Searching for treasures

Bay City (Michigan) is home to one monster antique store. The Bay City Antiques Center, located downtown, is a mecca of antiquities! Spanning an entire city block, the store is comprised of numerous dealers from the surrounding areas.

I hadn't been to the store before, but when my mom warned me that I would enjoy myself, she wasn't kidding! With a ground floor, second floor, and 2 basements to search through, I spent quite a bit of time searching for antique treasures.

While I certainly found my share to take home, I couldn't resist snapping a few photos along the way. (Please note: all the photos in this post were taken on the second level, which probably only accounts for about a quarter of the store's square footage.)

From canes in a barrel...

To artifacts displayed in museum cases, there was so much to see!

(I was totally in my element, as this self portrait in an antique mirror clearly indicates!)

The best part about this store was the variety of items available: from instruments and antlers...

To rooms full of doors!

(And I do mean full- this room may have housed close to 100 reclaimed and salvaged doors!)

And while most of the items in the shop were lovely and amazing, some certainly left me questioning (like this album with Maestro Domingo and John Denver)...

Take for example, this piano full of animal figurines...

Or this collection of crazy ties...

Or this collection of antique kitchenware and an inappropriate bottle opener (I'm not going to point it out, but I'm sure you'll see it eventually...).

So while not everything was to my exact taste (retro hair-driers anyone?)...

There was plenty for me to fall in love with...

And dream about shipping back to my apartment in NYC!

Thanks for visiting- I hope you have a great day!

Five dollar find!

I love sifting through antique stores! I don't often make major purchases (given the fact that I don't have a whole lot of space to keep things)... but every now and then I score a good deal.

A few months ago, I had the good luck to come across this casserole dish.

Isn't it a nice size and shape? I thought it was pretty nice, and for $5 I couldn't pass it up.

You see, it wasn't just an ordinary casserole dish... it was an official "State of Michigan" dish! See the seal on the lid? That's the seal of my home-state!

When I took this [very awesome] dish to the counter at the antique store I was shopping in, the cashier told me that the man who owned the booth where I found the dish had been an USPS employee and suggested that he may have picked up the dish at the capitol one day. Unfortunately that's all the information that I have... and I haven't been able to find anything like it online.

Needless to say, I'm very pleased with this thrifty treasure- not just because it was a good deal, but because it's a special memento from my homeland.

Thank you for visiting- I hope you have a great weekend!

Purell anyone?

I love being able to take the subway everyday. And lucky for me, the trains on my subway line have been updated to shiny new ones, complete with digital-screen station listing and molded plastic benches that are a soothing blue color.

But every now and then, an older train will show up at my station.

The older trains have orange, bucket seats...

And years of graffiti etched into the metal.

And while they may not be as pretty and clean as the newer cars, they're so much more "NYC"... just think of all the interesting people who have ridden in those cars, sat in those seats and held onto those poles!

Actually... now that I think about it- that's totally gross! So while I go wash my hands, I hope you have a great weekend- thanks for stopping by! :)

Refurbishing with the 'rents!

As I mentioned yesterday, my parents taught me everything I know about crafty renovations- and their work has spanned decades. So when my folks told me that they were re-doing our pie safe, I couldn't wait to share the process on this blog!

Let me take you to the very beginning: in the early 1980's, my folks purchased this antique pie safe. It was certainly a little rough around the edges, but with some hard work and creativity, my folks turned it into a lovely little wardrobe...
For me! See the piece of furniture in the background? That old pie safe became my armoire, and I have very vivid memories of lots of OshKosh B'gosh corduroy overalls hanging inside when I was younger!
As you can probably assume, my attire eventually outgrew the pie safe, and it was re-purposed as a video/DVD cabinet which stood in the corner of our family's living room for the better part of my life. But earlier this year my folks decided to redecorate, which meant that the pie safe needed an update... here's how they did it:
My mom began by finding the perfect stencil.
After removing the doors and panels...
She planned the design.
(Just looking at this photo makes me think of all the craft projects I did growing up using that same ruler... doesn't it look well loved?)
As my dad was removing the pie safe panels, he unearthed a bit of the wallpaper they had used when they first refinished the pie safe for my childhood bedroom. (On a side note, when I was little I used to stare at those tiny flowers until my eyes crossed and the pattern started to move... have you ever done that?)
But back to the project- after the doors were removed my folks prepped the panels and painted them.
My mom then prepared the stencil...
Before getting out her brushes and getting to work!
(I have to tell you- my mom is a very good stenciller!)
See her excellent form? I remember trying to copy the way she held a stippling brush when I was younger but I could never quite master it... maybe someday...
After she finished the first color, she reveled the rest of the stencil and switched to the accent color.
And before you know it, she was finished and my dad had reassembled the pie safe...
Doesn't it look perfect in their living room?
Our pie safe sure has come a long way, thanks to my very creative parents! I love knowing that this piece of furniture has been a part of our family for so long- and I can't wait to see how it changes over the next 20 years!
Thank you for stopping by- I hope you have a great weekend!

I learned from the best...

My folks are big influences on me- especially when it comes to crafty DIY projects.Here's a sneak peak into what I'm talking about- make sure to stop back tomorrow to read all about this very special project!

Brooklyn Flea

Boy, did we have a fun weekend! SFS' friend was in town (they've known each other since they were kids), along with his lovely fiancee. We packed as much as we could into the short time they were here, so it might take me all week to share our adventures- I hope you don't mind!


On Saturday, we made our way to One Hanson, which happens to be the former Williamsburgh Savings Bank.
Once we made our way through the beautiful lobby...
We found ourselves at Brooklyn Flea! The Flea features more than 100 vendors of vintage furniture, clothing, collectibles and antiques, as well as new jewelry, art and crafts by local artisans, plus delicious food. Normally it takes place outside, but for 11 weekends in the winter, they take over this incredible landmark!
I love antique shopping, so this was SUCH a treat!
All of the vendors sold amazing things: from artwork...
To hand painted clothing...
To vintage accessories!
After shopping for a while, we worked up an appetite... so we headed down to the vault.
I'm not even kidding! The food vendors set up shop in the bank's vault- in order to get some lunch, we got to walk through this incredibly imposing door!
The food vendors were so eclectic and creative- and best of all, they were all LOCAL!
From mini cupcakes in tasty flavors (like bacon)...
To sweet breads...
To smothered hot pretzels... talk about YUM!
But for lunch, I opted for something from the Milk Truck. They're a tiny little company that sells gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup... and that's it!
Don't you love their packaging?
The sandwich was absolutely heavenly! I chose Classic with a twist: gruyere and champagne pickled onions, with mustard on rye bread!
After a delectable lunch, we headed upstairs for a little more shopping.
And while I enjoyed sorting through all the treasures, I have to admit- I was a little obsessed with the bank itself...
From the moldings to the light fixtures- that place is incredible!
And I'm pretty sure all these people would agree with me!
There you have it: antiques and food in an amazing building- I consider that an afternoon well spent!
If you're in town and want to check out the market before it moves to the outdoor location, make your way to the Atlantic Avenue subway station in Brooklyn (just take the 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, M, N, R, or Q train). Once there, take any of the stairs to the street level- you won't miss this incredible structure, as it's right above the subway station! But don't forget- the Flea is only open on the weekends!
I hope you had a wonderful weekend wherever you are- thanks for stopping by!!