Remembering Moravia on a Cold Day in November

Today in the beautiful midwest--it is particularly raw and windy.  I think the door has slammed shut on autumn.  I am always a little sad when that happens.  I decided to list a few things on ebay--you can check them out under my username sellinglikecrazy.  I also decided to relive a small piece of our recent trip to Moravia.

One of most favorite adventures was a visit to the castle of Trebesice, home of Alberto di Stefano and Eugenio Percossi.  These two men opened their home to our small group for a delicious lunch an tour of the grounds.  What a place.

These two men have transformed the beautiful castle and the public can stay--IF you are an artist.  They attract artists who they wine and dine and then the artist is to create a piece of artwork that they leave on property.  So the castle is an incredible collection of styles and art pieces--a real visual treat.

 They treated us to a beautifully decorated table and an incredible multi course lunch.

What does all this have to do with midwestern antique chatter?  Nothing.  Just my nostalgic trip back to Moravia on a nasty blustery day.

Grand Cafe Orient Prague versus Starbucks

Dear Husbola and I have been blessed to have traveled to the Czech Republic many times over the last 22 years.  It truly is one of our favourite places--and holds many serendipitous travel memories--and is a virtual jewel box for any antique lover.

When we think of cafe society--we automatically and romantically think of Paris.  All those movies and all those books that mention Les Deux Magots, Le Fouquets, Cafe de Phares or Cafe de Flore.  But--Dear Readers--they won't be able to keep you down on the midwestern farm after you have seen the cafes of Prague.  The likes of Grand Cafe Orient, Cafe Savoy and Cafe Slavia have a personality that rivals Paris in spades.

 We Americans think the coffee craze and coffee shop mentality began with us?  Not so!  Prague intelligentia and artists and writers have been frequenting cafes forever--and there are no faux IKEA look sofas and children's play areas.

The Grand Cafe Orient was a find for us on this recent trip to Bohemia--and we returned twice. This cafe has always been on the upper floor of a popular corner (the Black Madonna building)--but remained closed until the 1990s over some legal wrangling.  It has reopened and is the only totally cubist decorated cafe in Prague.  It is a cubist lovers dream--from the chairs, lights, coat hooks to door handles.  As you recall-cubism is where forms are abstract and often geometric and angular.  Think art deco on steroids.  They serve light snacks and the ever present cakes (nothing recharges the tourist batteries like coffee and cake in the mid afternoon!)

On this particular sunny day--we took the lift to the second floor and really gasped at the fabulous decor.  Dear Husbola promptly ordered his favourite Algerian coffee (espresso, egg liquer and whipped cream) and I ordered a more mundane cappachino.  It is served in the traditional cafe style on a silver tray, with a small glass of water and a mini macaroon.  Bliss!  Best of all--this cafe did not appear to be on the normal tourist trail--and there were many tables of locals having business meetings and their light refreshment.

So for a little while, Dear Husbola and Lady Antique Dealer were transformed into Franz Kafka and His Sort of Non Wife Dora and steeped ourselves in wonderful Prague cafe life.

Winter and Spring Show Prep--Today or Never!

I hope to get some style points on my best of intentions today.

I really did intend to write my next blog post today about our recent trip to Bohemia and Moravia and the antiques scene there.  I also intended to go through my recipes and sort out some good sounding fall ones--and maybe even make one for dinner.  I further intended to list a few things on ebay under our selling name sellinglikecrazy today. (I actually may get to that later).  But instead--I have our inventory that is stored in the garage spread all over the driveway and I am sorting and labelling for our winter and early spring shows.  I really am.

This fall--we are not doing any shows--we will just be continuing to sell in our two antique center spaces in Madison and Walworth Wisconsin.  We will continue to attend auctions and a few estate sales to start collecting good inventory for selling in 2012.  But until I organize what we have in the garage--nothing more will fit in it--and  will not be able to find anything when we start doing shows in February.

This is one of those projects that frustrates me.  In a perfect world--everything would be in nicely sorted bins--and all with neat labels--that would make packing for a shop or show so easy.  Time to go to Odana in Madison?  Here is this lovely labeled covered bin--load 'er up and off we go.  Without going into detail about my pathetic current organizing--let's just say that is not how it is currently done.

But things are now going to be different.  I do not want to be wrestling around in the garage in late January trying to find things for our shows.  I am putting things in labeled bins and finding all sorts of neat stuff that I forgot we had.  French stuff English stuff and decorative stuff --who knew?

So instead of taking a day trip to the Delafield Antique show this weekend--I am staying home and being a responsible Lady Antique Dealer today.  I will thank myself come January!

What a Difference a Day Makes

Twenty-four hours ago, Dear Husbola and I were in the Czech Republic having lunch.

My entree was fallow deer saddle with forest mushroom sauce with carmelized shallots and layered potatoes served at the restaurant of Chateau Heralec.  This followed a morning visit to the library of the  Gothic castle at Namest na Oslavou which was rebuilt in the 1500s as a stately home. After lunch, on to Cesky Sternberg -- a castle still inhabited by the original family who built it.  By the way, Count Zdenek Sternberg is 88 and still drives his car into town.

We were so blessed to be able to take an incredible,  special holiday in the Czech Republic that was sponsored by Dan's college.  We were treated to days of incredible sights, sounds, colors, cuisine, ANTIQUES and hosted by the beautiful people of this remarkable part of the world.  In the next several posts,  I will  introduce you,  Dear Readers, to the Magic of Bohemia and Moravia--and I know it will be of interest to antiquers and lovers of rich history.

Our visits and travels were planned to the finest detail by the Incredible Harriet Landseer (who I will link to her site later)  At her request, I will not be able to specifically tell which antiques are found at what location.  In October 1989  the Velvet Revolution exploded, and communism was out and the country began the incredible task of  returning private property to the original displaced private owners.  We were not on the usual tourist trail--so the privacy of who owns what will be preserved here.

So--give me a few days to let the dust settle.    If you have a bucket list--consider putting the Czech Republic on it.  Near the top.

Don't Pass Up a Junky Looking Shop

Returning from a quick trip to Door County this past week, Dear Husbola and I decided to take our time coming home--to hit the antique shops on our path of course.  We have made this trip before--so we have our mental list of shops that we always stop at--and we were eager to shop.

Dear Husbola and I have a rule--even if we not bought something at a shop in several years--we will still visit a shop in our path.  You just never know.

Years ago--we picked up a brochure for the shops in the Fox Valley of Wisconsin--and we visited all the shops.  There is a small one--off the beaten track, in a little town in the heart of cheese country.  We stop every year.  Great stuff-nice owner--reasonable prices--ALWAYS find things.  Always.  But the front of the shop does not say "Whoa there--STOP HERE!" Instead it says "Tired Town-Pass Me By".

This trip--what did we find?  A 1930s complete film projector, two gorgeous ornate electric church candlesticks, a huge ornate hanging chandelier from a church, a great little lodge table and a collection of great old industrial gauges--and a bunch of other stuff.

Really. Trust me on this.  Hope springs eternal.  Stop at that little off the beaten track shop--no matter what it's curb appeal-if any.

The Unpredictability of an Auction

Dear Husbola and I headed out to a local auction on Saturday.  The usual AuctionZip perusal of the offerings did not turn up any auction too terrific--so we headed out to Sycamore to attend one.  The advertisement promised several estates--and the pictures did not promise much--but the weather was good, the calendar clear and off we went.

The auction was held in a large vacant lot--and outside were six flat bed wagons stuffed with box lots of "stuff" and the inside building was filled with what appeared on first glance as "just furniture." There were a few glass display cases filled with silver and jewelry and collectibles.

We decided to stay- (I should say I decided to stay and Dear Husbola reluctantly agreed.)-The auction began outside on the wagons of dreck--  a true household collection of Xmas decorations, kitchen gadgets, souvenirs from trips taken long ago and mish mash.  Sifting through quickly I was beginning to question whether we had made the right decision to stay and then I spied it.  A cardboard flat containing an early 20th century wooden box stuffed with early recipes. Accompanying it were several other folders of recipes.  Hundreds and hundreds of time worn, kitchen tested recipes on recipe cards--with lots of notations from the cook.  Yeppers--that was going to be MINE.

We also found a pair of great, late 50s industrial style drafting table, gray metal lamps.  Great condition-great look--just the industrial type that buyers are clammering for today.  Yuppers--those puppies were going to be mine too.

Throughout the auction we picked up a few other treasures--including a great set of Russell Wright dishes and serving pieces in the rare chartreuse curry color.  Mid century is hot hot hot right now.  Great.  The stuff I grew up with as a kid is now called mid century.  (Heck--I AM mid century aged for goodness sake.  But I digress.)

Ok--here the box of recipes are coming up for auction.  I have already written a clever blog post in my head about those recipes and a story about the cook.  A woman starts the bidding at $5.00.  Before the blink of an an eye--my $50 ceiling breezes by and the box of recipes soars to $125.  WHAT!!!!??????
I was stunned.  And I did not get them.  The woman who did had a "I will not be denied" look about her.  Wow.  Maybe she was a family member who was bidding from sentimentality.  Maybe she saw them as the start of a new best selling Illinois Prairie Land Farm Recipe Book.  Maybe she was just nuts.

Now--dejected old me was ready for the two industrial lamps.  Yikes--how high would I have to go on those?  Bidding starts.  I get them both for $10.  WHAT!!!!????  Two incredible lamps for $10.00??  I would have paid the $125.00 for them--and $10.00 for the recipe box-not exactly the opposite.

Go figure.  I'll never understand auction mentality.  Regardless- I hope to be attending them till I drop.

Sure Signs that Summer is Slipping Away

No matter how hard I try--it is like hanging on the side of a cliff by the tips of my fingers--like Eva Marie Saint in North By Northwest.  Remember that movie?--she and Cary Grant are being chased by evil criminals over the crags of Mt. Rushmore and she slips and is hanging by her fingertips over the edge.

That is how I approach the end of summer.  PLEASE NOOOOOOOO!  Not yet!!!

But "yet" has arrived  The limelight hydrangeas are getting that early fall tinge.  Dear Husbola has been reminding me that the meteorological start to fall happened over a month ago and that Xmas is in "X" amount of months.   The petunias in pots are saying "I'm done".  Our show schedule is over for another year.  Auction goer garb now included a jeans jacket.

We are not doing any shows this fall.  We finished out the year at Elkhorn in August and are now zeroing in on keeping the shops stocked and starting some theme stockpiling for next spring's shows.  It does seem like it was just a short time ago that we were preparing for the Blumen Gardens and Rockford shows.  But it was seven months ago.


This has been a mediocre auction season.  I am not sure if people are moving less--therefore less auctions.  But our usual full calendar of good estate auctions is fewer and far between.  We are less willing to jump in the car and drive great distances and stay overnight on the "speck" of an auction in an area we are not familiar with.

Sales at Walworth and Odana have been strong this summer--we are very happy about that.  So we march into fall feeling better about the business than we have in awhile. 

There are plenty of shows this fall--we just do not do them.  The WADA show in Waukesha and the Fox Valley show are both in October.  There are plenty of area shows in people's barns and yards-more of those cropping up all the time.  Rustic settings with pumpkins and haystacks and attractive vintage whatevers filled with bittersweet vines.  Some even serve hot apple cider to shoppers.

But for me--I will just go out and give those darn petunias another fertilizer cocktail.