When my in-laws were visiting for Calvin’s graduation, I decided it would be a good opportunity to hit a few antique stores with my mother-in-law.  She is happy to sit and read while I work on things, and over the years, she has helped with many sewing and slipcover projects during her visits, but we also enjoy going to antique stores together.  She rarely buys anything, but she likes antiques and is good company.  I needed to shop for frames for original paintings, so we hit a couple of local antique stores during a rainy afternoon.

We have several antique stores and consignment shops in the area, but I only venture out now and then.  I really don’t need to go hunting for things very often since I no longer sell antiques and our house is furnished, so seeking out frames has been my primary excuse to go on antiquing jaunts.

A store just up the road from my house is a bit of a hit-or-miss kind of shop, but I have found some well-priced treasures mixed among the things that hold no interest for me.  I was immediately tempted by the panoramic group photos.  I’ve always loved them and felt like I could look at them for hours.  I have one of my Oma and her peers at a girls’ camp, and another populated with strangers.  These were wonderful and all under $60, with an additional 20% off, but I walked away.

What I didn’t walk away from, though, was a stack of late 1800s ironstone plates in the wheat pattern for $10.  For the entire stack!  I have other plates and platters in this pattern, and these were even cheaper than the ones I bought 10+ years ago.  I had a brief conversation with myself about the fact that I already have hundreds of ironstone plates that I have been trying to whittle down to a more reasonable number, but I couldn’t pass them up.

The next antique store was a surprise.  It opened last year, but was still recruiting vendors when I paid my first visit.  Now, they have sprawled into a huge basement space, so there is a lot more to look at.  I paused to admire a vintage writing slope, naturally…

I loved these two vintage paint-by-number pieces.  The colors were so pretty, and it is such a good reminder of how effective blocks of color can be in communicating a scene or object.

As I was coming back up the stairs, a cute pair of butter yellow shutters caught my eye.  I love the little four-leaf clover cut out in the top panel.  I decided to snap a quick picture of them, which I often do with things I like but am not going to buy, and the huge trellis leaning in front of them, which I had somehow not seen.  Oh my goodness.  I’m sure it’s ridiculously expensive, but it never hurts to check the tag.  

When I’m shopping for antiques, I often play a silent game.  I try to guess the price of pieces I like.  I think I started that when I bought and sold antiques, so I had a sense of how much I thought it should fetch and how much room there would be for profit.   I figured this could be priced as high as as $250-300.  Maybe $120 would be a good, reasonable price.  I turned the tag.  It was $62.

Now, I had to figure out if I could finagle the trellis through the store on my own.  It was awkward but light, so I tipped it on its side and started dragging it through the store to the checkout counter.  It was worth feeling some embarrassment over all of the amused looks and near collisions.  My mother-in-law, who was waiting at the checkout for me, looked at my trophy with wide eyes.  “How are you going to get that home?”  I thought it was obvious.  I would put it in my van.  The seats were out since we’ve been using it to haul brush from all of our spring yard work, and I’m pretty good at eyeballing what will fit my trusty old minivan I have used to move so much furniture over the years.

When I got it out to the van, I lifted the trellis to slide it into the back, and it was too wide!  I felt so stupid.  I was so excited about it and only paid attention to the height of the trellis, not the width.  Oh my gosh, I’m going to have to go back in there and get a refund because I didn’t take a minute to measure.  

I decided to try a few furniture maneuvering tricks, and I’ve learned over the years, and after a few tries, I was able to just barely fit it through the back opening by working it in at an angle, starting with one corner of the fan.  It was very close, but a happy ending.

I also found a nice stack of frames, which was the entire goal to begin with.  I removed the glass and prints from them, so they are ready for new paintings.

I washed the stack of ironstone plates that I did not need.

I also bought an antique wood T-square for $8.00.  I already have one, but this one was larger.  They come in handy for drawing straight lines on panels, since I can hang the top of the T off the edge of the panel.  And, I bought a small tack hammer for $3.00.  I love old tools and have always felt it’s more enjoyable to use an antique tool with a beautiful wooden handle than a new one.  Jeff disagrees, but I’m fine with that because then I have my own much cooler tools that don’t go missing when I need them.

Before I sign off, I have to show the spot I have picked out for the trellis.  Doesn’t it look like it was made for exactly this wall?  It will sit a little bit lower, and we need to anchor it to the wall, but it really is perfect.  I was delighted.

A fragrant viburnum is in front of the chimney currently, but I’ve considered moving it for a while, anyway.  I’m going to relocate it and plant a climbing rose bush there.  I think it will look amazing.

So, there you go – my latest antique adventure.  Speaking of, I still need to show where I hung the painting I bought at Lucketts…