Just a quick note after a terrific three days to say "thanks" to all of you who braved the heat and humidity this weekend in Georgetown. We had a fun time chatting with old friends and meeting new ones, too. Everyone's enthusiasm was contagious and I almost forgot the heat index of 110 degrees! We said goodbye to lots of great stuff which means we'll have to bring out tons of "new" (I mean different) old stuff for next time. As soon as we have a solid date, we'll let you know when our fall sale will be. Think cool weather, pumpkins, mums and - of course - country antiques! (Meanwhile, mark your calendars for the last Saturday in September for the Osage Farm show.)
Thanks again - hope you all enjoyed the open house as much as we did!

Sneak Peek (part 2)

As promised, a glimpse of SOME - but not all! - of the quilts for sale this weekend and the same for the architectural pieces.

As far as architectural salvage, we have screen doors, shutters, a fireplace mantel, 2 types of columns, old windows, a set of outdoor stairs, lots of neat ceiling tiles in several different patterns, cool details like porch posts, finials and moldings.

Come check it out starting Friday at noon...

See you there!

Sneak Peek!

Hi everyone! Here's just a tiny taste of our Summer Open House scheduled for next weekend starting Friday at noon.

For primitive lovers, we'll have a whole room full of early furniture and accessories (and more outside). Below you can see a wonderful mustard child's chair, a cupboard full of early small items, a lift-top child's desk in old red paint. You can glimpse a couple of the quilts, and peek at a couple of cupboards and a great little painted apothecary. Much more to see next weekend including coverlets, early chairs, primitive tables, treenware, stoneware, baskets, a bucket bench...and the list goes on! We're still adding to the offering.

(p.s. We have Judy Condon's newest primitive decorating book "The Comfort of Home"!!! It's hot off the presses -- shipment just arrived today! Judy told me we are the first to have it in this area. Along with some other great interiors, this book features two Central Illinois homes -- Doris Roush from Urbana and Jody Coffin from Rantoul -- and both are amazing! If you are a fan of Judy's books and don't want to miss out, drop me an email and I'll reserve a copy. Regular price is $24.95 plus tax; Summer Open House special price is $22 OR with any other purchase, just $20!!)

Another room has something for everyone - primitives, quilts, wire ware, garden pieces, architecture, galvanized -- a cleaner, more "modern" spin on country with a bit of French influence. Combining a primitive pie safe, a European watering can, old photos, French grain sacks, a vintage garden trellis, an early child's chair and cast iron planters creates a look all its own...but, if it's not your cup of tea, just look a little closer. Chances are the discerning eye will be able to find items mixed in that fit with any style. Some may think some of the displays lean a little toward Shabby Chic (because there's a fair amount of white); that's not really the gist of it, but if that happens to be your style, you'll likely find some pieces that would be right at home with your more flowery or pastel designs. At the same time, a primitive lover might take home a black table and have it fit perfectly with a Colonial Williamsburg decor.

We also have some cool vintage items. Check out this stack of picnic tins -- lots of possibilities there -- and our handmade "Flea Market Bags" fashioned from vintage bark cloth and ready for shopping. Or maybe sewing accessories or a cute 1940's child's cupboard in white & blue will grab your eye -- the homemade cupboard complete with little bread board would be adorable hanging in a hallway or even a guest bathroom as a storage place for soaps, toiletries, hand towels, etc.

Check back again before next weekend to see some more of our quilts -- more than two dozen will be included in the open house offering -- as well as some great architectural salvage perfect for your creative projects.

Hope to see you next weekend!! Come see what else we've found!

Show pics

Here are a few pics from the 20th Annual Antiques Market at Bishop Hill last weekend. Next year I'll try to take more of the action outside during the show but I didn't have a chance to sneak out and take photos this time -- WAY too busy inside! Here's our booth at the back wall of the Colony School - a cool old building.

Here's the Colony Bakery and its gardens -- where all of that AMAZING pie comes from!

The commeraderie among the dealers is pretty special at Bishop Hill-- including having a lovely picnic dinner together after a busy day of setup in the beautiful gardens of our hosts Jim & Cheri Campbell.

Even if you didn't make it to the show, Bishop Hill is always a great destination and Sweet Annie Primitives, in the lower level of the Campbell's home, is not to be missed.

Also, check out the the lastest issue of Country Sampler -- September 2010, don't know if it's on the newsstand yet, but I mine came in the mail already -- for a wonderful article about Jim & Cheri's historic home. I've seen it in person and it is absolutely stunning! She has impeccable taste, as you will see.

If you're still hoping for more views of the show than I managed to provide here, stay tuned. A fellow dealer took TONS of pics and is putting together sort of a photo-essay about the show. I'll find our her webite address and include it in a future post.

Tomorrow...the promised "sneak peeks" for next week's Summer Open House & Sale!! Check back -- or check your email if you're on our email list. (Want to be on the list but aren't yet? Just drop me a note -- forevermoresale@aol.com -- or click on "contact us" on the website.)

Back From Bishop Hill

Hey everyone! Good to see so many of you today at the 20th Annual Bishop Hill Antiques Market -- such a beautiful day and so much great country stuff! For those of you who missed this event, I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

We enjoy all of our shows but Bishop Hill is such a special setting -- an historic Swedish colony - and Jim & Cheri Campbell have gathered together such a nice, friendly group of dealers that I look forward to this one every summer and have to say that it just gets better & better! Mark your calendars now for the Saturday after the 4th next year. Trust me on this one! (My only regret is that I didn't have a way to bring home a pie from the Colony Bakery -- I can't stop thinking about that delicious strawberry rhubarb pie!)

For those of you who read Bob Swisher's column today and are new to our site, welcome! The promised "sneak peek" pictures will be up no later than next weekend to give you a little taste of the offerings we're planning for our upcoming Summer Open House. Thanks to Bob for the kind mention -- and don't forget to check out PACA's special sale going on for the next couple weeks (see my prior post for details).