Grayslake. Be sure to join us for the last one of the season! As always, I will post some photos on Facebook by Friday so you can take a look at some of the goodies we will be bringing. Can't wait! See you there! xo

P.S. Melissa doesn't have a blog, but you can find her on Facebook -- check the LIKE box on our page.

*Melissa -- Know you had another friend helping, too, but I forgot to ask her name! Sorry. sg

Midland, Kane, Expo

I realized the other day that I hadn't talked mentioned Midland on the blog lately -- so, today is the day! If the name isn't familiar to you, "Midland" is Midland Arts and Antiques, located just off of 70 in Indianapolis' historic Lockerbie district. Housed in a wonderful, brick, turn-of-the-(last!) center factory, Midland is home to two floors of awesome antiquing. If you've never been, it is well worth seeing. Midland regularly wins "Best of Indy" awards and is shopped just as regularly by designers, dealers, decorators, celebrities and a host of others who just love its funky mix. We have had our space there now for a number of years. Believe it or not, it used to be the only place we could sell industrial and found on a consistent basis. Since then, Midland has expanded, added a second location in Carmel, just north of Indy, as well as an outpost in NYC.

 KANE PREVIEW: I can't believe it is time for the last Kane County Flea Market of the year! Remember, there are no Kanes in January or February, so make plans now to join us this weekend, December 1 and 2. Check Facebook later this week for a peek at what we are bringing. Need show details? Just click the link on the blog's calendar sidebar to visit the promoter's site.

EXPO REPORT: The first DuPage Expo show had a strong crowd of shoppers Saturday until around 2. Sunday was quiet, but we had a larger sale towards the end of the day. Smalls and holiday were the biggest sellers, although we sold all of our small tables, a dresser and a cupboard top by the end of the show. The next Expo show is the first weekend in January. Hope you can join us! xo

Expo Show Season Opener this Weekend!

Be sure your Thanksgiving Weekend plans include a trip to the season opener for the DuPage Expo Show, this Saturday, 11 to 5, and Sunday, 9 to 3. We will have LOTS of wonderful new stuff -- holiday, handmades, furniture and a HUGE load of smalls from last week's buying trip to a rural Ohio farm and small-town antique warehouse. Can't wait for you to see! If you need more show information, just click the link in our calendar sidebar to visit the promoter's site. And remember to print this page (or just call it up on your phone at the show entrance) for HALF-OFF general admission. Have a wonderful holiday -- we are truly thankful for all our customers and friends! And see you at the Expo show. xo

At the Newsstand; Grayslake Report

 I was so happy to find my old pal Domino at the newsstand the other day! Not to get too excited, however, it is a "classics" issue, i.e. it reuses some old material. But it has a bunch of new stuff too. I enjoyed it and hope they do it again. Our Chicago customer Steve Smock saw me reading it this weekend at Grayslake and reminded me about Domino's online sequel, Lonny. He was kind enough to send me the link for the November issue, so I am going to take a look. But offhand, I never find trying to curl up with my laptop as easy as curling up with good old print! As long as we are on the subject, Graylake turned out to be busy -- lots of shoppers, maybe brought out by the mild weather. Once again, holiday and smalls carried the day. 'Tis the season. We are headed to Sobo in Columbus this weekend, with a stop at Midland in Indy.  But here's one more from the newsstand before I head down to the studio to paint -- FreshStyle. Flipped through several holiday publications, but this is the one I bought. Thought it had some cute new ideas! xo

Grayslake Preview, Kane Report

 Be sure your weekend plans include Grayslake! This month's special feature is Holiday Collectibles, just in time for projects, decorating and gift giving. Be sure to print the red Half-Off coupon above and bring it along to save on general admission. For additional show details, click the link in our calendar sidebar. And check us out on Facebook later this week for a peek at what we will be bringing!

Kane proved to be busy, with the sunny (albeit chilly) weather. Smalls and holiday carried the day, although we sold a fair amount of small furniture. Not too many big pieces, though. Many thanks to all who came out to support the show. And we were very excited to get four pieces from Illinois folk artist Casey "Pops" Lewandowski. We have repped Casey's wonderful creations before and were thrilled to sell two right out of the van before we even brought them in to the show! Joe and I both love anything and everything handmade, so it is a real pleasure to rep the work of several talented artists. Send me an email if you have questions about Casey's work. We are thinking of taking the remaining pieces to Midland later this month. xo