Meet me in Marshall.

When Sara and I were younger, she used to come with me quite often for weekends-at-dad's trips. They weren't particularly eventful, but I was always thrilled to have her company. We used to watch a lot of movies, and one movie that always reminds me of those visits is Dolls (click here for a good giggle). I mention this randomly because at one part in the movie, two punk rock girls are making fun of the old doll makers and use the words "an-teek-ees" and "anti-ques." And guess what adult Sara and I love to do? Go antique shopping! Back to this in a moment...

Sara and I both have Fridays off, and last week she was so nice as to meet me halfway (she started in Novi, so it was 1.5 hours-ish each) in Marshall, Mich. Neither of us had been there before, but we're always up for an adventure. And they had a brewpub (Dark Horse Brewing Co.) where we could meet for lunch.

We sipped on some beers and ordered twin sandwiches - portobellas, artichoke hearts, spinach, sundried tomato pesto, feta. Mostly, we caught up and wondered what would happen if all the mugs hanging from the ceiling fell down.

Eek!

Luckily, the mugs stayed put, and we survived to explore downtown Marshall. And guess what? Despite the meters - parking is free. Score! Who knew Marshall had so much to offer: historic homes, the American Museum of Magic... Of course, we just went in the antique stores. And they sure have a lot of them! And they sure had a lot of creepy stuff. Sara and I decided we should write the "Creepy Ass Stuff at Antique Stores" book.

Clowns, of course. Strangely popular. No wonder we are all afraid of clowns as adults...

We all float down here.

Creepy cats...

 Creepy bunnies...

Weird poodles...

And, not creepy at all, awesome chickens, because it was Respect for Chickens Day.

Our most favoritest find was the three-story Amazing Grace Antiques. Not creepy at all (except for the cat in the prom dress), this store was booth after booth of mainly '50s/'60s/'70s items, all organized into fun, inviting, and colorful displays. This thoughtfulness goes a long way with me. You may have the coolest stuff hidden somewhere in your display, but if it is a big ole mess, I'm not even going to look.

Thanks for the wonderful day, Sara!

Speaking of anti-ques, Sunday was the first Antiques on the Bluff. Hooray for summer in St. Joe! It was also a beautiful morning, so Hillary, Liz, and I walked to town to check out the goods. It was a light purchase day, but browsing is always fun - and I was happy to see the influx of Pyrex dishes with lid.

But mooooom! What did you get?!

Since Georgie insists... Here are my sweet finds from the weekend -

 

 

 

In order - a Pyrex oj jug, a small yellow creamer (?), a hilarious circus dog glass, plastic nesting canisters that can't possibly have ever been used (label included; these smelled EXACTLY like my grandparents' house when I opened them), three swanky swig glasses, and this crazy Anchor Hocking cereal bowl that must have been part of some promotional something or other in the '80s because I definitely had it when I was a kid. Can't wait to serve my mom something in it to see if she notices.... :)