Boot Sale.

Our local Antique Mall has 4 "Boot

Sales" every Summer, starting in May.

We love going and enjoy searching

for deals from the local sellers.

Our first find was this waterfall picture

in an amazing vintage frame. Impressive!

Next up was this beautiful Petit Point

piece of art. Even the frame is perfect!

A large piece of art for my new office

wall. It's metal and quite light but big!

A intricate bird cage for my new office.

Though I am loving it in our kitchen nook!

And finally, a sweet vintage Mother's

Day poem in a rustic frame. Sweet!

I will hang this but tuck it away and bring

it out each Mother's Day. A lovely find.

All of this added up to less than $40!

~ Chy

Treasure #4.

I'm a huge Susan Branch fan and one of

my goals is to own each one of her books.

I have a lovely little collection now and

love searching for more as we treasure

hunt! I was just about to leave a booth

at the Boot Sale, items paid and safely

tucked away in my bag, when I spotted

the edge of this book in a ratty box. Yes!

One of her books I don't have and one that

is hard to find. Price: $28.99 but I paid

just $8. Didn't even haggle for it. I'm

saving it to read later on this weekend.

Treasure #3.

I'm always on the hunt for writing paper

and this was my find from the Boot Sale.

The tag on the bottom of the box says $24.99

but I paid just $2. The box was sealed but I've

since taken the wrap off. My apologies for not

figuring out how to rotate the pictures. My non

technical side showing it's force again today.

Now to get some letters written this weekend.

Treasure #2.

 Treasure #2 from last weekend's Boot Sale, 

this sweet vintage girl is a music box.

She was up for grabs for $10, I offered

$5 and the vendor accepted $6. It's on our

mantel today but will likely end up in our

master bedroom as the colors are perfect.

And we're off ....

.... to the 3rd Vintage Boot Sale, being held 

at the big Antique Mall in the city. The 

house is clean, chores are completed, we

worked hard yesterday and this is our treat!

Since the last sale, I've been saving our

pennies (ok, so no pennies in Canada

anymore), took in bags of bottles for

refunds and found $50 in our latest

purging of files and boxes. With a sum

of $80 in my pocket, we're off! We have

no idea what we'll find but the "treasure

hunt" is so much fun. Will post later ....

Boot Sale #2.

A trip to the Antique Mall Boot Sale in June

netted quite a hall. The value of all these items

was over $220 ~ the value the vendors had

listed them for, not the true worth of course.

I had saved and saved as this was the largest

boot sale of the year, so I knew we'd find some

amazing treasures. We left home early and I

had a tidy $200 tucked away in my wallet.

But after careful and fun negotiations, our

final total was a very lovely $160. Success!

A pretty petite point, two tiny English tins,

sweet rose votives, a pretty pair of frames

with attached planters and finally, a colorful 

print for our bright and color filled guest room.

A tiny ballerina dress, a yellow floral patched

pillow for one of the window seats and a frame.

Sweet smocked dress, a pair of Irish salt and

pepper shakers, two vintage books for our

growing collection (pink and purple), a

tiny box from Russia (I have matching ones

from my trip there at 16), a vintage planter,

a unique round biscuit tin and a painting.

Love this painting for our master

bathroom. It has all our colors in it!

On my wish list forever, a Boston Fern

plant stand and here it is! It was listed for

$45. I'm sure this is the same one at the

last Boot Sale that was listed then for

$85. I offered $25 to start and it was

accepted! I had many comments and a

number of gasps as we walked it out to

our car. So happy with this purchase.

A shot to show how big the frame

is. And a steal at just $8.

It's actually a chalk board and what caught

my eye and made it endearing was the

vintage glass knob on the end. When I saw

the price tag, I was sure it said $100, which in 

my head I was justifying because of the work

that would have gone in to it to turn it from

an old frame in to a working piece for our

kitchen. And the know is well worth that

amount. Then the lady who made it and

approached me and said I was welcome

to make an offer as she could see I was very

interested. I took the tag in my hand and it

was then that I realized it said $10, not $100.

I was going to just pay that and she said

she would let me have it for $8. Sold!!

She was happy it was going to be loved.

Close ups of the smaller items that

rounded out the larger pieces we chose.

The black iron pieces are a hanging plant

stand that we are going to put on the porch.

Such soft colors in these matching frames.

Trying to decide where to put them now.

A tiny teddy for my tiny collection.

And a depression era green jar with lid.

Finally, the first piece we picked up ~

another wish list item to cross off!

Have you attended any Boot Sales lately?

Is it something you have in your community?

Final Sale Treasures.

The last few items we bought last

weekend at the Boot Sale.

Grouped together but truthfully,

they'll end up all over the house.

First up, this British egg cup to add to 

our tiny collection in the tea cupboard.

A green perfume bottle and a matching 

lavender one for my dressing table.

And finally, this little cherub dish ~ perfect 

for little hand soaps or a mix of potpourri.

Have you been to any Boot Sales this week?

Any great treasures you can share with us?

A Blue Bottle ....

.... to add to my little collection of

bottles that includes purple, green

and pink tones. Now I have a blue

one! All different sizes too.

Vintage Frame.

I love collecting frames! As an artist, it's crucial

to me that art is displayed in ways that let them

really stand out. I also love to put vintage pictures

and postcards in frames that are of the period.

This sweet frame was just $2. It's small but

heavy and just perfect for a lovely project.

Do you collect picture frames?

How do you display art?

I Couldn't Resist.

Do you have a little written list or a running list in your head of items that you'd hope to find on treasure hunts? I like to be intentional in my purchases and if I can buy used, I'm a very happy shopper! I like to sit in a room, visualize what is missing and then add that item to my list. I have a little journal I keep so I can remember those little ideas that creep into my mind. Then it's fun to shop when I know what items I still need to pick up along the way. It's fun to hunt and even better when items that have been elusive suddenly appear one day, when I least expect them. That's what makes hunting treasures fun.

One thing I've been hoping to find is a tiny

table to put beside our tub in the master bath.

A spot to hold a cool drink, my book,

a candle and the tv remote if it's on.

This equisite table was at the Boot Sale

and listed for $8. But did I pay that? No,

of course not! I offered $5 and it was

accepted without hesitation. Great buy.

Wreath Love.

I love little wreaths. Not sure why and how

I grew to add them to our home decor.

But they are great for changing out a room

when we're decorating or honoring a season.

Tea Party Year.

If you've followed my blog for a while, you may know that I am a big tea lover. And that in this new sweet cottage we call home, we created an actual "tea pantry" instead of a traditional "butler's pantry." A lovely spot to display our tea pots, precious tea cups and saucers, tins of delicious tea and a few special books and tea trinkets. At the Boot Sale, my dh came across this beautiful book, in brand new condition. On the back is a sticker from the store it was originally purchased from, clearly in the U.K., as the tag shows the price as 20 pounds. In Canadian, at today's exchange rate, I would have paid $38.50 but instead, I had to hand over just $13.50. Not a bad deal! Love all the details in it.

Called "The Vintage Tea Party Year" it's full 

of great ideas to host tea parties during the year.

All the major holidays are covered, and I few new

ones for us to explore. We can't wait to try them!

Flowery Bell.

This bone china flowery bell caught

my eye and was just $5, which was

1/2 of what it was listed for. But the

vendor had a sale table. Bonus!!

Tiny Petit Point.

 On this dark, dreary and rainy day, more

photos of our Boot Sale Treasures.

My grandmother created beautiful Petit Point

art and I've started to collect some myself.

I have just a few of hers but never pass up a chance

to buy from another artist. Especially when the price

is right! This tiny Petit Point was listed for $10 but

I managed to pay just $6 for it after adding a few items

together then asking the vendor if she'd accept an

offer for all 4 items. And she did! So happy.

A Tin for Sweets.

Another Boot Sale find. Listed for $10 but

the lovely vendor accepted my offer of $6.

I loved the whimsical decor of this little tin.

Now I'll have to make room in the tea cupboard.

Moss Rose.

One of the patterns of china I collect is Moss Rose.

I love anything Royal Albert, especially on sale!

This cake plate was $10 but as we entered the vendor's

tent, she told us that all her wares would be half price.

So very a tidy sum of $5, this cake plate is now gracing

our china cabinet, with it's matching pieces together. I

was able to find the same plate listed for $55 on a

replacement site. Our great deal of the day for sure.

House Frame.

The first item we purchased at the Boot Sale on the weekend we almost didn't! When we arrive, we always do a little walk around and then get serious about really hunting for treasures. On this wet and windy day, we stopped inside the first booth (a tent to protect items from the rain) in our path to get out of the rain. And there was this sweet house frame. As the vendor's tent began to fill up, we crept out to wander down the lane. Suddenly, I just had to have it! Do you ever have that happen? I was already imagining the pictures I'd put in each slot, and maybe adding a few quotes too. As we walked back to the tent, I spotted someone holding it and chatting with the vendor. NOOO! But then she put it down, thanked the vendor and left the tent. YES!! Within seconds, it was in my hands. Priced at $40, I mulled over spending almost half my budget ($100) on one item. As I was considering the price, the vendor came over to greet me. I told her how much I loved her items, then asked if prices were firm. As her teeth chattered from the cold, she smiled and said "sure, make me an offer". I offered $30, thinking we'd meet at $35 but she immediately said yes, and I left the tent with a big grin on my face, my husband laughing behind, muttering something about "the one that almost got away"! We took it back to our car as it was too bulky to carry around all morning. Along the way, I had a number of people ask where we got it! Tucked safely away in our car, we went back to venture through the collection of tents and open tables to find more treasures. More posts soon showing our haul for the day.

Boot Sale #1.

Our local Antique Malls holds 4 Boot sales each Spring and Summer. Today, the long weekend here in Canada,, was the first one. In the midst of the big fires, the unbearable heat, tons of deadlines and lots of worry, it was nice to have something really fun to look forward to. 

Then the rain started to fall from the sky. We've now had rain for 4 days straight. As I've said before and I'll say again today, I LOVE the rain! And this year, with the heat and fires, the rain was more than welcome. There are some people in the big city beside us who have now experienced flooding in their homes. The big city south of us received mounds of snow all weekend. Truly, our weather is crazy now. Not sure if this is the "end of days" but I wish we could go back to weather that is more calm. And predictable. And NO fires!! Back to my story: the rain started to fall from the sky. Now we were wondering if the Boot Sale would still happen. Or if lots of vendors would pull out. We had our fingers crossed.

We woke up early this morning, eager to see if the rain was still coming down in buckets .... and it was! But the word from the owners of the Antique Mall was that it was still on, so we showered, tidied the house, made the bed, grabbed our rain gear and our wallets, and off to went into the big city beside us. It was a sloshing ride, with huge puddles, black skies and rain that pelleted our car. As we drove in to the lot, it slowed to a spit and by the time we got out of our car, it had stopped. The wind was still cold but at least we didn't get rained on. 

Budget conscious, we had $100 tucked away in my wallet. These funds we had raised by taking in all our bottles we had collected in our garage. We received $108 in total. And here's what we bought: 

In the end, if we had paid what the prices were as marked, we would have spent our full $100. But with a bit of luck and a few queries, negotiations were welcome and we paid just $45 for the lot. 

This sale was small compared to others and the tables were sparse, despite the fact that we got there well in advance of opening. I'm sure many vendors were sold out before the afternoon. We saw some regulars, did a bit of catching up, then once we had taken our goods to our car, we went into the Antique Mall to warm up and see if there were any good buys inside. We didn't stay long as the crowds were huge but we did buy the tea book and the cupcake tin, bringing out total for the day up to $64. I'm very happy with our purchases and had a great time. Can't wait for the next one.

Do you have Boot Sales in your community?

Does your town or city have an Antique Mall?