As I shared last week, my plan for the Lucketts Fall Market was to shop Friday morning and then man my space in the afternoon.  As soon as the gates opened and people wanted to purchase prints and paintings, I knew that plan was folly.  I know, as a shopper, I would’ve been irritated if things were sitting out for sale and no one was there to sell them.  I took advantage of a few slow stretches to make quick passes to check out as many vendors as I could.  Before that, though, my mom and cousin went on a recon mission to spot frames for me.

As my mom sent a barrage of frame photos and questioning texts while I was trying to use my phone to check out customers, I realized it was going to be a futile effort.  I also couldn’t really see the condition or size of the frames in order to make a decision to purchase or pass.

(I loved that pair of gold frames, but I never found them when I had time to peruse.  It’s possible they sold before I got there.)

I loved this frame, and it looked great in person, but I have a pretty good collection of larger frames.  I wanted to keep my sites set on smaller frames for more affordable original paintings.

This one was quite impressive, but I couldn’t imagine it framing one of my paintings.

When it comes to frames, I often go with my gut.  I can’t always explain why one frame will work and another won’t, but I know a frame I’m not excited about will languish in my basement.

I loved this wood frame and ended up purchasing it.  Jeff will take it apart and reassemble it to fix the joints.

I bought one other small gold frame my mom found and…wait for it…can you guess?  A piece of ironstone.  Well, it’s not really ironstone, but it’s a small French crock.  It was an interesting size and only $15, so I bought it.  I’ll take pictures of my Lucketts and Country Living finds soon.  Between filming the class, working on my book, shipping prints, and painting daily, I just haven’t had the time yet.

I didn’t take a lot of pictures because I was running from barn to barn to hit as many vendors as I could, but I did take a few pictures of displays and pieces that caught my eye.

I didn’t have a personal shopping budget for this market, but if I had, I would’ve purchased this pair of antique oil portraits (the two flanking the one in the center) from Charm City Farmhouse.

They were really special and spoke to me as soon as I spotted them.  I learned they were sold on the last day of the market, so they weren’t meant to be mine.

I had a vision that, as an old lady, I’ll have my cats, my books, and walls full of creepy antique oil portraits that most people won’t understand.  For some reason, that thought made me smile.

After just one day at the market, I was wiped.  It’s hard to remember the days when I did all three days plus set-up and the aftermath.  I tip my hat to all vendors who sell at markets regularly.  It’s a massive amount of work!