While in Germany....

Hot sand, beach umbrellas, and warm water are first to pop into my head when I think 'vacation'.  But when you're on holiday in Germany during March, the above items are not readily at hand. So- who am I kidding? My ideal vacation could be anywhere in the world- as long as I find a few good antique stores to scour.

I went to a little town called Dessau, where I met a friendly man who owned the most beautiful antique store. Huge, well organized, and room after room of art, furniture, war metals, jewelry, dishes, games, fabric, car parts, dolls, lamps, and on and on.  

First Find:
Vintage Apron. Powerful popping colors surrounded by a navy blue border.
Its the type of thing my Granny would own, 

and I'll be more than happy to wear this while baking my next batch of cinnamon rolls. 

Find #2:

Great blue & white table cloth, complete with a quirky, silhouette-style design. 

Find #3:

Fabric. Wonderful, vintage, like-new fabric.

Finding unique fabric is hard, finding affordable unique fabric is even harder. So when I found this lovely little collection (multiple meters of each) of truly vintage and unique fabric, I literally did a dance while the German shop owner wasn't looking.

Fourth & Fifth Finds:

A great little pillow- needed a two inch portion of the seam repaired. 

I love the array of colors and the lace-like design.

A very German-esque decor plate.  The detail on it is lovely!  

(This one is a gift for my delightful mom for Mother's Day)

Those are the highlights. I also found a stack of post cards (with handwritten notes in German on the back- which I hope to convince my brother to translate for me), two great maps of Berlin from the1800s, four beautiful books, and a few other small items.

Antiques and coffee have a similar effect on me: sweaty hands and an excited-nervousness that makes it difficult for me to decide what to do next.  An antique store that meets my high expectations is hard to find- but this marvelous shop was a true delight.  I spent several hours there and left wishing that it was nestled away some where in Northern Ireland so I'd have easier access to all its treasures (like the furniture that was stacked to the rafters).