November 3, 2011

Last week we were finally able to have our leukemia fund raiser regatta. I am especially pleased that we were able to pull it off as it had to be postponed twice due to the extreme flooding. Last year a good friend of ours lost his two year battle with Leukemia and the club honored Bob by naming the event after him. The Bob Levin Leukaemia Cup Regatta raised over $45,00.00 this year and 100% of the funds goes to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. There were over 130 sailboats racing this year on three different race courses. It was a beautiful site to see and a good time was had by all.

October 25, 2011

Tired of over spending for poor quality items that were made overseas?  Then join the Occupy Antiques movement.    The Treasure Map has hundreds of places where you can find unique,  quality antiques and collectibles.  Antiques look great in your home, they support local small businesses and are good for the environment too!  Go to www.thetreasuremap.net to find a store near you.  And be sure to tell them that you found them in The Treasure Map.

August 19, 2011

July 29, 2011

Well the magazine has been so full of shops that I haven’t had a story for a couple of issues (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it). So a quick glimpse of what has happened with us these past two months. First and most important, Tim graduates today from Aviation Logistics School! WAY TO GO TIM! I’m very proud. We are flooded again at the harbor. I say again because in May the Army Corps gave us the 24 hr evacuation notice. So we scrambled to get everything packed and to high ground. Spent 15 days in a hotel room with a cat and dog. Fun. Not. After that there was a month of clean up and putting things back in their places. Luckily the water stopped just a few feet short of getting into the house. Another six inches higher and it would have been real bad. We just had a few acres of all the stuff you never want to see floating down the lake in on our front door step. Things were cleaned up pretty good and in time for Jr. sail camp. It went great and the kids had lots of fun. They did not mind the few rain showersat all. And then the rain never stopped. It rained and rained and rained. Now we are flooded again. Not quite as deep as before. It was close, but we did not have to evacuate this time. But the water stays. It has not gone down for weeks. We now truly have lake front property. It’s a bit too close for comfort, but great to look at. My brothers and sisters are due down for their annual camping trip. Next month I’m sure I’ll have stories to tell about that. Most of them might even be true. Until then, have a great day and enjoy your shopping. We have many new stores this month so check out the magazine well as not to miss a one. And be sure to tell them that you saw it in The Treasure Map.

Joe Bartman

editor

June 24, 2011

…from Claire at T&C Variety in Crest Hill that lots of folks are out shopping, Treasure Map in hand, making the antique circuit! Don’t forget to stop by your favorite store and pick up the July issue – it’s out there now!

February 8, 2011

Kitchen Collectibles has been our topic of the month. So it just seemed fitting that at the same time we shoud do a story on Cameo Antique Mall. As the last time I was there they had a great selection of Vintage Kitchen Collectibles. One of the things I like best about kitchen collectible is that with them you can make some great memories. Memories that will last a life time. Of course there is much much more than old kitchenware at Cameo Antique Mall. As Deborah Skowronski now has all three floors open giving them 12,000 square feet of great treasures for you to sift through. Not only is Cameo an Antique Mall filled with booths from dealer all over the area but they have a nice selection of antiques and colletibles for sale themselves as well as many items on consignment too. Giving them a nice variety for you to choose from.

Deborah is a second generation antique guru as her parent used to buy and sell antiques. Her father refinished and repaired furniture too. Growing up around antiques and in her fathers workshop has helped to give her a deep appreciation for antiques, furniture and it’s construction as well. While many business have cut back during the recession, Cameo Antique Mall has grown. Here you can find well-built older furniture with character rather than spending the money for new out of a department store or settling for something that is less durable out of a big box store. The recession has also brought out many unique consignment items that you would not normally see for sale on the open market. 

Cameo Antique Mall offers that small town hospitality with 12,000 square feet of Antiques, Collectibles, Vintage Inspired Gift Line, Large Reference Library and Restoration & Care Products. They also do Appraisals & Repairs and welcome Consignments & Estate items. The aisles are wide and the lighting is good. They are open year round, daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. (closed Wednesdays).

Grab a complimentary cup of coffee or tea whileyou enjoy your shopping and be sure to tell them that The Treasure Map sent you.

Joe Bartman

editor

October 28, 2010

This month here in Treasure Map land we salute to crafts! To all of you who buy, sell, build and make those creative and often imaginative items that we use to decorate our homes and stores. I have to confess, I am not one of you. It seems that I lack that creative and artistic gene that must run in the blood of all who are good at this wonderful hobby. When ever I try to make something, it ends up as one of those things you see at garage sales. You look at it and you wonder… what in the world is that!…. So I have found that it is best for me to leave this to the experts. Now Mary likes to spend the winter months making jewelry. She has made some fantastic and beautiful gifts as well as a fine selection for herself. Our son Tim took every art class he could get in school and has a great selection and variety from pottery to wall hangings. My mom too seems to have the gift. She makes rugs, quilts and such. I figure it must have skipped a generation or something like that. It’s a good thing that I can go to one of our great Treasure Map stores and pick out a ready made gift. No fuss, no mess and it does not look like it belongs on one of the neighbors garage sales. For the creator and the buyer, we have both in abundance here within the pages of our magazine as well as on our web site too. www.thetreasuremapmap.net  Give a craft for Christmas.

Joe Bartman

editor

September 17, 2010

When putting this months issue together I never would have guessed that it’s almost October already. But alas, it’s just around the corner. Now don’t get me wrong, I love October. The cooler weather and the fall colors make it a beautiful time of year. Not to mention football season. I’m guess I’m just not quite ready for the summer to end. But I don’t get a vote on that so we just enjoy the season and have fun with it. Our theme for this months issue is vintage clothing. Vintage clothing, jewelry and furniture can be found in many of the antique and collectible stores in The Treasure Map. We picked the October issue to use for our vintage theme due to Halloween of course. No matter if it is your first time or if you are an experienced vintage collector. Halloween is the perfect occasion to try your hand at dressing up in a vintage outfit. Just be creative and go for it. Try dressing up as your favorite Hollywood star, or TV character. Not only can you have tons of fun with it, you are certain to be the talk of the party when you and your friends come in dressed to the 9’s instead of the usual off the shelf walmart #$%@. I mean stuff. One year our son and his friends dressed up as Harry Potter characters. It was a hoot. People were taking pictures of them all night long. We had some neighbors who really went over the top each Halloween. They always had the best vintage outfits. And did up their entire place with a different theme each year. No holds were barred when you went to their house. It was great just to watch the scared kids (and adults) leaving the house. One of my favorites times was watching a high school football star running from their house and down the street screaming like a scared little girl. He got about half a block away before he finally calmed down enough to get his bearings. Of course the first words from his mouth (after all the screaming) was, ” I cant wait to bring my friends here!”. Then there was the time a teenage girl came to our door after leaving the neighbors house and asked for candy for her 9 year old brother. As he was now too afraid to get out of the car. Even if you are not into Halloween as extreme as our neighbor, it is still a perfect time of year to get the next generation into your stores and promote your vintage items. Vintage also seems to be the “in thing” with some of the retro crowd. They are decorating their apartments and flats with vintage furniture, lamps and wall hangings. I’ve seen some that are very creative and look fantastic.

I’d love to see pictures of some of our readers dressed up in “vintage style”. Or even one of your store displays. Send or e-mail us the photo’s and you never know, you may be in a future issue of The Treasure Map. Would you like to see a feature story on one of your collections? Or on a subject matter that you are passionate about? I’d like to hear your ideas too.

August 10, 2010

Last weekend there was no wind and the heat index was over 100 degrees.  So being the good time manager that I am….   I decided that instead of going sailing, I would clean out the garage. Thus not only would I not be baking out in the sun, but I would be able to sandbag some points on the home front to be used at a later date.  Since I wasn’t going sailing, I went ahead and slept in a little.  After all, I had plenty of time to get the garage cleaned out.  As I headed for the garage, the dog saw me put on my tennies and decided she needed to go for a walk. No problem, it was still nice and cool out and plenty early. When we got back, I noticed the garden hose laying on the ground and thought I would wind it up. Well as long as the hose was out, I should water the plants. That done and the hose still out, well lets take advantage of this little time saver and hose down the porch and sidewalks and give them a fresh washing. Good job done, I put the hose away and now on to the garage. But where was the dog? Oh she was afraid of a bath and must be hiding by the door. Yep, OK, I let her in but now she needs fresh water. Well if I’m going to fill up the water dish, I may as well feed her too. And as long as I am in the kitchen, I think I’m ready for a cup of morning coffee. So much for an early start on the garage. But there is plenty of time. I grind fresh coffee beans and brew a fantastic pot of Java. Good coffee seems to taste best when you aren’t rushed and can enjoy it. All my banging around in the kitchen awoke Mary and now she’s up too. Asking what my plans were for the day, I respond with a shrug and a “not much”. Thus making the garage cleaning an even bigger surprise once it is finished and good for extra points. She asked me if I wanted breakfast. Well of course I could not turn that down. So while she is making breakfast, I decide to turn on the weather channel. After a great breakfast of ham, eggs and toast, I’m headed for the garage again but first I have to shut off the weather channel. Now all women know that a man can touch the remote with out flipping channels. And you guessed it. I found a show I just had to watch. After the show, I’m ready for one more cup of coffee and then off to my project. What, the dog has to go out again! OK, so now were back from out walk and people are coming into the club in full force. And they all want to know what the wind is going to do. So I’m off to the computer to check the wind forecast (light winds at best). While I’m on the computer, I may as well check my e-mails. Sure plenty to go through and lots to respond to. I must not be the only one delaying on Saturday projects. Oh yea, the dog, I better get her back in the house. It’s getting hot and she need help getting up the stairs (she is getting up there in age). So once she is settled in. I’m in the kitchen again, so while there, I may as well fix a nice glass of ice water to take with me to the garage. But … no ice. Finally I make it to the garage (to get ice). I bring the ice upstairs and fill the freezer bin and make my glass if ice water and one for Mary too. She so happy that I am helping out that she offers to make lunch. Sure, I could go for some lunch. Fire up the grill? No problem. I love propane grills. You just push the button. Easy as pie. Oopps. Out of propane again. Good thing I have a spare tank. I think it is in the garage somewhere. Too bad the garage is such a mess. But after a little digging, success! Found the extra tank and get it hooked up. Grill is lit and all is good. As soon as lunch is over I head for my next attempt at cleaning the garage but of course I pass the empty propane tank and decide I had better take it to the truck for a Monday refill. After all, it will just be in the way while I’m cleaning.  Once I had the tank in place and securely strapped down, I passed a few sailors on my trip back to the house.  And since it’s too hot to stand in the sun and talk, we headed for the shade of a good tree. OK, sure, if you insist, I’ll have a beer too. (After all, sailors have been known to share a coldie or two)  Thanks, after all, the garage will still be there next week.  Good thing I took those time management courses.

Joe Bartman

editor

July 23, 2010

So last weekend was the annual camping get together with most of my brothers and sisters and their kids. We just leave the door open to all and sort of see who shows up. This year I counted 16 in all. That is if you don’t count the raccoons, ground hogs, fox, tree frogs and all the other wild life we saw running around the camp site. Now my sister Cris has some of the tallest kids ever. The boys are well over six feet and still teenagers. It did not take them long to realize that they had grabbed the wrong tent. They mistakenly grabbed one of those little pup tents. The kind made for little kids. Its about four feet long and only two feet high. I don’t think it’s even big enough to fit the food those boys eat in a weekend. Good thing we had a spare.

My nephew Nathan is four this year. Last year he out fished us all. Catching two fish at a time and even caught his first fish on a bare hook while he patiently waited for us to get ready to go. So he waited all year for this trip just to go fishing again. (and to have unlimited amounts of Root Beer as his mom could not make it) This year, the first thing he did on the boat was to put his hands in the water to test it out. I kid you not, the fish started swimming around his arms! This only goes to prove that he must be part worm. (I think he must get that from the other side of the family).

Well the lake was just below flood stage. That makes it not so good for the fishing, but great for sailing. We’d had great wind all week and several of the group were looking forward to some fun time on the tiller riding the waves and taming the wind. Now there had been rumors (I have no idea who started them) spreading on how my oldest sister (we won’t mention any names…right Cindy) was sure to kill the wind every time she was around. Last year we had great wind until the day she came. Before that, she took sailing lessons at the club and we had three days of the most miserable hot, humid windless days you could ever imagine. The day she letf, it was nice again. So Saturday morning the wind was good. We rigged up the boats and got ready for a great day of sailing. Then… you guessed it… the wind died. Nothing, notta, zip. So we took the boats out anyway. Threw out some life jackets, grabbed a few coldies and just floated and swam all day. On our way back in we must have looked like refugees coming in from Cuba. As I was asked several times, “Who were all those people you had on your boat today?” “Did you rescue them?” “Were they paying you?” or “Man, I’ve never seen your boat that low in the water before!”

Sunday we decided to give sailing another try. After a hearty breakfast of Fruit Loops and Root Beer. Cindy threw Skittles to the wind gods and it must have worked! Low and behold a stiff breeze came up out of the South and held all day long. It was about as nice as you could ask for. There were smiles all around and best of all, the curse of the windless sister is gone and life is good once again.

From talking to the store owners, it sound like travel has picked up this summer. Glad to see the customers getting out and about again. So if you have been saving your pennies to pick up a few good collectibles, this might be a good time to get out and find them before you miss out on the good deals. If you don’t see what you are looking for, ask at the front desk. Many a times I have thoroughly scoped out the corners of a store only to find I passed right over what I was searching for. Inventory is always changing. So visit your favorite haunts often, check out some new ones and be sure to tell them that you saw them in The Treasure Map.

Joe Bartman

editor

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