Treasure Hunting

Brimfield Eye Candy

Brimfield has such an amazing collection of amazing stuff of all proportions.  (Did you see my haul in yesterdays post?) If I was a photographer, I could just spend the day taking pictures of history, pre-styled vignettes, and bizarre oddities.

How amazing are these doors??

brimfield-doors

I would love to see a toddler riding this, but it would lose character if someone restored it.

brimfield-trike

Dapper or creepy, I really can't decide.

Brimfield-mannequin

Remember how I mentioned the bizarre conglomeration of items for sale?

brimfield-dino

Dad was endlessly amused by this one-armed-bandit... literally

Brimfield-one-arm

I so wanted to adopt these chairs for my porch... but not for $500.  Don't you worry, though I have a replacement up my sleeve.

brimfield-chairs

This was definitely my favorite pic of the day.

brimfield-roulette

My attempt at photography was even captured by the other photog (Handy Dad)

Brimfield-photog

So have I inspired you to check out the Brimfield Antiques Flea Market next time around?  (July!)

What a Hoot!

Sorry for my lack of post on Friday- I got a little overexciting about getting up early to go to Brimfield and I totally forgot to blog.  I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me eventually.  Maybe this picture of me with the Jolly Green Giant will help. (check out those amazing industrial storage units behind us!) jolly-green-karen

So, Brimfield.  Going to Brimfield each year is like going to an amusement park for me.  Lots of crazy characters to watch (with the exception of ourselves of course), some awesome stuff for sale, some beyond ridiculous stuff for sale, and amongst all that is the challenge of trying to snag some amazing deals.

Since I still always get the question "What's Brimfield?", Brimfield is the largest outdoor antiques flea market.  It takes place 3 times a year in the tiny town of Brimfield MA and there are over 6,000 dealers set up on either side of a mile stretch of rt 20.  It's treasure-hunters Meca.

And amazing deals I did get!  My haul includes:

Metal sphere: $20.  I plan to add plants to the inside of this as an awesome architectural feature for my porch or patio.

metal-sphere

Child's shoe mold: $4.

shoe-mold

I also got an amazing deal on a gift for someone, but since I don't want to spoil the surprise, all I'll say is that I love cool vintage pieces for awesome prices (shocker!).

My absolute favorite find everyone else thinks I'm completely nuts for even buying.  Before I show you, there's a back story.  For more than three years, I've been drooling over one of the owl cookie jars from Anthropologie.  Not long after discovering that jar, I found out that it's a reproduction of a vintage piece from the 40s.  So why buy a new repro when I can dream of owning an original?  Over two years ago at a tag sale, I spotted the coveted hooter, but the price was higher than I wanted to pay- and I've been wishing I had just sucked it up and bought it ever since.  Brimfield to the rescue!

Let me set the stage: I went with the parents and it was the end of a long day out in the sun and dust, we were losing steam fast.  Out of the corner of my eye I spotted him, blurted out "I know what I'm buying" and beelined across the isle and picked up the cookie jar.  By the time my parents caught up, I was already haggling with the vendor.  Originally priced at $150, it had already been slashed down to $75 and I got her down another $10.  The vintage 40s Shawnee winking owl cookie jar also came with 3 (?) matching salt and pepper shakers for $65.  My parents thought he was hideous and I already knew Hubs would agree- he's scoffed at the Anthro one as long as I've drooled over it.  But I don't care what they think, he's awesome and makes me grin ear to ear!!!

shawnee-owl-jar

The shakers on the other hand, I do find creepy, so they'll probably be finding themselves listed on e-bay. They have shifty eyes and I don't trust them.

owl-shakers

Since Hubby's convinced that my beloved owl's going to come to life and haunt him (crazy boy), I'm sparing him by keeping the owl in my office.  I'm secretly (or not so secretly now) hoping the owl will grow on him and eventually it can migrate to another room.  eventually.  maybe.  doubtful.  Oh well, I'm still so excited about this owl!!! AND the deal that I got for him!

Shawnee-winking-owl

I'll pop in tomorrow for a rare Tuesday post and share some cool Brimfield pictures from Handy Dad and me.  If I put them all in today, this post would never end.  It's already a bit long since I'm apparently rather long-winded.  It's part of my charm, I hope.

So do you love my vintage owl as much as I do, or do you think it's creepy like apparently every one else does??

Weekend Treasure Hunting

Saturday I was floating on a treasure-hunting high.  I spent $3.  Oh but what amazing stuff I got for $3!!!  I actually wasn't intending to go tag-saling at all on Saturday, it just kind of happened, I swear.  I needed to go to the bank, then got sidetracked.  Instead of my usual planned out tag-sale route (from listed sales on Criagslist or estatesales.net), I just started following signs around town. I ended up at a great estate sale about 10 min from home, and that's where I spend my cash.  For my THREE dollars, I got:

  • this textured "Avon" mason jar (I love the look of a mason jar above the kitchen sink with flowers from the garden.  Daisy does too.)

daisy tulip

  • an empty frame with nice details and a carved wood frame with a kinda creepy feather bird.  When I bought it, I was on the fence about the bird, but loved the frame.  Hubby totally vetoed the bird, so most likely the frame will end up with a chalkboard or something in it.

feather bird

  • my absolute favorite!!!  A vintage set of frosted colored glasses and pitcher.  I would have spent the $3 on this alone.  I would have even spent double or triple- I love this!!!  I can't wait to serve lemonade on the patio in this set- I feel like that's its calling.  Lemonade on the lanai.

vintage pitcher

I'm not sure how they made any money at the estate sale when they pretty much were giving things away, but yay for me!

And speaking of giving things away.... as I was on my way home grinning ear to ear about my cheap haul, I came across 2 things out at the curb.  for free.

free vanity

free light

an IKEA sink and vanity and a vanity light. I was in disbelief that these were on the curb to go that I asked a gentleman who was in the back yard and it was confirmed- take em!

Obviously the homeowner was redoing the bathroom and I got to reap the benefits.  I grabbed the vanity with my parents in mind: they've been commenting about needing a sink in their basement to use for light utility purposes.  The sink may not be what they ultimately want, but the price is right until they find something that better fits the bill.  I wouldn't pick out the light individually, but I could totally make it work in a flip bathroom and again, the price was right!  It's in perfect condition, just obviously a style the homeowners were over.  I'll pull a 'Tim Gunn' and "make it work" in a future flip- I can see it already: oval medicine cabinet with vintage accents in the rest of the room.

I think I spent more in gas following tag sale signs that I actually spent on all my treasures!  I have some DIYing to do to make these amazing and show you the transformations.

I love coming home with a car full of treasures and spending just a few dollar bills!