Wash Room

These are some of the things hanging around the first floor laundry/washroom at the camp...



Most all are local yard sale or flea market finds picked up here and there over the last twenty years...



A few may have come out of my Nana's medicine cabinet...



They are everyday items from the lives of ordinary people in the past...



Why is it that I find these vintage items comforting?



I don't know the answer to my question...



I know I can picture my Nana using utilitarian items like these....I can see her hands...work weary but beautiful to me...



Do you ever find yourself attributing human qualities or emotions to old things? As if they lived an actual life?

Lake House in August

The morning the girls were due for their visit....my Dad helped me borrow this fern from the woods behind the house to create a centerpiece on the old oak table in our camp.



This table has special meaning for me as I discovered it in pieces in the barn on my grandparents' farm when I was a newlywed (many years ago)!



Yard sale bunnies huddle under the shade of the fern...



August this year has served us unusual heat and humidity....



But with the tall pines and the lake nearby to cool off in...we have not suffered...



This beautiful home at the end of the lake has always been everyone's "dream house"...



Feeling grateful for all this beauty...



Grateful for the peaceful and calm days of August at the lake...

Last Look at Madison Bouckville

The countryside here in the middle of New York state is full of rolling hills and farmland....see the wind turbines on the hillside in the distance?



Carole could not resist taking pictures whenever we stopped....



Queen Anne's Lace....a favorite summer wildflower...



Deanna fell in love with this beautiful old Victorian house and wanted to rescue it...
She does that and she's really good at it!
You should see the beautiful Victorian home she lives in now!!



Ok, here are a few random pictures of some of the small things I brought home with me.....an old shabby sampler...a child's pair of vintage and oh so dear blue and white stripe socks...



We found 12 of these old metal drawer bins and 6 old wire baskets at the same booth....Paula and I divided them up between us.....the bins can hook onto a rim or ledge...I will add the wire baskets to the gym locker baskets I already have ....great for storage....



I am waiting for Paula to come up with the perfect use for the old metal drawer bins...What would you do with them? Would you repaint them or leave them rusty and shabby?



Some old leather baby shoes, a brown silk change purse and a dolly...



Funky chippy white hearts cut from old ceiling tiles...



Odds and ends to be used in assemblages...



I can't ever seem to pass up on these old stamp sets...



A shoebox full of vintage Christmas ornaments and a child's pair of old red wool mended mittens..



And last, but not least.....sweet Carole gifted me with these two tins with my favorite number 52!
Thanks girls for a great weekend! It's time to get busy and create and decorate!
And thanks friends for coming along with us and all your kind comments!
:) Laura

More Details ... Madison Bouckville

First I have to put the call out there for help! I have used all my photo storage space on blogger!
I wanted to lead this post off with some more pretty pics of the countryside but I ran out of space.....just dashed off to purchase more but will not have it available for 24 hours so I will have to wait until then.....
Hence, directly to the booty!...
Yes, this posh pink payphone was, indeed, for sale!



This shabby old door (shutter size) became mine for a very reasonable price!



Such cool shoes on this table in a booth full of feminine, romantic objects...



This was labeled "sold"!



Carole found this sweet little sewing table for Deanna.....the price was fabulous!



I loved these matching iron towers....sadly the price was way over my budget....(the girls would probably say now..."right, it was over a dollar")....



We found an amazing stash of old letters....early1800's.....all from the same family home...
Paula and I took home a few and will color copy them and share for art projects, etc.



Last will and testaments, indentured servant papers, deeds, etc...Aren't they wonderful?



I loved these old cookbooks in sepia tones and was so happy to be able to add them to my collection....



More ephemera for art projects ....



Two darling little books....



We were delighted with a dealer who was selling all kinds of old photographs, tintypes, postcards and albums for unbelievably low prices....



Paula and I bought a stash of old drawers originally from a nuts and bolts cabinet....



I am hoping to use mine in a grouping as a series of little shadow boxes....I am always inspired by assemblage artist Cheryl Kuhn....but don't expect to go that far....I know my limits!



I simply could not leave this early small hooked rug behind....calla lilies are daughter Kate's favorite flower...



Lots of beautiful old rosaries, medals, crosses and religious medallions ...these items I am sure held great meaning to their previous owners and perhaps do for some of you too....but today, for the decorators, who see beauty in their form as well as meaning, they represent a bit of Jeanne D'Arc Living?
I will finish up tomorrow...if my blogger storage comes through!
Thanks for joining us on our fun shopping trip!
Good night friends! :) Laura

Madison Bouckville Reverie

The girls arrived on Thursday, full of anticipation and enthusiasm...they had talked and laughed and shopped all the way from Connecticut.....



Friday morning we set out early....the day was beautiful, the sky blue, the farmland and country side... picture perfect...



We decided to shop the street and surrounding vendors on Friday...and save the big show until Saturday...



We made it!



Get ready! Set! Go!



Everywhere we looked there was something different to see.....all sorts of treasure....



This was one of the first booths we stopped at.....very interesting things....Paula started off the day in a big way.....



No, she didn't bring this fellow home....thank goodness....but....



This iron contraption....what is it? What could it become? Stay tuned....



Every sort of thing imaginable, any type of antique or collectible could be found...



Linens galore...



Glass flower frogs...



Shabby chic and French finds...





Industrial antiquities...



We were told that these old silvered glass apothecary bottles were originally from England...



This booth was quite possibly the most interesting to me...



They were a little pricey for us and the dealer wanted to sell them by the case....Paula charmed him and we each came home with one!!....Now we wish we had bought a whole case!!



This booth was under the shade of one of the big tents (it was over 90 degrees both days).
It had fabulous, unique, museum quality items...



Deanna found this sweet set of small shopping baskets to use in her shop....GATHER....a wonderfully unique gift and consignment boutique and gathering place located in charming Ivoryton, Ct.



She also found this wonderful crystal chandelier at a fabulous price which I was very tempted to "take off her hands"...



This may have been Deanna's favorite find.....antique picture molding for her beautiful Victorian home...It was in pristine condition...



And here is Paula with her Waltzing Matilda.....It was love at first sight....her eyes glazed over as she stood gazing at her....Carole, Deanna and I wandered to the next booth and when Paula caught up to us the first thing she said was..."You never should have left me alone...."



This was the car this morning as the girls packed and got ready to shop their way back to Connecticut......You will notice what is tied to the top of Carole's Suburban......
Yes, that strange object.....part of which we were told was originally a portion of something related to bailing hay....will become an object of interest and a beautiful focal point in Paula's gardens.....just wait until the next house and garden tour!

We had a wonderful time shopping this show together....I know you all would have loved it! I have to say that I was able to find some goodies to send to my three winners of the 200th post Give Back! So, stay tuned girls....I don't want to ruin their surprises...

I will try to post more pictures and more details this week....Carole found many exciting treasures for her shop, herself and the winner of her 100th post give away....she will be posting as soon as she can...

Thanks for coming along with us on our special girls' weekend....What could be better than good friends and fields and fields of old treasures?
Have a great night!
:) Laura