Saving the best for last...

I was a very busy girl, this weekend... Lots of shopping therapy!! Flea markets, thrift stores and even a couple of antique stores allowed me to gather an impressive amount of great stuff!! Not to mention my weekly run to Monticello... Most items will be sold, but some, like the little sewing machine (which I found at the flea market for $10!) will stay with me! I was excited to find an old cabinet with drawers (needs a little TLC...) and the military yardlong photograph is the first in a collection I want to start, hoping to give my husband, one day, a little corner somewhere for his military memorabilia. The dresser mirror was a cool find at Value Village (just wished the dresser was there too...) and will probably be going to Farm Chicks in June.









I wa also fortunate enough to find two pin money banks to add to my already extensive collection!! The only problem is, I am running out of space... Does that mean I have to get rid of two?




But, the best thing about my weekend was coming home from my sunday trip with Lisa to the flea market, only to find my baby riding his bycicle with NO training wheels...!!! My husband said he took it in three minutes, and was just riding like the wind!! I was absolutely emotional, and so proud of him! My magical state of enchantment was short lived, though, and vanished in thin air when later the neighbor kids came knocking on the door, only to reveal that my son was riding his bike with no pants (or underwear) on... Simply airing his boyhood... Lovely!!

Have a great week, everyone!

Antiques apprentice

I can say I am a late bloomer when it comes to antiques and vintage stuff... When I was growing up, my mom always bought everything new, and I am sure she would be absolutely horrified if she knew I actually pay money for chippy old furniture...!! Only recently do I remember my mom actually starting to enjoy going to antique sales and flea markets, so we always try to do that when I am visiting in Lisbon...!!

After I got married and moved to the US, I struggled with finding a style, and ended up falling into the "american country" trap, I thought that was the right thing to do... We moved to London when Anna was two and Clara was only 10 months old. I really did not appreciate antiques back then, and really wish I could "redo" our stay knowing what I know now and loving what I love now!! Oh, the eiderdowns I would have collected, or the barbola mirrors I would have hunted... I kick myself when I think that I only made it to Portobello Road twice, and came back with a bread knife and a little vintage child's dress... Our stay in London was followed by a couple of years in Morocco, where I gathered an impressive amount of rugs and occasional furniture (which is, at this point gathering dust in the garage since I don't really have a place to display it...). After spending three years overseas, and having left all our furniture in storage, it was quite an interesting feeling unpacking all our "old" items and realizing I actually didn't like them anymore!! I felt like I had outgrown most of our stuff...

It wasn't until we purchased our first home, a couple of years later, that I started finding myself... I had discovered Rachel Ashwell's shabby chic decor, and BAM, fell in love!! But I really didn't know how to go about it, so I started buying all these reproductions that had the shabby look...! Slowly, I realized that I could actually find the real deal for not so much money, and sarted becoming a more savvy and selective buyer. At that same time, I began selling items at a local antique mall with my friend Lisa (we barely knew each other when we got started, but we knew we liked the same things, so we decided to jump right in!!). Now, I feel this insatiable thirst for antiques and vintage, and I want to learn as much as I can!!

I have so many things around my home that I love, but there are only a few that hold a very special place in my heart , and I would like to share them with you.


This doll was given to me by my paternal grandmother, just a few years before she died. I wish I had asked her more about the doll, as I really don't know anything about it!! My paternal grandfather was a german salesman who ended up leaving Germany and settling in Lisbon in the early 1930's, when things were starting to look ugly for the jewish people. My grandparents traveled a lot around Europe, so I'm pretty sure it was purchased in one of their travels.



Another special item I am proud to own is a very old map of Portugal, believed to have been drawn in the 17th century!! The real interesting thing about it is that Portugal is drawn laying on it's side, with north to the right and west on top...!!! The amount of information already known in the 1600's blows me away!


The large travelling trunk belonged to my great aunt and was the one thing I chose when allowed to pick one thing from her estate. The large old bobbin cabinet used to belong to my friend Jeanne, I had always admired it, so one day she offered to trade it for a Singer Featherweight, and so it became mine...!! And the collection of pin money banks was one of the first collections I started shortly after we bought our home six years ago!! The majority was found on ebay, and they all sit on a chippy corner cabinet in my bedroom!

I am excited for the road ahead, and can't wait to see what more special things will be added to my adventures in antiquing!!

Good Morning, Sunshine...!!!

The Earth Says Hello...!! It was so nice to wake up to a sunny saturday!! The kids were able to play outside most of the day, much to this mom's own sanity!! My daughter Anna had 9 friends sleepover (yes, I plead temporary insanity), things went very smoothly, though, and I ended up taking them to the mall saturday morning.

I did manage to squeeze in a little bit of shopping, and found some cute things, a very old quilt with a basket pattern, a tole tray, a pair of vintage shadow prints and a pink apron. I also found, at a local antique mall, this cute pink lampshade!

I also found this humungus framed oil, I will most likely sell the frame and the oil canvas separately. The frame alone measures a whopping 38" x 50"!!! Isn't it cool?!!

Today we have a soccer game to go to, then my husband will be tuning my car and I will hopefully be doing some painting... Take care, everyone!

Happy birthday, baby girl!!

I wanted to share some of the great things I found this weekend... At a local bazaar I bought this amazing large stroller, I will fill it with vintage blankets and pillows and take it to shows. I have a thing for vintage strollers, and was delighted when I found this little pink cutie at the Coburg Antique Fair last year for an amazing $15...!! It sits in my huge mantel, which has been lovingly styled by my dear friend Joy (with Lisa's help)!!

I also found some cute things at Monticello (have I mentioned I love Iris's booth?!! - keep bringing the cute stuff, Braeda!!), including a cute pillow, a huge floral hankie press, a piece of fabric trim, a floral hat and a piece of fabric trim. The darling metal birdcage came from the above mentioned bazaar, and, unfortunately, when I brought it home, my son thought it looked like a cool sitting bench and sat on it, breaking some of the little pieces of trim... Oh, the despair..!!

The pair of vintage framed prints came from an estate sale in our area, and will join my ever growing collection, which I will have to share with you in a future post.

On a last (but definitely not least!) note, I am sharing a photo of my birthday girl, Anna, who turns 13 today!! As we traditionally do for every child every year, we woke Anna up singing "Happy Birthday" and she opened her presents in bed!! I love you, Anna, and am very proud of the young woman you are becoming!!

Wife, mother, quiltmaker...

You may not know that I am a quiltmaker... Even though nowadays I have not spent much time doing it, it still holds a special place in my heart, and has fueled my extreme addiction to fabric!!

Shortly after I got married and moved to the US, in 1992, I became fascinated by these patchwork quilts I kept seeing, so I found a sewing machine at a garage sale for $10 and took a basic sewing class at a fabric store. Then, I bought a few books about patchwork and taught myself. When we moved to London in 1997, I was really anxious to connect with others who liked quilting, but there weren't many withing the americans at the embassy that did, so I decided I would teach them!! I started running classes from home, and before long, we had a little quilting group going!! Our favorite thing to do was to take off on a saturday morning and quilt shop hop, then finish off the day at the pub for fish and chips!! My classes continued through our stay in Rabat, and, until a few months ago, I was still teaching!!

Unfortunately, I only have a few digital pictures of some of my quilts, since I only got a digital camera a few years ago.... Boy how I wish they had been around longer!! One of my favorite designers is Kaffe Fasset, he started off designing knitting patters, then ventured off into quilting. When we lived in London, we visited his store in Bath, but I don't think it's there anymore... The hatbox pattern is his. It is one of my favorite quilts! I actually went to an upholstery fabric store and asked them if they had any discontinued sample books that they wanted to discart, and before I could blink, they had filled the back of my car with fabric swatch books!!!! Most of the fabric I used for the hatboxes came from these books!!

Another of my favorite quilts is the "Pretty Dresses". It is from a book called "Quilting with my Sister". I used some of my prettier fabric, of course!! This is one of the patterns I have taught.

Nowadays, quilting has taken a back seat to my love for vintage, and I still have quite a few unfinished projects (including a Jane Austen quilt started when I was pregnant with my son - he is 5...). But I still love it, and my brain is always in gear thinking of new ideas... If only I could stop the world from turning for just a few weeks so I could catch up...!!!

Vintage finds and creations

Last weekend I found some cute things at a couple of thrift stores/estate sale and wanted to share them with you! I am always a sucker for old suitaces, I found them at an estate sale, along with the purple ticking pillow. The large framed print (I actually just wanted the frame...), the mirror, silver tray and "birdcase" from the thrift store, then I got some goodies at Monticello during my weekly run: pink jewelry box, pink perfume bottle (I will share with you my collection in a future post), small oil and vintage pantaloons.



I also found these darling dolls at the flea market I went with Lisa the weekend before... I love them!! The large framed print was also a treasured find at the same flea market. The frame alone is simply amazing!! We had a lot of fun, and ran into Joy, Martha and Diane.

Lastly, I would like to share with you one of my latest creations! I've been getting into decorationg old suitcases, lately, so I came up with this... "Objets Trouves" means "Found Objects" in French. I will probably take this to Farm Chicks. I have others in the works, I will share them with you when they are done!!

Ah, from the mouths of babes....

The living room was a mess, toys scattered all over the floor... Father to son: "C'mon, Alex, lets pick up all these toys and put them in the basket!". Son answers, while still very comfortably sitting on the sofa: "You're a big guy, you can do it all by yourself..." Hum, I wonder if he has heard that expression way too many times! When Alex was 3, I was trying to put him to sleep, but he was very restless... So, remembering that I used to sing to all my three girls when they were little, I suggested: "How about if I sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star?!!". He turned to me and said:" How about... NO!!!"

I wanted to share with you a project I've been working on... I've been collecting vintage pink girtles and camisoles for a while, now, and couldn't figure out how to display them! So, I decided to make them into a valance in the master bathroom! For now, they are just hanging on the molding, but I would like to figure out a better way to do it... Any suggestions?

I wanted to thank everyone for leaving me such sweet comments for my debut...!! Wow, it is amazing how I can instantly feel the love!! I am honored that you come to visit and I already know this is going to be great fun!!