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Saturday, June 30, 2012

Mother of Pearl Buttons - Shell Shocking History

Recently I came across an awesome post with some
great information about mother of pearl buttons.
I have to admit, I never knew where they came from!

It was Faye from Wild Rose Vintage who brought
 it all into perspective for me.

She wrote about mother of pearl button making here.

I asked if I could share some of her photos, etc.


It all started when she and her hubby
 came across these shells
with the holes in them.

I probably would have just said
"Oh look, there are holes in them thar shells!"

But alas, they had a real purpose for being well, holey.



She even did research on an old button factory
in her area (I think near the Mississippi)
that did the same kind of thing
back in the day.

Of course, her post and info is much better
than mine here.

I encourage you to check out her details!

 
Here is an example of what the factory did.

And voila....real mother of pearl buttons from
real shells!

Who knew?


I am definitely looking at MOP buttons (andshells )
with a different perspective and appreciation now.

Thank you Faye!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Summer Lovin'

What's not to love about summer?
Seriously.
My favorite time of the year.


We've already played in the lake.
It's so fun and relaxing we
tend to lose track of time there.

Not a bad thing during
Good 'ol summertime!
 
Rode in a barrel car at a local
Dairy Farm festival.
Mommy was given a free cookbook.
Can't wait to try out some
of the new recipes. 


And we even swam like fishies
with my local Mommy's group.

(That's Bebe with the yellow swim ring
I'm taking the photo)

 
We are blessed to
have so many wonderful
friends, places to go,
and things to do around us!

How are you enjoying your summer?

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Summer Fun: Keepin' Em Busy With Vintage Games


My latest idea for the lake house:
VINTAGE GAMES!

I'm going to keep a basket of
them on hand.

Late nights or rainy days
or just because they're fun!



Not all of them are going.
Some I will be selling in the shop soon.

I'm not really sure how popular BINGO cards
and pieces are anymore.
I think I still have some
available in the shop.

 I have memories of playing pick up
sticks and BINGO but
 Dominoes and Lotto not so much.
And I had never heard of PIT until
I started dealing in antiques!

There is also another game
I have never heard of before in this pile
Sabotage.
 Have you ever played it?


Some of my favorites as a kid were
of course, Monopoly, Payday
and Sorry!

My Grandmother had Parcheesi
which we always played at her house.
And "Go Fish" the card game.
What fun!
My Sister, if she reads this
will get a kick out
of these memories!

_______________________________________________________


And don't forget books!
I picked these up at our local library.
They sell donated books
as a fundraiser.

This one looked brand new
and I thought it was perfect 
to keep up at the lake house.

There are card games I've
never even heard of in there!



Although it is a quirky read,
this "Americana Scrap Book"
makes a great coffee table
book up at the lake as well.

We'll be joined by my Step Daughter
and her family. It will be our
first time hosting there!

Let's hope I can keep
'em busy!

Ivy and Elephants

Monday, June 25, 2012

A Hot Day for Antiques

Over the weekend Hubby and I
decided to spend the afternoon
in a small town nearby with
a collection of little shops.

There just so happened to be an
antique barn along with them!

So, in we went.

It was a hot day and this
old industrial GE fan
looked appealing ...

 As well as this wooden soda crate
full of 7up bottles

 I was eyeing this Coca Cola sign
"Sold Here Ice Cold"
Wouldn't this be a gem for
the lake house?

It was a little out of my price range.

 So was this cute, tin sand bucket...
$64.00 was on the tag
 And speaking of prices...
I got a huge kick out of this booth...

The sign reads
"All Items Marked 10.00 each"

 Kind of like at the dollar store.
Except everything was 10.00.

Makes it easy to do
the accounting, I suppose!

Also easy to figure out a sale.
50% off = .....
well, you get the picture!


Over in another booth...
This gorgeous old celluloid album
was a beautiful piece to have on
display...I didn't even look at the tag

I also liked this sign...
advertising an antique flea market
Obviously it is now a thing of the past
But would look great on a future wall in our lake house!

Hope you enjoyed our
afternoon antiquing.

What did you do this past weekend?
I'd love to hear from you! 

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Roll Out the Barrel... Summer is Here! New Arrivals and my NEW Mystery Sale

It's here.... my new Mystery Sale!
Each time  I unveil my latest listings there will also be a mystery sale where twelve items get drastically reduced. You just never know which things I will choose so check back often...

Now, here are this week's latest finds:

 First up, my favorite piece of the week!
GORGEOUS and signed by the artist.

 French "token of affection" postcard

 A present from the fair!
I don't know about you
but I just love memories
of going to the fair.
Here is a vintage souvenir for you!


Lovely antique Valentine card
with a lace "overlay"


Purple glass bead "grape" earrings
Wear them out to dinner or
for a wine tasting!

I've seen some fantastic pillows created
out of old needlepoint pieces.
This one reads "HELLO" in the center 

A couple of antique vanity items
in milk glass
Also receive the three antique
keys for your display 

 This is my other favorite this week.
A micro mosaic brooch surrounded
by sterling silver I do believe.
I love the millefiori design.
In Italian, millefiori means 1000 or
"many" flowers.
 Two more vintage Nancy Drew books


Remember the old advertising jingle?
"I loooooooove New Yoooooork!"
City landmarks.

 Shabby books of Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Francis Bacon and
 Alden's English Verse

 Victorian lady in an elegant purple gown
A fancy way to have tea or
maybe it is a shaving mug!

 I have two pieces this week in this
This is just the soap sized dish...
Check out the other
"Three crown china" piece here!

of violets because not everyone likes pink!

Be sure to check out the mystery sale
each time I announce
my latest listings...

Have a great weekend!

Monday, June 18, 2012

In the Still of the Night

Dear Hubby made a quick trip up
to the lake house to work on
a few projects.


He decided to put together the dock
so we'd be all set this summer.

I love the stillness of the lake at night.

Which reminded me of the loons
we see and hear crying out
in the middle of the night.

If you've never heard a loon call,
you really need to.
It is quite something!

Hopefully I'll get a photo
of the loons
on my next trip.

For now, I have found a link
to this website where there
is a recording of a loon.

Enjoy!
I'll be back soon...
debating on whether I should
get up really early
for my Tuesday fleamarket.

I'll be back to let you know
and to share my latest finds!

Friday, June 15, 2012

What I Learned From Dad


This is my Dad, in about 1959,
along a lake not too
far from where I grew up

He and my Mother met there
(I'm so glad they did!)

He taught us:

To be practical,
To use common sense.

He desperately wanted my
Sister and I to learn how to
change the oil in our cars.
(I still have to tackle that one)

To have a sense of humor.
(Note the photo above)

He taught me how to throw
a baseball.



How to drive,
how to bait a hook


To turn the lights off.

To appreciate what God
has given us on this Earth

To know when to speak
and when to be quiet.


And to understand that
no matter how much we
may not have wanted to
hear all of those things,
he wanted us to KNOW all of
 those things because  he
loved us.


Happy Father's Day, Dad!


Linking to Pink Saturday!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Roses, Metal & Rusty Stuff JUST LISTED

What better way to mix it up this week
than to share pink roses with
rusty, metal stuff!


Pretty pink roses on antique postcards

This would be a cool piece
to display in a movie/media room






Antique Kodak fold out camera
Love the art deco front graphics

This was a rare find...antique black silk ribbon,
 still on the paper roll.
"Penn Silk" from
Philadelphia

A collection of twelve
 rust and metal keys
What fun to make necklaces
or other craft projects!

A vintage style Bessie Pease Gutmann
flue cover
Not old but oh so
adorable!

Very large brass key
My Dear Hubby insisted I point out
that it has markings to show it is handcarved


Mother of pearl brooch
with a beautiful antique postcard as a bonus

 Gorgeous handpainted rose cake plate
from Vienna, Austria

 Antique check book from The Farmer's National Bank


Multi colored glass stones in this
gold filled bracelet
Pretty and feminine!

All these and a few more not shown,
on BellaRosaAntiques.com