Cera's Shower

Cozy seating areas just right for some sips and snacks

Handkerchief valance gives the perfect vintage flair to the long windows that surround the tea room.

Just went to the most fabulous shower on Saturday at Letty Mae's Tea Room in Morris, Il. If you haven't been there it is a must stop! It is like stepping back into your auntie's kitchen! This is their new location tucked right in the middle of the block in the downtown area. Great food and cozy atmosphere.

Cera and some of her bridesmaids.

I love, love, LOVE her turquoise shoes!

Cera is getting married in June and is the daughter of a dear friend of mine. We three have been on many vintage adventures and so it was only fitting that her shower be at Letty Mae's.

Vintage apron that I got to take home.

Each guest got to wear a vintage apron that was on the back of their chair. Great touch to get us all in the mood. The tables had sweet little centerpieces, mismatched china and napkins and we were served with the yummiest meal. Our soft drinks came in real glass bottles with a paper straw and if you were lucky you also got a chance to taste their strawberry lemonade served in a mason jar. I might add that the homemade lemon cake was delicious too and we all were served a giant piece.

Centerpieces

I love anything served in a glass bottle and the paper straws were a nice touch.

Cera and her bridesmaids looked adorable and her turquoise high heels were to die for. Her face lit up with each gift in genuine joy. It is so refreshing to go to an event like this and truly enjoy the gratitude of this bride to be.

Our yummy lemon cake. Photo courtesy of Letty Mae's.

Relaxed and fun...just what a shower should be.

I can't wait till the wedding and will be sure to share photos. Cera's big day will be grand. She has worked hard to make a lot of the details that will make her wedding a gorgeous vintage venue.

Fresh desserts made from old family recipes.

A delightful step back in time.

Here comes the bride...

Sorry you haven't heard from me for a while. Busy with my final shows of the season...I just have to paint or make one more thing and take it with me kinda thing. I've also been working like crazy to make sure that my brides for the months of November and December get their vintage brooch bouquets in time for their wedding day. Still have one more to make for a New Years eve wedding and will post pictures in 2013 but here is the set of bouquets that I made for a late November wedding.

Kara first introduced herself to me at one of the farmer's markets I did this summer. I had some sample bouquets on display and she was excited to find out that I made these beautiful keepsake treasures. She asked if I would make hers and of course I said YES! Most of the time my brides pick their brooches from a healthy stock that I have collected in my travels to flea markets, estate sales and second hand stores. But sometimes I will get a bride that has her own collection that she wants me to use. It's a nice option and the price is reduced somewhat because I am not using my own pins.

And what a collection she had! Oddles and oddles of sparkly bling in a box. Three boxes for that matter. One for her, one for her matron of honor and one for the junior bridesmaid. It was like being a kid in a candy story - her pins were amazing. We couldn't use all of them so I had her choose her favorites. Now some brides think that everything has to be color coordinated...a matchy, matchy kind of a thing. But, they don't. In the big scheme of things they all just seem to work together and make one beautiful bouquet. Kara's were all different colors and I'm sure you will agree when you see the photos that it worked wonderfully.

So sweet.

Kara also had some pins that represented some special things in her life. A brooch from her mom and aunt, a knife and fork pin (she's a chef!) and a medal from her fiance's service pins that was put on her bouquet handle and helped her hold on to and keep him in her heart all day.

We met and talked and I took notes, making sure that I got all of her requests just right. Each bouquet was prettier then the next starting with the junior bridesmaids. In fact although they were all gorgeous, her bouquet was my favorite. The collar and handle were platinum and it was made a bit smaller then the others because of her age - she was only 12. The maid of honors was done in navy and the brides in one of my favorite colors - blush or ballerina pink as the fabric lady called it when I went to match ribbon to it. Kara's dress was also this color. She looked simply stunning in it. A bit of the fabric was left over and the seamstress sent some so I could wrap the handle in it.

So, here they are. Each bouquet comes to the bride in a vintage hatbox nestled in shredded book paper and wrapped in netting. The very talented photographer, Annette Barr stayed up way past midnight the day of the wedding to get this to me. Can't wait to see more of the bouquets in her other photos of the wedding day.

Her expression is just priceless!

Thanks Kara for letting me be a part of your special day. I hope the memories last a lifetime and that you live happily every after.

Let me know if you would like one for your wedding. Visit my ETSY shop or find them on my "mess of things" facebook page. You can purchase the ones that are listed or contact me for a custom made bouquet. I'm adding a shell bouquet for beach weddings and have just found some wonderful preserved roses and other flowers to incorporate into your bouquet. Let me know how I can help make your day special...

Celebrating Summer Vacation

Sorry I haven't had a post in the last week. As most of you know, I teach at a community college and these past few days have been a whirl wind of grading, report writing, clean-up and "a mess of other things".

Friday was my last day of school. Official last day. Grades are in. A done deal. My goal was to stay all day until I was finished. Came home achy, exhausted and eating my way to the couch. Ahhhhhhh. Shoes off, TV on, dogs and cat to cuddle with and dreams of the weekend.

I have been waiting for this weekend for a long time. Not only because I could welcome summer vacation but both days held the anticipation of two really fantastic vintage/flea market sales. I could be in heaven for TWO whole days. In my element. Basking in the bargains and fantastic finds. Oh joy. I can hardly stand talking about it.

One of my favorite flea market bags that I took to both shows. Could have sold a ton of them. Everybody kept asking where I "bought" it. It is an old rug that was made from an army blanket. I folded in half, sewed up the sides, put long handles on it and you are good to go at any market!

The Vintage Bazaar was in the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago on Saturday. Held several times a year this modern pop-up flea market has vintage oddments, collectibles and more! I was introduced to it by my youngest son last October as we wandered through his Logan Square neighborhood. "Oh, yeah, mom...there's a flea market going on in the Congress Theater today." WHAT! Made a quick turn into the sale and stepped into another world of treasures, unique pieces and fabulous prices. There was even a disc jockey playing music! The Congress Theater is old, dark and a vintage jewel in it self. Felt as if I had stepped in a Mad Max movie. An underground civilization of "junkers".

The sale on Saturday was held in an old warehouse that also housed another antique shop AND an the Urban Art Museum. SCORE! Art and antiques. Trash and treasure. Perfect. Made the trip with a good friend and her equally cool daughter. Love the city. Anything goes in fashion. Cute girls in 40's dresses, cat eye glasses and pill box hats. We drooled over the vintage clothes, dingy mannequins, worn ephemera, and oh that so good food. Bleeding Heart Bakery was there (your local sustainable punk rock bakery, Oh yeah!). I scooped up a box of four cupcakes that we shared over pulled pork sandwiches and turkey ruben pitas. Simply scrumptious.

Cute birds that I had to have for $1.00. I'll make some planter boxes out of old sewing machine drawers and stick one in as a finishing accent!

On Sunday I hopped over to Pecatonica with my husband. Bless his heart. This sale goes on twice a year and it was another event that we stumbled on when I went to pick up a lovely hutch that I purchased for my daughter-in-law for Christmas last year. The weather was crisp for May and rain threatened but we showed up in spite of it. This sale is held outdoors and in animal barns on their fairgrounds and the vendors were ready to deal. The best prices are with the outside vendors. Things stacked in musty boxes and wobbly tables. No real rhyme nor reason to anything. We picked up some old flat keys for altered art and paintings, a few old union buttons, three large outdoor cement planters and redwood trellises, old scale weights and some vintage glasses that the dealer sold to me for half the marked price before I could even start the dealing process with her. It was a long wet, weekend and she wanted to go home with less then she came with. Inside the sale barns is a whole different story. Neat and orderly displays and higher prices. An old blue fiesta plate that I had purchased outside for $4 was $17 inside! Oh and did I mention the food? Butterfly pork sandwiches, sweat and sour cole slaw, lemonade and kettle corn. Mmmmm. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

Some old scale weights. Glass test tubes from the chemistry lab that were going to be thrown away are glued in the small holes in each weight. I'll add some scrabble pieces around the bottom to spell out J-O-Y or G-R-O-W and place a stem or two of the herbs that are growing in my yard in the glass tubes, Perfect little bud vases for the Farmer's Market.

A vendor from Pecatonnica. Notice the sign on her head.

Too funny!

Now that's what I call a great weekend!  Food, finds, friends...a great way to start my summer vacation. There will be more sales and more great deals this summer but they can't compare to these two favorite events. Vintage Chicago pops up about three times a year and Pecatonica will run one more sale in September. If you love the old, worn and quirky finds you'll love taking a drive to make a day out of either one of these shows. Maybe I'll see you there!