A Shawnee Surprise

Last weekend, my friend, Sandy, and I met at the local flea market for a morning of thrifting and catching up. At lunch, Sandy surprised me with a belated Christmas present...

A  perfect piece of Shawnee miniature pottery to add to my collection. The "USA" mark on the bottom authenticates the piece.

The Shawnee Pottery in Ohio started making miniatures of their full size vases and pitchers in 1937 and continued through the late 40's. Each miniature is no more than 3" high. I wrote about collecting Shawnee miniatures in a February 2011 post; if you would like to learn more about them, you can read the old post here.

Sandy also brought me this little pitcher to add to my collection of M.E. Hadley pottery. The Hadley Pottery Company is located in Louisville, Kentucky, and the designs on each piece are hand-painted.

Since we live in an old farmhouse, the rural country scenes depicted on these pottery pieces really appeal to me.

I'm not sure how Sandy finds these little treasures. I literally look everywhere I go for Shawnee miniatures and have not found one in recent years...Sandy has now found two, which she very thoughtfully has given to me. (Don't you love flea market friends?)

My "new" Shawnee piece will now live with my other Shawnee miniatures...

 in this little cupboard...

in a corner of my kitchen.

Mark Twain said, "The very marks on the bottom of a piece of rare crockery are able to throw me into a gibbering ecstasy."  Mr. Twain...I agree!

Yours in gibbering ecstasy,

This post is linked to:
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Potpourri Friday at 2805

More Stops Along the Road

It seems that in my last post I forgot a few ladies who absolutely have to come along on our virtual road trip.

My sister, Joanne, found "Ramblin' Rose" at the junkyard...

So how could I not invite her to come along?

Joanne has her own little t@b trailer...already decorated for a dream trip down Route 66.

Now we've got room for more passengers on our little road trip through blogland.

Like my dear friend, Sandy. She and I often talk about taking a road trip together...we've just never managed to actually do it. In preparation, though, she made me a little album, noting favorite routes across the country and stops we could make along the way. So Sandy, you're invited on this one...and bring your camper...I think we're going to need it!

With my Casita, that will make three campers...plenty of room for all of you!

So get your virtual suitcase packed...

And don't forget your camera...with Brenda along with us, we're bound to learn how to take good photos.

Let's "Cowgirl Up", make a few detours, and pick up more of our blog sisters...

Like Lakeesha in Chicago...

Lakeesha and I became "blog girlfriends" when we were both grieving losses. I think we each found writing our blogs to be one way of healing. Lakeesha wrote that she would like to join us on our virtual trip...how could I have forgotten her in my previous post?

"Grandma Barb" (don't you love that "handle"?)  has asked to join our little caravan of crazy bloggers too...she's in Minnesota so we can pick her up on our way to see Vickie's sock monkeys.

Now that we've filled two of our three campers, it's time to hit the road again...

After all, we've got places to go and more bloggers to see.

Next up is one of my all-time favorite bloggers, Jane. Jane's blog, Mamie Jane's is amazing. Allow yourself at least a whole day to see it all. She takes vintage "junk" and transforms it into amazing decorative items for her home...and she even shows the rest of us how she does it.

Jane was featured in the Fall/Winter issue of Flea Market Style...and I'm still wondering when she will get her own show on HGTV. (Jane would blow "House Hunters" right out of the water!)

Source: HGTV.com


Luckily, Route 66 winds right through Missouri. so Jane...we're on the way. I think you deserve a few special blogger hugs right now, too.

Sherry from Back To Vintage will have to come along too.

She has a knack for finding antique malls and vintage bargains. Mississippi isn't that far off our route is it?

After we pick up Sherry, it's back to Texas for our little group of vintage dream travelers...we've still got room in our third camper...

For Geneva. In her blog, My Heart's Song, Geneva writes about transitioning into retirement and remodeling a mobile home. Geneva commented that she would love to decorate a vintage trailer...so let's invite her to come along.


Source: http://nancysvintagetrailers.blogspot.com/

And how could I have forgotten CeeKay, in Arizona? Although I don't know CeeKay well, I admire  her greatly. Somehow, while battling ovarian cancer, she manages to write a blog, raise a family and decorate a beautiful home. You can visit her at her blog, Thinkin' of Home.

(I'm not sure that CeeKay actually lives anywhere near Winslow, Arizona,  but I've always wanted to stand on a corner there!)



Nancy's kitchen stencil

The idea for a road trip was actually hatched by my sister Nancy and I one day in 2004 when we were sitting in her little kitchen booth making our summer plans...so I have to include this photo from our 2007 trip. (Our last "road trip" was in 2008...you can read about it here, at the blog Nancy and I wrote together.)

We were both a little a lot heavier back then but I think we figured that if we were color-coordinated we'd blend in with the camper and no one would notice. I know that Nancy will be with us in spirit  on our blogger road trip...and I guarantee she will bless us with lots of laughter along the route.

So we're on our way again and, as the sign says, the road never ends.

Wouldn't it be fun if some day we could turn this little road trip dream of mine into reality and actually all meet up for our own blogger Cowgirl Prom?

Source: http://www.sistersonthefly.com/

How much fun would that be?

This travelin' post is linked to:

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff & Nonsense

Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Potpourri Friday at 2805

Inspiration Friday at At the Picket Fence

Sisters Sunday at Sisters of the Wild West

Come Along With Us

Wouldn't it be fun to spend a few days with "the girls" in a little pink camper like this?

My sister, Joanne, who knows I dream of vintage campers, just emailed me this photo. She saw this old pink trailer sitting all by itself in a salvage yard in Massachusetts and snuck in to take a picture of it. She's even already named it ..."Ramblin' Rose".

I think half the fun of having a little vintage camper would be in decorating it...

Source:  kitchyliving.com

It would be a bit like playing house...

Source: The Vintage Housewife blog

A chance to forget all the decorating "rules" ...

Source: vintage camperlove.com

And be guided by the colorful whimsy of childhood.

Source: shellbellestikihut.com

I'd load up my little trailer with one or two old pairs of jeans, the pile of books I've been meaning to read, some wine and cheese...and my laptop, of course...for blogging from the road.

Source: retrorenovation.com

I'd detour to pick up blog friends along the way...so we could get to know each other in person, in real time.

Our orange t@b

It would be a quick trip from Maine to pick up Pamela in New Brunswick. She could play with her camera as we made our way to Claudia's home in New York State. I would love the chance to see Claudia's amazing collection of McCoy pottery.

inside my little Casita

We'd wind our way south, too,  to hit some Georgia flea markets with Linda. After a really long little side trip to Minnesota to learn how Vickie manages to bend wire into chandeliers, we could drive west along Route 66...

to a cozy little blue house in Oklahoma...

handmade for me by Paula Clare at Paula's Palace of Altered Art blog

To give sweet Brenda big hugs...because she really needs them right now.

Source: TCT.com

Maybe we'd all share some sweet tea and lemonade as we trade our stories...

handmade for me by Paula Clare at Paula's Palace of Altered Art blog

And came to realize that, as far apart as we are in distance, as women we all have similar life experiences and common bonds.

Source: Sisters On the Fly.com

As we wander, I hope we'd meet up with the Sisters On the Fly. I've always wanted to join these ladies. They describe themselves as...

 "A group of women who challenge ourselves in all that we set our minds to do. We have no age or color. We range in age from 88 to 21 with most in between."  

Source: Sisters On the Fly.com

"We welcome all women who want to share the adventures of 'sisterhood'."

Source: Sisters On the Fly.com

"We have vintage trailers that we take on Cowgirl Caravan trips around the country. They are decorated inside and out in usually a western kitschy theme."

Source: Sisters On the Fly.com

"After all, 'There is a little Cowgirl in all of us'”.

Source: Sisters On the Fly.com

I think we'd fit right in with this group of creative women! Maybe my blog friends and I  could even earn a few badges while we're camping with the "sisters"...

Source: Sisters On the Fly.com

If you look closely, you'll see badges for attending The Cowgirl Prom (we'd need to pack our "fancy" dresses for that!), making a perfect Martini, overcoming troubles (The Purple Heart badge...Brenda deserves that one!), and my favorite, the badge for "Going Potty outdoors".

handmade for me  by Paula Clare at Paula's Palace of Altered Art blog

In my vintage camper dream, we'd stop to pick up each and every one of you, wherever you are in blogland, take the turns in the road as they come, share our stories, and dance like nobody's watching.

Want to come along???

This post is linked to:

Vintage Inspiration at Common Ground

Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage

Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here