I found them

I was able to find my relatives at the cemeteries yesterday in Joplin, MO. I took each of them a rose. It was a beautiful day.

State mottos

Kansas | Ad astra per aspera | To the stars with difficulty

Minnestoa | L’étoile du Nord | The star of the North

Missouri | Salus populi suprema lex esto |
Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law

Connecticut | Qui transtulit sustinet| He who transplanted sustains

North Carolina |Esse quam videri | To be, rather than to seem

West Virginia | Montani semper liberi | Mountaineers are always free

Oregon | Alis volat propriis | She flies with her own wings

New York | Excelsior | Ever upward

Maryland |Fatti maschii, parole femine | Manly deeds, womanly words

Michigan | Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice |
If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you

I have time to think about a lot of things while driving on my roadtrip. Like, for example, what are the state mottos around here? State mottos don't get trot out that much, which is a blessing in some cases and a tragedy in others. As I reviewed the list, I was intrigued to find that although most mottos are in Latin or English, we also have mottos in Hawaiian, Spanish, French, Italian, Greek and Chinook Jargon. These are my ten favorites. Do you know your state motto?

Oh to meet again

I just realized that the GREEN CIDER 1920s chrysoprase ring has a carnelian sibling! I love finding vintage jewelry matches. Although this beauty just got snatched up from the shop, you can find some other sweet rings here.

Un petit voyage

Mamie, Fred Jr, & Fred Duffelmeyer, ca.1909 | grandpa & great grandparents

Mamie (black dress) and my grandpa (kid #6) with family and friends, ca. 1912

Miriam and Fred Duffelmeyer, 1937 | my grandma and grandpa

Tomorrow I leave for a week on a trip that I've been planning in my mind for almost two years. I'm headed to Missouri and Kansas to accomplish the following:

❥ visit my Grandma | The most important stop! My Grandma Miriam turned 95 in September. She married my grandpa in 1937. They were such a handsome couple!

❥do genealogy research | Both my grandparents have pioneer roots in those parts, so I'm hoping to find some great information at the local libraries and historical societies. You can bet I'm taking a roll of dimes for making copies, too. Disclosure: Genealogy is my big-time hobby - really, it is just a very personal kind of antiquing.

❥ go antiquing/rendez-vous with a couple of etsy buddies | I've got a long list of spots to scout for Jean Jean Vintage treasures on my roadtrip. I also get to meet up with a couple of etsy friends who are about to become real life friends! Super exciting.

❥ visit a chocolate maker | A vestige of my former job (chocolate/confectionery buyer), I'm going to spend the better part of a day working at the Askinosie Chocolate factory. I'm sure an unreasonable amount of chocolate will be enjoyed during my shift.

Family, genealogy, antiquing, etsy pals, chocolate - pretty much my five favorite things! Stay tuned for posts from the road!

On deck and up to bat

| Recently listed and/or coming to the shop this week ♥ |

The collection grows

We've chatted about my love for antique coin holders before. After mourning jewelry and buckle rings, I do believe coin cases take third place in the list of things that make me bonkers. Since our last visit on the topic, I've added a couple of pieces to my collection. They have different metals, shapes and capacities. The large piece is actually a vanity case, complete with a mirror, a bill or card clip, coin holders and a tiny compartment. The vanity case and the other silver-looking piece are marked "German Silver," which I recently learned is not silver at all but actually an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc. Anyway, if you are watching Antiques Roadshow in about 35 years and a white-haired lady wearing lots of old jewelry comes on with a sackful of these things, you can bet it is me. Especially if I'm all weepy.

Mama has a favorite

I've got my jewelry box favorites, for sure. An octagonal locket that I wear almost every day, a blue glass 1930s evening ring that I'm pretty sure gives me magical powers, a 1910s bandeau/headband . . . and as of a couple of weeks ago, this necklace! Rhinestone and sterling/pot metal Art Deco necklaces are getting harder and harder to find, especially ones with delicate designs and lots of "vacant" chain space like this one. I'm in love with the oval feature, as well as the fact that it is also a festoon necklace. I don't deserve it, but I am grateful to be its owner for the next few decades!

I'm into it

Victorian gun metal slide locket with turquoise | A. Brandt and Son

Victorian gun metal/sterling coin holder locket | A Brandt and Son

Art Nouveau gun metal/sterling silver case | Morning Glory Jewelry

I'm into gunmetal jewelry. Sounds kind of tough, doesn't it?! Well, this jewelry is kind of tough and commanding. I like it because it is somber and turn of the century (ca. 1890s). Used mostly for pocket watches, coin cases, purse frames and the like, gun metal jewelry and accessories seem to be quite rare. So if you spot a piece of jewelry with a dull metal that looks like it's made form a barrel of a civil war rifle, grab it up and add it to your collection!