a Thanksgiving weekend day out

I kind of started a tradition a few years ago; on Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend I like to go antiquing somewhere nearby.  This year I went to Shelbyville, Tennessee, an hour from my house.  There's a place there I love; it always has beautiful things.

One of my favorite things about this store is it's outdoor space.  It has a HUGE fenced-in area full of vintage outdoor furniture and decor.  

I love all the potential fun projects here.

I'm always gardening in my head, and I imagine all these statues and planters in beautiful spaces.

I wasn't planning to buy anything, but I saw this great fountain, and well, I've always wanted a fountain but never found the right one at the right price.

She needs to be cleaned but I thought she was lovely, with the double basin.

I just need to add the fountain parts.  It will be a fun project!

And when I saw this iron cart, that was in really good shape, and really solid, it had a great price too.  $110.  Usually iron outdoor anything is quite expensive.

I could fit a lot of plants on this!

It just needs a little sanding and a fresh coat of paint.

I also really liked this urn:

Something tall and something trailing need to go in this.

It will be so pretty!

And finally:

I liked the style of these vintage Halloween yard decorations.

Again, a little fresh paint and they'll be perfect.

I also found a few gardening books I liked (my favorite title - "The Facts of Light" - about houseplants).  I had so many outdoor things I thought the owners might give me a discount, and they did.  It never hurts to ask...

There was so much great stuff, though.  Here a couple of things I didn't buy:

There were some interesting-shaped pieces of driftwood for sale.

I thought this would be cool on a wall somewhere with a small owl inside the hole.

I've always loved vintage deer statues like this!

I'd love to put him in the yard somewhere at The House of Goodwill - the deer are everywhere there.

Well, I did my part for Shop Local Saturday!  As I was checking out, I was telling the owners how much I like many of the beautiful old historic homes in Shelbyville.  "There should be a lot more.  The biggest and most beautiful one isn't here anymore," they informed me.  "It had terracotta columns in front and was the showplace of town."  Apparently, a developer bought it and tore it down at 4am in the morning and replaced it with a bank and a parking lot. 🙄😠

Was there really nowhere else to put a bank?  Stories like this make me so sad!

I am thankful for all the old places that still stand. 💗

Some fun finds in Florida: a thrifting report

I just returned from a six day trip visiting my parents in Florida.  I went to help them do their Christmas shopping for the family, wrap the presents and start decorating their house.  We were busy!  But I did manage to take an afternoon for one of my favorite hobbies. I 💓 thrifting in Florida!  There seems to be an endless number of antique stores, flea markets and thrift stores within 30 minutes of my parent's house.

I was short on time, so I just picked three places: Angels in the Attic, a church thrift store three miles from my parent's house (an old favorite that I visit every time I'm there), an antique mall (which was enormous), and a Goodwill just down the road from where they live.

Here are some of the interesting things I saw:

One thing I love about antique malls is that every item is different, and there's not usually more than one.  I am always seeing something I've never seen before, and there are a lot of one-of-a-kind things that you're not going to find at your local Target.

For example, this carved sea horse.  This is great, and didn't come from a factory in China.

This booth had some beautifully carved items.

I have a soft spot for vintage milk glass mugs that remind me of my childhood, like these Raggedy Ann and Annie cups from the '80s.

I often wonder if they can be microwaved?  I've googled the question, but haven't found a clear answer.

I think they can be...(?)

It would be a lot more fun to have them if they could be practically used!

Like I said, I love to see something I've never seen before.  I was fascinated by this enormous driftwood (vase?) that was about 4' high.  It had three blown glass (vases? bowls?) that had been form-fitted to fit on the driftwood solidly.  (You could remove them easily, but they weren't easy to tip or knock over.)

I think it was around $350.

On the table next to the huge driftwood piece, were four smaller versions.

I thought these were the most amazing vases; pieces of art that in the right setting would look amazing.

I bought the one on the right (with the clear glass); it was marked down from $100 to $65.

I love a great vase that can be filled with just two or three stems!

The glass was really thick and solid, and like I said, the vases down wobble on the wood at all.

Where would I ever see this again?

Angels in the Attic, the church thrift store, has the best book room!  Everything is cheap, clean and well-organized.  I also love that they sell used magazines I like for a quarter.

My dad (above) and I have spent a lot of time in this room over the years.

And finally, Goodwill.  This (obviously new) Goodwill is the most modern Goodwill building I've ever seen.  It was really beautiful, and it had a lot of great stuff, but it was also expensive.

There were some great coffee cups.  I'm always looking for good ones to add to the cabinets at The House of Goodwill.

Very true!

Almost bought this one!

I'll say it again...you're not going to see this stuff at Target!

I thought these two wooden lamps with a Revolutionary War theme were interesting.

Both of the characters on the lamps were holding lanterns, that you could stick a smaller bulb in for mood lighting.

Like lots of cool vintage stuff, in the right setting I think they'd be so great.

And finally....

Ok, so I am less afraid of used stuff than almost anyone I know.

But even I have my limits.

I think I just found one.

I'll pay the extra few dollars for a new one, should I need it.

I just wish I had more time!  I paid the price for my thrift store visits: on the way home the backpack I had brought was WAY heavier to haul around the airport; it was full of books I'd bought.

Worth it, though.

And amongst my "fun finds" was the discovery that I do have some boundaries.  Who knew?