Christie Antiques Show Chronicle

Even when I don't really NEED anything, I still love to make the trip to the Christie Antiques Show. It's always fun to look, and it felt like there was more than usual to see this time; I was there all day! Arriving early means getting a good parking spot and the pick of the crop, so I was at the entry the gate just before the 8 am opening.

7:55 am. Apparently I'm not the only early bird. I arrived at the entry gate along with a few hundred others:

8:10 am. I made my first purchase; a yellow basket weave McCoy flower pot. My grandmother used to have several of these on her kitchen windowsill. And yes, I was wearing gloves, it was a very chilly morning:

8:15 am. I spotted a beautiful set of Aynsley china and immediately fell in love. There were enough dinner plates, salad plates and soup bowls for 12, and the set included a lidded tureen and a teapot. The asking price was $395, but the seller offered it to me at $325. I totally regret not making the purchase:

 

8:24 am.  I tweeted a pic of this Eastlake style footstool upholstered in orange velvet. Both the velvet and wood were in great condition, and its tiny proportions made it super cute, but I passed:

 

8:30 am. I was reminded of my age when I saw a Crissy doll. My sister Debbie had the same doll when we were kids. An item from childhood showing up at an antiques show cannot be good:

9:11 am. A pair of Beswick dogs caught my eye, and at $95 for the pair, they weren't a bad price for such popular collectibles. But since I recently thrifted a pair of ceramic dogs (see this post), in the end I decided against these:

10:53 am. My second purchase was a vintage glass towel bar. It's in great condition - no chips or cracks, just some paint from its previous home. I have yet to figure out exactly what I'm going to do with it, but something creative is in the works. I am embracing the wabi-sabi:

 

11:35am. There are no words:

11:49 am. There were a lot of beautiful rugs at this show, even more than I remember seeing in past years. I've talked about my rug addiction in the past, but I managed to stay on the wagon. Sigh. So many beautiful patterns and colours. J'adore:

 
12:03 pm. These bamboo style iron chairs were in nearly new condition - no rust or grime. The vendor had 9 available at their shop near Niagara-on-the-Lake. These would be perfect for outdoor dining & garden parties:

Noonish. Time to break for lunch and enjoy a little 'tweetup' with some fellow bloggers. We shared our finds and talked blogs. Here we are from left to right: Laura of Sweet Maple, Moi, Amy of Love on Sunday, Kisha of Chronicled, and Jen of Rambling Renovators:

4:08 pm. After 8 hours of antiquing, it was time to head home. I took a quick photo of my last purchase before hopping in the car.  I love all things brass, and this set of 6 tiny spoons from Thailand were too cute to resist: 

If you missed this one and you're interested in attending, the next Christie Antiques Show happens on September 7th. In the meantime, check out your hometown for local shows and flea markets. You never know what you'll find ;)

Christie Antiques Show Wrap Up

Since I didn't make it to the Christie Antiques Show this past spring, I sure wasn't going to miss the fall show as well. I got up bright and early, hoping to be one of the first on the field, since I was determined to find myself a pair of bamboo bedside tables. Ha! Arriving slightly behind schedule at 8:15 am, there were already hundreds of people ahead of me. Undaunted, I started to wildly zigzag through booths, heading for the back of the field before it was picked over (as per a tip from Eddie Ross). With my first purchase in the bag by 8:30, I decided to take a more methodical approach to covering the field, quickly snaking up and down each aisle, stopping only at booths with furniture. After a total once over (not finding my faux bamboo tables), it was time to slow down and soak it all in. I spent several more hours leisurely combing through every booth, until my cash was completely depleted. Here are the spoils of the day:

There are two Christie purchases in this photo.
Can you spot them?

My first purchase was this pair of
art deco brass book ends which I scored for $25:

The vintage book ends have a lovely hint of patina:

My second find was a small porcelain Rosenthal vase
with a graphic gold pattern (a $30 impulse splurge):

Although I don't know the true value,

I found a similar vase on ebay for $115:

My big purchase ($200 bucks!) was this smoked glass
coffee table with bent wood base:

It could be a 1970's "Falcon" coffee table, which was
designed by Sigurd Russel for Vatne Mobler.
(I think I may have the base upside down here):

Not sure what type of wood the base is made from,
but there are 20 layers of thin strips:

After so many hours of walking and shopping,
I relaxed with a snack under a nearby tree.

I'm glad to have had such a beautiful day for the trip to the Christie Antiques Show. I even came home with one free item: a sunburn! Next time I'll remember the sunscreen and a little more cash:-)