Blog. Day one. Back from Springfield.

Just back from an eventful trip to the Springfield September Extravaganza in Ohio. Where to begin? Thursday the 17th brought hints of funny little aches and a scratchy throat. With the plague being reported 24/7 on the news, I just knew the flu bug was pawing at my door. Perfect timing flu bug. Thanks a lot.

Sure enough, Friday came and the symptoms were even more apparent. I knew I just had to carry on like nothing was wrong. We had aleady booked our hotel rooms, rented the van, and announced the shoppe would be closed on Saturday while we were away stocking up on some cool vintage to share with everyone.

I woke up Saturday, certainly not feeling 100%, but excited about the day ahead nevertheless. We were some of the first to arrive at the show, but for some reason the parking supervisor wanted us to park in another county and walk back to the site. We ignored said parking supervisor and drove up as close as we could to the vendors and parked out little white van. Said parking supervisor looked like her head might pop. I was going to be schlepping antiques across fields and in and out of a van all day — and there was no way I was going to make the process any harder, especially with the flu.

As the day progressed, I got into my zone and enjoyed scouting for the perfect pieces for our Holiday Open House (Saturday, November 14) at Finderskeepers. Though feeling a little cloudy, my appetite never waivered and we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of corn dogs and Mt. Dew! Ahh, nothing like The Dew to get you going. I had a short list of things I wanted to look for and knew I would recognize the others when they called my name. First thing on the list — white miniature reindeer. I know you've seen them. Originally flocked or painted, their now worn and bare bodies are bone white and look so pretty beneath a cloche or lined up amongst a mantle of other neutrals and silver. One of the first booths we stopped at — 10 white reindeer. It was going to be a good day.

The 10 white reindeer were definitely a good sign of things to come. In our first strip of vendors, we went on to discover the most perfect iron bed ever, an unusual little metal purse I will fill with some Belles of Ireland, and a small white stool that looks as if it needs to be paired up with one of those industrial looking dental cabinets. There were plenty of other things of course, and you'll see them all when you visit the shoppe.

My friend Pam Foster gave me a huge bundle of beautiful dried lamb's ear. I knew I had to find the perfect container to display their lovely pale silverness. What's that I hear? Why it's a big, gorgeous vintage pinochle trophy beckoning across the way! There it was — declaring itself as the ideal receptacle to show off a huge bundle of soft lamb's ear. I cannot wait to build an entire display around this as the centerpiece.

Like I said, there were plenty of other discoveries. We had a lot of fun, but as the day stretched on and on my sickness started making itself known more and more. It was time to drive the van back to Florence, KY and prepare ourselves for Sunday's Burlington show. What remained of Saturday is somewhat a blur. I was sick and paying for acting like I wasn't.

Sunday morning, and the rain had arrived. After the perfect weather of Saturday in Springfield, my body and mind was not to eager to head out into the wetness. Driving to the show, we knew there wouldn't be many vendors set up with the rain. We were right. There were only a few dedicated (or delusional) vendors scattered about with huge sheets of plastic draped across their wares. Still, we grabbed our umbrellas, walked about, and managed to find a few things we couldn't let some special customer live without.

In the end, it was mission accomplished. Flu or no flu, I was determined. So now my mind is with the holidays. All of our finds are slowly starting to dictate where their perches need to be. Sometimes an object's beauty is defined by what it is sitting next to. The installations are always my favorite part. I cannot wait to share it all with you. Now go get your flu shot.