Sunday at the Swap Meet

My husband and I made a spur of the moment stop at the Greenville Swap Meet.  The Swap Meet started around a local antique car show, so most of the things for sale there are old auto parts.

There were many, many fantastic restored autos and we enjoyed looking at them.  There were several I wouldn't mind having, only with air conditioning and seat belts!

This orange Bel Air beauty caught my eye:



The weathered patina of age and paint on some of the vehicles that weren't fully restored, like this one, was very attractive and interesting.  Can you tell I'm into metal work, or what?  It made me wonder how many of the car owners are more interested in the restoration process itself versus owning a restored vehicle. Do they lose interest in a particular car after it is restored and move on to the next project?  I think it's the restoration process that most enjoy. There's a certain magic that takes place when you take a piece of aged metal and make it look new again, or use it in a new way that gives it new life. It's also very satisfying to have something you restored with your own hands.



That's my husband, Ralph, leaning in to look at the interior of this Chevy.



My favorite was this 1946 Ford panel truck. Look at the layers of paint (and rust) on it! I always wanted one of these when I was younger and had several business ideas that involved a truck like this.  Those ideas never got out of the realm of dreams and wishes, but I still love these old trucks.



There wasn't much in the way of antiques not related to autos, but I did find these items:



The car part is plastic.  I'm not sure what I'll do with it but it has a fleur de lis and cost a quarter.  I'm sure I'll find a use for it.
 

Antiquing with Billye

My friend Billye and I went antiquing on Tuesday. Martha was coming with us, but had something pop up at the last minute. (Read her blog here where we went antiquing earlier.)

We went to The Back Door in the nearby town of Caddo Mills. The business area on Main Street is about a block long and The Back Door takes up a large part of it. It's chock full of vintage, antique and new items. I'm quite sure I could go back tomorrow and see lots of things that I missed the first time, even though we spent about three hours going through the store!



This was my favorite find! It was labeled spice box, but had clearly never held spices. I think it's more of a sewing cabinet, but who knows? I'm in the process of clearing out a room at the house for my jewelry studio and this is going in there.



Next up I found these wonderful buttons and beads. The ones in the middle are cobalt glass buttons, kind of unusual. The crystals were in the cabinet so the owner said they went with it. What a bargain! Click on it for a detailed view at Flickr.



Martha's been wanting a sugar mold for paint brushes in her studio. This one just looked like it should be in her studio, so we got it for her.

I also got three interesting postcards that I'm going to use in some mixed media art one day.

Billye has recently moved and she got some great things for her house. Altogether we had a fun day.

More Shopping for supplies

Today I stopped by Bally Beads in Rockwall. I couldn't resist these lampworked glass beads. They aren't the usual thing I get, but I loved the colors and the shapes. The rectangular beads on the far left and the lentil beads in the center remind me of Monet. I also love the little frogs clinging to the three stands on the right and the lizard beads in the center.



Here is a selection of gemstone, bone, and wooden beads that I got, as well as a lampworked bead that missed the last shot.