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Biddeford Pool, Summer 2011
29 Monday Aug 2011
Posted in Photography, Travels
Category Archives: Travels
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
29 Monday Aug 2011
Posted in Photography, Travels
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Super Bowl Sunday Antiquing
08 Monday Feb 2010
Posted in Travels, Vintage Finds
My cheerleader in chief, 20-something, writer, antique-lover, and all-around great person–my niece, Alexis–is home for the weekend. One of our very favorite places to forage for wonderful things is Arundel Antiques on Route 1 in Arundel, Maine.
This place is a treasure trove! The people are lovely, and the finds are always reasonably priced. Even today, Super Bowl Sunday, there were lots of folks walking the aisles looking for the next big Antiques Roadshow find.
It’s always fun to notice what different people are drawn to. Lex loves anything Fire King with it shiny gloss finish. I am a “dish queen!” I’m constantly on the lookout for interesting dishes, large and small, to use with my vintage candlesticks in creating my beautiful pedestal plates. They always get ooohs and ahhhs when I show them to people. Yesterday, I had some on loan to St. Andre’s Health Care for their annual Valentine’s Chocolate Fair fundraiser. They were gorgeous, filled with truffles, cupcakes, and beautifully decorated cakes. Show stoppers!
I also saw one of my favorite antiquing people, Gigi, for the second time in three days. She has an extraordinary eye for design with vintage finds. It’s always fun to run into someone who speaks your language, and I got to introduce her to Lex. We reminisced about a now long-gone favorite place we all loved called Country Consignments in Buxton. It was such a treat to go there and feel the history of well-loved objects. One favorite is a beautiful floral hooked rug that belonged to the owner’s mother, Joanne.
Here are a few photos from the rest of our day!
Lex fell in love with these blue glass bamboo bookends. Not vintage, but still fabulous.
A great Pyrex mixing bowl set
The Perfect Little Tree
28 Monday Dec 2009
Posted in Travels
And now for the perfect Christmas tree. In Alfred, I stopped at this little Christmas tree stand that was closed. I always remember this stand… It’s a Christmas tree stand in the winter and a fruit stand in the summer, and it’s right in the center of town. I noticed there was a little box (for cash) and a sign that said, “On your honor. All remaining trees $5.” How very Maine!
Here she is… In all her simplicity and beauty, adorned with my grandmother’s vintage ornaments. These are the same ornaments my mother, grandmother, and I hung on the Christmas tree when I was a little girl. I see them every time I look at old pictures and reminisce. And now I get to share them with my niece and nephew. Hopefully, they’ll share them with their children someday.
Shaker Christmas
28 Monday Dec 2009
My quest for the perfect Christmas tree led me to Alfred, Maine on one of the coldest days of the year. It was four days before Christmas, and I hadn’t found a tree yet. I always like going by this Shaker barn in Alfred (below). To me, it has always seemed like the epitome of beauty and simplicity.
“‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free;
‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be;
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.”
-”Simple Gifts” (c.1875), Shaker song
And on one of my mantels at home, I can hear my little vintage carolers singing this Shaker tune.
