Jerry's Flea Market

I had to write about my friend Jerry. He has been a part of this town for many, many years. He has the coolest thrift store, and it is where I find a lot of my 'treasures' for my baskets. The name of his place is 'Jerry's Flea Market'. It is located inside an old gas station building. The gas pumps are long gone, but inside is the best treasure hunting place around. If you like to dig through boxes and hunt through things stacked upon each other, this is the place for you! It is so much fun to go and see the latest things that Jerry has for sale. Oh, and don't forget to buy a soda and a pack of nabs. They'll only cost you a dollar!

Here is a picture of the outside of his place. I stopped in this morning to say 'hello', and of course I left with a 'few' items....lol....

Fall...lots and lots of leaves....

My husband and I had been living in a loft above our antique store in downtown Robbins for many years, so we didn't have any land or yard. We recently moved out of the building into a lovely home that was built in 1927. It is perfect for us, and had just enough space for all of our antique and vintage items that we brought from our store. It is located in an older neighborhood in town, and has lots and lots of beautiful old oaks and maples....well, guess what? Those lots and lots of trees, also drop lots and lots of leaves...lol...I have spent my afternoon raking and bagging leaves from one of our maple trees..and it doesn't look like I have even made a dent...they sure are beautiful though....totally worth it....:o) to those of you that grew up on the East Coast or Midwest, you are probably thinking, 'gee, was this a surprise to her?'...actually since I grew up on the West Coast, we had very few trees in our area that lost their leaves in the Fall. The oak trees out there are called 'Live Oaks', and they don't shed their leaves. You will see an occasional Japanese Maple in someones yard, but for the most part, everyone had deciduous trees and bushes.

Auction time!!

I had a ball yesterday! My friends Cheryl and Greg Fisher had an auction out at their farm in Seagrove, North Carolina. Cheryl comes from a family that has been involved in the antiques business for decades! She has been collecting since before she could walk...well, that might be a 'slight' exaggeration, but after seeing what she had for sale, I could believe it!! I wanted to go to her auction just to see what she had for sale....that gal has an eye for the unique and unusual. She had a booth space with us when my husband and I had an antique store (Middleton Mercantile), and she always  brought in such interesting items for sale.
The weather yesterday was a picture-perfect Fall day, so I decided to bring my camera along to snap some pictures....so glad that I did! I have added some of those shots here for all of you to enjoy. The items shown here are just a remnant of what she used to have! Cheryl told me that she has been selling a lot of items to individual buyers that come to her property to make an offer. She also mentioned to me after the auction yesterday that she is going to have a 'moving sale' sometime in the next few weeks. I will let you all know when and where that will take place....great bargains, and fun collectibles are still available!
Oh, and before I forget, the auction was performed by Steven Cates, and his company, Elite Auctioneering Services. Steve and his crew (Don, Sean, Randy, and...Clarke?) were hilarious. It is a tough job to talk non-stop for hours straight, and to do it with a sense of humor is amazing! He also had his clerk (Lisa I believe was her name...forgive me for not remembering), and the lovely Carol collected the money and kept track of all of our purchases. Carol also owns her own shop called Unique Treasures & Collectibles, located in Kernersville, North Carolina. She has new to antique items in booths and shelf spaces. Carol told me that she is planning to expand her booth spaces too. Those are great words to hear from someone in this industry, in the present economic times! Give her a call at (336) 992-3328 for her hours and directions.
Here is some more exciting news! While bidding on some treasures, I started a conversation with a young woman that was sitting across the aisle from me. She told me that she had just opened up a new shop in Carthage, North Carolina, about a month ago, and that she was at the auction to get more inventory for her store. I thought, my goodness, even more good news!! A new store too...that is just great! I told her that I would mention her in my blog. The name of the store is T&T Hidden treasures. The co-owners are both named Tracy, hence the name 'T&T'....They are open from Wed-Sat. 10am to 5:30m. She has two phone numbers listed on her business card, so here are the two of them...(910) 639-2780 and (910) 690-3788. apparently they take consignments too. Stop in to say hello and tell them that I sent you....:o)

ok, so now for the pictures...sit back and enjoy the view.....

my 'work shop'....

I have been making a lot of baskets lately, and have been storing them on top of a vintage maple drop-leaf table....I walked in to take a few items to a friend, and the site of all the pretty colors and vintage pieces made me smile...so...I decided to take a few pictures of them to share with you!! enjoy....:o)

Spa baskets

Here are a few of my newest baskets....they feature lovely items for the perfect spa experience....each has a bath towel, hand towel, and wash cloth, a beautiful night light, body puff, votive candle holder and candle...and, best of all...one of them has a fabulous massage oil, and the other has a seafoam body mask product.....only $25 each....

The love of vintage china

I love vintage china, especially china that was made by companies in the US. It is amazing to me the number of companies that used to exist here that are no longer in business, or no longer produce their products here.
My kitchen has several pieces from the Syracuse China company. They made restaurant ware for just about every restaurant and diner in this country for many decades! I love to look on-line to see the many patterns and colors that they produced. It is simply amazing to me!
I use Syracuse China products as one of the 'base pieces' for my line of vintage gift 'baskets' that I create. It is my way of showcasing a beautiful piece of china, as well as preserving a piece of American history.
I just got in several gorgeous display plates made by Syracuse China that feature a stunning picture of a flower on the front of the plate. Each plate represents a different flower. They must have been a part of a collector's series. The flowers include the rose, the peony, and the dogwood, in lovely shades of pink. They are so pretty. Look for them in upcoming photos of the latest 'basket' designs that I have coming up......

Time marches on....

Have you ever heard that expression, 'Time marches on"? I know that it is true, but sometimes I feel like it is running like a world class sprinter!! Over the weekend, my nephew called me to say that he was engaged! I am so excited for him. When did he get old enough to get married?
They are getting married in September of 2012, in Southern California. Any of you that have planned a wedding know how time really marches on when you have a date like that approaching!!!
His bride-to-be is a massage therapist, so I have lots of fun ideas for wedding gift 'baskets' to make for them. Once I know her favorite colors, I can build a series of special gifts for the two of them. I can do the same thing for you too! Let me help you create a fun and unique gift for that special occasion. I have lots of vintage and antique items from which I can put together that memorable gift. Call me at (910) 948-2000, or send me an e-mail at info@matthewmarketing.com for more information.