Merry Christmas From ForeverMore

May the true spirit of the season be with you this Chrismas...







"For unto you this day is born a savior who is Christ the Lord!"

Great Time at Simpler Thyme!

Tons of fun in Noblesville, IN at the Simpler Thyme Show! An enthusiastice crowd made up of really nice folks plus a great group of dealers made for a very pleasant "thyme"!

Here are a couple pics of the shoppers enjoying ForeverMore's booth...

Christmas Open House

Join Us Next Weekend For Our Christmas Open House

Shop Our Selection of Primitives, Country Furniture, Quilts, Vintage Christmas Items and Handmades And Enjoy a Special Treat Or Two!

Friday, 1 - 4 pm

Saturday, 10 am - 3 pm

and

Sunday, 11 am until 1 pm

Handmade & Primitive Christmas Ornaments & Decor

Check out Sunday's post (scroll down to see it ) for a Sneak Peek slideshow of our offerings at this weekend's 2011 Holiday Gathering. Plus, here's a little more of a hint at what you'll find at Forevermore this weekend:

We will be showcasing handmade items to complement your antiques at Christmas such as stockings and ornaments made from early overshot coverlets. Some great pillows in red/green too. You can find reproduction coverlets everywhere, but these items are made from "the real deal"!

Kay has also been busy sewing some wonderful wool applique ornaments, gift bags and even a framed Santa picture that's perfect for a primitive home.

Primitive lovers will also like ornaments that are tiny redware decorated plates. Just a couple of inches across, they are really nice. Another prim addition to your Christmas tree would be a tiny painted firkin (or sugar bucket). While everything else is antique and/or handmade, these redware plates and firkins were too cute to pass up -- just had to share them with you all!

We also have prim ornaments from dried fruit and grubby candles. Plus some neat little seed bag ornies for a prim or garden themed tree.

If vintage is your thing, how about a vintage Christmas pin on a little denim ornament? Hang it on your tree, on a door or drawer knob or borrow the little pin to wear on your lapel. Too cute!

Don't miss the vintage textiles -- 1940s and 50s tablecloths and hankies with Christmas themes. Those will go fast - they always do!

Last but not least, we have a great selection of European grain sacks in that amazing course linen. (Same look as Pottery Barn but authentic...and cheaper!) We have the actual grain sacks as well as other items made from that fabric including some nice roomy totes, small zippered bags -- perfect for cosmetics or travel -- pillows, table runners and placemats. Green stripes, red stripes, blue stripes and red/blue. Get 'em before their gone!

OK, that's just today's "peek"...keep coming back for more info!

See ya in a few days, ladies!!!

Holiday Gathering - Next Weekend!

We're lucky we didn't get that big snowstorm the folks out East are dealing with! But the chill in the air the last few nights is all we Midwesterners need to get in a holiday mood, right? Well, the cooler nights AND the Georgetown Holiday Gathering! Join us next weekend for this annual town-wide event. Make ForeverMore your first stop. Enjoy our selection of antiques and primitives with a holiday theme, including lots of quilts and other textiles, as always. An added bonus this time are handmade Christmas decorations & ornaments to complement your antique collections.

Check out this slideshow (below) of "Sneak Peek" photos for just a tiny glimpse of what you'll find next weekend, then plan to join us Friday from 10-5, Saturday 8-5 and Sunday 11-4.

You can sign up for the cash prizes offered in the Holiday Gathering raffle and pick up a map to all of the other locations. See you next weekend!

Plenty of Fun & Some Sun At Harvest Open House

A cool fall day on Friday was followed by a glorious sunny Saturday, but even a slightly wet Sunday didn't dampen the mood at our Harvest Open House this past weekend.

Looks like those "sneak peek" photos are a hit because lots of you came in and made a bee-line for something that had caught your eye online.

Great to see you all! Thanks for making time on a busy fall weekend in Central Illinois to come to see us!

We're off to the Osage Farm show this weekend down in Charleston, IL. About a dozen antique dealers plus artisans, music & food. Always a fun time.

Then, believe it or not, in just about a month we'll be getting ready and posting sneak peeks of the 2011 Georgetown Holiday Gathering on the first weekend in November where we will have all of our antique and handmade Christmas offerings. Stay tuned...

Harvest Open House - Sneak Peek!

Check out a glimpse into next weekend's open house on our Facebook page.

Here's a link to the album of photos on FaceBook:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.257631630926921.62265.144420288914723

Come visit us in Georgetown to see all the rest of the good ol' stuff in this sale!

Next up...

ForeverMore's Harvest Open House

Sept. 16, 17 & 18

Details coming soon!

To your mailbox if you're on our mailing list.

On our website, Facebook & this blog, too!

Four years and counting...

What a great time last weekend at our 4th annual Summer Open House! So good to see everyone and hope you all enjoyed the sale as much as we did.

(It did get a tad cramped inside on Friday afternoon - sorry about that. We'll try to make things go smoother next time so everyone has a chance to see all three rooms in addition to everything outside and then don't have to wait in too long of a line. Something for us to figure out before the Harvest Open House this fall.)

It's always fun to hear the plans you all have for the items you find at our sales. You're an inspired group, that's for sure! Feel free to send us photos when you get all those projects finished or find the perfect spot for something you found at our sale. We'd love to see the results of all that creativity!

p.s. Lots of you asked about the show at Bishop Hill -- that's weekend after next up near Galesburg. Come visit us inside the Old Colony School House, have some of the Bakery's delicious food, enjoy the historic setting and seek out some more "finds"! Details at http://www.bishophillcolonybakery.com/id13.html

Sneak Peek Photos!

Just a little glimpse into our Summer Open House offering -- lots, lots more inside that's not shown plus tons outside -- especially if the weather man is right and we're going to be treated to a few pleasant summer days for the sale, which starts starts at noon on Friday. See ya this weekend!

Just a hint...

Sneak peek photos coming in just a few days but for now, "read all about it"!

Here's an idea of what you'll see at our Summer Open House next weekend....

A room full of early primitives -- furniture and smalls in old paint, great patriotic touches, stoneware, quilts & coverlets...

Another room like a garden conservatory -- wicker furniture, great architectural pieces, watering cans, floral prints, bark cloth, and some wonderful handmade items from vintage textiles...

More country & cottage-style furniture with vintage red/white/blue accents...cool old trunks...neat vintage kitchen items in a good old green color...

The coach house will be open -- first time for everything! -- on one end to offer some really nice furniture pieces come rain or come shine...with some cute painted pieces on the patio too...

And the yard full of everything else we can't fit in the shop!

Watch for the photos....See ya next weekend!

The Sugarplum...at ForeverMore

Any of you read "Country Gardens" magazine? It's one of my favorites and I was so happy to see an article in the current issue (Summer 2011 p. 41) about my friends Anne & Garret Rowe from New Hampshire. Anne's shop, The Sugarplum, sells garden antiques and I have quite a few things she brought back from England, France and Germany. Anne has a great eye, plus we always have a nice conversation whenever our paths cross. I've shopped with her for several years now and never been disappointed.
Along with a devoted group of folks who love her garden stuff as much as I do, I made a bee line for The Sugarplum booth to get "first dibs" at a show out in Massachusetts last month . You, too, can have some early New England or European garden items -- wonderful watering cans, neat decorative iron pieces, cool galvanized buckets, zinc flower holders and more -- they will be part of the offering at ForeverMore's Summer Open House on June 24-26. Come see what I managed to grab before the crowds arrived and cleaned her out! (Sneak peek photos coming next week...)

Friends of Forevermore Are Having A Sale

Our friends Bob & Betty Swisher are having an amazing tag sale next weekend. Bob, a columnist for the Champaign News-Gazette and his wife have been collectors for more than 30 years. They have typically sold only once a year -- at the Gordyville annual all-antiques show in December -- plus in a local mall but now they are having a HUGE sale near their home in Urbana. They're selling off their vast and varied collections. From what I've heard, there's something for just about everyone. Bob says some of it has never been offered for sale!
Bob does a lot of work with PACA so he has an eye for architectural salvage and it sounds like there will be plenty of that type of stuff. They've sold Depression glass for years and this sale will be no exception. But that's not all. Everything from ink wells to ice cream chairs, children's toys to teapots. A whole entire house full of stuff set up just for this sale.
The sale runs from 8-6 on June 17 and 8-3 on June 18. As Bob wrote in his column last week, most things have been marked down (regular prices by this pair are always quite reasonable anyway) so there won't be any half-price sale. See ya there!
Location: 1006 E. Washington Street, Urbana (parking on Cottage Grove or Wabash)

(Good luck you two! Hope you sell it all! Can't wait to come see!)

Time For A Breather

Hope everyone is enjoying spring. The spring show season has come to a close for ForeverMore. Time to do some buying (a great trip out East recently - found some amazing stuff!), some gardening and have a little break before the Summer Open House late next month, followed by the show in Bishop Hill in mid-July.

We will have Judy Condon's latest book "The Spirit of Country" at the Summer Open House. Can't wait for your copy? Drop us an email and you'll have it soon!

More details about our big summer event coming soon!

p.s. The Pure & Simple show in Kokomo was held on May 7. Here are a few pics from ForeverMore's booth. Enjoy.

Time To Go To The Kokomo Show!

Osage Farm was fun -- good show, friendly folks, good time was had by all.

This Saturday is the "Pure & Simple" Show in Kokomo, IN featuring high-end early Americana and primitives from the 17th & 18th Century. We are focusing on early textiles -- quilts, doll quilts, coverlets, children's and doll clothing and homespun fabric -- along with some nice early smalls. There are nearly 80 dealers in the show from this area eastward. It's unlike any other show around. This is the second year for the show which runs from 9:00 am (IN time) until 3:00 pm.

If you're considering the trip, you should know that there's another show right down the road in Noblesville, IN -- A Simpler Thyme -- which is a great little primitive/country show held twice a year at the Fairgrounds. The Llama Barn if I remember right (although I said that once thinking it was the site for the Homesteaders show at the fairgrounds in Arcola and got in all kinds of hot water for getting the building wrong...still, I think I'm right this time). There's always a nice selection there with lots of our dealer friends including Micky Bakemen & Sue Beahm ("Primitive Pursuits") who do the Country Spirit show with us in Arcola. Tell 'em ForeverMore sent ya!

Get an early start, check out both shows and you'll get that hour back when you head home to Illinois!

A Great Video & An Open House Recap

COUNTRY SPIRIT VIDEO

Check out this wonderful video courtesy of my friend Kristine Berg-Doss, editor and founder of A Primitive Place magazine! She and some of her great staff attended the Country Spirit show in Arcola and she was kind enough to put this video together. I was totally surprised and blown away by her generosity and her talents!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whsJxBmKUa0 Enjoy the show!


By the way, if you don't subscribe to A Primitive Place, you absolutely must! Go to http://www.aprimitiveplace.org/ where you can get a sneak peek at the next issue coming out in just a couple weeks and explore all the great stuff on their website, their blog and their forum. Kristine is surrounded by a whole group of talented folks and I'm sure you'll find something inspiring on the website.

OPEN HOUSE

For those of you who came out to the open house event last weekend -- thanks! Great to see everyone -- we had so many nice chats with friends old and new. Can't wait for the Summer event -- probably late June this year so watch for details to follow! Enjoy our latest slideshow which includes just a handful of the finds" we passed along last weekend to happy shoppers...

Spring Open House - Day One!

Thanks to everyone who ignored the dire weather forecast and came on out today to shop our spring offerings! Some of of our favorite items found new homes -- those cute doll-sized long johns were a crowd favorite but didn't make it past the first hour! Some cool green architectural pieces, an adorable framed "Peter Rabbit" story book page, neat old iron plant hangers, one of the last of the French grain sacks, a wonderful large stoneware bowl, an advertising piece with amazing color, an unusual large treen masher and a framed oil painting of sheep went out the door, just to name a few. But there's plenty left to choose from and with better weather - knock on wood -- we'll put lots more out under the tent and on the porches tomorrow. Come visit -- 10:00 until 4:00 tomorrow and 11:00 to 3:00 on Sunday.

p.s. Another crowed pleaser was our selection of small purses and bags made from vintage textiles - bark cloth, quilt pieces, embroidered tea towels and more. They make great cosmetic bags, glasses cases, cell phone cases etc and are perfect if you need a unique gift idea.

sneak peek

It's Almost Time -- Our First 2011 Open House In A Few Days

Our Spring Open House is just around the corner, marking our first open days for 2011. It's been awhile since our Christmas Open House last November -- and we've been gathering great stuff that whole time to make this a really good sale.

Love garden antiques? We've got 'em. Love cottage style? Got that too! What about primitives? Plenty of those! Or maybe you like the new country look found in "Country Living" magazine these days -- a little French Country, a little bit more urban-- you'll find a taste of that as well.

We're open Friday afternoon -- sales start at noon (sorry, no early sales) -- Saturday and again Sunday midday. Even if you can't make it Friday afternoon, don't worry. We have plenty of wonderful things and will be replenishing before Saturday morning.

Check back here to this blog tomorrow evening for some "sneak peek" photos!!! Can't wait to show you!

Barn Buster

Well, Brocton was...interesting. The first day's weather left a lot to be desired. Cold, cold, cold. And dustier than ever. Day two was warm and windy but still chilly inside the barn. That wind just kicked up the barn floor so we've got a bit of cleaning to do on the stuff we brought home. See how that light shines through? That's how the dust gets in too!

Plus near the very end of the show, the rear window of ForeverMore's trusty cargo van got shattered. The gal who was retreiving a cool chair she'd bought from out of the back of the van when it happened feels horrible about it, of course. A really nice vendor saw it happen - I was in the barn at the time - and he jumped in to help cover up the windown with plastic for the ride back to Georgetown -- Thanks Scott Sprague, you're awesome - I owe you one! So...between the weather, breathing in the dust and the busted window, it wasn't the most fun ever. But we have to take the good with the bad and the good last weekend was seeing so many familiar faces. Lots of pleasant chats made up for the unpleasantness...well, almost anyway!

Oh and here's the new owner's pic of the chair she got -- I see she's loving it despite the whole incident 'cause she she keeps blogging about it and posted this photo yesterday!

Anyway....next up is our Spring Open House on April 15-17. Can't control the weather, but we know there won't be barn dust! (And I'm holding tight to the keys to the van from now on so no more of that kind of trouble either!)

Stay tuned for more details on the open house...even some sneak peek photos next week!

See ya in Brocton!

Friday and Saturday we will be at the Brocton Red Barn Market along with other antique dealers, crafters and some great food. The show runs from 12:30 to 5:00 on Friday and again on Saturday from 8:30 until 3:00. Brocton is just south of Route 36 along Route 49. Watch for the signs and come enjoy a day in the country. (Don't let any weather bother you -- it's dry as can be inside the barn!)
p.s. ForeverMore has special surprise planned for each shopper entering our booth...bet you won't leave empty-handed!

It's spring show season!

Saturday, March 19, will find us at the St. Jospeh Antique Show -- just follow the signs through town to the school. The hours are 9 am to 4 pm. Antiques and offerings from local artisans plus good food and great antiquing at the malls and shops in town -- Make a day of it!
We're planning a booth that celebrates spring AND all the other seasons, too! Quilts, vintage linens, pottery, baskets, stoneware, framed pictures & prints, and collectibles for every season. Plus almost everything is "on sale" some come find some bargains!!

Next up after that? The Brocton Red Barn Market, the first weekend of April and then in mid-April, ForeverMore will be open for the first time in 2011. Details to follow!

Country Spirit - What a blast!

Wow! The Country Spirit Antique Show in Arcola this past weekend was SO much fun! @e were blown away at the quality of the vendors' merchandise. Plus they were just about the nicest bunch you'd ever want to meet! We all enjoyed each other's company all weekend long.
On Friday night the crowd poured in for the early buying session. You've never seen such happy folks! Lots of friends from the other shows visited too and that's always nice.
By Saturday morning, the booths were restocked and the gates opened again -- with the first 50 receiving some special treats from Country Spirit. Folks were still finding treasures late in the day and we noticed lots of people making their second and even third visit to the show.
On both days we had Mike Anderson's amazing dulcimer skills to entertain - thanks again, Mike! And the booth from "A Primitive Place" magazine was a huge hit -- photos and autographs all day long! There will be lots of happy new subscribers waiting anxiously for the Summer issue -- I know we are! Thanks to Kristine Berg-Doss and her staff for supporting the show!
If you missed it -- or even if you just want to relive it -- there will be tons of photos posted on the show website in the coming days.
Mark your calendars now because we can't wait and our terrific bunch of dealers are going to be out hunting fresh merchandise all spring and summer to stock up for our next show on November 11 & 12!

See you in Arcola!

2011 show season kicks off next weekend in Arcola!

Come visit our booth Friday night at the Country Spirit show starting at 5:00 p.m. -- or be one of the first in line on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. (the first 50 get a gift!)...ForeverMore will have a fresh selection of quilts, primitives and good ol' country antiques with a spring theme. Stop by and say hello -- and sign up for our mailing list if you're not already on it so you can get updates and postcards alerting you to our upcoming events.

See ya in Arcola!

Online Open House FRIDAY FEB 4

Wow...this weather has been a little rough. The power was out, the Internet was out. So we are pushing back the first ever ForeverMore Online Open House just one day until tomorrow night. It will start at 7:00 on www.picturetrail.com/forevermoreantiques.
Right now, the site is password protected but starting at 7:00 p.m. Friday night everyone will get to see the offerings for the first time. You will NOT need a password to shop. More rules on how to buy, etc. will be posted on the picturetrail site.
No icy roads to maneuver, no cold winds to brave...just go antiquing right from the comfort of your own home!

From Arthur to Arcola...

OK, the answer to the question some of you are asking is "Yes" -- we did decide to leave the Gathering on the Prairie show in Arthur even though we had enjoyed three great years there and met lots of new friends. But the opportunity to be a part of Country Spirit in Arcola was just too good to pass up! Wait until you see the show and then you'll understand!

We wish all of our friends back at the Gathering the best of luck and hope that all of our customers will enjoy the now bigger and better chance to shop THREE shows in Amish Country twice a year!

Two of the shows are open Friday night as well as Saturday and you can buy advance tickets for both shows, both days if you buy them now -- check out the details on the Country Spirit website! (www.picturetrail.com/countryspirit) If you've never been on Friday night, give it a try. It's a really festive and fun atomosphere that everyone seems to really enjoy.

Even if you don't buy the advance ticket for Country Spirit and the Homesteaders on the Prairie show, your admission to the Friday night festivities at Country Spirit is good for both days so you can always come back and see what goodies the dealers have brought out on Saturday.

Hotel rooms are going fast so get yours now if you're planning of making a weekend out of the shows and all the good antiquing down in Amish country!

Country Spirit

We've been busy working to put together a really wonderful group of exhibitors for the Country Spirit Antique Show & Sale in Arcola on March 4 and 5. It's going to be a great show full of wonderful country antiques, primitives and early Americana. Come shop Friday evening or Saturday -- there will be a great selection available whenever you shop. Details are unfolding fast so watch the Country Spirit site for news updates. (Our vendor list will be posted very soon -- can't wait for you to see who's joining us!!!) And don't forget to "like" the show on Facebook (just search "Country Spirit Antique Show" on Facebook).

The show must go on but so does the shop! It's just too darn cold these days to even think of an open house at ForeverMore. But we're going to give you an opportunity to shop from the warmth and comfort of your own home and we're putting together some primitives, some Valentines items, and some things to get you to "think spring". If you're on our email list, you'll get details soon. If not, then it's not too late to join the list! Just drop us a line at forevermoresale@aol.com and let us know you want to be on the email list. It's that simple!