Girls Week Out

Last week was amazing!  My sister came for our annual "grapevine" trimming and this year we did a great job on the vines.  We would put in some trim time in the morning, but the rest of the day was "Girl's Day Out".  We shopped everyday.  Thrift shops, consignment stores, antique malls, Goodwill etc., if it was within a 30 mile radius, we went there.

And oh did we get some wonderful goodies.

A batch of buttons.  Still on their original cards, many of these are from France, Switzerland, Ireland, and Japan.

Unusual wooden tie hanger.  Double horse heads.  Bill really liked this. 

Vintage pictures of children.  Their clothing was unusual in several of these shots and I particularly like the brothers and sisters pics.  My sister also gave me the large Irish lace tableclothe used here for the background.  It is so pretty, even though it has some damage and stains.  

This was super neat.  Dated 1904, this beautiful "colorized" stereoscopic card is of two Japanese Geisha at a water garden with storks in the background.  Not sure what I am going to do with this, but I just loved the Geisha girls in their kimonos.

This group of vintage photos are from Edinburgh. Notice the one in the middle.  That gentleman with the rifle is Mr. H.M. Stanley.

Found this lovely old wooden box with gold leaf and hand painted flowers.  Used it here to casually display the many laces, doilies, hankies, and embroidered linens, I found.  These are going to be great with some of my mixed media projects.

My sister cleaned out her closet and brought me a wonderful collection of old doilies and linens.  Little did she know at the time, but they are going to be a beautiful addition of the Mini Album I'll be making with the new BoBunny "Gabrielle" designer paper you see here.

Lots of vintage books. Falling apart, but onced loved, these books are dated between 1902 and 1923. 

Of course, couldn't resist buying this book with Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice with great color illustrations.  Unfortunately, the book binding and some of the pages are damaged and falling apart.

As with so many of these older items, they have seen better days.  Once loved, but forgotten, they have found a new home. 

I like to think that when I collect these items for crafting there is a responsibility to preserve them as best as possible.  If too damaged, I'll use the good pieces and design new creations and do what I call "blessing them forward."  Each item will have the opportunity to once again be loved and treasured.