Margaret Ashmun Day and Sundaes on Saturday in Rural

Margaret Ashmun Day and Sundaes on Saturday will be held on Saturday, June 18, in Rural.

Strawberry sundaes will be sold from noon to 4 p.m. at the Rural Historical Society's museum on Main Street.

At 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Connie Haack Hurlbut, a professor at Mid-State Technical College, will talk about Ashmun's legacy.

Ashmun was a Rural resident who in the early 1900s wrote novels, several of which centered around her life in Rural.

The Village of Rural is located about five miles south of Waupaca, off State Highway 22.

(from the Waupaca County Post)

Fall Color in Waupaca County

Enjoy some beautiful Fall color!





Hey! There's still time to sign up for the banner giveaway - put your photo and message on vinyl for all to see! Check a couple of posts below for details!

How to Remove Tarnish from Silver – The Easy Way!

We just got in some nice old silverware at Weller's - some of it matches and some of it is a very eclectic mix of patterns. I'm starting to get the urge to bend, cut and drill on them! Check them out in the Junque Shoppe next time you're in Rural!

While there is something really lovable about the patina that silver takes on with age, eating with tarnished flatware is not something I’m fond of doing. And, though I also love the look of silver when it shines, I’m not very enthusiastic about getting out the silver polish. Ugh!

I recently read somewhere that you could actually soak the tarnish away so I decided to give it a try with some silver that has been in the family for awhile and will soon become my daughter’s. It’s now her favorite color (shiny) and ready to pack in its case.

All it takes is an old brownie pan or similarly wide but shallow old piece of bake ware. I used an old, beat up one that was aluminum. Line the bottom with a piece of aluminum foil and lay out the silverware on the foil. Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda over everything and then fill up the pan with boiling water.

The baking soda will react with the foil and you’ll see some gentle bubbling for a few minutes. Let the pan sit until it cools and “voila!” your silver is ready to rinse, dry and use. It’s that simple. Easy-Peasey!

Ta Da! August Giveaway Winner!

The winner for this month's giveaway is libbyquilter at Paper Napkin Poetry! Congrats!! Please send me your address and I will get your package out to you soon. Can't wait to see what you do with these goodies - I hope you will share some photos of your work!

This was so much fun! I think I'll do some of these more often! Stay tuned!

Eileen

Giveaway Update!

Only 9 more followers and I get to add another prize for another winner! I'm thinking that perhaps the lovely butterfly cup and saucer below would make someone happy. If there are two prizes, the first person whose name is drawn will be able to choose between them.

Your friends are welcome to follow and enter so pass it on and good luck!

New Arrivals at The Weller Store!

Not a day goes by when something "new" doesn't come through the door at Weller's! Very often some nice items get priced and reach the shelves only to quickly fly out with a happy customer within the next few days. The oldies but goodies shown below were photographed late this afternoon and are still available. If you can't get to the store and would like some information about an item, please contact me by email or call the number listed on the website for me.



The old wooden pulley on the left is new to the Junque Shoppe this week. We also just got in a pulley that has been decorated with greenery.

This delicate tea cup and saucer is both lovely and unique. The butterfly wing shaped handles are precious! (The linens and doilies you see in the photos are also for sale.)

Were you born in 1973? 1968? We have calendar towels for those years and more. I especially love the shade of blue in this towel.

Here is a lovely service for 12+ in absolutely perfect condition! There are 12 full place settings plus additional cups and saucers. The set also has many serving pieces. (I saw at least two creamers in the box.) A complete matching beverage service with large pitcher and three sizes of tumblers is also included.
Retro frogs for the bath! This wooden wall decor would look great in a 1950s or 1960s setting.

A sweet little vintage piece for mother.

The owner of this picture carefully removed it from a tattered vintage scrapbook and gave it a wonderful home in this lovely old frame.

A vintage embroidered pillow is still very vibrant and colorful.

We've taken in a few pieces of vintage clothing recently. This handmade slip ties at the waist and is in excellent shape.
I love the lace on these bloomers! The lace fibers have taken on an aged patina over the years while most of the rest of the garment remains white. It's so lovely!

Hey! Don't forget to enter the giveaway on the post below! There are only a few days left before the drawing! Remember, if there are 40 or more blog followers, I will add a second drawing from among the entries!

AUGUST GIVEAWAY!!

In previous posts this month I gave you a peek at some of the things in this giveaway. We're always getting new things in at The Weller Store so you never know what else I might add to the package but, as of now, there will be lots of ephemera, vintage photos, linen cutter pieces and more! If my list of followers swells to over 40 I will add another prize for a second winner from Weller's large selection of vintage glassware!

Here's what you need to do to be entered:

1) Visit the Weller Store website and pick a favorite item from the (partial) catalogue. Comment about it on this post. 1 entry. After doing this you may then,

2) Be a listed follower of this blog - or click on the follower icon on the left and become a public follower. Comment about it on this post. 2 additional entries.

3) Become a fan of The Weller Store on Facebook - click HERE. Comment about it on this post. 2 additional entries.

A winner will be chosen at random from all the entries on September 1st. The winner (or winners) will have 48 hours to claim their prize or an alternate winner will be chosen. Be sure to give me some way to contact you when you post, if your info is not already filled in.

Good luck!

Cutters for the Giveaway!

What are cutters? Cutters are those vintage linens with problems that still have life in them. You know, those pretty little embroidered baskets and flowers that are too wonderful to throw away - even though there is a big hole in the runner or a bad stain in the tablecloth.


So, what do you do with all those hours of hand stitching that Aunt Lizzie labored over so lovingly? Put them in a box or a drawer somewhere and let your kids worry about what to do with them when you're gone?


They're cutters, silly, so you cut them up and make magic with them!


Embellish the pocket of a plain blouse or skirt with some lovely blooms, use pieces of the design in collage work, add some color to your journals or altered books, add buttons, bobs or bits and mount it in a frame, or make some fabric brooches - the possibilities are endless.


A nice old chenille bedspread can easily become a pillow, a stuffed bear or a pair of girly pajamas.



I'll be tucking some nice pieces of cutters into the giveaway package. See the next post for details on how to enter the giveaway. If enough people enter, I may even add another prize for another winner!

More Giveaway Goodies!

Since we have a very good supply of ephemera at Wellers, I thought I would add some to the giveaway pot. Here is just a small sample of the vintage milk caps we have. I'm going to pick out some nice ones for the giveaway package!

What's New This Week at Weller's??

All kinds of goodies!



My favorite new item is this gorgeous caned sewing rocker! It seemed appropriate to place it next to the beautifully carved cabinet of the American treadle sewing machine.



Another lovely piece received this past week at the Weller Store is this decorated decanter from France.



One of the most interesting items we have at the moment is this hand made radio circa 1920s. The top of the cabinet lifts up to reveal the inner workings of the radio and it's tubes. A great conversation piece or addition to an antique radio collection!

Perfectly Pink!

Pink Swirl by Fire King is soooooo pretty! You gals with the "princess gene" are loving this set, aren't you? Just in on consignment this week is a partial set of these lovelies, including sugar bowls (2) and creamers (3).

UPDATE! All that remains of the Pink Swirl are two creamers and one sugar bowl (no lid!)


One of the sugar bowls even has a lid!



There are other sets of Fire King Swirl, like Anniversary with the gold rims, at Wellers but none so feminine and girly as the pink. It has a finish that looks a touch of the lustre glaze.



If I didn't already have a gazillion pieces of glassware and dinnerware I'd take these beauties home myself!



Be sure to follow this blog so you don't miss out on the August giveaway! Stay tuned for details!

Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

Claudia and Marta are two of my favorite customers. They came in with their mother the other day and tried on some of the vintage hats. Born to model! Don't they look great!? These delightful young ladies come by Wellers often for ice cream or just to browse and have fun.

P.S. Don't forget the giveaway!

Some "Instant Ancestors", like the ones in the post below, will be included in the giveaway this month!

Instant Ancestors

I love old photos! The hairstyles, the clothing, the backgrounds, the ornate folders and frames - all of it!

When I come upon photos that have been abandoned by the family after an old one passes because they didn't know who was in the pictures, it makes me a bit sad that they were forgotten. After all, they were someone's mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter, cousin, etc. They had lives. They had stories. Everyone has a story.

Who were these people? Where did they come from? What did they do with their lives? What were their dreams? What made them laugh? Why did they cry? Who missed them when they were gone?
.
Whenever someone comes into Wellers and "adopts" and ancestor it makes me so happy! After who-knows-how-many years in a trunk or an attic, they finally have a home. Someone will finally care for the photos that represent the lives of these long-forgotten people who dressed up in their best clothes and stood to have their portraits taken. It must have been a big event in their life, unlike today when we take pictures non-stop with our phones.

What a joy it is to see these photographic images become works of art as part of a collage or the cover of a journal. What fun it is to see them turned into comical images with clever captions or speech bubbles. How nice to know they will be framed and used in a home or a business as part of a vintage decor.

Was this the baby's nurse or the nurse's baby? We can only imagine.

A young man's confirmation photo.

A lovely portrait from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Giveaway in August!

Weller's is having a great giveaway in August! There will be more than one package to choose from and there may be more than one winner. It all depends on how many followers there are at the time of the drawing!

Stay tuned for more details!

What Happened to the Ting!?!

Sadly, Ting is no longer being bottled in New London. We got the word that the current bottler will no longer be making Ting Soda. To commemorate the sad occasion Bob Weller (AKA The Mayor) treated some special customers to the very last bottle of Ting.





The good news is that someone purchased the recipe for Ting and is exploring the possibility of resurrecting it. Since bottles are scarce, it may be in the form of soda fountain style Ting sometime in the future. Stay tuned - we'll let you know if The Weller Store will have Ting in the future. We're keeping our fingers crossed!

'Bout Time!

Where does the time go? Summer is half over already and I'm getting behind on posting pictures.

Here are some visitors who always have a lot of fun at Wellers! Diane Rait and her granddaughter, Kailey, like to spend time shopping together in the store. They have a ball looking at all the vintage items and they always bring home something wonderful.



Here they are trying on hats and they both look gorgeous!


Kailey finally decided on the 1920s cloche pictured in one of the previous posts. (As you can see, she really looked great in all of the hats.)

Expanded Exhibit at the Rural Historical Society Museum

The Rural Historical Society Museum continues to be open to the public every Wednesday and Sunday from 1 to 3 PM. Docents are available to speak with visitors and answer questions. The Museum shows and tells of the settlement and development of the Village of Rural.


At this time the Museum features an exhibit on Margaret Ashmun, her life and her work. Miss Ashmun is probably the most published author ever to come from the Waupaca area. She has over 24 novels and textbooks to her credit. She was born in the Village of Rural and she used the area as a setting for a number of her novels. Early in her career she was a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The entire Village of Rural is on the National Register of Historic Places and is often cited as one of the few examples of an early Yankee village in the Midwest. One may view photos and learn the history at the Museum and then walk the village streets and see many of the original houses and the bridges over the Crystal River. Guided tours are occasionally possible on request by calling 715-258-0973. Rural is located south of Waupaca just off highway 22 - about 4 miles from highway 10. The Museum is on Main Street.

(Helen Robinson)