Saturday, November 5, 2011

Come Saturday Morning

We headed out to the Farmer's Market this bright and sunny Saturday morning. After getting some goodies there we went to a few places that were having Christmas open house. Ashland has a few really cute shops and to promote them there is a stop and shop promotion. There are even prizes! Our first stop at the open houses was to Annette's Victorian Garden. It's a florist shop but it holds much more than flowers! Annette is a sweet lady who really has built up her business in the last few years. I've never been disappointed at any arrangements I've gotten there. It's very convenient that it's only two buildings down from Jack's office! He often surprises me with beautiful flowers! It's housed in an old victorian home that has had a few transformations over the years.
Every part of the building is decorated. It's a place that used to have a coffee shop and an apartment upstairs. It's worth the stop to see and enjoy all the hidden treasures.
The shop's main floor was lovely but I enjoy going up these beautiful stairs and seeing what goodies await me!
This is the kitchen to the apartment upstairs. It had every nook and cranny full of Christmas cheer and some wonderful spiced cider to enjoy. Needless to say it smelled festive too!
I loved the look of this tree in the upstairs sitting room. It's not one I would put in my house but it looked very fun here!
All the time we were "browsing", Annette's Mom was playing Christmas music on the dulcimer. It was a fun stop!
I took a hike up the street while Jack stayed at his office to do some quick work. This shop is called Backdoor Primitives. It's down a little alley not far from Jack's office. I stumbled across it a few years ago. I've been a regular ever since.
Backdoor Primitives is jam packed with new and old things. They are big on rug hooking and have classes. They have many cute things for little ones too. I just enjoy wandering around in there and it's where I usually get my Lori Mitchell dolls. I've posted about those in the past.
My final stop was at The Gleaner Antiques shop. It's really cute inside but they don't allow any picture taking. The grounds outside are nice too and I wish I could show you how many fun and interesting things that await you on the inside. I guess you'll just have to come visit to find out!
Here's a taste of what I picked up on my ventures today. I thought this painting was pretty. I got it at Annette's Victorian Garden.
I picked these up at the Backdoor Primitives. I collect Lori Mitchell figures and I thought these were cute and different...
Well, the day is flying by and I'd better get on with outdoor work to fill in the rest of today. It's sunny and, not exactly warm, but nice enough to finish off some last minute tasks. I think squeak will just have to lead me in the right direction!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it. I felt like I was there, too, from the beautiful photographs!!
Ann Best, Author of In the Mirror, A Memoir of Shattered Secrets

Sweet Tea said...

I would love to have been your Shopping Pal today. LOVE that sort of stuff. Lots of treasures to be found in those one-of-a-kind stores. Great photos too!

karen said...

I would have really enjoyed those shops! You got some really cute things too. What cute places they are.

Donna said...

Looks like you had a FUN day!! We shopped too...only my haunts were on a little lower scale than yours...lol! Gabes was having their annual toy sale and I have my grandchildren list almost all done! Yeah!
Your day looked a little more charming!!

Wander to the Wayside said...

I'm not quite ready for Christmas personally, but I do love those specialty shops that are so prettily decorated. By the way, did you know that there are boxes of x's labeled 'snowflake' floating all over your blog?

Stacy said...

We did a bit of shopping today too. Kayla needs some stuff for cheerleading, but looks like we'll have to order online.

BTW, do I teach this month?

Bonnie said...

Christmas open houses???? I LOVE IT. There is nothing better than trolling through strangers' homes and looking at decorations.

http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
Twitter: @GlamKitten88

Susan Anderson said...

This looks like such fun, Kathy. Wish I could be there to do some of that with you!

=)

MunirGhiasuddin said...

What a fun post. Thanks for sharing your trip. It is very vivid. Ilike the candy cane person. Great idea, to even use it as a gift bow.

Darlene said...

Your Saturday sounded interesting and jam packed with shopping and working.

I was quite intrigued with the florist shop. The open house was really nice and so many decorations everywhere!! I used to work in our best friends florist shop for years. My kids never knew what it was like to have me around for the holidays because I was off to Palm Springs Florist to work. This was when we actually had moved from the desert to the Los Angeles area. This was when I was married to my first husband who was also named Dick. Fortunately, we only worked there about four years. I say we because I always took my oldest daughter, Nancy with me. She worked there too. I may even blog on that period of my life. We had some really interesting experiences at the Palm Springs Florist.

Too bad the antique store didn't allow pictures. I would love seeing the inside. I love shopping in antique stores and have a few of my own that I treasure.

I love the Lori Mitchell figures. They are darling. I am not familiar with her work, but it is different and very interesting.

To think after a day like this that you had to go home and work in the yard! Ugh.....oh, I forgot, you like to work in the yard. More power to you, my dear.

Hilary said...

What a fun way to spend the day. Your cat looks quite a bit like one of mine. :)

Sandi said...

Yaya, what a treasure you have in Ashland with all those shops so close by! I loved the "Winter Blessings" painting, and those whimsical characters are too cute!

I truly appreciate your comments today on my post. It has been so frustrating, this partial knee thing! It was really good for awhile, and I was so excited. I didn't expect the outside part to go bad so quickly. I knew my left knee wouldn't last long, as it was a toss up when I did the right. But, I had hoped for at least a year of relatively pain free activity!

I am calling my physical therapist tomorrow morning and asking her what she suggests. I might also call the doctor. I have my three month check up in about a month already scheduled.

Thanks for your advice and encouragement!

Deb Shucka said...

What a fun shopping excursion. I'm a big fan of Lori Mitchell dolls. Love the two pictured here. Stopping by here is making me itchy to start the holidays.