Rednesday ~ Dawn's New Helper

Hi, I'm Sarah. I'm Dawn's new helper.
I used to live with Ana in A Petite Cottage.

It was fun helping in her Etsy shop

but now I'm Dawn's Rednesday assistant!

(Dawn just discovered Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday Rainbow Summer School so she's linking up there today too. You'll find the Rednesday link to It's a Very Cherry World at the end of this post.Obviously, Dawn is still struggling with her organzational skills!)

It's a lovely day to take photos outside.

Dawn bought this gold rimmed cherry plate

at the Sacramento Antique Faire

the same day she got the pretty red

tablecloths from last week's Redndesday.

She also got this fruit bowl there too!
Notice the gold rim again.
She still likes gold and brass.
She's so old fashioned that way.
Ugh, this thing is getting heavy!



Uh, a little help here?
Dawn, don't walk away!
Was it something I said?
OK, you're not old fashioned,
just a little ...
traditional.

Whew! That's better. Now before you run back to Sue's It's a Very Cherry World to check out the other Rednedsay posts.I'm just going to kick back here for a while and enjoy the shade.

This assistant stuff is hard work!
I should have negotiated for a benefits package!
But don't tell Dawn I said that!

Thrifty Thursday ~ French Doors Times 4

Yard sale season may be slowing down but there are still plenty of good finds out there. As Leigh pointed out a few weeks ago, there are all kinds of other ways to be thrifty too. Please stop by her place and see what's cooking today.

I really hit the jackpot this week at Strawberry Saturday. Imagine walking in to a place that usually has clothes and knick knacks and seeing...French Doors. 1, 2, 3, 4, sets of French Doors! That's 8 doors. Eight old doors. My brain was doing cartwheels!

Heavy, solid doors.

Hinges still attached.

Door knobs.

Double pane windows!

Cheryl told my one set had already been paid for and she was waiting for them to be picked up. The set shown here in front was actually 3 inches taller than the others and didn't have any hardware so I think they may have been used as transoms, not functioning doors. That still left 2 sets with hardware and one that could probably be re-worked into doors. But at what cost???

$40.00 per set!

Remember our old "wash house"?

I posted about it here. Ever since we moved here I've been dreaming about making it into an arts and crafts studio for me and my daughter. I envisioned this being a wall of French doors letting in the light for a nice bright space that would open onto a brick patio by the old outdoor fireplace. Of course the whole building would still be covered in these incredible pink roses.

Insert the sound of glass shattering here.

Not the doors, my broken heart. Hubby couldn't see my vision, at least not as these particular doors were concerned. It's okay, he's being practical. I get it.

On the bright side. The doors are still available. Someone else will get to enjoy the same thrill as I did when they discover them. And I guess sometimes that's what it's all about...the thrill of the hunt!

Mom and Tools

This is my beautiful, awesome mom!

and these photos are from

her "Garden" guest room,

which is a little girl's dream!

I was kind of surprised when we went to the Sacramento Antiques Faire in October that she spent so much time looking at things that weren't so...girly.

In fact, we "lost" her several times. We'd look around and see that she had stopped at a booth with more masculine things that the rest of us girls had walked right past! Here she was talking about the accuracy of one of the historical paintings this man had for sale.

I don't even know what was at this booth but something got her attention.

I bet she spent 20 minutes looking over all the tools at this booth.

When Tracy went to see what was up, mom sent her back for my camera.

I thought she caught the blogging bug!

But she just wanted to show my dad all the great tools she found...

so he'll want to come with us next time!

I have to admit this one's pretty fancy!

I'm afraid we missed the Nov. show because I was so sick but I'm looking forward to December 13th and some last minute Christmas shopping with my pal Gloria from Happy to Be. Those of you in Northern California should check it out. It's easy to get to, parking is free and admission is only $3.00! Believe me, my family is all small town girls and if we can handle the big city you can too. You can get all the information here. Make sure to bring your cameras and introduce yourselves if you see us running around with our cameras (a sure sign of a blogger!) For more pictures check out my other posts, here and here!

Hugs,

Dawn

Loved to Pieces

I know "mint condition" and "in the original box" are the buzz words of the antiques and collectibles markets but really now, isn't being loved to pieces what dolls and teddies are all about?

Thanks to all of you for the nice comments and emails. I'm feeling a little better but am still taking it easy.

Thanks mom, for several nights of feeding my family and seeing they had clean clothes! You too Auntie A. Cheers to dad, fixer of all things, for helping out with the washing machine. Love you all!

Hugs,
Dawn

More Pretties from Second Sunday

I wish I had picked up this little box.

Betcha know which is my favorite!

Darn! Too late!

She is exquisite!

So Beautiful!

This light is about 3 feet tall!

There is so much more to share from last weekend in Sacramento but this week has been a whirlwind for me. I'll try to catch up with some visits during the week, and maybe get a post or two up but I really need to do some things around the house. Does anyone have any idea about hanging that big red tray I shared? Do they make plate hangers that big? So much to figure out..

Hugs,
Dawn

The Execellent Adventures of Gloria and Dawn

Ok, in all honesty I hate this pic of myself and didn't want to post it...but thats what bloggers do when they meet up with each other so I bit the bullet and did it. This was my highest weight. Fast forward to Nov. 2011, and read Fall Review to see me about 40 lbs. lighter and hear what I'm doing to get even healthier!

Woo Hoo, It's Second Sunday!

Gloria had been posting about Second Sunday and I was constantly drooling over her photos. I knew she was in California so I asked her where this show is held. When I found out it was in Sacramento I knew we had to get together and do some shopping! It is actually the Sacramento Antiques Faire and is held the second Sunday of each month. Some people also call it Under the Freeway...and you'll see why in all the photos.

Make sure you visit Gloria at Happy to Be and check out her her antique collection. She has some really amazing pieces. She would love to talk antiques with you whether you're a seasoned pro, a new collector, or just have one special piece you'd like to share.

Before we hit the pavement I want to share this special lamp Gloria gave to me Sunday.

Can you believe she made this? It started as a 1930's gravy boat!

She put the lamp together then added a sweet little bird, some ivy and some highly sought after Reindeer Moss that grows on the trees on her mountain top! It is so lovely on my nightstand!

Now for the nitty gritty! We arrived a little early and thought we'd check out some things before we were supposed to meet Gloria and Len. We were instantly overwhelmed by how much there was to see.

This was one of the first booths and it took us about 15 minutes to move on. I knew we were already in trouble! My mom and future SIL came along and had a great time too.

Mom loved the little cast iron mailbox but they wanted $100 and it was missing the cover to the slot. Later on SIL found another one for $28 and it had the slot cover. SOLD!

They only wanted $20 for this cute little end table with the mismatched drawers but hubby made me promise I wouldn't come home with any more furniture. He knows my weakness. We found it later in the day at a different dealer's booth. Besides the obvious mismatched drawer fronts it also still held the same little screw in the top drawer. Obviously she knew a bargain!

It was about time to meet with Gloria so I left the girls went to find our meeting spot. I made my way to the main gate and browsed the nearby booths while I waited. I spotted Len dropping her off then going to park. Gloria looked over and I pointed at her and waved. She threw her arms open so I ran over and we hugged over the little fence where she was waiting for Len.

We all hit it off really well so it was time for serious shopping. Gloria knows so much about antiques and collectibles. It was a wonderful to have such a knowledgeable person guiding us.

Now that the scene is set, I'm going to tease with a few shots of whats to come in the following days. There was so much eye candy I couldn't possible put it all in one post.

You'll see beautiful things...

funny things....

and things that take your breath away, like this top to a railroad ticket counter. This was the most expensive thing I saw at $850 but hey, they might come down on it! Wouldn't it make a great looking headboard! Not, comfortable, but great looking!

See you tomorrow with a REDnesday/Thrifty Thursday post from the Sacramento Antiques Faire. If you're the type that always peeks at you gifts early you can head over to Happy to Be and see Gloria's photo of one of my red purchases!

Hugs

Dawn

Bloggers' Day Out

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity of spending a day with three inspiring women I met through blogging. Doesn't the one in the middle have the most stylish hat! I'm pretty sure she got it from "The Graphics Fairy" if you'd like one too!

Miss Jean is a wonderful gardener and quilter. She shares her passions along with her love of family and the escapades of her Scottish Terrier, Maggie, on her blog,
"In the Garden with Miss Jean ".

Becky also has two Scotties, Mr. Duhgall and Miss Fiona. Her blog,
"Sweet Cottage Dreams"
is full of artistic photos of collectibles, cooking, decorating, do-it-yourself projects and of course those darling Scotties.

Sandi's blog
"The Green Pea Boutique"
is named after her store in Escalon, CA. She shares her love of antiques, unique finds and renovation. She and her husband have spent years transforming an old hardware store into a charming boutique with their trusty helper Barney by their sides.

We began our day at the Waffle Factory on Jackson Ave. in Escalon. It's a wonderful hometown kind of place where the patrons and employees all know each other. They seemed a bit concerned about the out-of-towner who wasn't sure if she was in the right place and didn't know the people she was looking for! Thank goodness Sandi showed up and put them all at ease by giving me a big welcoming hug. Then Becky and Jean came in and it was hugs and giggles all around! We had a great breakfast, nonstop conversation and a few more good laughs. Becky handed out some treats she made for all of us and took a few photos. I left my camera in the car at breakfast but I remembered to take photos of Becky's sweet gift when I got home. She baked wonderful little orange-apricot cookies and packaged them up with several ME items with a pretty little bow.

You gotta love a friend who enables your sweet tooth and your ME addiction!

That is Miss Jean on the left, Becky in the middle and Sandi on the right. You can see that this is a big store!

It's so big you almost need a guide. Who better than Barney the "Labrasset Hound". He can sniff out the best items and retrieve them for you too! Just don't expect him to do it quickly.

It was a work day for Sandi so she set to opening the store. Becky and Miss Jean got down t0 business checking out all the great antiques, collectibles and unique items Sandi offers.

I spent some time just admiring the magnificent old building.

Sandi's arrangements give it a warm, homey feeling.

The high ceilings done in white bead board, tall white columns, skylights, and lace covered windows make it open and bright.

The dark wood floors and painted walls with exposed brick provide a sense of history.

Break time already Barney?!

I had to get a photo of these great crocks for my hubby. We have several similar pieces that were made by the California Pottery Company in the Merced plant which closed in 1929 I believe. I think hubby's grandparents use them for processing olives from the two big olive trees on our lot.

Sandi had a lot of customers but finally got a chance to relax and visit some more. We enjoyed meeting her "non-blogging" customers and friends too, although I'm not sure what some of them thought about us giggly girls running around taking photos everywhere!

This is a sweet little vignette in the back of the store. Don't you just love that red window frame! Speaking of red, I found some great little red side tables for my living room. Sandi's husband and son even carried them across the street to my van for me. They were such sweethearts and I was glad we got to meet them too.

Doesn't Barney look comfortable just hanging out?

Actually, we were all comfortable just hanging out. That's the kind of place The Green Pea is. And that's the kind of people these women are. I felt like I had known them for much longer than a few hours! It was such a pleasure meeting these sweet ladies. Amid all the story telling, laughing and photography we actually all made a nice little haul of goodies too. I already mentioned my new tables and I posted about Sunny's new fall tie on Friday. Becky picked up a small scale and I think a few other items. Jean bought a wonderful tapestry pillow and a beautiful green dish among other things. I can't wait to see what they post about our little adventure. I know we all had a different "perspective"! You can visit them by clicking on the links at the top of this post or in my blog list on my sidebar.

Looking forward to more Bloggers' Days Out soon!
Dawn