The last of the pictures from Monticello...

More from Monticello...

Monticello show booth for tomorrow (Nov 1st)

A look from the aisle of my booth. Enter through the archway and shop away...

This really is a wonderful and versatile patio set... could be used indoors or out. Can go spring, or Christmas time with ease. Perfect for a breakfast nook, 5 seasons room, back patio or front porch... The possibilities are truly endless!

A fun collection of french ivory dresser boxes, mirrors, brushes, hair receivers, etc. I had a lady buy one just the other day and her plan was to wrap each of the gift cards that she gets for her grandchildren in a special, keepsake box. A few of these would be perfect for that. I love the mirrored tray that is probably from the 50's.

I want to back cookies with my girls and use this little cupboard base. I think these things are so handy. I bought and sold many over the years.

I made this little sign for last week's show, but I still think it's stinkin' cute...

MORE TO COME...

Today's finds... besides the tables

A man stopped by my shop early this morning with a flyer for a sale at his house in Mount Vernon. His wife was selling off her collection of head vases that she has been collecting since she was in high school. I bought just a few... I don't know much about them, but I think they are really fun and we often have customers in the shop who are looking for them. We can hope they move for me. If you know any collectors, send them my way, please. Thanks!

After we went harvest table hunting we headed to the girls' Halloween Parade. They were so cute! After that Bob and I spent a little time at Tommie's house sharing a pitcher of margs (It was 5 o'clock somewhere). It was my favorite part of the day!!! Tommie sent me home with a pumpkin pie to boot... my favorite breakfast in the world is cold pumpkin pie with whipped cream... guess what I'm having tomorrow?



We'll be setting up for the Monticello show tomorrow morning following the pumpkin pie breakfast. The show is Sunday and opens at 9am and is at the Brendes Center at the Jones County Fairgrounds. I have done the show many times in the past and always have had fun at it. It has a new promoter and I haven't done it for a few years. I'm sure hoping they have a good turn out. I'll be there with bells on with my linens and kitchen stuff, head vases, ironstone and more. I have a nice round light colored table (I'm pretty sure it's maple) that has 8 leaves. I'll be bringing that as well. It would be great for Thanksgiving.

Then Monday I'll likely take part of the day off then get started getting ready for my final show in the trio in Rock Island. I'll be taking different stuff, yet again to that show, so I'll have to unload everything and start packing the trailer from scratch again.

Harvest Tables... coming soon

Bob and I just bought five 12 foot long tables... the legs are awesome and after he works his magic I'm guessing we'll have a nice selection of harvest tables. We can probably make them to any size if anyone is trying to fit a certain spot. Very primitive and simple, but I love, love, love pine and these are going to be wonderful. I'll try to get a picture of one of them as soon as we have a little time to work on them.

Halloween 2009 at the Blythe's

My little Sacajawea! I found this old native american costume at a tag sale a few weeks ago and it fit my Lisa perfectly. She had some great furry leather boots and she made her own headpiece. She's a very creative little girl. I will try to get a picture of Kiki in her vintage clown costume up soon. They have a school parade in their costumes today. Looking forward to it!

My girls and their pumpkins... my 14 year old son decided to spend the evening with a friend instead of going to get our pumpkins and carving them together like we've always done... only the beginning, I'm sure.

What to take... that is the question...

I'm doing a small show in Monticello, Iowa this weekend and just can't seem to decide what to take. I have soooo much inventory right now as I've had so many wonderful buying opportunities come about lately. I have more furniture than anything, but it seems that my last booth, though very successful, really strayed from who I really am. I took things that I thought the customers for that show would like and they did! But I didn't have nearly as much fun playing with my stuff. I'm hoping I get motivated before tomorrow when I am at the shop packing so that I have some idea of which direction I am heading. I always love the blank canvas a show booth offers me, but sometimes I have a bit of a mental block in knowing just want to bring to make the booth sing. Last week I didn't take much color...


I think this week I'm going to have to punch up the color a bit...

... I think I'll take some great 50's kitchen stuff and a bunch of linens. I love linens! Why don't more people use them? The vintage ones are so much funner and nicer than any of the new, mass produced stuff they sell at Wal-Mart and Younkers. The old stuff has character and history. I never pass by a linen when it has a small problem like a stain or a little hole... they just give me an excuse to use more linens together... it's called LAYERING and it's fantastic...
Well, that solves it, I guess. Kitchen and linens it is... thanks for your help!

Thank you!

A big thank you to all the wonderful people who stopped by our booth on Sunday at the Collector's Eye show in Cedar Rapids. I am truly blessed to have so many great customers I can call friends. A huge thank you to a new blog follower and long time customer, Carol E., who made the show even better by going to my shop and purchasing a table that hadn't made it out of my workshop yet. I will miss not having the opportunity to play with it, but am so pleased to know that her growing flock of grandchildren will sit and enjoy many a meal together at that table. I know you are going to love it!
A big squeeze goes out to Barb (simply iowa) who helped keep me grounded and focused as I tried to get ready for this show. She never lets me doubt myself and for that I will be eternally grateful. To Tommie... thanks for starting my show off right. Always a pleasure to get a "Tommie hug" and you have a way of boosting me about me like no one else can.
Dale F. was an awesome promoter of this show and even hired my son Robbie as a porter for the show. He says Robbie did a great job and was so helpful and always has been at this show. Colleen F., another fantastic promoter who values my opinion and sincerely wants to help make each and every dealer at this show successful... and to Daryl... what can I say? Thanks for the coolers, thanks for putting up with your extra "helpers" and for always treating me like I'm special. I love you all and am so blessed to have each and every one of you.

Centerpiece and the hot spot

This is what the center of my table looked like AFTER I sold the wonderful red, white and blue coverlet runner and the great set of dishes.


This was my "hot spot" for this show. I had a great hanging wall cupboard mounted where the throw is hanging from in the photo. It was beautiful and I am kicking myself for not having taken a picture of it. It sold in the first half hour of the show and I had three disappointed customers come back to buy it. At the beginning of the show there was a fantastic tilt top, three legged table sitting between those two chairs. A wonderful, loyal, long-time customer of mine snatched that one up to the dismay of the ladies who were seriously considering it when he "pulled the trigger". The chairs sold as did the oak "hat box" piece between them shortly after the photo was taken.
We went home so much lighter and so much happier!

Collections and displays...

I had a bunch of sewing items and buttons that I took to the show. I love the beauty of each little button. Some are so intricate. There is nothing funner than getting a new tin of buttons from an estate sale or garage sale. You just never know what you might find. The most recent tin I bought was full of wonderful treasures... victorian metal buttons with talons, cottages, florals, etc. and beautiful old glass buttons, some with enamel decorations on them. So much fun. There was even a neat old cameo pin that was missing it's pinback in that tin. I spent hours sorting and fondling each item. I love that part, but still hate pricing the little buggers. It's so hard to know what to ask for them. I detest pricing "little" items. I never seem to have the right tags, stickers don't work. Yuk! I put the buttons in little bags that look great now, but will look tired and old as soon as they get pawwed through a few times. Oh well!

I have been hoarding candle sticks and love how they look all grouped together. I hope to have the time this week to burn the candles down a bit to different heights. I have a mantle that I am saving for a Christmas display and can't wait to have candles and greenery with a back drop of frames and mirrors. In my head it looks stunning!