A Little Frou Frou on Fridays

Thanks to Connie of Living Beautifully, I can "get ready" for the weekend with a little Frou Frou on a Friday. Hop on over to her blog to read more about this new 'meme' and how you can take part, too!

For now I'm off to get some inventory ready to work at my little antique corner of the world tomorrow... I've gathered up an old round mirror, some vintage "French romantic" lamps, vintage jewelry, china, and a hat box filled with old glass ornaments from Poland. I didn't put it in my online shop because they are tough to ship.

And for those who were following along with my recent health issue....the results from the ultrasound showed that my "interior" looks fine! In fact while I was having it done the tech was showing a trainee how it was done and she remarked excitedly "OH wow, you can see her whole pancreas. It looks great!" Then she leaned over to me and said "You have a very nice pancreas." I didn't know what to say to that so I giggled and said "I get that ALL the time!"

What does one say to that?

It just tickled my funny bone.

Anyway, the Doctor's advice was to wait and see if it flares up again. If the pain returns then I have to go for the second test which involves drinking something. Ugh!

The pain is gone for now so I am staying as far as possible from this second test!

Have a great weekend.

Ooh La la - Let's Take a Tour of Paris & New York

Vintage Paris... ooh la la antique postcards perfect for a scrapbook!

Let's take a stroll and see Notre Dame, Cathedral Reims, and ooooh look! It is the Arc de Triomphe along the famous Champs Elysees....

Here we have Le Place de la Concorde, Palais de Justice, Le Trocadero, Le Grande Palais and Hotel De Ville!

But look... here is another arch.... in New York City! Let's get our ice skates ready... it's Rockefeller Plaza, too. Lady Liberty standing tall, I think I like them ALL!


Turn of the century roses fit for queen, it's for a birthday, lots of pink and green!

Let's finish our trip with some holiday cheer, here's some holly to ring in the new year!

All just listed in my shop, Bella Rosa Antiques, along with an antique West German paper candy container, milk glass Victorian hands dish, sterling silver bar pin, pink shabby shaving mug, vintage pin basket and more!

Speaking of American Pickers...

My Dear Hubs found out the American Pickers were in his parent's area of the state. No sooner did he learn of this interesting news, he was contacting them. And lo and behold, someone from their staff, called back.

It is quite possible that Mike and Frank will be coming to my In-law's place for a looksie.

You never know what you might find through the glass window of their big 'ol barn.

When Dear Hubs and I were first married I took several pictures around their place, I was so intrigued by all of the neat stuff they had. But now I'm actually kind of jealous. I'VE NEVER BEEN ALLOWED to go into the barn! To their credit, I don't think I've ever really come out and asked.

We were surprised (although after all my years working for TV I'm actually not too surprised) you kind of have to "qualify" to have them check you out. Pictures need to be sent in and I guess they have to like what they see. It doesn't appear that way on the show however.

Then there is the chance my in-laws just might not want them going through their things. Plus, they are more organized than some of the properties they normally pick through.

I'll keep you posted!

In the meantime I have a few finds I've "picked" myself. My finds are a lot more feminine and can fit into a nice small box for easy shipping!

Old druggist/apothecary advertising card from Bethlehem, PA.

A pink shabby moustache cup! Either men didn't care about what color their mugs were or women had some scary lip hair back then. Ha!

Sweet baby hangers!

A Casper the Friendly ghost game board...neat for upcoming Halloween decor!

This is an old West German egg which opens up to a neat "toile" paper covered inside lining.

I'll be listing soon... I'll be back with updates!

Five Bucks or Less

We saw this sign outside a shop along the boardwalk on our last trip.



Obviously this store thinks they have everything we could ever need or want in life. For five bucks or LESS! Wow. Imagine that.



Sometimes though the best things in life are free.

Like watching my little Sweet Pea dancing at my Brother in Law's 50th birthday party this weekend.

We'll be back later in the week to show you some of the neat things I found while visiting my Mother in Law's house... think American Pickers and you get the idea! She has a great eye for antiques and let's me shop her finds!

Overheard at a Tupperware Party

Last night I had my first Tupperware party experience. Can you believe it? I made it to almost 42 years without ever having been to one!

I found out what Tupper Bucks were and why you should NEVER open the free gift.

I also fell in love with these bowls.

But I also found out we're not teaching kids enough in school. The consultant was so young, and so sweet, newly married.

When told we could not put these bowls in the dishwasher I raised my hand and said " can you tell me why?"

Her reply, quite confidently: "Because it says so on the bottom!"

Sigh.

Caretaker of the Past

There's usually one in every family. The person who ends up with all of the family's old photos.

Probably the same person, like me, who is interested in geneology. I was given this box when my Grandmother moved into a nursing home. It contained a lot of family photos from my Great Grandmother's estate. My Grandmother had acquired it and it remained in her care until I received it. The box itself is amazing... but there is a name on the lid of a person not in our family tree.

And just like the box, some of the pictures have intrigued me. Must have been people either related to my Great Grandmother (the mystery becomes stronger as she was related to us by marriage only) Who were they? Why are they together? Where did they go?

In this photo was it Easter time and they were about ready to go to church? I think this photo is actually of my Grandmother's neighbor but it is so cute I just adore it.

Another favorite of mine in the box is of this elegant, classy chic. Who was she and where was she going? It looks like they were in the city as this side of the family came from the Brooklyn, NY area. But I just love the pose. Her dress. The car. I love everything about it.

This is my Grandfather. He was in the National Guard. Look how torn and tattered this photo is. I'm glad I have it. He passed away when I was 7 so photos like this are all I have left to remember him by.

Here is another mystery. I know who a few of the people are in the photo. But who are the rest?

I wrestle with the fact I will probably never know. Those who knew have passed on and taken the secret with them. It is so important to label your photos. Take the time and do it now. Your future generations will appreciate it.

This one is also sweet. My Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother on the boardwalk, probably in Atlantic City. From what I've heard, he loved her very much. And she loved him right back.

This trio of photos I've received in the past couple of years. I really love them. Copies of photos taken of my parents. They were standing on a bridge along a lake where they first met. (The younger teen is my Aunt who ran and told my Father my Mother liked him.)

I'll hang onto these pictures and the box until it is time to pass them on and teach someone else about the mysteries, the family, who they were, who we are and where we came from.

It's my job. It's my responsibility.

I'm a caretaker of the past.

Digging Around...Look What I Found!

A whole array of antiques and fun things... just sitting around my house!

All of these things were purchased at one time with the intent to resell .... when well, I must have gotten sidetracked.

Like this book for instance. How often do you come across a TIFFANY Wedding book?

Let's just say I don't have a lot of time to sit down and read so it took awhile for me to check it out before I could let it go.... and I guess I forgot I even had it.

Just look at this yummy cake. This book is filled with beautiful things to look at.

Then there was this tray I think I bought a year ago. I didn't know how I was going to use it in the shop. Now I found some pretty mini perfume bottles for it and I just love it.


A vintage Rummy game. Dear Hubs and I were into playing cards for awhile and we thought this would help our Rummy game. We haven't been playing too much Rummy lately since summer has been so busy. I'm going to put it in the FOR CRAFTERS category. I think the number cards would look great in a mixed media project.

Someone at my church had a kitty kat collection from her Grandmother and asked if I wanted to buy them for my booth.... I sold a few pieces at the antique mall and forgot I had this salt and pepper! Just found them in the attic.

Now this is a GORGEOUS GORGEOUS tablecloth. It has a few minor issues which made me set it aside and then guess what.... I FORGOT about it! It is too pretty to be in a closet so I pulled it out and took pictures of it. I can see beautiful things either made from it or spot treated. (It has minor spots of discolor and an odd colored edge. (I'll show more on the website when I upload everything.)

I can't even tell you how many years ago I set these maps aside. (Maybe 10?)

I was saving maps for decoupaging the inside of shelves or for vintage suitcases.

Found them while we were moving furniture in the basement!

These two Jardin flower containers were purchased awhile back on a shopping trip for Bella Rosa when I set them on top of my shelf in the office and yep, I forgot about them. They are not old which is probably why I did not take photos of them at first but gosh they are too sweet to ignore.

This pretty green Haeger flower pot/ planter is such a lovely green color. I've had it for about 7 years and I'm finally getting it ready to sell!

I just love tassels. This gold beaded tassel is gently used but has so much more mileage. It has a unique style so tassel lovers should really like it. Again, it was placed in a drawer for some reason or another and I forgot about it. I get sidetracked with new inventory that so many things get misplaced here and there.

Vintage keys! I have found about 3 different sets that I intended to list but didn't get a chance. So here is one.

This is my only recent find. A Detroit Glass Company art glass bowl. The baubles and beads however, have been laying around so I decided they made a great pairing.

Now this, this little beauty was in my jewelry box. I played a little tug of war with this one but I finally decided to place it in the shop. It is a nice heavy piece.

I was going through some prints and framed pieces. This black and white photo came from my own photography work. I have had it framed and signed for three years now and haven't placed it for sale in my booth. Believe it or not, I have sold about twenty of my own pieces. We'll see if there is a gardener out there who would enjoy it. I like to take pictures of old antiques and give them fun names. I called it "Garden Daze."

This pink rose chocolate pot is so sweet. I was thinking of keeping it for myself to decorate the office. What do I need to decorate the office for? I am SURROUNDED by the things I am selling all the time!

More old maps. These are even older and came from an antique reference book.

All available in my shop, Bella Rosa Antiques.com