Braselton Antique & Garden Festival

It was a marvelous weekend for treasure hunting and a vist to a local antique and garden festival in spite of the rain we had all day Sunday.  On Friday I made a quick trip to Vintage Village, in Snellville, to look at a box of antique rose covered bowls, dishes and other assorted china pieces from a fellow antique dealer.  Funny how pieces sell well in your location for years and then they go cold.  My friend was having that cold spell with her cabbage rose pieces and she had read on my facebook page how I can't keep them in my Victorian booth at the Queen of Hearts - Buford.   A quick email and she arranged to have a box left at VV for me to look over and consider for purchase.  O M G.  I bought it all. But before I share photos with you, I want to post about the marvelous festival I went to on Saturday...The Braselton Antique & Garden Festival.  What a marvelous little venue this is.  Braselton is a small town community with organizers who really know how to put a good festival together. The local historical group promotes the history of the town and the Braselton Gallery  showcases beautiful works from local artisans.  



So much treasure is offered at this lovely little gallery. A hidden gem that I hope others will discover.  I purchased a beautiful, hand beaded bracelet in the peyote style.  Saturday was an overcast day and the weather folks called for rain.  We were blessed as none came and it was a lovely day for festival goers.  


A little more than 60 vendors and booths were filled with vintage chippy pieces, antiques and fun kitsch, wood workers, fountain makers, jeweler artists and photographers.  Oh, and that "heady" scent of county fair foods wafted throughout.  Funnel cakes, food on sticks, fried green tomatoes, fresh lemonade and a beer garden only gilded this festival lily.

All of these tents were situated in short walking trails that made it easy for you to return to your parked vehicle with the treasures you found.  Something that I and many others did often.

Fell in love with this grandfather clock. 

A terrific booth filled with vintage and antique treasures.  I purchased pieces from these ladies.

Another booth with fun pieces and at great prices.  I watched people carry out items from this location all afternoon.

Countryside Antiques is a true antique store.  Rooms filled with marvelous pieces, lots of friendly dealers and helpful staff.  I loved walking on the sloped wooden floors and hearing the dull clump of shoes on the antique lumber.  Found two great items here and I will be back for future treasure hunting trips.

Just before you entered the festival area, you passed the Braselton Bros. Inc antique store.  Huge, huge building (pic is of just 1/3 of the space that is there) is an old country store.  High ceilings, big wooden floors that slope and angle all around and space for several hundred dealers.  You can spend hours in here looking at everything.



As you enter Braselton Bros. you are visually assaulted with the sheer space of this place. It goes forever and every space is filled.

There is so much here to see.

My favorite piece in the building. An authentic outhouse.  Everyone needs one of these.   It was a great little festival and because of its walking layout, it was easy for me to navigate post knee surgery.  Now to share what I found at the fair.   I love it when I can find a group of identical items.



How about 5 vintage, wooden test tube stands?  These have so many decorative uses and I got them for a song so I will pass  them on to my buyers at a good price.  

 Ya gotta love the "Ooga horn". This was a find from the Countryside Antiques store.  Wonderful antique brass with the right patina and rubber bulb still intact.  Great ooga sound when squeezed. Circa 1900s.

 I adore antique Battenburg lace and was delighted to find this beautiful, hand pieced Battenburg lace parlour tablecloth.  Some age staining that I can easily remove and I will make a few repairs to return it to its former glory.

 I can sell these antique primitive wooden carriers all day long.  This one is hand made and has the aged soft edges that everyone love with a rich patina.

From the festival I stopped off at Buford Junction antiques to see if I could find something to use as a mantle piece to replace the fireplace mantle I sold last week.  Needed to find another mantle or shelf that was at least 5 feet in length and was not having any luck.  However, I hit the jackpot t Buford Junction.  Nice, antique mantle top that has a interesting lines and loads of layers of peeling paint.  I will be working on it over the week to prep it for my Victorian booth next week. 

Now, for the Friday finds from my galpal who sold me her box of cabbage roses pieces.

 Four big and pretty antique serving bowls with pink cabbage roses. 

 Another huge serving bowl with pretty cabbage roses and two rose plates.  Love the rich blues in the plate.

 Four vintage cabbage roses plates.  So pretty.

Sometimes small is just the ticket.  Pretty pink roses showcase the English Sadler tea pot and other pretty pieces.  I was so delighted with the box of treasure my friend had for me to purchase.

Isn't this lovely?  From the booth of my friend at Vintage Village, pretty vintage, cut crystal jug pitcher. 

Fun, white (pot metal) guitar that originally house a clock and barometer.
Great decorative element.

And now, my favorite piece that I found this weekend.  In addition to the mantle shelf I purchased, I found this delightful....   

 folk art pigeon.  This piece makes me smile every time I see it.  Beautifully shaped with layers of paint that have worn away from age. I may keep this sweet little bird for awhile.  Saturday was a delightful day of antiquing and a good walk for my knee recovery.  Sunday, though, poured all day so I did a little prep work on the mantle.  Lots of sanding as I'm going to completely revamp this piece for booth display rather than a resale piece.  Then worked on a large shelf until that was painted with a gloss enamel. What a mess it is so I had to do lots of sanding to prep it for fresh paint.  

Tomorrow I return to my "real" job from working remotely following my knee replacement surgery.  I'm gonna miss working from home as I have really like the ability to work in comfy clothing and keep my knee elevated when it swells.  
 We shall see how tomorrow goes.  Blessings to you and those you love and wishing you a terrific week. Sea Witch

Mantleless

Had a good past week at the Queen of Hearts which included the sale of my Civil War era oak fireplace mantle.  It was a beauty with pretty oak swirls and flourishes and a wide mantle for displaying pretty things.   So glad it went to a good home who appreciates this type of workmanship in period pieces, but I am also sad to see it gone.  It made my Victorian booth and now I am off on a treasure hunt to find something that will replace it. As you can see, my Victorian booth looks so different without it. 

I had to move a lot of things around but that makes inventory look fresh again.

As my knee heals, I am getting round a little bit more. Still can't do a full day of treasure hunting yet.  My knee swells up like a balloon after a few hours of walking and I have to stop, elevate my knee and wrap it in ice.  Still, I try and hit at least one of my favorite haunts each Saturday until I am full recovered.

 

Huge picture of R. C. Dental College faculty photos in great faux painted tigers oak frame.  Original bubbled glass only enhances these individual pictures of men in foppish haircuts.

 

 Pretty Victorian serving bowl in vibrant colors and hand painted flowers.  These lovely Victorian pieces are so popular this year that I can't keep them in my booth.  So glad that I found this beauty.

 

 How about a huge, serving plate perfect for pretty cakes or fussy tea sandwiches.  Plate has the softest pastel color roses on it.

 Terrific vintage straw had with pretty cherries and black gro-grain ribbon around the brim.  Very 1950s but I think of Anne of Green Gable every time I see it.

 Always crazy about white stoneware with pretty blue transferware flowers. Set of four plates by the Alfred Meakin Company. The “Blossom” pattern was made from 1875 to 1894.

 How about a rare square shaped serving bowl to match the plates.  It has a few chips along the edge, but the more I see this piece the more I think I should go back to my booth and take it home.

 There is something wonderful about gravy boats, especially antique transferware pieces.  I love setting a table with several in different colors and shapes filled with my best gravy for my guests.

 Found another lovely silverplated tray that looks as if was barely used.  Shows off the antique quadruple plate teapot, creamer and sugar bowl nicely.

Pair of old seltzer bottles are huge and heavy. All of these items were originally displayed on the mantle that sold.  

When men gave women an orchid corsage for a dance, women often pressed them in books to keep the memories of such special evenings.  The owner of this orchid framed it on silk and put it in a tea tray.  How lovely and utterly romantic.  Circa 1950s. Dug these up out of a box I had in the garage.  Forgot all about them and was delighted to find them. 

 Orchids pressed against the palest yellow and blue silk.  

Had a marvelous surprise this weekend to go with my found treasure. My oldest son was giving training at Fort Benning, GA and he was able to break away for a few hours so he came up to visit. It was wonderful seeing him and talking about his upcoming transfer to Anchorage, Alaska.   What a marvelous adventure they will all have and my honey and I will have to begin a "Visit the raviolis in Alaska fund" now.  Blessings to you and those you love.  Sea Witch

Little Road Trip

It was an interesting weekend for my honey and I.  His car has been in and out of the shop since February and he is now at the point of getting ready to cut bait and replace it. It's been a good car for him these past 11 years and he really wants to keep it another 2-3, but it may have a different outlook on whether it wants to continue life with us.  Since it is back in the shop, he would miss the "weekend shoot" at the Athens Gun Club.  I didn't want my honey to miss his league shoot so I said I would change my treasure hunting routine to his neck of the woods so he could get a round of trap and skeet it.    After dropping him off at a friends house I drove on to Jefferson, Georgia to check out Red Hound Antiques.   I heard about Red Hound the week before and they are a huge, huge venue with lots of dealers and with lots of room for more.

 Red Hound is a revitalized factory with 100,000 square feet of antiquing space.  Beautiful spaces, highly polished wood floors make this a delightful experience.

 

There is lots to see here with a wide variety of antiques, vintage pieces, and architectural pieces to select from.

This is one of those places that you will find something to take home.

Need RC cola crates? They gott'um.

 A "gaggle" of vintage bikes.

 How about a vintage dentists chair and equipment.  Dig that crazy school bus yellow color.  Calling Dr. Orin Scrivello.

 Not a smoker, but I am in love with the art deco styling of this piece.

 Now that is a bathtub full of good luck. 

 Parking meter heads.  What would you use them for?  

From Jefferson, I drove to Commerce, Georgia. I connected with Claudine of "Our Town Antiques" on her Facebook page and had to check out her store.  Located in the heart of old town Commerce, her shop boasts big store windows that invite you to see the treasure she offers.

 Greeted by the smiling faces of a couple of chipmunks.

 Yes, that is a dragon.  Oh, I would love to have purchased this and sent it to my granddaughter in NY.  She would adore this in her room.

Our Town not only offers antiques but is filled with marvelous American Folk Art pieces.  Paintings, pottery and 3-dimensional art for the serious collector.

Lots of pretty things to select from.

I found this lovely, EAPG pedestal cake plate.  Always looking for these as they are big sellers for me.

Pretty vintage, stretch glass bowl.

Nice vintage rayon table runner with lots of fringe.  Our Town Antiques is a lovely shop and I will be back to visit again.

From Commerce, I drove back to Athens to meet up with my honey for an early dinner at Harry's home of the best BBQ in town.   Had fantastic pork tenderloin sliders on the squishiest rolls with a spicy mustard sauce. 

 On Sunday, I brought in the few items I found over the weekend and fluffed up my booths.

 The cake plate looks great showcasing the quadruple plated jardiniere.

 Pretty pair of soft, matt glass twin vases with cupids.

 Brought in this lovely antique, Victorian parlor table last week but it was hidden behind other furniture items.  What makes this piece special is that it is not a marble top but a perfectly executed faux marbling.  A great American hand painted piece.

 This has been a great season for selling antique roses china.  I can't keep it in the booth very long and now I am running out of pieces to bring in.

 Found a pair of lovely, late Victorian steel cut shoe buckles from France.  These sparkle light diamonds.

How about a pair of vintage, men's peep show viewers?  Acchhhhh, men and their silly little toys. Very 1950s.

Acquired these turquoise pieces when I lived in Flagstaff.  This large, turquoise and sterling ring is beautifully executed and has a lovely feel as it was made to mold around your finger.

 Large sterling, turquoise and coral Navajo bracelet.  Circa 1950s

 Sweet little crown from a Communion veil. 

It was a nice little road trip but I hope my honey's car will be running soon.  I know he is anxious to have it back and we would both prefer not to have another car payment. So I am keeping my seawitchy fingers crossed.  Blessings to you and those you love.