I Won Sandi's Giveaway...

Thank you so much Sandi!

I won something that I really can use! Sandi's blog is A Cottage Muse, she offered some neat postcards from uprinting.com and I was the lucky winner!

As soon as I get them I'll be sure to post them...I can't wait! This is going to be fun!

Thanks Sandi!

Be sure to stop by Sandi's blog, she always has something interesting going on and is also one of my favorite blogs! 

Beat up old suitcase full of pretty treasures!

 I found this old suitcase a few months ago and planned to fill it full of old lace and crochet...

It's one of those gloomy dark days that looks like it will rain any minute...but doesn't.

Taking pictures was not working too well, I sure prefer sunny days for this plus I'm solar powered and need those sunny days!

Have no clue who the young girls are but they are all just too sweet!

My fave is this pair of butterfly brooches. They belonged to my mother and I'm sure they came from her mother. My mom would be 99 if she was still alive so the butterflies have to be quite old. (She was born 3 days after the Titanic sunk!)

I have been crazy about them since I can remember, I assume they are just garnets but I would love to find out if they are anything of value...other than sentimental...

An old string of mother of pearl (mop) beads...

Crochet flowers and other pretty laces...

That's a teeny emery strawberry made of silk near the millinery flower.

The old beat up suitcase has a black top, I'm thinking when I have a little more practice at painting flowers that a few pink roses would be perfect! When that happens...I'll post it...if it turns out!

Thanks for stopping!

Linking to;
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Faded Charm for White Wednesday

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday
From My Front Porch To Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
Common Ground for Inspiration Friday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home
2805 for Potpourri Friday

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday

Fabric pumpkins with my old chippy white door...

I finally brought out some of my fall decorations...for some reason I'm not in the 'autumn' mood. 

Maybe it's because of what is to come...our long cold winter...

Many phases of my pumpkin making since the early 80's with the larger plain orange pumpkin to the more current wool pumpkins...there's more but I can't find them all...

An old crow that is noise activated...it flaps it's wings, eyes flash red and makes a 'scarry' noise...he's always out at this time of year...until he drives us crazy and then gets shut off...

Finally....I got Mr. Wild to bring in my chippy white door!
This wall is still slowly coming together. Once the snow flies I'll be able to get him to hang an old architectural piece or two on the wall and there is one more door that needs to be brought in.
Maybe by next week I'll be more ambitious with the fall decor....

Thanks for stopping!

Linking to;

Faded Charm for White Wednesday

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday
2805 for Potpourri Friday
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
French Country Cottage for feathered Nest Friday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday

My Vintage Camper

I finally found a vintage camper!!!

Next summer I plan to paint the outside white, the middle "quilted" part between the windows will be yellow and the shutters and door will be white.

After searching for months out west and here I finally found exactly what I wanted.

I still have to pinch myself...I can't believe I finally have my very own vintage camper!!!
These will be the "before" pictures...I plan to keep 'decorating' it and posting as it progresses.

It's a 1969 Trailblazer made in Spencer, Wisconsin.

Not very common but I was sold on the floor plan, the shutters on the windows, the louvered windows on the door, the yellow Formica table and cupboards and it's in great condition. 

I've never seen another camper model with window shutters!

It's so bright and cheerful inside even if it's cloudy, it puts me in a good mood as soon as I step into it. I spend most of my days inside fussing over how to decorate it or just sitting there crocheting a giant yellow rose pillow.

You can't read the tan cardboard sign very well but it says "No Boys Allowed!"

Everything works, it's clean and looks like it was hardly used.

Only the front burner on the stove was used and very little, the sink looks barely used and the ice box just a little. The old linoleum floor is in great shape and no leaks or rot or funny odors.

The inside is cluttered while I try to decide what fabric to use to recover the seat cushions and curtains.

I found my Grandma's old transistor radio and it still works...AM only...but how appropriate for the era.

The Formica has a paisley pattern, not visible here but if the image is enlarged it's easy to see and it's in beautiful condition.

Notice the Coleman gas lantern in the middle of the upper cupboards.

The cupboard doors open up like an airplane overhead compartment, I love that!

I also found my mom's old Melmac set for 12 and a few Pyrex bowls and her old coffee pot.

I'll cover the drawer doors with birch bark wallpaper to give it that up north cabin feel.

I was trying to decide on a theme but there are so many choices. When we went up north to pick it up (200 miles north) we went right past Bay Lake where I would spend many weekends as a little girl at my Grandparents cabin. Lots of good memories and all the familiar scenery.

I wanted to bring in that cabin feel yet add chenille, crochet and vintage fabrics. I'll add my mom's old fishing poles and tackle box...the women were the fisherwomen in our family. Myself, my mom and her mom, I was practically raised in a boat. None of the men cared much for fishing including Mr Wild..

There's an overhead bunk that is folded up and out of the way. I wrapped an old chenille bedspread over the couch/bed cushion because they are an ugly orange and gold upholstery.

The logo for Trailblazer, this is on the awning and faded. the one below is a photo off an older Trailblazer.

A design so typical of the 60's. There was a small grocery store/bar that the neighbor girl and I would walk up to at the lake. It was called White Hawk...maybe I'll call the camper that...not sure.

Sort of fits with the Indian logo.

We do intend to use it. I hope to tow it when I go to rug hooking camps and Mr. Wild says we can use it in the mountains, it's so light and tows so easily. I'll have to box up all my breakables and pack them away each time though....

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking to:

Faded Charm for White Wednesday

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

From My Front Porch To Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday

2805 for Potpourri Friday

Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday

The rest of my weekend treasures....

Here's the rest of Saturday's garage sale and flea market (from yesterdays post)...I don't know why my pictures are fuzzy....they look great when I Photoshop them but then when I get them on blogger they look fuzzy!

3 lovely vintage tablecloths...2 at $4 each and 1 at $7

A beautiful white vase marked Abingdon, a little creamer form the flea market from Germany and an old bow tie in the box from the garage sale...from $2 to $5

A pink chiffon purse form a little girls "coketail" party. The invitation, flowers and pink velvet  hair bow were all inside. 

This is exactly what I needed to go along with my $5 pink prom dress posted here.

2 round linen table cloths with crochet edgings are underneath.

A beautifully embroidered Redwork with expertly crocheted trim, it has a few light spots and I can't tell if it's faded or a variegated thread...but it's still so beautiful. I'd like to hang it above my bed. 

The design is me all the way...early to bed for sure...and the branches and flowers. It's exactly what I would pick if I had 100 different designs to choose from.

I love this most...a linen table runner with the prettiest design I've seen yet.

Those pink clusters are solid french knots! And the colors are to die for....

An old beaded purse that has seen it's better days but for $2! Look at the tip of the clasps...they glow in the light.

A cotton crochet heavy bedspread that is coming apart at the seams.

Now I understand what the 4 pieces of crochet were intended to be when I made that giant crochet rose posted here.

They pieced a bedspread together using the crochet strips and cotton....the wide crochet is like giant insertion lace. Then they edged the entire thing with the crocheted scalloped lace.

The lace is hand sewn onto the cotton and I can remove it and make another giant white rose using the scalloped crochet!!! It was 5 bucks!!!

From the flea market I found this tall wicker hamper...I think it's a hamper..with a little neutral stain I can brighten up the wood. For some strange reason I just love this thing even though it's a little shabby.

And a small basket.

A cool wire paper basket with little springs on each corner...why? I don't think they show up very well here.

We think the foot stool may have been used in  a passenger car of a train?

I had to have the shell backed child's rocker!!! Mr. Wild will sand blast it and paint it a nice color

 A couple of guys were selling mums that were at their peak for $2 each or 3 for $5...I started with one and came home with 3!

A wicker basket and a beautiful crochet piece...yes that's the back of the price tag but I kind of like it there and was thinking of stamping something on it.

A cloths line winder for dirt cheap, the sugar bag and the perfect pink pillow ticking came from the garage sale.

All of these treasures were not pricey. I don't buy it if it's too much unless I just cannot live without it. I try to be frugal at sales and I truly have more fun finding a bargain. But it's terribly addicting so it adds up anyway!

Someday, when I'm old and ready to unload some things I'll start selling it but for now I just want to enjoy it all.

Thanks for stopping by to look at my 'junk'!

Just when I finished posting and walked away this guy was perched on the top of the open window and flew to the tree so I grabbed my camera for this pileated woodpecker.

Linking to;

From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
2805 for Potpourri Friday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday

1920's Beautiful Vintage Wedding Dress and other pieces...

This has got to be one of my very favorite finds!!!

Saturday, as I was on my way to a flea market, I saw several garage sales in my neighborhood. I knew I should stop but instead I went to the flea market

The signs were still up when I came home so I checked one out and this is part of what I found!!!

Beautiful ribbon roses on  a 1920's wedding dress...

It's a cream color although it picked up a bluish cast outside...

The dress.... It was in a plastic bag, inside a plastic bin with more stuff piled on top. I peeked inside and saw the ribbon flowers and knew immediately I had to have it. The woman said it's a wedding dress and would I like to see the picture of the woman wearing it so I said sure! 

When I finally took the dress out of the bag at home I was so surprised to find the brides silk stockings in great shape, they are hanging on the left side on the hanger. The wedding dress is terribly wrinkled from being crushed for so long.

I had to drape the enormously long veil with train over the hanger several times. The dark part is the headband of the headpiece and the entire piece is very fine and delicate.

Out she comes with this huge 20" x 30" photo! She said she would throw it in with the dress, the dress was very reasonable.

Please click on the individual images. If I post them original size, there are too many and it will take too long to load...but you just have to see this dress up close! Especially the image directly above.

I wish someone had written her name on the back...we will never know.

I'd like to frame the picture and somehow hang the dress along side, hopefully I can find just the right spot. I'd like to have all of these pretty things out where I can enjoy them yet take good care of them.

Update on Oct.6....I just researched more of this dress  because there are 2 hoops underneath. They are panniers, it's a c.1920's Pannier Dress and it is made of silk satin. Evidently the panniers brought the dress out at the sides and would show off the lace and silk ribbon flowers in the middle. Can you imagine wearing this!!!!

I have seen these beautiful 1920's silk ribbon flowers on Etsy and they are not cheap. I spotted this undergarment with this flower cluster attached at the top. The price was too good to pass it up.

It measures about 4 1/2" across!!!

There is pink ribbon encased in the edge of the lace, you can see a bit of it to the right of the ribbon flowers.

Look at all this gorgeous lace!!!

Then there was this long undergarment...again if you click on the image below you'll get a much better look...maybe this is older than the wedding dress?

Then there was this set of 3 pieces....

The camisole, slip and pantaloons...on the right...

Every single stitch on all 3 pieces is done by hand! All of the crocheted Irish lace and all the other laces are pieced together like a puzzle and every single piece is hand stitched with teeny tiny stitches.

And it's loaded with lace, all in very good condition.

Can you imagine work like this nowadays!!!! 

I don't know if all of these pieces belonged to the woman in the photo, I'd like to think they did.

I have much more from Saturday to post but it would make this post so long.

I wanted to get these beautiful pieces on here first. I'll add the rest tomorrow afternoon.

Update....They are posted now....here.

I started sewing when I was a little girl, clothing and quilts and now I hook rugs and wool applique. I love to make things using cloth and finding something like this is just a real treasure for me!

I hope you enjoyed seeing this little bit of history...thanks for stopping!

10/6 update on the wedding dress...this afternoon I discovered the dress was purchased years ago in St. Paul, MN. The woman that sold it to me thinks she may have the name someplace and promises to call me if she can find it. There's a lot of cool history in St. Paul back then...my mind is wandering...who was she!!!! 

Linking to:
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Faded Charm for White Wednesday
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
From My Front Porch to Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
2805 for Potpourri Friday
Common Ground for vintage Inspiration Friday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday