Have a Great Labor Day Weekend Y'All!

 

 

Yes, I forgot to think of a clever post for today.

 

No, I do not have an emergency post ready.

 

But, I DO want to wish you a safe

and happy Labor Day weekend!

 

ENJOY.

Thank your Creator for all

He has made in you!

Linking with Pink Saturday
(Red and White make pink, right?)

 

 

New Arrivals Are Here! T&V Limoges China, Victorian Postcards, and More!

I'm pleased to bring you some of this past summer's best finds:

Click here to jump to my "Just Listed" page

 

Gorgeous china with pink roses, unique vintage jewelry,

Victorian postcards, gold gilt wash frame,  Jasperware,

and more! Some have sold already

so you might want to hop over there right now...

 

Enjoy and have a great week!

Sneak Peek: Vintage Summer Finds

Happy Monday!

It is back to school for my sweet Bebe...

Which means I'm back to work!

 

Here is a sneak peek at some of the treasures I've found.

 

Last week I was able to bring home the gold gilt wash

Victorian picture frame...

 

The celluloid Kewpie doll is from my "secret shop"

around the corner. She was too hard to resist. 

 

So are bunches of old lace and pink baby shoes! 

 

And I loved finding the pink farm show ribbon... 1932!!!

 

 

 

The early, turn of the century postcards are

some of my staples here in the shop. I always

try to have them available. There are

so many ways to enjoy them.

 

Scrapbooking, card making, framing...

and I've even seen some gals buy them

without any writing ... to use them as

present day greeting cards!

 

I would probably have a hard time writing

on them but, why not? My dear Grandmother

always saved her nicest things for "someday"

and most of them stayed in the box and were

never used. Don't we all do that too, though?

 

Why not use them now?

 

Today I'm working on a photo shoot...

for listings later on in the week.

 

So excited to share my summer finds with you!

 

Stay tuned....

 

Linking to the

All Things Bright and Beautiful

 link party at the Writer's Reverie today!

Saying Goodbye to Summer

This is always a bittersweet time of year for me.

Saying goodbye to summer.

We had a good run!

 

Taking time to enjoy the last few days before Bebe starts school.

 

I'll be back next week with lots of new things to share.

So excited!

 

Enjoy your weekend!

 

Jillian

 

Linking to Pink Saturday.

Flea Market Fun

Gorgeous!

Just beautiful weather.

 

Perfect for going to our local flea.

 

 

Always great anticipation as I head towards the tables...

What will I find?

 

These look like fun...

 

What a great coffee table this would make...

 

 

See any treasures in there?

One woman's junk is...

Well, you know how the saying goes!

 

Couldn't resist this moment of patriotic glory...

 

These blue hues caught my eye ....

 

Good 'ol vintage stuff!

 

And I was going to go back

for this ... and ran out of cash!

Terrible.

Note to self:

Bring. more. money.

 

Well, empty pockets or not, it was fun!

 

I'll be back to share some pics

with you of what I did bring back...

 

Enjoy your week!

Catching a ride with the All Things Bright
and Beautiful Link Party...
at the Writer's Reverie

Beachy Keen

Can I just say how great the weather was at the beach?

We didn't want it to end...

Treasures were found,

 

 

both the vintage and the natural ones.

Memories were made, too.

 

(Saw this sign in a boardwalk shop! How true, how true.)

I turned another year older. How does that happen so fast?

As long as I'm at the beach, I really don't mind!

Joining up with the All Things Bright and Beautiful
linky party with Miss Kathy at the Writer's Reverie!

Flea Market Blessed

You tend to take for granted the things you have right in your area.

 

Like our local flea market.

 

You can get produce, baked goods, clothing, etc.

 

Bebe and I have only gone ONCE this year!

 

For shame.

 

 

And the antiques are in abundance... why don't I go more often?

 

I have so much fun when I go...

 

I'm hoping to make it once or twice

more before the cold season sets in!

 

What would you like me to look for?

 

Just leave me a comment and I'll keep it

in mind when I am shopping!

 

Enjoy the day!

 

~Jillian

 

 

 

A Little Bit of France

A week or so ago Bebe and I went with a friend to see her Mother who lives in a quaint little campsite/village. You may remember my earlier post about where we saw the Fairy Garden.

Her Mother lives in a cute cottage with a wrap around deck, lots of chairs to sit in, and side tables for your iced tea.

When I walked into the kitchen my eye went directly to her Mother's Quimper collection.
(Pronounced ....well, let's see if I can get it correct, I took Italian in high school after all, is it "cam-pair?")

She had a lovely shelf filled with all sorts of pieces.

A large bowl as the centerpiece of her table... and then another china cabinet with teapots, etc.

She said it was a fifth generation set. Meaning, my friend was going to be next to receive it.

What a lovely gift to receive from your family! 

When we were in Paris for our honeymoon, I tried to bring home a couple pieces for my Mom from the marche au puces .... er, flea market. It was tough to find anything without chips, that didn't break the bank. I managed to bring back a couple of bowls and an egg cup.

There is this piece in my latest arrival inventory that looks similar and is marked "Made in France."
 It would definitely be a nice "go along."

Will be back next week with more fun adventures in antiquing!

Have a great weekend!
~Jillian

All aboard! Taking a Ride on the Blog Tour Train

Today I'm working on something new for my Bella blog!

 I've been invited to join the Blog Tour that is going from blog to blog.

First, I'd like to thank you for stopping by to read my contribution of the tour!  I was invited by Leann at The Old Parsonage to join in the fun. Stop by her blog after you read my post... you'll just love her cozy home, her creative flair for cooking, AND her Christmas posts because they happen every month on the 25th! She calls it "Rudolph Day" I do believe!

And speaking of her flair for cooking... here is a link to her recipe page ! Mmmmm mmmm mmmm... Delish. Sometimes I think I can smell her yummy baked goods and dinners over here....

Chicken pot pie, spice cake, beef stew for a cold winter's night... goodness abounds at the Old Parsonage!

And not only does she cook and bake, she crafts too!

************

 

 

Now, here are a few questions about me and this blog, Bella Rosa Antiques, which is based on my home business where I buy and sell vintage. I, of course, add in our other crazy adventures.

1. What am I working on?

 

Currently I am working on loading up my Etsy shops for the Christmas season.
I have two:
Bella Rosa Antiques on Etsy and Antique Retroactive

The Christmas buying season will be upon us before we know it and with school coming up, I will be trying to juggle several things at once. It will help me to have a head start, building up my inventory. This does not mean I am not working on other projects, I am!

We visit our lake house often and there is always something going on there. Plus, amazingly enough, vintage treasures abound in that region! I have found some of the neatest stuff up there, in the mountains of the Southern Adirondacks in New York state

 

We are also still working on our basement, transforming it into several key areas: A family and friend hang out zone (movies and kid parties, etc.).... a storage area...a play area...and also, a crafty corner.  

I just finished my office makeover here and started a temporary craft space for me and my daughter, whom I lovingly refer to as Bebe.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

 

If I were to compare myself to other online antique and vintage loving dealers, I would have to say I focus more on old books, china, jewelry, and ephemera.

Not a lot of shops carry ephemera, old postcards and fun old papers, to either collect or to craft with.  We find most of our antiques and vintage things right in our own county, which is referred to as "Amish Country." 

This past summer Bebe and I found a love for old buttons. She just loves digging through them and finding the Mother of Pearl, abalone shell, or other fancy styles! She will be 6 in a couple of months and I love that this activity keeps her happy for awhile.

3. Why do I write/create what I do?

 

I started my first blog, Jillian's Pages, in 2007, to work my way through a tough, emotional experience.  After awhile, I discovered how much I loved writing for the blog and then one thing led to another. After I launched my own website, I started another blog (Bella Rosa Antiques) then when it became too much, I blended the two into one, which is how I ended up with my current Bella Rosa Antiques blog.

(These are books from my own personal collection)

 

My love for antiques started early. My maternal Grandparents had an antique and book store in southern Florida, while we lived up North along the East Coast. My Grandmother would send things to my Mother for birthdays and Christmas, and whenever my Grandmother would visit me she would always give me a small, little treasure.

 

In my late high school/college days I started noticing the logos and printing on the bottom of china plates, etc. You could find me lifting up things and looking on the bottom. It was a slow transformation but now I am fully into vintage and antique goodies! To keep and to sell! Such fun!

4. How does your writing/creating process work?

 

Writing has always come easy to me. When I was in grade school I started my first journal. A diary, as one would call it, but soon I would be journaling. (Which is, of course, much more serious!) I still have a journal and started a few for Bebe. One of them I lost, which to me was a very big loss. Hopefully someone found it and is enjoying it. I wrote a lot about God and His role in her being born which is another story I'd love to share with you someday!

 

 (In this photo I was the " on camera talent"

working on a campaign for Pepsi School Caps)

 

Some of you will remember that in my former life (before baby) I had worked in television for about 16 years and was a Promotion Writer/Producer. Moving around for jobs was the way to make it up the ladder so to speak.

 

 I was trained to write in short, choppy phrases (choppy copy was our lingo) for what we call "on air promos." A long promo is 30 seconds long and a very short promo is 5 seconds. You will find my writing to be a little bit like that, in phrases, so I apologize! I have been working on today's post for awhile so hopefully it is better!

 

(This is me, on the hunt, looking for vintage)

I try and split my time between being a stay at home Mom, a stay at home working Mom, and a creative soul. It is not always easy. Some days I do not have much time to blog, so whatever I type is the first draft!

 

*************************

Thanks so much for sticking around to read my version of the Blog Tour!

 

~Jillian

 

 

She Read Pinkalicious!

My favorite color has been pink for a long time.

You could say it was the ballet lessons. You could say it was the color my Mother painted the walls in my bedroom when I was a child. But whatever it was... it hasn't left. I still like pink.

It worked out well when God blessed me with a girl. I've seen a LOT of pink the past five to six years.

This past week I took Bebe to the local library to "meet" our famous theme park princess... and you'll never guess what she was wearing...

PINK!

 

She read two books to her adoring fans the little girls.

They listened carefully to her every word.

 

Then she pulled out every little girl's favorite book:

PINKALICIOUS!

 

The book that warns you not to eat too many pink treats...

Or else you might turn ten shades of your favorite color.

 

Which is pink, of course.

 

Bebe had a great time.

I got a huge kick out of

watching her mannerisms.
She did a great job as a princess!

 

My favorite photos are the

"meet and greet" poses with Bebe.

 

Linking to Pink Saturday

(of course!)

 

Have a great weekend!

 

~Jillian