Christmas in July Shop Hop in 'the Heights'

I've mentioned many times that Duane lives in one of the most fun parts of town to shop.  There are a number of small businesses and restaurants in Seminole Heights (or 'the Heights' as it is starting to be called) which is an older neighborhood filled with charming bungalows and mid-century modern homes. 

For the past several years, the neighborhood shops have had a Christmas Shop Hop in late November as part of the Shop Small Business Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Last summer, several of the shop owners decided to start a 'Christmas in July' shop hop and Duane, Linda, and I went.  It was fun and both Duane and Linda won prizes from the drawings held at some of the stores.  This year, the summer hop started yesterday (Friday) and continues through tomorrow (Sunday).  We always like to go on the first day of the hop -- Friday -- so we went yesterday.

It's fun to see the various stores with Christmas decor out and Christmas music playing when it's in the 90s outside.  They also offer sweets and drinks for their customers -- always a pleasure to partake.  We started with Cleanse Apothecary where I found a Christmas present for one of my sisters and Duane purchased handmade soap.  Linda bought some Bliss foot cream.  Then we headed next door to the Urban Bungalow which you literally just cross a doorway from Cleanse Apothecary to enter.  Urban Bungalow is another fun place to shop.  I bought a clever little two sided measuring cup and Duane picked up a Seminole Heights dishtowel and also special ordered a pillow with her zip code on it.

After we left Urban Bungalow, we headed down the street to Frolic Exchange where it's always fun to see what the owner has added to her shop.  Besides vintage clothing, jewelry, and home decor, there's also a plant section where I've purchased two century plants which are still thriving in my backyard.  I was tempted by a really cute handmade pillow with white and green stripes stamped with black cactuses (cacti?) but I couldn't make up my mind.  Our next stop was D & D Antiques and more where it's always fun to talk to the owner, Debra.  All three us ended up making purchases at D & D.  I bought a pale pink glass dessert plate in a pattern I hadn't come across before.  Linda bought a framed original watercolor along with some vintage glass Christmas ornaments.  (Her two kitties broke several last Christmas so she has to replace when necessary.)  Duane made the largest purchase but I don't have a picture.  She bought a Queen Anne display case table that has a painted distressed white finish.  She plans to put it in her living room to replace a large heavy coffee table that she'd like to sell or give to a new home.

After leaving Debra's place, we headed to our buddy David's store, A Modern Line.  David's place was actually pretty bare.  He's been in the process of having a big sale to move in more items.  Poor Linda missed out on a piece of art that she had been eyeing for some time.  David had just sold it earlier in the week.  Oh, well, we all know it happens in shops where everything is one of a kind.  I was very tempted to purchase a small hand drawn picture of a mid-century modern house.  I'll need to think about it since I would want to re-frame it and it would probably go in my guest room.  If I lose out, then that's the chance I'll take!

After A Modern Line, we were starving -- despite starting our day at Starbucks and imbibing at the various shops -- so we headed to one of our favorite places to eat, The Front Porch.  This is such a great place to eat.  It's in a very old house that dates to 1898 and it has a fun ambiance and great food.

We made it a leisurely lunch and then finally headed home.  Our purchases are below.  The wrapped item is a Christmas gift for someone in my family so it's a secret in case my sister reads this post.

Our purchases for the day.

     

My latest art purchase

Linda, Duane, and I love to shop at the places near where Duane lives in Seminole Heights.  I've mentioned the shop A Modern Line here several times in the past.  It's a great place to find mid-century modern furniture, art, and decor.



We stopped in after one of our coffee/tea/treats/gab sessions recently and I saw a piece of art on the wall at the shop that I loved.  It's actually partially sculpted and some type of foil was used.  I knew I had several places I could use it in my house and I ended up hanging it in our dining room over a large window.

 These pictures don't do it justice since it's difficult to see the darker distressed areas.

The burnished silver actually plays off of our chandelier hanging over the dining room table.

Here are a few close-ups where you can get a better idea of the 3-D effect.

I not only loved the sculpted look but I thought this piece had just the right amount of funk.  The back of the piece is signed -- Vicki Valle Henry -- and dated -- 1986.  I looked up the artist and discovered that she died recently at the age of 88.  If anyone who knew her comes across this post, I hope they can see that one of her pieces went to a good home.    

We 'shopped Small Saturday' after Thanksgiving

For the third year in a row, Duane, Linda, and I participated in the Seminole Heights Shop Hop featuring small businesses in the Seminole Heights area of Tampa.  Not only is this a great way to support your local small businesses but the shops go all out with sales, discounts, treats, and prizes.  This year we started at the newly designed Christopher Wayne Home which now includes a coffee shop, The Blind Tiger Cafe, within the Christopher Wayne shop.  Fantastic iced coffee from The Blind Tiger!  Linda and Duane ordered tea and were also really pleased with the taste.

Christopher Wayne Home also shares a building with Cleanse Apothecary, another of our favorite shops.  We each made purchases from Cleanse Apothecary which carries some great lines including Lipstick Queen -- my favorite line of lipsticks.  After we finished our refreshments from The Blind Tiger, we headed to our buddy David's shop, A Modern Line -- always a fun place to pop in and see what's new.  We noticed that there was quite a bit of foot traffic due to the shop hop.  Then we headed to Bali Bay Trading Company which, like the other businesses, had treats out for their customers along with items to be raffled off.  Bali Bay was offering 20% off of all their regular priced items.  All three of us found some gifts there.

After that, we stopped in at The Folic Exchange -- a small vintage shop.  Once again, all three of us made purchases.  Then we headed to Susan Gott's Phoenix Glass Studio.  We feel fortunate that we have someone with Susan's talent in one of our favorite areas to shop.  She had treats set out and there were people being instructed in glass blowing as they made their own items.  Linda and I bought some small Christmas ornaments there. 

By this time, we needed to stop for lunch.  We decided to 'dine' at The Front Porch Grill and have a leisurely lunch.  I have never had a bad meal there.  Their desserts are fantastic, too, but the three of us had been nibbling our way through the shops so we skipped dessert this time.  After lunch we headed to D&D Antiques and More where our buddy Debra was greeting all of her shoppers with treats.  I bought something for myself there.  Debra carries antiques and vintage items.  I came across a metal bird that was screaming my name.  Very simple lines.  I think it might be made of aluminum. It reminds me of the birds you see in places like Design Within Reach (DWR).


We were pretty tired after leaving D&D we we decided to call it a day.  I'm so glad the idea of shopping at small local businesses has picked up and hope the trend continues.

Our purchases.

Handmade soaps, blown glass ornaments, etc.

   

Stocking stuffers and my bird.

     

Christmas in July sales!

Small business owned stores in the old neighborhood that Duane lives in, Seminole Heights, decided to hold a 'Christmas in July' sale starting yesterday (Friday) and continuing through Sunday.  Many of the same stores have been holding a nice holiday sale each year before Christmas and we've always enjoyed going to those.  The stores have various discounts on their items and shoppers also have a chance to win a gift basket in a raffle.

We decided to go the first day, Friday, even though the weather was truly awful.  Lots of hard rain that lasted pretty much all day long.  But, hey, we're hardcore when it comes to shopping.  We didn't have time to hit all of the stores participating but we began in the morning and shopped until it was time for lunch.  Linda and I both bought items from Christopher Wayne Home.  I bought one of their wine bottle photo/postcard/note holders and Linda found a beautiful pillow to spice up her sofa.  One of the owners spent a long time talking with Duane because they both grew up in the area.

Our next stop was Cleanse Apothecary which carries all sorts of boutique brands of make-up, soaps, pottery, etc.  I had been raving to Linda and Duane about Lipstick Queen lipstick for some time.  Cleanse Apothecary began stocking it last year so Linda loves the pinks.  She purchased a tube of Saint Pink previously and I suggested a tube of Jean Queen (which I also own).  She tried it and loved the color, so that was her purchase.  Duane had yet to try it but decided on a tube of Saint Natural.  Even my mom is a convert.  I showed her some of my colors and she now never leaves the house without a tube of her favorite, Coral Sinner.  Linda also purchased some lotion while we were there.  The owner, Greg, had a lovely champagne punch that we all sampled.  

In and out of the driving rain, we made our way down to one of our favorite shops, A Modern Line, which now has one of Duane's paintings for sale!  It was very exciting for Duane to see it on the wall.  David, the owner, has been doing really well, and his inventory (particularly furniture) was actually pretty low at the moment.  It made Duane's day to see her art for sale, though! 

We made our way across the street to a consignment shop called Vintage Post Marketplace.  This is a very large store which features not only vintage items but also items made by local artisans.  A great place to take your time and browse.

We hit one more of our favorite stores before we just had to get some lunch.  Debra at D & D Antiques and more was putting out treats for her shoppers.  We were just in time!  Debra is always fun to chat with along with browsing her shop which has numerous vendors items located in different rooms.  I purchased a green depression glass dessert plate to add to my mismatched dessert plates -- I actually use them.

After D &D, we knew it was time to eat, plus we were finally tired of the storms which dogged us the entire time we were shopping.  We wanted comfort food so we headed to Nicko's diner and had a filling and leisurely lunch.  Then we went back to Duane's house before parting ways for the day.  It was a lot of fun.  (Except for the storms!)

Our purchases.

    

A Shop Seminole Heights Friday

Since one of our favorite stores in Duane's neighborhood, Seminole Heights, just moved into a nicer and larger location, we decided to visit that store along with some others and have lunch, too.  Our buddy, David, just moved his store A Modern Line into a building just behind his wife Sherry's shop, YesterDaze.

The new place has a lot more room inside and there were many vignettes of furniture/decor groupings.  The place looks great and, as always, there are fantastic mid-century items of all types for purchase.  You can also put items on consignment in the shop.

We also headed to the Bali Bay Trading Company where I purchased a white and silver bead cuff bracelet and a long white shell and mirror windchime.  The windchime (pictured laying on a desk) will be hanging in a corner of our guest room.  It should look great against the spring green walls.  Linda also purchased a beautiful thin cotton scarf in white, green and turquoise.

After that we headed to a new store that we hadn't visited yet  -- Vintage Post Marketplace.  It's directly across the street from YesterDaze and A Modern Line.  This place was unbelievably huge.  We knew it was large judging from the outside but had no idea the building sprawled back so far.  They carry a little bit of everything in the line of jewelry, decor, furniture, some clothing.  Duane scored a bulb pot for her Delft collection.  This store consists of new items and older and vintage items for sale and on consignment.  They also feature the work of local artists.  This was our first visit but we'll definitely be going back.

Then we headed to another favorite destination, D & D Antiques and More, where Duane put a table on layaway and Linda purchased a set of beautiful Noritake dessert plates.

After this we were starving, so we headed to Nicko's Diner.  We were so hungry, I felt like a pig at a trough.  (Shameful to admit.)  After stuffing ourselves, we went back to Duane's and went our separate ways.  Till next time...

Duane's Delft bulb pot.

My windchime and bracelet.

Linda's scarf and Noritake plates.

We 'Shopped Small Saturday'!

Duane, Linda and I participated in the 'Shop Small Business Saturday' that was going on all around the country.  Many small shops hope to make this a tradition for the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Duane's neighborhood, Seminole Heights, which is a place we love to shop, anyway, had another good event similar to last year's shop hop.

Each store was offering anywhere from 20% to 30% off their merchandise and also offered refreshments (treats and drinks) from 10am to 6pm.  We started early -- just a little after 10am by visiting the Bali Bay Trading Company.  All three of us bought a few things there.  Gifts and a few items for ourselves.  They always have cool jewelry and I bought a tassel necklace and bracelet for myself along with stocking stuffers for my three nieces and a friend.  Duane found a gift for her sister and a bracelet for herself and Linda also found a pretty wood and mother of pearl bowl along with a bracelet.  She wasn't sure what she would give away and what she would keep.  Of course, we had to sample the homemade treats that the ladies of Bali Bay had made.  Terrific chocolate and peanut butter brownies.

Next we hit one of our faves, A Modern Line, owned by our buddy, David.  He had refreshments out, too, so we sampled the punch and cookies.  I bought a little orange enamel tray for my guest bath that I had looked at a couple of times and Linda and I are both still debating on the same mid-century modern chest by Lane.  Hope we both don't decide to pull the trigger at the same time!

A vintage shop called Frolic Exchange is right next door to David's shop.  They have a little bit of everything vintage although the focus is on clothing for gals and guys with a smattering of accessories, home decor and the prettiest garden area just outside the back door of the store.  They had their refreshments in the garden where I had a glass of tasty homemade lemonade.  I also bought a plant that one of the owners promised me is impossible to kill.  I have high hopes for it in my backyard.  Duane bought a pretty vintage English tin with lid. 

We headed down the same street to an old favorite, D & D Antiques and More, where the owner, Debra, seems like an old friend.  She had treats out, too, and Linda purchased a set of Christmas oven mitts there.   I think Debra would rather have been out shopping but she had to mind the store!

Our next stop was the Cleanse Apothecary which carries very nice lines of anything to do with soaps, lotions, cards, etc.  I discovered that they are now carrying Lipstick Queen lipsticks which I love.  I had been ordering them for years from Barney's but now I know where to get them locally.  Linda decided to try a tube and chose the Saint Pink color.  I bought a bottle of Philosophy bath lotion/shampoo in Cinnamon for my mom along with a Lipstick Queen cosmetic bag (her favorite and only lipstick she wears now is LQ's Coral Sinner).  Duane bought several delicious smelling handmade soaps for gifts.  We all left with our purchases in the Shop Small Saturday bags designed by Rebecca Minkoff.

At this point, we had to have lunch before hitting a couple of more shops.  We ate at one of our fave places in Seminole Heights, The Front Porch Grill and Bar.  Normally, we would have had dessert there, too, but we were getting plenty of sugar from our visits to the stores.  It was certainly a nice break to have a leisurely lunch, though.

After fortifying ourselves with a meal, we went to Susan Gott's place, The Phoenix Glass Studio.  Susan was there to greet customers and she was having a glass blowing demonstration along with a chance to make something yourself (with some help, of course).  I bought some more of her adorable little glass kiss designs to give as Christmas ornaments.  I had actually already Christmas shopped at Susan's studio a few weeks back.  She had plenty of treats and drinks (alcoholic and non) so Linda had a nice glass of wine.

The last place we hit (we were getting pretty tired by then) was a store that opened recently.  It's a design studio and it's called Christopher Wayne Home.  The store in Tampa is actually a sister store to one they have in Nashville.  Although the shop does mostly interior design, they have some lovely items to purchase.  I bought the coolest wine bottle picture holder and Duane purchased a book that was written and illustrated by a local writer.  Wonderful treats and drink were also on hand and we finished off our sugar buzz for the day.

We headed back to Duane's house and took the picture below before Linda and I both left for our respective homes.  We all agreed that it was a great shopping day -- lots of fun and we actually accomplished something, too!

Our purchases.

 
    

A Thrift Store Parking Lot Sale, A Modern Line warehouse sale and yard sales

Saturday morning had a lot going on in Duane's neighborhood.  A terrific thrift shop that I've mentioned numerous times on this blog, Sherry's Yesterdaze, had their fall parking lot sale.  Not only did Sherry have a sale on her items but she also had other people in her parking lot selling their stuff.  She does this twice a year and we rarely miss it.  Duane found a pretty creamer to add to her blue and white Delft collection along with the DVD of the definitive version of Pride and Prejudice AND a decorative box with Frida Kahlo on the front.  Linda snagged a cool and kitschy Florida souvenir tray that it's in mint condition.

Lots of vendors at Sherry' store.

  

Then we headed to the the warehouse clearance sale being held by Sherry's husband David, owner of one of our fave shops, A Modern Line.  David decided to let some of the furniture in his warehouse go for great prices because there's just no way he can get to all of it (restoring, etc.) to sell it in his store.  He had already sold quite a bit when we got there but still had some nice pieces.  There were also a few small items.  Linda scored a great pair of signed French prints.  There was some damage from a fire that destroyed David's previous store but, luckily, not on the actual prints themselves so Linda got a bargain.  All she needs to do is re-frame them.  If I didn't already have a couple of signed prints that my parents bought when we lived in France, Linda and I would have been 'negotiating' over them.




After David's sale, we hit a few neighborhood yard sales.  Duane and Linda both scored books from these sales.  I can't believe that I didn't buy anything.  That's unusual for me even if my purchase(s) are for very small items.  All three of us love the thrill of the hunt, though.

Afterwards, we hit the coffee shop for our usual treats and gabbing.  A fun day.

Linda and Duane's purchases.

A Shop Local Day

Yesterday, Duane, Linda, and I decided to make it a 'shop local' day in Duane's part of Tampa, Seminole Heights.  Lots of independent businesses in the Heights that I've blogged about here before along with great places to eat.  We started at the Bali Bay Trading Company.  (In addition to their website, here's their Facebook page.)  They've really expanded their furniture and home decor section along with their usual jewelry and accessories.  The owner told us that he's expecting two more shipments in June so Linda and I both decided we would wait on purchases we were just about to make.  Can't wait to see their new stuff before making up our minds.  All three of us have bought items from Bali Bay before and the owners are very friendly and inviting.

Our next stop was A Modern Line owned by our buddy, David.  Due to a fire a few months ago in his original location, David had to relocate but he's up and running again.  Great place for mid-century modern furniture and decor.  Linda and I have bought furniture from David and all three of us have purchased decor items.  I've even placed items on consignment in the shop.  There was a new watercolor dating from the '70's that Linda and I both had our eye on.  We decided to think about it.  In addition to his website, David also has a Facebook page here.

We noticed a new vintage shop that had opened next to A Modern Line and decided to stop in and check it out.  Frolic Exchange is a cool little boutique with vintage clothing, accessories, home decor and even some furniture.  Duane fell in love with a chair she saw but needs to make sure that the measurements will work for where she'd like to put it.  The decoration of the shop was adorable.  We complimented the young girl behind the counter and she said that she and her mother did it themselves.  Very eye-catching!  We recommend checking out this new shop.  They have a Facebook page here.  This mother/daughter duo have done a great job.

Our last stop before lunch was another long-time favorite -- D & D Antiques and More  -- which also has a Facebook page here.   Duane has purchased several large pieces of furniture from D & D and yesterday I got lucky with some smaller items.  I purchased a long scarf style necklace, two pink Depression glass dessert plates and a piece of Hull matte white pottery (yes, one of my obsessions and not the first piece I've bought at D & D).

By then we were ready for lunch.  We decided to eat at one of the many local favorite diners and went to the Three Coins Diner which also has a Facebook page (doesn't everyone these days?) here.   Three Coins is open 24 hours and has a huge menu of selections including breakfast anytime.  Duane and I both ordered breakfast food and Linda had a gyro.  Then we decided to splurge on dessert.  I thought I had left plenty of room but, let's just say that they don't skimp on portions at Three Coins.  My brownie sundae was HUGE.  I did manage to tunnel through it and only left a small piece of brownie.  Linda had a chocolate sundae and Duane had one of the diner's most popular desserts -- their rice pudding.   To say that we rolled out to the car afterwards would be an understatement.  But it was worth it.

We plan to have another 'shop local' day in a few weeks so that we can all go back and buy the larger items that we weren't quite ready to commit to yesterday.  I'm looking forward to it already.

My purchases from D&D Antiques and More.

A Shop Local Saturday Shop Hop!

As I've mentioned numerous times on this blog, Duane lives in one of the coolest parts of town when it comes to independent shops and restaurants.  Yesterday there was a 'Holiday Shop Hop' in her area so she and I set out early to take part.  Linda wasn't with us because she spent Thanksgiving in Michigan visiting family where we hope she's having a great time!

The first store we hit was one of our favorites that I've mentioned before.  A Modern Line is a furniture and accessories store that features mid-century modern items.  There are always new items when we visit and they're always pleasingly arranged in a decorative fashion.  I gave in to my white matte pottery obsession when I saw the tall piece pictured below.  A great way to start the day.

Into the heat!

Then we visited a shop I'd never been to before now.  I have a beautiful piece of glass that Duane gave me as a gift from The Phoenix Glass Studio but this was my first time as a customer.  The owner, Susan Gott, was there greeting people along with the most adorable little Yorkie named Ginger.  Susan's work is gorgeous.  Read more about her on her site.  Her work has been featured on PBS among many honors.  I bought a piece for myself and another piece I can't show because it's going to be a gift.  Duane found a lovely gourd with beautiful colors of blue wound through it.  We watched as one of the artisans created a glass ornament from beginning to end.  It's a fascinating process and we found out that you can sign up to make an ornament.  The glass furnace is a little scary due to  the intense heat but this guy certainly knew what he was doing.

Shaping the glass.

Duane and I were distracted at one point during the process when Ginger the Yorkie was dressed in her Santa outfit.  What a hoot.  She was an incredibly sweet dog who seemed to really like people.  

I should mention that every shop we visited had holiday treats and drinks for their customers.  We also carried cards given out at all of the shops where you could have the card 'stamped' after visiting each shop listed.  If you visited six you could then turn in your card for drawings held for special prizes.

Our next stop was D&D Antiques -- another of our favorite places to browse.  I found a darling little white bird for my home office.  

'Santa' Ginger!

At first I thought he was papier mache but realized that he was made of some type of resin after picking him up.  Great little find.

Duane and I both found ourselves using the day to scope out returning to some of the shops for items for others.  It was difficult to make a decision when we'd never visited a shop before but we both have ideas for going back before Christmas for purchases.  After D&D, we went to The Cleanse Apothecary.  This is another shop we've visited before.  It was very busy but Duane found a beautiful bamboo cutting board and some lovely handmade soap that she plans to give as a gift.

After The Cleanse Apothecary we headed to a store that neither of us had ever shopped before yesterday.  The Bali Bay Trading Company offers every possible color of beads and types of jewelry made from beads imaginable.  They actually have two sections to their store.  One is for retail (like Duane and me) and the other for wholesalers.  It was a bit overwhelming due to the sheer volume of pretty pieces.  Besides jewelry, they also offer women's clothing and household items.  I found a pretty woven mat to use to cover the top of a vintage desk that is in my guest room.  The desk belonged to George's father and the writing area is pretty worn from use.  This mat was perfect to cover up the distressed top.  Duane and I both can't wait to go back to this store.  Bali Bay will be enlarging to include furniture and homegoods in the near future.  We'll have to return when Linda can join us.

By this time our rear ends were starting to drag and we were getting really hungry.  We made one last stop at The Health Mutt.  A great store for shopping for and with your dog.  I found a Christmas present for my dog Sammy.  He loves anything with a squeaker in it.  Besides treats for their customers (the two-legged and four-legged kind), a local rescue group for Boston Terriers was there.  They had some cute little guys with them.  So sweet.  We wished we could rescue all of them.

After turning in our cards at The Health Mutt since it was the final place we visited, we were ready for lunch.  (There were actually nine shops participating so we chose six out of the nine for the day.)  We ate at Nicko's, one of our fave places for comfort food.  The 'Elvis' booth was occupied so we sat in a civilian booth and stuffed ourselves which included ordering dessert -- red velvet cake for me and chocolate cake for Duane.  We took our time eating but we were pretty well finished for the day.  Just about all of the stores we visited are going to have special days before Christmas for shopping so we plan to go back and buy for others.  I'm afraid we bought more for ourselves yesterday.  Oops!

My buys.

Duane's purchases.

A shopping day

Linda, Duane and I decided to check out the new West Elm store that finally opened in our area.  Before this, the closest one was in Orlando.  West Elm opened a store in a section of town called Hyde Park where there are stores like Anthropologie, Restoration Hardware, etc.  We've all ordered items from West Elm via their catalog and/or website but it's always fun to check stuff out in person.  Linda and I both made purchases there.  I bought an adorable carved wood rocking bird.  It's probably going to go into the guest room.  Linda bought a beautiful silk pillow and a candle in a ceramic holder.  Then we decided to head over to Anthropologie.  I've also bought a number of items from them over the years but usually via their website.   It's a great store to browse.  Linda found a really pretty pale blue long sleeve tee that she bought. 

After we finished up with a walk through Restoration Hardware (their furniture makes me feel like a toddler due to the size of the pieces), we headed back to Duane's neighborhood for lunch.  We ate at one of our favorite places, Mikey's, which is a sandwich shop and a full bakery.  Then we headed to a couple of shops we can never resist, beginning with A Modern Line.  You never know what you'll find and there had been a big turnover in merchandise since our last visit.  It's always beautifully curated which makes it a pleasure to shop there.  Linda found a small piece of burgundy pottery for her living room.  We also visited D & D Antiques -- another store with a frequent turnover in their merchandise.  After that we were all ready to call it a day.  It was a nice way to spend some time.  Nice shops, good food and good friends.

Our purchases.

Semi-Annual Parking Lot Sale

One of the stores that my friends and I like to check out is in Duane's neighborhood.  Sherry's YesterDaze is a cool vintage boutique that features a little bit of everything from jewelry to housewares to furniture and clothing.  Twice a year Sherry has a sale in her parking lot where she puts out items from her store and also has other artists/merchants/friends set up tables.  There's always a great variety of stuff so we always try to make these sales.

Linda's buys.

Today, Duane and Linda and I hit the sale a little after 9am.  Linda and I both bought stuff for ourselves and as gifts.  She bought a "Life" magazine in terrific condition that was published after President Kennedy was assassinated, a fab enamel bowl, a folk CD, a pair of bottle top candles and she got a great deal on a vintage 'moonbeam' clock.  L.L. Bean sells new versions of the clock but Linda scored this vintage one for a lot less money in working condition.  She also bought a pretty signed sketch of a cat that she plans to frame. She and I both also liked these woven bracelets made by children in South Africa.  Beautifully made in bright colors, they can also be used as bookmarks.  I bought three for my three nieces in their various favorite colors and Linda snagged one, too.  I also bought a cool little china dish made in England by Staffordshire with an outline of Charles Dickens on it.  I've put out a few little dishes that I've come across and like in my guest bedroom for people to use as coasters. 

My buys.

Then we hit a couple of yard sales that we happened to pass on our way to get some coffee.  We were waiting for the store that Sherry's husband, David, owns to open at 11am.  I've mentioned A Modern Line a number of times on this blog and all three of us have purchases from this store in our homes.  I bought a bark cloth pillow that goes great in my guest room on the sofa bed.  It picks up the colors of green and yellow in the room.

Another fruitful morning with good friends.

Mr. Dicken's dish.

    

Saturday shopping day

Yesterday, I went shopping with my two best buds, Linda and Duane.  We decided to hit the shops around where Duane lives since they're small-owner businesses and fun to explore.  First we hit A Modern Line  (formerly known as Kaleidoscope) and I scored with a new (vintage) piece for my matte white pottery collection.  It's the one on the left -- the bowl with the leaf pattern on the top.  This piece is unmarked.  As we continued to browse, I came across a piece of
wall art that I just had to have.  I've always loved enamel, particularly enamel on copper pieces.  This work is 3-D enamel on copper with 2 separate pieces of metal.  It's signed by the artist, Marlene Tremblay, and now hangs in my dining room  Wish I could have gotten a better picture of it because the colors are lighter than they appear in this photo and the darker section on the left actually has a lot of depth and a tiny bit of sparkle.  Very happy with this!  Linda spoke with the shop owner about a mid-century headboard for the bed in her guest room.  She's going back to the shop to pick out a stain and put down a deposit.

Our next stop was D&D and more.  Always a nice place to browse -- there's a little bit of everything in this shop.  I scored again with a small octagonal piece of Hull pottery in matte white.  (The second piece in the pic above.)  Then we stopped in next door at The Seminole Heights Antique and Consignment Shop.  This store is packed with items in various booths from different vendors.  Linda bought a lovely green vase in mint condition.  It was made by Haeger.

After shopping, we were starved so we headed to one of our favorite places to eat - Nicko's Fine Foods.  We sat in the 'Elvis' booth and Linda and I ordered breakfast food (they serve it all day on weekends) while Duane had her favorite Greek burger -- it comes with a big fat slice of feta cheese.  Mmmm...  After that we headed back to Duane's to relax and gab before calling it a day.

When I got home, I finished the purse I was making for my 5-year old niece, Ava.  I used really bright colors on this one and gave it a touch of zebra.  The purse isn't quite as orange as it appears in the photo.  It's more of a very bright pinkish coral.  I hope she likes it.