Christmas Decorating

 Now that Thanksgiving is over, Christmas is approaching extra fast.  

This is what is left of the pumpkin pie, with my new favorite pie knife.

 It has a large monogram on the serving area.  Found at the last Junk Bonanza.

 The beginning of Christmas decorating.

 A chorus of Gurley candles.

And my favorite find of the weekend for my Etsy shop, a Victorian Christmas napkin ring.  Engraved "Cynthia" and "Dec. 25th '82". 

New England

A few more photos of the New England trip.  Above is Harbor Candy Shop in Ogunquit, ME.  One of the best candy shops in the country, in my opinion, and in the cutest town. 

 The streets of Marblehead, MA. 

 The houses are all so old.

 Most of them have plaques with the house history.

 Little church in Marblehead. 

 Another candy shop, this one in Salem.

 Harbor Sweets, also a great little candy shop.

 A few recent things I've picked up at estate sales and antique shows.

 Antique door plates - I've been trying to find some old ones, to replace a few missing ones.  These are solid brass with a pretty design.

 Some old books.

Beautiful Homes pamphlet from 1886.  It shows house blue prints from the late 1800's.  I've notice some similar style houses in Minneapolis, particularly in the older neighborhoods. 

Salem, Mass.

 We took a family trip to Salem, MA.  When I was a kid, we lived in a small town outside Boston, and took day trips to Salem and surrounding cities.   I hadn't been back in years, but it is still one of my favorite places.  

 Above is the Salem Country Club.  The witch logo is everywhere, on the buildings, the golf carts, clothing.  Everywhere.

The famous Salem Witch House.  

 The Burying Point Cemetery. 

 Most of the graves date back to the 1700's.  

 Witch's Brew Cafe.  

The door to the cafe.

 Many souvenir stores that feature witch items.

This is my favorite building in Salem.  The Daniel Low Building.  It is now a restaurant, but was the site of the first church in Salem.

It later became Daniel Low & Co.  

Daniel Low was a silversmith who created the Salem Witch Spoon, and sparked the souvenir spoon fad popular in the late 1800's.  

The building is supposed to be haunted.

The House of Seven Gables.

 During our trip we also made it up to New Hampshire and Maine.  I was able to stop at some antique shops and even one estate sale, and came back with a few things.

 A really cool hand holding a magnifying glass, and a Brandy bottle tag.

 Some silver pieces.

 Art deco cat bookends.  An enamel sign that reads "Graves".  Probably an old name plate, but perfect for Halloween decor.  A brass witch toothpick holder.

 A cast iron match safe.

 And a cherub issue box.  Most of these finds will be for my Etsy shop.

Junk Bonanza

 

The Junk Bonanza was this past weekend, along with the big State Fair Flea Market. 

 Lots of good stuff at the Junk Bonanza.  

 It was very crowded, and it looked like people were buying. 

The displays and booths were beautiful.

 This Halloween Grave Digger is made from all vintage/antique parts, including a metal drawer as the base.

 It was from C.J. Robb's booth, she had some really amazing holiday items.  

Also found some Halloween themed flour sack towels.

And a handful of silver.

 Since it is now October, Halloween decor is coming out!  A couple of Halloween blow molds.  The cat/pumpkin is a new find.

 Some other outdoor Halloween items.

A child's Halloween Costume from 1937.

More Halloween to come, as well as an upcoming visit to Salem, MA.

Monograms

 Monogrammed Flatware.  It is my favorite thing to look for.  I collect it and sell it on Etsy. 

 

 This new magazine, Victoria Classics Monogram, is really amazing. 

It has some of the most beautiful monogrammed pieces I have ever seen. 

These are some of the pieces I have collected, most are on my Etsy shop.  

Above are single letter monogrammed flatware.

Multiple letter monograms.  

I love pieces that have old dates.

And engraved names, such as Dora.  

Lawrence.

And Lorett.

Three letter monogram napkin ring.

Napkin ring engraved Mable.

A pair of French napkin rings, Madam and Monsieur.

And a little baby cup.

It has a three letter monogram, and engraved "Age 5 years".