Tag Archives: vintage linens

Texas Treasure at Benbrook Antique Mall

Posted on by



This past weekend we were on our way to the city of Granbury the town where our beautiful Bichon Frise puppy dog is from to visit all the antique malls we have been hearing about. Granbury is about an hour or so drive and about half way there all of a sudden on the right I spot Benbrook Antique Mall and I had my husband make a sharp right into the parking lot. I had heard about Benbrook Antique Mall and it was on my list of “must visit” Antique Malls and today was the day. The mall looked HUGE from the parking lot and pretty full with all the cars parked out front and it was a Sunday afternoon. (Granbury will have to wait till next time).

Walking inside, the place really was huge….. I would easily compare it to the Montgomery Street Antique Mall in Fort Worth. There were indeed lots of shoppers and that is always something I like to see because when you go inside a new place and its empty you pretty much form an opinion right away after walking up and down a couple isles and the opinion is not too good. Benbrook Antique Mall was really well lit so you could see what merchandise were in booths and behind glass. Booths for the most part were very inviting and setup with a “decorator’s flair”.

 

Benbrook Antique Mall has a nice mix of antiques and collectibles and there is some furniture though not much, which for me is fine as I am mostly looking for collectibles and lots of malls lately in my area I gripe about that they are turning into furniture shops as that is pretty much what you find.

There is even a sweet looking tearoom called “Gena’s De Vine Tearoom” and it looked really darling but was closed. Also, there was a small spot with chairs and a TV so husband’s can sit while their wives shop!! I have not seen a “Men’s” lounge before in other antique malls.

We had a blast at Benbrook Antique Mall and I most certainly rank this place on my top ten list of Antique Malls in the Dallas/Fort Worth area!  Huge place, well lit, helpful and friendly staff, very reasonable prices and a large selection of glass, antiques, collectibles, vintage clothing, vintage linens, furniture, jewelry, Hummel Figurines, primitives, shabby chic items, romantic cottage, clocks, coins, radios, Kitchen collectibles, Kitschy Collectibles, pottery sports and western memorabilia and more!! If you are in North Texas you must make time to visit Benbrook Antique Mall.

BENBROOK ANTIQUE MALL
9250 BENBROOK BLVD.
(HWY 377)
BENBROOK, TEXAS 76126
817-249-0844

Share

Me and My Mom & Vintage Linens

Posted on by

Had a really great day hanging out with my mom. We are very close and always have been and the past few years have been tough as she lives in Portland, Oregon and my husband and I now live in the Dallas, Texas area so we only get to visit every couple months and it is her I have to thank for dragging me and my twin sister around antique shops and flea markets when we were kids as today I can’t imagine life without these joys!


Mom surprised me with some vintage finds; she had been to an estate sale a while back and amongst the items she found were a small collection of vintage anthropomorphic kitchen towels, vintage pink poodle dog linen hand towel, and a very cool vintage Calorie counting handkerchief. Mom knows I am obsessed with anything anthropomorphic though she never saw their appeal until recently as I am now rubbing off on her and she seems to have started to appreciate the joy I get from anthropomorphic collectibles and how cheery they make a room and brighten one’s mood, she says they are lots of fun.


The WLYS or world’s longest yard sale is nearly here and I am not fortunate to get to participate but sure do hope mom, my husband and I can join in the thrill of this amazing sale next year. I hear that shopping is a great way to form bonds and strengthen relationships..heheheheheh

Share

Vintage Linen Crafts – Bloomers, Bangles, Bonnets & More

Posted on by

While visiting one of my favorite antique malls yesterday afternoon, I came across a super darling booth that is really creative with their goods and displays. The booth had lots of my favorites; Vintage Linens! The booth not only sells vintage linens like tablecloths and tea towels but they also have some really neat re-purposed linens like baby bloomers, toddler pants, bangle bracelets, and sun bonnets and all of these are made from vintage linens. Above are some photos I snapped so you can all see.



This got me thinking that if someone has some sewing skills or is handy with a hot glue gun that they can whip up some really neat and pretty items using vintage linens. Some ideas would be to make headbands, curtains and valences, bags, totes, purses, pillow cases, seat cushions, tea cozies, aprons, stuffed toys and even embellish T-Shirts and jeans!  I found this neat website that has lots of crafts and projects for using vintage linens – CRAFTS HERE.

Share

Recreating Grandmother’s Kitchen

Posted on by


Take a trip down memory lane and the nostalgic memories you have of spending time in Grandmother’s kitchen baking and cooking with lots of hugs and kisses mixed in too. I can remember my grandmother’s kitchen back in Europe.  We were very, very young when we would visit until we all finally ended up in one local place in the USA many years later. Her kitchen was not very big and had none of the stainless steel top-notch appliances and gadgets, granite counter tops, fancy back splashes or kitchen drawers stuffed with all kinds of tools like our kitchens have today. The kitchen was actually primitive with just the very basics but boy-oh-boy could she turn out the most delicious dishes and pastries! I think that it all boils down to how much skill and talent one actually has compared to a cook in a gourmet kitchen with no skill or talent. Also, Grandmother cooked with the most prized ingredients of all – LOVE, and you could really taste it!

Elements to create Grandmother’s Kitchen:
Vintage Apron(s) (preferably grandmother’s actual aprons)
Vintage Rolling Pins
Vintage Crockery
Vintage Tea Towels
Vintage Tablecloths
Vintage Canisters
Vintage Wooden Spoons
Family Heirlooms
Family Dinnerware

So bring out all your vintage items and re-create Grandmother’s kitchen. If you have kids then gather them together and even get your sister(s) and mom’s together for a day of baking and cooking and remembering the good-old-days!

Share

Merry Christmas to All Our Friends From Crazy4Me

Posted on by


We here at Crazy4Me would like to wish you all a very happy and safe Merry Christmas!

We thought it would be fun to share with you some of our favorite vintage Christmas images that we have gathered all year and these come from 1940s-1950s vintage Christmas linens – the vividly colored images and jovial scenes provide the perfect background for a Happy Holiday!

Share

Vintage Linen Stain Removal Mixture & Tips

Posted on by

Vintage Tablecoth NOERL

Now is the time of year when we are all entertaining and setting beautiful dining tables with our favorite linens and we want to be sure that these are cleaned and ready. Stains from last year and even years prior are still present and if your linens are already cleaned then, this linen wash recipe will be great as you know elderly grandma Ethel will sadly drop the cranberry sauce on your tablecloth as she insists on serving herself.

IMG_0949_1-1

Vintage Linen Stain Removal Mixture
1 Cup Clorox Color Safe Bleach
1 ¼ Cup Oxy Clean
1 Cup of your favorite Dishwasher Liquid Soap

Fill your washing machine with hot water. Add all 3 ingredients. Let washer agitate to mix thoroughly. Let the water cool down a bit. Add your linens to soak and agitate on a gentle or delicate cycle for a few minutes only.  Go back and again let the linens agitate for a few more minutes and keep the ingredients mixed. Depending on the stubbornness of the stain(s) and how much patience you have, it might work best to  let the linens soak overnight or while you are at work.

If there are hints of stains left after you remove your linens from the washing machine, lay your wet item on wet grass on a nice a hot sunny day and mist with some concentrated lemon juice being careful not to let the green grass stain it.

vintage santa tablecloth

TIPS:
On whites, the dishwasher liquid may be enough of a bleach to remove stains.
The lemon juice and hot sun work well and should do the trick too!
If soaking only a couple items, use 1/3 of the ingredients mentioned above.
You can also use the ingredients mixture and technique to soak dirty quilts but put them in the bathtub so the material does not get damaged.

Share