treasure huntin'

i could hardly sleep last night knowing that today, sunday, was not only supposed to be about 80 degrees, but also the first major car boot sale of the season. hard as i try, i really can't seem to fill my house with enough crap! every room in the house is over-flowing with all my "finds" i have amassed over the last god knows how many years. and as much as i don't want to be attached to this stuff, i just can't help myself. i really am.

when i was growing up in california, i was a major thrift-o-holic. i can remember when there wasn't  much competition and walking into a thrift was like an aladdin's cave heaving with dirt cheap tat that would now be considered collectible and cost a fortune. when i was in junior high the thrift stores had racks of gorgeous 1940s, 50s. 60s dresses that very few people at that time, apart from a few trying to emulate molly ringwald in "pretty in pink", had the desire to wear or buy and only cost a few dollars. homewares, melaware, lunchboxes, old tin toys (just to name a few), everything that now makes my heart skip a beat was all sitting there for the taking for a few bucks if not pennies...it is a repeat regret of mine, (one of those things that when i think of it i get a little tummy pang) that i didn't have the foresight at 15 to buy up all those treasures and keep them for the future.

car boot sales are great because even though there are people that know what they have and charge accordingly, there is still that chance you might find something that makes your heart sing for 50p. the little thrill, that rush of adrenalin you get from finding that piece of a collection you have, or a beautiful dress that makes you feel like a million bucks is taken away if you feel you have over-paid for it. a lot of people are into vintage now. dealers are trying to find stock for their shops, websites, personal use etc... so you have to get up mighty early if you want to get a good start.

going early paid off. scott and i both did pretty good. he is collecting hand thrown or hand coiled old pottery and he always spots good paintings. he found a couple of paintings he liked and a few other bits and i found some melmac dishes to add to my picnic set, some gorgeous old tins, a few vintage children's books including a pop up book about baby jesus...brilliant...a cool old plywood puzzle of america, and a vintage sailboat brooch all for just under £5.

it's our anniversary today so we took a drive to rye and had lunch and a couple of beers. i can't even begin to describe how great it felt to be sitting outside with my sweetie having a pizza and an ice cold peroni while feeling the warmth of the sun shining on my back. heaven... it's the simple things.

just as we were leaving, i saw one of those things that made my heart skip a beat... 3 old animal seats from a children's seaside 1950s carousel. i love this kind of stuff because it is so rare and when you do find it is usually very expensive. (earlier in the day, i had seen an old charity box for disabled children that was incredible, but it was already sold) there was no way we could afford all three, which would have been nice to have as a set, so we treated ourselves to one as a joint anniversary present for the living room. i just love him!