trips, goodies and gas prices

i had to travel this week, and when i do i like to scout out new antique stores and visit old favorites. this is one of the many advantages of having to travel the state for my job! first, lets talk about gas prices. i have one thing to say about the current cost of gas.................ARGGGGGGGGG!!!!!


Enough said on that topic.

moving on to better things. i went up toward morgantown, west virginia. think WVU. i have been elected to the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Central West Virginia and i am so excited about this! what a wonderful organization. i have to stay the night when i attend a board meeting, so this gives me the opportunity to prowl for goodies for my altered art and jewlery making! and did i ever hit the jack pot this week!

i have a few favorite places i like to visit when i travel that way. one is Sisters Antique Mall at exit 69 (i think that is the exit number) off of 79 in Flatwoods, West Virginia. i can spend hours in there! this is about the half way point on the way to Fairmont, West Virginia so it is a great place to stop, stretch and search for treasure.

when i arrived in Fairmont, i saw a new sign that said Fairmont Avenue Antiques. ohhhhhh, a new place to check out! i was so excited. so, i went. and am i ever glad i did! i meet the nicest person there, and guess what, she designs her own wall paper! i have never met anyone who does that, and i saw some of her work and those of use who do altered art would just die to have some of her scraps! maybe she will start selling us some!



it was a lovely shop, with room after room of delightful goodies. i spent so much time in there! i found some wonderful items, some really old LIFE mags from the early 1930's, a new mag i had never seen before from the 1930's, an old doll in the nina bagley style. i found old buttons, wooden pegs, milk bottle caps, and tons of other stuff. this is now one of my favorite stores and on my "go back to list"! here are some pictures of this awesome store for you viewing pleasure!







i have unloaded the car, and now i need to unpack my finds, put them away, and maybe take some pictures of my favorite finds to post! the biggest thing i have found is that when i get these things, many times i don't need all of it. so i was thinking about putting together some kits or packages with some of these finds on my Etsy site for others to buy. what do you think about that? would you leave a comment if you think that is a good idea?

ok, i am off to play with my new toys! i am leaving tomorrow for our annual thanksgiving trip to oklahoma. this will open up a whole new search for goodies and treats! i can't wait to see what treasures i can find in another state! my hubby is going to see a football game, and he spent $200.00 on his ticket alone! so, because i did not want to go, i get the same amount to spend in the art stores, bead stores and antique stores! so watch out oklahoma, here i come!