Did You Miss Us???

Yes, we are still alive over here in Vintageland. Forgive us for the extreme lapse in postings. We initially blamed Lindsay Lohan*,

Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor

but then that excuse got to be too old and then Christmas came and Kalen went to NYC and had loads of great material to write about, but then it was FWSSR time (Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo) here in the Fort and we were selling boots as fast as our little stuffing, polishing, pulling on and off hands could handle. Then it was kinda slow and we really didn’t have anything compelling to write about, and we kinda thought you had given up on us ever writing anything interesting or witty or fashionable again so we just let it go.

So, I’m sitting here inhaling nibbling on a J. Rae’s sugar cookie, aka crack with glittery frosting, and my afternoon cuppa tea feeling inspired once again to write. I’ll start with sharing my adventures in NYC in January. I went by myself, which can be a refreshing thing to do every once in a while.
A. You don’t have to share the hotel bathroom with anyone
B. No one rolls their eyes at you when you want to walk the 20 blocks back to the hotel
C. Spending 6 hours at the Flea Market bothers no one except the vendors that I continue to haggle with until I get the price I want
D. I don’t have to stop at every H&M looking for “that skirt” in my size
E. Avoiding travelling in large groups where someone is inevitably walking around with their jaw dropped at the sights and sounds of Times Square makes it a lot easier to get around and might actually get you mistaken for a local (oh yeah, I was asked for directions. Sweet!)

The Garage Antique Flea Market

I did spend 6 hours at The Garage Antique Flea Market in Chelsea and it was like walking in to the best episode of Hoarders ever; minus the dead animals in the freezer and non-working plumbing. The flea market is housed in an old parking garage (2 levels!!) which is great because it is open EVERY WEEKEND YEAR ROUND! Vintage clothing (obviously), jewelry, furs, African art, housewares, handbags, furs, furniture, and luggage; everything you can imagine is here. And yes, if you are EVER in the market for a vintage fur, those dead, rich, NYC society ladies had closets full of them and you can get your hands on just about anything for a steal. Sadly, I did not come home with a new furry friend, but did find some amazing jewelry and a suede poncho. Most definitely a successful trip, I can’t wait to go back!

This is just ONE level!

One of the best vintage shops in NYC

Copper Garden Statue

Scary Baby Doll

Another thing that surprised me on this trip was how friendly everyone was. An older gentleman at the flea market overheard me tell a dealer that I was from Fort Worth and he immediately told me that he also was from The Fort. He went to the same high school that my daughters attend and although we didn’t know anyone in common, it seemed he was happy to have a bit of Texas brought in to his life that day. Or maybe he was just flirting, who knows. Later that day, as I was waiting to cross the street, a group of cool, hipster dudes commented on my coat. Why yes, it IS vintage, 1970s Bill Blass! What’s that? Oh, thanks, it’s just something I threw on. I am wearing that coat every damn day. You New Yorkers with your puffy down coats got nothin’ on this Texas girl stylin’ in vintage. Seriously, it’s not even that cold.

Need a fur??

Keeper of the furs, on his own Persian Lamb blanket, of course!

If you can’t afford the WHOLE fur…

So, we promise, we are back. There’s a lot of Mad Men to catch up on and those always fun awards show red carpets. If there’s anything you’re curious about or would like us to write about, please let us know! We missed y’all!!!

For more info on NYC Flea Markets, go to http://www.hellskitchenfleamarket.com/home/

*Lindsay Lohan starred in the TV Movie Dick & Liz about the life of Elizabeth Taylor back in December. Our post was going to be about the fabulous outfits in the movie and how they made it almost worth suffering through the horrendous “acting”. Alas, after trolling the internet for 2 days looking for images of such fabulous outfits, we gave up and hence our 5 month long blogging sabbatical.

On the Road–Warrenton Antique Weekend

This past weekend was the Preview Weekend for the bi-annual Antique Weekend fair in Round Top and Warrenton, TX. While a large portion of the Round Top booths and barns are not open, there is plenty to see and do and buy in Warrenton during Preview Weekend. April was my first time to attend the fair and I took my 18 year old daughter. This time, I got a bunch of friends together and we rented a house in Smithville which was about a 35 minute drive to the fields.

The River House is on a great property near the river and a perfect getaway for a family or girls weekend. Bring your earplugs though, because there are a pair of roosters next door who think no one should be sleeping past 4 a.m. Smithville is not known to be a happen hot spot after about 6pm, so head on down to Bastrop for dinner at the Bastrop Brewhouse for beer and grub in a Luckenbach-esque beer garden. The macaroni and cheese is to die for.

Antique Weekend is a mixture of antiques, yard art, vintage clothing, jewelry, linens, tools, dishes, glassware, furniture, Persian rugs, architectural salvage, on and on and on. Pretty much if you are looking for it, you can find it in Warrenton. Even things you are NOT looking for, you can find in Warrenton; like this lovely stuffed raccoon in a bucket of peanuts. It’s on everyone’s Christmas list right?

Also, with Halloween right around the corner, there was lots of tacky Halloween décor, but really, aren’t decapitated babydoll heads way scarier than a tin witch riding a broomstick?

Prices can be all over the place. We learned that you should never buy something at the first booth you see it at because inevitably you will find it at another booth for less. 99.9% of the dealers are willing and ready to deal so don’t be afraid to haggle. I, of course found the .1% guy at a booth where I found a street sign with my daughter’s name on it. Grumpy old hick, why are you even out here selling if you “don’t haggle”?

One thing you will find in abundance is vintage jewelry. Everything from $2 bins of crap to glass display cases of designer costume jewelry. Again, prices on the high end stuff can be well, high. We found this great snake bracelet at a price of $125. Probably not a bad deal, snake jewelry can be pretty hard to find, but, not a dealer friendly price. I settled for a $3 each or 4 for $10 table and walked away with some great pieces. Be ready to hunker down and dig if you really want to find the great pieces. Most dealers likely won’t even have all their good stuff out so if you are looking for something specific, let them know.

One of my favorite places for a chair and latte is the Coffee Bug; a 1969 VW beetle that’s been converted to a coffeewagon. Grab a latte and take a few minutes to show all of your treasures to your friends.

Most of all, Antique Weekend is an adventure. You can go with something specific in mind to buy, but chances are you’ll end up coming home with something you never expected. I think my favorite purchase was a ceramic “Old Rip”, who was probably the most famous horned frog in history. You can read his story here.

Spring Antique Weekend dates are March 23-April 7, so put it on your calendar now. But you can’t book the River House, that’s mine. It will be my birthday weekend so, come by and party with us on Sunday night! Happy Hunting!