Sunday, April 28, 2013

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

3 comments:

My Garden Diaries said...

Good luck heading back! I will keep my fingers crossed that it goes well! That festival looks outstanding! That is my kind of day for sure! My favorite piece is that pigeon! Love it!

My Vintage Heart said...

Thanks for the post on Braselton. I've never been & have always thought of going. Will definately check out the fall festival there. So glad you were able to use the rose dishes. I hope they fly out of your booth for you! Thanks for the mention & your purchases!

Tanya said...

So glad to hear you've healed enough to get back...even if it means leaving the comforts of home behind. I wish we had ANYTHING like that festival here...and there isn't a piece in your post that I don't love, but I'm with Nicole...I think I love that little pigeon the most. Happy Saturday - XOXO