Post Cards From the Road

I love taking snaps from my car.

Smicksburg,  PA

It's actually a fun challenge to get a picture expressing a day out or a story.  I spend a lot of time in the country and around Amish areas.

I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as me!

Near Rural Valley, PA Dutch signs.

Just outside Spring Church, PA

Favorite snap. Dayton, PA

Looks like a painting!

Pet Safety and Novelty Clothing

I love my dogs. They are mini humans that pretty much rule my house. So I am always thinking about them. From treats, beds and sweaters they have it all.

The other day in the store I noticed dog knitted scarves. I thought oh how cute! I then saw a commercial with a slender neck dog wearing a loose knitted scarf. I immediately thought this is dangerous. Why? I had a German Short Hair who was best friends with the Terrier mix above. One day we heard whining from the dog bed. They always slept together. The big dog got his tooth hooked under a not so loose lupine collar on the Terrier. Luckily we were home. Needless to say the collar was off when we left.
I saw the scarf commercial and thought that could easily get hooked on a branch, door knob etc and choke a dog.
The Terrier needs a sweater in cooler months. I have noticed jackets with metal zippers, thick rolled knitted collars, buttons and small added accessories.
Think about your pup's comfort. A button when taking a nap could dig into their skin. Or they rip off a small button or sewn on plastic flower and eat it! Dogs are like toddlers. I would not put a tight turtleneck on a 2 year old nor would I add a small dangle jewelry they could pull and eat. Also some of these sweaters are using stiff fancy metallic threads which could rub and hurt too.
Keep your pets safe. 💙💚💜

Shopping Tips in Lancaster County, PA

I had another great trip to Lancaster County Pennsylvania. I have been going there since I was a child. I have some tips and places to visit if you are planning a trip in the future.
My first tip really will make your trip fantastic or just OK. If you want to visit Amish based businesses and specialty stores and boutiques then you must follow a schedule. These businesses are not open after 5:00 PM. They are also not open on Sundays.

You may find a few small stores open but in general nothing is open on Sunday. 

So Sunday is a complete waste or plan to outlet shop or possibly find a festival or show. I generally leave on Sunday or just go during the week.
Remember when you start your day everything wraps up at 5:00 PM and next is dinner then outlets. If you are in farm country don't expect dinner much later than 7:00 PM with the exception of chains at the outlets. Of course if you go to the city of Lancaster and a few towns you will find great places open late and serves booze.
If you know how to work a GPS you are going to have fun going back country roads and finding random Amish shops, beautiful farm land and animals. 

I stay at Old Homestead Suites in Ronks, PA. It is an awesome Inn with bubbly whirl pool tubs and a homemade breakfast. I don't stay anywhere else. During good weather you can sit on the patio and eat breakfast or go across to the trout farm. I think all rooms have a sink and dishes with small fridge and a place to sit and eat. It is useful when you have purchased many goodies! This Inn is close to so many shops. Towns I visit that are close; Intercourse, Bird in Hand, Strasburg, Smoketown, Leola and a little further out; Ephrata/Fridays and my favorite little town Lititz.

Because there is so much information about towns I will just list the towns and things I do. This will make it so much easier for you to understand and snip to a planner.

Intercourse- Kitchen Kettle is a tourist attraction but, has good Christmas gifts. They are known originally for their jams, mustards and more. Kitchen Kettle is not run by the Amish however a few shops surrounding the complex are Amish. This is a small complex you walk and if you must there are buggy rides. There are many shops surrounding the complex you may easily walk to via sidewalk. I sometimes go to the Intercourse Spa for a pedicure. I like doing this after breakfast. Great way to kick off the day. The other place I visit my last day in Intercourse is Stoltzfus Meats. I always bring a cooler. Their bacon and unique sausages are fantastic. Everything is delicious and the prices are awesome. I also got Dutch Swiss this trip and it was the best I've had in a long time. There is a true Amish leather shop across from the side entrance of Kitchen Kettle. You can see all the belts moving on the ceiling as they run the machines. I go there for sleigh bells and dog collars. They sell horse supplies. This is a real shop and nothing fancy.
Ephrata-I go here for the Green Dragon. It is only on Friday. The outside is a mix of flea market and fresh local vegetables and fruit. You must go inside the buildings. I believe it is in the main building but, not sure and it is the building that has homemade pretzels. In the front of this building is a sandwich stand which you smell as soon as you walk in. Best Italian subs! I got great prices on spices and vanilla in this building and doggie cupcakes. You can walk away with four bags of vegetables and not spend $20.00. If you like history the Ephrata Cloister is very neat to visit. It is located in town. I do not recommend the diner across the street. I have in the past but, this time it was really horrible. Nothing was homemade anymore and it was dark and dingy. I occasionally make an appointment at Falling Waters Massage. I've had many excellent massages from a couple different people.
Lititz-I love going to Tea Affair for of course tea and shop their loose tea shop. A French pastry chef owns the business. It is yum! I love walking the town. So many cool boutiques. Don't miss the Moravian gift shop. I went in their little museum a couple years ago and was not pleased by the church volunteer. He seemed to think their religion was superior and made an ignorant comment about Catholics. I will say I've had nothing but pleasant experiences in the shop. 

You can visit Sturgis Pretzels and Wilbur Chocolates. It's more about the product. The demos kids may think are neat.
Bird in Hand-Bird in Hand Market. When you walk in the front go to the right. Pass the first lunch counter and go to the next. Behind it is a small bake shop and Lancaster tea and coffee. This is an Amish lunch counter. Excellent sandwiches and love a dog and kraut. My husband said the best chili. I enjoy their fresh tea. It's my go to for a quick lunch and keep shopping. The market has limited hours. No Sundays. Closes at 5. There is a General Store across the street I enjoy too. Also down the road is an artist who restored a mill. You can't miss it. Stop in and see his art work and the beautiful restoration.
Strasburg-Eldreth Pottery is a must if you are collector or want something unique. They will ship too. The Strasburg Creamery has been around forever. Don't miss the homemade ice cream. It's a trip after dinner. They are open late. There is a large Amish furniture store before Eldreth Pottery. Stop in if you are looking for pieces. Strasburg has the big trains you may ride on. It is awesome to see the large beauties however be advised the trip is a quick around farms and fields. Strasburg has antique shops near the trains.

Katie's Diner is traditional meat and potato Dutch food. Love the milk shakes!

Outlets-Rockvale Outlets has a lot of housewares stores. People from New York tell me the prices are great. I live around many options so it is hit or miss for me.

I enjoy the Christmas Shop since it sells Department 56 and other collectibles. It is not an outlet. Down the road is Tanger Outlets. The Tanger area is congested at high tourist time. It has many chain restaurants, chain motels, Target and Dutch Wonderland. If kids are out of school it can get busy down that way.

There are so many other little places in little towns. Just driving out of my Inn on the back roads and not up to Kitchen Kettle is an experience. You will find Amish Stands and shops. An Amish Natural Grocery store is back that way and I love it. If you have a wholesale license stop in Paradise, PA. Many bulk places.

Enjoy the little things while you are in Lancaster. Grab a cheese bag at the market and nibble on it. Stop by an Amish Farm heading towards Bird in Hand from Intercourse (look for homemade root beer sign) or get your homemade pretzel at the Green Dragon. The Amish in Lancaster are very friendly. Do not take their picture as it is disrespectful. Enjoy the swaths of beautiful farm land or watch the men work the fields. Do not drive fast and pass with room around buggies. Enjoy looking at the clean, well kept farms and during late Spring and Fall the flowers! Get out there and explore. Taking a tour just does not cut it!

From Amish Leather Shop

Grandma's Glassware is Not Priceless

Another estate sale today and another disappointed family trying to sell off Mom's curio cabinet and more. Honestly it is sad to see beautiful and many times locally made glassware go for a $1 or to the thrift store. I live 45 minutes outside of Pittsburgh. I am surrounded by closed factories. Everyone knows someone who worked in a glass factory, mouth blower, potter, stained glass and more. Westmoreland Glass is well known and in ruins in Grapeville, PA. No placard recognizing the craft and sweat off that land. https://www.collectorsweekly.com/glassware/westmoreland
Many people want more modern designs and it does exist in old glassware. The 1940's and 1950's saw the surge in more plain lines and modern looks opposed to lace like, floral, overly decorated and more. I personally love Manhattan glassware. The circular pattern is no fuss and cool. It was produced by Anchor Hocking for a short 5 years.

Collecting old pieces is possible for modern taste and it's more affordable than new and it will likely hold up better anyways!

Westmoreland Glass still has followers but, they are willing to pay for more rare colored novelty pieces like cat plates. The collectors are sparse and the prices are 75% less than 15+ years ago. Compotes and candlesticks are a dime a dozen.

Floral china trays, gold edged sugar bowls, faded gold or floral teapots and bowls are all mostly worth nothing. Ten years ago Bavarian and Limoge marks fetched $50 and up. In mint condition at an antique shop you would be lucky to get $20.00. Prosperous antique dealers won't even buy this stuff anymore. They can't move it.

Random pieces like a sugar bowl without a creamer is worth nothing. Take the best offer you get as again collectors are so sparse. There are not many people searching for a missing piece like 20 years ago.

I remember about 15-20 years ago Fiesta Ware had a cult following. People would buy up random pieces at top dollar. These people are gone. I was recently at two shops and their Fiesta prices were less than $10.00. Maybe young people see it as Bon Ton sells it new so why buy old?

When you have a sale you must realize from the start that even if some glass is worth more it will be resold by a dealer shopping your sale. If you want to clean out and make some money then price to sell. I hate to tell you this but, most average households will not have pieces worth more than $100.00. If your parent was a serious antique collector, an executive with prized sterling or crystal pieces, antique pottery collector, purchased and was handed down crystal like Waterford, Baccarat or fine bone china then get a reputable appraiser or auctioneer. Notice I say reputable. Interview these people. Their specialty might be auctioning old cars! Or they are a hobby antique collector who thinks they collect antiques but, really does not understand the principles of true antiques. A pyrex bowl from the 1950's is not an antique. Well known reputable auctioneers have collectors and dealers watching their pages. They will get the crowd you need to make money.

Keep in mind your garage sale is not Ebay. You don't have buyers from around the world. If you think that is how it should play out then set up an Ebay account. It is a lot of work, fees and nonsense with shipping and buyers. You likely will not sell many pieces first round and it will be a slow pace. Taking pictures, uploading and answering questions becomes a full time job real fast.

I have talked about pontil marks on bottles or glass in previous posts. This could be another clue your glassware might be older and or more valuable than you think. Pontil marks are from glass blowing. They were seen up until the 1850's. Here is a link to learn more. https://sha.org/bottle/index.htm 

Unfortunately sherbet/dessert cups which you see a lot are likely going to get a $1 or $2 tag. You are going to need a lot of these low price tags for Grandma's glassware.

Basic clear glass dessert plates, water glasses, egg plates, luncheon sets and more can be bought at the $1 Store. Shoppers are not going to give you more.

Practical cooking pieces will still get $5 or more. In fact a garage sale I attended this weekend told me the early birds wanted Pyrex. People still love the mixing bowls and casserole dishes. We of course could go further into cooking. I will give one brief tip. Early All Clad and copper pans still hold excellent value. Do your research. These are examples of high end products and not mass produced stuff like Pyrex sold at the Five and Dime. However you will have to advertise to get chefs and gourmets at your door.

Many people collected Hummell's, Cherished Teddys and Precious Moments. These are worth nothing. I know a person who closed her parents gift shop and could not get $5.00 for Hummell's that once sold for $50.00 or more. I just checked Ebay and of course there are people listing "rare" pieces for over $100.00 but most won't sell or go for $10.00.

If you have glass ware, China from around the 1950's or earlier that is wildlife or sporting related then research it. This genre is still hot in many places. Christmas patterns not commonly seen can also fetch a decent price and also patterns still collected and newly purchased like Lenox, Spode and more.

I hope you have a successful sale and get the most money for yourself or parents needs. Do a little research to help yourself out. Most things will be nominal prices but, if priced right the volume will make the most money for you. Advertise using name brands and good descriptions. Get collectors and dealers fired up! 

Also it's worth filling up the laundry sink with mild soap and giving some better pieces a quick bath. Dirt, must and mold turns a lot of average lookers off.  

Job Hunting on Popular Career Sites with Little Results

Have you been using very well known career sites for job hunting and have gotten little results? I'm specifically talking about sites you search postings and not sites catering to connecting to other professionals.
I want to share some information with my readers who are frustrated and feel like giving up on their job search. If you feel like nobody wants to hire you, talk to you, look at your resume then keep reading.
I have done recruiting for many years but, in the past couple years my efforts have been more strictly computer based and not out at events, working a table or in a direct interaction. My efforts are more blue collar based jobs at 35,000 and under.
Two years ago I wanted to switch fields and I pounded job postings hard. I was literally sending out sometimes 20 resumes a week and seriously getting zero responses. I felt like a failure. I settled on a job I found on of all places Craigslist. I took a huge pay cut and felt it was necessary to change the direction of my resume. Plus I had little success on big career sites and I thought it was me.
Last year I started working for a company who uses the big career sites for all their recruiting efforts. Six months in I realized why I never got phone calls for jobs. It completely changed the way I felt about my resume and how you get a more stable, good paying job.
The first thing you need to know is the career sites are very expensive to advertise jobs on. The local medium size business I worked for could not afford to post on these sites. This company did about 500,000 in sales. Companies pay per posting and or monthly and it's not $25 per posting. It's more like hundreds or thousands of dollars per month. Unless you are a very big company without your own website and recruiting team then you can't afford these sites. You will notice a lot of temp agencies using these sites because they can afford to post. You see very few Fortune 500 companies because they have their own team and expect you to seek them out. Industries with high turn over and low wages use these sites because again they can afford it.
The next part of the puzzle is what struck me and made me angry in the end because I wasted so much precious time. Many times when you so call "apply" on these sites you're not really applying at all. Think of them as inquiries or a company or site harvesting resumes or candidates. Unless you are directed to the company's site to apply be weary! An application is a legal document. Many times a legitimate hiring company wants you to answer certain questions to screen you out and not waste both of your time. This would be things like drug testing, license for a job, criminal background, age requirements for certain jobs etc. If you simply click apply and it sends your resume then don't get your hopes up. Why? Because it's going into someone's email or hiring program with the other hundred resumes. Let me be frank. At least half of these resumes are bullshit. They are people clicking on anything so they can keep their unemployment and recruiters and hiring managers are very aware of this frustrating issue.
I still buzz these sites job hunting but, if I want to apply I first go to the company's website and check their career section. I know it will direct me to apply on their site or the company they use for applications. Also don't think pounding the pavement does not work. Dropping off a resume or asking for a manager or HR department is not out of the question for smaller companies. One day I was driving by the Girl Scout office and thought it would be neat work to work there. The next day in business casual I dropped off my resume. Guess what? I got a call within two days.
Another thing. I have my resume posted on a big site without my last name for good reason. Don't be so public with your info. Seriously it could go anywhere. These career sites many times will offer a free trial to "companies" and let them search for free for maybe a week. It gives them a week to harvest resumes. Lately I have gotten a ton of requests from people offering me a job to pick up and send packages from my house. It is a major scam however they got my info from the career site because I let potential employers contact me via email. Luckily they do not have my last name or my phone number.

Rural Valley Pumpkin Festival

I have been working on some crafts for the show. I will also bring some antiques. 
I will post more pictures soon. 
I'm also working on gingerbread ornaments and Fall, Halloween bowl fillers. Stay tuned!

 Pumpkin House. Handmade in PA. $20

 So many trinkets! What to choose?

Beautiful vintage broom $24. Giant Acorn $25

My Grandfather, the Antique Dealer, a Tribute

I was lucky to grow up with a kind Grandfather. He wasn't like a soft spoken, white haired Norman Rockwell type but, spirited and jovial. In the chilly months he always wore an Irish tweed flat cap. It was a perfect frame for his rosy cheeks and smile which lit up his blue eyes. He was a round man and sometimes some might say jolly when he was on a great joke streak! Gosh he was the best story teller and boy did he have the stories from his youth to share! At dinner is when he would spin a good yarn and keep you captivated or giggling so hard you had to take a deep breath!
He is the one who taught me about selling, appreciating antiques and history from probably about the age of five. My Grandfather never said you can't. He was always positive. At antique shows he would send me, the little one to the table to answer customer's questions. He watched on fondly because I was mimicking his magical selling and social skills. I rarely recall being yelled at by my Grandfather. His approach was more about asking you what you thought or learned. He didn't need to tower over me to make a point. To disappoint him would have been shameful to me. As an adult I now realize his patience and lack of quick judgement is called great parenting. It is admirable.
I miss him everyday. When I come across a rare find I know he standing next to me just as giddy as me. He loved the thrill of a great find but, also speaking to the people who owned special things. He really liked to hear their stories. He would in turn pass these stories down when he sold to someone else. Many times you find my items at shows with not just a price but, a little bit of history written with it.
The day my Grandfather died I knew I had an angel by my side the rest of my life. XOXO