little sale

Beginning a bitty 25% off sale in my booth at 

The Hixton Schoolhouse Antique Mall

in Hixton, WI.

Includes firm & items already reduced.

This is a limited time sale, and I believe my only 

Sale in 2019.

💚

gathering

We took a long overdue antiquing trip into MN on Saturday.

Found some things to sell:

Found some things to keep:

Wooden child's shoes & Xmas book

#11 pie bird with box for my collection

Vintage tin train house

Handmade lace

Little box & juror pin

Bird print under whicker tray

♥️

MN antiquing

We traveled to an Antique Show at the MN state fairgrounds
in St. Paul on Saturday.  Rather than "buy to sell", this was more
of a "buy to keep" show.  It was fun to see what the 100 vendors
brought to this show...and to circle around several times, ending
up time & again at the same booths.

As we had a couple block walk on a brisk winter day, I had a 

plan to buy what would fit in my shoulder bag, with no extra

trips back to the car.  My finds above show that I remained on

task.  However...we did buy a 5 foot white bench too! ❤️

I purchased two ziplock bags of antique lace for $5 a bag. 

It is beautiful, and something I often use or display.

I added two pair of hand knit mittens, picturing these as part

of a new winter collection.  They are vintage and in lovely

condition.

I never pass by a reasonable Steiff or a sweet handmade bunny.

Children's toys are always on my wish list...the more loved, 

the better.

This sweet santa and family of chickens had to come home 

with me.

And finally, this wee old pot jumped into my bag for $4.00.

With a very unusual maker's mark, it will be fun to research.

Such a fun winter adventure! ❤️

Minnesota antiquing

We traveled into Minnesota Saturday...antiques in our sights.

Found some wonderful Scandinavian finds...including these plates.

Oh my, look at those wooden shoes - child size!  And that box!

Added a compote, little rulers & trees.  Add in a German egg

basket and Swedish journal.  🌲

Be still my heart...a German flour holder. 💙💙

Summer finds

Vintage summer finds at my booth at the Hixton Schoolhouse

Antique Mall in Hixton, Wisconsin.  Flags, farm finds, gardening..

all say summer! ☀️

had to be mine

I have this thing for hearts.  I also have this thing for charm.

Oh, and did I say that I have this thing for vintage sweetness?

Combine them all in an antique chocolate mold...mine, all mine!

ever grateful

Thank you for you patronage & support of my little antique booth & 

case at the Hixton Schoolhouse Antique Mall in Hixton, Wisconsin.

holiday finds

Dave & I went on a little local antiquing jaunt yesterday.

With snow on the way, we stayed close to home.

After years of collecting, my choices to keep are now select.

I base my choice on patina, sweet detail, color & how the item touches my heart.

These were some of my Saturday finds...

A dala horse tin cutter.

Little bunches of mushroom picks.

An ironstone pitcher with green detail.

When I make a connection to something I know I will keep,

it usually is with no thought of how the item will fit or where it will go.

I just know it will.  

I know I will smile to see them become part of my home.

hold it

I use vintage bowls & baskets to hold everything.

Remotes are always better in Ironstone.

Magazines...in a harvest basket, of course!

Coasters find a home in a garden pot base.

Hold it, contain it, keep it organized in vintage!

S A L E

Dealers are allowed to have two big Sales a year at the

Hixton Schoolhouse Antique Mall.  This is my first for

the year.  Stop by for 30% off my booth & case thru

March 26!           (Sale excludes items marked "firm".)

If you have not shopped Hixton, Wisconsin....this little 

town between Black River Falls and Eau Claire has four 

antique stores.  The one I sell at is a multi dealer mall ~ 

certainly one of the largest in Wisconsin.  It is open every 

day from 10-5 with an easy off & on from I94.

a few of my favorite things for the holidays

Yes, I certainly "live what I sell"!

When I go on an antiquing trip to purchase for resale, one of my questions is~~

"Would I keep it if it doesn't sell?" ~~ I have to answer "yes" to this.

You will always find these favorites (pictured above at my home) for sale

at my booth or case at the Hixton Schoolhouse Antique Mall:

~Ironstone 

~chippy little benches

~Vintage holiday

~baskets

~wire works

~anything in multiples

time for autumn...

I feel like I am rushing things, knowing full well that after fall comes...cold!

But every year at this time I am anxious to pull out my autumn goodies &

head over to the Hixton Schoolhouse Antique Mall.  And so, today, I did!

Gold Rush

On one weekend each year, two flea markets open their gates on the same days...

both about 20 minutes apart.  And both are called Gold Rush.  I believe the original began

in the small town of Oronoco, MN ~ where, literally, the whole town becomes a flea market!  

The other Gold Rush is at the fair grounds in Rochester, MN.

Each year I travel to both...in O N E day!  This year, Dave & Ian joined me.  

My method to this "marathon of flea markets" is to spend the morning on Friday in Oronoco.

You must get there early enough to get close parking (for trips back to the car with 

vintage finds)....and you must have "fresh legs" due to the hilly walking!  By noon we are done!

Then we grab a re-energizing lunch at a cool sit down restaurant...this year Newt's Burgers.

We cap off the day in Rochester, thankful for the flat terrain of this flea market & the many inside vendors to get out of the sun.

Friday was hot...93 degrees I believe!  I was glad to have thrown a hand towel in my bag...

sunscreen & sweat in the eyes could not get in the way of finding vintage goodies.
We were also ever so thankful for an afternoon breeze!

My keepers:

This framed bookplate of small moths...

And, this picnic carrier...on top of the suitcase & bench to form an end table:

I also found some wonderful items that will make their way to my 

antique booth in Hixton soon...getting ready to introduce small doses 

of Autumn!

We had such a fun day, loved having my Ian with me.  He has now been

to 4 mega-fleas with me...and he even found a few items at Gold Rush

for his place!

Counting the days to my next flea market adventure!

the art of gathering

Gathering, picking, is not always for the meek...

it can often consist of a long, hot day at an auction or flea market.  

Take these burlap feed sacks as an example.

Dave & I spent a hot, sunny day at a farm auction...

trying to stay with the cadence of the auctionnaire, 

attempting to follow any shade, and working to keep

our goods safe & sound.  Dave actually bid on the 

feedsacks that were still in the barn.  I came upon him after he 

had won the bid and was trying to stack & sort the huge 

pile in the barn, dust kicking up everywhere-sticking to 

sweat.  But it was a great deal...so I jumped in with him!

We both looked like "Pigpen" from the Charlie Brown comic

when we came out for air from the barn with a huge pile

of sacks.

The next step was to get them home, shake & shake & shake

them out...then air them on our clothesline.

Batch two out of likely fifteen lines full!

Once aired, they will be priced at $5.50-$6.50 each and brought

in to my booth at the Hixton Schoolhouse Mall.  They will then

go home with crafty folks that will turn them into bags & chair

upholstery or even curtains.  With the popularity of Farmhouse

Style continuing to gain traction, these have become popular

finds...often just laid over a table to show off the great graphics.

Some sacks will be purchased by other dealers, knowing that

my prices are low and they can sell them even higher...and

I'm good with that.  

So, from a humble barn, through our sweat equity, to you...

special find

In recent years, we seem to have found our share of very special

vintageness!  It really shows that wonderful items are out there if you

just look.

This 1892 Herbarium is one of my special finds!  I found it tucked away on

a table at a thrift shop....paid no more than a couple of dollars for it.

To many, it may not look like much....but tucked inside are catalogued

botany samples from the late 1800's.

I was amazed to find it still intact...and treasure it.

I will share about a Planetarium Globe we just found in another post.  We

are awaiting word on a potential buyer from a national market.

Our Antique Mall noted that it was really too unique & valuable a find

to sell it there!  

Pieces of history...found!

keepers

For those of you that buy & resell vintage goods, you

know that every now & again we find something that we

just have to keep for ourselves on our antique adventures.

These are my two "keepers" from an antique trip to 

Appleton, WI on Saturday.

My Ian just moved to Neenah, and Dave & I journied over

to bring some things for his apartment & spend some 

time with our boy.  This was Dave's first chance to see the 

new place.  Lucky for us, Ian lives just a few miles from one of our

favorite antique malls, the Fox River Antique Mall in Appleton.

Since Ian works until about noon on Saturday, what were we to 

do while we waited for him??......antique, of course. 

To make for an even better day, we ran into Sarah & Winn, out 

for an antique adventure of their own.  And if this was not pure 

kismet, Dave & I have only shopped together at this mall twice in the

past year...so imagine we have spent maybe 4 hours out of 

365 days at this mall ~~ AND both times we ran into Winn & Sarah!!

Honestly, we had no idea they were going there, we each have at least 

a 4 hour round trip to get there...and we run into one another in the

middle of an antique booth ~ twice.........kismet!

Saturday was a day of "keepers" ~~~~ memories of such a fun day 

spending time with family, running into friends.  Each time I look at my

Kreamer heart baking pan & Dundee Marmalade pot, I will smile!

Addendum...imagine my extra surprise, I just did an EBay search on the Kreamer heart baking pan.  I debated spending a firm $32.00 for it, but decided I had never seen one before, AND I would keep it. One just sold in January for about $140 with shipping (with 11 bids!) on EBay! Yes, a keeper!

seeking insight

I recently found this blue trunk in the back corner of a 

Thrift Store....it is child's size, 25 inches by 14 inches by 

14 inches.  It is domed with the wooden safe box & cover

still inside.  It has wonderful straps and was trimmed in

tin on the edges where there was extra wear.  The handles

are gone on the side, worn with time.  The key hole is there,

but no key.  I was told it is Swedish...guessing it was for

traveling.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated...

Dala Horses...my new obsession

I am finding myself drawn to Scandinavian interiors.

In particular, I am a tad in love with many Swedish styles.

So it was not long before I would become madly deeply in

love with Swedish Dala horses.  The antique horses are 

works of art, but beyond my budget.  I recently oodled over

several older horses at an Antique Mall in Stillwater, MN.  But

the multiple hundred dollar price tags prevented any from 

riding home with me.

  Link to my new Dala Horse Pinterest Board!

So enter in the more colorful newer Dala Horses...found in orange, 

red, blue, black & white.  After much thought, I settled my 

hunt on white horses, yellowed just a bit by age.  Many are 

tagged by the artist, Nils Olsson.  The vintage horses still fetch

$35 to $85 in this style.  They range in size from itty bitty to large.

Here is my first addition....vintage white, 4 inches tall.  After

examining every horse I have recently found, I ended up 

purchasing my first from a sweet dealer on EBay.  The 

$28 with postage felt just right!  As it arrived just

in time to be a Christmas gift to myself, I call her:

       "Fa la la la la"

How sweet she looks with my holiday decorations.

I am certain I will some day have a small herd ~ it will be fun 

to search them out.  Each will have a story.

A collection is born!