a good day...packrat paradise...

jon and i went to a great auction today.......kind of hog heaven....it was the best auction sale ive been to in years....tons of great primitives and wonderful farm stuff., buried in piles of misc and total junk.......piles and piles...we got some great stuff....and the prices will be nice and low....

i got these

these are great for flowers....or ice and beer

part of our pile....i love totes and metal pails cans and baskets...

a good row

a manly day.....the big crowd was mostly men.......but they look at it as tools and we look at it as also accessories.or iconic rural america or ART....or raw materials for trash to treasure projects..... ..so it kind of works out.. the owner was a good old buddy and buyer from most of us...

.2 rings ran the whole day....i was outbid a lot by a 10 yr old amish boy....bidding for his dad in my ring as his dad was in the other.....they must be better than jon and i because jon wasnt in the other ring bidding against the dad....whats with that!!!!

i knew the owner....he was a wonderful guy and he was always going to sell me something,,...HA!!...but never actually did....now i see why..he was a total packrat and had acres and buildings so he never ran out of room.......he had at least 15 buildings and trailers , so he never had to sell anything.....

...

jons building..... he got the contents of this building for 10$$ ....we wanted the building!!! its so neat and round...

a greAt row

one of the auctioneers....i tried on this, but it went for 35$

the tall guy is my buddy and sometime supplier ...and you can see some of the competition...
and josh

nobody went thru this pile....

WE got all these....

there was really some good stuff in this row..

another good row

i didnt take everything in this pile!!! left some real bad plastic... ALTHO IVE HEARD SOME OF THATMOLDED PLASTIC FROM THE 70S IS HOT ON EBAY...

jon and josh

thankfully , jon is such a good packer.. . WE NEVER WANT TO GO BACK AND REALLY TRY TO GET IT AL ON ONE LOAD.. ...

HAPPY CAMPERS!!!....this is the life...

. BACK TO OUR ROOTS....

jon gets to go to auctions a lot more than me...BUT im hoping to get out a lot more this year...we have such a great crew at the store i think i can leave on more saturdays.....

hopefully by monday it will be all unloaded and priced....

HAVE FUN ON THE 4TH

come see us will be OPEN ON THE 4TH.....at least till 3.....probably later....

closed today, so lots of couch and internet , grandma and garden time , but i always answer the phone...so there was a little business going on as well.......made a deal about a mantle....jon drug me over to the store to see 2 guys with a load of glassware to sell...they turned me down,,,,even tho they didnt know anything about it, they got it free, and it was full of basement water....

. some dealers from ohio called and came, ...we heard screaming...the kids trying to catch the new PIG who had escaped from the chicken pen......jon got it when he was at the amish carpenters, something wrong with the castration and they didnt want it....

.. i babysat on his 2 littlest while he and matthew went to the yardsales....didnt get much....

got to lounge on the couch a lot....and saw lots of fun spots on the www......

heres some eyecandy for you..

http://vintageblissandco.blogspot.com/ i love her words out of pictures...a few posts down...

http://sparrowsalvage.blogspot.com/

http://urbanfarmhouse.blogspot.com/

http://www.ullam.typepad.com/ my all time favorite....her world is magical and gigantic....

so LIFE IS GOOD...

around the store

a nice new load of windows coming in.....some with diamond panes....

hard working junkers..2 of our suppliers.

.at least todays load was in nice weather...we have unloaded in the dead of winter ....

lots has come in this week...including this huge oriental moriaga vase.....
also some tall wine glasses in color,
roseville
lots of keys
a nice and very reasonable dining room set
a huge black and oak harvest table
straight razors
more small furniture...chairs, benches, little tables,,,
cute little nicknack's....
a big 6 ft tall palm tree in iron, butterfly brackets, Fleur de lis hooks
mission oak desk
lots of primitives
and some misc vintage christmas

TRY AND COME OUT...WE ARE OPEN JULY 4

ALSO LISA Made ANOTHER OF OUR BIG BE NICE OR LEAVE SIGNS.....they are getting pretty popular.... we also made one that says my barn my rules.......

THE ROUGH ROOM

the ROUGH ROOM IS PACKED....WE HAVE BOUGHT LIKE CRAZY AND THE PRICES ARE PRETTY REASONABLE!!!! LOTS OF NICE STUFF IN THERE... just waiting for a new home....one dear customer calls it the orphan room.......chairs tables, desks, a couple big chicago cupboards, several nice buffets.... some more modern and cheap....the heywood wakefield set...lots more..

FINAL SHIPMENT OF GARDEN IRON...

MONDAY WE SHOULD BE GETTING OUR FINAL SHIPMENT OF GARDEN IRON....MORE TRELLISES, MORE URNS, LOTS OF FENCE, NEW HOOKS AND BRACKETS, SOME WELCOME PLANTERS AND THOSE BIG DRAGONFLYS ON STICKS... SOME BUTTERFLY BENCHES,,,,,

primitives and the guy parts...

lots HAS come in for the primITIVE part.... ....bowls, pumps, pullys, planes, roadsigns, shoelasts,,licence plates, and the steampunk shelf has some cool gauges, a few typewriters and some etc, IT IS REALLY PACKED....FUN SHELVES TOO AND A BIG PILE OF DUCK DECOYS...NOT THE REAL OLD ONES BUT NICE ..this is the fav for lots of guys...

key west room

WE HAVE BEEN filling up the KEY WEST ROOM WITH SOME SOME GREAT LAKE SIGNS.... for OUR LAKE MANITOU, RIGHT HERE IN ROCHESTER and also for LAKE MAXINKUCKEE in culver....we also have some culver and culver military post card images for sale... and lake manitou images too, some fun bar signs in there too, and frogs, and paradise signs, and fun beachy cabinets..

i really like this part....we did a bright blue cupboard for here today...

THE FUN PART...DESIGN

i love design...and rearranging the store and using big beautiful things ..... AND I LOVE seeing what other people do in their houses or their booths or their stores...

ONE OF THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL DESIGNERS i get to meet once in a while has put us on her blog......gina at peacock park.....see here and ENJOY!!! http://www.peacockparkdesign.blogspot.com/ .....ive seen her booth at chicago and its always fabulous..and go down DEEPER into her blog for lots of beautiful ideas......she likes our coolest stuff....but it has to be kind of crusty..especially big and crusty...

come to think of it....she helped us design our giant potting tables a few years ago..and whenever she comes i try and pick her brain for new ideas for the store......

WE GET OUR FRENCH GIRLS FROM HER company AND THE BIG CLOCK AND LOTS MORE.....
if you have a store you can see her at atlanta and chicago......too..
ENJOY

we are OPEN JULY 4......OPEN JULY 4......OPEN JULY 4....

TODAY WAS KIND OF NICE BUT WIERD..... one thing was i bought a big pile from the family of a person who i really liked who had died..... she and i always had some neat link and liked the same things... her stuff looks right at home here....and will go on to someone else now....but it was pretty sad.... usually i dont know the previous owner..

the other thing was a woman i only see about once a year.... .. shes been coming here for about 25 yrs....i had one of my collages on the floor, 2 black girls ,like paper dolls, and the words ...girls just want to have fun....she told her friend i probably made that...????? i just didnt understand what she picked up on...i used to make black rag dolls... i have no idea..........

ive gotten to meet a lot of wonderful people out here in the store...

MY JOB THIS WEEK.... this week im ordering lots of christmas...my job is to PICK OUT AND M AKE THE ORDERS FOR OUR CHRISTMAS STOCK AND ONLY BUY WHAT WILL SELL.........so i need to remember what sold last year, what were the duds, and what is left...and not waste any money on things that wont sell....we do this thru catalogs mainly....and boy can those photos lead me wrong... seems like everything this year is about being careful with money....and im trying to be ....but i need to spend a lot right now and on the right stuff....

fun at the store

a fellow junker..

jon and our carpenter...he makes the biggest archetectural things

ruth and lisa....

a friend with her new puppy

me and carol and timmy

a buddy loving the big pile of haviland

and the chuckler....with his dog clem...

we get the neatest people.... and lots seem to be fond of their dogs...

SHAMELESS CHUCKLING ...... this is a good old customer..above ..he was buying a pile of our price guides....and an unmarked cookie jar for 9$...he hadnt paid yet.....he called me over and showed me the cookie jar ,,,,then showed me in the mc coy book he was buying the same jar for 5o$ he was shamelessly chuckling....

EXPERT ADVICE....ANOTHER CUSTOMER works in big time design....like for big spaces like hospitals etc....so i tried to pick her brain on what we could do better at the store ...layout wise.... she said we did well....i pressed her for more....and she said get a better location....lol..so impossible.... thats our weak point....we are out in the country in rural indiana.... with no driveby....

you never know what you will find at a yardsale....my dear young grandson went yardsaling with his dad , jon, saturday....and he knows i like bottle cap art and funny folk art....he saw some beer can people made with cans and bottle caps and bought them from a nice farm lady...,.,,then the little old lady said ...he does something...lift the can up.... a giant male thingy pops up.......poor jon!!!

SHE SAID THE RIGHT THING.....today a woman came in with a big beautiful dog...not on a leash.... i came up to her and said i cant have a big dog in here....she was unflappable...and said ive been here before and i love your furniture and i came to buy a whole lot of It.... and i cant leave the dog in the car because its too hot.... i totally, SHAMELESSLY , changed my rule....it worked out great....and im so glad she came....

BOUGHT TODAY

nice big rough shelves

more windows....with diamond shaped panes

ash trays with pink flowers

small rolltop, newer

oak mirror

nice gold mirror

little blue shutters

a fancy arrow for a weathervane....with red glass.

big white frenchy cupboard

yardsales and values

my favorite place to buy is at auction!!! see above...

jon is going to the yardsales again....he used to all the time before he got married...im so glad....and kind of sick at all the neat things we are probably missing....things selling for way less than i would gladly pay.....i would love to buy from some of the folks going to all the yardsales.......YARDSALERS....BRING ME YOUR PILES!!!!
.. i just dont get it.... jon bought a Victorian locket for 50 cents..at an estate yardsale....... if that lady had brought it here i would have paid about 20$....some people are still giving away their things.....and not really considering selling antiques to us....even tho we have been here for 30 yrs......
....and then lots of others really overestimate what they have.....and what they bring me is just unsaleable ....or things that would go cheap in box lots at auction........ its kind of weird....
its hard to explain whats worth money....but it usually isnt much from the 1940s or 50s....and thats a long time ago....
heres some of the ikky stuff you can get cheap or free many places...
. most anything electrical ... lamps and appliances, sewing machines, etc etc
clear glass, vases, plates, bowls,
milk glass
most figurines and doo dads
huge amounts of bricabrac made after after the depression era.....
almost anything saying hong kong, Taiwan or even made in japan
most partial dish sets
most silverware
most pretty plates
franklin mint, beanies, cabbagepatch, ball cards, avon bottles, jim beam, etc etc....all those things made to be collected...

in all of this there are lots of exceptions...of course!!!
thats where ebay comes in...its a wealth of numbers and values.....IF you research under completed auctions......thats the key...lots and lots stuff on ebay doesnt even get a bid....
if you search under completed auctions you will get a good general view....and its shockingly cheap on most things.... i could buy tons of average suff there if i had the time...

WE ARE BUYING AND GLAD TO SEE WHATEVER ANYONE HAS TO SELL.....
and really if its family things from before 1940 it would be bad for the owner to even sort it.... how could you know what to save?
....the best thing is to have a trusted buyer...or some good recommendations .and educate yourself as well as possible...but nobody knows everything....if you have to be positive you might as well just keep whatever it is..... we have bought and bought and every month there is something we mess up on...or learn.

..and , sadly, lots and lots of antique values have fallen in the last 10 yrs...like quilts and primitives especially ...

money is FUNNY IN ANTIQUES..... for sure....

like a buddy who sells to me sometimes....he bragged that he got this big majolica pitcher for 5$ at a yardsale.... then just minutes later, griped when i only offered him 150$ , because its worth 400....maybe....lol...i shamed him into taking my offer....

the white and frenchy

this is THE WHITE SECTION.....the white bedroom set is really nice ...it has cherubs on it....we priced it all separately..the bed is in the rough room......we really worked in here this week.... 2 pieces sold , both full of stuff..so it was a big mess....but we put more in and refluffed everything....i still have a huge frenchy screen and no where to put it...it has giant cherubs on it....and of course lots of french dancing girls in here....and mercury glass, and some church relics, and most of our white things...like milk glass, and white pottery....there is a gold section in here too.... its packed...

. well, i like all the sections and especially the white one ...it is so fun....lots of extreme architecture and i try for a look like it came out of a castle...kind of a shabby one........thats the great thing about having a store...i can indulge in so many parts of the world of objects...and not have to totally commit to any like you have to do at home....i guess thats why so many of us are kind of eclectic..we dont like just one thing...at home i have a bit of oriental, from my parents...lots of great early indiana, and lots of english country and lots of early folkart.... my main collections are from 1850s to the 1880s... and hey ....it works for me...

NEW THIS WEEK......

van briggle girl,mc coy

little tables,

books..big pile of price guides...cheap!!!

needlework mottoes

black china cabinet,more buffets....

lots of christmas in the half price room...

big neat shutter shelves in the awning...old cement planters outside

old metal patio set..lake manitou signs....one 6 ft long...cool peace signs....some more window cupboards from the carpenters...2 small counters/islands.... from old parts...

also this week....I GOT A BIG PILE FOR THE YARDSALE..... COMING UP IN AUGUST ....

the ROUGH ROOM is pretty packed and lots of good pieces right now....just waiting for some tlc

AND JON GOT A BIG LOAD YESTERDAY WHICH I HAVENT SEEN YET...

AROUND THE STORE

the barbies find a home.

I KNEW I WAS IN LUCK WHEN I SAW HIS TATTOOS.......HE WAS COVERED WITH BARBIES...

he asked DH if we had any barbies........well yes we have a whole pile.... nice and old and about 100 pieces , still over at the house waiting and in limbo....too valuable to be out in the store , because of all the little parts....lots of great outfits...etc etc....all from the early years.......

IT WAS FUN..we went over to our house and I DRUG OUT THE WHOLE PILE and laid it on the kitchen table.... AND HE AND HIS BUDDY WERE THRILLED....REALLY LIKED THEM... KNEW WHAT PARTS WENT WITH WHAT OUTFITS ETC. ETC....i could tell they wanted them...

we got to the price , which was kind of a problem...i needed 500$ for it all and he only wanted to spend 250....and i definitely felt too ignorant to split it up myself or let him pick out his favorites....... so we did what i learned in reading Agatha Christie.:...a way to divide things that the archeologist's in Egypt used when they divided up the spoils with the local government ......he made 2 piles and i picked which one i wanted..... it was kind of neat....

the guys were from Chicago and scrapbooking their trip down into Indiana.... so i guess ill be in their scrapbook and they are in my blog....A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL...

to me it was was exciting and fun to meet this guy and his partner....... hes another passionate collector........and, even tho more decorated, hes a lot like others Ive known and enjoyed....... thinking here of my 80 yr old buddy who bought a 14 ft clock for several thousand $$$$ and had to lower his livingroom floor to accommodate it.... and a lot of other really serious collectors i know;..

around the web....junk style

http://www.artsyfartsyfinds.blogspot.com/ i didnt know southern ladies could say that....great pictures!!!
http://www.sassytrash.blogspot.com/ more great layouts...and stuff

http://www.redneckchic.blogspot.com/ always fun to read...
http://www.rhubarbreign.blogspot.com/ almost neighbors....i like hearing about her travels....and she has good links too...
http://www.junkinjane.blogspot.com/
great talk here.... http://www.junkrevolution.com/
tons of projects here http://www.robolady.blogspot.com/
its kind of endless....and so neat to see and explore....and she has ebooks

its all about the STUFF

we had lots to do up high today....hanging the chandeliers, and putting up the big stained glass pieces... the long one is beautiful but hard to see here...

we love locker baskets...new or old....these are nice and big.... and in different colors....

part of the country room

and our new clocks

more boxes waiting to be opened

the big truck

jon in the driveway selling a nice big buffet right off the truck.....
this was a neat one with fancy legs.. ....i think she is going to turn it into a vanity for a double vessel sink ....he got 2 other ones , now in the rough room......

our sign wall



some good old stuff...

WE GOT SO MUCH THIS WEEK....

IN NEW ..... locker baskets, wall clocks, bird clocks, fun signs, more glass ball stakes,lots of chandeliers, iron angels, wine racks, iron rabbits...the big key west parrot bar butler...hes big....new flowers and wreaths, and placemats...

IN OLD..... BIG BEAUTIFUL STAINED GLASS WINDOWS...ONe LONG ONE WITH BEVELS AND A BIG FLEUR DE LIS.... blue and white pitcher, molds, bristol glass, old windows, more buffets, shutters, nice spoon carved dresser, old doll house, nice big group of costume jewelry, lots of cheap and usable small furniture..yelloware pitcher and salt,

FROM THE CARPENTERS.... several big hall mirrors , rehabbed into hall seats.in black white and red......barnwood tables...cheap.... window cupboards, big big harvest table...with nice fat legs... peace signs, 2 small counter/islands....and some fun door thingys...

so it feels good around here, we are packed full....i got some of the christmas from last week into the half price room....

...4H........we have had several kids in lately looking for things for their recycled projects..... one looked so fun and different.......a paned window on top of a chicken crate with porchpost legs.....for a coffee table....seems like a great way to enter the wonderful world of rehabbing and creating with the used and the antique....i always give them http://www.robojunker.com/ for all kinds of recycled ideas...

i love this place ,,one day i get to hear reports about the rich and famous or the big time decorators and how they are shopping, from my dealer customers who do the big shows and the next day i hear about a creative little kid looking for a 4h project...or a country mom needing the right thing for her porch... ...funny thing is, all might be looking at and buying from us the same kind of thing....

like the mop bucket jon got......it was left for the trash pick up after an auction....we got it....it was what they call a Cadillac, it has the wringer on it and wheels..... that day it was a total reject with no value.... jon kept it for awhile and finally brought it out...we put a price on it and it sold to a big house on an expensive lake and now it has a new life ....to keep the beer cold on the deck... maybe it will be in a magazine someday if that house gets featured....

we will be a mess today...with a big load of boxes to deal with....but it should all be out and priced by the weekend.....we are dealing with 4 pallets of new stuff in 2 days, FROM 2 PLACES...that doesnt usually happen..we got half of it done yesterday.....i am always amazed to see a big 53ft truck maneuver into our dock...its as long as our parkinglot.....

a bad road trip....

this was a while back, in the spring.......but i just got the pictures..... something in the steering broke....and we had to be carried home.... we were 14 ft in the air..see jon, hes 6 ft 2..and had to go under a viaduct...luckily we broke down in a parking lot...i guess it could have been pretty bad...one wheel went one way and the other another....

BOUGHT TODAY....A BIG TRUCK LOAD OF NEW CHRISTMAS....lots and lots....

about 20 big boxes of it will be in the yardsale in august...garland, ornaments, figures, lots of gold and silver...italian dolls,.. one of our suppliers bought out a store and we got it all....some willl be out in the yard in the cheap rows at the yardsale and the nicest will be in the half price area at the yardsale...i might put a little in the half price room this week.....

A NICE BIG LOAD ..

JUST IN.....A NICE BIG LOAD...
old christmas balls,
old bottles ,
oak dressers
chairs
some french provincial lamps , figural
fancy white bedroom set , shabby and chippy with cherubs
big pile of kitchen primitives , nice old ones.
casket shrouds , i thought they were gypsy scarves
stack bookcase, not oak , so really reasonable

rag rugs, nice big

cute old trunk

store dummies...

lots of pictures and frames... ladies, mostly
neat seated halltree out of old door ...big and nice.
a small black counter/island , with tin door...
several buffets , painted and not

a batch of nice paned windows
wades peace signs

AND LOTS MORE..........

we got a whole box truck full of great antique misc last week.... plus a refill on our garland plus some large barn stars...plus some great things from the carpenters...
and the rough room is filling back up...

and also we saved back A NICE BIG PILE , like christmas and newer misc, FOR THE YARDSALE IN AUGUST...

.THIS IS AN OLD PICTURE OF JON... but it kind of says it all....my load was almost this big...

.and!!! i think i have a yard saler who will be bringing us more good stuff...

THE NICE THING ABOUT OUR CUSTOMERS.... today the shop was a wreck...besides the huge amount coming in, we sold a 9 ft long cabinet that was totally full of primitives late yesterday....so all that was trashing the prim room, ..and everything moved around to get the big cabinet out...plus the main hallway totally full of the incoming load.. ...it was kind of chaos.... we kind of apologized to the folks coming thru and almost all said thats ok....we like it like this......

plus.....i got some nice little treasures for altered artists and the steampunk fans that i will be putting on my etsy site http://www.gypsymarket.etsy.com/

we get the neatest people thru our store....today it was an old customer we havent see n for a long time............... i missed him but he left a card with his his blog and i sure enjoyed his site.....and the video at the bottom of the site..... talk about making lemonade out of lemons.....!!! enjoy

http://alcoholicoutsiderartist.blogspot.com/. very cute obama pictures and some really scary stuff as well...and hopeful.... ...

i think this one above was called rehabb


and this onE ...OUR PRESIDENT

if you go to his site there are wonderful links into the outsider art world.....

NICE AND JUNKY

we seem to be getting junkier everyday....i just love this recycled stuff.... i love saving the old parts and giving them a new life.... and i love seeing what other artists are doing with salvage...like my scary fish above....hes over 6 ft tall...

...PLUS OUR CUSTOMERS WHO ARE SO CREATIVE AND COME UP WITH ALL KINDS OF IDEAS ....

THEY LOVE DIGGING AROUND IN THE ROUGH PARTS , LIKE THE AWNING AND THE ROUGH ROOM OR EVEN OUTSIDE IN THE REALLY ROUGH PARTS... and i get to hear about lots of amazing projects.....WITH OUR WINDOWS DOORS AND TIN AND OTHER ANTIQUE MISC.....

so if its about junk, salvage, architectural parts, reusing , fantasy furniture ...im liking it and trying to get more and make more...

we try and have tons of parts on hand too....right now some really good windows , some with lots of panes, some stained glass...and lots of shutters too.and porch parts....lots of great porch posts right now....and still have a good supply of ceiling tin, new and old...

we deal with the teeny, like our watch faces AND LITTLE STEAMPUNK PARTS on our etsy http://www.gypsymarket.etsy.com/

and the huge like our 7 ft counters and 7 ft tall display pieces we build out of old parts...

for junk talk i sure like http://www.junkrevolution.com/ which can lead you to lots of junky eye candy.... and check out my junky links over on the left hand side ..and heres a new one http://junkinlady.blogspot.com/ and another http://sassytrash.blogspot.com/

jon is out buying today, so who knows what will be here by tonight.....

its kind of wierd but our most fabulous and expensive pieces were headed for the junk pile, as in demolition....im talking about our big chicago cabinets....which are saved by brave salvage guys in chicago and masterfully revamped by our amish carpenters.. they come from doomed buildings in the city...

we still have plenty of good pure antiques too..but the junk is sure popular

garden party.....

FUN at the garden party......

THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO CAME...

hopefully everybody got something neat for their garden...

...the star of the day came in a cute little convertible, and jon packed in a large bench, a large trike, a piece of fence and then all her little stuff....

next event is the yard sale in august....

cottage for sale....

our cottage on lake manitou is for sale...........its really nice.........all rehabbed....
we never seem to use it so its for sale...
http://www.lakemanitouhomes.com/web/pgcnfID_7594/listID_65046/Panoramic-Views-50-ft-lake-frontage-on-quiet-Park-Place

memorial day

happy memorial day....
and lets hope we are doing everything possible to keep our people in uniform safe...
come see us today and tomorrow.... lots of bargains and a free plant for you....
.

spring at the store....

THE GARDEN PARTY....

pics from last year...lots of garden iron..

and everything is on sale this weekend....

road trip.....

we just got back from a buying trip.... and brought some WONDERFUL THINGS FOR THE STORE.... like old seed boxes, little antique clay pots, fun funky junky flowers, cute bicycle baskets, a nice big china cabinet, more planters, good old boat oars, obama folkart, and lots more......all getting ready for our GARDEN PARTY....on memorial weekend..

this week we should be getting our flowers... including the freebies for our customers that day...

.we have one more order coming in for the sale....hopefully with the metal table and chairs.... we never know what we are getting until it actually shows up....

so we are kind of ready for our big weekend....

and best of all..... jon is better....

garden party....

our garden party is coming up..

.may 22 to 25 memorial day weekend...

its a lot of fun and kicks off the summer season for us...we are packed full .... its a sale and some suprises!!!...

.. . we got our new shipment of garden iron, our radio ads are ready, we are picking out the freebie for our customers that day......

we just hope for good weather and that everyone fits us in somewhere on that weekend!!!

painting

we are still painting lots of furniture..... we have lots of white and lots of black......

another store owner told me she sells lots of apple green , so i might try that....

our painter does most of the fine work, like the white buffet above ....but i do a lot too, the wildest mixed up kind like the beachy look and some of the real grubby things...

the main thing with painting old furniture is to make sure the paint will stick....so if its real shiny you have to do something..... we might sand it or use a primer like kilz....

we still like a drybrush coat over a solid coat....it makes such a nice casual finish....not too perfect....plus it can cover some of the inevitable flaws on an old piece...

heres another blog with great paint directions..she uses glazes...which we havent tried yet.....and pictures..http://karlascottage.typepad.com/karlascottage/2009/05/how-to-custom-paint-furniture-the-short-cut-way.html

around the store....salvage...

good news ...jon is all better....he doesnt look too good but hes definitely on the mend....and back to work.....
here he is unloading one truck into another truck....






SALVAGE COMES AND GOES AROUND HERE.........we make so many different things and each is really one of a kind since it starts with a vintage element.....
OUR THINGS END UP IN ADVENTUROUS HOMES ALL AROUND HERE BUT ALSO GO OUT TO TEXAS AND GEORGIA AND ???? OTHER EXOTIC PLACES WHEN THE DEALERS COME AND BUY FROM US....

we are here in corn country and have handy men who can do stuff.... and we have the old parts.....i think all that helps makes us and the midwest probably the cheapest place in the country to buy..... here, our big counters are around 300 to 400.....in a bigger fancier place they would probably be 7 or 800.....

NOW IN ,,, in salvage, rehabbed, re purposed.....

• 
  lots of buffets 150 to 350$, from elegant fancy black to beautiful romantic shabby white...


• lots of counters/cashwraps,/islands/bars....lots of variety right now from huge to only 4 ft.... 250 to 500$


• big cottage frenchy or shabby display cabinets...7 ft tall..4 ft wide...great for stores or foyers.....3 to 400$


• fun door shelves...140 to 200$


• shutter shelves 150 to 200$ nice big ones over 6 ft tall and narrow...


• plus we have lots of great vintage parts....cheap....and you can DO YOUR OWN THING...

the week in review

a little girl was in with her grandma....
....]
and the grandma said , you have to be good in here....then the little girl said i know...and pointed up to our big 6 ft sign, which is for sale and up on the wall....... saying be nice or leave

my friend the librarian..


we took a nice long ride, all on backroads, to our mall booth in nappanee.... and she was asking me about some business thing...i said its probably boring to you...and she said , no im a librairian ..nothing is boring ...

we have had a great week....
nice weather finally and lots of people thru the store..a good week except jon is still sick..... ... monday we are getting our last big load of garden iron.... the guy calls me from texas or mexico and tells me what hes seeing and i buy on the phone,,, no catalogs with this connection....

,
dang dang..... 2 people have been calling me all week about something coming up on the truck....and he just called and his truck is broken down in missiouri...... so if youre reading this.... i wont be getting your balls or butterflies tomorrow..... sorry sorry sorry....

jon

jon and lisa

timmy and noah , the well ones...

jons home sick with 2 sick kids and a sick wife....its a real bad flue i guess........
i fixed them dinner tonight..... and tried to help.....back to the dr tomorrow....

AROUND THE STORE

ANOTHER NICE BIG CHICAGO CABINET ...under 8 ft tall

our recycled roosters... 50$ TO 200$

a nice big mirror....great for a dress shop... or a big room....

our idea for a plasma tv...plenty of room ....its big, over 5 ft wide...

one of our cupboards in red.. WE HAVE LOTS OF OTHERS IN DARK AND LIGHT...THIS ONE 230$

cute little guys for your garden ...the gnomes


this is from 3 old chairs..... great with our tables.... but can be a regular bench too...



one of our counters...OR TV STANDS OR ???? OR WHATEVER YOU WANT...this one has a heavy milk glass top....and lots of 100 yr old parts...

AROUND THE sTORE TODAY......

ALSO IN RIGHT NOW....

• 8 oak mantles
• 4 church pews
• 4 harvest tables...amish made
• 5 more chicago cupboards
• oak sideboard
• 8 counter/islands/bars....from our old parts..
• lots more

lots of new in the key west room..... tubes, signs, some beachy cupboards....

BIG WEEK COMING UP...

this week we should be getting a huge order of garden stuff.... balls, stakes, statues,,, hooks brackets ... and another big load of garden iron from my arkansas buddy either this week or next...he calls me from the big iron yards down in texas and mexico and tells me ,in words, what hes looking at...i know his girl...his worker...and if i hesitate he says she said that looks like ann or that i would like it...and thats good becsue shes been here and does know what i like.... and notices more than her boss.....i have promised some things he said he would bring up here...so i hope he does it...

... its so nice to be outside and working in the garden iron....cant wait to plant the planters!!!

the flow of customers this week was nice.......one bought 10 of our biggest trellises for his new roses, one used our birdcage in her easter sermon....one bought white plates for the stained glass gazebo her dh is building her....one griped because we didnt have anything for her...... she comes every week....several brought friends, 2 are planning wonderful new spaces..one said he was reinventing himself..like it was a grand experiment...........some of our signs are going to a new bar....
it was a nice week.... some sun and more people....even some big wholesale...
and the good thing carol, our full time part timer is back from her winter stay in key west and will be at her station at the counter....mon tues and wednesdays anyway....

GARDEN PARTY ...


coming soon... our GARDEN PARTY IS COMING UP AT THE END OF MAY....memorial day weekend... so the planning is starting.... first we have to get the postcards ordered and designed..... and the email written....so everybody who has signed up with us will get notified.....also im picking out a nice FREEBIE FOR EVERYBODY..... i wonder if they would like a birdhouse or a packet of plants? we arent going to have as many plants this year.....im hoping another big load of garden iron comes this week...i have some great stuff ordered ...like another gazebo....and big balls.....
its usually a great weekend.....and hopefully worth the trip for everybody....

our NEW WEBSITE.... COMING SOON ..WITH VINTAGE ALTERED ART AND STEAMPUNK SUPPLIES...PLUS LOTS OF OTHER STUFF....... ITS IN THE WORKS AND WILL BE CALLED MAGPIEMARKET... WE GET SO MUCH THAT WOULD BE GOOD FOR ARTISTS MAKING NEAT GOTHIC ROBOTS OR STEAMPUNK JEWELRY OR VINTAGE COLLAGE AND SCRAPBOOKKING ....IT WILL BE A LOT LIKE OUR ETSY http://www.gypsymarket.etsy.com/ i just bought a bunch more watch dials and licence plates for it...also available at the store... it Will MOSTLY be vintage trash to treasure on line.... and mostly little parts....but also knobs and wood appliques ...OLD BEADS AND BUTTONS....
jons wife is doing it...SHE IS OUR WEBMISTRESS....

lost this year

• countryhome

• mary englebrites home companion,
• shabby chic , the brand.....
• and their 5000$ couches...we still love shabby chic

the idea....the idea of making and using the old in modern beautiful ways...

see a good article here.. http://www.salon.com/news/brand_graveyard/feature/2009/04/23/shabby_chic/

• LOTS AND LOTS of small stores....all over the country stores are closing.... support your favorites!!! we all need indie retail..it would be so boring with just dollar stores and walmart and the big chains......explore....

salvage

heres what we have for salvage...for all the people who come here to do their own thing....

corbels

plinths

windows

shutters

porch parts

barn relics

hooks and corners

old doors

licience plates

tin..new and old

hardware

wood appliques

and best of all a big awning and rough room full of furniture you wouldnt feel bad tearing apart....

JUST HEARING ABOUT ALL THE customers PROJECTS IS SO INTERESTING ...AND WE LOVE TO SEE their PICTURES...
i hear a lot about headboards, bathrooms...tv stands... and big wild porch and garden projects....

coming soon!!!

heres my garden from last may.... i just cant wait....its still cold and dreary and almost all brown and grey here...the garden today looks bare and cold and impossible..... i am so ready for spring!!!

this year i hope to leave the store a bit earlier everyday and get out there more.....at our other house the customers would go into the garden a lot...id see them sitting by the pond or just checking everything out.....and that was so nice.....its jons house now...and a playground......this garden is about 10 yrs old...and more formal....it started in our field...

somehow in spring everything seems possible i always lay out more than i could possibly get done.....we built a huge real pergola at the back of this, but never made any design or use of it.... now full of weeds and honeysuckle..... the whole garden is way over 100 ft long and that wide too.... kind of crazy....im going to have to go for more ground cover...its laid out in a big +....with 2 side gardens.......

so far, i have been rearranging and digging into my lovely compost...and trying not to decapitate the lilies...and just seeing whats coming up...

if you see me at the store with dirty nails....realize that i tried to clean up...but...i go out every morning before work... ...

greenoak at 30

hard to believe but we are in year 31.... in the same place with 2 of the same buildings.....
and one great big new one...or it used to be new i should say.....
we have a lot to be thankful for....especially our customers....who keep us going ....
and we are all thankful for the dear departed who saved and took care of all this stuff

when we started the key was DO YOUR OWN THING, back then it meant make your enviornment a way that made you happy...as much as you could...a lot of decorating rules flew out the window...... our customers put manure spreaders in their yards for flowers, they brought barn relics in the house..... they turned quilts into pillows... etc etc. for us it meant make a business where we could do our thing and not be in someone elses big system...

and now we are still doing our own thing and still getting fun , adventurous OUTSIDE THE BOX, some very outside the box buyers...

NOW we have added lots of new names.....shabby, green,steampunk, foo foo, VINTAGE INDIE or indie shopping...... and it fits us like a glove... we have kept to our roots....outside the box and privately owned open to about anything vintage and interesting.....
just dont expect us to twitter or myspace.....not yet anyway.

our customers always know they arent in a hallmark!!!

white eye candy and tours

here are some of the places ive seen lately out blog hopping...... if you like our white section and our archetectural things you will love these sites...so many good ideas...and great imagination....

one is about texas shows....dont they look great!!!

this blog http://cottagegardens-theresa-smith.blogspot.com/

and this one http://euroantiquemarket.blogspot.com/

and this one http://shabbychicblog.com/

and here http://peacockparkdesign.blogspot.com/

enjoy...

fun customers this week

the cutest car of the week was this big baby....owned by my buddy who won the lottery.....i liked the skull and crossbones plate...kind of steampunky..and it was big and macho and full of chrome....

also this week we had a teacher...who spent her own money buying a big bucket of broken marbles, for a mosaic project for her kids....so many teachers spend their own money...i wasnt even suprised....

its so dreary out we were thankful for anyone this week...

feeling fancy and frenchy

you can read this in french http://translate.google.fr/translate?hl=fr&sl=en&u=http://magpiecottage.blogspot.com/&ei=i1LgSfWiDpisjAemuYDVDQ&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=10&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Da%2Bmagpie%26hl%3Dfr%26sa%3DG

our fun frency stuff has started to come in....big dancing girls and gold crowns and all kinds of goodies...its in our white sectrion right down from the coffee....we even got another huge white mirror.... this one 5 ft wide..... i love this section....not sure what to call it... its shabby , a little french, european rustic, trashy castle.... anyway its fun and we try and have a lot of it....it fits our furniture rehabbing and refurbishing ideas...

.and im trying to get the french grey color down....

see on the vanity....its grey beige and white...one over the other.......

the mirror would be so grand anywhere....maybe a french bridal shop...or some super fancy store display, or in someones fabulous foyer.... or maybe in the dressing room...

the big stuff

we got lots of big stuff this week....

another nice big OAK CHICAGO CABINET ,, we have about 4 of these right now, all a bit different...they were the butlers pantry, built into the wall in the little room between the kitchen and the dining room.... we get them in the rough, usually with no sides or crown molding and the amish make them into these beautiful pieces....they are all under 8 ft ....and around 5 or 6 ft wide.... i hate to think how many must get bulldozed when they tear down the old neighborhoods....1890 to 1910

,

BIG OAK BUFFET FROM ENGLAND , big wide and not real tall...i never know the ages of english furniture

and this HUGE OAK MIRROR..probably 1890 to 1910.. we get them from our chicago guy.....its all refinished by the amish and ready to go... its always fun to imagine its next home...a fabulous dress shop or in someones huge foyer...this thing is really the peak of the oak period.... full columns and fancy carving on top....under 8 ft tall...

we also got 4 other hall mirrors, in the rough..... i never know what jon will bring home.... but its usually big.... also new this week...more buffets, and 3 more big counters or islands....

BELLA CHIC MOVED.... my daughter in carmel moved their store....its just east of bubs breakfast and at the end of the monon trail ... http://www.bellachicinteriors.com/ if you get down to carmel , northern indianapolis, take a look....

the garden iron came thursday.... trikes, pot chairs, armillaries, towers, cute bird stuff, nice big trellises, a gothic arbor, hanging planters, shepherds hooks, gazing ball stands, gazing balls, cheaper this year.... and more ...and more on the way...

want MORE BUSINESS TALK? im trying to revive my business blog http://www.greenoakshoptalk.blogspot.com/ come on over....

garden iron is coming

we have the garden iron all ordered..dh and i did it in january....it should be coming in about 3 weeks.... this has been such a long winter...but yesterday we had thunder and robins!!! such a good sign of spring in indiana..i am so ready for getting outside..

TONS COMING IN ... ..gazeboes, arches, lots of planters, hanging baskets, FENCE AND TRELLISES AND STAKES with birds on them, lots of hanging baskets, those fun big trikes, iron urns, big cement girls, benches, topiaries, the big birdtrees, iron dressforms, .big stakes with bugs on them....

.....im always trying to guess what the great folks who come here will be in the mood for!! .

and this week we should be getting a big load of small iron , rabbits, fairies, cherubs, pigs , stakes, wizard sticks, lots of iron brackets and corners and hooks.....

AND FROM THE CARPENTERS

.WONDERFUL BIRDHOUSES, FENCES, BARNWOOD PLANTERS, WILLOW PLANTERS,BIG GARDEN CARTS and maybe an outhouse or 2...

we are definitely getting READY FOR SPRING...

the little things

AROUND THE STORE

...here are some little snapshots of different things at the store...the recycled rooster, the fun hands, part of our dish section...... we seem to have fun customers for a big variety of kinds of things... and hopefully they will like some of the recent piles we have brought in....from little parts for altered art to barn relics to new in the foo foo.... we difinitely have lots of bigger steampunk and altered art parts in our outside areas... ....

lots more for spring and summer coming this week and next....

LOOKING FOR**wanted to buy in large quantities...

sap buckets,

locker baskets,

porch posts...?????...

anything old and neat...

not looking for.....most dishes,

we buy all the time....just talk to me or jon....