Because my Days right now are spent back and forth to the Hospital ICU after The Man's Surgery, I'm taking you back Today to a late August Visit to THE MAD HATTER ANTIQUES in Glendale, Arizona. I was on a Mission that particular Day, after my Acupuncture Session, to get this Gorgeous Turquoise Frame from my Friend Eileen's Booth there "Elderberry Dreams". As she had been refinishing the Frame she had been Posting about it on Facebook and I'd fallen in Love with it & hadda have it!
I have a particular Project set aside for this Frame... to make it into Biz Signage for a Showroom one day... Hopefully not in the distant Future. It is the perfect Hue, Patina and Dimensions to Showcase a Hand Painted Biz Sign for "The Bohemian Valhalla Casbah".
I always Enjoy Visiting Eileen's Booth, she always has the best Inventory of Found Treasures and a great Sense of Style!
Not to mention she's a Kindred Spirit and one of the Sweetest People you could ever Hope to meet!
Here's a Panoramic View of her Booth this Day before I snagged the Gorgeous Frame.
And after I'd 'Scored' what I'd come for I was Free to browse the rest of the Mall and Visually Delight in all the other Found Treasures and Vignettes that would catch my Eye. I Loved the Display and Styling of this one called "The Linen Closet". I'd actually have Loved to Purchase that Sign, but alas, it was for Display Purposes of the Vendor, which wasn't surprising really... great pre-made Hand Painted Signs are hard to come by saying just what you want them to say huh?!! Whatever Artist Painted this one did a Fine Job, Love it!!!
Actually there was a lot about this Booth that I Loved... the Styling, the Inventory, the Art of Display... all very Appealing and Enjoyable to browse through... I'll definitely be coming back to Source some Vintage Sewing Supplies from here.
And Sweet Lovely Little Details in Styling is what I'm all about too so I really Appreciate it when I see it elsewhere... it is not Lost on Yours Truly! I am much more inclined to Shop in a Space that is Visually drawing me in than one that is not. Even though I also Adore Junquing and wading through Old Buildings, Salvage Yards, Junk Yards and Curbside Discards... if I'm in a Shop or at a Show, it will always be those that are Artfully Displayed that will dominate my Attention and I'll Source the majority of my Treasures from.
And Great Graphics... those will ALWAYS stand out like a Beacon to me... Vintage and Antique Graphics are just so Superior compared to Modern ones. So this Booth drew me in with the Fantastic Vintage Graphics on the Inventory!
This Booth had a great Selection of Vintage Agricultural Crates with the Fab Graphics still in great shape. Great Storage options these are, as well as being Visually Appealing for Decorating. Had the Budget permit, I would have picked up several of these for my Studio to use for Fabric Storage.
Quite a few of the Booths also had some really nice Vintage Accessories and Fashions too. Anything with Vintage Millinery is going to catch my Eye!
And it's always SOOOOO hard for me to resist Vintage Boxes or Tins with Great Graphics!!!
I really liked this one... even the way it had faded to a Gorgeous Sepia Hue and acquired Water Stains giving it even more Character. I don't want things too perfect and pristine actually, which is why I'm not your typical Collector where Condition has to be Superb or Mint before they'll spring on a piece... I'm much more likely to go for the piece in Time Worn or Damaged Condition on Purpose! Yeah, I'm Quirky like that with my Collections, I WANT them to have the Character that only Time or Use can Impart!
Oh my... here's yet another Fabulous Old Box with Graphics that I'm totally Captivated by!!!
Swans always remind me of the Years we lived in various Countries in Europe and so I get very Nostalgic about anything with Swans in the Graphics. Swans were abundant on the Waterways near where we lived in several Countries and I always found them to be the most Beautiful and Graceful looking of Creatures! And yet the Swan Babies are indeed "Ugly Ducklings" compared to the Adults until they Mature into the Gorgeous Adults they will eventually also be. And what Bohemian doesn't Adore the Vivid Reds, Yellows and Oranges of the Poppy Flower!? I always plant Arizona Poppy Wildflowers in our Garden and even have Enjoyed a Mutated White version of them springing up some Years... you never know where Poppies will spring up each Season because when the Seed Pods dry, pop and explode they scatter the tiny seeds far and wide... I Love that about them and the sound of the Snap when the Pods are ready to burst open & release their Seeds!
This was a really Lovely piece of Antique Art with a Gorgeous Unusual Hand-made Fabric & Millinery Frame... Exquisite... Love it!!! Hard to resist a piece like this too... so very Boheme'!
And check out these Vintage Colorful Ice-Cream Dishes, so Festive & Fun... I have the Tumbler Set that matches these {and keeps drinks SO Cold, which is great when you live in the Desert!}... so it was very hard to resist this Quartet, they were in excellent condition. And that Gumball Machine full of Old Game Pieces was such Fun... Love it!
Yep, showed you this in a previous Post, but it bears repeating since I really Loved the Idea so much!
This Booth has a Cute Retro Vibe going on... nothing evokes the 50's so Vividly to me than Vintage Red & White pieces... the Kitchen of my Childhood Memories! *Winks*
Adorable little Vintage Doll. I'm no Doll Collector, but Small Inexpensive Vintage Dolls just Display so well that I often tuck them in here and there when I'm Styling or doing a Vignette.
And how Sweet are the Graphics on this Antique Photo Album?
And this Booth had an Amazing assortment of Antique Children's Magazine Style Books from the 1880's! The Graphics were Fabulous and I can only Imagine what lay within the Covers!???
Do you Love Vintage Linens, Embroidery and Old Laundry Supplies as much as I do? I can't pass by a stash of them without rooting through the whole pile! *Winks*
And The Son and his Friends are Convinced that I'm a Hoarder of Antique Vanity Sets because I have so many!!!??? *LOL* Perhaps I am a Hoarder of those since I have yet to Release any to the Booth. *Smiles* But I haven't bought another Set in over a Year and a Half in spite of Admiring many Gorgeous ones in my Forrays, so perhaps I'm no longer in need of an Antique Vanity Set Intervention? *LOL*
And I Saved one of the best Sets for last for you to Admire my Friends... check out this Retro Kitchen Dining Set in Pristine Condition... OMG, I remember eating many a Childhood Meal, clear through to my Adult Years, at one of these Sets that my Parents used for Decades!!! In fact, my Mom only just got rid of it when she moved from Arizona in mid 2011... she Gifted it to a Friend that had Admired it for Years and I'm sure many a Home Cooked Meal is still being Enjoyed around it! Some things were just built to Last and be Classics...
I'll be linking up for a Show & Tell Blog Party with Cindy over at MY ROMANTIC HOME to show off my Frame 'Score'... hey, I know it's not Friday, but the Linky isn't Closed yet so... come on over and join us, better late than never, right?! *Winks*
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian