Vintage Treasures

I haven't blogged in a while, but having 4 children now is definitely an adjustment!

Now that I am a mom of 4, the Lord gave me a peace about quitting my job and so officially on 10 March 2011, I will be a full time stay at home MOM!!!

Living in Europe is absolutely amazing, so now cutting our income in almost half will be quite the adjustment, however, I have found a way to help make up for some of that income loss. Not only can I make a little extra money; I am finally following my dream of buying and reselling furniture as well as restoring or redoing other pieces.

We are so blessed to live just 25 minutes from the French border and so 2 of my friends and I are making regular trips to buy quality pieces at great prices. I am also shopping on German Ebay and the deals are great!!! This is my dream job and if I make money at it great, but just being able to stay home with my baby is the greatest gift a mom could ask for!!! Below are a few of my treasures from just the last 2 weeks. I have to move my inventory quickly because a lot of the pieces are large and we don't have tons of extra space for them.

I love every piece I buy and they are super quality!!

This first piece was purchased off of German Ebay and this man was selling all of his Oma's things (Grandmother's items). It was a lovey piece, but also a little sad to think that this was used so much and it has a great history behind it and now it is no longer in that family. The lady that purchased it was very excited as her grandmother had a very similar piece.

This next piece is just amazing. It actually won 3 pieces that were very similar. This large buffet, a smaller matching one and a secretary. This were made in the 1930's in a local village not to far from here and all have the original oil paintings on the doors. The lady who bought this large buffet also purchased the matching smaller one and I am keeping the secretary for now as it is just lovely and a real treasure. The piece was so large, I had to keep it in my hallway!! Again another real piece of history. Check out the beautiful barley twist on the sides.

On one of my recent buying trips I found this vintage picture of Jesus as a child. The frame was just beautiful and the picture was obviously a real find!! The man who purchased this piece was so excited to hang it on his wall!!



So today my 2 friends and I, as well as their husbands purchased some amazing deals about 2 hrs into France!!! I am just in awe of this piece below. This vintage French bookcase/display cabinet is in pristine condition. My husband did some research and this style of cabinet was made in the 1940's. Again, this is another large piece that I could just keep and if it doesn't sell, then I won't be completely heartbroken. (It was hard to take a good photo without my railing in the picture!-Sorry)

The carvings are just beautiful and the wood grain is fantastic.

The doors open so smoothly and it came with the original key-just a lovely piece!

I also purchased this smaller french buffet today. I was originally going to paint it white, since I love white painted furniture, but I thought I would try and sell it as is just to keep my pieces moving. If it doesn't sell within the next week, I will totally put my shabby chic touch on it. In my next blog post I will share my most recent German find, all painted white!!

The wood on this piece is lovely as well and it is such a functional piece!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to get better about blogging more often, and especially sharing my new treasures. I would love to buy for antique dealers in the States at some point as we are in such a great area for finding top notch pieces at rock bottom prices!!!

Have a blessed weekend!

Christmas Markets in Europe 2010

Living in Germany is so wonderful, especially when it come to experiencing the culture here. Christmas is by far one of the most wonderful times of the year, first because we are priviledged to celebrate the birth of our Savior, and secondly, we are able to celebate European style with Weihnactsmarkts (in Germany), Marché de Noël (France) and Christkindlemarkts in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and pretty much most European countries.

We have been blessed to be here for 5 Christmas seasons now and we have taken in new markets every year. We have been to ones in Belgium, all over France and Germany and one in Venice, Italy. Each one brings a new and surprising treat to the senses as you experience a little more of Europe. This year we have only done 3 so far; not because we are tired or bored, but because our family has welcomed our 6th family member (Brayden Luke Noggle born on 11 December 2010!) With me being so pregnant at the start of Christmas Market season, we didn't want to travel too far incase I went into labor. Now that Brayden is here, we plan on taking in the Valkenburg Market which takes place in the caves in Holland and maybe a few more before the season is over.

I wanted to share some pictures and you can see for yourself just how magical Christmas time is here in Europe. Our first market was to Koblenz, Germany; the 2nd was to Metz, France and our last one prior to Brayden's birth was to Rudesheim, Germany on the Rhine River. All were beautiful and unique in their own way.

Hope you enjoy the photos and if you ever come to Europe, try a winter vacation so you can experience a little slice of Heaven.

For more information on dates and times check out these websites:

www.germany-christmas-market.org.uk

www.christmasmarkets.com

Koblenz Weihnactsmarkt 2010

Andrea and the kids ready to take in Koblenz
Large Pyramid with vendors selling the famous Gluhwein in the cute, collectible mugs that I like so much!

Where we ate dinner-it was very good

Selling the famous Schneeballen (yum!)

Frohe Weihnacten

Scott and the kids enjoying the market

Selling the famous Schiwboggens that you see in all the German windows

Brats on an open fire

Koblenz 2010

Scott getting his Maronen (chestnuts)-the one main reason he enjoys these markets:)

Lovely vendors

Frohes Fest (Happy Holidays)

The kids excited to eat their Lebkuchen (gingerbread) Heart

Metz, France 2010

Unique and beautiful lights strung between the buildings down the streets

Happy Christmas; this was a Cheerful stall

All the stalls at this French market were just beautifully painted

So chic!

The colors were so vibrant and lovely

One of several carousels

Check out the beautiful lights down this street

And this street! It just kept getting more lovely

Here we are infront of the massive ferriswheel and ice skating rink

This awesome chandelier hung at the end of one street at the entrance of the town

Alot of towns light of the trunks of their trees, these were no exception standing out in bold blue

Everyone loves to ice skate

So frenchy looking, maybe b/c we are in France. Yummy potatoes

More beautiful street art!

Doesn't it look like snow? There was wiring above with sparkling stars in the netting; really neat

Ahhh, the breathtaking famous Metz Catherdral, even more magnificent all lit up!

We ate some famous french macaroons on the way home-yum!

So many lovely stalls with handicrafts

I liked this stall with the cute balcony

Rudesheim Weihnactsmarkt 2010

The sign says it all!

The kids ready for another market and just about to eat from pomme frites (french fries)

I liked all the hanging lanterns in the one section; thought it was totally Pottery Barn style!

Andrea and kids infront of the famous life size manger scene

Everyone enjoying the food and festivities

Loved this stall with a picture of the Last Supper

A beautiful building here-now a restaurant

My friend Dianna and I purchased these fur wraps! She and her family met us there for a lovely evening.

Looking down the famous "Drosselgasse"

Another beautiful building that sits right on the Rhine River bank