BeSt-Ever SHaBBies **Sisters' Garden & Bloom** Kalona, Iowa...

OMG!*!*!  

For years I've been vamping over pics I've seen
 on-line and in magazines of
SISTERS' GARDEN & BLOOM,
 2 vintage shops, located amongst the farm fields
 in Kalona Iowa...

  This PAST SATURDAY ~ A DREAM COME
 TRUE, we headed to I*O*W*A...

 Sometimes you arrive at a place and it's nothing like

 the pictures you've seen... NOT THE CASE HERE!!!

** SISTERS' GARDEN & BLOOM ** 

Was Even Better than I Ever Imagined!*!*!

 If you LoVe a NATURAL Time-Worn PaTiNa,

that only time can produce, YOU'LL DEFINITELY FIND IT HERE!!!

BeSt-Ever ChiPPy Paint Loss in all the right places!!!

One-Of-A-Kind ViNtaGe F*I*N*D*S

2 Houses, Porch, HUGE Yard

Small Out Buildings

ALL Over-Flowing with Time-Worn SHaBBies!*!*!

Meet BARB, owner of Sisters's Garden & Bloom... 

I sooooo enjoyed our 3 hour visit!*!*!
 Her Passion ~  ALL THINGS Rusty... Crusty... Chippy... Flakey...
 Tarnished... & Old...
Displayed in eye-catching vignettes...

Just **Killer** Garden House!*!*!

Barb has THE BEST staff to assist her!!!

Erica was manding the BLOOM Building on Saturday...

Elaine was working the Check-Out on Saturday...

Such Friendly, Helpful Service ~ made it a joy to shop as well!!!

The Check-Out area was busy the entire time I was there...

InViTinG Displays ~ Inside and Out!*!*!

I netted some FaB ChiPPy, Crusty, Rusty
ViNtaGe F*I*N*D*S on my Visit!!!
Do put SISTERS' GARDEN & BLOOM
 ON YOUR MUST VISIT LIST - S*O*O*N!!!
I LoVe their Blog!!!
and FaceBook Page as well...

Thank YOU Barb, Elaine & Erica
I LoVed ShoPPing Your ViNtaGe F*I*N*D*S!!!
BeSt-Ever!*!*!

Jeanine

Working Our Way to IOWA...

Early Friday Morning Frog Husband and I found ourselves - *BACK-ON-THE-ROAD* working our way toward Iowa...  We took our time.... Stopped... Shopped... & Ate in many a small town, taking-in the sights ~ enjoying S*U*M*M*E*R...

 FIRST STOP (after Starbucks) 

The Small Town of ROCKTON, ILLINOIS

Unfortunately we were way toooo early for any Antique Shops to

 be open, but enjoyed the Window Eye-Candy!!!

  I'm almost certain I would have snagged a couple shabbies in this town...

 Many of these small towns

 have quaint old buildings...

I LoVe the "blink-of-the-eye" tour, which usually

 extends only a couple of blocks...

 Surprise... Surprise... Surprise...

I discovered the "workshop" of

Dealer Friends, Erica & Lenni of 

**Apron Strings Mom & Me**

This Mother & Daughter Team Sell FaB SHaBBies & Have

Inviting Displays in their Booth AT The ELKHORN FLEA, 

located in one of the animal buildings...

 Rockton, IL

 Some towns later,  I spotted this open

 gated area next to an Antique Shop...

  OMG!*!*!

JuSt AwEsoMe SHaBBies amongst a Pile of Junk!!!

I vamped-over those PeRfeCtLy ChiPPy Fluted Metal Shutters!!!

Along with the Small ViNtaGe White Iron Bench...

Upon inquiring inside the Antique Shop

***  N-F-S  ***

 We FINALLY arrived in Galena, IL

It's been quite a few years since we've been there...

  The Architecture is just Amazing!!!  I could have snapped

 a zillion pics of interesting doorways... trim... ~ but chose to enjoy

 the moment instead...  In my opinion, the town has had

 a real come back...  Many new shops, restaurants -  and it was BUSY!!!

  The cool sunny day made it so pleasant to wander up and down

 the picturesque hilly main street...

 Is This ChiPPy!-SHaBBy! or what!*!*!

Just Darling Boutique located on Galena's Main Street

** Ethyl's, a place for chicks **

Definitely had the vibe of a little Anthropologie!*!*!

I snapped this pic of their Dressing Room Doors!!!

I'm sure you've heard the saying

**Saved The BeSt For Last**

Well THIS IS TRULY IT!*!*!

Do Check Back about Mid-Week

to **SEE** what's Down This Road!!!

OMG!*!*! +++

Jeanine

Part Two - **SHaBBy ShoPPing** New Hampshire...

Our main focus for visiting New Hampshire was an Antique Bottle Show in the Downtown District of Manchester...  A few days prior - we "squeezed-in" just a little bit of SHaBBy-SHoPPing in the LAKE AREA...

How inviting is this!*!*!

I want to say that there were 5 Cottages In-A-Row,

each with a different Antique Theme...

Such Great Eye Candy!!!

** AwEsoMe Window **

I have to remind myself not to complain on long

 16 hour one-way road trips to the East Coast Area...

Since we FLEW this time - it was killing me not to

 easily be able to bring certain things home...

The GLASS KNOB Shop is DEFINITELY

 On the Re-Visit List WITH AN EMPTY VAN!!!

OMG!*!*!

Open Seasonally Spring - Fall

Moultonborough, New Hampshire

Priced Right ~ Killer Rusty PaTiNa!!!

The Glass Knob Shop

 Just Darling "Tented Shopping Area"

in their back yard!!!

Sooooo InViTiNg...

Lots of ChiPPy-WHiTe ON THE BUILDINGS in this old

 downtown section of Laconia, New Hampshire

In walking distance from our Hotel in

 Manchester, New Hampshire

Located in an Old Mill

MILL CITY ANTIQUES & CONSIGNMENT

**I'd probably make this shop a regular stop if I lived in the area**

 This booth had a fab mix of 

WHiTe SHaBBieS & Darker Woods

 Again, Sooooo Sad we didn't have the VAN!!!

However - I did net some SHaBBy Finds...

 LoVed the Rusty PaTiNa on White...

I really liked Downtown Manchester!!!

~ ELM STREET ~

 FaB Food, Coffee, & Pastries...

FaVoRite Restaurant:

  XO on Elm - Tapas Food 10+++

FaVoRite Coffee:

 Finesse French Bakery

** Toothache Wax **

OMG!*!*!

I found this Antique Jar w/Dental Advertising 

to be very interesting!!!

My **Keeper-F*I*N*D**

from the Bottle Show!*!*!

BeSt!*!*!

***********

Have a great rest of the week!!!

I'm back On-The-Hunt

Re-plenishing my SHaBBy SHoW SToCk!!!

Jeanine

ViNtaGe Neon Motel Signs - Whirl-Wind NEW HAMPSHIRE TRIP...

"Just Back" from a "long weekend getaway"

New Hampshire!*!*!  

~ Part ONE ~

Blur-Tour in and around Lake Winnipesaukee

 With 95 degree + temperatures...

Most of our planned "outdoor activities were nixed!!!

Soooooo sight seeing in an air conditioned car around Lake Winnipesaukee,

 was our next best option...

 We came upon an area that had quite a few

ViNtaGe NEON MOTEL/COTTAGE SIGNAGE...

 Takes me back to the 50's... 60's...

 Funky Lobster Building...

 One of my FaVoRiTe Sightings...

** ViNtaGe Chandelier **

On-An-Outdoor-Porch!*!*!

 Lobster Buoy

In and around the boat sandbox...

 Just AwEsoMe ViNtaGe Architectural WINDOW!!!

LoVed the "Spider-Web-Like" - Edges...

Many a Building had these "Light Window Panels"

above their Garage Doors...

*******

Later in the day...

 we "cooled-off" taking a boat ride in a

1948 VINTAGE Wooden Mahogony

 "Hacker-Craft" Boat

in the town of Wolfeborough, NH

******

Check Back for MORE

on our "whirl-wind trip"

•Shabby Shopping - around the Lake

•Bottle Show in Manchester, NH

Jeanine