Welcome

My name is Samantha and this blog stems from my eternal and lifelong passion for history, antiques, vintage, and collectables! I'd love to expand on what I know and I hope you will like what you see and explore the historic eras together!


Content will range from historical articles, unique finds, historical local places, wedding ideas, antique demonstration videos, holiday/seasonal décor ideas, and of course lots of pictures and some great tried and true recipes!


Look out for weekly "In The Attic" highlights which feature unique finds and either provide information researched or ask questions to the antique community. If you have a unique find and would like to be featured in In The Attic please feel free to contact me. :)


Coming soon: Weekly blog articles featuring refinished, up-cycled or re-purposed antique projects.


Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for discount coupon codes for Samantha's Lake Country Collectables Etsy store items.

Thursday, June 20, 2019

A Spring Apple Blossom Picnic...

 
 
 
 
Hello and welcome back Fellow Antique Lovers!!
 
Here are a couple photographs I staged while my apple trees (this one is a mac for you apple lovers) were in full bloom. Pictured above (along with my Bluetooth speaker playing Sinatra) is as follows:
 
 
Wooden Weaved Vintage Picnic Basket with Metal Eagle on side  (Perfect to pack some snacks! Romantic proposal anyone?)
 
 
 
Green Vintage Picnic Cloth (Some ground coverage for those like me with grass allergies!)
 
Antique Small Hand-painted Platter (For the selection of meats, cheeses, pickles, olives and blueberries!)
 
1950s Aladdin Thermos (Picnic necessity with tea!!)

 
 
 
 
Now: Here's what you've all been waiting for: Promo Codes!! 15% off any of the above items and ask me about combined shipping on two items or more per order!!: PICNIC2019

Thanks for reading and remember to check back soon!


Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Tea Cups & Tulips...The Perfect Time For a Sale!



Welcome back, Fellow Antique Lovers! Spring has finally sprung and I think that means it's time for Tea Party Season!!!!! And do you know what that means? It's tea cup SALE time!!! Until July 19th, 2019 only receive 20% off all tea cups on my Etsy Store!!! I'll be adding even more throughout the month-long sale so be sure to check back often for great savings on rare china tea cups! Royal Winton, Royal Albert (including the Regal Series!!), Crown Staffordshire- and MANY more rare and collectable tea cups on sale now!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more sales, recipes, and blog posts!



Sunday, June 16, 2019

Happy Father's Day!!

Hello Everyone and Welcome Back!

Today, I would like to give a warm shout-out to all the fathers out there, including stepfathers and other father figures! Happy Father's Day!!!

Friday, June 14, 2019

In The Attic: Canadian Homestead/Farm Butter Press



Welcome back Fellow Antique Lovers to another "In The Attic" weekly blog where I try to showcase some unique vintage and antique items that I've come across or contributors have sent in to be featured. If you have a unique family heirloom that you have some questions about or come across something "in the attic" that you'd like to share, feel free to comment or email me at Samantha@lakecountrycollectables.com

This week, my wonderful mother in law has loaned me her family's homestead butter press and I'd love to share it with you as it is exactly the type of item I like to feature in these home-grown Canadian finds articles.

Antique Lovers, meet a roughly seventy year old Canadian homestead/farm style butter press:


This sort of wooden butter press would have been meant for homestead/farm use where the milk would have come directly from the cows in the morning, to the churn (pictured in first photo) and in a very strenuous process would then be turned into butter and the excess buttermilk would be used for baking. The paddles shown in the first picture are used to "squeeze" the buttermilk out of the formed butter after the churning process.

The freshly churned butter would then fill the press and as seen in the second picture, the formed rectangular butter is then pushed out, leaving a nice block of butter with an etched design for presentation.

So what do you think comes next? Recipes, of course!!! You won't believe how EASY homemade butter is to make with modern kitchen appliances. Stay tuned for butter-making and Irish wheaton bread recipes coming your way next!

Once again, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this In The Attic article!





Thursday, June 13, 2019

Local Finds: Last Minute Father's Day and "Man"cave Ideas

Hello Fellow Antique Lovers and welcome back!

This week in honour of Father's Day this coming weekend, we took a walk around Antiques on 11 North Mall located just North of Orillia on Hwy 11 (about 1.5 hours N of Toronto) to get some shots of great last-minute AND local gifts for the dad(s) in your life (and some great "mancave" décor)!

Without further ado, I present to you our Father's Day finds:

Fisher's Serving Platter
Mancave Material: Vintage Parking Meter


Wood Sailboat
Vintage wood truck model



Retro Bar and Stools

Stools

Brass Eagle on Globe Desk Ornament

Rural Dinner Jacket

Vintage hats

Vintage Oil Cans


Metal Signs

Vintage Model Cars

Old Theatre Chairs for the Mancave!

Metal Pedal Car

Brass King Cobra Candle Holder Set

That's it for this week! I hope you find the perfect Father's Day gift this week! Thanks again for reading!

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Father's Day Series: The Luxurious Shaving Scuttle AND How To Use One!!!

Hello everyone and welcome back!

With Father's Day coming this weekend, I thought I'd introduce you to the use of shaving scuttles. They were often a common piece in the household and make for a luxurious and warm, smooth shave that gives the feeling of a decadent barber shop shave right in your own home.

Here is a video I found on YouTube that is a great how-to for shaving scuttles!


I hope you enjoyed and be sure to check my Etsy store for the latest antique/vintage shaving scuttles being posted this week with everything from floral designs to Lord Nelson's ship!

Have a great day and thanks again for tuning in!

Thursday, June 6, 2019

A Great Company Supporting the Juno Beach Centre & Veterans

Today I'd just like to write a quick shout out to D-Day Wear.com® / D-Day Wear.ca.

This clothing brand is an inspiration to all of us history lovers but especially to those of us who stand behind our veterans. D-Day Wear.com® not only stands behind veterans, they stand UP for veterans as well and their mission says it all:

"Our Mission as a Commemorative Military Apparel Retailer and Clothing Designer is to keep history alive, one t-shirt at a time.
D-Day Wear was designed to remind people of all ages how fortunate we are that so many gave so much for our countries in their time of need. We want people of Canada, The United States of America (USA), Great Britain / The United Kingdom (UK) and the other countries that were a part of the Allied Forces such as  Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland to proudly wear these symbols of patriotism on a day to day basis.
People wearing our commemorative clothing designs will generate a year round public awareness while paying tribute to all our veterans and current soldiers of our great nations..."
 
They have so far donated $54,250 to Juno Beach Centre at Normandy, France, and over $63,000 in various other donations. Recently they have expanded their focus to veterans and active armed forces suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Their latest campaign is to raise funds for professionally trained service dogs for veterans with PTSD. Give their website a look and you will see what I mean.

Thank you for supporting veterans, D-Day Wear.ca!


A Thank You to all those who served during D-Day

Good morning, on this June 6th 75 years ago in 1944 the Allied invasion of Normandy, France was already well underway.

It is difficult to put the scale of this invasion into perspective as we have nothing to compare it to today, so I will do my best to break down the invasion.  Early in the morning of June 6th the Allied invasion had started with approximately 15,500 American paratroopers landing behind the beach head to secure key bridges required for the invasion.  One of the largest fleets ever assembled left England consisting of 5,333 ships & landing craft; making it's way across the channel to Normandy, France.  A key part of the invasion was the air assault which consisted of 3,958 Heavy Bombers, 1,234 Medium & Light Bombers & 4,709 Fighters.  Having air superiority paved the way for the invasion & I find it difficult to fathom seeing even a fraction of this many aircraft in the air at once.

The Americans were the first to land at Utah & Omaha Beaches with 57,500 troops at 6:30 am.  This was followed at 7:25 am by the landing of British & Free French forces on Sword Beach.  At 7:35 am the British landed at Gold Beach and at Juno beach Canadian & British troops landed at 7:55 am.  The British, Canadian & other allied troops consisted of 83,115 troops.


What they faced was Hitler's fortress Europe which the NAZIS had been building since taking France in 1940.


These men faced overwhelming odds not only with the man made obstacles constructed on the beaches but they faced a well trained and battle hardened German army of 850,000 men awaiting their arrival.  At the end of June 6th the Allied invasion had secured a foot hold but victory was still not certain.  Sustaining what Historians still estimate was 4,414 deaths on June 6th, 1944, many of these brave men & woman who paid the ultimate sacrifice to secure our freedom.

In such a short article I can't even scratch the surface of everything that happened on D-Day but I hope you take the time to thank a veteran for their service and also share the story of the D-Day invasion with the upcoming generation so that the sacrifice of the men & woman who served during WW II will never be forgotten.

Thank You

References:
Photos credits courtesy of http://historylink101.com
https://www.historyonthenet.com/d-day-statistics
https://www.military-history.org/articles/d-day-timeline.htm
https://theddaystory.com/discover/what-is-d-day/
https://www.history.com/news/d-day-casualties-deaths-allies



Wednesday, June 5, 2019

An Interesting D-Day Post to Share

Just a quick post this morning, I wanted to share this as it is really amazing.  I wish I was there to witness this as a group of airplane enthusiasts has gathered together the largest formation of C-47 transports; many of which flew during the original D-Day invasion and they are going to do a paratrooper drop as part of the 75th D-Day Anniversary.  I am not an expert so I will share with you the website which has more information and pictures.  Enjoy!  https://www.daksovernormandy.com/

Tuesday, June 4, 2019

On the Eve of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day

Welcome Antique and History lovers alike, today's article is a little different from my usual articles.  If you love history as much as myself you will realize that we are on the eve of the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day landings.  This was the largest amphibious and airborne invasion in history and I am so thankful to those veterans and those who did not return for their part in it as it secured the freedom we so enjoy today!

One of the quotes that sums it up best is from General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander "Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force: You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.
But this is the year 1944! The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory!
I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle.
We will accept nothing less than full victory!
Good luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."


On this eve of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, I would like to share with you a recent find.  A little while ago I purchased several military cap badges in Orillia, ON; and in the lot was one really interesting one from the Canadian 12th Manitoba Dragoons.  After doing some research I found that the cap badge I have is a WW2 badge which is amazing being the long history of the unit.  The 12th Manitoba Dragoons date back operationally to the North West Rebellion of 1885, and the unit served in the Boer War, WW I and WW II. 
Further research into the units WW II actions I found that they were mobilized as an armored car unit and that they embarked for England on the 19th of August 1942.  In my research I found an interesting discrepancy concerning when they landed in Normandy during the D-Day invasion.  The official Canadian Forces website lists them as landing D-Day +2 & +3 (June 8 & 9, 1944); however I found other references online that states the unit as landing June 6th and functioning as an infantry company until almost a month later at which time they mounted up with their "Staghound" armored cars. 
Staghound armored cars of the 12th Manitoba Dragoons. Photo Reference:  Hochwald Forest area - 45, no reference, the picture is from a book published in 1947: The Pictorial History of the Canadian Army Overseas 1939-1945

 If anyone has more information on the unit during D-Day please send an email to Samantha@lakecountrycollectables.com I would love to know more details and I can share the details on the site.


References: