A Gathering Place ~ Vintage Train Case Giveaway!

For several years Rebecca Nelson, of A Gathering Place... A Gathering Place has refurbished and made-over vintage train cases, and sold them to buyers all over the world...France, England, Italy, Singapore, and Japan...as well as all over America. They have been featured in Romantic Homes Magazine!
A vintage 'Gathering Case' from A Gathering Place, is to be given away to a lucky blogger...and I surely hope it is me! :O)
You may enter the giveaway, for a chance to win one of Rebecca's beautiful vintage 'gathering cases' until December 11, 2011 at A Gathering Place blogspot

Luv2LuvAntiques Loves Angels!

I had started the Luv2LuvAntiques website with the idea of blending my luv of antiques and vintage, with my love of angels. Do you believe in angels? I definitely do! I'll share something personal with you for a moment, but I promise not to get maudlin about it...meaning tearful, or overly emotional....
There were a few times during my life that I had what seemed like a deja vu moment, with a bright positive thought coming through afterwards, with a feeling of being safer and protected! At times of great stress, through tough times, it seemed like some little thing would reach me and touch my heartstrings...
One much more important instance, was years ago when my sons were children, and I was driving the van, with them in it, coming from our family doctor's office. I was stopped at the intersection waiting for the light to turn green. I always check both ways before I proceed, even with having the right of way. Something made me look to my left again...like a little thought or message to look twice! I did, and slammed on the breaks! A car ran their red light at full speed! If I wouldn't have looked back, we would have been seriously injured, especially my son who was sitting in the seat behind me....
That is one instance that really stands out in my mind, as it involves my boys! There are quite a few more, but I'll tell you another extremely important one....
My eldest son, on his first tour of duty in Iraq, was with a combined small unit of soldiers, who were doing searches through part of the town. Two large groups of one enemy faction, came through the town and passed by on both sides of this small unit of men! When my son was able to make a phone call home, he told me about this. He said he had never prayed so hard in his life, and so had all of the unit! He told me how the enemy had not seen them at all, and they should have all been killed....
I told him that I had 'sent' my guardian angel over there to protect him.
I had prayed to my guardian angel, all the time he was over there, through three tours of duty, to watch over and protect my son. A friend of mine told me that she thought it was the hand of God, cloaking the soldiers to make them invisible to the enemy. I would like to think it was my angel, maybe with some others, folding their wings over the men to keep them safe!
Do you believe in angels? I most certainly do! :O)

Luv2LuvAntiques Luvs Recycling And Saving Shipping Costs!

Luv2LuvAntiques strives to make unique, and lovely, vintage and antique items available, to those who share the luv of 'old things'! Along with decor items, many household, jewelry, and clothing items, still 'have alot of life in them yet'! They can be repurposed, as well as enjoyable to use in the home!
After the fun of 'treasure hunting' is done, photographing and describing each article of clothing, piece of jewelry, household linen, or barware item, (to name a few) down to the tiniest detail, is next. Following a purchase, after a long search for that special piece, the buyer expects safe delivery of their 'find'! This entails very careful packing of the favorite item!
Careful packing of a breakable article includes wrapping properly with tissue, or perhaps heavier paper, bubble wrap securing and cushioning the item, and plenty of styrofoam peanuts packing around it. The trick is to allow a large enough box, for adequate room around that 'precious cargo', while packing firmly in the box so it doesn't move around!
I have had a few purchases of mine arrive damaged and broken, and when it is a long searched for collectible or antique...it is heart breaking! That is why I pack like 'Fort Knox"!
Having always been 'big' on recycling, I'm all for saving money on shipping too. By reusing boxes, bubble wrap, and styrofoam peanuts, that has been received, you, and your buyer, can both save!
On the lighter side...the photo above is the top layer of styrofoam peanuts in a large green garbage bag. It looks fairly nice, doesn't it? Now here is the story...
My darling hubby thought I had 'snapped' when he saw me picking pieces of styrofoam peanuts out of a large box full of mixed packing (that had contained something I had purchased online), which included shredded newspaper, and chunks of styrofoam. He had asked me why I didn't just throw it out! But when I told him the cost of purchasing a bag of 'peanuts packing', he joined in, and became a 'peanuts picker', while we sat and watched an episode of the 'American Pickers"! :O)