Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger



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
:)  

44 comments

  1. What a great spotlight! How fun that you two met at her shop. I know I am going to love Milena' s blog. Thanks for the intro Kris! Jane

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    1. Hi Jane, Thanks for stopping by my blog. Kris was wonderful to have me this Saturday. It has been wonderful hearing from everyone!

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  2. Hello Milena, It's lovely to meet you through Kris's Saturday Spotlight!
    How lucky were you to have a "chance meeting" with the gorgeous Kris of Junk Chic Cottage?
    Carriage House Antiques looks like my kind of shop too - I would love to visit there, but sadly I'm on the other side of the world - I can only sit and drool from here ha ha!
    Welcome to blogging - I've now joined your blog and can't wait to catch up with all you're doing!
    ((Hugs))
    Shane

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    1. Hi Shane, thanks for visiting from afar. It is so nice to hear from you! Milena

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  3. Milena,so pleased to meet you here on Kris's Spotlight Saturday! She's a sweetheart! I'll drop in for a visit soon!
    Have a wonderful day!
    Sweet Kris, thank you for your dear comments and support while I've been recovering from my heart issues! So kind of you~ :)
    Hugs,
    Nancy

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    1. Hi Nancy, thanks again for visiting my blog. It is so nice to hear from you! Milena

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  4. Milena,so pleased to meet you here on Kris's Spotlight Saturday! She's a sweetheart! I'll drop in for a visit soon!
    Have a wonderful day!
    Sweet Kris, thank you for your dear comments and support while I've been recovering from my heart issues! So kind of you~ :)
    Hugs,
    Nancy

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  5. How fun that you all met in person. Love meeting new bloggers. xo Laura

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    1. Hi Laura, it was so nice to meet Kris in person. Thanks for visiting with me today. Milena

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  6. Milena, you are a girl with more than one thing in common with me. I'm comin' over so we can talk! Thanks again, Kris.

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    1. Hi Rita, I would love to meet you! Stop by sometime. Call first to see what days I will be there. Milena

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  7. Good morning ladies! How wonderful to have an antique store and two sons...hahahahha...sounds like a book! Isn't it fun to meet bloggers in person? Lucky you....I've met three and what a charm it is.

    Much love to you Kris and happy FALL as it comes around the corner!

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    1. I recognized Kris right away when she walked through the door of the store. It was so nice to meet her after following her blog for sometime. Thanks for taking the time to share your comment. Milena

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  8. love this cute shop.....go there everytime I come up to visit my son, who lives in Crystal Lake. :) Hopefully we can meet Milena

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    1. Hi Lynn, I'm so glad you have visited the store before. Be sure to visit in September when we have an open house. Check my blog for the dates. I would love to meet you! Milena

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  9. Her blog name is Fabulous...love it! She's a beautiful woman and thoroughly enjoyed this post. If it was serendipity, the meet up story is wonderful but I believe most meetings are God designed and therefore more special.

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    1. Thanks for the nice comments. Meeting Kris has been wonderful! Milena

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  10. Hi Kris, I can see why you and Terry stop at that shop....it just looks like so much fun to look at everything. So nice to meet Milena. She sounds very interesting...so I am going to check her site. Blessings , xoxo,Susie

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    1. Hi Susie, thanks for visiting my blog. Hope you stop by often. Milena

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  11. How fun to meet a blogging friend in person and at a shop! Even more fun, for sure. It was fun to read about Milena. Off to say a proper hello! Enjoy the weekend, Kris.

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    1. Hi Kim, thanks for taking the time to visit my spotlight. It was nice of you to take the time. Milena

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  12. Thank you Kris for introducing us to Milena. I love the story of how you met. Heading over to her blog next.

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    1. Hi Marie, thanks for visiting my blog. I'll see you there! Milena

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  13. Thanks for the introduction Kris and I will be heading over to Milena's blog!

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    1. Thanks for visiting today! I'll see you over at my blog. Milena

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  14. Hi Kris perfect serendipity to have met Milena while you were out and about doing your junkiń. Milena guess what? I was born in New Jersey and lived there until I left for college. I've lived in Philadelphia since 1976. Owning an antique store you must enjoy first dibs ;-) Nice spotlight.
    Vera

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    1. Hi Vera, thanks for sharing some of your story. I actually have a space at the Carriage House (Karen and Di are the owners), but I do get to see what the others bring in, not always first though. Milena

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  15. Hi,
    Fun, fun. I am heading over to visit Milena.
    I love how she takes her boys with her on her trips to find her treasures. :-)
    Carla

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    1. Hi Carla, I love having my boys with me (even though they sometimes get tired of all of the stops). Stop by to see me usually on the second and fourth Thursday mornings of the month or 1 Friday a month which varies. Milena

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  16. Milena, I grew up in Cary!! Such a small world. I will head over to your blog AND plan to stop at the shop this fall when we do a day trip down to Cary & Crystal Lake. I always stop at the Sparrow's Nest in Cary, then we lunch at Portillo's and head into Crystal Lake!! Have a great weekend!!

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    1. Hi Chris. I look forward to seeing you at the Carriage House. We will have open houses in September and then in November for Christmas. Thanks for checking out my blog. Milena

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  17. Hello Kris,
    I have found your lovely BLOG. Your home is so wonderful. I like it. I want to follow your blog.
    Have a nice weekend,
    Christine

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  18. Hi Milena, so nice to meet you! Congratulations on becoming a Master Gardener! And I wish I did live close enough to visit your actual store but the next best thing will be meeting you on your blog.

    Thank you, dear Kris, for the opportunity to meet Milena,
    Dewena

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  19. Milena, sounds great. I am going over to her site and check her out. Thanks so much Kris.
    Mary

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  20. Her face just beams with sweetness! Going over to visit her blog. Great spotlight!

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  21. I love that Milena recognized you from your blog. You are famous!

    I'll head over to read her blog now.

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  22. Love this post! And that shop!! How sweet that you were able to meet another blogging friend while shopping for things you love!

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  23. Meeting another blogger in person is fun. An unplanned meeting in a shop is even more fun. I enjoyed this introduction to Milena. I'm on my way to her blog now. Thanks, Kris.

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  24. Thank you, Kris, I had not met Milena. Anyone who comes up with the phrase "junken treasure" is sure to be a friend of mine! Also I loved the box she sent to you. I am going over to introduce myself.

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  25. It was so nice to be introduced to Milena, and great to read about another "Jersey girl!" I'd love to pay a visit to that shop, but instead, I'll pay a visit to her blog!

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  26. Milena's JunkenTreasure, I love that. Can't wait to go visit Milena in Crystal Lake. That's only a stones throw from here, and I'm looking forward to her blogs, too. Thanks, Kris for sharing all these marvelous people with us.

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