Lil' Red Schoolhouse Antiques, Part II

Continuing my photo heavy post about my first favorite featured shop...

At Lil' Red Schoolhouse Antiques, in historic downtown St. Charles, I felt so at home
to browse and chat. I have come back several times and it always looks different.
Pat continually rotates and fills the store with new finds. 

A large ship tops this corner cabinet filled with treasures. 

And look at that vintage wedding dress!

Other antique stores I have visited have a stagnant, untouched feel to them. 

Dust settled everywhere. Merchandise seems like it has been there since it opened. 

Sometimes this has an appeal, other times, it just seems tired. I never feel that way at Pat's.

Here's a great little Tonka truck - with mock wood veneers. :)

One point I forgot to make in Part I of this feature, is that Pat's prices are so reasonable!

There are times I go into local antique shops and see the prices and choose to walk out. 

It's not that I wouldn't pay good money for an item I would treasure - it just seems like the prices are marked up too high. Every visit to Lil' Red Schoolhouse Antiques reaffirms my opinion. 

Always reasonable!!

A larger display of Sassy Sparrow's product line on a fabulous shabby pink chair.

As mentioned before, Lil' Red Schoolhouse Antiques successfully pairs old with new. 

Showing us ways that these items can truly be timeless.

An eggplant clutch, new from Sassy Sparrow sits in an old wooden tray 

with vintage hand-written letters and other paper ephemera.

Space is utilized in every nook and cranny. This secretary desk is displayed in a small alcove in the hallway leading to two more rooms. The shield mirror fits like it was made for that wall.

And chandeliers are everywhere! Take a look at these two below. 

They are not a matched pair, but they compliment each other with their crystals.

Now, see this great little chandy. I tried to show a close up from inside the crystal shade. 

It made every crystal iridescent, bouncing colors everywhere inside it. Truly Unique!

There is a personal story behind this grand old cash register. 

Pat is such a sweetheart {and kindred spirit}. When I told her that I was having a vintage ice cream parlour & sweet shoppe theme for my daughter's birthday party {hopefully I can get the photos together for a post} - she offered to let me use this as a prop for the decor. How fabulous is that!

That's the kind of personal connection that keeps me coming back.

Great collector items can be found everywhere. I am particularly fond of old typewriters. 

Like this wonderful antique Smith & Corona typewriter.

I love the attention to detail at Lil' Red Schoolhouse Antiques. Aesthetics can be very influential 

as to whether customers purchase products. Take the kraft brown shopping/gift bags and boxes 

tied with red ribbon. When I leave this shop with a bag in hand, I feel like it is special - 

ready to be given as a gift. No new wrapping/packaging necessary. 

If it wasn't completely obvious,

I strongly recommend a trip to Pat's lil' shop!

If you stop by, tell them I sent you - 

Just make sure you leave some for me!

So, I mentioned in Part I that I would add some of my lovely finds from this shop.
But I have so many, I am devoting an entire post to them. Stay tuned... :)

~ All photos are my own. ~

Please note that store inventory is constantly changing, 

but if you would like to inquire about availability and pricing, give Pat a call! 

Once again, here is the store information: 

Lil' Red Schoolhouse Antiques

108 State Avenue ~ St. Charles, IL 60174

phone: 630-393-1040

Pat Arnott, Proprietor

Store hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11 AM - 5 PM and Sunday Noon - 4 PM

Lil' Red Schoolhouse Antiques, Part I

This is a new kind of post I would like to do every now and then. I will feature a local shop I adore (and possibly non-local if I ever leave my little nest) . I am going to try to stick to small businesses. These will be photo heavy posts. I just couldn't decide which to use! :)

Mind you, I am not a photographer, just a photo junky trying to learn how to use my DSLR.

The first store on my list was Lil' Red Schoolhouse Antiques located at 108 State Avenue in downtown St. Charles, Illinois. This little yellow house (yellow, not red) is situated on a hill, so over time you can see the character gravity and my tilted camera has bestowed upon this adorable shop's historic home. 

The lovely proprietor, Pat Arnott, previously was located in Warrenville, IL in - you guessed it - 

a lil' red schoolhouse. She recently made the move to St. Charles, and I'm so glad she did! 

The owner and her husband, Bill, are warm and welcoming each and every time I pop in to browse.

Even the entrance has a wonderful variety of goods for sale. Hello, rusty bicycle!

Why, oh why, did I not notice that scale by the door until I was looking at my photos at home!?

 

This yellow chippy chair has been repurposed into a planter with a burlap liner. 

So clever and versatile. I envision poinsettias during Christmastime on a wraparound porch.

Love primitive, rustic finds? Just walk up to the brick patio entrance. 

{Maybe it's more accurately described as a courtyard? Either way - charming!}

I'm finding all kinds of ideas in my head for that well-worn wooden tray, by the way.

I happened upon this store searching for another antique shop nearby. I was instantly 

drawn to its home-like appearance. And I'm talking about the inside of the store, too! 

The shop is set up in little vignettes everywhere, the likes I've see only on blogs - 

a la Miss Mustard Seed's retail location The Old Lucketts Store.

A very old farm hutch showcasing a local vendor's tasty gourmet goods. 

{Note the small holes worn into the corners of the two drawers? Those are mice holes!}

Now I knew shops like this existed, but in my limited time to visit antique stores, most were arranged 

in tiny booths with all the items grouped in categories. Such as, this vendor sells antique crystal, 

this vendor specializes in linens. But these other stores often felt claustrophobic, and had an overwhelming mustiness which disagrees with my sinuses. And since my time is limited, I am 

always concerned that it will take hours to sift through one vendor for potential finds. 

Flea markets are better, but the spaces are usually small - and hot! 

Not at this store - which is why I can spend 2 hours there and feel like time flies! 

And my allergies do not bother me a bit. An added bonus, indeed!

A chippy, shabby old ladder with a lot of stories to tell has linens draped on it and nearby.

An oil lamp in fabulous condition and candle stick holder sit on a large console table 

with a bust of a child. Hang on, now that deserves a close-up!

Vintage silver flatware tied up with string...these are a few of my favorite things. Cue the music :)

A great rotary phone sits on a desk with "Life" Magazines. The display case nearby holds crystal and other shiny collectibles. The shelves in the background hold poker chips and various "manly" goods.

I love the occasional mix of old and new. Look at this fabulous red radio cabinet! 

Talk about character. It is filled and topped with a hand-painted china set.

 The navy, floral purse hangs from the open door and coordinates beautifully.

Newly sewn purses are found around the shop from Sassy Sparrow, one of several local vendors that Lil' Red Schoolhouse Antiques adds to the mix. They intermingle gracefully with the vintage wares.

In the right photo is a perfect example of mixing modern accessories with vintage items. 

This mid-century nightstand is painted black with a pop of yellow on the inside of the drawers - 

and they are lined in damask patterned paper. Atop the stand is a vintage silver candlestick holder, 

a small vintage glass jar (with new lid liner) and a new clutch purse in a trendy yellow and grey.

I adore the wall displays throughout the shop! They spark my own creative ideas.

This ornate frame with a small oval-framed mother and child portrait - just makes it so special. 

And her use of a vintage hanger to display old advertisements makes it feel current.

 

Hmmm... I'm still contemplating if we NEED the embroidered alphabet in the play room.

The cheery little "Bless this house" tin matchstick holder might find a perfect place in my kitchen. 

A great old stove is helping to show milk glass collections, mason jars, enamelware and 

a pair of giant, old ice tongs. Notice the peak of a folding chair - it almost came home with me! 

Rats, I was too busy taking pics! Not to mention the red striped towels.

Love feminine and fancy? {"fancy" must be said with an accent - fahn-see}

I spotted a lovely tea service - and pearl & rhinestone shoe clips! Worthy of a vintage-inspired bride.

A small, black accent table with great lines holds a vintage sewing machine and linens. 

Knitting needles, thread and buttons are on show on the shelf below.

The shop has a great assortment of furniture for sale, as well (unless otherwise marked). 

I love this curvy dresser with harp mirror. 

New and vintage jewelry cover the top, cleverly sorted into a cast iron cornbread mold. 

I am loving old tins with plants inside. So colorful!

This great red tobacco tin reminds me of a post by Stacey from A Sort of Fairytale.

A little birdcage that was begging to come home with me. 

{But my husband keeps wondering what I'm going to do with the ones I have already!}

That concludes my part one of this featured shop! Check back soon for part 2, where I will include more photos and some of my favorite finds from Lil' Red Schoolhouse Antiques that now live with me!

~ All photos are my own. ~

Please note that store inventory is constantly changing, 

but if you would like to inquire about availability and pricing, give Pat a call! 

Here is the store information: 

Lil' Red Schoolhouse Antiques

108 State Avenue ~ St. Charles, IL 60174

phone: 630-393-1040

Pat Arnott, Proprietor

Store hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11 AM - 5 PM and Sunday Noon - 4 PM

If you stop by, tell them I sent you - and make sure you leave some finds for me!

Teacher Gifts

I don't know about you, but I am always scrambling at the end of the school year for teacher gifts. Yes, a gift card will suffice, but I like to give something else with it. Usually I end up spending $10 or more on the little gift - and I'm not even that impressed with it. Well, that changed today!

I kept a promise to myself, that I will use Pinterest for good, not evil! Okay, not evil - just a positive influence and not just a major time suck. (You may have seen my previous post on my Pinterest addiction.)

So I am challenging myself to create some of the things I pin. With such amazing ideas posted every day, surely something would be a great DIY teacher gift to accompany a gift card to Starbucks, right? But it needed to be something I could accomplish with supplies on-hand at 10 o'clock the night before the last day of school. Yup, that's how I roll.

Enter the current project - super simple, inexpensive (most items everyone has on hand) and downright adorable. I followed the links from my pin to a tutorial for a 3-dimensional apple made from an old book. I did modify my supplies, only because I can be a bit lazy and impatient when completing a project. Don't judge! It's still really stinkin' cute.

No worries about deconstructing a good book. This was a children's math logic book that is seriously out of date! (I chose a paperback - I think that is less work than a hardcover.) My book was even tall enough to cut 2 apples from it. One for the teacher and one for the teacher's assistant. 

It was a fairly simple project. I promise!

I used the following supplies:

~ an old book 

~ a pen or pencil

~ sharp exacto knife

~ hot glue gun

~ twigs or even a real apple stem

~ ink or paint 

~ extra embellishments

Now, here's where I get lazy. The original tutorial I found used a template. And you may want to cut a template for yourself, but I like to wing it sometimes. I'm just crazy like that.

First, I tore off the cover. Then I drew a half of a heart shape - but left about 3/4 inch at the bottom for a base. (Very technical, I tell you.) Hopefully, the image below will help. This shows the two heart shapes I cut out of the book. The spine is to the left.

I started by cutting through a couple pages at a time and then increased as I went along. Again, a template could be useful for someone who prefers a less "wing-it" approach.

Once I had my shapes cut out, I took my handy-dandy damp paper towel and and dabbed red ink long the egdes of the curved shape. I found it easier to do this before you open it. You can put on as much or as little as you want. I ended up with two different looks. You could also do yellow or green on the apple if you prefer.

Next, I opened them up (approximately in half) so I could see the spine. Then I used hot glue to adhere my "stems". If you haven't noticed yet, I am a very impromptu kind of gal, so when I realized I needed something to resemble a stem, I ran into my family room and broke off a few tiny branches from my birch twigs in a vase. Hey, they worked perfectly!

Once the hot glue was cool and dry, I fanned open my book shapes and again used hot glue to adhere the front page to the last page. {I didn't feel like waiting for craft glue to dry.} Be careful not to burn your fingers. My hot glue gun must be a low heat type, as it wasn't too hot to burn.

Again, once dry and cool - I continued to fan and fluff the pages until they looked full and even.

Next, I cut a free-hand leaf from green cardstock. I wrote the teacher's name on one side and "Love, Bella" on the other. Then I hot glued the appropriate end in between two book pages at the top. (I left a long stem on the green leaf to make sure it would have something to adhere it.)

Now my apples were finished! Yeah! A homemade gift to include with the gift cards. So cute, and pretty unique if you ask me. And free to boot - I had all items on hand.

I even took a few pages from the cut book to make personalized gift bags.

I used glue dots to adhere the open apple pages to a kraft gift bag. Then I hot glued another "stem" and leaf with the teacher's name. I drew on seeds with an embossing pen. I wrapped the apples in tissue paper and put them in the gift bag. The tissue paper left a good fluffy spot to set a gift card.

These are for preschool teachers. And my 3 year old is very curious, so I decided to tie the bags shut with some red and white twine.

I was so happy with my finished product! And proud of myself for making a craft instead of buying something at the store. I also fulfilled a promise to myself to create some of the fun things I pin on Pinterest.

I'm giving this project an A+. Sorry - I couldn't resist!

~ All images on this post are my own and can be found, where else, on my Pinterest boards. ~

Linking up to the following great parties ...

Mother's Day Goodie Bags

This past weekend we spent the majority of our Sunday in a cold hockey rink. Not that I'm complaining. I actually love to watch my son and his team play.

And I really love to see my husband coach the team, too. Literally. See him. He is very animated on the bench. Not in a Bobby Knight sort of way. Just very excited. Everyone comments on how exhausted he will be afterwards.

As head coach, my hubby had to go to a meeting with all the other coaches in the league to plan the team's game schedule. He likened this to being on the floor of the NY Stock Exchange. (Although, I'm not sure that means the same thing as it used to mean.) It is just a bunch of coaches scrambling and telling each other no. He was mortified to realize he was left with a double-header on Mother's Day. He knew he was in big trouble. He was able to reschedule one of the games, but the other coach wouldn't budge. So...

Hubby and the assistant coach devised a plan to give the moms flowers and chocolates from the boys on the team. I thought it was so cute. But in true fashion, when I realized he was going to buy the 4 piece boxes of Whitman's, I started my own devising. {Not that there's anything wrong with their idea!} I came up with a little something for the boys each to hand their mom with a tulip before they got on the ice.

Here is what I came up with for a small gift - a token to say thank you to the moms for making time in their Mother's Day to drive their sons to a freezing hockey rink {and incidentally, watch them lose} :[

I used a simple, resealable clear bag (I had extra lying around) - though I'm sure sandwich baggies would do just fine.

An award ribbon diecut on my Cricut on team colored royal blue cardstock tops a paper doily folded over the top of the bag. (Pretty sure these doilies were in a pack of 30 from the dollar store.) I printed the "#1 MOM" from Microsoft Word 12 per sheet and cut out with a circle punch.

Contents of the gift bag included: different chocolates in various blues, a scroll (see below), and a Hershey's bar wrapped in a photo of the team during a huddle before a game

The other moms went crazy over this. They loved the personal touch! And to think I thought of it at 10pm the night before the game. Super simple, though - I cropped a photo to the right dimensions 

{read: trial & error - could have saved a sheet of paper or 2 had I actually measured the candy bar!}

and printed 6 per sheet. I cut them out leaving ample space above and below to wrap around and adhere with double-sided tape {my absolute craft necessity.}

This shows the open side on the bottom - I didn't adhere too stringently in case they wanted to keep it.

The scroll was from a free printable from A Proffittable Life that I found (again - 10pm the night before, while the photo wrappers printed). I did tweak the blue a bit to better match our team color, but I thought its sentiment was perfect. Boys don't want to give a foofy {actual word?} poem to their moms. This was a manly decree! It lets them feel like they are powerful like kings, presidents, moms!

What? Well, it's true. We are typically the rule makers and enforcers. 

I printed 3 to a sheet as a 4x6 in my photo print program and cut them out. Had I been making just one, or if it had been for a party favor and I had more time I would have trimmed with precision on my paper cutter, but this was now getting late on Saturday night - so they got the old, try-to-cut-a-straight-line-with-junk-drawer-scissors treatment. I wasn't sure how to keep them from getting bent in the bags, 

so I decided to roll them up like scrolls and tie with curling ribbon. 

My husband felt so terrible that I spent the night before Mother's Day working on the gifts for myself and the other moms. But as we often say in this house, "It's just who I am."

~ All images were taken by me and can be found on my Pinterest boards. ~