A Day at the Barn and a Weekend in Clarinda

The whirlwind continues.... Last week, we supposedly went to help decorate at Barntiques, but we weren't much help. Shopping turned out to be the real reason we stayed around, I found so many great prims, at the always reasonable Barntiques price. I got a bunch of mashers to paint, a gorgeous early dough bowl, cute tins and crocks, it is all going to turn out great.

The weekend was supposed to be spent in Clarinda raking leaves. Well, that didn't turn out either, so many leaves still on the trees, it seemed silly to even bother. So, of course, we went shopping. This time, we stopped in Walnut, I filled the car with rolling pins and tins and bowls, the only thing I couldn't find was bread boards. Lots of open houses around the area coming up, maybe a few will show up.

The photos are a little of my Coffee Christmas collection.

A Day in Galena

Usually, we can make a spur of the moment trip to our favorite little antique towns without a hitch, but boy did we pick the wrong day to go to Galena--I swear, one million people decided to spend the weekend in that tiny town, all because of a Halloween parade, it seems. Having grown up in small towns, I've seen many many small town parades, so I guess I don't quite understand the entire city of Chicago driving all the way to Galena to see this parade. It was just the usual--VFW guys in front with the flags, followed by the fire trucks running the sirens and throwing candy, and the high school band playing off key as they marched. I guess it is charming, but I am telling you the crowds seemed Rose Parade size to me. So, anyway, we had to park a million miles from main street, which turned out to be nice as the weather was beautiful and the walk was lovely. Galena has all these odd antebellum homes built on the hillsides, not a square box among them, all so unique. There are hardly any antique stores left in town, and to think, that is all that used to be there (now the town is filled with gift shops). I got my shopping fix by stopping on the way in Monticello and Cascade. Cascade is home of Annie's Treasures, an old church turned primitive paradise. They were all decked out for Christmas, and I was very inspired to come home and add more holiday cheer to my repertoire. I found all these mashers as I drove across the country during vacation. I did them all up in Christmas colors, love how they turned out and they are all just a little different!

The Sad Halloween Decor of a Shopkeeper

I just realized that this is the extent of my fall decorating! I do a lot better for Christmas, but thought this poor little pumpkin looked pretty sad for someone who decorates for a living.

Listing At Last

It has been so windy and rainy that I couldn't get outside to take photographs, so in between dispensing antibiotics to the kids, I've been painting mountains of bowls, spoons and breadboards in Christmas colors of holly red, bayberry green and snow white. Finally got out to get photos of the finished products today, and will spend the next 2 days listing and listing on ebay! You can find me under user id 6stringbluesman, store name Catspaw Primitives and Music on the ebay site.

I will be having my big once a year antique sale in Clarinda Iowa the first weekend in December, any one in the neighborhood, let me know and I'll send you a flyer. You can email me at j.schlichtmann@mchsi.com. I haven't even thought about the show yet, boy do I need to get going!

Here are some great bread boards I found at the Collectors Eye Sunday.

The Germs are Winning

Grace and I still coughing, but we don't feel too bad, so of course, Anna starts running a fever today, it's strep. Grace just came to tell me that she checked Anna's temperature and it was "one thousand and seven", and thought she had better have some Motrin. I guess so!

The Collector's Eye

I almost stayed home and skipped going to the Collector's Eye show in Cedar Rapids on Sunday, so so so glad I changed my mind. It is a high end primitive antique show, better than Heart of the Country, I think. I walked in, first aisle had $500 dough bowls and $200 doll dresses, folk art for thousands, decided I would just be browsing.... Thank goodness some of my favorite vendors were just around the corner. I started at Country Love, bought early toy breadboards, the cutest baby shoes, an old sawdust kitty and some bowls, now wish I had gone ahead and splurged on her early blue calicos, but maybe another time. Next, Simply Iowa, I think I might give best booth of show to, so pretty always, I tried to take photographs, they don't do justice. I took a picture of the dough bowl cupboard, then bought half the bowls and a beautiful tiny ironstone pitcher. Clear back in the corner, we found PollyAnn's, and why she had anything left, I do not know, she has wonderful items and low prices for a regular show, for this one, she was practically giving it away. I got breadboards and brooms here. Finally, we got Colleen Frese's booth, she is the best bread board, best bowl, best unusual prims dealer ever, and she had a box full of brooms, so I got to stock up with those, plus the cutest old rag stuffed litho puppy, not sure how to force myself to put him in the store, but bills must be paid!

You Have Got to Be Kidding Me

I started feeling congested yesterday, glad to fall into bed, just asleep when the pitter patter of Anna feet woke me up, "Mom, Grace is making sick noises." Ran into the bedroom found her hotter than a pancake again, fortunately we didn't need clean up duty this time, but stayed up until 3 watching I Love Lucy just in case. This morning finds us both croaky, stuffed up and miserable. This better mean we have built up enough antibodies to have a sick free winter, this is way too soon after our last bout, and we stay home, where are these germs coming from!