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Thursday, May 31, 2012

Scenes from the Lake

We made it!
 We were finally able to spend time at the lake house.
It was touch and go there for awhile
to see when we were going.

The house is now ours!

Dear Hubs is so excited.
He worked on remodeling it all
weekend.

We have so much more to do.

We could hear the boaters and other residents
laughing and having a great time
out on the water...

But we kept going knowing our fun
times will come!


  After working on the main floor
I've discovered I have"paint" fear and I'm
second guessing my decorating choices
 at the moment. Ever do that?



Sometimes you just have to go with your plan.

And the scenery was so beautiful it was hard
not to enjoy being there!

Bebe loved it!

I'll be back soon with new listings
and more pics...trying to get my bearings today.
Moving everything into the lake house
and then coming back home
is going to take some time to
get all of my ducks in a row.

No pun intended!


Monday, May 28, 2012

In Memory Of...


Memorial Day began as a way to honor
the fallen soldiers post civil war.
It was called Decoration Day.


Sometimes we forget the real meaning...
I am guilty as charged.

I often think of it as a "kick off to summer."



Thank you to those who have sacrificed so much.

And thanksgivings to the One who gave
us our freedom in the first place.

One Nation, Under God.
Amen.



Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Summer Planning: Decorating a Lake House on a Barbecue Budget

This week I'm gathering my thoughts on all of the bits and pieces of furniture, wall art, and other things we've been collecting over the past few months.
Trying to keep the budget SMALL.

I'm calling it my "barbecue budget."

Not always easy and how do I put
all of these scattered collected items
all together with a plan of action?

I'm sure once we visit our lake house this summer we will
figure it all out.

Pinterest comes in handy too!
I'm filing all of my ideas from the
internet in one place.


There's a pretty neat idea I see in the photo above
(from a beach decor blog)
for a coffee table we picked up at our local
Salvation Army.
We were lucky enough to hit a "fifty percent off"
furniture day!
Picked up a cool chair and a set of twin beds, too!


The pennants in this photo caught my eye!
I'm not too crazy about the British flag pillows
(no offense to the English of course!)
but I think with a little imagination
I can do something similar.

I saw this neat pennant banner on Ebay.
I think I can do something like it
for the kids room.

Plus I've started sewing some pillows for twin beds.
I'll have to take some pics of my "during"
phase before it is too late!


This is a fun room too. Of course the room
wouldn't be the same without the
awesome "BOATS" sign.

Why not handpaint something similar?

I'm looking forward to lots of fun projects.
And a long summer ahead to keep
me busy...

I'll keep my camera handy!

Monday, May 21, 2012

By the Beautiful Sea & Some Antique Finds!


What a beautiful weekend it was to be by the ocean.

 For our Mother's Day presents,
my Mother, Sister, and I spent some
 quality time together by staying in this
hotel right on the boardwalk.

We shopped, antiqued, and ate boardwalk food.
What could be better than that?



I really love being at the beach...

 But when I got home I found these lovely magazines
waiting for me!

Which only inspired me more to
quickly gather my latest finds
from my seaside stay to share with you!
 Exquisite teacups...
These were found "off shore"

 I just fell in LUV with this glass display case.
To sell or not to sell?

 Some vintage jewelry...
And this sweet watering can is being sold
on consignment

I wish I had found this one!

This week I'll be  getting these items ready to
add to the Bella Rosa website
as well as Bella Rosa on Etsy.
Stay tuned!

PLUS: More on our latest "Lake house" adventures.
We've been gathering and collecting
furniture, housewares, and all kinds of
things for our new place.
From Craigslist to antique shops to yard sales
we're like a couple of little squirrels.

Can't wait to share my ideas!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

A Little Sweet Tweet About Pie Birds


Why does the pie bird sing?


To let the steam out, of course!

Here's a little history from Countryliving.com:

"(They were) designed to prevent pie fillings from boiling over by creating a steam vent. Though English bakers started using workmanlike ceramic funnels for this purpose in the early 1800s, the utensils didn't take on fanciful bird forms until migrating to the States in the 1930s. The inspiration? The nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence": Four and 20 blackbirds, baked in a pie."
Read more:
Vintage Pie Birds – Antique Porcelain Pie Figurines - Country Living



I've come across a few different pie birds in my
travels but the one above and the
following "pie birds" are very hard to find.

The black pie bird in the first photo is
the most common.
 How about a red cardinal?

Or a pretty rooster?
Now these pie fruits are unique...


Or this Christmas pie bird

 I happen to like the pink pie elephant!
But then there is always the pie chef, too.


Just writing this blog post makes
me want to find one or two
to start a little collection.
Three is a collection, right?

The woman Country Living interviewed for
the article had more than 1,000!

That's a lot of pies.

Hope you are having a great week...I'll be back
after a weekend with my Mom, oceanside.
My first Mommy weekend away since Bebe
was born.

Am I excited?

Oh yes!

See you when I return!

(My shop will still be open, shipping day
will be Monday or Tuesday of next week)

All photos for the post were taken from Countryliving.com

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

New Arrivals! Vintage Favorites Like Toy China, Ohio Art, Fenton Art Glass, Teacups & More

Presenting our latest finds for

 Fenton Wavecrest glass candy box

 Advertising card or what we call ephemera

 Very early embossed sugar bowl.
Love the unique shape.


Botanical prints in Iris and Tulip.

From Germany!


China rose plate with vintage
haircombs. Great for a dresser display!


Vintage silk and lace hankie
"to my Dear Mother"

Vintage fifties Ohio Art


Lovely vintage wax cake topper
for Valentine's day or a vintage themed
wedding! Also use it as an ornament!


Tole tray with handpainted violets



Beautifully done needlepoint of roses.
Nice larger size!


dated back before the civil war.
Written by a Reverend in Pennsylvania
And one of my favorite finds of the week!
Pink lustre teacups and saucers, the handle is in
the "back" of the cup.

There's more listed, not shown.
Check out the rest, here.

Next post:
A little history behind pie birds!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Just a Little Monkey

A Pic Monkey, that is!

While trying to edit my photos today for the shop,
I encountered some trouble with my Kodak program.

Why keep using Kodak where there are other
fun programs like Pic Monkey?

I have photoshop but for the life of
me I can't find the time to learn
how to use it properly.

What do you use?

Stay tuned...new listings
either tonight or
early tomorrow morning!

Monday, May 14, 2012

Sneak Peek at Our Latest Finds

In between the raindrops and playing
toddler games...
Dear Hubby and I managed to
go antique hunting for the shop!

Luckily for us it was sunny and nice over
the weekend.
Not so much today!
So let's take a look at some of the
treasures we found:

These are absolutely adorable.
Miniature versions of the larger adult sets
for the kitchen.
I'm not sure how I'm going to sell them yet as
there are four lids missing.
Do I sell the whole set as is? 
Or sell only the pieces with lids...
To be determined!

While filling my antique booth with the
larger items we found I spotted
this sweet hankie and a wax
ornament.

 And a few of these lovely pink lustre teacups and saucers!
 Dear Hubby found this vintage Ohio Art watering can.
I am tempted to keep it for the kids room
at the lake house.
What would you do?


 And along with the green canister
set came this sweet other set.
I love how the "CLOVES" is on upside down.
Does this make it more valuable?

You know I can't resist roses...
how could I when I saw them in this lovely
vintage needlepoint wall hanging?
I love how it is in a circular shape.

More on what we found...
when I list my items
(hopefully tomorrow)
this is just a sneak peek!