Columbust

That's right. Scott's Columbus was a bust. Delaware is the place to be.  Delaware, Ohio that is. 

I'll start from the beginning. Good time or bad, my mom and I would have fun no matter what the outcome of our antiquing adventure.  We got on the road right after work and drove off into the sunset with America's rust belt providing the backdrop.  We checked into our hotel, had some vino and cheered on the Spartans.

With anticipation we had an early morning wake up call, breakfast and headed to the Columbus Expo Center.  We were so surprised to find out that admission is free!  What a steal! When got into the center we saw rows of vendors spread before our eyes!  Oh, the promise! We held onto promise as we perused the tricket vendors... and we held on... and we held on. About the time we had walked through half of the market, we were starting to feel a little hopeless.  This was not really what we imagined. So much so, that it was almost comical. We were just cracking up.  She has always said you begin to feel old when you go to these markets and see items that you had during your childhood.  This should also not be the case for someone at the ripe younge age of twenty five. There were vendors selling beenie babies and barbie dolls.  Not quite what I had pictured. My mom said we couldn't leave without buying at least one thing, so I got some snazzy, costume clip on earrings. That proceeded to break in the car.  Icing on the cake.  I don't want to sound too cynical.  The people at the market could not have been nicer.  I real dose of Midwestern hospitality.  There may have been more treasures in the show then seen by my naked eye, but I had only one mission and that is to stop buying the accessories and to start buying furniture.  Furniture only!

We took the unexpected free morning and gave ourselves a self guided driving tour around Ohio State.  It was a pretty campus that kind of reminded me of Michigan State.  I am obviously bias, but I do think Michigan State is much more beautiful!  Having used our morning to see the Columbus "tourist" attraction we proceeded to get on our way home.  We made one more detour at trusty Home Goods. Continuing to laugh that we had driven all the way to Columbus only to leave with some broken clip on earrings, pot holders and a new travel coffee mug (the two latter our Home Goods pick ups).

It is about 30 more minutes along our drive that we spot a huge red barn with a nice sign outside stating "Garth's, Auctioneers and Apraisers". We give each other glances, asked if we were crazy enough to stop and with a promising, swift search on the blackberry, we decided it was a good idea and had nothing to loose. 

We happened to walk into an auction house cloud nine.  Trailers were parked outside from New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Kentucky. Had we stumbled upon a hidden gem? We walked inside to see a packed barn and an amazing "Early American" auction taking place.  There was a remarkable array of period furniture and folk art, all being taken home by some serious bidders.  Talk about good luck!  We were not serious bidders, but bidders none the less. My mom spotted three beautiful chests, all above my price range.  With many of the items going for over their estimates, I was a little skeptical of being able to leave with anything.  I have bought a few things from auctions, but they have all been absentee bids.  The  process has always been a little intimidating! Armed with my paddle, the first of the three chests came up on the block.  I may have been a little antsy- and I kinda feel like I was bidding against myself- but after about a minute of confusion the auctioneer slammed down his gravel and proclaimed "sold to the lady in the back!".  I looked around... turns out that lady in the back was me!  My mom and I gave each other a little high five, I was not even sure what the final number was, but it turned out to be less than what I had allotted myself to spend.   Knowing we had to get on the road, we loaded up our new purchase and continued on our way, dying laughing about our crazy good fortune. It is days like these I should probably go out and buy a lottery ticket. 

Check it out.  My new Federal chest nestled into the corner of my living room.  This corner had been screaming for a piece of furniture.  It had been dark and awkward... but now, volià!   This is my first antique furniture purchase at an auction, but not for my lack of trying.  I just never get lucky enough!  The nude that is hanging above the chest was another auction purchse, back in 2008 from a "Marketplace" auction at Leslie Hindman in Chicago.

Not to mention, this piece also has great hardware!  I have never seen this beehive deatil, but then again, there are many things I have not seen. Each drawer has an inlaid wood border.  I didn't photograph it very well, but you can see a bit of the border in this photo, under the hardware.

I could have spent the remainder of the afternoon observing and educating myself at the auction (and eating gyro's from the deli cart parked outside). I will definitly be stalking Garth's online and if the opportunity presents itself I would drive down for another fun filled afternoon in a second. It looks like they are having an "Early American & Ohio Valley" auction this May.  I am sure there will be more treasures to find!

Wedding Road Block

I am having a little trouble finding the rental linens and chargers I want for June 26th. It is amazing how limiting the options can be.  This has induced my first "wedding anxiety dream".  This dream had nothing to do with party rentals, but more along the lines of being overly bronzed, rain inside the church, no music, everyone in perfectly schemed blue yamakas (I'm not Jewish) and a slew of drunk bridesmaids.  Funny how the mind works. Anyway, back to rentals. I feel like every company has the same thing... until I came across Party Rental LTD. Holy options!  The skies are parting and I am finally witnessing, with my very own eyes, wedding rental bliss. Where have you been all my life?  From rattan to pewter, leather to stripes,copper to mother of pearl... this place has it all. Only one smallllll problemo. They have a few locations, all on the east coast.  Upon calling we were told they do not ship, but their website states otherwise.  I must investigate!  I have selected a few photos from the "lookes we love section". I am just hoping these lovely looks could help amp up a wedding in Metro Detroit.

Oh, and speaking of roads, my mom and I are hitting the highway at 5:30 tomorrow (wine, crackers and cheese packed) to go to the Columbus Scott's Antique Market.  I have only heard raving reviews on the Atlanta Scott's and am hoping that this one can hold flame everything I have heard about ol' Hotlanta. I am so excited to see what treasures we uncover.  I am ready for a big hunt!

Stefek's

One of my favorite auction houses, Stefek's, (Hi, Karen!) is having their spring auction this Thursday.  Everyone should go!  There look to be some  goodies.  I am looking forward to going down to observe (and possibly partake) in the auction festivities after work.  What better way to spend an evening than sipping on some wine, munching on apps and witnessing some bidding enthusiasm?  Also, I have been wanting to try the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe and this just may be the perfect opportunity! 

Gallery Wall Update

This weekend I picked up a few things from the framers for the gallery wall. I am not sure if I am totally sold on where I have placed them, but for right now with what I have to work with I think it is fine.  

I bought the larger, art deco feeling print from liveauctioneers.com for $25.  It is done by Leo Rauth.  I cannot find one article of information on this artist, except that he was German and died in 1913.  I expected with all the information on the internet to be a little more informed about the artist of my new acquisition!  For some reason I was drawn to the graphic style of the rider's pants and how well the piece read from far away.  It is described as a "pochoir print".  Again, I reference an online description for exactly what this means.  It seems as thought the pochoir technique  is created by using a series of stencils and then hand applying the color.   Apparently, in the early 1900's this process was known as the ultimate way of printing, but due high cost of printing and intensive labor, it became less common.  It seems beause they became more rare there is a current demand for them, but their value is often under realized.  For $25 I would say under realized is an understatement... but, I guess one never knows!!  Regardless, I love the personality of the new addition to my family room.

 

The second new addition is a $5 1940's postcard I bought from etsy.  I think the lady at the frame store thought I really loved horses.  This is not the case, I guess just a coincidence. I do love the red jackets both guys are sporting in these pieces.  This also makes me think I should probably seperate them on the gallery wall.. to spread out the similarities!

Breakers

I wish while I was in Palm Beach I had an opportunity to steal away a few moments to photograph some of the amazing homes, gardens and architecture.  Unfortunately, for the blog, this was not a weekend of soaking in the architectural flavor.  I will save that for another trip. The meticulous style of the pristinely trimmed hedges and well-dressed homes does lend suggestion to ways we can all incorporate a little style into our lives. Sometimes it is just the attention to detail, such as freshly cut flowers or music playing throughout a house, that can give any home that extra little dash of extravagance.  

I was able to snap a few photos that lend themselves to the epitome of Palm Beach style. While we were laying poolside at the Breakers I managed to steal away a few moments to take some photos of the grounds.

While the Breakers is a hotel of grandeur, this courtyard outside of the News & Gourmet is my idea of paradise.  Shadowed by palms and ferns guests can enjoy coffee (or ice cream in my case) and a good book while listening to the tune of water trickling from the fountain.

This is one picture from Worth Avenue.... right outside Mecox Gardens!

Palm Beach

I am off to Palm Beach this afternoon to meet up with 13 amazing friends who are going to help me give singlehood an appropriate send off.  It is sure to be a weekend for the record books.  With friends coming from both coasts to places inbetween, I feel truly lucky to spend the weekend with an amazing group of gals.... not to mention sunshine, beach walks and a whole lotta laughter.  In honor of Palm Beach style I have posted a few photos from one of my all time favorite designers, a true Palm Beach blue blood, Celerie Kemble.  I just love her bold, yet comfortable approach.  Not to mention anyone referred to as "designer and socialite" is just inherently cool.

Madresfield Court

This morning I walked Hogan over to my parent's home and noticed the latest issue of Vanity Fair on their kitchen table.  I left with the Vanity Fair in hand and dog on leash, excited for a lazy afternoon spent with a growing stack of magazines.  Since returning home and plopping myself down on my sofa, I have been enthralled by the article on the author Evelyn Waugh and his novel, Brideshead Revisited.  

This story line has everything that makes for a juicy novel.  Scandal, aristocrats and, of course, a stately English country side estate!  Whoo hoo.... and I am hooked!  The majority of the arcicle focuses on Lord Beauchamp's family estate,  Madresfield Court.  The daunting home of 136 rooms nestled on 4,000 acres, is the perfect backdrop for Lord Beauchamp and his family to play out all sorts of aristocratic drama.  A family blessed with good looks, open ended bank accounts and an unabashed sense of culture, intellect and humor, seem to have it all.  They welcome Evelyn into their home as one of there own, and it is here he begins to engulf himself in a surrounding that will be the muse for his life's great work, Brideshead Revisited.

This family estate is filled with ancestral portraits and fine antiques as well as being surrounded by topiary gardens and yew mazes. The estate has gone through many transformations. The original hall of the home was built in the 12th century (wowzers), followed by a 16th century renovation, but the home is more currently known for the fine representation of the Arts and Crafts style.  While the movie apparently was filmed at Castle Howard, a estate I had the pleasure of visiting back in 2006, here are a few pictures of the inspiration.

I am definitley going to read this book soon... or rent the movie... or do both in no particular order!