Tea Party Birthday

A friend of mine turned 40 this weekend... and her family threw her a tea party birthday. We all wore hats and dressed up!
When I walked in, all the tables were decorated just perfect with vintage teacups, scones, and a cake on EACH table.

Besides my lovely friend, the cakes were the standout stars of the day! Yummylicious!

Here is my sweet friend with her family.
I loved how her sister dressed similar to the Royal Wedding attire.

You can't see her hat too well but it was just like the kind worn in London.

Opening presents... it was so much fun and what a great bunch of women she has in her circle of friends. I enjoyed meeting them!

And the cake? Inside was RED VELVET.

Icing on the outside: Buttercream.

A fabulous day!

Summer Fun - Finding Vintage At Every Stop

We've been busy so far this summer! We started out visiting the beach and boardwalk but then we decided to try some of our local attractions which can be just as great!

There is a new fun place for families... called The Turkey Hill Experience. You get to learn the history behind a family owned business.... the Turkey Hill dairy, how ice cream is made, how milk used to be delivered, and their famous iced tea.

Bebe loved getting in the vintage dairy truck...and look there's even a vintage milk truck driver to help you out! (If you look real close... you'll see it is Dear Hubs! Shhhhhh! Don't tell him he's on the blog!)

They have all kinds of hands on exhibits...here you get to milk a cow! Our favorite part was where they handed out a free ice cream. I tried a flavor that was new to me called "Chocolate Tastycake " or something like that. Oh boy. Good thing it was a small sample.

Then recently I took Dear Bebe and my Mother over to a quaint old fashioned town, home to the Wilbur Chocolate company. We saw the ladies making chocolate specialties...made to order for birthdays and other special occasions. They have an awesome "museum" inside with vintage molds on display, candy containers, and a very large chocolate pot collection. I wouldn't mind having some of them to sell in my Bella Rosa shop! Gorgeous!

(This picture was taken on a prior visit)

These are my favorite. It is their version of a chocolate kiss... called WILBUR BUDS. So smooth and creamy. Highly recommend them.

I also found a wonderful antique shop along the main shopping avenue called The Curiosity Shoppe. I adored it. (Was in a rush when heading out of the house today and forgot the camera!)Made a few purchases which I will of course, be listing next week.

Enjoy the summer, it is my favorite time of year!

Second Chance Tuesday - French But Made in Occupied Japan

These two figurines have a great look... with the French "Napoleon" style military garb to the lovely maiden they have a fantastic appeal. They are marked "Made in Occupied Japan."

All items made in Japan during the time it was occupied by allied forces, after World War II, were marked this way or just "occupied Japan." This is why it is unique to find some collectibles made during this small window of time.

Come back and visit every Tuesday when I highlight an antique from my store that I think deserves a "Second Chance" with a pretty sweet discount for the day. (Today I'm taking 20% off!)

The figurines above are available here for purchase.

Country Fairs: Ferris Wheels, Cotton Candy and Vintage Prize Ribbons!

August is here! Time for a country fair.

Last year we took Dear Bebe to one of our local fairs in the county. With all of the rides, food, games and the petting zoo... we are busy busy busy but don't forget about the pies, cakes, and canned items that are worthy of awards.

Plus the sewing and craft items that are shown every year in hopes of being pinned with a fancy ribbon.

So to celebrate this special time of year I'm marking my fifty 1950's purple satin country fair prize ribbons to fifty percent off. They were from Carlisle and Bloomsburg, PA fairs. They read JUNIOR CHAMPION, SENIOR CHAMPION, and GRAND CHAMPION. How fun to decorate with!


Enjoy the rest of your summer and be sure to stop by the country fair!

Hershey Park (Pink) Happy!

Recently we took Bebe on a trip to Hershey Park.

What fun it must have been for her to see something so exciting for the first time.

Dear Hubby just had to play a favorite game of his to win her a prize.

A pink piggy! I couldn't resist snapping this photo of her pushing it in her stroller. He's all strapped in, snug as a ..... well, as snug as a pink piggy could be!

Here we are enjoying a late night ice cream. We discovered it is much better to go in the evenings!

And I, of course, had to ride the old carousel. One of my favorites with a vintage organ. Makes the ride so much fun.

For more pink fun hop on over to How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday .... it's like an amusement park of pink, online!

Got Vintage? Our Latest Finds: Antique Tea Tin, Stanhope Cross, Tuck's Postcards, French Art & More

This week's latest finds .... for a quick hop to my website click here.
To just peruse the pictures scroll on down! This is about half of them...the rest are on the site.

How about some antique Tuck's postcards.... great for framing in a trio.

Some gorgeous old ads and graphics in these theatre books.


Vintage baubles and beads for crafting or for whatever you want to do with them!

Love the look of this old tea tin.
Sterling! Art Deco! Enough said.
Be the farm girl and carry your milk in a pail...

Alice in Wonderland Little Golden Book. First Edition.

Beautiful rhinestone Stanhope cross.

Hold it up to the light close to your eye and read the Lord's Prayer inside!
The last time I sold one of these the mother of a soldier in Iraq bought it for her son.

I'll probably not forget her.

Clock faces and parts. The clock face at the top is from Germany and is like an enamel or porcelain over metal.

Antique hair tonic bottle...label is French with a 79 cent "sale"

All available in my JUST LISTED category, here.

The Early 80's Clutch Purse is Back

Did a little clothes shopping this past weekend. It is that darn coupon sent quietly in the mail that drives me into the store. GETS ME EVERY TIME!

Anyway, something caught my eye in the store:

Ahhhhhhhkkkkkk! It is the clutch purse! And not just any clutch purse... the kind from the early 80's?

What do you think ladies, should we give it a second chance? I'm not sure. The jury is still out for me.

Go ahead, discuss! It is my topic for today's Second Chance Tuesday. Something a little different, just to mix it up!

Antique Wallpapering: What to do with the old wooden print blocks or stamps?

I've been fascinated by this unique and very old wooden wallpaper block (or stamp)


It looks like it has the image of a folk art rooster but it is possible it could be a peacock because a rooster's tail is not that long.

Either way, I'm always amazed by the tools used to create things we take for granted ... because now we know machines print everything. Not to mention the digital age.



This is definitely not digital.

What to do with it now though. . . that is the question.

Well, I found a few useful ideas online (woodprintblocks.com)

*Use it as Art

*Decorate Paper

*Make Cards

*Make wallpaper of course!

*Imprint on Fabric

*Press images into clay, plaster or paint!

(and this one I really like....)

* Make custom tiles for your kitchen!

A lost art due to modern technology.

I'm looking into the history behind these unique pieces of the past and will update this post as soon as I find what I am looking for.

In the meantime, this stamp is available in my Bella Rosa Antiques store, here.

German Biscuit Jar, Paris Eiffel Tower, Victorian Cameo, Sterling Jewelry, Antique Mother Goose Book

It has been a busy weekend and start to the week but I'm dedicated to my finds! Here's what I've just listed:

German made biscuit jar with a Bavarian mark.

Lovely old baby's nursery wicker vanity set. Hard to find in such good condition!

Pretty victorian style cameo.

An old antique wooden spool with lots of white lace wrapped around it.

It looks pretty just sitting there!

An old Mother Goose book. There are a few color illustrations as well as B & W.

This was my favorite find of the week!

Very nicely matted and framed Paris print by an art gallery in Philadelphia.

Christmas pixie elf with a red hat!

These antique postcards make me think of "My Love is Like a Red Red Rose"

Really sparkly pin...marked Ster Co.

And a sterling stick pin to dress up your sweaters this fall.

A very unique old piece. . . a folk art rooster wallpaper stamp/block.

There's more where these vintage finds came from.... right here. Just listed, tonight, on Bella Rosa Antiques!

Special Featured Item - Vintage Paris France Framed Print

Tuesday's are usuallly reserved on my blog for "Second Chance Tuesday's." Today I've decided to feature a new arrival instead.

This nice sized framed print of a Parisian watercolor painting is worth changing things up a little bit!

It was signed by the artist originally. I am not sure as of yet who this may be, I am going to do a little more research tonight.

Nicely framed by an art gallery in Philadelphia too.

I just love the scene along the Siene River. And the muted pallette framed in black goes well with today's decor.

It is available here, on Bella Rosa Antiques.