Where have I been???

You know the old saying......time flies! Well yes it has! There are no excuses here. What can I tell you except that other things took up my time. My life and all that it entails. Family, so precious! And of course all those evil time stealers.....Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, candy crush and all those other games.......yes, I am guilty of all of these!
My family has changed a lot in the past year or so. My sweet Daddy passed away in January. Oh how I miss him! To be with a loved one at the end of their life is a precious thing. To be there as they slip away into God's open arms is a memory I will never forget. My 22 year old son, with us in that hospital room, said " I've never seen someone die before" and his Daddy and I said that we hadn't either. We let him know what a blessing it was to be there!
Another change in our family is a new baby, our first grandchild, a beautiful boy born in April! This is another moment I will never forget as I was at the hospital for his birth. What a blessing a new baby is! A new life! We are so so so in love.
Other things taking up precious time is my three antique mall booths. I love my booths! Who doesn't love having a mini store all their own? I love looking for new things for my customers and bringing them to the booths. Rearranging my booth is always fun, restocking, displaying and I also like to take pics of my booths. I usually post these on Facebook under Lynnesfinds, on Instagram under Lynnewilsonshropshire and of course, Pinterest under Lynne Wilson Shropshire.
While being in the antiques business for over 30 years I transitioned into conducting estate sales. This business is known as Estate Sales By Lynne. I cannot begin to tell you the satisfaction I get when helping folks with this service. One of my recent customers was downsizing and moving out of town. She thanked me profusely when the sale was over because she just didn't know what she was going to do. She even called me again several months later to thank me again, so sweet! That's what I like...satisfied customers!
I also sell online thru eBay and etsy also under the name lynnesfinds. Because of the above mentioned time stealers I don't list as often as I should so I need to work on that! :)
Well now I have updated! I am not going to promise to do it more often because life gets in the way, but, I will certainly make the effort to try. Have a blessed day and rest of your week!

Really?? I haven't posted since AUGUST????

If you know me you know I LOVE antiquing, junking, picking....whatever you want to call it! I LOVE the thrill of the hunt, seizing upon that special find and hoping I don't gasp loudly when I do....I'm trying to get better about that part but it's hard! To support this ummm habit/addicition I sell in three antiques malls, on ebay and etsy! Whew! I don't sell EVERYTHING I find of course. It is only for the things I find that I don't want but can't pass up OR if I am tired of looking at it at home! Case in point....the lovely tray pictured below! I have had this for years. I have used it in the kitchen as the holder for the salt & pepper shakers, napkins and toothpicks. Then it held a part of my sterling topped vanity jars.....notice I said PART! I have also used it for perfume bottles. So it has been fun but adios sweet tray!

 This photo shows some of my pickin' finds from last week! Lots of jewelry, some good, some bad, for selling, crafting and keeping! Please note the AWESOME antique purse frame underneath it all!

 Here are more photos of my booth, lynnesfinds, at New & Again Antique Mall in McAllen, TX. This is such a fun place as they have all types of things, not only antiques. Crafts, collectibles, vintage, you name it! They even have a tearoom for lunch and Karaoke Kafe on select evenings.

 These birds were one of my "collections"! Adios, birds! They are truly beautiful pieces but once I tire of something, bub-bye! Alot of folks love it when I "tire" of something!

 I crafted this standing iron cross by embellishing it with all sorts of vintage jewelry which makes it unique and one of a kind. I also repurpose vintage jewelry by making "new" jewelry out of it. Plus I decorate picture frames and am about to start a new "project" with my vintage jewelry....photos soon! In this picture are also several pieces of vintage and antique sterling items including a gold rimmed sterling thimble, very nice!

 Antique cameos anyone? These are all old or antique, are carved or etched authentic shell and have backings of gold filled, sterling or authentic gold. If they haven't sold since I took this picture last week they would be a great Mother's Day gift which, the way the year is flying by, will be here before you know it!

 Upon entering our local grocery store this past Monday I was hit with an explosion of Valentine's Day offerings! You looked to the left and it was plants, flowers and balloons everywhere!

 If you glanced to the right there were cakes of any color combination you could imagine, some good some not so good, cookies, cupcakes, chocolate covered strawberries, etc.

 I know when I whipped out my camera some folks were thinking, um, weird, and others just smiled fully understanding my awe!

Lastly, these cookies did not come the grocery store. These were made for me by a sweet friend who is the best baker I know! They taste as good as they look! Happy Valentine's Day and more posts to come.....and you won't have to wait 6 months either! :)

Bits & Pieces

 MIA.....missing in action! So much has happened in the last few months that I will just touch on a few things! The above picture was taken at our local grocery store during the few days around Mother's Day. Here in deep South Texas Mother's Day is taken seriously!! Check out the explosion of colors on these cakes. I had gotten in line to pay for some groceries and I was right next to this display. Yes, it was a Kodak moment! Click on the pics for up close and personal! :)

 This picture is of some darling little showcases I found. No this wasn't a flea market, antique shop, thrift store or any other of my usual "junking" haunts......this was at a "Marshall's"! I could not believe my luck! The wooden one is aged to perfection and really does look to be very old. The other one is a tin and glass creation with the lid slanted a bit....very similar to an antique one we had used in our antique shop for years....Mom has that one! I have had these a couple of months now so don't go running to Marshall's, sorry, but I just had to share!

 This is just because I love pink......and mercury glass......and old millinery velvet leaves.......and MacKenzie-Childs pottery......and that great antique pink satin glass lady flower frog.......well, the lady flower frog is my daughter's but I am "storing" it for her till she is ready to take it! That MacKenzie-Childs very large platter was a gift from my kids and husband several years ago and is one of my favorite pieces. I don't think this pattern was made very long as you sure don't see it much! The old vintage jar with a metal lid holds a large ball strand of pink mercury glass beads that are new but I am an equal opportunity mercury glass buyer. And besides, hello, they are pink! By the way I LOVE old glass jars, too, but that will have to be another post! :)

Now the first photo is of what used to be my daughter's room. She grew up on me, darn her, went off to Texas A&M and is now married to her sweetie, lives in California and is an elementary teacher! Soooo her room got transformed into my craft, eBay, Etsy, antique mall preparing room! Whoosh! It does NOT look like this picture anymore as it is somewhat filled up, and a bit messy at the moment, but I will post pictures soon of it's "loveliness"! I am in love with the great black and white floor and I have even more shelving now than what is here. Don't hate me!
The bottom photo is of some items I have listed on eBay right now, lynnesfinds is my seller name, that are from an estate sale I am currently working on. These pieces are sterling and very nice to say the least!!!! Please check them out if they interest you, they are beautiful pieces! So that is a little of what I am, and have been, up to lately. I will try my best to not take so long to update and my finished room pics will be coming soon! Have a great week!

...just had to share my "Roses"!

 I have a vintage glass brick vase sitting in my dining room windowsill. It has become a gathering spot for stems of bone china roses.

 I find them at estate sales, garage sales, antiques shops and elsewhere. I may find a couple, a bunch or one and I stick them in this vase.

 I love the colors and variety. These will all end up some day in my mosaics but for now I just enjoy them.

 This box contains about 30 something bone china rose groupings and place card holders. I purchased them on eBay back in the spring but too much was going on to open the box up...so it sat.

 Until now.....look at all those peanuts. I LOVE peanuts. Yes, they are messy and a pain in the rear but oh how I need them for packing when I sell on Etsy and eBay. They are great!

 This is what is in the box! They are exquisite, beautiful, delicate....you get the picture. They will make some of my mosaics just pop!

And lastly, on top of my microwave! Yes, my mother didn't raise me this way..it just happened. Again, look at the variety of flowers. This isn't just roses. There are all types of flowers in this group! Creations are coming, don't know when, but just had to share!!! Have a wonderful week!

Vintage Birdcage Project Update & My Colorful Antique Daybed

 I posted this picture the other day and told about finding it. I absolutely love this sweet birdcage but the blue had to go!!! I dislike most blues, not AQUA & TURQUOISE which I LOVE, but do not HATE blue like my grandma did. Oh how she hated blue, anything and everything blue and she wasn't afraid to tell you about it either. In the early 70's my Dad had a Satellite Sebring, sooooo cool, as his work vehicle-he loved teeny-bopper cars. Anyway, you guessed it....it was electric blue-again, sooooo cool- and Grandma hated it and she let us know!!! Secretly I wondered if my Dad picked blue just to get her goat, ha! Just to clarify (if you are not my family) this grandma is my Texas grandma. My Missouri grandma couldn't hate anything, at least that is how I remember her!

 Look at my birdcage now after several coats of Krylon "Ballet Slipper Pink"-isn't the name even sweet? It is perfection!

 To top it off I found this perfect green depression glass bird feeder/waterer at a local shop! Of course I jumped right on it, while mildly gasping 'cuz I was so excited, AND it was half price! I hope nobody heard me! And this green is just my color, too. A lot of colors are "just my color"!

 Obviously, I LOVE color, just look at my refurbished antique daybed! (Click the picture for a closer look) I am 53 years old and I slept on this as a young teen when we would visit my grandparents home. They lived in Independence, MO and had awesome garage/estate sales there. My grandma actually bought this at a garage sale for fifty cents!!! It had a pull out bed inside and was covered in a torn faded velvety fabric. When they passed away years ago we stored this at our warehouse. Well, a couple of years ago I finally got inspired and had it fixed up. I found the fabric on eBay and painted the wood black and my local upholsterer finished it up. Then I just started adding throws and pillows-check out the hot pink crushed velvet 1960's bedspread! This is actually in my dining room right now but I have used it in the living room, too! What do you think? Wild, right??? Gotta go now......have a colorful day!

Let's get started!!!

Let's see, where to begin? I LOVE God, my precious family and am an extremely positive person. I love to antique, craft, and am always on the lookout for the next great find! I have a fabulous family consisting of my dear sweet husband, beautiful daughter-and new son-in-law-and a very handsome son.
  I am not fond of flying although I will get on the plane and go! Nearly all our married life I have driven on vacations and trips. I have to, I think it has something to do with being in control! Hmmm, maybe that's why I don't like flying? My daughter is moving to California shortly to join her Air Force husband so I may have to fly more, yuck!
  I am a gardener and am partial to native plants and especially like ones that attract butterflies and birds. I feed "my" birds nearly everyday with the standard wild birdseed plus the occasional old bread or leftovers. If they don't eat these "extras" the nasty possums will! Yikes! My backyard is very small but it is just enough for me. In the front yard I have rose bushes in assorted colors lining the walk to our front door. It is gorgeous when they are all in bloom at once. They are my pride and joy of the front yard!
  My bread and butter these days comes from conducting estate sales. This came about naturally as I managed my parent's antiques shop for nearly 31 years. A friend had this business and several years ago decided she no longer wanted to do it and offered it to me. I jumped in with both feet and have never looked back. When the shop closed a year ago this business helped pay the bills and is getting better all the time. I also sell antiques and collectibles on Ebay and Etsy with the name lynnesfinds. Because I love to craft I sell my creations using vintage jewelry, found items, bits, pieces and broken china, etc. on lynnesjeweledfinds on Etsy. It is so gratifying when someone buys one of my "artsy" pieces and then tell me how much they love it when it is in their hands. That is what keeps me going........
  It is late now and my eyelids are heavy. I hope you like my blog and I plan to post at a very regular pace so please check back!