Nellie's Barn Sale

01/01/2025

SHOP REGISTRATION BEGINS TODAY!! Starting at 6am today, January 1 you can register your shop for the BEST. ROAD TRIP. EVER.

Use this link at 6am to jump to the registration form. Register in the next 7 days and get a $20 discount with Early Bird Pricing!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vintage-shop-hop-official-event-march-7-8-2025-registration-1126382052039?aff=oddtdtcreator

First, jump to our official event page at Vintage Shop Hop to follow along and not miss out on important updates. Next, read below to see if you qualify!

We allow five types of shops to participate:

Vintage/Antique Shops & Malls - 75% of inventory must be vintage/antique
Vintage/Antique Barn Sale & Pop Ups - 75% if inventory must be vintage/antique
Ladies Boutiques - All new inventory, no thrift
Home Decor - Less than 75% of vintage, all new, or a mix
Upscale Consignment Shop - Clothing or home decor, upscale and on-trend

If you aren't sure you'd qualify, send a PM to this page with a link to your business page so I can take a peek. We hope you can join us!

12/29/2024

Tag your road trip buddies---and save the date! Better yet, jump over to our Vintage Shop Hop page and follow us there so you never miss out on updates!

12/29/2024

HARD TO BELIEVE...THE SPRING VINTAGE SHOP HOP IS ROUNDING THE BEND...AND SHOP REGISTRATION BEGINS in a few days on Wednesday, January 1 at 6am...don't miss out on this fabulous selling opportunity!!

Do you own a vintage shop--antique mall--ladies' boutique--home decor store--or run a vintage barn sale? If you're located in northern Illinois or the southern half of Wisconsin, then don't miss this amazing selling opportunity to reach ladies who love to shop! If you are unsure your shop would qualify, jump over to our Vintage Shop Hop page to send a PM to me on the with a link to your shops business page.

The Vintage Shop Hop is a twice-a-year self-guided road trip. We can put your store in front of thousands of new potential shoppers who love to shop with friends! Read more about the event on our blog website at https://bit.ly/GetTheList_and_Map

Shops can register beginning January 1 through February 22. If you come on board in the first 7 days you'll save $20. To register, on January 1 jump to the Vintage Shop Hop page to find the link to our Eventbrite registration page to read more about qualifying.

If you're a shopper--you don't need to worry about a thing...no registration for shoppers! But put these dates on your calendar and don't forget to ask for the day off...Friday and Saturday, March 7 & 8 and again for our fall event on October 3 & 4, 2025.

12/25/2024

Blessings to you for a joyous holy season.

12/21/2024

DO YOU ICE SKATE?

The fresh fallen snow here in Northern Illinois has brought sweet memories of my childhood winter days. In 1966 every neighbor kid owned a pair of skates. There was no rink. You either skated on the frozen creek in the backyard or the neighbor's pond. All of my brothers were older than I so we enjoyed many 'crack the whips'. When our toes were so cold we couldn't feel them anymore, it was time to head inside for that long-awaited cup of homemade hot cocoa and toast sopping with butter. How many of you dunked your toast in your cocoa? And yes, homemade cocoa. In a family of eight children my mom did not buy packets.

Does anybody have a Time Machine? I'd give anything to have a few more minutes of that snippet of time.

In all the rush and craziness of the holiday season don't forget to stop and make memories. And try your hand at homemade cocoa.

12/20/2024

THE REASON FOR THE SEASON.

Luke 2:8-12: The Message to the Shepherds

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'"

12/19/2024

FINALLY SATISFIED.

I've struggled for years with being satisfied with the right piece of furniture in my front hall. I live in a 1970s one story ranch. None of the rooms are overly large. This front entry is only 10 ft wide by 3 ft. deep at best. And it opens directly to the wide doorway to the front living room (lovingly called the Frunch room). There's not a whole lot you can do with 3 ft.

Over the years I've had many different low dressers, tall cabinets, and other odd pieces of furniture that didn't work. After browsing IG for the right look I decided to emulate the gorgeous hallway belonging to Bambi . It's so fabulous you'll find it on the cover of Country Living's Vintage magazine this month! Her home is one of my favorites on IG. Be sure to take a peek.

I love my entry now. It's the perfect spot for not only seasonal displays, but for guests to drop their coat in purse on the bench. My favorite tidbit is the soft pink plaid scarf that belong to my mother. My 1800s dress form (appropriately attired in her turn-of-the-century velvet cape) stands guard quite nicely don't you think?

12/18/2024

FIRST REAL SNOW...

Now it feels like December.

I do believe it's the perfect day for Christmas music, some gift wrapping, and writing out the grocery list. I'll have to do a bit of pretending... that I don't have a dentist appointment this afternoon. Ugh!

Swipe for close-ups of a few vignettes in my dining room. Oh wait, I forgot it's not a dining room anymore. It's the library. 😉 📚

Enjoy your last minute preparations!!

12/11/2024

THE CHOIR IS GETTING READY...

Only 2 weeks until the glorious holy day. Are you ready?

12/10/2024

15 DAYS AND COUNTING...

I'm headed out today to find a Grinch T-shirt of all things...for party attire.

What's on your agenda?

12/05/2024

CREATE EASY GINGERBREAD VILLAGE WINDOW ART...

Okay, are you ready for a simple project? This adorable gingerbread village is easy peasy. It's a window cling from Amazon!!!

Yep.

A few weeks ago I was helping my bestie, Kim from with Christmas decor at her house. She wanted to do original art using a paint pen on the windows. We ran out of time so we did the next best thing. Check Amazon. She bought two different sizes including this large village and a smaller one for her paned windows. I decided to try it out in my kitchen. What do you think?

I don't share a lot of photos of my kitchen but I'm feeling pretty good about it. I recently purchased the two Danish/MCM style swivel chairs, and swapped out the wall sconce lighting. Previously I had vintage glass shade lights with cords. These fun fixtures are rechargeable battery operated!!

For those of you who have followed a long time you know that almost every single item in my home is vintage. It was a bit out of my comfort zone to get 'new' chairs--but I had no luck with finding a pair of vintage chairs that worked in this space. I'm really happy with these. They are stylish,comfortable, easy to keep clean and they swivel!

Now go and order yourself some window clings. Just search on the words 'gingerbread house window cling'.

12/04/2024

GUEST ROOM READY... ✔️

Neutral decor does not have to be boring. Changing over to Christmas decor in my guest room is fairly quick and easy. Having white coverlets and neutral sheets on the beds makes for an easy transformation. All I do is change out the blankets at the foot of the bed and add a Christmas pillow.

What do you think of my dust ruffles? They are lace tablecloths. And the art above the beds? Simple $3 large gift bags from .

One of my favorite items is a little bit hidden...the NORTH directional highway sign sitting atop the cubby unit. I actually own two of them. The other is 'up north' at the lake. It's also a nod to my maternal grandmother whose name was Nellie North. My business is also named for her!

What's one of your favorite Christmas treasures?

11/29/2024

6 REASONS TO SHOP LOCAL

Buck the box stores. Take a break from Amazon. Shop local. Your community will thank you for it.

1. More money kept in the community 🌲

Shopping locally means that more money will stay in the community. For every $100 spent at a local business, around $73 remains in the community, versus roughly $43 when shopping at a non-locally owned business.

2. The personal touch 🦌

Local business owners typically are inclined to go the extra mile for their customers and are personally invested in the services and products they are selling as opposed to big box stores.

3. Lines are shorter ❄️

Waiting in long lines for checkout or to pick up merchandise ordered online can drain consumers’ energy and contribute to stress. Local businesses tend to have short lines and small crowds, which can lead to a more pleasant shopping experience.

4. Generates tax revenue 🛷

Local businesses generate more tax revenue per sales dollar, according to Rubicon, a digital marketplace for waste and recycling businesses. Taxes paid by local small businesses go to support schools, parks, roads, and other programs that benefit the community.

5. Supports local nonprofits ⛸️

Local businesses often support good work in the community, such as nonprofit groups. These can include schools and sports teams, among other groups.

6. Support other local businesses ⛄

Local business support other local businesses by buying and selling among each other. A local, independently owned restaurant may source its ingredients from local farms, which means visitors to such eateries are supporting multiple local businesses each time they dine out.

GET A LIST & MAP...
If you're in the Northern Illinois or Southern Wisconsin area, I have a list of over 400 small businesses including vintage shops, antique malls, home decor stores, ladies boutiques and upscale consignment shops. It's housed year round on my blog and you can find it here: https://vintageshophop.blogspot.com

11/25/2024

OH SHINY BRITE, OH SHINY BRITE...

🦌 I started decorating two weeks ago because I'm not hosting Thanksgiving dinner. I had to take a break twice. Being retired afforda me lots of time to decorate...and last week two separate girlfriends asked if I could help them with some holiday decor.

❄️ First up was a Snow Village and a Grinch village for my sweet friend's kids. Then a two night sleepover with my longtime friend Kim to help with multiple vignettes throughout her home. Be sure to click over to take a look at her festive holiday decor.

🌲 I'm pretty much done with my decorating. I change up locations of decor within my house every Christmas season. I typically have a seasonal message on a chalkboard over my stairwell year-round. But I wanted to change it up. I came across a big box of Shiny Brites I forgot I had. Because they are so beautiful I was determined to use them somewhere. A simple project with big impact was to string picture hanging wire back and forth across a very ornate shabby frame. Ta-da!! What do you think?

Now it's time to concentrate on Thanksgiving appetizers! I thank each and every one of you for following along this past year. Stay safe everyone!
🦃

11/11/2024

MY VERY OWN HERO.

Over 50 years ago my nineteen year old husband boarded a plane for a country he knew nothing about. He left a new wife behind, traveled 8,400 miles away from home and served 13 months in Vietnam enduring situations that we can't even begin to understand...daily loss of life, unbearable heat and humidity, a stench that he can still smell, setting and breaking camp every other day to hide from the enemy, the bombs and air raids, burned villages, the rats and snakes, new friends and profound sadness of lost friends, all while trying to preserve freedom and protect citizens of another country. As he ages, the memories affect him more and more. He doesn't speak of his time there often nor does he talk about his Bronze Star. He's our hero and we're proud of him every day.

We stand proud of all veterans every day of the year. Thank you Jesse and all veterans who put their life on the line for us.

11/01/2024

DIA DE LOS MU***OS....

Although my mother-in-law never knew who I was (as she was at the end of her battle with Alzheimer's when I met my husband)--I love all the stories Jesse tells of her. Lorenza grew up in Hicks, Texas and met my father-in-law Joaquin when her family prepared meals for railroad workers. Joaquin was born in small village in Michoacan, Mexico. Lorenza on the left, her brother Marcos, his wife Anita, and sister Gabriella, circa 1931.

What is this Dio de los Mu***os?

The Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de (los) Mu***os) is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and remember friends and family members who have died. These celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember amusing events and anecdotes about the departed. It is widely observed in Mexico, where it largely developed, and is also observed in other places, especially by people of Mexican heritage.

Nellie's Barn Sale is an event production company. We host two Vintage Shop Hops--a mega self-guided

10/23/2024

THIS IS ALL OF IT.

I do love my fall decor, but I don't do a lot of Halloween. Now that my son has flown the coop this is the extent of it. I bring out the cape, the black crow, the broom and the rockin' witch boots. This year she has to wear a black top hat since I can't find her witch hat! Come on! Where could it be?

Writing this post reminded me of the Macbeth poem. This should put you in the mood. Don't forget to enjoy the falling leaves. 🍁

🧹🕸️ 🧹🕸️🧹

Song of the Witches: “Double, double toil and trouble”

By William Shakespeare

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.

🧹 🧹 🧹🧹🧹

10/16/2024

IN MY EYES, THE PERFECT VIGNETTE....

Adding personal family items and heirlooms to a display gives me warm fuzzy feelings when I walk by. I rescued this church pew a few months ago and stripped it back to its original wood and topped it with a flat finish. It's an easy way to swap out seasonal displays at my front entry.

What makes it so special?

-My dad's outdoor yard jacket.
-Hydrangeas from my yard.
-My favorite rusty crusty cow tag.
-Garage sale whisk brooms.
-Wooden hanger from a defunct clothing store in my hometown.
-Picnic basket filled with doilies and linens I've collected over 35+ years.
-Basket filled with embroidery floss and a partially completed project that I started at least 30 years ago.
-Dress form I acquired while on the road back in my tourism days.
-Portion of my vintage rosary collection.
-My uncle's walking cane.
-My son's fuzzy leopard baby blanket.

What's your favorite thing to display with?