"Scary" Storm & Last Day for THE BIG BELLA SALE!

( Image borrowed from boston.com)

We had some really awful weather come our way this past weekend. Living in the woods has it's ups and downs. Let's just say there were a lot of downs.

Downed trees.

Downed wires.

Downed power.

I'm not going to let it get me down however!!!

We did get out of the house and I did a little bit of antiquing. Found a few new treasures to share in my Bella Rosa shop but when I will get them on exactly is up in the air.
For those of you who love vintage Christmas....I found a couple of neat pieces!


I'm hoping by Wednesday I can share them with you!


Hang in there with me... it has been tough. We take our electricity, computers, etc for granted until they are gone! And to top it all off this morning I went out to my car to go to my dentist appointment and my battery was dead.


Again, not down about this because any reason to put off the dentist is fine with me!

See, I can be positive.

Sweets are in the Pink

Now I know I'm a little bit behind... but I didn't think I was several WEEKS behind.

I'm finally getting around to showing this wonderfully sweet gift basket Miss Kathy of The Writer's Reverie gave to me on her visit to our area back in September.

Doesn't it just look scrumptious? There's chocolate and tea and all kinds of goodies.

And just enough pink to keep a pink nut like myself happy!

Our forecast for tonight into Pink Saturday? SNOW! It isn't even halloween yet folks...

I'm going to dive into my basket and turn up the music.

Enjoy the day!

The BIG Bella Sale = My Good News and Bad News

Well it appears my computer woes continue... my hard drive was not revived. Bummer! So a new hard drive was ordered. Then this did not work either for some reason. Double bummer!

Now I have to decide if I want to buy a new computer or just use my laptop.

So that is the bad news!

The good news is...this week I am having a 20 percent off sale! Storewide! Everything!
You get to pick where the savings should go.

Simply drop me a line with a way to contact you and I will email you a special link to the site which will give you the discount. I hardly ever have a sale so this is a great opportunity to save on something you've always wanted to buy but haven't.

Or, you can start your holiday shopping!

All purchases during the sale will receive an antique Christmas postcard as a special bonus.

Sale ends October 31st at midnight.

And it only cost me a dollar!

Last week when I went to pick up Bebe from school, I found out the teacher was planning a "Community Day" for this week. The kids were to come to school dressed as a community helper.

Well, all we had at home were three costumes. Princess, a cheerleader, or a ladybug. I try not to push the princess idea too much and I definitely didn't want to push the idea that princesses were community helpers but I suppose they could be. Afterall, Glenda the Goodwitch was pretty darn helpful in Munchkin Land!

Anyway, I came up with a nurse's costume because we already had the basic whites in everything: White shirt, white tights, shoes, and shorts. The only thing I needed was the apron and hat.

I found all of the supplies in my fabric box except for the plain white headband. I just happened to find a princess tiara in the dollar bin at Joann Fabrics this past weekend.

A few quick zips through the sewing machine and the apron was done. I glued the red cross on to save myself time... and I used card stock inside the "hat" to keep it from flopping down.

It all looked great! The bad thing? Bebe's preschool teacher thought it was so cute she wants to call on me in the future for more costumes because I am "so talented!" Oh noooooooooo.

Shelley Collectible Teacups - History

Shelley is one of the most collectible of the teacups out there. The history of Shelley goes back to the 19th century as most potteries do. Here is a bit of history from The English Store Tea Blog:

In the 1860’s, the Wileman family were the owners of a large pottery known as the Foley Works located in Staffordshire, England. James B Shelley joined the Wilemans, became the head of the earthenware works and eventually ended up running the china works. In 1881 James then took his son Percy into partnership and after James’ death, Percy took over the china works.

Percy employed the best artists and developed a world renowned bone china along with the well known Dainty shape (shown above). But in 1910, there was concern about using the name Foley, as Foley was actually a pottery region. By 1925, Percy had officially renamed his bone china Shelley. In the 1930′s Shelley also became well known for their Art Deco creations. They were even allowed to continue producing china throughout World War 2, unlike many other British potteries.

The Shelley teacup shown above may be found by looking here in my Bella Rosa Antiques store. This one is in the "Dainty" shape (more adored than the others) and it has a scenic pattern called "Heather." Shelley teacups are more desirable because they were crafted of a beautiful, fine translucent bone china.

They say if you are a teacup collector than you should have at least one Shelley in your collection. Come on, who's willing to fess up to their collection? I'd love to hear about yours.

New Arrivals: Just Listed! Shabby Roses China, Mechanical Postcard, Pop Up Valentines

Each week I have a favorite piece. I think this is it!

There are so many things to like about this cake plate.

Victorian pitcher. The lines and shape are elegant,

not to mention the lovely roses.

A very pretty two handled cake plate.

I like the background on this antique pop up Valentine, red instead of the usual white.

Printed in Germany.

I found this pretty plate in a little local antique shop.
Handpainted gold touches throughout.

A mechanical, folding, pop up postcard. This is the first I've seen like this.

This cup is so sweet! I usually see these with "Mother" or "Father" printed on them.

The "Mama" is so endearing!

Cowboy songs! Yeeeee haaaaaa!

Vintage style bling...I'm thinking holiday party!

Ask, Seek, Knock. I'm offering this piece free to anyone who asks for it.
(To go with the motto)
Glass inkwell ...comes with the shabby old pen and antique postcard.


Antique pop up Valentine from Germany.

George and Martha plates by Johnson Bros. England.

Kind of ironic, eh?

A little book on OLD French Furniture. . . of Louis XV

Great photos of some elegant pieces.

There are a few more items not shown here...you can check them out in my

Just Listed cateogry on BellaRosaAntiques.com

Thank you for stopping by! I enjoy finding new homes for the antiques I find.

Let me know if there is something you are looking for.

I'm linking to How Sweet the Sound for PINK SATURDAY!

Won't you join the rest of the crew to see what is new?

http://www.howsweetthesound.typepad.com

A Look Back at Vintage Glamour: Vanity Trays, Perfume Bottles, Makeup & More

In our travels, looking for great vintage pieces, we come across old vanity items.

Mirrored trays, compacts, perfume bottles, rouge and more.

I found a great article on a new magazine called Home & Antiques. They had a few pictures I really liked. This is one of them. I also borrowed the next two to show you some of the neat things you can find when hunting through old things.

I love the old graphics on these containers. How I'd like to try the "Flapper Curler!" I would of course, need to cut my hair short.

This image conjures up thoughts of the 1940's and the USO.

World Wars are not glamorous.

But these women, holding down the fort at home, were strong while still

holding onto their femininity. To quote the article from Home & Antiques:

"...wearing make-up wasn’t just a pleasure, it was part of a woman’s patriotic duty."

The images below are from my Bella Rosa Antiques shop in the "La Donna Bella" category. (The Beautiful Woman)

This vintage celluloid vanity set is from the same era if not a little earlier.

I love the vintage style of this mirrored plateau.

You won't find one of these Heather Rouge tins in today's drugstore. There is still makeup inside!

A lovely shade of red called "Geranium."

For the organized gal. A lipstick holder.
Sweet little bottle with a pretty scent.

A little bit of gay romance!

Isn't it funny how our language has changed?

Another lipstick holder... with a bit of aurora borealis bling!
Great vintage talc tin.

I often wonder who owned items like these. What were they

dealing with in life? Were they single gals, housewives, or career girls?

Pieces of the past which connect us to a vintage world of beauty and glamour.

While the look has changed our desire to sparkle and shine remains the same.

I hope you enjoyed today's journey back in time!

Falling for Pink

About this time of year the leaves start to change... and I start to cringe. I'm not a typical lover of fall. Why? Well, it means winter is coming and I'm defnitely not into cold weather. Bah-hum bug!

But this year I've decided to embrace fall... we've been enjoying pumpkin hunts, molasses cookies, butternut squash soup, the foliage. All kinds of fun things!

After all, it is so beautiful!

So today I'm sharing one of my latest finds with you. This pretty teacup and saucer is vibrant with a deeper pink and a little bit of fall coloring.

Have a super PINK Saturday be sure to stop on by to visit the pink party that goes on every week at How Sweet the Sound

SALE! 20% Off Our Best Vintage & Popular Jewelry

From now until the end of November, all of our fine jewelry is 20% off.

Christmas shopping, made easy!

You'll find stunning and creative artisan made pieces like the one above.


Or this beautiful mother of pearl and sterling silver ring...


Or this uniquely made rhinestone "Stanhope" cross"which if you hold it up to the light and look through the center circle, you can read the Lord's Prayer inside. Very beautiful, maybe there is someone special who could use some encouragement today?

The rest of our fine jewelry may be found here.

Enjoy the rest of the week! I am hoping to go antiquing this weekend (aren't I always?)
I also just returned from fixing up the antique booth hubby and I share...and lo and behold,

I found a couple of "new" treasures!

Can't wait to show them to you next week, along with whatever else I find this weekend.

I'll probably be back tomorrow for Pink Saturday... see you then!

New Arrivals and a SALE: All Fine Jewelry 20% OFF

This is just a sample of what I've listed this week.

I'm limping along after my computer crashed... so this post is going to be short and sweet!

Check out my latest finds after attending an auction this weekend... PLUS I've marked all FINE JEWELRY 20% Off. Not too early to start buying for Christmas.

Check it all out on BellaRosaAntiques.com

Have a BELLA day!

Computer Explosion

Computers and antiques. Such complete opposites of each other (well, unless you have an OLD one) but when you are in the business of selling the latter online then you need the former.

I've been running on a wing and a prayer since the Great Christmas Day Computer Crash of 2010...when I lost my entire address book and a lot of my hard drive files. Well, now the hard drive has really gone kerplunky. KERPLUNKY! Is that even a word? It has ceased to exist as my working team member, that's all I know. We have been pretty good about backing things up since the GCDCC '10 but I am trying to figure out whether to replace the hard drive or to buy a new computer. Currently I am using my laptop (I realize how blessed I am to have both.) The problem with relying on my laptop as a back up is....none of my usual photo editing programs, outlook express, and other handy items are on it.

So, this could work out well for my followers/customers. I might just have to have a sale this week instead of listing new items. Or maybe a combination of the two.

Stay tuned!

Do You Miss the ME Magazine?

Were you a fan of the Mary Engelbreit Home Companion magazine? I used to receive them and LOVED them. I still have all of my issues. They're full of vintage fun, creative ideas and great inspiration....and they really don't go out of style.

But the magazine stopped being published. :(

Today I received an email asking if we miss the magazine... if they get enough people to support the RETURN of Home Companion, it will be back!

I voted already. If you miss it too, here is your chance to say "I WANT IT BACK!"

And Happy Pink Saturday to a bunch of creative, inspirational pinkies. Enjoy your weekend!

Calling All China - Latest Listings Have Arrived!

Making a call on this phone is a lot of fun...the old rotary dial still works. The whole thing is as heavy as can be but has a great vintage look. !
This is a little heavy too but gosh I've looked high and low for one in my price range and I finally found one! A vintage plateau mirror/ perfume tray.

Pretty and vintage LEFTON china plates in the rose chintz pattern. Sweetly iced cake would look even more delicious served on these. Or how about that pumpkin / apple pie served at Thanksgiving? These vintage metal flower frogs may be prickly but they make great card holders!

Royal Austria china...dates to the early 1900's.
I used to think these were just funny looking tea cups until someone told me they were cream soups. Then I started collecting them. This one is marked Theodore Haviland, Limoges, France and was in my collection but now I've started collecting other things. It is part of the antique biz, I guess, to collect ALL KINDS OF THINGS.

There's more where these pieces came from, in fact I listed 16 items total yesterday. Check them out, here.