It's been a busy week.
But I managed to sneak in a day in town antiquing.
When you're elbow deep in real world paper work, it's soooo goooood to escape.
I came home with many tiny treasures.
Bits and bobs of lace.
Vintage porcelain for tea times.
Little dolls too.
I love how antique stores suck you out of space and time.
It's like you are catapulted through a vortex.
Time stops, old music plays.
And treasures whisper their tales.
Each one trying to go home with you.
Love it.
The days have been glorious too.
What awesome weather.
Rose vines explode with leaves, practically swallowing up the gallery.
While wisteria positions itself to explode with blooms.
Our property is covered with the yearly fairy flowers of cool pre-spring.
They carpet the entire earth.
Tiny little sweeties.
A way to beckon the fairies out of winter hiding me thinks.
I marvel at all the shiny, fresh and tender new rose leaves everywhere.
As the rose arbor comes to life earlier than ever.
It's a curious year.
Spring in February.
Curious indeed.
Some of the arbor roses pop open while I stare in amazement.
They normally turn up in April.
I go through stacks of little dolls I couldn't leave behind.
Nancy Ann storybook dolls.
My mom spotted a red riding hood hidden in a drawer at Christine's.
So, she came home with me too.
If you are ever in Tucson, stop there.
There is even a hidden doll museum filled with his late mom's collections.
It could all be yours if you have $295,000 sitting around.
His mom asked him not to break up the collection and he has not.
If you happen to be gifted a tour of the hidden room (by the owner), you will think you fell into a fairytale of your own making.
It's beyond words, mind blowing.
You can't imagine the doll collection, it's a memory of the heart for sure.
If I won the lottery, I would buy it myself.
It's like stepping into an old attic of your wildest imagination.
But for now…
Lace collars and doll coats are in the budget 😉
The witches will have to dress up properly during the year, haha!
I bought a handful of bonnets with details enough to make you gasp with delight.
Crazy little week.
Roses in February.
Bonnets a plenty.
Secret dreamy doll museums.
Made tax papers slightly less painful & boring.
Alsoooo…
I got my hands on a second Flea Market Decor magazine for the giveaway.
Soooo, the good news is, I drew two folks, instead of one.
And the winners are…
Commenters numbered 64 and 12!!
Girly Geek Chic and Janet!!
Please email me your snail mail addresses and I will pop them in the mail asap.
Thanks to everyone who joined in the fun!!!
xoxo
Love, V
T.G.I.F!!
ps: I found a video of the doll museum for sale at Christine's that I talked about above.
Shows the details up close.
So many dolls, so little time!
It's a big room full, with wall to wall glass shelving, stuffed full.
The story of his mom and her collecting is so touching.
These are serious antiques too.
What you see in person as a whole is amazing.
Ah! You are a vintage doll, and vintage lace, kindred spirit after my own heart! I adore the Nancy Ann dolls…swoon. What a wonderful shopping trip. Yes, one looses themselves in antique stores. I have to have my shopping ‘fix’ at least three times a year, if not at the Rose Bowl Flea Market, then it’s at the Sacramento antique flea market near X Street and 21st once a month.
Congratulations to the Flea Market mag!
Yes, I went to a doll show in San Jose this past fall and found some poor Nancy Ann dolls (for $3.00 each! unheard of price) One of them had an awful odor but I bought her and plunged her into a warm vinegar and water bath, and then added some baking soda (which foamed up the mixture) a few hours later, the smell was gone. I will be using her in an altered doll project. As her hair was quite a mess! But the dolly was fine and so were her clothes.
We are spoiled with our western weather. I have cuttings of roses rooting from my mothers house. She has so many varieties I took cuttings from everything!
may your weekend be glorious!
Miss Teresa
I forgot to type ‘winners’ after the congrats!
Congratulations to the winners! I already have the magazine & I have to say that your article was the best! :0)
I love those little dolls! I just found a cute little musical Dorothy doll with Toto too at Goodwill!
That doll collection is amazing! I saw a couple things in there that I own. There’s a plastic genie bottle & a piece of doll house furniture that looked familiar. It’s so sweet that he’s respecting her wishes of keeping them all together. Can you imagine how cool it would be to get that collection home & unwrap each piece one at a time! You could drag that excitement out & undo a few pieces everyday for weeks! Months? Do you know how many pieces are in that collection?
If I win the lottery first, I’ll let you come visit them all & maybe even share some with you! Deal?
Thanks for the nice outdoor photos. I just heard that this is going to go down as possibly our coldest Feb. ever! It’s also our third snowiest ever! We’re supposed to have a mild summer because the great lakes are so frozen over.
Oh Spring in February! My heart is aflutter!! I drink in your beautiful photos, every minute detail, in complete anticipation of Spring making it’s way up north here in la belle province.
Your posts always warm my heart, vanessa!
I have a collection of storybook dolls….I love their wee little faces. I even took them to Sedona to photograph. Ha! They’ve been patiently waiting for display again and perhaps a tea party and new adventure.
Treasure hunting adventures……oh so fun…..you found some sweet treasures indeed!
XOXO
First off, congrats to your winners!… I loved your feature in the magazine!!!… and I also love love love all of your vintage treasures you found, beautiful indeed!… and as for your “curious” weather, yes, curious indeed!… and I love that too!… now then, the doll museum video, wow!… I watched over half of it, but need to fix dinner now then will watch the rest of it as I sip some tea… ooooh, that red deer!… I HAVE that from my childhood!… I was born in ’49 (1949, not 1849!) and many of those are sooo familiar as part of my childhood… I have all of my own dolls from when I was a little girl, so they are well on their way, being almost halfway to becoming true antiques… I have my Nancy Ann Storybook dolls too, in their boxes even… I took very good care of my things, (still do)… and I have all my of precious Indian dolls my grandfather and my uncle Pierre bought for me when we visited them in Albuquerque… no amount of money would be enough for me to sell any of them… I even have my original Barbie number 1 from 1959, the first (and truly an original number one, box marked “850” ) Barbie ever out… I have her box, and everything that came with her… I have had many offers to buy her, but nope, she’s my Barbie!!!… sooo happy that entire collection is going together… a dear souls lifelong love of her dolls… they need to be together… much love to you sweet Vanessa… I love how you make every day sparkle with enchantment… xoxo… Julie Marie PS Will email you a pic of my red deer after dinner!!!
Laura, the video does no justice to the collection in person. It is the most glorious thing to stand in it. I don’t know how many pieces but it is wall to wall in glass tall cases… i’ll find a pic and email it. Love, V
ps: stay warm!! cold and me just don’t mix. We are having such a mild February, all the trees starting to show green and blossoms, it’s crazy!!
Oooooooo, you are a treasure lover of the heart for sure!!! Okay, can’t wait to see deer xoxo
You got some lovely things, Vanessa. I love the lace. I’ve got that on my list of things to look for when I am out and about. I love to incorporate it into the things I sew. The dolls are beautiful. There’s just something about dolls that make me feel like a little girl again.
Congrats to the winners!
Doll finds are the best and the hardest to resist! Imagine buying a whole museum of dolls! I went to a cafe in St Malo that was filled floor to ceiling with dolls. One of my happiest cups of coffee! x
Love all your little treasures. I found a copy of the magazine at the grocery store and enjoyed the article on your tea party. Keep up the good work (and good fun) this Spring.
There is something about beautiful vintage dolls that just captures my heart. They speak volumes of times past and to find them in such beautiful condition really can transport the imagination! A delightful post. Your signs of spring give me hope!
I always love your posts, Dear Heart.
I’m loving all those Nancy Ann dolls and the tiny doll coats and dresses. Such fun to see your spring blooms too. We drove to our aframe cottage last night and the pipes from our well into the house were frozen. No water! With our extreme negative temps, it’s not surprising, but very disappointing. I’m ready to help Mother Nature find spring!
Hooray! Thank you Vanessa, I’ll email right now. I can add it to my other Vanessa Magazine articles. Like Where Women Create!
Deborah
Your property is always an inspiration! Congratulations to the winners!
Yay to the winners! I was lucky enough to find a copy at my local grocery store…I’ve never seen Flea Market Decor there before and maybe because I wanted it so badly it just materialised! LOL!
Congrats to the winners!!!
Love your finds, Vanessa! I was in Christines about a year ago searching for a vintage workman’s lunchbox for my husband’s birthday. Didn’t find one there, but found what allegedly was a miner’s lunchbox at another place. I remember seeing all the dolls at Christine’s and wishing I had more time to ogle. I was in your neck of the woods on this beautiful day, with a grand breakfast at Claire’s Cafe and a hike and tour at Oracle State Park. I’m seldom on that side of the Catalinas but when I am I always think of you and wondering what you are up to! Hope you had a great day! And now I have to find that issue of Flea Market Decor!
Such treasures! Loving your nails.
Vanessa,
I picked up the Flea Market Decor issue at the drugstore today. What a beautiful spread you have in the publication, “written, photographed and styled!” Congratulations! You make everything look so dreamy. While at the magazine rack I also picked up an inviting “Porches and Gardens” magazine. You may want to query that if you haven’t already. I can just see your cottage porch and beautiful gardens featured in it.
Happy Days,
Lisa
Okay. I have been WONDERING what to do with my $295,000!!!!!
I am floored by that doll museum! Truly unbelievable. And my heart soars to know that he respected his mom’s wishes and is keeping the whole collection together. Someone someday will make it their own and love it/all of them dearly. Loved this post, and hearing of fairly flowers, early roses, treasures galore (oh, that bonnet!!), and secret dolls — all the stuff of dreams! 🙂