Indulge Your Shelf

Like much of the rest of the country, we're having a frigid, well-below-zero temperature weekend this weekend -- and into next week.  This morning when the sun was briefly out, we took advantage and ran off to an estate sale we'd seen advertised. To our surprise, it was held at an old home on a country road that we often drove by, and admired.  The inhabitants had named it Hodgen in the Dip.  They often decorated the outside of the house by the sign with whimsical figures for different seasons.  I felt sad to know they were no longer there. They were creative, and the items decorating the outsides of their houses and outhouses gives you an idea of their taste! I was happy to learn that their family would stay in the home; and enjoyed looking through the jumble of oddities that were for sale there! It was the last day of the sale, and I had missed out on much of the good stuff, but I couldn't leave behind this sled, even though it was missing Santa and the reindeer ha...

This month I've been blogging for here at Indulge Your Shelf for ten years.  If you've been with me for any time at all, then you know that I adore treasure hunting at thrift shops.  It just never gets old.  Over the last decade I'd been hearing about the wonders of the Goodwill "bins" from other junk lovers in other states, and then we finally got one nearby a few years ago.  Oh my goodness -- it takes thrifting to a whole new level. Finding this tablecloth there just made my day.  It's exactly the kind of thing that makes my heart leap -- especially at this time of the year! The graphics... look at that sleigh!  With visions of sugarplums dancing in my head, I sorted through those dusty bins and came up with a few fun little touches: the holly berry "ball" on the far right is going to be washed up and put to use immediately in the last of my Christmas crafting! And, here's what I mean by treasure: how is it even possible that som...

I hope all the mothers out there are having a lovely day.  And, if you're not a mother, that you're also celebrating because we all have had mothers -- even if (like mine) they're not on Earth right now. Yesterday my husband took me to a great All the Pretty Ladies sale at my favorite antique mall,  Sweet William .  There were many sales available, and we were greeted at the door with delicious cookies and champagne punch.   That put a smile on my husband's face right away!   I took some photos: I love to see how vendors stage their spaces, don't you?  I hope you enjoyed the photos; as for me, I was only tempted to buy a couple of ephemera items.  It's rare, but I do have days where I'm just not in the mood to shop (gasp!) Happy Mother's Day!

I went to a very fun estate sale yesterday, and I love every little thing I bought there!  Here's a peek:  Three antique lithographs of The Flowers of Shakespeare like the one above; these came complete with... certificates of authenticity from a couple of decades ago, when the previous owners bought them in England. I'm not exactly sure what the use was originally for these letters and numbers; they are yellow metal and come in columns of 3.  Does anyone know?  Of course I couldn't pass this little guy up...  or this one: it's a tiny stork scissor pin!  It will look so cute in a fabric journal, someday!  I tend not to buy antique photos, because I always want 25 or so and it gets expensive.  But, I loved all of these ladies so they came home with me.  Four place mats; they were marked "baroque linen" and they smell divine (if, like me, you love the scent of old linen!)  You know I have a thing for hydran...

I was so excited to finally be able to go see one of those huge Texas antique fairs!  Rebecca's daughter attends Baylor University in Waco and we have always said we would road trip to see her and go antiquing while we were at it!  It took us three years, but we finally did it! Me, Rebecca and the Bluebonnets! We were able to stay at Rebecca's daughter's apartment, and since we drove that made it affordable for me in this poor, out-of-work situation I still find myself in!  I so appreciated their hospitality!  The weather was warm and inviting -- we even got to sit poolside one day! -- and there was so much to see and so many sweet students to meet between Rebecca's daughter, her roommate and their friends!  It was a blast! Rebecca and me Roundtop and many of the sales in the area started up the last week of March but officially opened the first week of April.  We were there on the 4th day and it was a great introduction to a show of this scope an...