Save the Date!

Mark your calendar and plan to stop by our Harvest Open House & Sale on October 9 & 10.

I'll post more details soon - and if you're on our maling list, you'll see a postcard in a couple of weeks with more info.

UPDATE: Hours on Saturday, October 9, 8 am to 4 pm
and Sunday, October 10, 11 am to 4 pm

p.s. Stopped in today at the Casey Antique Centre in Casey, IL, which we're sad to say is closing its doors next month. For the last 7 years, it's been a great place to find primitives. Never left there without a few goodies.But the owner is on to other pursuits and we wish her well.

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!

The Show Scene

The Gathering On The Prairie


This past Saturday's primitive show in Amish Country was packed with great old country pieces, unique early American items and one-of-a-kind finds. There was so much to see and plenty of shoppers there to see it. The weather cooperated (giving us all a touch of spring fever) and it's safe to say a good time was had by all. All day long we watched happy folks with great items tucked under their arms and big smiles on their faces as they went in search of another find. How fun!

Here is a view of the ForeverMore booth right before the show opened. I'll update the slide show in the next few days to include some this year's offerings and close-ups of some of the amazing old quilts we passed along to new owners including that green Turkey Tracks quilt from the 1800s you can see above, and the blue/yellow/red star patterned crib quilt hanging above the blue dry sink.

An item that received lots of attention until someone snapped it up was a great old piece of architectural salvage -- a half-moon window, 52" wide with that neat old wavy glass. It was quickly followed out the door by a neat little corner shelf in old blue and green paint. A great primitive work table in old green paint disappeared along with a big slant top tool box also in green. Green may have been the color of the day (were we all thinking spring?) because a early jelly cupboard in light green wash with a bread-board door found a new home as well. Among our other sales were some personal favorites including a folk-art birdhouse with two chimneys, a tiny doll dress made from old blue & white ticking, a heavy zinc bottle carrier from Germany, a great big wire basket with wooden handles and an early child's low-back Windsor chair, just to name a few.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by. It's always good to see familiar faces and meet new ones too. To those of you from far away places who made the trek to Central Illinois - see you next year!

St. Joseph Antique Show - March 20

Next up on Saturday, March 20 is the St. Joseph Antique Show, now in its 24th year. The show has gone through some changes in the last few years but given the group of dealers who have signed up this time, its definitely going strong again. The show runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the St. Joseph Middle School Gym (take exit 192 from I-74 and follow the signs to the other side of town). The entrance donation is $3, and the building is handicap accessible. In addition to all of the great antiques and collectibles, there will be food, beverages, and items from local artisans.

We're taking a huge trunk full of vintage linens, lots of springy, garden things and - of course - QUILTS, along with some country furniture too. Hope to see you there!

Upcoming Primitives Show

Lots of you have been calling to ask "When is the primtives show in Arthur?" We're so glad you're interested in coming back to visit us at the show so here are the details:

"A Gathering On The Prairie"
8th Annual Country Primitives & Antique Show
Saturday, March 6, 2010
8:00 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Admission: $3
At the Otto Center in Arthur, Illinois

How to get there: The Otto Center is 1/2 mile South of Arthur off of Route 133. From I-57, take exite 203 and then follow Route 133 West through Arcola to Arthur.

What you'll see: Bigger and better than ever, with about 50 quality dealers from 13 states, you will see one of the best selections of furniture in old paint & original surface, early decorative accessories, textiles (including quilts -- you know we will have plenty!), baskets, folk art and one-of-a-kind early American items you don't see in central Illinois at any other time of the year. If you love primitives and the new country style, it's a "don't-miss" show!!

Shopping Tip: Before last year -- our first year setting up at the show -- we could be found waiting in line out front to be among the first ones through the door. One lesson I learned the hard way is that if you see it and you like it, grab it because the Gathering attracts such a great group of primitive lovers that you can't count on a piece still being available if you come back around the show a little later. Last year there were lots of disappointed faces who came back to our booth for something that someone else had snatched up. There's nothing worse -- for the customer and for us -- than when we have to break the bad news! So remember, if it caught your eye, chances are it will draw someone else's attention too.

Looking for the ForeverMore booth? We'll be in the back corner on the right side as you enter. Look for a quilt you should be able to see down the aisle! Stop by and say "hello" and definately let me know if you read this blog!

P.S. Don't mistake this show for "Homesteaders on the Prairie". That's another quality primitives show (including some crafts too). It's at the school on the corner where you turn south toward the Otto Center. That show opens an hour later on Saturday. Make a day of it and shop both shows!

SINCE THIS POSTING WAS FIRST WRITTEN, THERE IS NOW A THIRD SHOW THAT SAME WEEKEND. FOREVERMORE HOSTS THE COUNTRY SPIRIT SHOW IN ARCOLA! CHECK OUT www.picturetrail.com/countryspirit