Prayers for Friends

If you keep a prayer list, please add Ken to it. That's Ken on the right at Boonsboro Days last year. His son (on the left) is my son's best friend.Ken probably wouldn't like this post because he's quiet and doesn't call attention to himself. But I'm sure that his wife won't mind :) He has been living with cancer since 2006.

Ken is a strong example of living a purpose-driven life. He has used his God-given talents as an athlete and a teacher to help others through tennis professionally and his free time. Several years ago he coached a young wheelchair tennis champion. Currently, he teaches tennis as a volunteer to veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He has touched many lives. Because I believe in the power of prayer, I ask you to pray for Ken and his family.

White Wednesday, or, "mercredi en blanc"

White Gloves Through the Years "oo la la"
White Tin with That French "je ne sais quoi"
White Basketweave McCoy-like Flower Pot with Lavender "bien sur!"
Enjoy your White Wednesday :) Bonjour!

Serving Up Vintage Finds

Boonsboro Days is next month (see sidebar). Emma suggested that we have a craft day with Lydia to get us going on making things to sell. So yesterday, we had fun with some of the vintage goodies we've found this summer. My goal was to put together a fruit and flowers arrangement. I started with a red transferware ironstone compote (bought at the DC Big Flea last weekend):
Then I sorted through millinery decorations
and antique and vintage ribbons I've been collecting for a couple of years.
Sometimes I use a few new materials, but usually I stick with antique and vintage things. I often build them onto a small base within the compote, vase, or stand. This time, I just started building directly onto the compote using a hot glue gun. I only put glue on the stems to fasten them. This process can be as quick or deliberate as you like. My approach is always slow--trying this and that until it looks just the way I'd like it to. Here was yesterday's result:I had a glass cloche at home, so I left room for that along the edge of the compote. Otherwise, I would have loaded more things on for a fuller, overflowing Furber look.

While I was working away, Lydia got the girls (Larissa, Saxon, and Emma) going on watercolor bookmarks. They produced some great work!Here are some of Emma's in progress:
Some pretty bling vintage buttons (also found at the DC Big Flea) called out to me to make pins. I also had a stash of yo-yos made of vintage fabric, one old ribbon flower, and a linen flower. With some linen and felt for backing (thanks Lydia!), I sewed some of them together and made these:
Emma made these colorful pins:Lydia was so busy helping everyone else and preparing food that it was difficult for her to do her own art projects! But she started making pretty ornaments using old porcelain dolls and doll parts. Can't wait to see the finished work--thanks Lydia for hosting such a fun day for all of us!

52 FLEA's Great Giveaway (AKA Give Back!)

52 FLEA: 200th Post Give Back !!!

If you've always wanted your own personal shopper at an antique show, this is your chance to win one in New York state this month! Visit 52 FLEA to register your interest!

(BTW, the picture in my banner is the view from Olana, looking west across the Hudson River. Taken on vacation last summer.)

White Wednesday

White in the Past
Ephemera, lace, and silk bows from the Snowden family of Baltimore, Maryland.

"A Brilliant Formula: Ammi Phillips's Women in White"A fascinating article by Joan R. Brownstein and Bobbi Terkowitz, The Magazine Antiques, November 2007, pp. 152-161.

White in the Present
Vignettes indoors and out:



Paper, fabric, ceramic, wood--I value them all. Thanks to Faded Charm for giving us White Wednesday!

The DC Big Flea

It isn't as big as I hear Brimfield is, but it is pretty big! Today, we paid our second visit to this show, which is held several times a year. There are hundreds of dealers inside two buildings at the Chantilly (VA) Shopping Center. All of the booths pictured here were in the South Building. We ran out of energy before we got to the other building. Although we cut short our visit, we had fun and made some great buys.

We met artist Stacey Bear. I was normal until I found out who she was and then I gushed about how wonderful she is. Thoroughly embarrassed Emma.... Here are some glimpses of her booth with Deborah Hartwick showcasing antique and vintage sewing notions and other items like the millinery decorations we bought. They have a new blog, Truffle Pigs Sewing Room.

Great vintage buttons:

Sewing antiques and new artwork:

Both artists are friendly and down to earth.

We ran into Marie of Savage Mill's Treasure Trove (MD), too. We have bought antique and vintage ribbons (mostly) from her over the last couple of years. The beautiful early bonnet pictured on my sidebar is from her. Marie is a wealth of knowledge and as kind as they come. Her specialties are linen and lace.




I failed to get the names of the dealers for the next 3 booths pictured, but wanted to include their things anyway. I bought a great vintage box at this booth; also saw several nice tole trays:
This booth had a variety of fun vintage items.
This booth was here in March when I first visited. Nice things both times (the next 2 pictures were taken today).

This last picture is of the gorgeous booth of Allmond's Antiques (717-270-9014; l.allmond AT verizon DOT net).Just beautiful!

There were so many other nice booths and some that weren't of interest to us, but there is much to see. Prepare yourself for the abundance :)

Yard Sale Groove

The other day my husband had a hankering for a bookcase so off we went to an estate sale.

On the way there, we happened upon two elderly women parked on the roadside selling things on the grass and sidewalk. They just picked a well-traveled spot to set up shop. Their sale was a funny mishmash of things--half home office supplies and half gifts never used and some odds and ends (that doesn't add up to 100% does it?). I picked up a wooden office in-box, packages of unused post-its (almost time to buy school supplies), two pads of paper, and a very tarnished silver meat fork. My total investment was about $5 in 5 minutes.

On to the estate sale. The house was an adorable modified Cape Cod and needed a little TLC. It turns out that a 92-year-old widower recently moved into an assisted living facility and he didn't need the house or its contents any longer. Somehow I tend to think of Mufasa's voice from heaven in The Lion King talking to Simba about the cycle of life, but then I stop feeling wistful and get on to the goods!

Here's what we picked up (minus the bookcase-we found one, but it dwarfed everything else):This house had lots of books. Scary topics like calculus and probably quantum something (note my earlier math problem). I gravitated to topics I understand, which is why I bought the homespun and painting by Churchill books. Yes, the PM was a painter. We found a very nice linen runner with faded pink embroidery, a large roll of ivory ribbon, ironstone butter pats (I should have bought all of them), a couple of mini vases, etc.

Feeling good about finding the bookcase and our other finds, we headed home. Not two miles from the estate sale, we came across a yard sale. Hit the brakes! That's where I found the red flowered cross between a hat and a headband from the 1950s. The woman said it had been her grandmother's. Instead of asking her, "why are you selling this," I asked, "how much?" Sold for one dollar. Truly, one woman's trash is another woman's treasure (for crafting in that case).

A successful estate sale stop is one thing, but a street-side sale and a yard sale to boot? That's what I call Yard Sale Groove....