HOB NOBBER PURCHASES, ANNIVERSARY TRIP, AND ETSY SHOP

One of the fun aspects of our Hob Nobber business is buying each other's finds. We always get first pick, after all. Just one of the perks! As we're unpacking we see each other's stuff and start making our own "piles" to purchase.

So here are just a couple of my purchases at our last sales event...

Hob Nobber, Karen, made this pillow out of a vintage grain sack and filled it with "down". She softened the grain sack so it is soft and cuddly and the "down" makes it even softer. She insists on "down" and not just feathers, "as the feathers tend to stick out",  she says, "poking you". She first purchases down filled comforters and removes the down, putting the feathers in large plastic bags. Feathers are flying when she does this, she tells us, so she does this in her back yard. The down is first enclosed in an inner pillow case. She then puts that in the grain sack bag she has prepared, removing as many of the stains as possible and then softening it, but not so much as to ruin the fabric. She spends so much time and money on just one pillow, that Hob Nobber Rene, and I figure she doesn't make any money  on them. But Karen is very meticulous and loves doing this kind of thing. I HAD to have one! I think she has a couple left which will be at our Memorial Day Sale!

 

And I bought this interesting candle/lamp. It has a glass candle holder inside. The lining inside the wire is made of silk. It has a wooden base but also a hook for hanging. I was going to hang it but then the base looked kind of funny  just hanging there so I set it on this dresser we have in our foyer. Had to have THAT also!

THE LAKE

This week my husband and I celebrated out 45th Anniversary by going to Lake City, Mn, a nearby river city. Lake City is on Lake Pepin which is a place where the Mississippi River widens into a 21 mile long lake. Across the lake is Wisconsin with scenic bluffs that provide gorgeous views! It is so beautiful with the lake and bluffs that I think it's the prettiest spot on the Mississippi River! We usually go a bit farther away for our anniversary but decided the beauty of this place and the fact that we could go for rides in our newly purchased pontoon boat was too good to pass up. One of our favorite day trips is to travel around the lake from Minnesota to Wisconsin and back, visiting the little river villages along the way. Our first stop was Wabasha where they were having a Fall Festival. The whole downtown was decorated...

My "garage sale radar" picked up a garage sale sign so we HAD to stop. I bought this huge vintage porcelain basin with handles and the advertising still mostly intact. This will go into the next sales event...

         Yeah, I found more treasures but you'll have to wait to see them in another post. We traveled onto Wisconsin via the bridge in Wabasha and stopped at The Pickle Factory in the village of Pepin,...

We had delicious sandwiches there, along with a garlic pickle ( pickle factory )  and we dined on the deck for a wonderful view of Lake Pepin from the Wisconsin side. We found out that we could ride our pontoon ( AKA party barge ) across the lake, park it at the Marina and have dinner there. That will have to wait until next summer...

We traveled onto the village of Stockholm, Wisconsin where we had a piece of pie at "The Stockholm Pie Company".

 I had double lemon pie because it had already won several awards: "Best Pie In The Twin Cities" ( newspaper area ), First place in the Midwest Pie Eating Contest, And Gourmet magazines' best 53 things to eat.  I'm definitely going back to buy a whole pie! BEST PIE EVER!!! 

Usually we travel on through Wisconsin's scenic drive along the river and cross the Mississippi  again in Red Wing, Minnesota and back to Lake City. This is a wonderful drive with amazing places to eat along the way, art and antique shops, beautiful scenery,  and quaint villages to discover. I thoroughly recommend this little day trip, however, you'll need to check ahead of time as some shops are open only seasonally.

And I'll also be sharing  more about  Lake City as I have always loved this little town. But more on that in another post also...

ETSY SHOP

I had mentioned in an earlier post that I was going to open up an Etsy Shop. I still plan on that and I am really excited about it but I am having to change the opening date as I had forgotten our trip with the kids and grandkids to Disney World. Well, I hadn't forgotten it, but I  just  realized that if someone happened to order something I wouldn't be home to ship it! Hah! Not a good way to begin. 

So instead of opening Oct 1st it will have to wait until the end of the month. Exact date to be announced later. I'm also excited to share the name of my little shop but I will announce that in another post also. It looks like I promised a lot of things in "upcoming posts". Haha...Guess I'll be busy for the next few weeks!

Have a great week!