Thrifty Thursday #1

I'm starting a new feature here on Lively Librarian, Thrifty Thursday where I will highlight a great thrift store, resale or antique find. The first post features my sister Stacy, she is also a librarian who loves thrifting!
During my sister's recent visit we spent a day shopping at our favorite vintage and resale stores in the Chicago area. We found the dress she is wearing in the picture at a resale store in Barrington, IL and she wore it to a wedding near her home in Colorado last weekend. The dress was designed by Chicago designer Jenny Yoo and retails for $295 but was for sale for only $1. Yes $1 and it's in pristine condition. Stacy loved the comfort and color of the dress and that it has pockets! She paired it with a $10 chandelier style necklace, borrowed one of my vintage clutch handbags and wore her own shoes. Total cost for the outfit was $11! What a bargain!
You look beautiful lil' sister! Happy thrifting indeed.

Vintage Remix

Over the past 3 months a friend of my son's from the Navy has been living with us. After leaving the military he decided to start a new life in Chicago and moved in with us and created a new life for himself, new job, new friends, new girlfriend, new city. Last weekend he moved into his own apartment and I ran over to a local Goodwill to buy him a few plates, bowls and pots and pans. While I was there I found a beautiful leather sofa and chair which may be the best deal I've ever found thrifting...the sofa was $39.00 and the chair was $19.00. I immediately purchased them and loaned them to the young man for his new apartment which was completely unfurnished. He will likely buy them from me for the same price I paid for them and hopefully they will last him many years. Thrifting is a hit or miss and I've learned if you see a great deal you have to act quickly...turn around and someone will have beaten you to it. Sure enough as we were loading the furniture into my son's pickup truck we were told a man had wanted to buy the sofa and chair that same day and was planning on coming back after work to buy them. Too late.

When I moved into my 1950's bungalow 2 years ago I was starting from scratch, I left my former home with only my son's bedroom furniture, an armoire, a desk, my books and our personal possessions. Now my home is nearly complete and I've had a great time decorating with vintage furniture, flea market art, new furniture from IKEA and mid-century home accessories. I am currently reading a terrific book, Vintage Remix: The Interiors of Kishani Perera authored by the designer Kishani Perera. Kishani is based in LA and mixes vintage design into many of the celebrities she designs for, she is also the owner of Rummage a global and vintage furniture store in LA that I am planning on visiting when Paul and I are there next month. Kishani finds great pieces at yard sales, resale stores, vintage and antique stores and mixes them up with inspiration from around the globe. If you are looking for great design ideas that mix vintage and modern, I highly recommend this book.

A Young Lady's Life in 1764

Last week my parents visited me in Chicago and as we usually do, we spent a couple of days wandering the local antique stores. My Dad found a book for $5.00 that is a glimpse into the life of a privileged young woman in the 18th century. The Diary of a Young Lady of Fashion in the Year 1764-5 by Cleone Knox, edited by her kinsmen Alexander Blacker Kerr was published in London in 1925. The editor's forward reads, "Miss Cleone Elizabeth Knox the writer of this journal and an ancestress of my mother's, was born on May 12, 1744, at Castle Kearney, Co. Down, Ireland. Her diary, written in a fine Italian hand, in four leather-bound notebooks, was first shown to me by one of her direct descendants in the summer of 1904. I read it with interest, but it was only this year that I decided to edit it and offer it to the public." The editor goes on to explain the history of Cleone's family and describes her as such, "Miss Knox was not a stylist, and her grammar and spelling were poor, like those of many 18th century ladies. She had however, a strong sense of the dramatic and the picturesque, and her journal makes amusing reading, affording as it does a vivid picture of the gay society in which she moved". And so begins her diary, an intimate look into the life of a young woman as she falls in love, attends balls and parties, gossips about servants and friends and travels through Ireland, England, France and Italy with her brother Ned for a year nearly 250 years ago.

A few highlights:

• Ireland, March 15, 1764: "To my vast amazement I am still here unwedded and unseduced."
• March 22, 1764: "My father called me to his study this morning, and communicated to me a most amazing piece of intelligence. We are to set off next month for a Grand Tour of Europe, visiting my sister Foley and her husband in Derbyshire, proceeding from thence to London and the Continent. I realized that poor Mr. A. would most certainly not be permitted to accompany me on this journey, and my eyes filled with tears."
• London, May 22, 1764. "Carrots and Turnips Ho! This cry yelled in a hoarse voice wakes me every morning. My father complains of the noise in London and indeed 'tis something prodigious. The watchmen are calling out the time and weather all night long, and when they have stopped the vendors or oranges, brooms, matches, rat traps Lord knows what else begin. I am amazed at the vastness of this town and the bustle of coaches and chairs in the streets. Never have I seen so many pretty women in so short a time. Pray Heaven Ned will not lose his head."
• Paris, France, September 11, 1764. "The streets of this town are vile and dirty after London and monstrously narrow for the crowd of noblemens coaches and chairs that throng them. The Palais de Justice and Opera House fine, but most of the town stinks vilely, though to hear the french talk you would think t'was Paradise itself. The poor people here attire themselves in black and Lady H. says 'tis account of the mud splashed up by the coaches."
• September 14th, 1764. "Today was presented to their Majesties the King and Queen at Versaille. I attired myself in white satin and wore my diamonds, yet was not utterly satisfied with my looks, for I have grown thin of late. 

Seriously a fascinating and at times a hysterical read. Her brother attempts to run off with an Italian nun who is also an heiress but her inheritance will go to the convent, he ends up in jail briefly and the journal ends abruptly soon after. The best part, her ancestor, the editor ends the journal with an epilogue on what happens to Cleone, her mysterious Mr. A, her brother and others mentioned in her travels. Want to know what happens, I'll loan you this fragile, rare and wonderful little book.

Vintage Bazaar in Chicago this Weekend

One of my favorite events in Chicago is the pop-up Vintage Bazaar. This Friday night is the Night Market at Chicago's DANK House in Lincoln Square for dancing, vintage shopping, food and cocktails.  If you are busy Friday evening recovering from Valentine's Day then stop by on Saturday and vintage shop from 10-5 for free. You can find more information on The Vintage Bazaar website. I have a friend arriving from London  to stay for a few days and we will be playing in Chicago throughout the weekend, I'm hoping I can find time to stop by the Bazaar tomorrow.

On other news, my kitchen remodel is complete! Just in time for out of town guests who are popping into Chicago over the next 3 weeks. The picture below shows my new floors and appliances.

I hope you all had as lovely a Valentine's Day with your valentine as I did!

Trying to Find Time to Read Fifty Shades...

These days it seems like the only time I have to read is when I find something interesting online such as this article on the Top 5 Page to Screen Adaptions and Fictional Boys We Want to Date Who Would Make Awful Boyfriends. (I agree with the movies and characters in each article).

It's been a busy few weeks, my kitchen remodel is nearly complete but not without a few major disasters along the way including:

• The plumber installed a water line for my new fridge and a gas line for my new stove. 2 days after he completed the work I randomly walked into the storage room in my basement (the room where the water heater and water lines are) and into a puddle. The plumber did not sauter the new pipe completely and it had sprung a leak, spraying the back wall of my downstairs bathroom wall for 2 days. Needless to say I freaked out and called him, he did come over immediately and fix the problem. He will also be re-drywalling my basement wall.
• The new vinyl floors that were put in by a friend who had done floor work for me before were a total disaster. He removed the old vinyl floor in the kitchen but did not remove the plywood subfloor, instead he installed the new vinyl over the buckled subfloor. I then had to hire someone else to remove the new vinyl floor disaster and install new ceramic tile. In the process of removing the mess my new floor guy discovered multiple subfloors in the kitchen, removed them and installed tile, he really did a beautiful job. The kitchen looks very modern and the floors are warm and cozy. 

Over the weekend my new appliances were hooked up and I'm having fun relearning how to cook on gas after years of cooking on electric. The kitchen is freshly painted and I am currently working on sanding and painting my new wood table and chairs. I plan on hanging some artwork and then the kitchen remodel will be complete.

In the meantime I have been trying to find time to read the Fifty Shades trilogy which apparently everyone has read except me. I started Fifty Shades of Grey about a month ago and frankly the writing is so bad it's a struggle to get through it but I'm determined to finish the books which I know will be made into movies. The awful writing reminds me of another series that became a sensation, the Twilight series but I never finished the first book, I couldn't stand the writing or the character of Bella. Strange cause I surprisingly enjoyed all the movies.

In the first 5 weeks of 2013 I have sold multiple items from my Etsy store, Lively Vintage. In the past week alone I've sold 2 items of clothing and a vintage wicker train case. My parents have shipped me some items from the estate of a family relative who recently died in her 90's and I may add some of the items to the store. Maybe when I go on vacation to LA, San Francisco and Napa with Paul in a couple of months I can get some reading done on the multiple plane rides. I doubt it but I will pack the books...

Lessons on Style

I recently started a massive closet cleaning after reading 2 books:

• Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris by Jennifer L. Scott 
• Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth L. Cline

Both books discuss the American consumer's lack of style and insatiable desire for cheap clothing and accessories. Lessons from Madame Chic also addresses the Parisian style of living with less, not only in your home, but what you consume, wear and share...quality over quantity. Frankly neither book is edited all that well but they do make their points and the authors inspired me get my closets in order.

Here are a few lessons learned from "Madame Chic", the very stylish woman that the author lived with while studying in Paris:

• Always Use The Best Things You Have. Do you own beautiful china and crystal wine glasses? Is there a room in your house reserved for guests only? Are you sleeping in grubby sweatpants and a 20 year old t-shirt? I loved this chapter, it reminded me that the beautiful things I own should be seen and used. So I went a bit nuts and cleaned out every closet in my house, every shelf and every drawer. I had bags of items for donation...old t-shirts from college, sweatshirts, hoodies (ugliest piece of clothing anyone can wear), jeans that had seen better days, shorts (I'm over 40, shorts are ridiculous at my age), old coats, anything ripped or frayed and anything that was of poor quality from a big box store like H&M or TJ Maxx. I also donated boxes of reusable water bottles, unused dishes, odd things I'd saved from my past. And those beautiful items I had in drawers and closets, I am now wearing and using everyday.
• Liberate Yourself With the 10 Item Wardrobe. This really got me reevaluating what I own and how I shop. As I was fanatically purging my clothes I realized that on a daily basis I wear my quality pieces over and over. Everything else, mostly old comfort clothes, were taking up space in drawers and never worn, so I donated them. The author discusses how Parisians have a limited wardrobe, due to their love of quality and style and their lifestyle, there are no large walk in closets in small Paris apartments. So what is a 10 item closet? Think in 3's for the seasons: winter: 3 sweaters, 3 blouses, 1 good wool skirt, 1 pair of high quality trousers, 1 pair of dark jeans, 1 long sleeve shirt. The 10 list does not include items such as a wool coat, a trench coat, a good blazer, little black dress, shoes etc. One of the best things about having a large vintage clothing collection, the pieces I own and buy are of great quality and style and are meant to last.
• Other: entertain well, get involved in the arts, walk everywhere, get rid of clutter.

 Pic of my first 3 huge bags of clothes going to Goodwill after a frenzied closet cleaning.

Vintage Librarian

My recent weekend in Michigan with Paul and my folks was incredibly relaxing but also very productive. We explored local antique malls and I purchased some fantastic vintage items for my store.

I have a growing collection of vintage luggage and purses, a few are for sale at Lively Vintage, and a few are being used in my home as creative storage pieces for scarves and gloves. The picture below is of a fantastic suitcase I bought for only $16, it's cowhide and in amazing condition.

Over the past year I've stumbled upon some clever pots in the shape of animals. I've purchased them for a few dollars each and use them in my kitchen to grow herbs. I think they are charming and as I find more I will add them to my store. Below is a poodle planted with oregano, an owl my Dad bought me which is full of parsley and a giraffe full of basil. Definitely more interesting than round pots.

 I am having so much fun with my vintage store that I will be creating a new website for Lively Vintage. My friend Heather who I've known since high school is an amazingly talented graphic designer and she is working on a new logo for my Lively Librarian website and incorporating that into a new logo/brand for Lively Vintage. Once the logos are done I will be moving my Lively Librarian blog to it's new home at livelylibrarian.com and my store will have a new home at livelyvintage.com.

For those who love fashion and vintage, the September Fall Fashion issue of Vogue is full of ads from Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and others and are definitely vintage inspired. Check it out at your local library.

Flash Back Friday #54-Pure Michigan

This beautiful video from the Pure Michigan series narrated by actor Tim Allen is from a few years ago. I am heading to Michigan today with Paul and my parents to stay in a cottage near Lake Michigan, eat the local delights, walk on the beach and go antiquing for my Lively Vintage Etsy store.
The leaves may not be changing yet, but Fall is in the air and I plan on enjoying every minute.
Have a great weekend readers. 

From Norma to Marilyn

This week is the 50th anniversary of the death of Marilyn Monroe. Websites and magazines have featured Marilyn in articles, released "never seen" photos, rehashed her mysterious death, condemned and praised the most famous woman of the 21st century.

Marilyn's style is classic and continues to be imitated today. For the ladies who are interested in how to create Marilyn's look, often seen on celebrities such as Dita Von Teese, below is a video tutorial by British makeup artist Lisa Eldridge.

If you are interested in books on Marilyn, here are a few I've enjoyed:

Marilyn in Fashion: The Enduring Influence of Marilyn Monroe by Christopher Nickens
Dressing Marilyn: How a Hollywood Icon Was Styled by William Travilla by Andrew Hansford
Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years by Keith Badman

Vintage Style Goes Mainstream

While reading the Chicago Tribune on Sunday I noticed this full page ad and realized vintage is more mainstream than ever.
Maybe it's the popularity of TV shows like Mad Men or Downtown Abbey, or films such as My Week with Marilyn or The Artist. Perhaps it's the return to a classic and timeless style after years of being bombarded with trashy celebrities, flammable cheap clothing made in China and the look-alike style of yoga pants, a North Face jacket and Ugg boots. Whatever is happening, vintage style is everywhere and I'm thrilled.

What particularly delighted me about this ad is her hat of which I own a similar vintage one and her luggage. I have a collection of vintage suitcases and train cases that I use as purses and as carry on bags and in my home as sidetables and as extra storage. You can see a vintage suitcase and wicker train case I currently have for sale at Lively Vintage.

And that brings me to the announcement that Lively Vintage is open! My store on Etsy went live a few days ago and within 24 hours I had my first sale, a small wicker handbag that a young woman in France purchased. However due to the fact that she needed it within a week for a wedding we agreed that express shipping to France would be too costly, 10 times as much as the $12 cost of the purse. So the item has been re-listed. There are currently 23 items in the store, I have at least 2 dozen more items to list including vintage handbags from the early 19th century to the 1950's. The collection is my Mom's, she has been buying vintage bags for years and includes some amazing Whiting & Davis 1920's era purses. I also have more clothes and household items to list and as I become more creative with the styling the pictures will get better and better.

If you are looking to do some vintage shopping in the Chicago area and want some tips or if you are looking for a particular vintage piece, let me know via email at livelyvintage [at] gmail [dot] com.

Flash Back Friday #53-An Affair to Remember

I've been working on launching my vintage store on Etsy and hope to have it open next week. Between uploading the images of the items I will be selling, researching prices and writing descriptions, I've been looking for vintage inspiration for the logo for my store. As I'm working on it I find inspiration in the style of classic films such as the 1957 movie An Affair to Remember.

A few of my favorite things about this wonderful movie:

• The simple scarves Deborah Kerr wears around her hair
• Belted dresses
• Dressing formally for dinner
• The beautiful gardens of the grandmother of Cary Grant's character 
• The romance of travel
•  Midcentury furniture
• Finding true love later in life
• Pink champagne

Here is a clip, enjoy and have a nice weekend readers!

"The Doll House"

For the first time in 19 years I am living alone. After my son left for basic training it took me a few days until I was ready to pick up the towel he left on his bathroom floor, wash his sheets, put away his laptop and clean up the "man cave" basement where he hung out with his friends during his last weeks at home. Now that I am beginning to adjust to my life as an empty-nester I'm finding it fun to have a home to decorate without sports equipment, video games and boy stuff.

As I settle into my new routine, my fridge and pantry are full of fruits and veggies instead of meat and dairy, the windows are open, and my favorite radio station is playing music from the 30's and 40's whenever I am home. I have more wine in the house, more high heels scattered around the house, clothes and hats on tailor mannequins, bowls full of jewelery on tables, new girly smelling soaps and lotions in the bathroom and vintage pictures on the walls.

My 1950's bungalow is full of period details and because I purchased it from the original owners it was well loved and rarely updated. I'm adding my own touches such as my home library, remodeled basement, raised vegetable beds in the large newly fenced-in yard, new landscaping around multiple patio areas and lots of vintage pieces.  I'm considering adding large mirrors to a wall in the basement with a ballet bar to create an area to stretch and dance.

Although I am sad my son is not around to ask me repeatedly, "What are you making for lunch Mom?" or "Where are my shoes?" or "Is there gas in the car?" and I miss cooking his favorite meals, watching movies together, and waking up in the middle of the night when he comes home and wants to talk, I'm adapting to finally having a little home exactly the way I want it. My own doll house.

Flash Back Friday #51-Lively Librarian's Vintage Store

Happy Friday readers! A little announcement for Flash Back Friday since it's "flashback" related.

Lively Librarian is selling vintage.

I'm starting with a store on one of my favorite sites, Etsy. My parents are I have purchased some amazing things over the years at resale stores, antique malls, online and at estate sales but it's time to start selling some of the items we just don't need anymore.

The Etsy store will be up shortly but currently you can see images from my Flickr stream on my blog's homepage. Items will include clothes, bags (including Whiting & Davis), hats, gloves and housewares. Besides selling online I will also be selling items directly around Chicago (TBD).

So stay tuned. This is going to be fun.

Vintage DeLIGHT

Since I started remodeling my 1950's era home I have added some wonderful vintage pieces to my house. Thanks to my parents who are antique mall, Ebay and resale shoppers I have a collection of glassware and china, including George Briard and Edwin Knowles Weather Vane. I've also purchased some great mid century furniture pieces including a fantastic table that folds up flat against a wall.

During my frequent shopping trips I've found some odd pieces that now have a place in my home. This fantastic blue chandelier I found in a shop window for $60. My parents call it the "Big Ugly" but I love it and it's a great conversation piece.

I recently found this little treasure, a gold and crystal cherub chandelier in an antique mall and it's now hanging above my bed. We are calling it, "Baby Big Ugly". The light is very dim, like the glow from candles and I'm crazy about it. I painted the wall behind it a bright blue to highlight my growing collection of dress forms and vintage hats. My most recent purchase, an early 20th century gorgeous but very fragile hat of feathers was bought for the 1920's era Great Gatsby party Paul and I are having this summer, you can see it in the photo below on one of my dress forms.

And finally for less than I usually pay for light bulbs I found this mid century lamp that is now in my living room. Odd right, but so unique. I mean why have something everyone else has? Traditional I am not. Boring, why bother.

Later this week I will blog about some of my favorite vintage sources online. I will also add them to the Vintage page.

New Pages on Lively Librarian: Books and Vintage

I've added 2 additional pages to my blog, Books and Vintage. You can access the pages by clicking on the tabs on my homepage.

On my Books page I will be compiling all of the book related posts I've written on Lively Librarian since 2008. They will be organized by reviews, gifts for book lovers, trends and more.

The Vintage page is developing through my love of vintage clothing, antiquing, resale shopping and the retro remodel of my 1950's era home. I will regularly add links and information on stores, bargains and pictures of items I wear, gift and decorate with.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Going Retro-Flash Back Friday #47

3 months ago my son, our dog and I moved into a very retro (built in 1956) home in a suburb just outside Chicago. I purchased our home from the original owners, a family who immigrated from Sicily in the 1950's to raise their family in America. My home is a brick 2 bedroom 2 bath with a full finished basement and a large beautiful yard. Over the years the home was wonderfully maintained but not frequently updated. My kitchen has original solid wood cabinets that are in amazing condition, the basement was updated in the 70's and while finished is rather dark due to the wood paneling. The plaster walls throughout the home are in great shape, the floors are wood and the main bath is charming in its retro design.

Last weekend Chicago got hit with one of the worst storms on record. Between midnight last Friday and 6 am on Saturday morning there was record rainfall. I awoke at 3 am on Saturday morning to a river roaring down my street and my basement flooding. (The picture was taken in front of my house looking down my street at 5:30 am the morning of the storm) Thankfully we had not fully unpacked, most of our possessions including my rare book collection are still in boxes in the garage (that stayed dry) and we were able to remove the basement entertainment system and sofa before they were ruined. We only had a few inches of water which receded quickly and over the next 24 hours we removed the basement carpet, which was glued to the concrete floor as well as room after room of stick on tile flooring. We thankfully did not have as much damage as my neighbors, some families lost half their furniture and possessions to water damage. A neighbor a few houses down was featured on the front page of the local paper due to the $80,000 worth of damage they lost when their basement windows exploded and the home filled with 8 feet of water. It's humbling how people work together during a disaster. At 5:30 am as our street was a river, my neighbors and I were outside in the rain, helping each other, alerting people to the situation, setting up generators etc. I am truly blessed with great neighbors and know I can turn to them with anything I need.

I wasn't planning on remodeling my basement, but now with the water damage I will be replacing the floors, painting the wood paneling and having recessed lighting installed. I can model the basement as I like it instead of the cozy 70's decor it had when we moved in. The home I lived in for the 4 years previous to this home was large and also in need of remodeling. The kitchen was in terrible condition and unfortunately my ex and I never remodeled it while I was living there. I won't make that mistake again. Why bother living in a home that isn't the way you want it for everyday living and entertaining?

So for a Flash Back Friday, here are a few websites I am using while I plan the remodel of my 1950's era home in a retro but modern style.

Retro Renovation This website is a terrific source for images from 50, 60 and 70 era magazines as well as stories of people who have retro updated their homes. Here is a great story with pics of a 1950's kitchen redo for under $1500.

Retro Redheads Great site for vintage shopping.

Ebay The go to website for almost everything. Thanks to my parents who are vintage/antique shoppers I now have the Knowles Weatherpane dishes.

Antiquing Roadtrip

I grew up with a flea market/resale shop/garage sale addicted Grandmother. She always made second hand shopping fun by renaming stores like The Kidney Foundation (proceeds of sales benefited the organization) to "Kennedy Fashion" and taking me out for antipasto salad after our shopping excursions. Throughout the 80's I shopped with her, mostly for clothes and accessories and over the years found some beautiful pieces: dresses from the 50's, leather go-go boots from the 60's, 70's black suede pants, jackets from the 40's and beautiful leather bags. When I left Chicago in 1990 to attend Ohio University I discovered antique malls and small antique shops in the small towns of Ohio, each one was full of all sorts of treasures.

At 22 I moved back to Chicago and rented a little apartment but being a single mom had very little money to decorate. Searching garage sales, resale shops and antique stores for art work, dishes and furniture was a fun and economical way to decorate my home. Over the years I've become a little more choosy about what I buy and lean more towards antiques and estate sales over garage sales. Because I'm also a bit of a Gypsy and move every few years I don't clutter up my house with knick knacks, holiday decorations or cheap collectibles.

I had a few days off last week and my parents and I spent the weekend antiquing in Indiana and Michigan. I collect rare books, 18th and 19th century paintings and prints (portraits and hunting), silver plated goblets, jewelery, small lamps and glassware. To meet my criteria the piece needs to be either practical or beautiful.

Below are pictures of a few of my finds from last weekend. Not pictured a 19th century copy of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Volume 1 bought for $2!

I bought 4 of the small aperitif glasses, 4 tulip shaped water goblets and 2 wine goblets. I found them at the Coachman Antique Mall, 500 Lincolnway and Up Towne Shoppes, 623 State Street, both in LaPorte Indiana. Total paid was under $50 for 10 silver plated cups, not including the silver polish I need to shine them up. Why serve water or wine in a boring glass from Target!

2 antique hunting prints, framed. Total for both was $60. Bought at the charming and beautifully displayed Millie's Antiques, 13815 Red Arrow Highway, Harbert Michigan, a few miles north of downtown Union Pier. The detail is stunning and the hunting dogs in the prints remind me of my beagle Eloise.
I found 2 of these small lamps at The Antique Market, 3707 N.E. Frontage Road, Michigan City Indiana. Total price for 2 lamps was $22.00. They have the softest glow and fit perfectly under a kitchen counter or nestled into a bookshelf.

My favorite find of the year, this all gold cigar band style cameo ring found at an antique store in Charleston, South Carolina. It's my favorite piece of jewelry and the piece people comment on the most when I wear it.

So do you antique, resale shop or stop by every garage sale you see? If so, share your favorites! I'm looking forward to buying my next home, possibly a small vacation cottage in Southwest Michigan and am excited to start hunting for antique furniture and art.