Nellie's Barn Sale

10/08/2025

HAPPY 81st BIRTHDAY SMOKEY BEAR!!!

07/08/2025

AHHHHH. WISCONSIN LAKE LIFE!

We aren't too far north into Wisconsin but we'd like to believe we are. I had planned on putting wallpaper behind the bed but just couldn't commit. Plus the cottage is not heated in the winter so I certainly didn't want to use peel and stick not knowing if it would still be up in the spring, lol. Then one day I was downtown and found this reproduction vintage Wisconsin tourism postcard. I had it blown up onto canvas from . I went with just rolled canvas instead of stretching it on a wood frame. Four thumbtacks and voila... perfect artwork for the bedroom.

05/08/2025

It's just around the corner...check out the first map and list for my Vintage Shop Hop!!!

EASY TO USE: ZOOM in close to see all the stores in a neighborhood...towns with multiple shops within close proximity of each other are stacked. Click or tap the icon to open detail of any shop. Colored icons represent the 5 different "shop types". LEGEND: Vintage Shops/Antique Malls = Purple Home D...

31/07/2025

BEST. ROAD TRIP. EVER.

Never shop hopped? This is the motherlode of all road trips! My "Fall 2025" version of the popular Vintage Shop Hop is right around the corner.

On October 3 & 4 hundreds vintage shops, antique malls & boutiques throughout hundreds of towns in Illinois and Wisconsin will roll out the red carpet for you with discounts, door prices, demonstrations, fun and games, live music, food trucks, swag bags, and more. Check out our website for Master List of Shops and Google Map:

jump over to our page to follow along. Shops begin to register tomorrow and the list will grow for the next several weeks.

27/07/2025

INSTANT RE-DO....and I love it!!

Two hours. $21.00. Done. (Swipe for the before photos and product used).

19/07/2025

IT'S COMING....BEST. ROAD TRIP. EVER.

Never shop hopped? This is the motherlode of all road trips! My "Fall 2025" version of the popular Vintage Shop Hop is right around the corner.

On October 3 & 4 hundreds vintage shops, antique malls & boutiques throughout hundreds of towns in Illinois and Wisconsin... Shops will roll out the red carpet for you with discounts, door prices, demonstrations, fun and games, live music, food trucks, swag bags, and more. Shops begin to register in August.. but in the meantime if you're planning a road trip you can check out our website for Master List of Shops and Google Map from this past spring...

https://bit.ly/GetTheList_and_Map

16/07/2025

Fall is right around the corner--can you smell it? And you know what that means, right?

The Vintage Shop Hop fall edition is October 3 & 4. TAG your road trip pals now!

Shop registration begins August 1-September 22. Shop owners can visit the linked page above on August 1 to find a link to register. You save $20 by registering in the first 7 days. (Shoppers don't need to do anything except get it on your calendar)!

11/07/2025

THE PERFECT TOUCH...

If you listen to the lyrics of this song it fits the bill exactly for my new sign. I saw it. I liked it. I want it. So I bought it.

Last week as I was flipping through IG squares I saw this beauty at one of my local vintage stops, in Rockton Illinois. Come on. How much more perfect could it be? Am I from Sterling? No. But my husband's a Vietnam veteran, and we support VFWs.

Swipe to see a video of the whole porch. It's my favorite spot to sit when I'm at the lake.

I must go now, the sun is out finally! I'm headed to a thrift store. Don't judge.

08/07/2025

WHO CAN PASS UP VINTAGE WICKER?

Last week my husband and I had to meet up with a friend at a thrift store to haul a used patio set for him. While the guys were loading the trailer, I ran inside for a quick peek. This perfectly patinaed and perfect green wicker vase was just waiting for me. The little ball feet added a sweet touch.

A few weeks prior I picked up the wicker napkin holder for a quarter. I'm considering moving it to my desk to hold envelopes, postcards and stamps.

What about you? Do you love vintage wicker?

04/07/2025

ENJOY YOUR FREEDOM.

03/07/2025

PORCH SITTIN'...

I am ready for the holiday weekend. Last week on my trip out west to see my son in Boise, we spent a day in the mountains in the sweet little town of Idaho City. I picked up these nautical plastic beverage glasses at a charity thrift shop. It was a 'name your price' shop so I gave them $3 for two of them.

If you're looking for something refreshing for these hot days try from . Comes in a 12 pack of four flavors. Mine included raspberry, pineapple, natural lime, and black cherry.

I'm loving the pop of green from the little table I painted couple of weeks ago. It's the perfect green and breaks up the red white and blue. I love painting with because of the built-in top coat and goes on smooth and creamy. The color is 'Park Bench'.

I hope you can do a little porch sitting yourself this weekend. Be safe and enjoy the holiday.

30/06/2025

LAND OF LIBERTY...

As we lead into our most patriotic national holiday weekend, I think about the sheer courage of our founding fathers and creating a country from scratch.

We all know that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were to the key founding fathers whose accomplishments helped shape our American freedom and the development of the United States. A perfect refresher on what these two men, who were lifelong friends, accomplished in a short period of time is to watch the HBO series entitled John Adams, which aired several years ago.

Here's a snippet of their lives...

John Adams was a strong advocate for independence and played a major role in convincing Congress to declare it. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence and later served as the first vice president and second president of the U.S. He defended the rule of law early on—even representing British soldiers in court after the Boston Massacre—showing his belief that justice should apply to all. As president, he helped strengthen the young nation’s government and upheld the peaceful transfer of power, a cornerstone of American democracy.

Thomas Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, expressing the idea that all people are created equal and have unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As the third president, he expanded the country through the Louisiana Purchase and championed limited government and individual rights. Jefferson also promoted public education and freedom of religion, helping to lay the foundation for many of the freedoms Americans enjoy today.

Together, Adams and Jefferson helped define the principles of liberty, democratic government, and the rights of citizens that continue to guide the nation.

INTERESTING FACT: their relationship was a complex mix of close friendship, political rivalry, and eventual reconciliation. At the ages of 90 and 83, despite a period of estrangement, they eventually reconciled and corresponded frequently until their deaths on the same day, July 4, 1826.