Beautiful Things Arrived...

Sweet and wonderful things arrived today! From Sweet Remembrance . And I think I know why the name fits...look at these little cuties Priscilla sent along! A Valentine, a little bag FILLED with neat things...vintage buttons, my initial J, a gifty tag, and more! So fun!

And this looked good enough to eat, like cotton candy!

Even her peanuts are pink!

And inside, my two beautiful vintage Christmas ornaments. LOVE THEM! Can't wait to hang them on the tree from Katie's Rose Cottage .

While I was busy having fun and opening things, two of our cats (Minnie and Love) were licking their chops watching the birds outside.

While the other one was too busy having fun with the ribbons and tissue paper!

Sissy Miss...with a guilty look

Then after fun time was over I had to get back to work. Here are some of the neat things I found to list today in my auctions:

Chippy Cupboard door w/ Etched Glass (SOLD)

3D Framed Porcelain Roses (SOLD)

Fun country kitchen items...wire chicken and vintage wooden clothespins. Funny thing is, I can't stand hanging clothes outside. But I LOVE old wooden clothespins. Quirky!

Click to see what else I listed under In the Cupboard Antiques . Soon I think the name will be changing... don't forget to sign up for my "A VERY BELLA Giveaway!" Click here to enter! I'll pick from all entries on Monday, January 28th.

A Very BELLA Giveaway!

Today I am starting my first and very own giveaway! I wanted to thank all the molta bella (very beautiful) gals who left me some very bella feedback on my new website name. Many of you really liked "Bella Rosa Antiques!" If you've missed my posting on how this all started...click on "What's in a Name?" . Bella Rosa Antiques is the name I am leaning towards. Thank you so much for all the kind words and ideas! I really enjoyed reading your comments.

So, if you'd like to win this silver "Bella" glitter word garland, strung on very pretty light pink organdy ribbon, all you have to do is leave a comment on my blog for the next 2 weeks...until Sunday evening at midnight, January 27th. If you put the Bella Giveaway banner on your blog and mention it in your comment, you will receive two entries! I will pick a winner Monday morning, January 28th. Just make sure I can contact you. (This is so much fun already!) If you're also interested in seeing other word garlands I have available...click here. If you do not see one you like there, I also have "GIVE", "WISH", "PEACE", and "JOY."

Have a very bella day!

Tea Time with the Girls

When I think of Valentine's Day I've come to think of it as time for tea. This is probably because the antique mall where we have our booth has their annual "Tea." It's a great time for socializing with all of our dealer friends and we get to sample all of the delectable treats we've brought in. Plus, we all try and out do each other with our sale tags. We use what else.....hearts! I'll have to start making mine soon. I usually wait until the day of and run around looking for pink fancy papers.





So here are a few things I will be listing this week online, inspired by our Valetine's Day tea....which is coming up soon here, in Hershey, PA.

This hat is so girlie! I love it. And I couldn't resist pairing it with the cutie distressed pink n roses chair for the picture.

What's In a Name?

Well, now that I have won a web design from Retro Boutiques
...I have to decide on a name for my new website. I was all set to use my current "In the Cupboard Antiques. " Does that sound fun? Feminine? Does it represent who I am? One plus, it would be easy to use the Cupboard theme and be creative.

Then I was typing on the computer when the name "Bella Rosa" popped into my head. It is something I remembered from a trip to Italy I had taken. My girlfriend and I were waiting for our tour to leave when I entered a garden of roses. There was a sweet, elderly gardener there trimming the bushes. He saw me and just started exclaiming "Bella Rosa Rosa Rosa!" Seems as though redheads get a lot of attention over there. Anyway...he handed me some roses and I was so charmed! How sweet was that? I don't think that has ever happened to me here in the US. I have never forgotten this neat moment and it really made my day. Still makes me smile whenever I think about it.

So I had to ask myself: Do beautiful roses and antiques go together? Yes...lots of shabby chic porcelains, etc., but I tend to sell all kinds of different things. This is getting tricky!

What do you think? I don't have much time on this and would love some input. I asked my DH and he said "whatever you would like, honey!" Sweet, but not helping me here. Maybe I should ask for a Mercedes instead!

Drop me a comment or two if you think of something...

Valentine Give Away!

Deena of "Can I Be Pretty in Pink?" is having a Valentine give away on her blog. All you have to do is leave a love story in her comments section and you'll be entered. Here is a link to her blog:
http://deenasstory.blogspot.com/

Someone is going to have to teach me how to make the link and the graphic work together...but for now I am using the hyperlink method! The banner was made by Mary of Isabella's Closet. Some talented gals here on the internet...

I just left my love story and read all of the others. Lots of love out there! Very nice reminder when sometimes we hear too often about the negative things going on in the news. Thanks for the neat contest, Deena.

Treasures Arrived Today!

What a sweet surprise ... the lovely vintage items I ordered from Amy on her website arrived! I am especially thrilled with the lighthouse photo...my DH and I always make sure to visit one each time we drive up to Maine. What a fast shipper...too!

She has 8 vintage "rooms" full of other pretty things and antiques! Click on her link to see what else she has available:

http://www.foursistersinacottage.com/

In the meantime I'm going to find a place for my latest vintage pictures ...they look so good together I might make a new arrangement.

Send me some of your ideas or photos you have of your "vignettes"...I'd love to see them!

Shop Vintage - In the Cupboard!

If you like vintage treasures as much as I do...you might want to see what I have listed this week. It is so much fun hand picking items and it is even more fun when a customer finds a piece she loves and is thrilled with. Take a peek...you might find your own vintage treasure to keep:

Vintage Buttons, and an Art Deco Evening Bag (SOLD)

Pink Shabby Doll Furniture (SOLD) and Vintage Shabby Containers (SOLD)

See what else is "In the Cupboard!"

A not so Crowning moment

Last night I was working on some crafty projects...painting & decorating furniture...when I decided I needed to turn on the TV. Since I really don't enjoy watching Deal or No Deal on NBC, I flipped over to the CW network which I find entertaining. Usually. Last night was the first time I'd checked out CROWNED. The Mother of All Pageants. You've got to be kidding me. Now, don't get mad at me or think I am being too critical, but this show is terrible! The awful lighting they use on the "stage"..... this show should be axed. On top of it they use these horrible sound affects when the contestants have to "cut" the sash of the latest "losers" to leave the show. I'm not sure if it is every show but last night's slasher sasher ceremony was particularly full of some serious bawling. P-l-e-a-s-e....this is pathetic!

And I'm not even against pageantry. Or reality shows. I am a FORMER pageant contestant myself. Yes, I got up in front of EVERYONE, walked around in foofy clothes and blurbed my career plans into a microphone. It all started in high school when I entered the local Teen pageant. A classmate of mine had said "I'm going to enter, why don't you enter with me?" And then I won. I still have my pink and black sash and rhinestone crown.

From there I entered other pageants, mostly in the Miss America Pageant program to earn scholarship money for college. I always placed in the top group...which was fine. I didn't HAVE to have the crown. And I did use the money to pay for tuition. Boys played sports for college money, I entered pageants.

It was also a chance for me to be able to put to use all of those dance lessons my parents paid for. Now I am so thankful they did that for me. All the times my Mother drove me to class! And all those recitals and costumes. But I wouldn't be who I am today without my dancing. I LOVE TO DANCE. I was meant to dance. It's in my soul. I can't tell you how much fun it was dancing up on stage, by myself, to fun broadway and Liza Minelli songs. Probably why my blog reads "and all that jazz" in the title.

I guess what bothered me about the show was how tacky they make it appear. This wasn't what I had experienced at all. Pageants were challenging, but they were also fun and great learning experiences. Certainly helped me learn how to interview which came in handy for jobs later on in life.

Whatever your opinion is of pageants....some people say they degrade women....and others think they provide great opportunities. Either way, CROWNED is none of them. It's just SAD!

Flat Stanley Goes to the Farm

Have you ever met Flat Stanley? This is my second time helping this little guy out. The first was when I was working for the local tv station, and he made his way from the news anchor desk to the control room, to the edit rooms of our Promtion and Marketing department. Now, I offered to take Mr. Stanley up to the family farm for a school in Millville, NJ. He saw what life is like on a Pennsylvania farm. He had a lot of fun, but it sure was COLD! He can't wait to go back and tell all the kids about what he learned here.

This was his view from the van as we sped along the highway...pretty red barns!



Mmmm...homemade apple pies. My Father-in-law made these!

Stanley checks out the corn field. Every time I see these pictures I just can't help myself and hear "Oh Nooooooooooooo!" Anyone remember Mr. Bill?

A bit snowy but Mr. Stanley met the cows and was so excited to hear that the two matching cows were actually TWINS!

If you'd like to host Flat Stanley, leave me a note on my blog. They would love for you to show him around so the first graders at the School could see more of the US and actually, more of the world! He travels easily and arrives by mail.

Well, we had a great visit...and spent our third Christmas celebration with my In-laws (and of course, with our jolly Mr.Stanley. ) One more to go! Although I may have to roll there after "taste testing" all of the treats. Definitely putting the new year diet on hold...

Looking Back at 2007, Forward to 2008

Let's take a quick look back at 2007...or is that possible? After all, it was 365 great days...chock full of so many events.

There was our kitchen makeover...before and after:

My DH worked REALLY hard on this! I think he was living at LOWES for awhile and I'll bet the employees thought so, too. He did such a great job. (I was the designer and helper.) And believe it or not, we decided to go with that copper tile. For now.

Then we had our Memorial Day get together which went by like a blur and I must have forgotten to take pictures! Of course that was BB...(before blog.)

Oh there were antique treasure hunts, yard sales, beach vacations, church picnics (I absolutely LOVE potluck dinners!)

There was our trip to the York Fair (whooie!) to see Carrie Underwood in concert, theatre shows, family visits to Georgia, Maine, and NJ.

And of course there was the CAMPING trip. Who could forget that???

We had a college send off party, summer birthday celebrations, and that's just the icing on the cake. And to think I just started this blog back in August.



All the great stories ... and some I missed writing about...again, BB (before blog.)






But 2008 is just around the corner. I can't wait to see what is in store... stay tuned!