Round Top Roundup Spring 2011

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.

Round Top Roundup: Spring 2010

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.

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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!

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round top antiques fair

round top antiques fair

round top antiques fair

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round top antiques fair

round top antiques fair

round top antiques fair

round top antiques fair

round top antiques fair

round top antiques fair

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round top antiques fair

Stuff I almost bought:

round top antiques fair

round top antiques fair

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.

round top antiques fair

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:

round top antiques fair

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

round top antiques fair

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.

round top antiques fair

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!

Round Top Round Up Part 2

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.

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Some vendors have a very odd sense of humor.

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

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A pair of unaffordable blanc de chine lamps.

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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)...

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Awesome hooded wicker chair with groovy upholstery.

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Big brass Polly.

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Sweet little Asian credenza. The white is fly.

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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...

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Three of six Milo Baughman chrome cantilevered chairs.

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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.

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

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

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Hot pink poles make everything better.

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

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

round top louis vuitton trunks

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

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I have a trestle table crush.

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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.

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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:

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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!

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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?

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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?

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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.

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