Shop photos from John's camera including a real Rockford, real original piece.

 



John came over and took some shop photos after we reset the front room for fall.  We changed our cover photo at that time, but haven't really focused on the vignettes in the store.  It was a bit difficult to select items because John had taken photos which took in so much of the room.

To the left is a cottage look display which includes an oval framed reverse painting on glass. All is original, including the chippy pink frame. In the foreground is a 70's lamp with metal leaf appliques on its lusterware shade.  The bottom globe of the lamp provides a night light effect when lit by itself.



 
To the right, is the black wood and metal chandelier with glass detail which John wired so it would light up the silver and crystal items on the server.  If you are looking for glitzy items to jump start your holiday decorating, we have a pretty good selection, and the silver is nicely tarnished.  (Can be polished of course.)

Finally, the simple server shown below.  It was manufactured in 1955 in Rockford and was originally a light colored wood with wood veneer I hesitated to paint it, but its simple lines and white porcelain knobs plus ceramic insets on top dictated a black redo. I love it.

You just can't beat the quality construction of earlier pieces with dove tailed drawers and all wood components.  Rockford was known for its furniture industries and its fine Swedish craftsman.

These are just a few of the reclaimed and repurposed items featured at Just A Second.

More items are constantly being added, so the shop changes frequently.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

Slowly recovering from all the activities of the past few days. What a wonderful weekend!

Started months ago planning our 50th high school reunion, with the grand finale on Saturday night at Forest Hills Country Club where we also had our senior prom.  

Sue and I go back to first grade (61 years ago!) at St. Peter School,  which was toured and appreciated Friday afternoon.  Since the rain and cold precluded us all meeting at the City Market, we gathered at our home where we reconnected in a smaller group, and relaxed with pizza and wine and beer and simply enjoyed each others' company. 

 

Most of the above pictured were St. Peter classmates with a couple of very much welcomed others joining us.  As Julie said, the reunion was more like a very large family reunion, so deep are our connectionsl

Of course, had to get the house prepared for Fall, since all my efforts at change of season are first centered on the shop.

The dining room table with very subdued tones, pewter, silver, neutral candles and berried garland on linen runner.






And the mantle with a scuffed white pumpkin and fall leaves.  









Love white pumpkins, both at home and at the shop.  The one below with burlap is real and purchased at our local farmers' market.  It is wonderfully flat on one end and sits perfectly on a tall candle stand.
Anyone have any idea how long it will last inside? Comment below if you do.


And speaking of the shop, this weekend while I was enjoying all the reunion activities, Tina brought in these really cute acorn treats shown.

  Here's the recipe ... 1 bag mini chips, bag of kisses, bag of Nutter Butter bite size. Melt half the chips and use the melted chocolate to attach the kisses onto the Nutter Butter cookies. Then use the melted chocolate to attach a mini chip to the top. Then eat and ENJOY. So good and so cute too.

And, finally, picked these blooms from the blue hydrangea bush which, although planted 15 years ago, finally bloomed for the first time this past summer.  They set their buds in the fall and most mid west winters kill them (the buds).  Because of the mild winter, the blooms were abundant, and the fall transition is beautiful.  Now, did I mix it up enough today?

The Junk Bonanza and connections

 Well, where do I begin!?!

Still recovering from all the fun and excitement of our Junk Bonanza excursion with the girls.

First stop in Shakopee was the wine and spirits store where we picked up a bottle of wine for the motel room.(We never finished even one bottle of wine).

The next morning when we hit the show bright and early (we were in the early bird group), we met Mark Luke and Ki from Flea Market Style Magazine, had someone take our picture in the Junk Bonanza truck, sampled their mini donuts, and waited in the chilly Minnesota morning for the doors to our adventure to open.  We were advised to separate

and each do our own thing, so we wasted no time chit chatting and started on our mission.
One of the first booths I came upon after heading to the Bonanza store to pick up my very first hoodie (can you believe that!) and an early bird t-shirt for Julie, was the booth I was told to look for by Jeannie LaBelle of The Gilded Junqueyard. 

So, here she is Gretchen Schaumann of Mimi-Toria Jewelry Designs. Told her Jeannie said to say hi, and of course we had to have a picture taken, and I had to look at her beautiful creations, and since Jeannie told me I had to buy stuff for me and not the store, or it would be just another work day, I bought a bracelet.  It was a silverplate spoon handle with a grape motif on which Gretchen had embossed the word, "wine", and then added rosé colored beads and a little silver wine glass.  Perfect memento of our outing.  I love it!

 

On to taking photos of a few displays, with permission, of course. But my iphone soon was running out of power.. It too was overwhelmed by it all.

and when I tried to send them back to Tina, she said they were coming in almost like a video. So much for documenting it all photographically.

Back to shopping.  Came across some really cool metal letters - large and industrial looking - minimal selection, but there was a "G".  OK "G" for Gile, now to find an "r" and "j", think wall display at home. Mission accomplished after visiting several more booths indoors and out. 

A booth attracted my attention and items were flying out of there so fast there soon would be nothing left.
It was all black and grey and rusty and white and some touches of aqua including aqua architectural columns.

The chandelier was so bright in the middle of the rusty gazebo, that it was difficult to capture the detail.
Had to get a photo of this urn with, among living plants and other delights, were player piano rolls.  Tina has come up with a wonderful reuse which you will have to see for yourself at the shop.

 


Ended up buying this cool fireplace screen, which was of course too narrow for our fireplace.  To sell or to find a good use...hmmm.  Had to remind myself that I was buying for myself, so took those found letters and mounted them on this screen, took down the print that was above the amoire and replaced it with my composition.  Added the home fire extinguisher and one of my spool candlesticks, a great tin basket (the treasure from our recent fantastic Seattle warehouse wedding event) and a gift from a friend, wood and metal brick red wheelbarrow, and voila! something else for the kids to give me a hard time about.

Speaking of which, my oldest daughter recently asked her husband how he would describe her mom. He replied, "free-spirit"  He said she is the most free-spirited person he knows.

Imagine going from "Church Lady" to "free spirit" all the while maintaining the very same moral code.  Huh!?!

Signs of Fall? and The Vintage Market

 Returned from my walk this AM and was greeted by coffee on the butcher block, complete with fall dish towel embellished with leaves, an orange napkin, and a jigger(!?!) of cream, actually half and half.  Can't seem to go the black coffee route.  Maybe when I grow up.

Guess it means we have to put the white jeans away and start thinking about Fall accents for our homes.

Been working on a few items which will be for sale at the Vintage Market in Roscoe this coming weekend, September 7 and 8. As mentioned, the criteria for exhibits are hand crafted, vintage, or re-purposed.

So we have quite a few twig wreaths embellished with burlap and vintage items.  The one pictured has an antique pocket watch with chain. There will be others. Consider this a sneak peek. Others will be on display - some for Fall and, Oh no!, a few for Christmas, all done in the simple, rustic style which easily complements primitive, neo traditional (pottery barn), rustic, and French country.

Tina Rippy and I will be in the Just A Second tent in the outside area next to Canine Colony on Main Street in Roscoe. Speaking of sneak peeks, got a few peeks at Tina's treasures which include wonderful textiles, antique furniture, her sought after felted wool creations, as well as other handcrafted and vintage accessories.
You won't want to miss it.  Click on the poster below (and isn't that cute!) for more details.

Just A Second will be closed this Friday and Saturday, because we will be at Harvest Vintage Market with so many wonderful choices that the store will be most empty.
If you have needed a Just A Second fix, you will be sure to find it in Roscoe this weekend.

Vintage Market here we come

Moving along redoing furniture and surprising myself a bit.

Don't know if it's the change of season, changes I'm seeing in my favorite decorating magazines, or just changing my own style a bit.

All three of these projects should have had before photos.

The round drum table was originally done in a dark mahogany finish. It had boards that didn't quite match up on top and the top itself was partially stripped. After sanding the top and seeing the beautiful wood grain I decided to just stain it in a warm wood tone.  The rest of the table was painted in a stone color.  The legs were distressed slightly, and I'm very happy with the result.

Next, the candle/plant stand needed its top refinished and the rest was left as found, traditional dark wood stain.  Love the tall lines -

A great piece.

Finally found this table with great lines and a plate glass top. Every other aspect of the table was in need of a redo.  Satin black paint did the trick - emphasized the nice
silhouette and resulted in a table that could serve as a nightstand, an end table, or even a cocktail table.

We'll still have lots of shabby and primitive pieces and accessories to go with them - everything vintage or hand crafted, or redone.  Join us at the Vintage Market
September 7 and 8 on Main Street in Roscoe or visit us at 1710 N. Main Street in Rockford
Wednesday - Saturday 11-4.

The Vintage Market Returns!

Mark your calendars for September 7 and 8. Just A Second and Tina Rippy will be participating in the Harvest edition of Vintage Market (click on poster for more details) 


 




Our store will be closed those two days while we join with other vendors to bring you a wonderful selection of vintage furniture, felted wool accessories and furnishings, in addition to other hand-crafted and embellished decorating accents for Fall and all year.

These are just a few examples of the types of goodies we will be taking to the Vintage Market.  Everything is either vintage, re-purposed, or hand crafted, so you can be assured you will be getting one of a kind items.

In the two weeks between now and the show, we will be busy painting and crafting and deciding on how best to provide the best shopping experience we can.

We are really excited to join this market and hope to see you there.

OK, time to 'fess up.  We are addicted to watermelon.  This has not much to do with decorating. Just had to share.

Came home from my walk this AM, had coffee, checked computer, needed to get to shop because I didn't want to miss the UPS man again.  Needed the boxes to ship some book orders. Then decided to have breakfast.  Filled the bowl with cereal and went to fridge to get the milk. This is what greeted me.

I couldn't stop laughing, and John was so happy to catch my first reaction.  Who said this doesn't have to do with decorating. Have you ever seen a coffee filter used so well?

It seems every time John stops at the store, he is at the back door with another watermelon. I was about to start calling him "the watermelon man", but now the title is reserved for my refrigerator pal.

I am fortunate because in addition to making morning coffee ( I shouldn't tell you, but he is actually grinding the beans!) and making sure the Brita is filled, John is now cutting up the watermelon, so it is always at the ready. Is watermelon available in the winter?

 

As an aside, these are the books I am shipping to Amazon with the start of school eminent. Need to put a kind word in for the RRstar and my ad rep.  The ad came out pretty faint in the paper last week, and they are rerunning it for me. Thought that was a very kind gesture.  They get accolades from this small business owner for whom advertising is an expense more difficult to handle than for a bigger company. Thank you RRstar.