PUMPKIN MARTINI-PURE HEAVEN!

I had a recipe for DIY Pumpkin Liqueur that my daughter has passed on to me,  so I decided after cleaning house all day (ugh) it was time for a little TREAT.  So I gathered my supplies and got right to it.

Some sugar, water, spices, canned pumpkin puree .  Magically, this turns into a wonderful syrup after cooking for a bit.  Add the VODKA and then into the fridge for a couple of days or in my case, a COUPLE OF HOURS (tee hee)  Then you simply mix equal parts of the pumpkin liqueur, half and half (I used fat free Half & Half) and Vanilla Vodka. Shake with ice, strain and top with freshly grated nutmeg.  OHMYGOSH!  It is so good!

I had canned pumpkin leftover, so not one to waste, I made PUMPKIN COOKIES and frosted them with a browned butter glaze....these are pretty darn tasty too!  Now I just need to get them out of the house so that I'm not tempted to eat many MORE of them.  I'm sure my grandson will welcome a treat.

 

 



I'm thinking I might give some of that PUMPKIN LIQUEUR for little Christmas gifts.  Wouldn't it be cute to put some in pretty bottles with a tag and recipe attached....maybe put it in a basket with a couple of martini glasses.  Oh, no, I'll have to make more, and TASTE TEST it too;)

READY FOR BLACK FRIDAY

You can enjoy Black Friday coupon discounts in my booths at Stars & Splendid through Sunday November 25th.  Pick up a coupon in either of my booths (#62) or print off a coupon from the Stars Antique Malls website. 

A major booth overhaul brought lots of fresh merchandise, including items shown below.

You can enjoy a fantasy cruise circa 1938 and experience the on board dining experience, with these old menu cards.

Or, how about some after dinner ship board entertainment.  A bit of wagering on races, or taking in a concert. 

 

 

You would have been served on beautiful dinnerware.  These vintage consomme cups and saucers are



filled with new boxes of holiday flavored teas, ready for gift giving. 

 

There are lovely matching plates, perhaps to hold cookies for gift giving?

 

 

 

 

Santa is ready to greet the holidays, though much more Christmas items are yet to be stocked.

 



 

 

You'll even find a lovely vintage gown to wear for the holiday season!

 



 

 

 

 

A bit of an overview.....

 



 

 

 

And at my booth across the aisle, a lighter, more pastel feel.

 



 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, but a couple of these pictures are out of sequence and duplicates.  Blogger giving me problems today.  I do hope that you will stop by and take a look in person.  I will be adding more holiday inventory in the days to come.  Stay tuned! 

 

As always, I appreciate your visit, and your comments!  

 

Charlotte

READY FOR THE STARS & SPLENDID EXPO SALE

The Stars and Splendid Antique Malls are having their big Expo Sale starting tomorrow, October 25th and running through Sunday, October 28th.  I hope you will have a chance to stop by and see all of the wonderful offerings the dealers have brought in.  There are bargains galore, with most of the dealers offering a percentage off on their merchandise.  I have a 15% discount in my booths, so NOW is the time to shop!  Both of my spaces in Splendid are loaded.

Here is a peak at some of the TREASURES.   I hope they will entice you to come on in!

 

I had such fun making these little SWEATER PUMPKINS.  These will make a cute decorating statement throughout the Fall season.  The neutral colors lend themselves to using in lots of ways.

 



 

Tuck them into existing decor- plants, candles, on top of books, or piled in a basket.  These would make a lovely little hostess gift as well.

 



 

Some last minute Halloween decorating ideas.....

 

 

I LOVE these antlers. I have a bunch of them and they are such fun to decorate with. 

 

 

Perch one or two atop a pile of books.  Add some berries or cones for a natural look.

 



 

Or, try piling some in a basket with cones and dried materials.  You'll find that several of these will have the ends chewed on, where other animals have NIBBLED!

 

 

 

 

I think this little cabinet is so CUTE!  It has a nice primitive look and is upcycled from an old Squirt beverage box.  I also took in a selection of nice old wooden bowls.  These are great for holding almost anything.

 

 

Don't you just love white IRONSTONE?  With the holidays soon upon us, an extra gravy/sauce boat can certainly come in handy.  It looks lovely displayed too!

 

 

This cute little salt and pepper set is definitely a gem.  Add these to your white tableware collection.

 



 

I was thrilled to find these CELLULOID dresser pieces, including even a sweet little vase.  The mirror is beveled and the pieces are all in good condition.  What a lovely gift these would make for someone special (maybe you) on your list!

 

 

I love BLUE and this tablecloth and matching napkins is a beautiful toile print.  It is 100% cotton and ready to do duty on your table.

 

All of these items and MUCH MORE are waiting for you in my booths at SPLENDID.  I hope you'll come by and find a treasure to take home. 

 

Thanks so much for your visit.  I love reading your comments, so please let me know you if you are enjoying the posts.  I restock my spaces at least one a week, so if I'm there, stop in for a chat!

 

Charlotte

 

 

 

SOME MORE FOUND TREASURES

I hit a couple of REALLY good sales last week-end and came away with some more treasures for the shop.  I love it when I can find multiples of something; it makes a much more interesting display and offers choices to the customer.

These BEAUTIFUL hand embroidered and crocheted pillowcases had been stashed away for years in an attic.  After a good soaking, laundering, some starch and ironing, they are ready for you to enjoy or give as a gift.  I love seeing this wonderful handwork.  When I was a young girl, I learned to embroider and later made pillowcases for my "HOPE CHEST"!  That dates me, I know!  I don't have the patience for that these days, but I am so full of admiration for the woman that created these pieces.

 

The cases shown below are embroidered ALL OVER the front.  Aren't these gorgeous?

 

 

Here is a really pretty round tablecloth with a lovely monogram.



 

 

This is only a PORTION of the pretty pieces that I purchased.  There are MANY more pillowcases, and some lovely sheets that are embroidered as well.  They are still in the "prep" stage, but will be joining this group at Splendid soon.

I also found some wonderful OLD sheet music.  Going through these beautiful old songs was truly nostalgic.  I found myself singing to myself as I recalled my parents and their friends singing many of these.  The covers are beautiful too!  Wasn't Frank Sinatra pretty darn cute?  Some of these would be beautiful framed.

 

At another sale the same week-end, I found a wonderful collection of  ITALIAN FRAMES.  These are SO pretty and would make quite a statement with several hung on a wall together.  They are white, so will go nicely in a romantic country, cottage or shabby setting. 

I found a birdcage stand.....sorry, but I decided to keep the wicker chair!

 

And finally, some cute little MUSLIN drawstring bags.  I think they probably were  some old unused store stock.  They have a little drawstring to cinch them up.  I think these would be fun to EMBELLISH with bits of lace, ribbon, a stencil, buttons etc.  and give with a special little present inside.

 

 

All of these new treasures can be found at Splendid.  I hope you've enjoyed looking at them. 
Thanks for stopping by.

Charlotte

NOT THE LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER!

Summer is a busy time  for antique dealers.  Since it is such a good buying and selling time, it's necessary to have lots of goodies to offer.  This means using our time to search out the treasures and get them ready for our customers as quickly as we can.  The long days of summer make this easier.  It's an added bonus to be able to work outside in the sunshine.

Once the treasure is found, there is often much preparation necessary to get it ready to sell.  It must be cleaned, repaired, sometimes painted, waxed, polished, researched, cataloged, priced, and photographed for the blog. Finally
it is ready to put out there to hopefully be snapped up by someone that is going to think it is as cool as we did when we bought it!  Sometimes we are lucky and the items found require only a minimum of preparation.  This was the case with todays treasures.

Often times the picture taking gets left out, because I am so anxious to get the item to the shop.  So today, camera in hand, I took some pictures of recent finds that I delivered to Stars & Splendid.

Some beautiful linens- dresser scarves or runners, and guest towels.  Some doilies too!  Look at the detail on these pieces. 

Some vintage wooden hangers from hotels.  I wonder who stayed at these hotels and used these hangers....which President was it that stayed at The Willard?  Did the Wichita Lineman stop in at The Allis Hotel, and how many high rollers stayed at the hotel in Las Vegas?  Did they leave with jingle in their pockets?  Don't you wonder about the former lives of the treasures you find?

I found some fun metal signs.  I wonder where this hung?

Was this in a park or picnic area?

This would be a fun addition to your  kitchen.

I found a bunch of these wonderful old blue glass canning jars-they are great for storing dried foods in your cupboard, holding a collection of buttons, marbles, game pieces etc.  I have them in pints, quarts and half gallons.  Some have glass tops with wire fasteners,  others have the old zinc lids.  All are highly desirable and priced to sell.

This old galvanized can is from Union Oil and has the lid attached.  There are a couple of rusty crusty cowbells, and a wonderful old rusty wire basket.  It holds an instant collection of old brushes- sold individually.

I hope you have enjoyed browsing through my latest additions.  There is a lot more "in the works"
(you know, the repairing, polishing, painting, etc.) so I hope you will stay tuned.  I'd love to have you stop by my booths and check out the other goodies I've found, but didn't manage to get pictures of.

Thanks for stopping by.

Charlotte