Family Outing ~ One Tank Trips

This weekend we decided to go for a (Sunday) drive and ended up in this cute little "cottagey" village that has a lake, beach, restaurants, a play house and gift shops.



There is a scenic drive on the way there which I don't mind a bit! The corn is coming up...I love this time of year. I'm a former "Jersey Girl" so I can't believe how much I love living near this country area.

Signs on the post point to the lake and beach so we headed there first and skipped this pizza spot.

This little village is rich in history, dating all the way back to the 1880's. It was once a headquarters for the National Guard which my Grandpop was a member of and probably came here!

It once had similar attractions like carousels, etc, almost like an amusement park but after the Depression and the National Guard left, it dropped in popularity....

It was revived again in the 1970's when an art show was added and it has been a popular place for artists and musicians ever since. Can't say I find fault with that! My kind of place. This is a cute little gift shop...I didn't get a great photo...in fact I didn't get many great photos at all! It started raining.

So we ran into this cute, cute ice cream and snack shop. French fries, a root beer and some ice cream can make up for some drippy weather!

I think we'll be coming back here again. It really had an old fashioned feel which we loved and I'm sure when Dear Bebe gets older it will be fun to bring her to the lake.

Enjoying the summer so far...what do you have planned for the next several weeks? I'd love to hear about it.

Pink Saturday - Pink Lustre

Having an adoration for all things pink can be fun. Fun is good right? Yes...and well, no.

Good because the color pink lifts my spirits! Bad because I tend to want anything pink! Scary.

So it won't be hard to believe when I tell you about another collection I have. It is not a large one. But it has started.

After working in an antique mall to help myself become better acquainted with the business, I fell in love with pink lustreware.



The pieces are very old and can be expensive. Sometimes I'll even buy chipped and broken items just to HAVE ONE.

Oh okay.

TWO.

Like these teapots below:

This one I purchased from a little shop, sadly, no longer in business. It was missing it's lid but since it was in my price range of ten dollars, it came home with me! I placed a lid on top that goes with my Grandmother's (now mine) vintage china.

Then I found this little beauty in the antique mall where I have a booth. The spout is chipped a few times and there is a chip on the lid but since it was also in a good price range, it is now living in my china cabinet.

I've put my collection on hold right now mostly because I've run out of storage room already. If I didn't have my vintage book collection I could fit more on my living room shelves!

Sigh. I love too many things.

And if you love PINK things then check out Beverly's blog, How Sweet the Sound, where she hosts Pink Saturday. You'll get your fill!

Nine Months...Too Early For Birthday Planning?

Don't ask me why I'm already thinking about planning Dear Bebe's first birthday party. She just turned 9 months yesterday ...is it too early?

I'd love to hear what others have done...themes, places where parties were held, big cake or little cupcake. I'm not planning a big bash or anything...but I do think it is something to celebrate. Maybe the party should be for the both of us! Mommy survived one year! Yeah!

Here's what I've come up with for ideas but nothing has been chosen yet:

1) Play off of her "baby meets shabby chic" theme in her nursery.

2) Ballerina (Mommy gets to use lots of pink!)

3) Nursery Rhymes/Songs (I found these little books with cd's in them for 1.00 each)

Leave a comment and tell me your thoughts, ideas, etc... and I'll do an update as I start to get plans together.

And yes, that is Dear Hubby hiding behind Bebe.

Souvenir Pitcher ~ An Update!

About a month ago I did a post for Pink Saturday about this little pitcher or creamer.

Most of you who follow my blog know I love antiques. Well, this little cutie is an oldie but a goodie, marked the year 1900 on the bottom.

It also had the name "Rock Springs Park" on the side, so I knew it was a souvenir piece. Normally I don't find them interesting. But something about this little charmer intrigued me.

There was just something special about it....something that led me to do research on it's background.

I discovered it probably came from an amusement park in West Virginia. And not only was it in West Virginia, but in the SAME TOWN where my favorite dinnerware collection was made!

So, I did the Pink Saturday post but didn't stop there. I really wanted someone who collected this type of thing to find it...hoping they would pick up the title of my post in a Google type of search. I just wanted it to make it's way to it's "rightful place" somewhere. Where that was, I didn't know.

Well, after only a month, it has found it's rightful home! I was so excited.

Not only was this person a collector, but get this. . . she was the grandaughter of the people who had OWNED THE PARK! Can you believe it?

She bought it and was just as thrilled as I.

And this, my friends, is why I love buying and selling antiques. Matching people up with the things they love, finding the right homes for things.

Like a matchmaker for stuff!

And if you're looking for something, too, let us know and we'll put you on our "Seek and Find" list! You never know, we just might find it.

When life sends you rain...time to think PINK!

It was a dreary and gray day. We'd had so many days of rain and to make matters worse, our Direct TV was out. Not that I watch a lot of TV but I guess the dark skies were getting to me. I was so desperate I went searching high and low for my little pink TV I used in college...knowing there were only a couple days left of FREE broadcast TV, I enjoyed watching it for probably the last time.

Then I spotted these beauties while I was in the grocery store. How could I pass up a sale like this? 8.99 for a dozen. I had them in my basket quicker than you could say...well, PINK SATURDAY!

Click on

Beverly's blog, How Sweet the Sound, where other's are showing off their favorite color today!

4th of July ~ Celebrate with Crafts

The 4th of July means more to me now as an older adult, than it ever has before.

Just a few years ago we discovered our ancestors did a lot more than just arrive to this country. Several of them fought for it....one was a Revolutionary War era soldier and another was a Civil War vet. Both on my Father's side of the family...his ancestors were early English settlers in the 1600's.

So I'm a little more patriotic now and I'm really firm in my beliefs.

While I don't live in this cute little white house with the patriotic bunting...it represents how I am bursting with pride and love for my country.

And I wanted to share my joy with you. So, I've looked for some crafty things for the fourth and I hope you enjoy the photos and freebie pics for your own use.

Several of the ideas, pics, and freebies are from the Country Living website. Instructions for many of the projects may be found there as well. Others I found through Better Homes and Gardens.

We love having friends over for picnics or cookouts...this looks festive!

This idea isn't too difficult if you have the dinner plates and the colors to match. The fan looks so great and it would be a good idea for hot days!

These look a little intimidating but I LOVE them!

Hey there...it's a VINTAGE pick up truck in the background. This picture looks so "AMERICANA" I love it. Although we don't have a barn, the farm, etc...the table can be duplicated anywhere. I have several pieces of red/white/blue patterned fabric I use on our serving table when we have cookouts. Helps set the "mood!" Make your own bubble wands in the shape of stars!

Or paints some stars!

I really like these "prize" ribbons...think I'll try making these.

This lady liberty door hanger looks possible to make...they even included the photo which I have for you.....right below:

I know some of you could make this pin in a cinch!

These little firecracker favors are sooooo cute. I think I could do this project too. Here are the photos needed:

Even if you don't make the favors...these pics are great for other ideas! Cards, placecards, gift tags, etc...


I was happy to see these didn't look too difficult either! CUTE!

We also like to play a game when we have several people that may not know each other very well, all coming to the gathering. Its fun and gets people talking to each other. Not sure the name of it but here's how it goes. (Change the theme and use it at other parties, too.)

Print out the names of famous Americans who helped in the early stages of building our country.

You know some of the easy names: George Washington, Ben Franklin, etc.

Then place them in a hat or bag. Each person chooses one and it is then taped to their back, name facing out. They cannot see who they've chosen. Each guest then has to go around and ask others three questions that can be answered with a YES or a NO. Like...

Is my person a man?

Was my person in politics?

Did my person fly a kite?

And so on.

The first person to get it correct wins! Lots of fun and even kids can play if they've studied their history...and it helps some of us adults refresh our history!

I'm off to go gather craft supplies! Hope you enjoyed some of the ideas! Only a few weeks left 'til the 4th!

Car Show ~ Vintage Va-room!

What's a pink lovin', ballet dancin', busy mama like me doing at a car show?
Good question! Well, it has lots of things I enjoy.

1) Vintage Themes
2) Photo Ops
3) Food!


So let's pop the cap off of an ice cold coca cola...vintage syle...and I'll show you around...by way of my favorite photos I took on Saturday.

This was the second year our church held a car show. Last year I took photos and the couple that organizes it used my pictures for different things like advertising, etc....so I did it again this year.

I love getting creative with my camera. Not sure how they could use this photo but I thought it was cool! I'm not even sure what kind of car it was but it looked neat. See? I shouldn't even be doing this. Ha!

I thought it was ironic the license plate read: CHEVROLET USA-1!

American car companies= not so good.

Lots of chrome on this one! Someone did a lot of shining! That's not really for me. I'd rather be taking the pictures...

Whooie. Look at this one. There was a drawing to win a free ride in it. That would be tough. ONE FREE RIDE. Just one...then you have to get out. Imagine if that's how car dealerships ran things. Oh wait a minute. That IS how they do things. Then you have to pay $80,000 for the rest of the rides!

This one I'm SURE Dear Hubs likes. Big muscley sounding engine. Still, not for me. But I like the color!

Now this fifties Caddy, I LOVED. I even voted for it. Alas, it didn't win. But I took lots of photos of this one. It reminded me of the car we used for our wedding.


Okay. So this was more my speed. This little gal wouldn't crack a smile for me but she looked so darn cute in her little car I had to get her photo.

Hope you enjoyed my photo tour! Maybe I've found a new career ...in photography!

Okay, don't answer that.