It’s the Little Things

I finally have been working in my studio more. Now that the baby is 7 months old and is big enough to babywear on my back it makes working up there so much easier. Happy Baby makes for a more productive Mama that is for sure. I have dedicated at least 1 day a week to taking pictures and writing the listings out in my notebook that I bring home and write out in my Etsy listings.

I know it seems counterproductive to write my listing out in a notebook first then on the computer but I find it easier that way if I lose the information on the computer I still have a hard copy to fall back on.

Today was not picture day as I like to call it but a day where I cleaned and straightened and hung more hats and clothing I finished cleaning up. I really need a way to buy Command 3M hooks in bulk but I haven’t found a great way to do so just yet. Yes I’ve checked Amazon and eBay without any luck so the search continues.

Now that the playroom is finished I had both boys up there while the oldest was getting a sewing lesson down the street, they literally played in their room the whole 2 hours we were there. I’m sure that won’t last forever but at this time I really don’t care.

Now that we are almost a whole month into the new year, I have decided on a plan for my shop. I will be listing all the of the jewelry I have and once it is all sold I will not be adding any more jewelry to the shop. I’m also thinking about phasing out any home wares as well actually I’m thinking I am going to do it. I want to focus on vintage clothing and accessories only.

Springfield Flea Market Extravaganza – May 2015

Yesterday my husband and I made the 5 hour trip over to Springfield Ohio for the Springfield Antique Show and Flea Market Extravaganza, as our usually we were up and out the door by 3:30 yesterday morning. After a quick stop at an IHOP for breakfast we arrived at 7 am just after the gates opened, being almost 36 weeks pregnant being in the car that long made my poor feet swell right up even though I wasn’t driving.

Despite the swelling and sore feet we had a wonderful time and saw so many great things that we had to leave behind. However I have a trunk full of wonderful vintage find that needs cleaned and photographed for the shop, which I doubt will happen before this baby arrives in a few short weeks.

I saw so many adorable baby prams that I wanted to take photographs of all of them, this particular pram caught my eye because of the color. I have never seen an aqua/teal blue in a pram before, it was in great shape and had a reasonable price tag of $175.

This pram was just to cute, it was for an older baby/toddler than an infant.

There was a pair of these, I tried to convince my husband that we needed these for the end of our driveway. He veto’ed that idea unfortunately.

Vintage kids car, it had what looked like a small motor in the back but I think it was originally a pedal  car. Oh the fish are cool too.

Do vintage linens especially table cloths rev your engine? This is a whole rack of them and they were all gorgeous.

The dealer with the car also made sculptures with barbed wire fence, there was also a Christmas tree and a few other pieces. This one was my favorite.

Mickey and Minnie heads, I believe they were made of some kind of plastic as they were very rough to the touch and for the low low price of $150 for the pair.

Coolest bar ever, even cooler than last years piano bar.

Doll carriage/display.

There were hundreds of dealers at the show and if you ever have the chance to go, take it. It will be well worth your time, just remember to bring lots of cash and wear comfy shoes.

Until next time,

~Kristen

The History Behind the Pillowcase – John and Bettie

As I previously stated in two of my other blogs The History Behind the Dresses – Vera and The History behind the Dresses -Frannie, I get asked where I find the pieces in my shop.

This story is close to my heart as it all starts with my husband buying our house from John. John Ford was a welder who worked for Hanna Coal Company, he started working there in 1949. He bought our house in 1947, the original part of the house is log and the rest is additions he made to the house for a total of 1500 square feet. His bride Bettie passed away of lung cancer in 1995 as she was a heavy smoker. We purchased the house in 2007 and spent the next two years renovating it when we had the time and money to do so.

After we moved into the house in 2009, we were looking around the upstairs of our tiny garage where a plethora of things were stored including some of Bettie’s sewing projects. Most of them were to stained or had huge holes that were not salvageable with the exception of this set of Pillowcases.

Bettie started embroidering this set of pillowcases not long after her diagnosis, as you can see she only finished Johns pillowcase. He never used it, instead he packed it away with the rest of her sewing supplies. What I love about this set is that she made sure his was finished before hers because she knew she wasn’t going to make it through her cancer treatment.

John passed away a couple of weeks ago 20 years after his bride, he was 93 years old. He always had a smile and joke for everyone. He taught the guitar and violin after his retirement from Hanna Coal. Unfortunately his family held only private services for his funeral.

I will leave you with this joke John once told me.

2 fellers were walking down a back road and bump into each other.

“Hey Ned!”

Hey Zed!”

“What did you give your horse when it had the heaves?”

“Turpentine”

“Ok, bye Zed”

“Bye Ned”

The next day the bump into each other again on the back road.

“Ned, what did you say you gave your horse for the heaves?”

“Turpentine”

“I gave my horse that and it up and died”

“Mine too”

Moral of the story: Don’t give your horse turpentine if it has the heaves.

Until Next Time,

~Kristen

Yellow

I have decided that this year in my shop and Facebook page I am going to focus on a different color each month.

For the month of January it will be the color Yellow. Why yellow? For me I find January to be a very dreary month and I need something to bright it up for me so why not one of the most cheerful colors for that month?

(Image courtesy of Pinterest)

Springfield Antique Show and Flea Market Vintage Marketplace Extravaganza

This past Friday my husband and I made the trip across the state of Ohio to attend the Springfield Antique Show and Flea Market and Vintage Marketplace Extravaganza over in Springfield, Ohio located at the Clark County Fairgrounds right off  US70.

We left our house at 5 am, I drove on the way there while my husband napped in the car.  We had a quick stop at Ihop for some crepes which were sooo tasty I could go for some more right now actually. The traffic wasn’t to bad going through Columbus even during rush hour and a bit of road construction along the way. It was pretty pleasant drive there, while the husband napped I listened to an audio book by Debbie Macomber.

With this trip I was hoping to hit up one vendor that had been at the May show where I found a bounty of vintage items for fab prices, but alas the vendor didn’t make it to this show which was slightly disappointing. However many of the other vendors more than made up for it.

We saw many things and I know we missed a few places since it is a huge show to attend. It is well worth the drive and entrance fee to get in to the show. Per the Springfield antique show and flea market website “the show has become a resource for decorating/design professionals. We can say with confidence that our design customers are constantly amazed by the quantity, quality, variety and PRICING of what our vendors turn up with.” And it is all that and more.

Here are few photographs I managed to snap throughout the day.

  Dress made using a dress form, newspaper and twinkle lights.

 Isn’t that the truth.

 Cutest desk! I tried to convince my husband our 3 year old needs this desk, it was a no go though.

 Glassware Galore, if you are a collector of any type of glassware this show has it in spades.

 So my skillets, my husband has started collecting skillets for us to use and I love to cook with them.

 Do you remember Sleeping Beauty? Aurora (Brier Rose) pricked her finger on a spinning wheel such as this one that put her into a deep sleep.

  One of the clothing vendors at the show.

  1940’s Hedgehog family made in Germany.

     Vintage Home Operators System, so cool.

 This was my find of the day Christian Dior Fur Collar which is already SOLD.

 I am not sure what the heck this is supposed to be but it was just odd enough that a photograph was needed.

We had so much fun together even though my husband kept wandering off and we met up with some friends for dinner on the way home. Over all it was pleasant day.

Have a good one,

Kristen

Shopping with Friends Again

As I have posted before I am sharing 3 different shops this Wednesday.

Laura of North Highlands Art is a fantastic artist with beautiful hand drawn art, be sure to check out her page and shop.  

What is not to love about Flea Fever page by my friend Myrthe. If you haven’t made a stroll over there yet I highly suggest you do, don’t forget to check out her Etsy shopfront. 

 

Sarah of Grandma’s Vintage Bling has a delightful shop full of beautiful pieces and her Facebook page is just as delightful if I do say so myself. You can find her Etsy shop here.

 

 

Strolling Through Friends Shops

Just like last Wednesday I will be sharing 3 different friends shops for you to check out, each Facebook page and their shops are amazing and have some amazing finds.

Jamie of Punch Place Plus has a wonderful crafting supplies page and website that you can find here.

 

Sarah of Anthem and Object has beautifully curated vintage finds, her shop is great and you can check it out at this link. 

 

CJ and K of Gypsum Moon Vintage is another beautifully curated shop of vintage pieces, you can find their shop on Etsy.

Blushing Pink

 

 

Blushing Pink, an array of pretty vintage pieces in variety of pinks.

 

Vintage Luggage

  

I love luggage so much that it is taking over my laundry room, seriously just ask my husband. I don’t know what it is about luggage that draws me to it, maybe it is the shapes, colors, the fact they hold so much stuff. Right now some of my larger pieces of luggage that haven’t been photographed is holding vintage shoes in their boxes to protect them. It is a win win situation, they are put away so there isn’t clutter and they are in a safe sturdy place where the boxes will not get crushed thus ruining the shoes.

Flea Market and Antique Show

Friday my husband and I woke up at 3 am to travel across the state of Ohio to Springfield Ohio to attend the Springfield Flea Market and Antique Show Extravaganza and Vintage Marketplace. The extravaganza is every May and September and worth the trip every time.
Be prepared to pay an entry fee, wear your walking shoes and bring something to carry all of your purchases treasures. In they past we always brought one of our children with us so we had a stroller, this time I borrowed my mother in laws little wire cart since we didn’t bring any children with us.

 

When we arrived the sun was shining and there were very few clouds in the sky yet it was very chilly. Around 12:30 pm it started raining so we were a little damp and freezing cold. After a small break to sit in the car to warm up and take a power nap. Refreshed and warmed up we finished our browsing throughout the market.
I came home with stacks of vintage clothing and hats that will be arriving in my shop soon.

 

This was honestly the oddest and craziest thing we saw all day.

Crushed velvet lamp shades

Entrance to the Vintage Marketplace

Are you a Pyrex fan? This vendor had tons of it.

 

Regardless what your are looking for, the Springfield Flea market and Antique Show is sure to have it.
Check out their website Here