Saturday Junking In and Around: Rockford, IL.

Garage sale season is in full swing in Rockford, Rockton and Roscoe, IL  and I had the rare pleasure of shopping the area with my life long girlfriend and "Junker Extraordinaire", Ann, from Nellie's Barn Sale. This gal has been hosting twice a year barn sales for nearly 20 years and trust me when I tell you, she KNOWS where and how to shop for the best stuff and the best prices! We were on the road, coffee in hand, by 7:30 AM. Our first stop of the morning, a series of garage sales all in the same sub division! 1950's vintage kitchen items and INCREDIBLE prices!

Also plentiful in the area:  Barn Sales with a mix of things including some Ikea Drawers that I snagged for $5 to make the knockoff from Kristine at The Painted Hive.

My favorite stops of the day, however, were  several shops in the area owned by friends/fellow bloggers and junkers some of whom I hadn't met "in person" until Saturday!
First stop: Second Hand Rose in Poplar Grove.
Our friend, Nancy and her talented group of ladies have put together a charming shop full of vintage garden decor, primitives, home accessories and even milk paint for those of us who'd rather DIY.  I found a cute wood shelf, a great barn wood tray, another rolling pin for my collection and a huge ironstone bowl that came home with me!

 

Next, I met Bob from Boberosa Barnworks where we stopped so I could choose a few vintage barn pulleys from his large collection.  I need them  for a little project on my pergola. Bob has assembled an amazing selection of farm and vintage items all in wonderful condition and beautifully displayed in his huge building. The mill stone, however, had sold earlier in the week. Keep an eye open for another one for me, Bob!

Next stop:  Primberry Antiques where I met Kathy and Adam and spent time going through their wonderful displays of primitive and vintage and took home a great glass jar and an old kitchen (cistern) pump!


At this point, my camera battery died so I have no photos from our stops at a couple of local antique malls  in the area or our visit with Gwen at Meyer's Canine Colony.  Meyers  has a dog groomer, pet food and supplies but ALSO has an adorable gift shop for "humans" that features hand made bath salt balls, lovely soaps and lotions, candles, accessories, purses,  and darling, insulated, reusable  lunch bags!

The only "sad" part of the day was that it got dark too soon and we didn't make it to see the gals at Rags to Vintage, Bungle Bee Primitives or Judy at The Empty Attic but I'm hoping to be back in the area within the next few weeks and I'm certain to get there next time!
Here's what we netted for the day. Except as noted...after all, hauling some of this stuff into her kitchen to take a photo just wasn't feasible...not to mention the fact that her husband already thinks we're nuts! 

My "loot" from the day: (not shown, a 5 1/2 foot piece of vintage fretwork,  (5) 1940s' Tell City Chairs that Judy found for me at Goodwill for $5 each and my two "Louis" chairs that Ann found for me on Craig's List!

Ann's Loot for the day: (not shown, a 6 foot, 1950's metal glider with cushions, a huge galvanized funnel and some other cool, odd, black metal bthing (that she'll probably make into a planter or something).

Happy rainy Monday...I'm still unloading the car!

xo,

S

Capron, Illinois - Twigs and Twine

I'm excited to show you a few "behind the scenes" photos of a brand new store that will open this Thursday in Capron, Illinois. Welcome to Twigs & Twine.  

Housed in the old bank building located at 105 South Fourth Street (the corner of Fourth and Rte 173/Main St), my lovely girlfriend, Nancy LaPointe, is opening a beautiful new store.  Featuring romantic country, re purposed, vintage, and industrial. All of which is artfully mixed with a few new things, hand made items, and all things feminine!  

 I spent the day with my friend Ann from Nellie's Barn Sale, Nancy (some of you may already know her from her other store,  Second Hand Rose), and her friend, Virg, setting up displays, fluffing and primping and putting things into place for the opening this Thursday. As you can see from these few photos, it's a great space with loads of cool stuff and Nancy has a wonderful selection of items that will make great gifts as well as great "keepers".

If you live in the Capron, Illinois area you're in for a treat! If you can make the trip with your girlfriends, you MUST see this store! Please, stop in, say "Hi" to Nancy and enjoy an adorable shop that's fun and friendly and has some FABULOUS finds. You'll leave with a smile on your face, I promise!

*As a point of reference, I spent an entire day shopping stores in the area from 8 am to 6pm and I ran out of time before I could visit all of the great antique and vintage stores that are nearby!  Make the trip, you'll be glad that you did!

 Watch for a Facebook page with more information or drop me an Email if you're headed that way!

xo,

S

 

Thelma and Louise: Junkers by Day; Blog Designers by Night

Source: Dailyfilmdose.com

Sorry for the brief post but I'm out the door to spend the day junking with one of my very best girlfriends, Ann, from Nellie's Barn Sale. Don't worry, we won't be driving off of any cliffs. We will, however, be stopping at thrift stores and garage sales, checking out a venue for an exciting new market that we're working on (details when I can share them) and going to a classic car lot to check out a couple of "guys" that Ann's had her eye on since her vintage trailer, Doris came to live with her. After all, a gal like Doris needs a strong type to haul her around, right?!  I figure that if we're on the road with coffee in hand by 7:30 a.m., we should be home by dark.

Source: LUZER on Flikr

Oh, and you've probably noticed by now that I also have a new blog header. Yep, Ann and I had an hour last night after everyone else went to sleep so, after surfing Pinterest for a bit, we decided to make over my header!

The best part of the whole thing?! It was FREEEEEE!!!!!  Because that's what girlfriends do. I figure that it  saved me enough money to buy a few more pieces of ironstone (I'll never have enough) or maybe the mill stone I've been searching for to make the water feature for my garden.  Wish us luck!

Updates Monday. Have a Glorious Weekend!

xo,

S