tuesday tit for tat: antique & flea market shopping.

this past sunday i spent the better part of the day with one of my favourite girls, jules. she's the best. we made plans to grab breakfast, hit up a flea market and a few antique shops in the sweetest little town called 'jordan village', which is 20 minutes from home. we enjoyed eggs benny for two at 'butterballs', a little diner in the hollow of the village, and chat chitted about paint colours for the home she will be moving into in the next little bit. we have plans to refinish some furniture, which should be interesting and good fun for sure. once we were full, we headed next door to the flea market. besides the obvious reasons i love flea markets (treasures, bargains and oddities) it's the characters not only working, but attending the flea market, that never let me down. you're bound to see at least one mullet, two if you're lucky. although we didn't score on the mullet front, jules walked away with some vintage turquoise door pulls for one of the pieces we plan to work on. 
i was happy with just the people watching.

we moved onto some of the antique shops in the village, and with no list of things to look for, or specific purchases in mind, i kind of soaked everything up even more than i usually do. it was such a perfect, sunny day, that even the buildings themselves, and their details, added to the whole day. the entire process of shopping for antiques is my favourite kind of shopping. when you find something that no one else will have, or something that will look perfect in a certain spot, and you get it for a deal so good you're convinced you have stolen it, i can't tell you what that does to me. ps-i want tin ceiling tiles in the kitchen of my big girl home. and maybe my bedroom. and the bathroom too.

we made our way to an antique shop in 'vineland', appropriately named 'vineland antiques'. it is my new favourite antique store, and was our most successful stop of the day. in a big ol' house, everything was displayed perfectly for our viewing pleasure. tidy, clean, and organized in small collections, it was easy to fall in love with everything in the store; from furniture, to vintage jewelry, glassware and unique bits & bobs. i spotted a white vintage mirror, trimmed with wooden moulded roses. i'm not sure how old it is, but it's not in perfect shape by any means. the mirror has started to go spotty, and there are pieces of the moulding that have come away, but i love how all of that adds to the character. for now, it hangs on the wall at the stairs landing, but will one day work perfectly in a white on white powder room. 

again, in my big girl house.

because they only wanted $22 for all six, i stole a set of 10" dinner plates made by 'sovereign  potters canada' from 1945. they are so pretty, i had no other choice. they look great with the rest of my dinnerware and are the perfect set to have out this spring and summer. jules purchased some pyrex bowls and a sweet little soap dish, all in all, a very successful day if you ask me.

  

shopping tips & tricks: fill your home with things you love.

keep an open mind and be willing to scavenge like it's your job. sometimes the best stuff is buried beneath tons of shit, so sift through thoroughly, opening boxes, looking under shelves and in drawers.

don't be afraid to take something home that you aren't sure what you will do with right away. if you love it, and can afford it, bring it home and you will find a use for it. you may never come across something like it again.

when you have a plan, and know what you are looking for, you can usually find it. don't hesitate to ask the staff if there is anything in their storage you may want to look at. once while looking for a dining room set, we asked the owner if they had anything else we could see. he ended up taking us around the block to an old barn that was full of furniture that didn't fit in the store. unreal.

antique dealers shop for new merchandise regularly, so if you have exhausted all options, and still can't find what you're looking for, give the staff your contact info and tell them what you're looking for. i did this while hunting for vases for the centrepieces at our wedding, and ended up with the best vases of my collection all because i asked for someone to help me find it.