A little Spring

I've always been a girl that enjoyed winter, especially snow.

So, I don't know what happened this time around, but I was done with all of it right after Christmas.

Maybe because it was unusually cold?

Maybe because it seemed so dreary?

Or maybe it just didn't fit my mood.

Who knows.

But whatever the reason, I've been dying for a little Spring, so as soon as it warmed up a bit, I cleaned off my front porch, and toddled off to the store, so I could fill my pots with flowers.

And yes, I know that we'll have another round of winter weather before Mother's Day, because that's just the way it is up here in the mountains.

But for now.... 

right this minute... 

even if the trees are still bare....

it's Spring on my front porch.

;)

xo

rue

Friendly flowers

Daisies are my favorite flower.

Did you know that?

I mentioned it before on my old blog several times, but oddly enough I don't think I've written about it here on this one, except for maybe in passing.

In the Movie 'You've Got Mail', which I've quoted before, because it's one of my favorites. Meg Ryan's character, Kathleen Kelly asked... 

"Don't you think daises are the friendliest flower?"

Yes, I do, Kathleen.

I bet I know what you're thinking.

"Why is she blathering on about daises and posting pictures of tulips?" 

Well, if daises are nowhere to be found at the moment, but you still want to add a little Spring in your home, I think tulips are the next best thing.

So I brought some home with me :)

And they're pretty friendly looking too.

Don't you think?

;)

xo

rue

Antique shopping advice

I'm frequently asked the question "Where and/or how do you find all your antiques and vintage items?"

Let's start with 'where'...

As most of my readers know, I inherited a few things like my great grandmother's dining room hutch

But most of my finds were acquired by searching Ebay or over at Etsy, where I found my percolator.

Of course, LetGo and Craigslist are great places to find things like my 1950s refrigerator:

I also shop locally or in whatever town I'm visiting at the time.

And other times I find places online that pop up in my google searches.

That's the 'where' part of the story, but what about the 'how'?

Well, let me introduce you to Ryan over at Invaluable.com, who has some great advice for all of us:

Spring is almost here, and with it comes warmer weather and the chance to spend some quality time on the hunt for great antiques! If you’re anxious to get out of the house and hit the vintage stores and antique shows, check out some of our tips for making the most out of your antiquing experience! 

Patience Is A Virtue

First and foremost, don’t expect to find the perfect piece right away. Hunting for great antiques is a process that usually requires a lot of patience. This isn’t retail shopping, where you know exactly what you want and exactly where to get it. When you’re shopping for antiques, it’s all about not knowing what you’ll find. That mystery is part of what makes it fun! You’re at the mercy of what the store has, so you should never go in assuming that you’re going to find what you’re looking for, and it may take a while for you to find the piece of your dreams. 

That said, don’t ever give up hope! Antique stores and fairs are usually packed wall-to-wall with an incredible variety of pieces, and it can be easy to overlook things. So summon your patience and take your time to scour every inch and every item. The perfect piece could be right under your nose, or you may find something you never knew you needed! 

Know Your Budget 

Anyone who spends time looking for great antiques knows that they can be rather pricey. This of course can depend on both the item, and the seller, but it is always best to know how much you are willing to spend before you start shopping. If you don’t set these limits ahead of time you could end up falling in love with a piece that is much more than you would normally pay, which can lead to some major buyer’s remorse. If possible, try not to ever get too attached to an item before you know the bottom line cost. Some sellers will let you haggle for a better price, but that’s not a guarantee. You should always retain your ability to walk away from a sale if things aren’t going your way. 

Keep An Open Mind

Even if you don’t find the piece that you’ve been looking for, you could certainly still find something you need. You just might need to do a little thinking outside the box. 

An old dresser can be repurposed into a TV stand/media center. An antique sewing table can become a rustic side table. If you’re keeping an open mind when strolling through a vintage store or garage sale, you may just find the perfect do-it-yourself solution to a problem you weren’t even thinking about! 

Go Beyond Your Own Backyard

If you’ve exhausted all of your local antique stores, thrift shops, and antique shows, don’t be afraid of searching online! There are a wide variety of sites that offer unique finds. From local postings on a site like Craigslist, to reputable auction sites like Invaluable, you’ll be able to find everything from furniture, to vintage jewelry, and collectibles. It may lack the in-person thrill of shopping at the physical locations, but online shopping gives you limitless options and the ability to purchase completely unique items without ever leaving the house!

Thank you so much, Ryan! 

Your advice will surely come in handy for the folks looking to add some beautiful antiques to their homes.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

:)

xo

rue

PS

I received no compensation for this post.

Road trip!

Recently, I decided to take another road trip. 

I love history, and have a special place in my heart for old west towns. Some are still thriving, sometimes they are barely holding on, some are complete ghost towns, and other times there's nothing left except the foundations of buildings that fell long ago. 

The ghost towns, although very interesting, seem a bit sad and lonely to me, but the towns that only have foundations left are the saddest of all.

Sometimes I'm able to find pictures of what was there, but oftentimes I can't find a thing. So, I like to imagine what it all looked like when a place was bustling with townsfolk or what a house or building might have looked like when it was still standing.

It never fails to amaze me that people just picked up and left one day, never to return.

Honestly, I could wax poetic about that all day and probably will some other time, but I'll stop there and return to the road trip ;)

Anyway, although I usually have a destination in mind, I tend to stop here and there, willy nilly, taking my time.

Let's just say that, if there's a historical marker, I can't pass it up.

Some interesting places are found that way, but being distracted also makes it so you don't always end up at the destination where you were headed in the first place.

This was one of those times.

We left Tucson on Saturday morning heading for Clifton.

We had been in the car for about an hour or so and after a couple of stops at some tiny towns (I forgot to take pictures... darn it!) we decided to stop and stretch our legs and have some fun on the Gila River (Gila is pronounced he-la).

Pretty, isn't it?

Personally, I had no idea that there was anything this serene and beautiful in the lower part of Arizona.

You can read more about this area 'here'.

Afterwards, we headed to our next stop, which happened to be Globe.

It started out as a mining town and was founded in 1875.

image via Arizona100

Of course it doesn't look like that anymore (I wish!), but it's a really sweet town that's been kept up pretty well.

They have quite a few antique stores, including this one, called Hill Street Mall: 

The building was previously a Coca-Cola plant and also a Safeway grocery store.

The lady that was working there was a sweetheart and funny to boot!

I found a replacement for the tiny blue Pyrex bowl I broke recently.

Don't ask.

Anywho...

Many of the original buildings still exist, including the old courthouse, built in 1905, which is now used as a center for the arts.

Image via Google search

And do you see that little old grey building behind it, on the right?

It's the old jail that served from 1910 until 1981.

Yes, you read that right.

It finally closed down the same year that President Reagan first took office.

In other words, I was almost a teenager when it closed!

They give free tours, so of course we had to take a quick one ;)

Our friendly tour guide, Rick Benning showed us around the old jail and had many stories to tell about some of the infamous prisoners who stayed here.

It was a very dark, creepy place and it was freezing inside!

Below is the door to the pulley system that locks up the cells, which Rick demonstrated for us.

Yikes! What a sound that was!

I swear it's haunted.

In fact, a paranormal team actually tried to stay there overnight, but left in the early morning hours.

I couldn't do it!

Could you?

This bridge is three stories up and it's where the prisoners left the courthouse to go into the jail to serve their sentences. 

This is looking up towards the top story of the courthouse, next to the bridge.

Below is the door to the old Sheriff's office on the back of the courthouse building.

It was definitely not a place that I wanted to stay for more than 20 minutes, so can't imagine living there for years, much less in a tiny shared cell.

You would think that it would be a real crime deterrent, but knowing how many people ended up there, I suppose it wasn't.

You can read more about the jail 'here'.

After a stop at The Old Dominion (which is where they used to mine for copper), a quick meal Clint's Blue Line BBQ, and driving through a few more small towns, (I forgot to take pictures...  again!) we headed home....

and enjoyed a glorious Arizona sunset.

It was a beautiful ending to a perfect day :)

xo

rue