free range furnishings

It's been a while!

2010-06-28T00:08:00.006-04:00

It's been quite a while since I've updated this, but it's been a busy couple of months. A couple of months ago Lina and I purchased a building in Keyport and I opened a barber shop. I really missed working in a small town and what better place to open a shop than a few blocks from our house! The town has been awesome and every person that comes in is nicer than the last. It's a dream come true. Here are a couple of photos of Calabrese's Barber Shop. They aren't the best (took em on my iphone), but you get the idea.

Goodbye Jim's!!

2009-10-22T00:21:00.008-04:00

Jim's Burger Haven closed today. Although I didn't grow up in this area, I've eaten there a bunch in the past year, and it saddens me to see it go. This seems to be a trend in New Jersey and I'm assuming the rest of the country. Great, family run businesses closing down to make way for an unnecessary national chain. They are putting an AutoZone where Jim's currently is. Where are the kids of the Bayshore area going to grab a porkroll, egg, and cheese when they cut school? Definitely not AutoZone.

Hooked on Aeromarine Planes!!

2009-07-09T23:46:00.000-04:00

Aeromarine was a short lived seaplane manufacturer based out of our town, Keyport, NJ. Part of the factory still stands a few blocks from my house and has left it's mark on the town more ways than one. Along with a water tower and a couple of offices Aeromarine left behind a few acres of completely contaminated land. Toxic disasters aside, the planes are some of the coolest looking things I've ever seen. The company manufactured the planes from 1921-1924 and had routes across the US, Cuba, and the Bamahas. Here are some images via the Keyport Historical Society.

See what everyone else is hooked on at Hooked on Houses.

Sorry for the cheezy post..

2009-07-06T22:37:00.010-04:00

...and the cheezy joke.

This Sunday Lina and I took a cheese making class at Bobolink Dairy in Vernon, NJ. It was really informative and pretty fun. We ate some great cheese and the farm staff prepared us some killer pizzas in their wood-burning oven. Along with the food, we sampled different types of whey and raw milk. It all tasted like the liquid on top of sour cream or yogurt and definitely wreaked a little havoc on my stomach.

normal cows

one eyed, dwarf cow

the cheese making room

cheese curds (delicious!!)

Jonathan salting the finished product

these pigs eat stale bread and leftover cheese whey. the farm is pretty amazing, every single thing serves a purpose. really makes you think about what you put in your body...

...for about ten minutes! we had a dairy queen binge on the way home.
horrible.

Keyport in the Great American Town Tour!!

2009-06-30T23:40:00.007-04:00

We call Keyport NJ home. It reminded us of the little southern towns we drove through after we got married. Little Main St, some pretty old homes, couple of diners and bars within walking distance, and just enough white trash to keep it fun. The fact that it's on the Raritan Bay is pretty sweet too.

I walked around a couple weeks ago and took some photos of some of my favorite houses in town.

And a few shots of the bay.

Thanks for stopping by! Check out Huckleberry Prairie for more town tours.

Thrifty Treasures

2009-06-28T22:47:00.006-04:00

Lina and I went to an estate sale Saturday morning, but we got hit with a crazy storm Friday evening. Lightening, hail, the works. The storm left the sky a beautiful pink color, but unfortunately ruined most of the stuff that brought us to the sale (postcards, linens). There was some still some good stuff and it was in a killer neighborhood right on the bay.

Here's the view from our porch after the storm rolled through. Not impressed? Sorry.

Lina found a pair of leather shoe clips and I found this apothecary jar.

I bought this perfect vintage sign on ebay. It definitely wasn't thrifty, but I loved it and it'll look perfect in our guest room.

My Sister's New Dog

2009-06-24T23:45:00.003-04:00

Meet Taffy, my sister's adult one-eyed chihauhua. That's right. An old one-eyed dog. She's a really, really good person.

Our house. A brief introduction.

2009-06-21T23:58:00.013-04:00

We bought our little house in Keyport 6 months ago. As far as we can tell it was built in 1888. The historical society is helping us find out for sure. The previous owners kept a lot of the original details intact (doors, floors, etc.) and maintained a killer garden and we are so grateful for that. We definitely put a bunch of work into it, but obviously we are nowhere near done. I swear these photos weren't staged, our creepy little dogs really love the camera.

Staircase (and Riff)

Living Room 1

Living Room 2

Living Room 3 (and Ollie)

Sun Room

View From The Back Porch

Thrifty Treasures (kind of a slow weekend)

2009-06-21T21:01:00.006-04:00

It rained the entire weekend so most of the garage sales we went to were canceled. Weak! A new antique shop opened in town last week and it too was kind of a bust. The owner told Lina and I a bit too much about her personal life, but she had a really cool parrot. I found this stoneware jug though. I don't think it's that old, but it's pretty nice. Got to do a little more research.
Head over to Southern Hospitality to check out some more finds. Hopefully they fared better than me this weekend.

Our 1st Attempt at Gardening Part 1

2009-06-17T10:27:00.005-04:00

The previous owner of our house was a serious gardener and Lina and I (mostly Lina) decided to follow in his footsteps. He made it really easy with a nice raised bed and irrigation system. We planted a bunch of stuff this spring, with the hope that at least one crop would survive. Most of them are doing well and one's ready to pick.

We planted this lettuce from seed and it is perfect. I've always heard, but never realized, how good growing your own food can makes you feel.

Thrifty Treasures

2009-06-14T22:51:00.007-04:00

This Saturday Keyport had it's annual town wide garage sale. The weather was perfect, the prices were fair, and there was some great stuff out. I picked up a bunch of things. Here are some highlights.

A pair of old painted oars.

A complete set of canisters with perfect chicken decals.

An old green painted chair with fruit decals.

A serious stash of old bottles!!!!

An old pharmacist bottle (my fav).

I got lots more but the first episode of Roseanne is on and I've never seen it before. Different kid playing DJ, weird!

Small Town Snapshot Sunday

2009-06-14T22:40:00.004-04:00

Nothing makes me happier than seeing personalized properties, both the good and the bad. I caught this fellow gluing shells to his planter while puffing away on his pipe. Check out the nautical cut-outs on his house.

Monday Food Hangover!!

2009-06-08T00:28:00.005-04:00

Friday was my 29th birthday and I had two amazing (ridiculous) meals this weekend. On Friday night, my parents took the family to Pete and Elda's.

This place is a Jersey Shore landmark, that is known for it's amazing thin crust pizza.

Best part about the place is the free t-shirt you receive if you are able to eat a double xl pie solo. That poor thing didn't stand a chance.

Even though I'm pretty sure my heart stopped a few times during my encounter at Pete and Elda's, on Saturday I had an insane lunch. Harold's Deli is under a Holiday Inn in what is probably one of the weirdest, lamest towns(??) in New Jersey, Raritan Center. Raritan Center consists of the Garden State Expo Center and a half dozen hotels scattered about to accommodate the people taking place in an expo at said center. That is it.

Even though the setting isn't ideal, Harold's is amazing!! The sandwiches are comically huge and the cakes are the size of garbage cans.

The menu boasts that Harold's has the World's best pastrami and cheesecake. I'm not sure who's judging, but they probably had something to do with the neon over the pickle bar, which while awesome, is sort of small.
PS. The pickle bar has extra bread and obviously pickles (free of charge), that when combined with the leftover meat, provide about a weeks worth of lunches.

Harold's is a great place to bring a bunch of hungry friends. It's super fun and casual and the huge plates lend themselves to taking goofy photos of each other.

Thrifty Treasures

2009-06-07T22:11:00.009-04:00

I found some great old bottles this weekend.

I know it's pretty cliche, but I love the way glass looks on my back window ledge.

I try to only pick-up bottles that are from New Jersey, but this brown one is an old Pabst bottle and I thought it was pretty cool.

I also found these old glass Christmas ornaments in the box for 2 dollars!

Small Town Snapshot Sunday

2009-06-07T19:42:00.007-04:00

Lina and I took our dogs for a walk and spent the better part of our Sunday checking out our town, enjoying the bay breeze, and taking pictures. We've only lived here for six months and are discovering more reasons to love Keyport all the time. The people are awesome and hilarious, plus it's got a lot of beautiful old houses, great bars, shops, and restaurants, but still has an unpretentious working class feel. It's pretty much the kind of small town I've always wanted to live in.

I drive past this church everyday and never noticed this great weathervane until we walked past it this afternoon.

Monday Food Hangover!!

2009-06-03T23:21:00.007-04:00

Burgers and Fries? Pizza? Bag of chocolate covered pretzels lying in the street? Since Lina and I tied the knot, we pretty much spend our weekends eating massive amounts of food, both amazing and horrible. I'm sure a lot of you are in the same boat. Let's all loosen those belts and share photos of our families and friends at mealtime, recipes we've tried, and restaurants we've experienced during the only two days of the week that matter. Keep your cameras handy and have a great weekend! See you on Monday!

Today's Thrifty Treasures @ Southern Hospitality

2009-06-01T01:02:00.003-04:00

Southern Hospitality is the best. I've only been blogging for a week now and I had no idea where to start. All the group postings make it so easy to get the ball rolling. Thanks! Here's a pic of the tramp art frame I scored at the Ocean Grove antique flea market on Saturday.

The Dionne Quintuplets

2009-05-31T00:55:00.005-04:00

Before John and Kate's TV freakshow there were the Dionnes. The Dionne quints were the first known quintuplets to survive childbirth and immediately went on public display. The quintuplets were born in 1934 to parents that would be the French-Canadian equivalent of good ol' hillbillies. The Canadian government deemed the parents unsuitable (they were poor and already had five kids) and raised the children in a nursery/zoo until they were nine years old, at which point their parents regained custody. There was a ton of Dionne quintuplets merchandise produced from expensive dolls to generic advertising pieces.

I picked up this photo today; which was most likely originally part of a promotional business calendar in the late 1930's, at the annual antique flea market in Ocean Grove, NJ. It was a an amazing day and there was lots of great stuff for sale (most of the vendors were dealers, so there weren't that many bargains around) and along with the quints photo, I found some antique postcards and a tramp art frame.

Feed Sack Bulletin Board

2009-05-28T09:51:00.004-04:00

Southern Hospitality is hosting a burlap creations party and I wanted to share what is the only craft I've done in my life thus far.
I had a feed sack and a frame lying around and was inspired by Olive Rue to make a bulletin board. My families secret Santa this year has to be homemade and I thought this would be good practice.

that-a-way.

2009-05-27T23:18:00.004-04:00

I love this old sign. It's double sided and hand painted. I found it at an auction in Point Pleasant, NJ and like to think it spent it's functional years on an ice cream parlor, but it probably just showed the way to a bathroom.

New business cards

2009-05-27T23:10:00.003-04:00

My buddy Gary at Fogelson-Lubliner designed and printed some great cards for us. The cards also double as merchandise tags. He's so clever! Fogelson-Lubliner might sound like a German industrial band but they are an insanely talented design crew. They do a bunch of cool stuff and more importantly are great guys.

Greetings from Buttzville, New Jersey

2009-05-26T01:05:00.008-04:00

Took a ride waaaaayyy north to Buttzville (real name) to pay a visit to one of my favorite places, Hot Dog Johnny's or Johnny, depending on your politics. Great food, amazing neon. Like a beacon in the night.

Lina, my wife, was pretty excited, and with good reason. Hot dogs with pickles, perfect fries, frosty mug birch beer, and don't forget, fresh buttermilk. Buttermilk is probably the last thing you'd consider to wash down all this greasy food, but it works, with a birch beer chaser.

Hi there!

2009-05-26T00:33:00.007-04:00

Welcome to the Shore Antique Center. 413 Allen Ave, Allenhurst, NJ. Open 7 days a week, 11am-5pm. www.shoreantiquecenter.com

Our little booth Free Range Furnishings is in the back of the store. We specialize in American housewares and primitives. Here are a few pics of some displays in the store. Hoosier style, North Carolina cab with some cool, old stuff scattered about.

Cute iron patio furniture flanked by early 20th century plantation chair (beautiful herringbone caning).