Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Antique Store Finds

I finally made it out to my favorite Antique Mall, "Southworks", in Cambridge, Ontario,last week They have 100's of vendors under one roof, and I always find lots of stuff that I  love. I literally have to restrain myself from buying too much.  The hard part is that they have" runners", who cheerfully take your selections to the front for you while you continue shopping.  Not only does this deter theft, but it keeps your hands free, and you forget how much "stuff" you've accumulated.  Of course, when you hit the cash register, it all comes back to you, but they are very nice if you change your mind about something.  This trip did not disappoint, and since I had some birthday money in my wallet, I knew I'd be doing some spending.  I forgot my camera, so I didn't get any shots of the mall, but you can see it in my link above.They have a beautiful virtual tour that you can take to see how great it is.

Some of you have seen  my "Antique Flow Blue China"  here,that comes from this mall.  I also found many of the items from this post "Some of my Favorite Things", here. It's well worth the visit and their prices are unbeatable.  People go there from all over Canada and the United States. I can't say enough good things about them.   But anyhow,  I'll quit yapping and post some pics now:




 This is a copy of my grand-parents wedding photo from France. It is circa 1920, or even  earlier.



This cute litttle stool is an antique camping chair, which cost $40.00, but I just loved it!!!!! I love that it folds up, and it's curved to fit your "bum".  And the bonus is that the green looks really good in my bedroom.  I'm not sure what I'll end up displaying on it, but I posted a few options, none of which I'm" in love with". Oh well, I'll just have to shop my house for something to display there.

Next I found these great antique linen handerkerchiefs and hand towels- One bundle of 12 was only $6.00.





The lace runner is absolutely beautiful, and my mother bought that for me at $16.00.





Here's a clos-up of the edge detail.


I tried it in my bathroom, but ended up using it on my bed, over a sage green throw blanket.  I think that's where it will stay.



Then I got this pretty tea towel with blue edges,for $2.00, which I put in my china cabinet with my blue and white china.





Here's how I folded it in my china cupboard.


This is how I'm displaying it.

Then I used these pretty monogrammed hankies in my bathroom.  It's hard to tell if the monogram is an "I" or a "T", bit it doesn't matter, because neither letter is part of my name- they're  just pretty to look at.


Then I put this pretty scalloped hanky on this tray on the coffee table.



All of the pieces,except the lace runner are linen, and they washed up just beautifully.  Some were a little dingy, so I hand soaked them in hot water with Oxi-clean for 24 hours, and kept adding more hot water, as the water cooled down.  Then I gently rinsed them, pressed out the excess water with a towel, then  layed them flat on a dry towel until almost dry , then ironed them while stil damp.  They turned out beautifully.  You can also use a little vinegar or lemon juice on the whites ( it's a natural, yet gentle bleach), if you have some stubborn stains, but mine were in pretty good condition.

The rest of my "bootie" is rolled up in white acid- free  tissue paper, in storage until I find a place for them.






Well , that's my little antique "fix" for today.  I',m almost finished the transformation on my trash-to-treasures armoire, so check back in a few days for a look at that.  It's turning out pretty " fab"