When I walk out the door, chances are something I'm wearing is vintage. Whether it's a silk scarf I picked up in a vintage shop in Paris or a thrift store in San Antonio, a pair of 1960's earrings from an estate sale or even one of the vintage designer pieces I scored on eBay or Etsy, my fashion finds are always with me.

The other day I glanced down at the dish on my dresser that holds jewelry and other odds and ends. Looking at the contents, I realized I could draw a map around town connecting the dots from one favorite shop to another.

That's how it is with Treasure Hunters. We see it, we love it, we buy it and we celebrate it.

I wrote about this very thing in the March/April issue of Spokane Cd'A Woman magazine. You can read that column here. And you can always read more about my travels (and my treasure hunting) on my CAMera: Travel and Photo blog.

Cheryl-Anne Millsap is a freelance writer based in Spokane, Washington. In addition to her Spokesman-Review Home Planet and Treasure Hunting columns and blogs and her CAMera: Travel and Photo blog, her essays can be heard on Spokane Public Radio and on public radio stations across the country. She is the author of “Home Planet: A Life in Four Seasons” and can be reached at catmillsap@gmail.com

(Image courtesy of Two Women Art & Antiques)

I can't imagine a better weekend to make the short trip to Spangle (just 9 miles from I-90) to the spring Two Women Art & Antiques Barn Bazaar.

In addition to a beautiful drive through the Palouse, you'll get antiques, vintage finds, arts and crafts, homemade goodies and live music all for the $1 admission (Admission proceeds will go to the Moran Prairie Grange resoration project.)

Hours are:

Saturday: 10 am - 6 pm

Sunday: 10 am - 4 pm

Click here for directions and contact information. See you there!

(Photo by Cheryl-Anne Millsap)

   When it is time to dress the table for dinner I open the old oak armoire that serves as my linen and china closet and take out the one of the bundles of napkins, table runners and tablecloths I've collected from all over the world.

   Folded and tied with ribbon and stacked in the armoire, the old textiles are more than just pieces of cloth to cover the table or place under the centerpiece. The natural textures and hues, from snowy whilte to soft vanilla to almost burlap-brown, are pleasing to the eye and to the touch. A few pieces are monogrammed, stitched with the initials of the woman who owned them first. Some are sewn with fine stitches and edged in delicate lace. Others are more crudely made, finished with heavy crochet. Some are not decorated at all, simply hemmed lengths of fabric.

   Before I select a piece I run my fingers over the folds and, in my mind, draw a map of the world, connecting one place to another with a trail of purchases. The short piece of very old linen I found in a bin in a Paris shop. The table runner picked up for a song in Biloxi, Mississippi. The woven second-hand souvenirs of trips to Belgium and Germany. The linen tea towel from a thift store in San Antonio. The Irish linen napkins purchased from an antiques shop in Birmingham, Alabama

   These fabrics bring out the hausfrau in me. If the tulips dust them with pollen, or the wine spills or coffee cups leave rings, I shrug. These small sins almost always disappear in the wash. And on the first hot day of summer I soak them in hot water and hang them out to dry and bleach in the sun before bundling them again, tying each stack with a length of white ribbon.

   I am not naturally tidy. I have to work at it. When I open the cabinet I almost always find a jumble of china and crystal and odds and ends that weren't put away properly. Perhaps it is an indication of how much I love these old, worn fabrics, but I take the time and enjoy the ritual of folding and stacking them for the next use. It gives me the opportunity to admire the handiwork of another woman, the beauty of natural things. And each piece reminds me of the place it was discovered and tucked into my suitcase before coming home with me.

Cheryl-Anne Millsap is a freelance journalist based in Spokane, Washington. In addition to her Home Planet , Treasure Hunting and CAMera: Travel and Photo blogs, her essays can be heard on Spokane Public Radio and on public radio stations across the country.

CAM is the author of “Home Planet: A Life in Four Seasons” and can be reached at catmillsap@gmail.com

(Photo by Cheryl-Anne Millsap)

If you were anywhere near the Fox Theater in downtown Spokane Saturday night, you might have noticed men and women in evening wear, wearing elaborate masks as they hurried into the beautiful Art Deco building. It was the Spokane Symphony's first Masquerade Ball and I was there with the rest of the partygoers. It was fun to see the men and women in costume and it was amazing the difference the masks made. Even old friends didn't immediately recognize one another.

Like everyone else I had wanted my mask to stand out, to say something about its wearer. So, after thinking about it for a few days, I went to an unexpect source.

Becky Ellis and Holly Baublitz, of Spokane's All That Glitter, are now located in Pink, the vintage and salvage mecca located just a few blocks from the Fox Theater. Becky's elaborate creations—crowns, wreaths and other exquisite displays crafted of ephemera and found objects—are beautiful one-of-a-kind collages. I've long admired her work and it occurred to me she was the perfect person to make a custom, vintage inspired, mask for the ball.

I stopped into Pink one afternoon and talked to Holly. She asked a few questions about whether I wanted a mask to wear all night or one on a stick that could be worn or carried. I chose the former. I reminded her that I'm not a particularly “blingy” woman, prefering my pearls to over-the-top sparkles. After that, I left everything else to Becky and just waited for the call.

When Holly opened the pink (naturally) box and showed me the mask, I was thrilled. The sepia tones of old Spokesman-Review newspaper pages, clipped and decopaged onto the mask form, accented by ostrich feathers and vintage faux pearls and rhinestones, glowed. A dusting of German glass glitter finished the effect. Just enough sparkle for a ball, but not too much. Rather than an elastic band, Becky had crafted a clever headband to hold it on comfortably.

It was perfect.

On Saturday night I slipped on the mask and joined the party. After the ball, it became a unique piece of handmade art for my home office. Now, every time it catches my eye I smile, celebrating the creative talent of a local artist. And I remember a wonderful night spent benefitting a great cause.

Cheryl-Anne Millsap is a freelance writer based in Spokane, Washington. In addition to her Home Planet , Treasure Hunting and  CAMera: Travel and Photo blogs, her essays can be heard on Spokane Public Radio and on public radio stations across the country. She is the author of “Home Planet: A Life in Four Seasons” and can be reached at catmillsap@gmail.com

Once a month I spend a half an hour or so at Spokane Public Radio recording several Home Planet columns for my weekly Sunday Morning Essay program. ( Listen to the Podcast here.)

I always try to make sure I have enough time to record three or four essays and then prowl around the The Vintage Rabbit Antique Mall on the street level of the building, before I have to make the after-school pickup. This was my week to record, and as it happened, it was also my week to discover a great find.

For years I've been picking up old wicker-covered bottles. Long before Pottery Barn decided it was the perfect accessory, I was adding to my collection one old bottle at a time. Today, thanks to a dealer at The Vintage Rabbit, I brought home one more.

It's in great shape, showing the expected wear and age but the wicker is still intact and the exposed lip of the bottle isn't chipped or broken. And the bonus? I paid only $5.50.

Friday is usually a good day. But a sunny Friday with all deadlines met, a great find and a fun weekend ahead is a very good day.

Cheryl-Anne Millsap is the author of Home Planet: A Life in Four Seasons.  She also blogs at Home Planet and CAMera: A Photo Blog of People and Places. CAM can be reached at catmillsap@gmail.com

The best finds are not only bargains that catch the eye and stimulate the imagination. The real treasures are objects that are useful.

Years ago I spotted this wooden box in a Spokane thrift store. It is basic and beautiful, solidly constructed out of tongue-in-groove pine with traces of white paint. At some point someone attached modern casters to the bottom so it rolls smoothly.

Over the years the box has served many purposes in my home. I've filled it with magazines, used it to hold firewood and even stacked wrapped gifts in it under the Christmas tree. These days it holds three Pottery Barn Kilim floor pillows that are used as extra seating when the house is full of company, as it was last weekend, or to stack by the fireplace for a warm and cozy place to sit by the fire and read.

Now, with the birth of my first grandchild, I can see a new life for the old box. Soon it will be used to hold toys and books for a little girl I am hoping will spend many happy hours with me.

Cheryl-Anne Millsap is a freelance writer based in Spokane, Washington. In addition to her Home Planet , Treasure Hunting and  CAMera: Travel and Photo blogs, her essays can be heard on Spokane Public Radio and on public radio stations across the country. She is the author of “Home Planet: A Life in Four Seasons” and can be reached at catmillsap@gmail.com

Some people have the right idea.

I've written about Kelly Tareski before, but after reading about it on her blog, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to learn a little more about her outdoor spa.

Tareski, who owns GardenStone Creations in Airway Heights, coerced (or canoodled) husband Monte into using an old claw-foot tub she had been saving to create a place to enjoy a hot soak under the stars on their Nine Mile Falls property. While that might be a big request for most of us, Monte is in the business of moving things around. He owns Cascading Creations and spends most days moving big rocks, building walls, steps and water features.

In a few days she had her heated outdoor tub, surrounded by flagstone pavers. Kelly whipped up burlap curtains and cajoled (or canoodled) Monte into building a vanity using an old sink she'd been saving for another project.

The result? A beautiful, nature-inspired place to soak and dream under a big Eastern Washington sky.

Unfortunately, as happens with most good ideas, now everyone wants in on the act. The kids like the outdoor bathtub so much Kelly has to schedule her own play time. Isn't that always the way?

You can read more about Kelly Tareski's “Suite Outoors” and see more photos of the project here

Cheryl-Anne Millsap writes for The Spokesman-Review and is the editor of Spokane Metro Magazine. Her essays can be heard on Spokane Public Radio and on public radio stations across the country. She is the author of “Home Planet: A Life in Four Seasons” and can be reached at catmillsap@gmail.com

I spent an hour or so yesterday talking to people at this year's Farm Chicks show.

If you have a hankering to walk around in petticoats and cowboy boots and like the idea of decorating with vintage junk- the shabbier the better - the annual sale continuing today at the Spokane Fair and Expo Center is the place to be.

The crowd is always big and the people-watching is fantastic. And, of course, there are bargains to be had. As I talked to people there were a few complaints: Topping the list was the option of paying a larger admission fee to get in before the throng but the sheer volume of shoppers was a grumbling point, as well. But, on the whole, everyone was glad to be there and having a great time.

Sunday is my favorite day. The aisles are not as congested and vendors do restock so there are still plenty of treasures to be found. The “Man Cave” will be open again today for husband-sitting.

For more photos from the 2011 Farm Chicks Show in Spokane click “Continue Reading.”

    I try to travel light. I don’t like a lot of luggage and I don’t bring a lot home with me. In fact, most of my souvenirs tend to be things for my children. But my weakness gets me every time. Textiles. I love fabrics, especially vintage fabrics.
    I recently spent a week in Iceland. I was on my own and had no itinerary or agenda. I wandered the streets in any direction I chose.
    On one street, just off the main shopping district in Reykjavik, I noticed a small red building, decorated with a red cross. I could see the words, in English, “Second Hand.”
    My kind of place.
    I opened the door and walked in. The tiny shop was full of locals looking through the racks of hand-knitted Icelandic wool sweaters. The sweaters were beautiful but what caught my eye was a bundle of fabric in the window.
    I tried to get the attention of the two women working in the store but neither spoke English. Finally, a young woman realized I needed help and translated for me. She had the women bring out the fabric so I could get a closer look.They were four old woven flax or linen curtain panels in a soft, golden, natural color. They were clean, soft (obviously laundered many times) and in wonderful condition.
    “How much?” I asked.
    The young woman asked the two older women.
    We finally determined that there were four curtain panels at $8 U.S dollars each.
    “Not much, eh?” the young woman asked with a smile.
    “No,” I said. “Not much at all.”
    I measured the panels and realized that there were at least 8 yards of wonderful fabric selling for much less than it all would have cost in an American shop. Vintage European fabrics are very popular now and can command high prices in antique shops or at flea markets.
    “I’ll take it,” I said, gesturing to the women.
    They wrapped the fabric in paper and I carried it out of the store.
    Of course, when it was time to leave my luggage was considerably fatter. Not only two bulky Icelandic sweaters (one purchased later at the same shop) crammed in, but eight yards of fabric, as well.
    The remarkable thing? When I got home I discovered the curtain panels were exactly right for the two large windows in my living room and dining room.
    I haven’t hung them yet. I don’t know if I will. I may repurpose the fabric in some way. But simply looking at the material gives me pleasure. Every time I see it I remember my adventure in Iceland and how I brought home a suitcase full of vintage gold.

(To see a photo of the fabric, click Continue Reading)

Cheryl-Anne Millsap writes for The Spokesman-Review. Her essays can be heard on Spokane Public Radio and on public radio stations across the country. She is the author of “Home Planet: A Life in Four Seasons” and can be reached at catmillsap@gmail.com

Take one Air Force kid with a Moroccan mother, mix travel, careers in nursing and graphic design, stir in a big romance and a love of antiques and you have the story of Kris Mack.

After graduating from Eastern Washington University, a stint in nursing, graphic design and marrying back into the military, Kris Mack landed back in Spokane. And she’s landed with style. She's working with partner Wendy Allen and their new shop, Artemis, is opening this weekend.

I was able to get her attention long enough to answer a few questions about the road to Spokane and what we can expect from Artemis.


What brought you to Spokane?

“(My husband) Brian received orders in 2009 to Fairchild AFB where he is a pilot in the KC-135.  We moved here in January of 2010. My parents now live in the Tri-Cities, so it's nice that they are close.”


What made you decide to start a business here and open a store?

“With my own business, I could create an environment of positive energy and help other people.  I learned these principles from my own grandparents in Israel. My grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Morocco and they owned shops there.  My grandmother Simi had a restaurant.  I don't know that grandma ever made a dime from her cooking.  They fed Muslims, Christians and Jews and really lived this incredible life.   They touched a lot of people's lives regardless of religion with their generosity and sense of community.  This shop symbolizes so much for me.” 


What can we expect from Artemis?

“You'll see a lot of new artists, funky antiques, vintage clothing, upcycled furniture and an expanding clothing and jewelry line.  Artemis supports local artistry and craft. One hundred percent of our new clothing, jewelry, furniture and art is made in the USA.  We are committed to spending our dollars locally, buying wholesale from and promoting new designers from the USA.”

How did you find just the right vendors for your store?

“The deal with local vendors was really serendipitous.  Last year I bought a desk from Al and Lynda Rogers of Yesterday and Today Antiques and I just kept coming back.  Once we had begun construction on the shop, I heard that they were closing up and it just gutted me.  I sent Al a quick note and asked him to get in touch with me and from there we had a series of conversations that lead to them putting their antiques in our shop!  I started searching for other vendors. I found Ronni Ryno of Glamarita and Kadra Evans of  Assassin Apparel.  I just sent them a note and they responded.
I found Jessica Fouche and Rachel O'Brien on Etsy.  Artemis will have their jewelry and soaps and lotions.  
 I also met a lovely woman, Judy Rosier of Frosting, that will be providing Artemis with our free cupcakes on Saturday.  We are also looking into carrying some items from Gladys Hanning of Junebug.”  

With Artemis launched, what’s next?

“Our new website artemishop.com coming in 6 months We also have  a daughter business called 'Pickn' Chicks.'  We will sell your estate (buy your estate in some cases) or help you clean out your garage, barn, house.  We're developing that side of the business currently.”


Artemis Grand Opening Details
Where:3109 N. Monroe
When: Saturday, April 16
Hours: Mon - Fri: 10 am - 5:30 pm; Sat: 9 am- 5:30 am; Sun: 11am-5:00 pm
For more information call: 509 995 8860  
(Vendor inquiries welcome)


Cheryl-Anne Millsap writes for The Spokesman-Review. Her essays can be heard on Spokane Public Radio and on public radio stations across the country. She is the author of “Home Planet: A Life in Four Seasons” and can be reached at catmillsap@gmail.com
  

Put away that list of spring chores. Forget about cleaning out the garage and tidying up the basement. It's time to go out and play.  And by that I mean out to Chattaroy for the Spring Funky Junk sale.

The sale is going on this weekend at the Irish Dance Hall Grange in Chattaroy and Hollie Jantz Eastman and Jennifer Wood have filled the hall with all kinds of treasures of her own and other dealers. Hollie's been posting tempting photos on her blog and so has Jennifer.

I drove out to the sale last year and took a few photos (I even snapped a few local treasure hunters with happy hands) and I can't wait to do a little treasure hunting again this year.

Here is the list of this year's vendors:

Apropos (Kathy Simmons)
BallyHoo Girl (Christy Dunham)
bizi (Jamie Anderson/Paris Flea Market, CD'A)
A Brush Stroke Away (Denny Wuesthoff)
The Catalog (Ashley Reynolds)
Hudson's Holidays (Shirley Hudson)
Iona's Antiques (Traci Brush)
Junebug Furniture and Design (Gladys & Celia Hanning of the Mad Hatter Flea Market)
Joey Vintage (Shawna Moran/Jenna Burgener)
Joy Harvest (Funky Junk Hollie Eastman & mom Gail Jantz)
LadyBird Jewelry (Erin Campbell)
Nestting (Ann Caster)
Orphaned Decor (Leslie Willmann)
Out of the Woods (Tudy Kvenbo)
Pauper's Candle Company (Krista Webber) Playhouse Soaps (Funky Junk Jennifer Wood)
ReVamp (Dore Schiller)
Rustic Radiance/Burnett Photography (Cary Burnett-our photographer!!)
Rusty Pine Junk Co. (Barbara Ackerman)
Shabby Stems Furnishings (Holly Dalke)
Scout Vintage Clothing & Accessories (Robyn Pirie)
Sisters Creed (Kristin Johnson & crew)
Sophia's/Angel's Attic (Kristen Dobsen/Linda & Jon Gardner)
Touched by Time (Kathy White)
Two Women Art & Antiques (Dianna & Fielding Chelf of the Two Women Barn Bazaar)
Unexpected Necessities (Jennifer Walker)
The Vintage Show (Coquille Gallagher)
The Wren Nest (Nicole Froemming/Vicki Penna)
Yesterday's Connection (Funky Junk Jennifer Wood)
  

The details:
Funky Junk Spring Antique Show and Sale
When: April 9 & 10, 10 a.m.—4 p.m.
Where: Irish Dance Hall Grange: 8216 E. Big Meadows Rd. Chattaroy, WA 99003

Directions: Go north on Newport Hwy (which becomes Hwy 2.) Follow Hwy 2 past Cat Tails and turn right on Elk-Chattaroy Rd. (at the Solid Waste Transfer Station).Right on to Big Meadows Rd for three miles. Look for the pretty pink signs!

Admission: $2 (kids 12 and under get in free)

   
Our list of Saturday errands took us out to Big R in Spokane Valley. Always the opportunist, I took advantage of the fact that we were in the neighborhood to make a quick stop at three side-by-side shops on Trent.

    I peeked into All That Glitter first and talked to Holly Baublitz and Becky Ellis. I love the architectural elements that define the interior. A vintage greenhouse frame and a wonderfully shabby gazebo carve what would be a wide-open room into a space with lots of interesting nooks and crannies. It’s not all girly glitter, though. Holly told me they’re doing more with industrial and salvage pieces, as well. (Look for new merchandise scored at a barn sale this morning.)

    From there I moved on to The Mad Cow next door. I missed The Mad Cow’s grand opening recently but got a chance to meet Heidi Tobler and her daughter Hannah when I stopped in today.  Each room is full of wonderful shabby finds and I loved the creative touches in every corner. Can't wait to go back.

    The last stop was This Old House & New. I’ve been in This Old House plenty of times but I found it particularly hard to walk away from several sweet chairs recovered in vintage fabrics. I’ve been treasure hunting for a long time and have always had a fondness for orphaned chairs (among other things.) I poked around in Jennifer Walker’s Unexpected Necessities space. As always, she’s filled it with cotton-candy pink and white vintage goodness.

    So, pardon me if I give myself a pat on the back. I got the Saturday errands done and managed to snag a little junking time for myself.

    Hope your day was just as much fun!

(Click Continue Reading for more photos)

Cheryl-Anne Millsap writes for The Spokesman-Review. Her essays can be heard on Spokane Public Radio and on public radio stations across the country. She is the author of “Home Planet: A Life in Four Seasons” and can be reached at catmillsap@gmail.com

  

(photo by Cheryl-Anne Millsap)

    Each week I record my Home Planet column for my Sunday Morning Essay program on Spokane Public Radio. After my studio time I always try to stop by The Vintage Rabbit, which is located on the street level of the same building on North Monroe.
    

    Owner, Jan Richart is usually there and we chat for a few minutes as I look around.
    

    The Vintage Rabbit (here’s a Spokane Grapevine post about the store) was one of the first places I discovered when I moved to Spokane in 1999. I decorated my new house with old things, many of them Vintage Rabbit finds, so over the years I’ve become familiar with many of the dealers there.
    

    Last week as I walked through the booths, I noticed a woman shopping in the same space. She was looking at a large vintage locker-unit in a corner and after a minute, snapped off the price tag hanging from a string.
   

     “This is my new armoire,” she said, turning to me with a big smile.
    

    That’s the way it is with treasure hunters. We get so excited about our ideas and finds we just have to share.
    Kris Mack introduced herself and we talked for a few minutes while Jan helped her clear out the big piece and get it ready to go. It seems we have a similar story.
    

    Kris just moved to Spokane a year ago and is now slowly filling her new home with funky vintage finds. As a designer, she has a good eye. Drawn to a more industrial look, she and her husband love to create one-of-a-kind pieces from unique antique and vintage items.

    “I love looking at things and imagining them in a different way,” she told me. “It’s a way to save money and to be creative.”
    

    I snapped a quick photo of Kris and her $200 find - which will become an armoire in the master bedroom - and I’m looking forward to writing more about her.    I’d also like to introduce her to all of the other junkers out there.

    You can read more about Kris Mack's design work here.

  

Snow may be in the forecast, but collectors are getting spring fever. They want new vintage finds to chase away the winter blahs.

I got the note below from a reader north of Spokane. She and some friends are going to be in Spokane in early March and they want to know where to go for the best finds.

So, where would you send them? Let's hear your recommendations.

CAM

Dear Cheryl-Ann
I always used to read your Treasure Hunt column in the Spokesman Home section. I miss it!!! I was glad to see your blog.
Next month my best 3 friends will be coming to Spokane with me to shop and have some “spa and food fun.” We all love junking and try to do some treasure hunting when we get together. What are your favorite shops these days? Are there any shows going on in March?

Linda P.

There are finds and then there are the finds you find all over again.

In 2006, I was invited by a Treasure Hunting reader to join her for a day of antiquing. I met her at Apple Annie Antique Gallery in Cashmere, Washington and joined Soap Lake Collector's Club for lunch at the diner there in the mall. After lunch we spent several hours looking around the mall. I bought two pieces of green Fiestaware and we were saying goodbye when I noticed a pile of items just inside the door. One of the dealers was just bringing in new merchandise and had dropped it off at the door while she moved her truck and got down to the business of tagging and displaying.

One item in particular caught my eye. It was a small round, weathered, wrought-iron table. The glass was missing but otherwise the shabby white table was in great shape. I could see it in my garden or sitting beside a favorite chair.

When the dealer walked up I asked her what she wanted for the table and she studied it a minute and said, “How about $18?”

Sold.

I brought it home and put it in the garden shed until I could find a place for it. We sold the big house in the suburbs soon after and downsized to a cottage in the city, I got rid of a lot of things, but I brought the table with me. I knew it had potential.

For the last five years the table has been in the garden shed here in the city. Waiting until the time was right.

Maybe it was the unexpectedly bright sunshine on a February day, but I woke up this morning in a mood to do something different around the house. After my coffee, I moved a few things around. Declaring the end of the worst of winter, I put the white cotton slipcover on the sofa and replaced the heavier oriental rug with a lighter jute rug. I also moved the leather ottomans I've used for a coffee table since moving in.

Staring at the empty space in front of the sofa, wondering what would look good and still do the job, I remembered the iron table in the garden shed. A quick trip to Pier 1 for a new glass top and it was done. I've got a brand new look built around a fine old find.

Cheryl-Anne Millsap writes for The Spokesman-Review. Her essays can be heard on Spokane Public Radio and on public radio stations across the country. She is the author of “Home Planet: A Life in Four Seasons” and can be reached at catmillsap@gmail.com

    Too often, women who love to spend hours looking at vintage items at a flea market or in an antique mall, do it entirely on their own or they go with a group of friends. They wouldn’t think of having a husband around.
    This is definitely not the case with Kelly and Monte Tareski. The couple, who own Cascading Creations, share more than a business. They share a love of junking that has found an important place in their relationship.

    “I have always had a passion for the weathered and worn out item,” Kelly told me.  “As a child, I remember going to the Southern California flea markets  and spending all day digging, hunting for the perfect piece of junk and at a young age being able to negotiate the ‘right price.’”

    Eventually, Tareski wanted more than just fun. She wanted to make a career out of rescuing and re-imagining vintage items. Fortunately, her husband shared that desire.

    “Just in the past couple of years I have had the opportunity to turn that passion into a business. With Monte's passion for the same, it makes it very easy to go treasure hunting and we have so much fun together,” she says. “One of our favorites is when we get the call to go ‘pick’ at an old homestead.”

    Transforming a building on the grounds of their Airway Heights stone business, Tareski turned her new project, GardenStone Creations into an appealing and popular place for shoppers. She was able to find a way to combine her love of the hunt, with a desire to own a unique business.

    What came about is an outlet for local artists, artisans and creative types.

    “I am a huge supporter of local artisans and the buy-local movement,” Tareski says. “I am proud to say that I have my shop 80 percent stocked at this time with local merchandise from local businesses and artisans. I’m working towards 100 percent.”

    But, once a treasure hunter, always a treasure hunter. As proud as Tareski is to have started a business and carved a successful niche in the competitive antiques and vintage market in a relatively short time, what matters the most is spending time with her husband and having something positive and productive to show for it.

     “We not only love the hunt, but getting to hear the stories behind the treasures we find,” she says. “Then we love retelling those stories to our customers who purchase the items.”

Harvest Treasures ( For more info click Continue Reading…)
Saturday, August 14 at GardenStone Creations in Airway Heights, Kelly Tareski will present Harvest Treasures, an event featuring hand-picked vendors selling antiques, hand-made crafts and one-of-a-kind items.
Here are the details: For more information call 509.244.0900
Where: 1515 S. Lyons Rd, Airway Heights
When: Saturday, August 14

Continuing my Treasure Hunting series on what sparked a life-long love of vintage in local collectors and dealers, this week’s profile features Hollie Jantz Eastman.
Eastman is one of the co-owners of Funky Junk Antique Show.




    Like so many of us, Hollie Jantz Eastman’s love of old things was a habit that started at home when she was allowed to select several of her grandmother’s Christmas ornaments.

    “At the time it didn’t matter at all. “I just picked up the six different colored ornaments and put them in a box,” she says. “They didn’t go on my tree that year, but the next year I was glad that I had them.”

    Eastman had no idea just how much the ornaments would come to mean to her. Almost a decade ago, Eastman’s grandparents were killed in an accident just 10 days before Christmas and the ornaments gained deeper significance.


    “Those ornaments are just Styrofoam bells, fancied up with thread and glitter and paint, but they have come to represent the era that I love so much,” she says.  “The same in which my grandma started her life a wife and mother.”

    Now, Eastman finds inspiration and comfort each time she places one of the handmade pieces on her tree.


    “They have graced and glittered my Christmas tree every year and reminded me of my lovely grandma,”  Eastman says. “Since that bleak holiday ten years ago, Christmas has since begun to be joyful again for my family and me.”

    As a successful entrepreneur, Eastman spends her time searching for vintage items to sell at her own shows and other venues, and she has discovered an affinity for mid-century modern finds.

    “When I started junking for real, and made it into a life’s occupation, it was the vintage 1940’s and 50’s that I was drawn too,” she says. “And it is those vintage items that still speak most vividly to me.”

   Eastman finds personal inspiration, as well.

    “As I navigate the journey of being a wife and a mother,” she says, “all it takes is bringing out those ornaments on a December day to bring it all back into focus.”

Click here to learn more about Funky Junk Antique Show.

Cheryl-Anne Millsap is a freelance columnist for The Spokesman-Review. Her essays can be heard on Spokane Public Radio and on public radio stations across the country. She is the author of “Home Planet: A Life in Four Seasons” and can be reached at catmillsap@gmail.com

    Sometimes it’s hard to remember just when we fell in love. Was it at first sight, or did the feeling grow from familiarity and time spent together?

    Looking back, I can’t remember when I first fell for time-worn objects, for items that had a history beyond my own lifetime. Growing up in a family of collectors, I spent my childhood in a house filled with fascinating old things. It was an association I carried with me as I made my own way. When I left for school, my dorm room was decorated with an old lace tablecloth and a sterling silver bud vase. (I wrote about that in my first Treasure Hunting column in 2003)

    Now, my house is filled with family heirlooms or treasures that I brought home from an afternoon spent at the flea market. Some are as dear to me as any old friend.

    Recently, at an antiques show, as I talked to many of the dealers and collectors, I began to wonder just what triggered that love in each of them. So, I decided to ask. I sent emails to some of the people whose sense of style, entrepreneurship and creative drive, I admire. I asked them to tell me their love stories, to share the experience or object that stole their hearts.

    The responses were fascinating. I’ll be sharing them here on my Spokesman-Review Treasure Hunting blog and I hope you’ll enjoy them, too.

Honoring a Family’s History

Rolane Hopper didn’t just fill her home with relics from farm life. She bought the farm. When she and her husband purchased a 1909 house on the remaining 10 acres of what had been a 150-acre homestead in Rathdrum, Idaho, she knew she had found her perfect place. Hopper started blogging about her experience and promptly founded a successful antiques show held at the vintage barn on her property. When I sent out my query asking for junking love stories, she was the first to reply. Here’s what she sent:

    “I remember my first ‘find’ and the unexpected excitement I felt. I was 17 years old, living in Burbank Calif., when a friend invited me to a local auction. I was hesitant. I had always loved vintage clothing but had never really gotten into furniture. I started bidding on a HUGE old trunk, circa 1911. What I won at auction was a family’s entire history all locked inside this great old trunk. It fascinated me. The family Bible, birth, wedding and death certificates, photos, deeds to family farms. I still have it all. Including a beautiful picture of a girl, possibly on her wedding day.
    In a way it made me sad to know that this family gave this to auction. I thought the best I could do was honor and preserve the family memories as I found them.”

    See what a single bid at auction can do? For Rolane Hopper it was only the beginning. Now, she brings crowds to her home each summer to shop for their own vintage treasures. In addition to her own barn sale, she is a vendor at The Farm Chicks show in June and she sells a line of merchandise on her website.

•     The next Vintage Barn sale will be held July 10 from 9am - 4pm  Click here for more information or to follow Rolane Hopper’s Vintage Barn adventures. 

• To see photos of Rolane Hopper's trunk and contents, click continue reading…