Favorites of Christmas 2010

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from Christmas 2010 to share:

Sonya created the darling snow people using vintage bottles, Christmas ornaments, pearls and lots of glitter.





Ican't get enough of vintage ornaments...



The santos is beautiful on our metal topped farm table...we also get so many compliments on the clock even though it is a new repro!



We're not looking forward to putting Christmas away this year. We really enjoyed it!





And last is a wonderful nativity set I sold this year. I hated to sell it (this is the hoarder in me talking) but what on earth would I do with all eleven life sized pieces. Country Living Magazine has featured the set twice in the last three years...I bought it at an estate sale years ago and has been in the rafters of my garage since! It included Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, ahepherds, all three kings, donkey, sheep, cow, camel and all life sized!!! Yikes...the guy who bought it loves it and I am glad it went to a good home.

Crafting a Great Christmas

You have got to see how cute the store is decorated for Christmas!  We totally redid the front windows which is quite a chore...much harder than it looks.  We fuss and discuss colors, heights of the displays and every little minutia before we are happy with how it looks.  We are always so proud of ourselves when the project is done but then the shop is trashed!!  We do one area and then the next looks tired and sad so we move on to the next. By the time we think we are done, it's time to start all over again!  Here's from the outside looking in....





And then here are a few from the inside...























Here are some neat pictures we recently brought into the shop...Great Christmas gift ideas, huh??








We have a couple of  new products in the store that have become very popular. One is German glass glitter and the other are walnut crystals.  The fun thing about the glass glitter is that one side of the glass is actual silver so it will tarnish with time to give your projects an antique look. Two and a half ounces are only $4.95 and great to use if you like to do scrap booking or crafting.  Use it as you would any other glitter but on exposure to the air it will tarnish (that's a good thing as Martha would say!).  Here are pictures of Sonya's projects that she has used the glitter on:



The other item are the walnut crystals.  A little bit goes a long way.  In fact, a package for $5.95 is a "Costco" amount that should last you close to a lifetime.  They are what we use to make our tags have the "aged look".

So there is a lot happening at the shop and we certainly enjoy fixing it up for you!  Do drop in and check it all out!  We guarantee it will put you in the holiday spirit!!

Piles and Piles and Piles of Christmas

So, I have a basement from hell that is full of vintage stuff...especially Christmas! My friends all beg to go down there but it looks like one of those places on "Hoarders"!! I'm so embarrassed but not enough to spend quality time cleaning it up.  Maybe someday.... Anyway, I have taken at least 10 plastic containers of Christmas to the shop and Monticello. (Monticello's Christmas Show is coming up and we are in it! Check it out here http://monticelloantiques.blogspot.com/ )  Then you too can get a small glimpse of my basement!  Yes, I have about 10 more boxes of vintage Christmas down there but unfortunately it isn't in boxes...it's in piles and piles and piles.  It's my way of creating more expensive Christmas stuff because I'm always tripping over stuff and breaking it..hence it becomes more collectible since there is now less of it after I trip on some.



Sonya has been busy creating beautiful things for the show.  Her famous tissue pom-poms and our signage are two of her latest creations.





She also framed this sweet picture of sheep inside a Model T Ford part.  Quite original and a true one of a kind.



Did I mention I have a "few" nativity pieces...for some reason I have amassed a huge collection so if you are missing some piece, I probably have it at the store. I like the animals for instant collections on display all year long...especially the sheep!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Have a wonderfully high calorie holiday...I love the turkey skin crisp out of the oven...the pecan pie (I am not fond of pumpkin pie--I don't like veggies in my dessert) with real whipped cream....the yams with marshmallows....the crispy dressing (want some rolls dripping with butter with a side of bread?)...my sister's wonderful chocolate strata pie.  Can't wait!!!  And to see several of my nieces and their kids..there will be 4 generations there!

Oh, and then the shop will be open Friday from 9 am to 8 pm.  Don't forget "Small Business Saturday".  Do come work it off!  We'll have an aerobics class in the back room so bring your exercise clothes with you (NOT!!).

Wintersteen Farm Wreaths

We are very excited about Christmas at the shop this year.  We have lots of vintage Christmas including trees, ornaments, linens to deck the halls from the front door to the kitchen.

We've extended our hours through December.  Wednesday through Saturday we will be open 10-5:30.

The Friday after Thanksgiving we will open early, close late....9 am to 8 pm.  Next Saturday is "Small Business Saturday" so support the small business you love..Vintage Station!  And we are supporting a small business we love...Wintersteen Farms in Sandy, Oregon.  They make gorgeous farm fresh wreaths.

 Jeff and Kelly, the owners of Wintersteen Farms, are Sonya's son and daughter-in-law.  Jeff is a "boutique home builder" but, as we all know here in Oregon, business is very slow.  They have sold wreath material to wholesalers from their farm in previous years but now they are making wreaths themselves on a smaller scale.

The wreaths are very fresh and full.  They include noble fir (which holds its needles much longer than Douglas fir),cedar, juniper with berries, and pinecones.  We have a few in the store now.  The packaging is very impressive. The wreath is wrapped in a clear bag to preserve it's freshness and includes a satin ribbon for hanging, tissue, and raffia all in a gorgeous box.

What a great hostess gift or impressive gift for family and friends! They can be directly shipped. Click here to go to their website or use the link in our sidebar.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Christmas is Starting to Sparkle

We are starting to fill the shop with Christmas.  Yes, it is a little early but since we are open only four days a week we need to start early.  We're hoping you will love what we are bringing into the shop.  More is coming and this is just the beginning! 

Frenchie Bon Voyage!

I am taking French lessons in anticipation of going to France next spring.  One of my friends is going to Paris so we all had lunch at Le Petite Provence today.  We were suppose to speak only French but it would have been a very silent lunch and we have so much to share each time we get together.  My daughter kids me that we aren't really a French class but a French club...she's probably right!  Oh the flea markets, I can hardly wait for my turn!!

Here are some pictures from my last trip to France. They are so ahead of us in design.  This was over two years ago and we just now are seeing the acrylic Queen Anne and cafe chairs




Loved this great idea for a table...



And it was all in the Galleries Lafayette (Paris' equivalent to Macy's...Macy's never looked so good!)...



Our $200. a night hotel room close to the Eiffel Tower. The pictures in the brochure must have been using a wide angle lens!  We had to climb over Sue's bed to get to the bathroom.



One of our favorite places, a graveyard!  Thought I'd share these for Halloween...



Don't know why someone would want a creepy bat on their beautiful crypt....



Or the Angel of Death guarding the crypt?