Wow, how much fun can you jam into a week away? Enough that when all the running around stopped, I slept for about 12 hours straight last night! And today is a day of goofing off and that is about all. Since I don't fly home until tomorrow, and I have literally shopped till I dropped, and seen all the sights to see, today I am not doing much of anything but staying at the computer in the apartment.
I've been exploring Picassa as an editing tool and learned how to make a collage!!!
On the way to taking Beth to the airport in Baltimore so she could fly back to Kansas City, we started early and made a few side trips. I'd heard a lot about "Accessories of Old" in Bethesda, but had never been out there yet.
Now, I had a great time exploring DC with my friends earlier in the week, and seeing all the monuments and museums. BUT- to me, this stuff was every bit as full of history as that was! Am I shallow? Or ignorant? Well, possibly, but I sure loved being surrounded by all these old, beautiful things in this shop a lot more than looking at the Washington Monument.
Yes, I'll have to admit, I am not very deep. All I need is something pretty to look at and I am happy. Add a touch of sparkle and I am thrilled.
Everything in the store is OLD stock, that was stored and never, ever used. Some of it looks brand new, it is in such good shape. Not just some of it, most of it. I'm used to seeing worn out, dog eared button cards at flea markets and antique stores. Not brand spanking new, straight from the factory cards that have never been messed with, but are still about 100 years old.
That is how I love to see history!
Its lucky that Beth had to get to the airport, or I'd probably still be sitting on the floor in that shop going through bins of trinkets.
They had everything, from buttons and trims to jewels and supplies. I was enthralled by it all.
As a painter, I really did appreciate spending time in the National Portrait Gallery in DC, and going to museums. So, I am not completely uncultured. Although, my very favorite part of the city was some extremely old flocked wallpaper on the walls of a store we stopped into. But in my defense, that was paper like I'd never seen anywhere, a real heavy velvet, not a typical flocking!!!!
Next time I go back to Embellishments of Old, I'll be picking up a few of these to dress up a sweater for Sugarwings. There was even one with a Big Bad Wolf, one of her favorite characters. That girl loves the spooky parts of stories, and always prefers the wolf to Red Riding Hood. She is also crazy about the Wicked Witch of the West, but not more so than Dorothy.In Sugarwing's world, Dorothy is the biggest star on the planet, and Ariel is right after her.
On our way to Bethesda, we stopped at Sue's yard sale. She gave us some spectacular deals and I found a pile of cute stuff.
I wished this $20 chair would have fit in my suitcase.
Driving between Arlington and Bethesda, we saw some beautiful scenery. The GPS took us on a round about way, through some old neighbor hoods we would have missed if we'd stayed on the interstates. That kind of sight seeing is one of my favorite things to do. Its much more likely for me to drive around an old neighbor hood and explore there than poke around a museum when I travel. I like to think of it as "living history". But on the other hand, maybe I am just not very deep….
PS- I learned how to make a mosaic just in time to join "Mosaic Monday" at Mary's. She has a list of links to other mosaics that you can check out too.
to dream of days gone by…it’s so romantic!
i love to go to steamboat arabia and think of the ladies moving out west and all the lovely things they were moving with them…the buttons and beads, the ironstone, the silverware. it is so cool to see history standing still like this for us.
have fun…
chas
ohhhhhhhhhh KARLA!!! i am SO SO SO jealous that you went to embellishments of old…wow Wow WOW…it looks just amazing!!! i want to see what you bought there…i hope you show us:)
Karla, that chair was great, such a pity. We love to yardsale up that way when we go to see the kids. Pretty things do make you feel good, and can bring you up on a down day too.
You have a great Monday.
jean in virginia
I am glad you got to Accessories of Old – amazing shop isn’t it. And I tried to make it to Sue’s – but over slept – I was POOPED from the day before I guess!
Karla, I’ll take your version of sightseeing any day!! LindaSonia
Such beautiful embellishments, I think you must have felt you died and went to vintage trim heaven.. What a wonderful week.
Hugs, Diane
Looks like you were in heaven! Thanks for sharing pictures of your lovely trip.
Does that store have a website?? My gosh, everything is beautiful in there….WOW!! is all I can say
Sonia
Hmmm, duh…the name itself was the link to their site. OK, Going there now…=)
Sonia
Karla, Well I guess I’m shallow too, I would never want to leave that wonderful store. It would be a very dangerous place when one is armed with a credit card.
Hugs Karen
Hi Karla, wow, you have had quite a week!
I don’t blame you at all for sleeping in
and resting. Sight-seeing and shopping
can take a good toll on us even though it
is so much fun. I’m so glad you are having
a good trip and I don’t think you are shallow
at all! That chair was gorgeous….and I
think I would have been dragging it around with me and shipping it somehow. I think so..
Accessories of Old looks fabulous! Goodness,
I don’t think I could have left that store
for hours and hours. Any pics of your
condo? Would love to see it. Please
rest and have a safe trip home.
Hugs,
Janis
Oh Karla, I could definitely get into that kind of history, too! LOL Beautiful!!! Thanks for joining the fun at Mosaic Monday. 🙂
I don’t think I could have turned down that chair; it would be heard. When I saw that wall of buttons, I said “Oh my” right outloud and my doggie turned around and looked at me like I was an idiot!!!
Blessings,
Christine
OMYGOODNESS Karla!!!! I would have just FAINTED in that shop!!! Look at all the trims! I would have had to had some serious cash for sure….everything is so amazing ~ I’m so glad you share your adventures with us!!
xxoo, Dawn
If that’s shallow, then I’m rolling up my pants and wading on in to the “shallow water” with you…what an incredible week you had! Thanks for sharing!
XOXO
Cheryl
oh my goodness…..l o v e l y
Agneta from Sweden
I think I just died and went to heaven…oh.my.GOSH!
I think stores like that stir up endless possibilities of creativity. Like food for our creative souls.
That all looked like so much fun!
Oh I love all of that trim!!!!! Goodness I wish I had been there shopping with all of you! Glad you had fun. Miss ya and we need a craft day. I’m dying to make meatballs and crockpot taters 🙂
I was staying at my cousins for the weekend and it seems that I missed a lot over here. That bracelet for Beth is gorgeous, I saw it on her blog too. That shopping weekend looked so great.
Shallow? I just scrolled through the previous comments and there is no one who says that she preferred to see a museum, on the contrary. Ok we all are shallow and I love it! 😀
Ooooooooh! So much pretty eye candy!! Now I want to go do some shopping! tfs
Teacher Karla,
Thanks for the history lesson….you are my kind of teacher, very visual!! Sure beats the ole high school football coach version of a history class. Did you buy any of those beautiful trims?
Really, you could have stayed longer, I would have been fine taking the shuttle- but I don’t know how your credit card would have held up.
That shop looks absolutely incredible. I would have spent hours in there, trying to decide what I could not live without. It just looks amazing there – lucky you!
Awesome mosaic! Great job… they are fun aren’t they? And addicting! And that yard sale… oh my gosh… I saw three or four things just from the photo that I wanted! $20.00 for that chair???? What? FUN post!
Have a great week!
~Really Rainey~
I’m only twenty minutes from Bethesda so I will definitely being heading to Accessories of Old. Thanks for the tip!
how rude of me to drool, on my first visit here. lol can’t help myself. thank you for the visit.
; )
Love all of that trim too. I would have been in lace heaven!
When I was sewing and smocking I would have loved to have seen this shop. It’s to die for.
Wow wish I could have a shop like that close by. I’d be poor but I would also be happy. Great pics thanks for sharing! You have me so addicted to wallpaper now! Thanks for that, come by and see my first jounal I made. Tell me how I did?
I can’t believe that chair was only $20!!
I have embellishment envy after seeing that store. Unbelievable!!
Hugs ~ Kerryanne
lace is fabulous…só pretty I love it
thank you for sharing.
Gr. Anna
FUN FUN !! No i loved the shop — fantastic — will only see it in my dreams — I think all things old have a place in history — They recall what people wore and how they lived — Glad you had such a great time — Kathy – ga
Karla, this place is AMAZING!!!!! how exciting to walk into a place so beautiful. I hope you bought lots of treasures. 😉 I would love to go there next time we are in town.
xo Heather
Karla, What a wonderful store! I think that I could spend hours there just looking and touching everything. Love the little sew on appliques. It sounds like you and your friends had a glorious trip together. What fun.
Really good stuff!! but almost too much, it would be too hard to decide what to buy. You could spend a lifetime just looking and a fortune, too. Lots of eye candy!!!!! Thanks for sharing!
Sandy
Wow – what a fantastic yard sale! And, thank you, I’ve made a note of that store for when we go East next summer…if I can wait that long!!
You are not shallow! You are creative… when you see those pretty things, you see all the beautiful things you can create with them… that makes you an artist… Who cares if it’s not hanging in a museum! Jennifer
This is what my heaven looks like! are you kidding, that chair was only $20 bucks?!?!? You’re killing me!! I miss all you guys so much! looks like you had an awesome time!!
xoxoxo, Tiffany
Oh My Gosh! If just photos of Accessories of Old is making my heart pound, I can’t imagine actually being there!
It sounds like you’ve had a wonderful time on this trip–fun, fun, fun!
That place looks amazing!!!!! I soooooo wish we could’ve gone there…That garage sale looked amazing to…That chair was so pretty…
Stephenie
It really looks like you have been having some fun this summer. Good for you!
OH My Goodness!!!!!!! I have got to find a way to get to Accessories of Old. Helloooo! Skip the dull monument – that place looks beyond fabuous to this “shallow” gal. Hee Hee!!
Accessories of Old looks fabulous! I’m afraid I’d go in and never come out! Would have loved to have seen what you could do with that chair. Go back and get it. You can carry it on can’t you?!