Anyhoodle, despite our "late" start, I managed to score a number of items that fit my agenda for the day; that agenda being a) NO NEW PROJECTS, b) Within a modest budget, and c) Unique and not readily available elsewhere. But, I'll get to that later.
For now, I want to talk about how much I love the awesome, crazy, and, sometimes weird stuff that we encounter at The Pea each time we attend the sale. One of my favorite things is the food, not that I eat it, just that it's an experience simply to watch it being prepared; for example, the kettle corn...
...I love the smell of the syrup as it mingles with the hot, freshly popped corn kernels; nothing does salty-sweet like kettle corn.
I also love watching the Mennonites prepare a cup of drip coffee; their patience in preparing each cup, along with the joyful manner in which they present it to the customer always makes me smile. Our Mennonite community includes some of the nicest people I have ever met, and, prior to swearing off sugar, I absolutely would have been first in line for one of the donuts that they were selling alongside the coffee.
People watching at The Pea is almost as interesting as scoping out the antiques, and this year certainly didn't disappoint, but the antiques are where it's at; this year, I saw a lot of items that reminded me of the time that my sisters and I spent at my grandparent's house when we were children. It brought back some really happy memories.
My sisters and I used to give each other rides in a wheelbarrow similar to this one. It was always a competition to see who could launch who out of the bucket by running really fast and then stopping abruptly. Good times.
Of course, there were a lot of unexpected sights as well, including the creative use of skeletons sprinkled throughout the venue (and, we all know I love a good skeleton); this was my favorite...
And, there were the usual cool vintage finds sprinkled in among the tongue-in-cheek displays for which The Pea is becoming famous (in Petticoat Junction, which, isn't saying much, but, that's how we roll in small town America).
As for the finds that I mentioned at the beginning of the post, they include a child's antique school chair, which, if my research is correct, dates back to somewhere in the late 30's. I had never seen a child's chair quite like it, it only required a light cleaning, and, the price was right, so it met all three of my requirements for the day. I snapped it up, immediately (you have to jump on stuff as soon as you spot it, otherwise you run the risk of it being snatched right out from underneath you).
I'm currently using it in the dining room, to display one of the Jack-o-Lanterns that Hugh has carved for the kids over the years.
I also picked up a re-purposed baby doll carriage that is now a unique display piece for my front porch (also meeting my three purchasing requirements, like, damn! I'm doing great!).
It's currently full of fall-related goodies, but, come Christmastime, it will be holding a tartan plaid blanket and a small evergreen tree, me thinks.
I also picked up this super-cute vintage soda-pop carrier. I'm displaying it next to the coke crate that my aunt gave me, and, you can bet that I'll be on the lookout for some vintage bottles to put in it. That's the beauty of sales like Pickin' at the Pea; you get ideas and items that drive your quest at the next sale.
Hugh will be so happy to read that last line.
Hey, on the bright side, I didn't bring home any new projects for him to assist in!
Mission totally accomplished.
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