Thrifty Thursday: Petersburg, I love you!

So last weekend two of my favorite girl friends came to visit! We planned this visit over a month ago and I had been excitedly looking forward to it all of July, so I was very excited when the day finally arrived and I got to have some fun with these friends. 

Lauren and Bethany are sisters and we all went to college together. Lauren and I were friends 1st but as  we've hung out over the years since graduating from college, I've gotten to know Bethany and we've become good friends as well. 

So while they were visiting, we decided to use our Saturday morning to do some antiquing and drove down to Petersburg. I seriously am falling in love with this forgotten city that is just 30 minutes outside of Richmond and full of beautiful Civil War era brick buildings. While the economy there is pretty much non- existent and it is unfortunately biased as being a not safe city to live in, I find myself understanding why artists are willing to "take the risk" so to speak and live there/ start a business there.

Ok, enoughgushing over how much I like the place and on to the fun we had! We stopped at Petersburg Pickers, definitely worth the visit, for their Goat Days of Summer sale that happens every other weekend. Fri is 50% off, Sat is 60% off and Sunday is 70% off. So everything was 60% off the morning we went. 

As you may have read in a previous post, I have been setting up a ceramic studio in my home studio and while I found a wheel, I haven't been about to find a good stool that is the perfect height. If you are a thrower, you'll understand why having the right height seat to your wheel is important. 

Well, I wasn't even looking, not intentionally anyways, and what did I find at Petersburg Pickers but the perfect stool for my studio! This fancy fella was perched on top of a table and its industrial metal and black caught my eye. I'm never one to turn down style and function! The price tag was $95 but with %60 off it came to $40. 

While that isn't really what I'd planned on paying for a stool for my studio, I was willing to for this because I know it can function beyond a studio perch in a future place. And who can turn down a height changeable swivel stool! Now I can have one seat for both working at my wheel and for working at my hand building table!

But that was just the 1st find of the day, and while it was the one I most needed and had the biggest "sale" on it, it was by no means the best find! In another antique shop we stopped into I found these gorgeous crystal doorknobs in a box in the back corner. 

Ok, so ever since I got that iron bed, I'be been thinking that using glass/crystal door knobs to cap off the corners would looks really pretty since the brass knobs it had are gone. However, the cheapest I've ever seen glass door knobs for was $15 a peice and its usually more like $20 or more. Not to mention there are never more than 2 that match. So in this box in the back where about 12 door knobs and after picking through them I selected these four, all matching and all with pretty clear non yellowed glass. 

And guess how much I paid for all four!?  $21!!! They were $5 each! There was no way I was gonna pass that rpice up! I even kept trying to think of other uses I might have for them like one of those door knob shelf/hanger things but I was watching my spending and didn't want to just buy more becuase they were so cheap. At least now I know where to find them! :)

The last thing I got was this pretty green book for $5. Its called the Judas Tree and I have no idea if I'll ever read it, though when I perused it the story seemed interesting. I just like collecting books for their covers, its a bonus if its a story I love or one I enjoy reading. This cool pastel lime green was too nice to pass up!

My friends had some great finds too! Bethany got a beautiful Oval mirror on a stand for $40 and they both got a bunch of pretty vases and table decor. We went to the Blue Willow Tea Room for lunch and then drove around exploring the real estate... and even got out to check out a few houses that had for sale signs on them. 

Lots of fun! A perfect day with dear friends who equally love old houses, antiques, a good sale and exploring! :)

Lovely Linens

I have a thing for crisp white linens and lace. I'm fortunate enough to have a few in my possession that my great great grandmother and great grandmother made. So when my Aunt pulled out a stack of vintage and antique beautifully preserved linens that her mother-in-law had left her I couldn't help but pull out my camera and photograph them. 

They're just so lovely!

From Creative Stock

Three summers ago, while up at the family summer cottage in the beautiful Adirondack mountains, I was digging under the eaves looking for treasures and came upon a box full of my Poppy's photographs and even older images of my Grandmother's side of the family from the late 1800's. It was pretty sweet and I set out to spend the rest of the summer scanning all these images and setting them into an acid free scrap book style book to best preserve them.

Below are scanned images of some of my Poppy's orginal's. He worked at the Binghamton Press for 30 years the majority of which he was their Chief of Photography. I just loved finding these as I inherited all of his cameras when he passed away in 2001. I had never really known he was a photographer until after his death and those camera's awoke a deeper creativity in me that took me on to photo classes in high school and pursuing and completing a degree in Studio Art in college. 

I LOVE the one below, it so captures the essence of the 1970's to me!

Binghamton, NY gets a lot of winter.. I love all of his weather shots.. I have about 20 different prints and tons of negatives. 

Just wanted to share these. It always amazes me when I look at these discoveries as well as those about my Dad's Dad- The Grandfather and see how deeply my love of art, creating and appreciation is rooted in my family.  I grew up at my Grandfather's knee watching him paint, inherited all my Poppy's camera's when I was 13 and when my Grandfather moved to a nursing home while I was in high school, my Aunts and Uncles graciously gave me all of his painting supplies (and it was A LOT). I completed my Bachelors in Studio Art from the University of Mary Washington going on 3 years ago and honestly.. aside from a few odd supplies.. these gifts from my grandfathers saw me through 4 years and not having to buy much of any supplies for my photo, drawing and painting courses. I can look back at my film photographs and know that I captured those images through the same lens and view finder as my Poppy and when I look at my paintings.. I know they are painted by the same brushes, palette knives and paints that my grandfather once used. 

I dunno.. to me, that's just really special!