Vintage Linens ~ Show and Tell Sunday

Hello and welcome to another Show and Tell Sunday ! This week's theme is Vintage Linens (a personal favorite of mine !) Thank you Cerri for hosting this week's theme. To see the other participants, please visit Cerri's Blog at Little Pink Studio .

A Linen Press or linen holder is a wonderful way to safely store and protect your favorite linens. Isn't this green "linen keep" a beauty !



I often look for absolute treasures that need a bit of TLC. I happen to have the perfect match for this antique red embroidery thread. A few stitches here and there to replace the lost threads and it will look as good as new. This is an oldie ~ home spun linen.

I love luncheon size tablcloths with lace detail or crocheted inserts.

Matching sets are always nice ~ linen tablecloth, napkins and a bun warmer.

I look for linens that are a bit unusual . . . like these lovely butterflies.

A nice change from florals and great for Spring decorating.

Cutwork , embroidery, linen and lace has a stunning impact !

Embroidered Linens are a personal favorite.

It must take so much work to complete !

Table Linens from the 1950s are wonderful.

There are so many themes and colors to choose from.

This tablecloth is all weather-vanes.


Roses are so pretty !

Raised Crochet ~ Cabbage Roses are even better !

Pretty Linens make your tea set look wonderful !

I hope you have enjoyed some of my favorite pieces. I have many beautiful linens available in My Shop . I will be having a store update on May 20, 2008.

I am participating in the Cottage Charm Blogwide Giveaway ! Please see the post below to sign-up for my giveaway. The draw is on May 31, 2008.

Thank you for visiting ~ Karen.

Ciderantiques Cottage Charm Giveaway May 31st

Sign-up is now Closed ~ The winner will be selected today ~ May 31, 2008.
Wow 180 comments (minus my own post that clarified International is OK, and minus any duplicates). That's Great !
Thank you for all your comments and for visiting my store.
My two children and I will do the draw after breakfast today!

I will post the winner soon.

Hello ! I am excited to offer my first giveaway! I am a participant in the Cottage Charm Blogwide Giveaway. To see the list of other participants, please see Kim's blog at Twice Remembered cottage, One woman's cottage life

I will draw the winner for my giveaway on May 31, 2008.

I will ship Internationally :-). Please sign up by May 30, 2008.

My online store just opened in May. In your post for my giveaway, please state which category in my online store www.ciderantiques.com interests you the most.

This information will be useful to me in the future, when I am buying items for my store. Now on to the fun part . . . .

Ciderantiques ~ Cottage Charm Giveaway

~ A lace doily and Two mint condition vintage hankies ~

Pink and white with lace and floral embroidery

~ Roses ~

The cutest little vintage tea towel with an appliqued teacup (it opens)

~ Sweet floral embroidery ~

plus 2 large organdy appliques and 3 tiny floral buttons

Two stunning Doilies:

~ Vintage Doily ~ Raised pink Cabbage Roses ~

~ Antique Ecru Doily ~ Irish Crochet ~

A vintage collar with blue and white tatting

Some thinning on the white organdy ~ the tatting is perfect ~

All these cottage goodies in one big Giveaway !


The winner will be announced on May 31, 2008

Good Luck and thanks for visiting ~ Karen at Ciderantiques

Cottage Charm ~ Blog-wide Giveaway ~ Participant

This is a fun one! . . . Last year Kim at Twice Remembered Cottage, One Woman's Cottage Life organized a blog-wide cottage themed giveaway. There were over 40 participants last year that offered giveaways (all at the same time) on their blogs. There were also many, many more who signed up for the various giveaways. It sounds like great fun!

It is a wonderful way to discover new cottage, romantic, and vintage oriented blogs (aren't we always on the lookout for those?). Kim has generously decided to host again this year.

Time for the 2nd Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway!

This year's blog-wide draw will be on May 31st, 2008, so you still have a couple of weeks to post your giveaways.

I will be participating this year and I will have the details of my giveaway soon.

I have posted a link near the top of my blog for the Cottage Charm Giveaway ~ so you can read about the details on Kim's blog. It just started today, so don't worry if you don't see many names yet . . . everyone will need a few days to post their own giveaway details and then add their links to Kim's blog. I am sure there will be lots of treasures to sign-up for :-).

Please come visit me again soon for my sign-up post. I will try and have it done by Friday.
~ Karen

Picton Ontario ~ Pretty town in S. Ontario

In early May I had the pleasure of attending an antique auction at this gorgeous red brick heritage home in Picton, Ontario, Canada. Picton is a beautiful little town and was one of the earliest settlements in Canada ~ long before our country officially existed. Picton was located in the British Colony known as Upper Canada ~ 1791 - 1841 and Canada West between 1841 to 1867. Canada became "a Kingdom in her own right" in 1867.

Lovely little Picton, Ontario dates back to 1837 (on the record books). As a result, Picton is full of heritage. This lovely home was the site of an estate sale and antique auction . . . the kind that is rarely available to the public. The kind of sale that makes me drive 3 hours to get there !

This heritage home is almost 150 years old and its former owners (Jackson - MacDonald - Nourse ) participated in the sale. Many items date back to the original owners. Wonderful treasures were unveiled. The auctioneer even came out of retirement for this unique sale!

The front door and porch are stunning. I got a few pictures after the auction was over.



On sale day I discovered quilts, linens and trunks full of Victorian and Edwardian clothing ! I did win three large boxes full of linens and clothing. I will be very busy photographing it all.

Some items went well above what most people could afford. See that tiny little red and black wallet/purse on the dresser below, with the diamond pattern . . . it sold for $1,500.00 !!! Apparently it was signed and dated (late 1700's) by it's owner and completely hand made. Not much of a surprise to hear that I did not win that one, LOL. There was lots of competition at this auction sale (from Toronto I would guess). My daughter said she enjoyed watching me fight it out with the big boys ;-).

Then this little dresser sold for only $125.00. I think I was still in shock about the purse . . . so I was asleep at the wheel, so to speak. Boy I wish I had bought it ! Don't you wish you could go back in time . . . and do auction day over again ; -). I did win the linens in the big black container (botton right of photo). Lovely redwork, embroidery and victorian clothing in that lot. I have lots of goodies for my new online store.

This is another historic home in Picton . . . it looks beautiful with the Magnolia tree in bloom.



My husband and I were married in Piction. The Merrill Inn is where I stayed the night before my wedding, with my Maid of Honour. We stayed in the room with the lovely bay window.

This is where my daughter hopes to get married ~ the 1904 colonial manner that was lovingly restored to its grandeur and made into the Claramount Spa and Inn. It overlooks Picton Bay and has a Secret Garden Setting. Stunning ! I guess I should start saving now ~ ha ha.




Ah well, enough of dream land . . .back to work photographing the lovely Edwardian and Victorian clothing I won at the auction : ).

I will let you know when I expect to have my next store update.
A sneak peek of the white-work and lace . . .

Happy Mother's Day !

My two children surprised me today with their Mother's Day gifts . . . they said they couldn't wait any longer :-).

Isn't that card the cutest ! I love my vintage dessert tray, with the pretty beaded edge and the sweetest little heart shaped center and the oh so scrumptious homemade cupcakes.

And a wonderful magazine to go along with them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For my Mom ~ Happy Mother's Day ~ Love you today and Always xoxoxo

Five Generations . . . . My Nanny on the left and my Great "England Nanny" on the right. My Great Nanny liked Green prints too! Very propper those two . . . note the folded hands. I think this picture was taken in the 1950's.

My lovely Mom on her Wedding Day in July 2000, me on the right, and my daughter . . . the excited little Flower Girl.

My favourite picture of my mom and I . . . matching Flower Power dresses in 1972 !

This picture ties for my favourite photo with my mom . . . gotta love

those cool 1960's bathing caps.

My Mother's Day Flowers are potted, so I can enjoy them all summer. My daughter chose well didn't she !

Wishing you all a great Mother's Day Weekend ~ Karen.

Grand Opening ~ Ciderantiques.com

Well . . . I have taken the plunge and started my own webstore. The Grand Opening is May 8, 2008. My store is up and running :-).

Please drop by for a visit at ciderantiques.com . I have listed items in the first five categories . . .

Quilts and Pillowcases:

Tablecloths and Toppers:

Lace and Crochet:

Doilies and Runners:

Vintage Hankies:

The remaining categories are Vintage Clothing (Children's/Woman's) and Accessories. I will list many more items in those categories next week.

If you are the first to use "check out" please let me know how it goes : ).

Thanks for dropping by! ~ Karen.

Show and Tell ~ Favorite Places to Treasure Hunt

Hi Gals! Welcome to another great Show and Tell Sunday! (I posted a bit early because I will be away this weekend) I live just outside of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. This Antique Market is one of my favorites . It is downtown, near a cluster of antique shops in a trendy part of the city. Very popular with the tourists in the summer!

I love going to auctions!! The Lombardy Agricultural Hall is often used as an Auction House. My good friend and partner in crime, LOL . . . Deb from Land of Nod Studio's loves to treasure hunt too. We meet at the auction hall and then we go out for coffee afterwards.

Would you believe that it was actually snowing when we returned to our cars !?! This picture was taken on April 30th. Deb's look says it all ! Luckily we wished the bad weather away . . . and the sun came back out.

It was a good day for quilts ! Aren't those little bunny blankets the cutest !

Almonte, Ontario is one of my favorite little towns. It has a sweet main street and wonderful stores filled with treasures. It is about 30 minutes away from my home. Curiosities is a great store! It is full of assorted antiques and vintage items.

Another great reason to visit Almonte is to have a snack or tea at the cafes, restaurants, bakeries and of course, my favorite, the ice cream hut right across the street from Curiosities (opening soon for the summer months).

Inside Curiosities is a treasure trove of goodies . . .

I bought that lovely cream Battenburg Lace Tablecloth. It is a beauty! You can see my earlier post on April 24th for additional pictures of my finds. I was so excited to share my shopping adventure that day.


I also bought that cute little yellow dress in the top right corner, and the white antique blouse shown in the bottom left.

Here is a group photo of the lace and linens I bought from Curiosities. Always a good day ! I bought the pink floral hat from a new collectibles store called Vintage Wares/Wears. I will have to go back for another visit (as I was running out of time ~ LOL).


The "Blackbird ~ neat stuff for every nest" is on the same main street. It is a lovely store in Almonte full of wonderul home decorating items, antique furniture, linens and iron work.

I love the way the owner ~ Emily ~ displays her items. The old and new are beautifully combined.

A lovely cottage style with a warm feel in this store . . .

And summer is just around the corner . . . .

I purchased a sweet little bird and flower pot . . .

The little birdie is perched on my mantle for now . . . until I have my outdoor garden area set up.


I will be away this weekend looking for more great items ~ a yummy vintage clothing and textiles auction in southern Ontario has my attention ! Road Trip :-)

FYI ~ I am currently constructing my online store Ciderantiques and will have my Grand Opening on May 8, 2008. Please drop by for a visit ! Many of the vintage items you see here will be available in my store.

Happy Treasure Hunting ! ~ Karen