Acres of Antiques

Last weekend we were at the Brimfield Antique Show. If you've never been, try to go at least once. It is definitely an experience you will never forget. It takes place three times a year and is the largest outdoor antique show in the world, with over 6,000 dealers. I don't know what the 'acreage' of the fair is, but it is quite vast.. wear some good shoes and bring a bottle of water and sun-screen. There are also many other permanent antique dealers in the area and a show at a large nearby hotel that has 'real' antiques. That's their claim... not mine, but when I saw the advertisement for it, I did have to agree that it is probably true even though I've never been to that particular show. What I mean by this is that even though Brimfield claims its the largest antiques show in the world, it is actually kind of difficult to find any real good antiques. To be fair, it is officially called the 'Brimfield Antique Show and Flea Market'. It's located in Brimfield, MA and its unquestionably a show, but in my opinion, its more flea market than antiques. Well, its still well worth the trip, especially if you are in the northeast US, and I love to take photos of things at the fair, so here's a little collage of some things you could find there.

There are real antiques, early antique knock-offs that are now "antiques" themselves because they are so old, and newer replications. Can you tell the difference?

Lovely things for the garden (none of which are antique...yet still fairly expensive)...

Asian imports... it is actually amazing how they can make things look so old...

Linens and furniture... the shabby chic and vintage linen look are definitely in...

The 'country' look...

The colorful...

The odd...

The random...

And finally, Lots of people, dogs, and food vendors...

Laundry Room Inspiration

I'm re-doing our laundry room and I'm looking for an unusual or antique sink, preferably made of zinc, terra-cotta, copper, concrete, or soapstone. I know I could have one made, but it would be great to find an old one. I was at the Brimfield antique fair yesterday and walked for miles and miles wading through thousands of dealer's items, and remarkably didn't find anything I could  use. If anyone reading knows of anywhere to find anything like this, please let me know. Here are some lovely inspirations of what I'm thinking of for the room.

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I love this one

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I could also possibly go with a white porcelain farmhouse sink.
These are pretty easy to find, but it would be great to find a unique one as well,
if anyone has any suggestions.

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An Inspired Mantel

I was just over at Things That Inspire and she was talking about choosing a fireplace mantel. I love the ones she posted, but I also love my own mantel and I randomly took a few pictures of it back in March, so I thought I'd show it off. I always wanted a fireplace when I was growing up, and I really don't think I could have gotten a more perfect one in our new house.

Look at this detail. They don't make them like this much anymore.

I also love the old trunk I found for a coffee table. Yay for antique hunting! You can't find this at the mall. 

Well, actually I adore Restoration Hardware's new line, which has a lot of the 'old trunk' look to it, but I just personally prefer the 'wear' of an authentic trunk (and its cheaper too).

Here are just a couple of other random shots I took of the room and the lovely wine and cheese.

Also, I love our Chesterfield couches. They were handmade in England and are so comfortable! 

I'm still on the hunt for a few chairs and other antiques for the room. What I really like about using

mostly antiques is that a room is always evolving, and I have a memory for each item.

Anyway, I guess that's my own little inspiration for the day. I hope you like the 'peek' into my living room.

Going on a Picnik!

So I just discovered my favorite free online resource of all time! I can't believe I hadn't found Picnik until today. I've heard of it before, but I always just thought it was another photo storage sites like so many out there. But its a photo editing site... and you can do SO much with it. For FREE you can do all the effects shown below and more. You can, of course, upgrade and get even more, but check out all these fun effects. I was just playing around with some photos that I took at an antique shop back in December. If you want to see the originals, you can see them in my album. 

Buttons

Last night we finally got around to seeing the movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I thought it was a great movie. The special effects of him being an old man and then a young boy were quite astounding to me.

This movie is LOOSELY based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Usually I like to read the book/story before watching a movie and I like Fitzgerald, but in this case I hadn't gotten the chance. I did read the story this afternoon though. You can read the entire text on line from the University of Virginia. I almost always like the original books more than the movies they are based on, but not in this case. I thought the movie was better. It really had to be adapted quite a bit in order to make it into something that anyone would want to see.

Anyway, I really liked some of the quotes from the movie, so I am copying them here:

"Benjamin Button: For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."

"You can be as mad as a mad dog at the way things went. You could swear, curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go"

"Benjamin, we're meant to lose the people we love. How else would we know how important they are to us?"

"Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss."

"Benjamin Button: Some people were born to sit by a river. Some get struck by lightning. Some have an ear for music. Some are artists. Some swim. Some know buttons. Some know Shakespeare. Some are mothers. And some people — dance"

I was definitely crying by this last line. I was crying because everything does change, everyone does die, because life is so beautiful, life is so fragile, life is so diverse. Because all these things and more, I cried. I think that is what made this film so moving to me. And even though Fitzerald's story wasn't his best work, I think he secretly knew something when he gave Benjamin the last name Button.

I love buttons. They don't have to be on clothes. Actually I like when they are not on clothes the best. I love when you can see the diversity of a bunch of old buttons all together in a jar. There are a couple of great antique shops that I go to that have a great collection of buttons. Even though they have lived past their purpose... maybe the clothes that they once were on are now out of fashion or they somehow got separated from their brothers or sisters on the shirt or dress they once belonged to... they still have an interesting place, even if its just the fact that they make me smile when I see them.

So perhaps Fitzgerald had a thing about buttons too. Although this may be stretching it, buttons (like people) have a purpose, they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and although they have a limited time of usefulness (they get old or un-necessary), their 'lives' can still have meaning and add beauty to the world past their point of purpose if there are those that were willing to appreciate this beauty.

A Vermont mystery ride

When I was a kid, my parents used to love to take us on "mystery rides"... a drive where we didn't know where we were going, we just drove wherever the road took us. Well, my dad probably knew where we were going, but as kids, it was always an adventure. As an adult, I still love to take these drives. Sometimes I just get the compulsion even when I'm on my own just to drive down a road I've never been down. Today, Matt and I met up with his mom in Manchester, VT. On the way, we stopped and got coffee and a muffin, and there was the most beautiful plane tree (which I was then told was the largest in the state). We went to the congregational church in the morning, which had a lovely sermon by a recent Harvard divinity grad. Then, we just kind of meandered and drove around... north on Rt. 30 to Dorset and east Rupert. We drove by Frederick Beuchner's house, who has beautiful horses. We went to a farmers market, where i bought these great earings made out of old silverware. I had never seen that before, and they are so unique. We stopped at a beautiful marble quarry and some other antique and general store shops. We then went South to Arlington.. antiquing and meandering and then back up to Manchester for a late lunch. There was a great sun set on the way home and we came home and just relaxed after a wonderful sunday drive.