Saving Grace Salvage Co.

 A week or two ago, I was asked by a friend to be on the look out for a shabby chic birdcage stand.  She had seen a picture in a magazine with a clever use for such a thing.  I knew there was one in downtown Princeton, but they rent out for weddings and it wasn't for sale. 

So this morning we headed out through all the Princeton Flea Market traffic to Berlin Wisconsin.  Princeton's flea market was especially busy today and that was wonderful to see. http://cabincountess.blogspot.com/2013/04/wisconsins-largest-outdoor-flea-market.html

Berlin has it own treasure.  It is called Saving Grace Salvage Co.  If you want something or need something to complete a project, it is probably there.  It is loaded with a large variety of items.  You will find things you didn't even realize you wanted.  The saying that comes to mind is One Person's Trash is another Person's Treasure.

The ivy covered building used to be an old mill.  Now it is filled with three stories of stuff.  For those familiar with Berlin Wisconsin, it is near the Fox River on Ceresco Street.  It is about two blocks South of the main street.

As you enter the building, it is hard to know which way to go first.   If you go up the steps, you will find a large room full of sewing items and textiles, old printer blocks, pieces of woodwork and even a little crib from back in the day when we didn't worry about safety regulations.  To tell you the truth, I can't remember where everything is but you can be assured that you won't be able to see even a portion of what is there on your first trip.

The main floor has two sections.  The main portion is set up in interesting sections with similar items.  There is a kitchen area, a vintage clothing section, an office area and many more.  The shopkeepers of Saving Grace are very talented in showcasing their items.  As I was looking around I noticed someone was purchasing pieces of colored glass.  I asked him if he worked in stained glass and he said yes he did.  He said that he also repairs broken stained glass windows.  Where else could he find the kind of glass he needs?

Vintage clothing

A white section, maybe called Shabby Chic

A bookcase with old books.

Old maps

In the basement there are old doors, bed parts and windows.  I think the other levels also have these items.  All kinds of building materials are down there.  I'm sure I didn't see even a fraction of it.  There was an old flour bin or something that I didn't recognize but someone will love it.

Outside there are even more goodies.  Someone made a barbed wire tree.

Barbed wire tree

This is the top of an old windmill.

These next items were my favorite.  An old wicker chair planted full of hens and chicks and other plants.  This past spring we threw an old broken wicker settee out to the trash.  Who knew?

Old trike, laundry tubs and notice a wheel planted with more hens and chicks.

I don't own this shop or have any monetary interest in it, I just liked it.  Saving Grace Salvage Company is only open from May until October.  It is only open from 10-4 on Friday and Saturday.  So if you want to take a nice weekend trip to the Princeton/Berlin area, there is a lot to see.  Princeton Wisconsin has at least seven antique stores and the flea market, and then less than twenty miles away in Berlin, Wisconsin you can visit at their new location.

www.facebook.com/pages/Berlin-WI/Saving-Grace-Salvage-Company/394401399166

Simple Remedy for Static Cling

This is going to be a quick little post.  A couple days ago I was watching The Chew on television or on TV as my grandson says.  I asked him to get me something over by the television, and he told me they didn't have a television.  I pointed to it and said "what is that?".  He said it was a TV not a television.  OK, I guess they don't say television anymore.  Sorry, I got side tracked.

So as I was watching The Chew on ABC,  Clinton Kelly had a segment on laundry tips.  He showed how to fold a fitted sheet.  He showed how to hang a sweater on a hanger without getting bunny ears on the shoulders.  He also said that you should turn your clothes inside out, add salt to keep dark colors from fading and vinegar as a fabric softener.  All these things I had heard before and details can probably be seen on their website, but the thing that caught my attention was a trick to eliminate static cling in the dryer.

Surprise, it is aluminum foil rolled into a ball.  You can use it over and over again.  He said you can put aluminum foil into a 500 degree oven so it is perfectly safe in a clothes dryer.  I tried it and I had no static cling at all.  I admit it is a very hot and humid day so the static cling would not be the same as in the dead of winter, but it worked.  I will continue using it and I will report if it continues to work or if the weather outside determines if it works.  It would be nice to know if anyone tries it. 

All Amish Products Are Not Created Equal

In several posts, I have mentioned that we live in Amish country.  There are several Amish families who live nearby, especially in the communities of Markesan, Kingston and Dalton, Wisconsin.

They have greenhouses.  http://cabincountess.blogspot.com/2013/05/amish-greenhouses.html 

They have bakeries, general stores and cabinet making shops.  There is also a Cheese Factory which has pretty good cheese at very reasonable prices.  It's called the Salemville Cheesehouse, and whenever we have visited the store, there are people there from all over the state and probably beyond. 
 

  
Very often we will see Amish men repairing roofs or building sheds.  They are very hard workers.  They get a ride to and from the job site because they aren't allowed to drive motored vehicles.   Sunday is their day of rest.  None of the businesses are open, and they all gather for church.

 

 

People travel from far and wide for all the Amish products, so naturally when we saw Amish watermelon and Amish corn at the grocery store, we stopped to look.   Then we noticed that the seedless watermelon was $1.99 and the Amish seeded watermelon was $3.99.  We bought the seedless.  We looked at the corn.  It was 6 for $1.50 which is about the going rate.  Tonight I cooked it as I always do, in the microwave.  I really like it in the microwave because it is mostly steamed and not boiled.  Well, it was terrible.  I cooked it again for a while, and it was still tough.  The moral to this story is that just because it says Amish doesn't make it good.  I think it was field corn or old corn, and next time we will be more careful.

Note:  I just went into the kitchen.  There in the compost jar were two totally eaten cobs of corn.  I guess some people in my family have more refined taste buds than others, or HE was very very hungry.

Quiet Days of Late Summer 2013

It's still pretty quiet around here.  There is still not very much to blog about.  We need rain so bad again.  In the past two days we have had six heavy thunderstorms pass just to the north of us.  The plants and flowers are dying off.  We have very little grass.  Most of it never came back after last years drought.  I see a lot of farmers are putting in irrigation systems.  I think it is controversial because a lot of irrigation lowers the water table, but I guess I don't blame the people whose livelihood depends on getting their crops to market.

As I was sitting today watching TV, I recorded these videos from my phone.