As Promised Today we're taking you with us to the first day of SWEET SALVAGE'S 'Sweet Flea' Event this Month. I was in Lust with this Vintage Velvet Chair... and obviously I wasn't alone since it Sold right away! I just couldn't Justify dragging yet another Vintage Armchair Home this day! *LOL* Though if I was gonna get one... this would have definitely been in the running!
I also Loved the Cool Clipboard made with Upcycled Vintage Beadboard in one of my Favorite 1930's Hues of Seafoam Green and a Patina Aged to Perfection! And the Butterscotch Striped Vintage Suitcase caught my eye as well... again, Justifying yet another Vintage Suitcase coming Home was a stretch... so I 'passed'... *Winks*
But one thing I was really Jazzed about was that so much of the Inventory had great Sale Prices this Month adding to the Thrill Of The Hunt for Christmas Treasures at a good Price! So you needn't be a Saint or bound by the dreaded Budget to Pop on some Fab Found Treasures for Christmas!
After all... doesn't everyone just Love a good 'Sale' Price... I know I do! Especially when it's Found Treasures that I just Love and Collect anyway, always on the Lookout for! This Month there was a Sea of Sage & Sepia Hues and that really Appealed to me since that's one of my all time Favorite Color Palettes to Decorate and Style with!!!
And masses of Like Objects is also really Appealing to me because everything looks so much more Impressive, Interesting and Stylish in a Large Grouping no matter what it is. Oversized Commercial Lightbulbs in a Vintage Locker for Example. So next time you see a 'Box Lot' of Like Objects consider the Styling Possibilities it might hold... whether to keep or Sell?!
This was just My Style and a great Price... but I really didn't need another Exotic Candleholder and they're not difficult to come by, so my Friend Judy... being yet again 'The Voice Of Reason' gently pushed me past it... Thanks Judy! No Buyer's Remorse when Judy has my Back! *Winks*
Last Month she eased and coaxed me past a potential Impulse Buy on Old French Emphemera. And so now every time she sees me eyeballing some, we have an Inside Joke going about it... and that 'Knowing Look' & Grin of don't you Dare from Judy about what I'm about to be unduly Tempted to do! Good Friends who Share our Passions & know us well keep us Accountable and on Track when we're likely or Tempted to Stray of Course! *LOL*
This is why I Travel with a Posse of Good Friends whilst Junquing... I'm much less Inclined to overspend or make a rash purchase... and return the Favor when they're Waffling on something they don't really need or should 'Pass' on. Okay I'll rephrase that because Honestly and Truth be told, we probably don't really NEED any of it... but you Junquing Buddies & Lovers of Pickin' know what I mean! *Smiles* Seriously, Old French Ephemera coupled with Cool Upcycled Clipboard almost sent me over the Edge... but I Resisted... Judy was Proud! *LOL*
Because I was on a Mission... to 'Score' the best Bargains for the uber Special Items that I knew I wouldn't lose Interest in or probably wouldn't find easily again and would become my Christmas Gifts from The Son. And as always, I wanted a lot of bang for my buck so that I could stretch them Dollar bills ya'll as far as I could manage and they would go!!! *LOL*
I always Rise to the Challenge of getting a lot for as little as possible... it's the Vagabond in me that rarely, if ever, pays too much for anything! If I can't Gypsy Haggle & Negotiate on an Item, then at the very least I want the sticker Price to be what I consider already Ideal! *Winks* And most importantly to stay within my Budget and get only what I have Cash on hand for... no going into Debt for any Junquing Purchases or Showroom Inventory.
I am the Original Frugal Shopper... always have been... always will be. I'll Save for a Higher Ticket Item of the Quality Good Stuff or is a Rarity that I know is a Good Deal once in a Blue Moon... but I 'Pass' on way more 'Dream Items' than I Acquire simply because they're a Luxury I really can't Afford very often. Difficult, yes, but anything worth having is worth waiting for until you can properly & responsibly Afford it.
And having that as my Mantra has Assisted me many times in passing by even stacks of Treasures I Adore with only a fleeting glance and perhaps a Photo Op to Preserve for Memory and Inspiration...
And I will also often 'Pass' on the inexpensive Treasures in order to Afford the most Desirable of Treasures... because even a little... added up... can amount to a lot. And it's so easy to lose track of what you're spending if you pick up those little bits without much thought... whereas the bigger ticket items do give you pause for thought on how much it's costing ya! There... a Tip from me on how a lot of Budgets can get so slyly Busted.
But lets not linger on the dreaded 'B' word which not many of Enjoy *LOL*... darn Budgets! Lets just have a Fantasy Eyegasm of all the Lovelies we'd Love to 'Score' if Money were no Object shall we? Dreamin' and being Inspired Costs us nothing and Windowshopping and Imagining Future Purchases and Projects from our 'Wish Lists' can be so much Fun too!
Not that I need another 'Project' either mind you... every time I pass by a Lovely Bag I'm reminded of how long it has been since I Created my last one... or getting around to doing some alterations or repairs for Friends on Beloved Bags they already own... and how too many Projects has sidelined the Creative Process on my Artistic Pursuits for a great deal of 2012! I Hope to Change that in 2013...
Here's one of my Favorite Vignettes... when we arrived just after the doors opened...
And just slightly Later... just so you can get a sense of how FAST everything gets bought up and flies out the doors!!! Though to be sure The Sweet Team does an Outstanding and tireless job of
Re-Stocking and Re-Styling the Inventory and Vignettes throughout the busy and popular four day Event! *Whew... it tires me out just thinking about the magnitude of it!*
I can't pass by a Vintage Beaver Top Hat without Imagining how I would Embellish it Gypsy Style to add to my Collection of Altered Hats!
And Friends & Family keep Encouraging me to move into Creating Fashions like Clothing and Hats... and though I'd Love to... that's another Project now isn't it? *LOL* But it is something I'm definitely Interesting in at some Point in the Future... so we'll see what 2013 holds...
So many Exciting Possibilities, Ideas, Dream and New Adventures I'm sure...
And I for one can hardly wait to embark upon a Fresh New Year very soon! Be sure to come back Tomorrow as we continue to Enjoy SWEET SALVAGE'S 'Sweet Flea' Event...
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian