Wednesday 27 April 2011

Long overdue boot fair finds

The weekend before last saw the first outdoor boot fair in our area, and it was BIG! Of course, boot fairs are not antique fairs or flea markets, so 99.5% of the stuff you see are baby clothes, adult clothes, toys, and tons of modern stuff people are just trying to get rid of. Vintage treasures are always few and far between, so I was really happy to see that some of the house clearance dealers I had befriended last year, were at the boot fair. At least with them you have the chance of finding some nice old vintage stuff.

I did come back with rather an eclectic mix of goodies, but I was quite pleased with the result of the three hours wombling about. Some things were dirt cheap, like the long pearl necklaces for 20p each, and some things were expensive, but totally irresistible, and as it was the first one of the season, I was in the mood, lol. So, where do I start? Oh well, lets start with B for bling, as it is the first pic in the folder -



My bargain pearls, excellent quality, hand knotted and very long -


and some small bags of lovely shiny pink oval beads and diamante -


The diamante seems to be very good quality, it sparkles beautifully -


I bought a big bag of buckles and buttons, which yielded these buckles from the 30s to the 70s -


glass, horn and bone buttons -


and a large amount of fabulous mother-of-pearl buttons, including some really huge ones -


Then I found a big pile of what looked like cloths and doilies all scrunched up, lying on a blanket on the ground. I rummaged through and pulled out a big handful of bits and pieces -


Amongst all the crochet and whitework doilies was this large lace collar -


and some lovely lace -


I also found some fabulous paper treasures. A bunch of mostly French postcards -


and a set of the most beautiful postcards I have ever come across, they really spoke to me, so I paid much more for them than I had ever paid for postcards. Sigh. But just look -


Aren't they just gorgeous?

At another stall I found this tiny little book -

So adorable. It is about the same size as the three French ones I have.

A Brewery manual from 1957 makes quite interesting reading and the pages are great for collage backgrounds, especially these blue ones, they are such a lovely colour -


I was thrilled to bits to see that the gentleman, whom I had bought some Victorian greeting cards from last year, was also at the boot fair. He seems to have a never ending supply of those cards and always has beautiful Victorian scrap books and scraps on his stall as well. I ended up buying two lots of cards and a small bag of the most delightful Victorian scraps, tiny flowers -



Yet another fairly regular stallholder, who mostly sells books (expensive out of my price range books), had a few bits of ephemera and magazines on his stall, and I ended up buying of pile of very vintage art magazines and a folder with some beautiful old engravings -



Lots of odd bits and pieces, like this bottle of ink,


and this little box, which I wanted just because I liked the design on the top, but which contained a whole lot of nibs!


I love the country scenes on these old Grindley pieces -


A hanging tealight holder for the garden in France -


A couple of silver bits -


and this rather odd spoon/scoop thing. The stall holder had no idea what it was for, neither have I, so any ideas you have, please let me know, it would be very much appreciated -


And then there are the bits which are perhaps not quite like my usual buys, lol, but so fantastic for mixed media collages, which I so want to try my hand at -

WW2 dog tags -

clock parts -

and a bag full of tiny tiny little clock parts, millions of them, lol -

Phew, I am exhausted now, lol, but I did warn you in my last post that this one would be a very picture heavy one. If you have made it all the way through, thank you so much, you really are a dedicated follower!

Toodlepip, xxx

22 comments:

Robin said...

WOW, look at all those wonderful finds!! Love those Victorian scrap flowers and tiny clock parts....amongst everything else. Hope you have a great day.

Hugs,
Robin

Marie Lost Bird Studio said...

Hi Liz,
omg, what fantastic finds!!!
I think you have a boot fairy in your pocket when you shop:)Would you lent me your fairy next time I go to the Flea Market,please?
Thanks for sharing your treasures!
Have a great week.
Hugs,
Marie

Zoechaos said...

so much treasure well done on doing the leg work your haul is well worth it. XOXO Zoe

Dreaming of Vintage said...

Gasp! What beautiful treasures!

Tina said...

Hello Liz,
WOW!! What a great amount of treasure! I just adored those pearls. :)
xx

Scrummy Scrapz aka Lizzie said...

What can I say, absolutely fabulous finds - nothing like that round Wigan I'm afraid, we don't even have an antiques shop!

harmony and rosie said...

What a fantastic haul you managed to get, surely you must be needing a bigger house by now to put it all in .. unless you put some into the shop!!!

x

Dorthe said...

Dear Liz--
Just have to tell you again--you do have the most fantastic boot fairs--where else could anyone get home with such a bunch of real goodies--all so wonderful- like the watch parts-laces and books,and carts- I think you are a real lucky lady.
Hugs from a very dedicated follower.
Dorthe

Margaret Garrood said...

Wow what great finds- I'd love to come shopping with you!

Unknown said...

WHAT TREASURES!!! Lovely post and what a wealth of goodies to add to your finds! Could sit for hours and look through all that! Lovely!

Hugs,

Sandra Foster said...

What a windfall! Those calligraphy nibs are treasures! Sandra

Joy said...

OMG! Lizzie, what gorgeous finds, love everything, esp the buttons and scraps. I have some fabric to send you. I'll post it next week. Would look ace with those buttons.

suziqu's thread works said...

Yes I must be another dedicated follower Liz as I would have been in heaven walking around with you finding all those treasures - there is enough there to keep you busily creating in mixed media for a very long time!
Absolute treasures to enjoy!
From another vintage loving friend,
Suzy

Regina said...

OK wait...hold up...I have to wipe the drool off before it leaks into my keyboard and fires it..hehe!!

WOW....what AMAZING finds Liz. I'm so jealous but in a good way. I can hardly wait to see just what you do with all of it. My muse is trying to sing to you from way over here. ^_^

Hugs,
Regi

I have missed you so....so HAPPY to have my link to the world back up and running.

Victoria - Florence and Mary said...

What a fab haul!

I love look for sparkly jewels at the boot sales!

Victoria xx

LiLi M. said...

I love these finds!!! You always have the best. I'd wish your car boot sale was close to me! Have a great weekend!

Suz said...

Well, I am a dedicated follower from now on! This is the most amazing lot of good stuff that I have ever seen. I would love to have EVERY BIT of it. Today I wish I lived in England!
xo,
Suz

Julia @ Vintage with Laces said...

Oh My Goodness, Liz! These are so many fantastic treasures. I drooled all over the keyboard, lol. It's unbelievable what you find at only one boot fair. The buttons, laces and pearl necklaces are certainly among my favorites but I also love the postcards, books, watch parts and the pretty box with the nibs. The spoon looks very interesting. I haven't seen one like that before either.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Hugs to you,
Julia

Anonymous said...

Oh! Oh! Oh! You did GOOD, girl! Great stuff! Have fun with it all! I know you will!
Hugs,
Diane

Peggy Parker said...

Lordy, I would have died and gone to heaven! Awesome finds - and so much! Congratulations!

Debra said...

What a lot of treasures you found! I,too, have a lace collar similar to yours- amazing workmanship. You will have fun with all the buttons, watch pieces, and paper items. The problem is storing it all( I can relate)!

Lynn Stevens said...

EEKKKKK I'd be in heaven! OGM whats fabulous finds!
hugs Lynn