Our admiration of the antique is not admiration of the old, but of the natural.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I mentioned yesterday that I found a new coffee table to refurbish. This table has me all twitterpated. I think I've found my newest hobby! So when I woke up all excited to get away for the day, my husband suggested we go to the Brimfield Antique and Collectables Show in Brimfield, Massachusetts. This place is unbelievable!
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An aerial view . . . I'm not sure this does it justice! |
There are twenty-one 3-5 acre fields full of booths that sell antique collectables, dishes, decor, furniture and nicknacks. We walked for miles and only touched the tip of the iceberg. I went there looking for three things: a shabby chic light fixture, a chair with an easily recoverable cushion for my first chair refinishing project, and a large lidded jar to replace my current sugar container.
While I didn't find any of those things, I left full of inspiration. There was a little round table with folding sides that was so sweet and lovely. It was a bit rickety, though, and I really didn't have a place to store it. So I had to pass. But I'm still thinking about it. That is something I struggle with...saying no to something based on practicality when my heart is screaming "Mine! Mine! Mine!"
It was a great day. And although we didn't make any major purchases, we didn't walk away empty handed:
My husband LOVES old letterpress letters. A few years ago I bought some great ones that spell out his name to have framed, but otherwise he doesn't have very many. I don't think he has a specific project in mind yet, but he loves the idea of collecting them in the meantime. He bought this whole jar from a booth in the very back corner of a field for $35. All the other places were selling the letters for about $2 apiece. What a steal! He proudly carried around that crazy-heavy jar for miles. We picked up a few larger letterpress plates before we left, but this was a pretty awesome find.
I scored this cute owl sculpture for my dresser. I love all the cracks and imperfections . . . it has so much character! It's true love.
Despite the fact that we don't have any great furniture finds to show for our mini road trip, it was a lot of fun. Little Man even enjoyed himself and thanked us profusely for taking him there. He walked away with a vintage key for his collection. It was the perfect remedy for an overworked mind. I'll leave you with a couple of pics I snapped along the way:
OMGoodness. I have died and gone to heaven. That looks like the BEST way I can POSSIBLY think of to spend a day. I want everything in your pictures.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Jane! It was mind-blowing! I definitely have the antiquing bug after being at that fair.
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