Milena from Path to Junkin Treasure |
Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger is a feature done each Saturday that introduces you to a blogger you may already know or a new blogger for you to get to know. This feature gives you a peak into the personal life of the blogger. Getting to know the special person behind the beautiful blog.
There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland so enjoy getting to know these talented bloggers each Saturday.
This Saturday it gives me great pleasure to introduce you to a blogger I met in person and did not know she was a fellow blogger or follower of my blog.
Terry and I were out one day junkin and we came across this cute antique place. Carriage House Antiques in Crystal Lake Illinois. I walked in the door and there was Milena behind the counter and right away she recognized me from my blog. We struck up a conversation and when I got home I found her blog and knew she would be a wonderful blogger to get to know here on Spotlight.
How great is this to meet up with a fellow blogger before we knew we were fellow bloggers lol! Love it!
Enjoy getting to know Milena and then hop over to her great blog and say Hi.
Thank you Kris for including me in the Saturday Spotlight. I am touched and extremely excited to be a
part of this. When you and Terry walked
through the door of The Carriage House Antiques the day I was there, I never
imagined how wonderful being a part of a blog could be.
Hi, my name is Milena and I am fairly new to writing a
blog. I am still figuring it all
out. My blog,
pathtojunkentreasure.blogspot.com started out as a way to let everyone know how
much fun and inexpensive it could be to buy treasures (as I call them) at
garage sales, rummage sales, thrift stores, flea markets and even salvaging
someone else's throw outs. I am out
almost daily looking for those finds. I
like to list how much I paid for an item and when the sales are happening. I also like to blog about stores that I have
found on my travels. It is my path to
junk and treasure. Hence, the name for
my blog.
I am sitting in "my room" where I spend a lot of time creating. |
And so my story begins.....I was born in New Jersey and
moved to Illinois around 22 years ago when my husband went to work in the
family business. (August marks our 20th
wedding anniversary) I am still a Jersey girl at heart and get
homesick at times, especially in the summer.
I spent so much time at the Jersey shore that I miss the ocean when
things heat up. I make sure to get back
there every summer so my sons know the joy that I experienced while growing
up. Speaking of sons, I have 2 wonderful
teenage boys that I drag around on my treasure hunts.
Atlantic City New Jersey |
Before my sons were born, I worked in haircare/skincare
sales in the salon industry and traveled the East Coast and then in the Midwest
when I moved to Illinois. I traveled a
lot and really enjoyed it, but when the boys came along, I decided to spend my
time with them. I substituted at
different school districts for the past 13 years so that I could be around when
they were out of school. Eight years
ago, I became a McHenry County Master Gardener through the University of
Illinois Extension. I love it and enjoy
teaching others about gardening. It has
been very rewarding and fulfilling.
Here we are in New Glarus Wisconsin. |
Almost 1 year ago, this September, I began selling my
treasures at The Carriage House Antiques and Good Stuff shop in Crystal Lake
Illinois. Karen and Di have been in
business for over 10 years now and I shopped there often. I am so glad that they asked me to be a part
of their business. I am loving every
minute of it! I can now shop for others
instead of only for myself.
My whole family loves antiques. It must be in our genes. My grandfather had worked in the coal mines
in Pennsylvania and loved to "shop" at the local dump for bottles. He had a large collection. In the summer when we would visit, he would
always show us his collection in the shed.
It was huge to my little eyes.
He gave me an Indian syrup bottle at one time and I treasured it. My mom would let us bring home treasures that
we would find on throw out days in town.
She repurposed items before it was the thing to do. My brothers were also bitten by the antique
bug and most recently my father has become addicted to treasure hunting.
There are a few collections that I am obsessed about. My mother gave me a hammered aluminum piece
years ago that her father had given to her.
That was all it took for me to want to know everything about hammered
aluminum. At one time, I had over 300
pieces. I have since reduced the size,
but still get excited about a new piece.
I also love milk glass, vintage jewelry, vintage Christmas and vintage
linens. Especially vintage tablecloths
and hand embroidered pieces. My guest
room closet is full! In my spare time, I
like to knit and sew, especially pillows.
I enjoy quilting where I can use my vast collection of fabric, another
obsession of mine.
Thank you so much for opening up your home to me. I have enjoyed sharing my life with all of
you and hope you will visit my blog to see where my next pathtojunkentreasure
will lead.
Hope you enjoyed getting to know Milena today. Milena is a sweet and down to earth as her story shows today. Please take some time and visit her great blog.
Have a great Saturday.
Kris
:)