My Mini Vacation in the Ozarks

Last weekend I was back in my hometown of Springfield, Missouri enjoying some very special time with my mom, sister (Jennifer Farquhar) and sister’s family as well as a wonderful dinner out with old friends.

Postcard courtesy of Vintage Plum

My sister took a couple of days off work so we could do what we love doing together most- shopping for vintage finds. I snapped lots of photos in the short time I was there to share with you. Our first stop during every visit is the Spring Creek Tea Room in Ozark, MO. With adjoining antique collective/indoor flea market, we share a lovely lunch and get our shopping fix all under one roof, thanks to owners Kerry and Brenda…and wonderful staff!Charming details all around the very old building- license plate patchwork covering holes in the wood plank floor and large and sweet parlor seating complete with vintage tablecloths.The tea room fills fast so if you go, you definitely want to get there a few minutes before opening to get a seat. Spring Creek Tea Room is well known for their incredibly delicious cakes. It’s good to order your slice at the same time you order your lunch as they can run out fast. I just love the cake case made of old window panes with the name of each cake written on the glass.Jen had a veggie sandwich & salad and I ate the asparagus quiche & cream of tomato soup. Deeelish! Flavored iced tea is always a treat. She and I share two different slices of cake when we dine there.After lunch we strolled through the market and ran into a friend of my sister’s, Debbie, a dealer at Pheona’s Vintage Market, same place my sis sells, which I share more about below. I had to snap a shot of her fabulous handmade/repurposed hardware jewelry. Very cool.We shopped many other fun places around the Springfield, Nixa and Ozark areas…and my stash started to add up. Cigar boxes, signage, early black travel case, old baseball gloves for my daughter Jamie’s collection, doll limbs for no good reason, farm ledgers, ephemera, and more.With camera in hand it’s always fun to snag shots of all the other things I couldn’t possibly fit into my suitcase (or budget),and pics of other things that caught my eye.One of our days out, my sister packed a picnic lunch that we shared at the Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Botanical Gardens. Jenny always spoils me, she set up our spot with vintage lawn chairs and linens to dine on homemade chicken salad made with grapes, pecans and celery and served with crackers. She’s the best.I got a sneak peek of Pheona’s Vintage Market in Billings, Mo. where she sells. Owned by the nicest couple, James & Sheila Burks, it’s open the 2nd Saturday of each month, April thru December. I will definitely be planning my next trip around their schedule. You can find lots more of their goodies on their facebook page here.Many dealers at Pheona’s sell in other collectives so it was a bit sparse for my visit as they had pulled merchandise while it was closed, but I understand it’s packed to the brim on sale weekends and folks are lined up to the street to get in. Here are some nice shots I was able to snag anyway.My sister Jenny sews and sells the cutest things at Pheona’s. Baby gift sets: blanket, burp cloth and bib all made from vintage linens. Onsies aproned in vintage feedsack and other darling fabrics. Fun & funky tote bags in fantastic pattern combinations and crisp white pillows trimmed in ruffles fashioned from vintage hankies.

While visiting with my mom in her lovely new apartment, I enjoyed delicious iced tea served in a canning jar complete with crochet cozy. Sweetness! She shared her album full of photos, many I’d never seen of her before. An absolute treasure. (That last one is of both my parents.)I had a beautiful visit and can hardly wait to get back there again. Hope you enjoyed the photos. I’ll leave you with this last one- colorful eggs made from soft milinary blossoms, beads and pins, a little treasure my sister found while shopping. Happy Easter everyone.