Boot Sale.

Our local Antique Mall has 4 "Boot

Sales" every Summer, starting in May.

We love going and enjoy searching

for deals from the local sellers.

Our first find was this waterfall picture

in an amazing vintage frame. Impressive!

Next up was this beautiful Petit Point

piece of art. Even the frame is perfect!

A large piece of art for my new office

wall. It's metal and quite light but big!

A intricate bird cage for my new office.

Though I am loving it in our kitchen nook!

And finally, a sweet vintage Mother's

Day poem in a rustic frame. Sweet!

I will hang this but tuck it away and bring

it out each Mother's Day. A lovely find.

All of this added up to less than $40!

~ Chy

Vintage Skates.

Vintage skates on our mantel. We don't

shop as much at the Old Antique Mall as

we used to. It was fun hunting for little

tiny treasures when we were dreaming,

designing and then developing our little

cottage in the big woods. But now that

we're here, we're home, we have all

we need. So now, it's just an item here

and there that we stumble across. Like

these little skates that I had to go back

for when I originally walked away from

them. I am so very glad that I went back!

~ Chy

Our Tiny Mouse.

Our tiny mouse, a vintage ornament that

belonged to my gramma. A precious

item that I feel so honored to place on

our fireplace each year when we decorate.

Do you have a precious ornament or two?

~ Chy

Refinishing a Scratched Vintage Frame.

I picked this up at the recent boot sale at the

Antique Mall. No one seemed to want to buy

it ~ I'd watch them pick it up and put it back

down, likely because of the scratches. I made

an offer to the seller, she agreed and off I went.

An hour after arriving home, the scratches were

all gone, as you can see by the bottom photos.

I'll take a pic once I have it hung up in our

little cottage in the big woods. Perfect spot in

our front hallway, just waiting for a vintage pic.

~ Chy

Vintage Bookcase.

I know the photos aren't the best but

I'm feeling smug for scoring this sweet

vintage bookcase on Marketplace the

other day. The couple selling it even

delivered it to our office ~ they're offer

that I took up when presented. Now I

have space for all our baby loss books.

The other bookcases are way too full.

Any good deals come your way lately?

~ Chy

Vintage and Shiny.

My favorite decorations that never end

up on the tree! I found this old vintage

muffin tin at the Antique Mall and put

these pretty balls into it one year and

they've never left their safe place. Now

I bring it out every year with the idea that

I'll actually put them on the tree .... then

they stay in the tin. Vintage and shiny!

Do you have any decorations that don't

make it on to your Christmas Tree?

~ Chy

Growing Fern.

This amazing fern has outgrown the

vintage pot we found at the Antique

Mall. I've got a new pot I've shabby

chic'd up to repot. So much growth!

~ Chy

Vintage Shelf.

My other favorite corner in our kitchen.

A sweet place to fill with items that make

me smile. And new plants that get just the

right amount of light. Perfect vintage shelf.

~ Chy

What To Do ....

Trying to decide if I should hang on to

our vintage carriage or sell it. I hoped

to rent it out for weddings and events

but not sure I'll have time to do this. I

love it but it takes up a bit of room in

the turret. What would you do? Ugh!

~ Chy

Spring Project #1.

You may remember I bought this amazing vintage

cabinet last year. And this Spring, I'm planning to

paint it a lovely sage green. Just have to figure out

when, in between work, the festival and workshops!

~ Chy

Vintage Buggy.

Our sweet vintage buggy from the 1920's, so I'm told. The stories this piece could tell. All the babies it has held. Crying, cooing and everything in between. I'd love to see if we can redo the wheels this year as the rubber is quite worn. Or maybe leave that as part of the journey. I love the look of worn so it may stay this way. A decision for down the road.

On top of the buggy is the beautiful blanket my neighbor made for me at Christmas. I've used it every day since when I'm cozied up on the couch to watch a show or read. Soft and thick, it's perfect for cold Winter nights. The ribbon had glitter on it and my dd quite enjoyed watching me try to get the glitter off the blanket. I'm always wrapping up anything for her with glitter tissue paper so this was her revenge!

Plans for this very windy and snowy day:

* a quick workout on the treadmill and some weights

* a warm shower and fresh clothes for the day

* a load of laundry in the machine before the others

* a few computer things to sort out including trashing

* rejigging our office to now house dh's new job at home

* a quiet evening at home ~ maybe working on the dollhouse

It's one of those days that staying at home is more appealing than going out. We did venture out yesterday after spending most of the week at home. I wanted to pick up my work laptop to get my files off of it so I can pass it along to my new hire (I'm getting a new one in it's place) and we timed it so I could spend some time with my staff as we honored the 1st Anniversary of our new hospice building. Then we visited a contractor for our Festival and handed him our deposit. Stopped for some goodies from Cobs Bread. Mailed a few items. Took 2 deposits in to the bank. Went to our old house to measure the cabinets (getting ready to start renos so we can sell). Picked up dd from school and then dgs on our way home. In between all that, dh accepted a job offer and that was a lot to think about, talk about and then respond. He's so excited as am I. Likely his last position before he retires. He's been in this industry for 30ish years and it was time for a change from his current position. Lovely company but not really his style and this new company has already in 24 hours proven to be amazing. And he gets to work at home all the time. The only thing I'll miss is our morning commutes together but we'll be fine. The flexibility is incredible, the bonus pieces amazing and the pay is phenomenal. All good things. He has already tendered his resignation to his current company and know they won't be happy he's leaving. He's their top guy. But at the end of the day, he needs to end his career in his dream job, as I am in mine, and now it's his time! So proud of him for taking the leap and we look forward to this new adventure. Now, to rejig our tiny little office space ....

Hope you have an amazing day!

Stay safe. Be well. Cozy up!

~ Chy

Diamond Shaped.

I was lucky enough as a kid to travel

to the U.K. when I was 16. And fell

in love with sweet little cottages out

in the country. Built often hundreds

of years ago, the windows were what

often caught my eye, especially if the 

muntin bars were diamond shaped. I

loved this look and when my parents

built a house that same year, they did

have diamond muntin bars. So sweet!

~ Chy

Blogtober: Day 9.

If you recall my post from October 3rd, you'll remember I had spotted a sweet vintage cabinet on Marketplace. I sent a note to the seller. But a response did not come. And then the listing was no longer there. It showed she had taken it down. So I felt gutted for a moment but knew that if it wasn't meant to be in our little cottage, that it was not to be ours. Yesterday, 4 days later, I had a few moments between meetings and while sipping my tea, decided to jump on Marketplace to see if I could find a cabinet close to what I had fallen in love with. Can you guess what happened? Yup! There, on the first page, listed a mere 2 minutes before .... the cabinet!! So I quickly wrote to the seller, who had posted that she had deleted it but didn't realize it. She wondered why she wasn't getting any interest and then did a search, only to find it wasn't there. So she reposted it and I had the fortune of being there at the right moment. We conversed a bit, she answered a few questions I had and we made arrangements to pick it up yesterday after work. It was a bit of a drive but so worth it and it was a pretty drive with the leaves blowing across the road in the breeze. The seller was lovely ~ she had even wrapped the 2 glass shelves in bubble wrap so they wouldn't break on the way home. And now, a cabinet I had dreamt off over time, with more detail than I could hope for, is safely stowed away in the turret, waiting for its first coat of paint and the wallpaper to be applied on the back and side walls in the interior. A piece we'll love and cherish for a very long time. I can't believe how well this turned out after I thought I'd have to start my search all over again. Irish luck was on my side, once again!

                                      ~ Chy

Vintage Look.

My all time favorite view in our kitchen.

I love the vintage look of our AGA and

the colors we chose to make this space

eclectic and unique. I think we hit it!

Enjoy your amazing Friday.

~ Chy

Vintage Truck.

For the longest time, I've wished for a 

sweet little vintage truck for our cottage.

Truthfully, I'd love one in real life but

for now, this tiny copy will have to do.

I looked a lot before Christmas but wasn't

successful in my search. Then this one ....

.... popped up on Marketplace last year.

A solid piece, not the flimsy ones I could

have ordered from overseas. And in the

end, it was even a better price and local,

so no waiting for the postman to drop off.

Perfect! I can see it sitting by the dollhouse.

~ Chy

From Long Ago ....

Love the vintage Halloween postcards that many

friends have posted on FB and other social media

tools. I love the sentiment in the wording and the

sweet art that would have been so popular, long ago!

Happy Halloween ....

~ Chy

New Additions.

I've had such good luck this year finding

more bits and pieces of my favorite dishes,

Lace Cream by Skye McGhie. I love the

lacey edges and the creamy, soft color.

If you look on the bottom shelf, there is

now a sweet baby dish with 3 divided

sections, behind it is the matching baby

cup with 2 handles and on the left, by

the big platter is a lovely butter dish. I

am so excited to have these new pieces.

~ Chy

Valentine Plates.

Spotted these vintage Valentine's Plates at the old

Antique Mall a few weeks ago when I did a shift.

My gramma collected these plates when she still

graced our lives. When she died in 1982, her girls

(my mom and 2 aunts) split up the plates. For years,

my mom had hers in the dining room. Then they

moved to the coast and I can't remember now if I

actually saw them in any of the homes they lived

in out there. They came home when my dad was

diagnosed in 2000, he died in 2002 and back in

2017, my mom moved in to care. We had to pack

up her house and there are still some boxes in our

garage that I've been going thru. And guess what I

found? At least 12 of the plates! They were all in

perfect condition, safely tucked away in sturdy but

beautiful display boxes. Now I'm going through

each to decide which ones to hang up and which

ones to gift to my daughters. Feeling so loved ....

~ Chy

Button Tin.

Found this sweet little button tin at our

charity shop. Perfect for the Art Studio.

~ Chy

Village Plate.

A sweet pottery plate we found at our

local charity shop for the Antique Mall.

~ Chy