After visiting the local art museum and grabbing lunch at a bistro, Mom and I went to one of my favorite antique stores.  Since purging ironstone and antiques earlier this year, I’ve been disciplined about not bringing a bunch of stuff back into the house.  I do love milling about in antique stores, second-hand shops, and markets, though, and I’m resigned to the fact that there will always be some amount of stuff coming and going.  It just needs to be intentional and in moderation!  So, I kept this in mind as we walked the aisles of Beaver Creek Antique Market.

Right off the bat, my attention was grabbed by a concrete goose sitting on the counter.  Typically, pieces sitting on the counter were placed there by shoppers who intend to buy them.  The absence of a tag also made me think it was already claimed.  I asked about it anyway, because you never know.  It had just been brought in by a vendor and wasn’t even priced yet.  They would call the vendor and let me know.  It is a very cool piece with amazing patina, but the beak had been broken at some point and was repaired with a strange putty.  I decided to think it over while I looked around.

I used to grab things I wanted right away when shopping at an antique mall, but now I think about the item for a while.  (Unless it’s something I get butterflies about and can’t let out of my sight!)  I have found it’s helpful to walk away from that initial pull.  Maybe I just like it and want to appreciate it, but I don’t need to buy it.  If I’m still thinking about it at the end of my shopping excursion and I have a good use and place for it, I’ll circle back and buy it.

Some of the pieces I admired on this trip were…

This fabulous garden obelisk with original paint.  I admired it the last time I was here, and it is still just as tempting!  It’s priced at $425, though, and I can build one with the abundance of painted furring strips I already have in my garage.

I loved this still life painting, but I think it’s primarily because it speaks to my favorite blue/green color palette.

Of course, I always look at ironstone.  I never know when I might find a rare piece that I can’t pass up.  This stack of oblong divided Buffalo china plates caught my eye.  I’ve seen divided ironstone plates before, but not in this shape.  They were so heavy and in great condition.  I pointed them out to my mom and mentioned they would be great for personal charcuterie plates or…paint!  Not that I need any more paint palettes, but they really would be wonderful for paint.  Another thing to think about…

I have loved this original orchid oil painting every time I see it, but I have never been able to make the splurge.  Maybe one day I’ll buy it.  The ribbon and the flower look so realistic!  It really is beautifully rendered, and the frame and labels are special as well.

On a rack with other ironstone pieces, a large ironstone slop bucket caught my eye.  I have owned one for years that I use as a bathroom wastebasket.  If you’re not familiar with what a slop bucket is, they were a part of a wash set that included a wash basin and pitcher, a chamber pot, and an assortment of brush boxes and soap dishes.  The slop bucket was used to empty the dirty basin water and chamber pot to dispose of outside.

These are huge pieces of ironstone and don’t turn up very often, so it was another item to mull over.

Another piece that caught my eye was a European potter’s wheel.  While I have been fascinated by pottery, it’s a hobby I’ve never gotten into because the gear is a bit more complicated than buying a few supplies to keep in a drawer in my studio.  Maybe one of these days I’ll take a workshop at a local studio.  Anyway, I found this piece interesting, not to use as a potter’s wheel, but as a pedestal and turntable for other art projects.  It spins freely and is in great condition.  I also loved the worn blue paint and had one specific use in mind for it.

Another piece to add to the list of possibilities…

This petite paint palette was tempting.  I already have a similar one, but this palette was thinner and a bit more delicate in size and scale.

I almost picked up this basket without any further consideration.  It was super sturdy, well-made, with great patina, and was only $20!  I can always find a use for a basket!  But I remembered that I was going to think about things before buying them.

I also saw some great wooden boxes and a deep Eastlake frame for $10, but I forgot to take pictures of them.

After walking around and weighing what I would use, I bought five things.  Can you guess which ones?