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. 💗