Brimful of Antiques on the 45

I grew up in Wakefield. I live and breathe the words of  Springfield. But my heart, my little wooden heart, belongs to Brimfield. 

Sunday Funday took on a completely different meaning as my friends Katie, Jill, Jill’s unborn baby and I piled into the Jeep and took off for the largest outdoor antiques fair in the world.  Brimfield takes place three times per year (May, July and September) and each show lasts six days. Today was the last day of the July show so we knew some dealers would be packing up to head home but it’s also a great time to get some deals.

What do they have at Brimfield? Everything. Seriously. Whether it’s vintage clothes, rusty awesomeness, gorgeous furniture or even vintage vinyl, you can find it at Brimfield.

I followed this sign. It brought me to an empty table. Sounds about right.

I followed this sign. It brought me to an empty table. Sounds about right.

The day was warm, to say the least. It was 96 degrees. That’s only two degrees less than a terrible boy band! It was stifling. I was a sweaty mess. A swess. Jill procured not one, but two frozen lemonades over the course of an hour. But that didn’t stop us. (It stopped us briefly at times, and we may have stayed JUST a little longer in the tents that had fans…) I ended up with a small haul (for me) taking home  a vintage dress & skirt (at 50% off!) and some planters but I think if I had more time and was more hydrated, I could have done some serious damage.

I wanted to buy these but I didn't. I regret it.

I wanted to buy these but I didn’t. I regret it.

Hat and red lipstick. Bodyless head after my own heart.

Hat and red lipstick. Bodyless head after my own heart.

Brimfield is gourd-geous.

Brimfield is gourd-geous.

One of the shopping tips for such a huge event is that if you’re looking for something in particular, make a t-shirt that says it so folks can help you when you’re poking around their booths. If I had made a shirt for today, it would have said “creepy clowns” because for some reason, they have been cracking me up lately. And we found a few that stole our souls hearts.

KILLITWITHFIRE

KILLITWITHFIRE

CREEPY CLOWN CANNIBAL

CREEPY CLOWN CANNIBAL

Some of the booths were just so cool in an awesome cluttered, colorful and unique way.

Do these chairs only look cool if you buy 20?

Do these chairs only look cool if you buy 20?

Crazy for Crates!

Crazy for Crates!

I love birds.

I love birds.

Poppin bottles.

Poppin bottles.

So much death. And it looks AWESOME.

So much death. And it looks AWESOME.

I definitely want to head to the September show, maybe even for more than one day. I know we didn’t even get through 1/10 of the market today and I would love to be able to just take it all in, talk to some dealers and boost my closet and collections. And maybe this time do it with 85% less underboob sweat.

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Counting Roosters: Auctions and Everything After

Another night of treasure hunting in the books! This time Mrs. M  of Country Design Home and I headed to Crown Auctions in Medford to check out what was on the auction block and see if anything was worth raising our numbers. We’ve been there before (and Mrs. M wrote a great post about Crown here). If you’ve never been to an auction, it’s definitely…interesting. The folks at Crown are super nice and I literally laughed out loud (LLOL’d) a few times at their banter and one-liners. Tonight people were getting killer buys on things like furniture ($25 for a dining room table and chairs) as well as breaking the bank for not-so-hidden treasures.

This sign sold for almost $600!

This sign sold for almost $600!

I think that’s part of why I like going so much – as the bids start flying around I think to myself “What do these people know about this object that I don’t? I didn’t even give that vase a second glance and now it’s almost $700?” It’s a great way to get a bargain, grab some cheap inventory and make some (hopefully minor) mistakes as you’re learning the ropes…

…and buy metallic poultry!

My two new friends

My two new friends

Sure did. I couldn’t resist these guys and knew that as long as the price was right, they were coming home to Waltham with me. They’ll end up for sale eventually but for right now, they’re just chilling. Roosting? Whatever.

You good, bro?

Seat belts save lives.

Buckle up, Lil Duck!

Buckle up, Lil Duck!

I made sure they were safe and sound on the car ride home. It turns out, I’m actually a pro at driving poultry around in my car, as I scored this guy last year from my Aunt & Uncle.

It's a rooster AND a lamp!

It’s a rooster AND a lamp!

As a gesture of solidarity, I even played Counting Crows on the way home.

And even though Mrs. M hates birds, she still got a kick out of the handcrafted rooster and water fowl. Although maybe she was still just pining over our favorite friend from the Vintage Bazaar last week?

Photo courtesy of Country  Design Home

Photo courtesy of Country Design Home

I’ll be writing about some of my other finds soon (hint: misogyny!) but until then, the bird’s the word.