Now is the time when you sit through a bunch of grainy pictures I took last weekend and then you golf clap for us — a trio of dehydrated bargain hunters willing to brave the dusty Texas fields in hope of discovering hidden treasure. Unfortunately, we picked the last day of the market to shop, so let’s just say the glint of golden goodness was rare. However we did meet a lot of vendors desperate to lighten their loads before packing up and heading home, thus we did not go home empty handed. And in between wheeling and dealing Karly art directed me take a few pictures here and there, so to thank her you can throw your hands in the air and wave ‘em around like you just don’t care. Let’s do this.

Straight off the bat Karly scored this giant vintage anatomical chart for a whopping $35. Some little hussy was huffy because K got to it first, so picking it up later in the day as she stood by and watched her precious go home in the hands of another lover was awkward.

I really wanted to buy this vintage tole chandelier for the Inlaws’ new house, but then I remembered, oh yeah… it’s not my house. Dammit.

Don’t you wish your girlfriend was hot like me? Dontcha?

Sigh.

Karly and I both spied the Dad pillow from across the proverbial room, but we were not so impressed by Mom.

We forced our Chinese friend Diana to buy this huge mirror because we’re racist like that, but it will fit perfectly in her entryway. Also, it was FIFTY FIVE dollars. Five – Five. Vintage 60s from a Palm Springs estate. We don’t see a lot of stuff like it around these here Texassy parts, y’all.

This is what we normally see around these here parts. I’ll give you a few moments to reflect on the full situation.

Love love love these ginormous Buddha heads. Love.

My megolamania appeared in full force, as I was mostly attracted to very large things. And obviously the giraffes and I have a mini affair brewing.

This hand hooked rug was large and in charge. I really like the colors.

Ok, so every year these dudes have a baby head display, but I felt that they really stepped up their game with the addition of creepy troll man .

Karly bought this bamboo lamp for $7 whole dolla billz. Despite her oft repeated mantra of “No more brass, no more horses,” she also bought some brass door pulls with horse heads that I forgot to take pictures of. Duh me.

She also talked me into buying this vintage Persian brass milking stool for $35. Ike thinks it’s his new drum, but Karly suggested we use it as a kid stool for later on. I’m hoping “later” will be about 10 years from now, since I am nearly apoplectic at the thought of Ike having access to the counters.

That’s it for this year’s tour of the dustbowl that is the Round Top antiques market, where you can buy leggings with bell bottomed ruffles sewn onto the legs.

I think you know why I didn’t take a picture of those.

Last week I flipped the thrift switch, and now I’m an unstoppable bargain buying machine. Vintage ikat and paisley tablecloths, overgrown 70′s floral needlepoints, a crazy musical cakeplate, and 5000 ceramic pieces later, I show no signs of slowing down — which is handy since Round Top is tomorrow. (Will Karly buy another coffee table, or won’t she? Tune in next week to find out…) My latest find has left me with a bit of buyer’s remorse, not unlike the time I bought this.

Let’s see what y’all think of my latest purchase:

A vintage Milo Baughman brass based barrel chair in lipstick red. Homegirl still has her Thayer Coggin manufacturer labels intact. And she swivels and rocks. Tease.

But what the hell am I going to do with this thing? Although I love the color — despite pledging my allegiance to the black and white stars and stripes forever — the upholstery has seen better days and probably needs to be redone. And wouldn’t it look amazing in this?

But since this fabric is $150/yd, I’m thinking no. Dammit.

Of course what I really wish I could do is upholster it in a vintage Jack Lenor Larsen fabric.

Did I say I was afraid of color? Well, If someone gave me a bolt of Larsen fabric, I wouldn’t bat a lash — I swear I would redecorate my entire house around one of his crazy psychedelic prints.

But back to the real world, and the most pressing question: do I keep this chair for which I have no available space and no real need, this chair which needs a $400-500 upholstery job, or do I sell it and make a little cash for… more thrift purchases (duh).

Sleepy eyes sure likes it.

In fact, since I brought little miss hot stuff home, Ike and the cat have fought for space on her bountiful seat — sometimes to deleterious effect. Ike and the chair are a little worse for wear. The cat, however, is doing just fine.

Keep or sell, people? Help me out.

Hot on the heels of SXSW comes another Texas sized festival — the Round Top antiques fair. Neither Karly nor I were sure we could make it this year, but hooray! Fortune prevailed. On Saturday morning we said good bye to the menfolk (who were not disappointed in the slightest about being left behind), grabbed our pal Diana, gorged ourselves on sugary cream cheese kolaches, and then headed out in search of treasure.

After hours and hours of weaving from booth to booth, Karly and I both scored a few items, but nothing big this year. Sadly, Diana went home empty handed, which is oddly easy to do at Round Top. There is so much stuff there that it’s easy to get glazed over and just shut down. I’m still mighty tired from all the walking in the heat, so this post is gonna be short on words, but no need to worry: I went a little berzerker with the old point and shoot this year, so it will be crazy long on images. Enjoy!

Stuff I almost bought:

Pair of what look to be Adrian Pearsall for Craft Associates chairs upholstered in houndstooth fabric for $375. Cool, but pricey, and I have no place for them right now.

Brass swan faucet that Karly spied for $75, and large painting for $200. I may kick myself for not getting that faucet, but I just don’t have a place for it right now, plus it needs refinishing. The painting was done in 1930 and has an awesome old money feel, but it was damaged and the douchey seller wouldn’t come down. His loss.

Stuff we bought:

Huge revolutionary drummer boy painting for Ike’s room for $45. SCORE!

Karly got these Seven Deadly Sins dessert plates for practically nothing.

I also bought a big white globe swag lamp for over the kitchen sink, but I forgot to take a picture of it. Hopefully The Hunny can wire it up soon and I’ll capture it in situ, along with my “new” shelves that I’ve been threatening to post for months.

Here we are near the end of the day. Karly has on her sessy face, and I look like a kid that got caught playing with daddy’s creepy Kaiser hat. We had an awesome time, but I am glad to be at home on the couch, in the air conditioning.

Happy Monday, dudes!

Other than the eminent guest bathroom remodel that we discussed yesterday, there are a few things on the horizon that have my heart going pitter pat.  Let’s get right to this

1. Bravo’s new show 9 by Design.  Ok, so the name is as cheesy as it could possibly be but I’m looking forward to watching this family of, yes, nine, run around Manhattan buying up vacant lots and old pawn shops to build and design new spaces.  I flipped through the couple’s design site and, sure a few of the spaces are a little cheesy now, but keeping in mind that they are a few years old, they were spot on at the time of the build.  I watched Brovo’s 30 minute preview dealie-dad a few weeks ago and all I can say is that they were putting in custom painted wood floors from some artist in the Netherlands, so this is not a show I will be mad at.

2. Metallic edible food spray.  Now I can make the 5 foot, 10 tiered gold layer cake of my dreams.  Enough said.

3.  Round Top.  I was actually pretty sure that I wasn’t going to be able to make the Round Top Flea Market this time around due to a hellish work schedule and a few different travel plans, but, luckily, I’ve carved out some time at the last minute and will be cruising the fields and eating BBQ sandwiches THIS WEEKEND.  Holla!

I’m still rubbing aloe vera into my sunburned chest and calves after Saturday’s marathon trip to Round Top with Karly, but it was worth it despite the hellish heat. I scored some goodies, saw some expensive shit that made me appreciate what I already have, and got a day away from the tasmanian devil that is masquerading as my baby boy. I’ll give the baby report at the end of the post for anyone who cares, but for all the rest of you good people, it’s on to the special awesomeness that is the Round Top experience.

Some vendors have a very odd sense of humor.

Too bad there weren’t six of these sexy chrome and leather cantilevered chairs, or they may have come home with me.

A pair of unaffordable blanc de chine lamps.

A monumental lucite chandelier for a jaw dropping $4500. No one ever said that Round Top necessarily equals cheap. if you like this, wait until you see what I bought for my dining room on Ebay (for much, much less)…

Awesome hooded wicker chair with groovy upholstery.

Big brass Polly.

Sweet little Asian credenza. The white is fly.

Brass cylinder lamp that Karly spied on Friday. I was considering it for my dining room, but ultimately passed. Hope I don’t regret it…

Three of six Milo Baughman chrome cantilevered chairs.

I really liked these barstools but didn’t even ask the price because homedude thought his junque should fetch a higher price per ounce than gold.

For unknown reasons, Round Top is very baby head friendly.

If baby heads can be friendly, that is. Somehow the packing tape makes the whole mise en scene much more ominous.

Hot pink poles make everything better.

Enormous 60s abstract that was about $4,400 over my budget.

At some point I realized that almost everything we spied with our gimlet eyes was made of brass. Chalk it up to magpie vision.

If you’ve got some spare change, you can add these trunks to your Louis Vuitton themed house.

I have a trestle table crush.

I reallllllly liked this long, sexy $900 table for my dining room, but A) it’s way too narrow and B) it’s 900 freaking dollars. That’s not how momma rolls.

Round Top is a haven for dead things — most of which are garden variety — but these birds are pretty fabulous.

Ok, on to the stuff that managed to find a way home with me:

60′s Italian hot air balloon chandelier for Ike’s room. The dealer had it marked at $135 and I took it home for $65. Boo ya!

Initially I thought I would paint it black, but now I’m wondering if I should do white with black accents or black with white accents? Will the details get lost if everything is black?

Crazy deco tripod lamp that may or may not live in my dining room. I am considering painting the shade black or gold… what do you think? Or are you a purist like The Hunny, who wonders why every purchase must be spray painted? Does that question even deserve an answer?

Lest you think that Karly and I only purchased lights, Look! I bought a lucite towel set to match a lucite towel stand I already have. The toilet paper holder alone is worth the $15 I paid for the whole kit ‘n’ kaboodle.

And finally, on to the baby Ike report:

So, my darling, sweet 11 week old baby stayed home with his dad and my mother in law, who did a very excellent job of keeping his antics under control. He took an uncharacteristically long nap, which was bueno, but then HE REFUSED TO TAKE A BOTTLE. FOR THE ENTIRE NINE HOURS I WAS GONE. They had to feed him with a medicine dropper. Gawd, just writing this makes me feel like the worst mother in the world, but he totally took a bottle from me days before I went to Round Top! I swear, this is the most stubborn child ever born — a trait he obviously picked up from his father. Anyway, he’s back to his normal fussball self, so I guess all is well, but I’m afraid it will be a long time before I get to leave for more than three hours again.

Ike with Grandma, doing the cute act. Don’t be fooled.

Hello all!  I am back from 2 long hot days in the fields of Round Top.  For those of you new to the blog (welcome!) Round Top is a big, fat flea market that takes place about an hour outside of Austin twice a year.  It’s hot as hell and, despite the fact that I always make it a 2 day affair, I’ve never seen the whole thing.  I always return with a car full of war prizes obtained at bargain basement prices, but don’t be fooled: Round Top is not the Shangri La of mid century modern finds one might hope.  

First, there’s the heat.  As in, drink 4 large ice tea slushies, a bottle of water, and a diet coke and don’t visit the porta potty once.  Second, there’s miles and miles of “antiques,” shabby chic decor, and waayy too many country crafts.  But, with Jen and Freda by my side on Friday and Erin co-piloting on Saturday, I managed to make some awesome scores.  First, a few pics of goodies I saw but declined:

Erin spent the better part of Saturday trying to convince me to get these for my bedroom.  6 months ago I would have jumped at the chance for this $130 pair, but I have since decided that I want table lamps so I had to go with my gut.  I, of course, appreciate having a buddy that has my home’s best interest at heart, especially when she has such a good eye.  Who could ask for more?

I know it’s kinda hard to tell what’s happening here, but a few obsessed readers will recognize this welded chain table base.  I’ve posted this room twice and we swoon over the custom table every time.  While this base is obviously for a smaller, round table, it’s just as delightful and if it hadn’t been $650 it would be in my house right now.  

Erin and I spotted this glorious industrial floor lamp in a booth that was well out of our budget.  Rather than haggling over this out-of-reach gem, I snapped a picture and gave it a crappy photoshop treatment.  Well, if I hadn’t, you wouldn’t be able to distinguish it from the background.  It was pretty stunning in person.

Equally amazing and expensive were these crystal(??) lights.  At $1950 Erin and I had to wonder if the vendors had heard about this pesky little recession we’re in.

(BTW, i forgot my camera on Day 1, so you’re only getting pics from the trip I took with Erin)

Normally the homemade crap at Round Top makes me want to stab my eyes out, but this giant planter tugged at my heart strings.  I can’t remember how much it cost, but it was too rich for my blood so we get pictures instead.

OMG Ribs & Brisket!!!  There’s lots and lots and lots of BBQ at Round Top so choosing a vendor can be hard, having a hilarious sign helps to tip the scales.  The ribs were amazing, fyi.

What are these assholes thinking?

$700 for a 4 foot golf ball and tee?  Almost worth it.

OK, now for the items that I did bring home:

Pair of lucite and gold table lamps with gold shades: $50.  As in, $50 for the PAIR.  Here’s how they look now:

What do you think?  I love them in person much more than the in the photo, but should I have gone with the hanging lights?

1 cantilevered floor lamp for my office $10.  Yes, $10.  

Giant rattan hanging lamp to be cleaned and repainted white and hung in my office to replace the ceiling fan: $20.  Let me stress that this thing is HUGE.  $20 was a steal.

And finally, la piece de resistance:

Female Nude, Creepy Rock Man looks on, giant original painting signed & dated 1960, $40.  That frame is getting painted black and it will be hung in my dining room.  Appetizing, isn’t it?

Side note:  the vendor actually said “it will be a mighty fine painting if you just paint over that guy on the rock, I don’t know what idiot put him there.”  Are you kidding?!  That guy rulz.  He stays.

I think Erin is bringing part 2 of the round up tomorrow, so tune in.  But then again, maybe she’s not, in which case you’ll have to wait until April for more.  But Erin will be here tomorrow none the less so, stop on by now, ya hear?

Happy Friday, homies!!!!  Even though today is short post day, I’m long on anticipation.  I’ve got lots of awesome stuff coming up to look forward to.  Here are my highlights for the next couple of weeks:

1.  The completion of my office.  No, that is not it above, but I could work like a mo-fo in that room.  With that view.  I do have shelves, so we’ve got that in common.  I’ll be brining you guys before and after photos once the project is closer to completion.  It’s getting near, get excited y’all.

2.  The completion of Erin’s dining room, also not pictured.  Hey, she’s got black walls, white chairs and she seems to have developed an affinity for empty heads of the table, so I thought I’d share this inspiration with her to help move her along.  See how nice I am?

3.  Throwing a wrench in Erin’s plans by posting dining room pictures that are nothing like her planned space but are so badass that the whole project needs to be reconsidered thereby striking out #2.  Not so nice afterall.  I will ride to Ikea with you, Erin, if you need me to.  Maybe.

4.  My 2 year wedding anniversary which will be spent right here.  Suck it.

5.  ROUNDTOP! ROUNDTOP! ROUNDTOP!  It’s only 6 wee little baby days away!!!!

6.  The launch of Lonny Magazine, Eye Spy posted yesterday that the Domino Crew is back in full form with a new online mag (yes, I want to hold and touch it, too) that sucker launches October 1.  

Do you remember once upon a time last Monday when I told you all about my magical trip to the Round Top flea market?  And remember how you, me and everyone we knew cried a river of tears over my loss of the THREE FOOT TALL brass horsey?  Well, guess what:

S-U-C-C-E-S-S spells success, homies.

That’s right.  Yesterday Erin, Patrick and I braved hurricane force winds to make our ways to the Shangri La that is Round Top.  Patrick and Erin may have been a bit peeved at me darting through the fields early in the day to find my one true love but I was too focused to take notice.  Besides, they were too high on Kolaches to really care.

Let’s take a look at the stud in his forever home:

Now, everyone, please take a moment to compose a lovely comment shout-out to my mother, aka, Connie who is a wise an loving woman.  So wise, in fact, that after seeing my post on Monday thought that the pony, aka ‘lil Patrick, would make a lovely birthday gift for her soon-to-be 31 year-old daughter.  Thanks Ma!

The day was off to a running start (as previously mentioned).  We were greeted by these loving fellows, which I took as proof positive that my horse was still in the field for me to find, love, and take home.

Uncle Sam assured me that I was on the right path

After a greeting from horseys and Sam, we were off on a Magical Mystery Tour of the Fields

We spotted this little clown pouf that begged to be purchased as a gift for either Erin or Jennifer’s nursery.  I couldn’t decide between the two, so neither of them got it.  Ha.

Patrick, Erin and I all simultaneously choked on our funnel cakes when we saw this oil painting, but at $450 it was not to be for any of us.

This stately gentleman was more affordable, but is he really life-long friend quality?

I can always find my life-long friend in one of these, but, well, I just didn’t feel like buying it.

These sweet swans bid us adieu from our final day at Round Top.  Patrick tried to smuggle one of their nest cigars but was run out of the booth by it’s meth addict proprietor.  Whatever.

So.  What did we come home with – other than the most beautiful pony on the planet, achy backs, sunburns, and sore feet?

Erin adopted this sweet little panther for her and Ben’s baby making nest

This poorly photographed, Adler-esque Horsey is now living on my bedroom fireplace mantel.  Note:  almost everything I bought today had a horse on it, except for this:

A fishy belt buckle for Matty Bear.  What kind of wife would I be if I didn’t bring him back a prize in thanks for letting us drive his death-trap van to the flea?

And this: GUM WRAPPER SWAN!!  What are you?  What is your purpose?  I don’t know, but you sure look pretty on my dining table.

DISCLAIMER: this next find was not from Round Top:

OK, I’m really sorry to break up the round top bliss with a non-round top find, but I HAVE to tell you about this lamp.  I was driving down the street the other day, which just so happened to be large-collection pick-up day, and some whack-job-crazy-pants put this lamp out on the street for the trash collectors to pick up. What?!!  Now it is mine and I will love it forever and always.  Or until I find a bigger, fancier arc lamp.

PS. sorry about the fireplace, I still need to retile it. And those vertical blinds are the bane of my existance, I promise they will be gone by the next time you see a photo of this room.

This Post was co-written by Patrick

The end.

Last Friday was my first visit of the season to the semiannual Round Top Flea Market.  With fields of dusty goods as far as the eye can see, it is a heaven that requires several days to sort though.  My normal wing-ladies, Hope, Jen and Erin were all indisposed with trips to Hawaii and new born babies so I brought a new copilot, Diana, who was a Round Top virgin.  I must say, she did an excellent job keeping up with me as I darted through the fields, avoiding the vendors whom I know to have booths filled with over priced goods or hand painted crafts.  Our trip began with a bang as we were greeted by this lovely fellow:

The purpose of this giant peacock remains unknown, but it certainly was a pleasure to cross his path.  We felt the day was off to a good start and we were not wrong, shortly thereafter we stumbled across this pair of lamps:

At $50 for the set they were mine for the taking.  Matt thinks they look like popcorn poppers, but I don’t care because they look darling in my guest bedroom.  Hopefully my visitors like to read under a nice orange glow.

The very same vendor had this odd little plastic seat, like the peacock, we could not determine it’s function, but it was mighty cute all the same.

This little tulip table and chair set called my name, but, alas, I already have 3 extra tables in my house with no purpose what-so-ever, so I had to pass.

I spotted lots of stainless commercial kitchen goodies, which gave me hope and promise for the budget stainless kitchen remodel of my dreams.

I was truly smitten over this gigantic gold coin and even imagined a few prime spots for it in my house but I didn’t trust it’s authenticity of being vintage so I kept movin.

Only a few booths down from the giant coin was this Native American Head, oh how I loved it so.  It was in a notoriously expensive booth so I didn’t even bother inquiring about the price, though.

This hoop chair cost more than the bathroom remodel I’m planning, so I snapped a picture and ran.

Diana eagle-eyed this partition and imagined its possibilities as a headboard, I thought the idea was GENIUS, mostly because it is gold, but purchasing it would have drained her last dollar and it wasn’t even noon yet. 

I snapped a picture of this creepy taxidermy display in honor of Hope, who certainly would have spilled her ice-tea slushy down her shirt had she gotten the chance to see it.

This fearsome bust made me quite angry with myself for having passed up a similar statue only weeks ago at the thrift store.  If only I’d thought about how darling he would look covered in a thousand million necklaces.

Now THIS piece was truly unbelievable and the photo does it no justice at all.  It is a 3′ tall lamp / fountain / vase and it totally and completely rocked my world.  Had it not sported a $300 price tag, I would be typing beneath it’s heavenly light right now.

I love old trophies, each of these wanted to come home with me, what they did not realize was that I already have quite the collection that I’ve won the hard way:  by slamming down $2 to $3 at a time at my local thrift store.

The piece de resistance was most certainly this brass horse.  Why was he so special you ask?  Because he was THREE FEET TALL.  Um hello!  Our eyes met across the field and I ran to him as though caught by the ocean-side only a stone’s throw from a long lost lover.  The angels came down from the heavens and the trumpets shouted in triumph.  Our romance was not to be, however.  Like the star-crossed-lovers of yore, our love affair ended when he yielded a price-tag of $150.  Well worth it, but, hey, I’ve got a bathroom to remodel.

It was the day of lamps.  In addition to the popcorn popper pair I purchased, I also got the one pictured above…

… as well as this hanging lamp that has been poorly photographed on it’s side. I only have room for one in my house and I couldn’t decide between the 2 very different styles, so I haggled like a pro and got the set for $50, I figure I will sell which ever one doesn’t make the cut.

So, that’s that.  Round Top day one complete.  I’ll be revisiting the flea this week with my homebound pal Erin and my visiting friend Patrick.  You kids will get updates post haste.

As Erin so gracefully documented yesterday it is currently the most wonderful time of the year here in Austin: Round Top is Here!  I sleep like a babe the night before Christmas, but for the days leading up to the biggest flea market in the south I am giddy with anticipation and barely sleep a wink.  I went 2 days this year (I usually do 2 or 3 days in a row and have never seen the whole thing, no kidding) once with Erin Bear and again on Wednesday with Jennifer, Hope and Fredda Perkins.

I took my camera on day one but it turns out that Erin and I pretty much photographed the exact same stuff (shocking) here are the few things I had that were different than hers… and gosh, there was so much we BOTH managed to leave without capturing, I think we were just paralyzed with awe.

if there had been 6 of these colorful chairs they’d be flanking my dining room table as we speak

all the tweaker flea market vendors have ADORABLE wee little baby dogs.  I think its so we get suckered into their booths.  We thought this dog was fake at first (see Erin’s insane faux animal round up) but he was real and innocently napping on this pile of lace tableclothes

Get a load of that wheel!  If it had been a tenth of the price (our joke of the day) it would be hanging in the hole in Erin’s wall right now

Because I forgot my camera on day 2, I’m relying on some of Jen’s photos to fill in the gaps:

Jen likes things that are 1. colorful and 2. insane.  That is why I like Jen.

If you would like to see more colorful insanity, read her roundtop roundup

But if you think you’ve seen the best of it, well buckle up little susie, I’m about to round-top-round-up my finds of the week, let’s start with a bang, shall we:

I found a pair of these chairs in a dirt field next to a bunch of rotting lawn art.  I pretended that my heart was not racing 100 miles per hour when the vendor offered them to me for FOURTY FIVE DOLLARS FOR THE PAIR  thats: 2 chairs, $45 total, as in $22.50 EACH.  I didn’t even try to haggle, which I am famous for, I took those suckers and ran.  According to the markings on the bottom they were created by the, now defunct, Contempo Metal Furniture company in Los Angeles.  Anyone know anything else about ‘em?

Do you think that was my best find of the week?  Hmmmm, what if I showed you this:

This yellow formica table ($60!!!!!!!) looked absolutely stunning atop Erin’s car while cruising down the freeway at 75mph.  I think it looks better now, though.  Note: this is not it’s final resting place, it’s going to be my new desk as soon as I clear out my office… oh that’s an entirely different post.

But WAIT!  There’s more!  Check out this….

PEAR LAMP! ($40!!!!!)  Don’t be fooled, it’s like 2.5 feet tall.  See:

again, this is not where my items will finally land, but I do love to look at all my finds together.

Here are some of my smaller roundtop trophies:

some glittery African fabric ($15!!!!) and a purple (huh?) US Army pillow cover ($5!!!!!)

A bizarro print of a dog protecting a little girl from another dog ($8!!!!!)

and finally:

a strange painting of a naked woman wearing a mask ($20 – no exclamation points)

Sorry for the lame photography, but seriously, don’t you all want to come to Round Top with Us Next time?

Last weekend Karly and I went to Round Top — the most ginormous antiques fair EVER. Since I’ll be updating the blog later today with a (hopefully) witty riposte on Top Design, I thought I’d post some photos of the fair along with a few of my fabulous finds to tide you over. Karly went back for seconds today, so I’m sure she’ll be blogging about her own glorious adventures very soon.

The fair held many delights, and also more than a few scary items. Take these ladies, for example:

One of the best stores was The Old West Shop, but the prices were pretty steep. Who knew you could buy a carved wooden horse with real human teeth, though?

Another horse (this time atop a giant lamp post) — one of the recurring motifs of the day:

Gypsies Antiques from Austin had a great booth with some amazing vintage lucite chandeliers and bathroom fixtures:

I nearly had a heart attack when I saw these vintage industrial pull-down and scissor lamps. HOTNESS!

Many animals roamed the grounds freely. This panther really wanted to come home with me, but I think my spoiled little kitty princess would be insanely jealous.

A few booths had some great African art, and Karly wanted to steal these beaded chairs, but she couldn’t fit them into her purse.

I thought this drum base would have made a cool end table if topped by a piece of glass.

All in all, we had a great day, and both of us indulged in out favorite pastimes.

Of course, the best part was the treasure trove we dragged home. Meet my new young buck, Brian. The store proprietor marked him at $15, but gave him to me for $10.

I already have enough chairs and lamps to open a vintage furnishings store, but I couldn’t resist this pair of hoop chairs for $15 each.

All together now:

Honestly I bought the chairs for my patio because they’re weatherproof nylon, but if I could figure out a way to paint them black, I might be inclined to keep them inside… Anyone have an idea?