A Whale Of A Good Time @ The Vintage Bazaar

Is it possible that two weeks have already flown by since the latest (& greatest, IMHO) Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm?!

Every time I attend this ever-growing event, the sheer breadth and talent of the artists who sell their wares is so inspiring, and slightly overwhelming! Honestly, spending a day there just doesn’t allow enough time to savor every inch of this beautiful working flower farm decked out in its vintage finery.

In September I may just curl up inside one of these adorable vintage trailers and stay overnight…

to get the best shot at the early morning and late evening goings-on before the shopping masses arrive.

To name just a few favorite highlights seems so unfair to the 130+ vintage vendors who make the trek from near and far to join the cast of characters that make up the Vintage Bazaar. But, I can’t name them all, so I’ll do my best to show you my memorable moments. These stunningly hand-crafted whales

were striking, not only because of the colors, but the detail as well

I kept thinking about buying one but we already have so many. Do you think that you can NEVER have enough whales?! (BTW, if anyone happens to know who created these beauties, could you let me know?! I want to give credit to the artist.)

These hand-painted floorcloths were some of the nicest I have ever seen.

Created by artist Michelle Julian of Newburyport-based American Colonial, the floorcloths were expertly crafted and vividly illustrated works of art. Almost too pretty to use on the floor!!

But with 7+ coats of varnish on each one, rest assured, they are created to last a generation or two. A few of my favorites vendors, like Nancy the Linens Lady, were hard at work in the bright sunshine, chatting about and selling their vintage finery.

Here is the lovely Lisa-my vintage shopping buddy-from RitaJosVintage proudly wearing her “new” apron!

And I can’t mention the Bazaar without showcasing the artistry of Creative Glass Works , who always bring along their oversized flower pot filled with unique, fanciful glass flowers. I recently featured them on a post, which you can read here.

Loving these adorable dinosaur bookends from R & S Living

(Robin & Stuart traveled all the way from the Cape to be at the Bazaar!), but this little pooch was a scene-stealer when he just hopped up onto one of their recently salvaged and re-loved side chairs. Cute!!

With loads of vintage and collectible stuff, the Swampscott River Antique & Salvage AKA “The Wooden Box Guy”  featured crates and wooden boxes filled with assorted everyday objects, like baseballs and rulers.

Singularly, they don’t make a huge impact, but grouped together, they catch the eye and become an artistic vignette. But the eye-catcher of the day: this huge tent staged by Howard’s Entertainment of Essex, MA. (I know what you’re thinking, didn’t you see the sign that says “no pictures?!” I did, but I asked, and was granted permission to take pics for my blog. The power of the press : )

Channing Howard is the proprietor, and a wholesale supplier of vintage and nostalgic props.

These are available to rent for parties or functions for both private and retail events. If you are finding yourself in need of some Steampunk props,

or perhaps some vintage cowboy paraphernalia, or any other imaginable vintage props for your special event,

Howard’s is your go-to! Since we had our VIP tickets in hand (thanks Devon : ) we were invited to a meet and greet featuring the weekend’s presenters,

including Cari Cucksey from RePurpose Shop, Desha Peacock from Sweet Spot Style and Joanne Palmisano from Salvage Secrets whose DIY demo we attended later on in the day. She was a great presenter, funny and full of anecdotes and very helpful DIY tips! Like how to create an instant “old” wooden Lobster sign with paint and a screwdriver (without getting stitches : )

How to re-imagine old lamps using paint and jute rope

and creating a twig vase out of some sticks and an old glass jar (well, in this case, she used a plastic one-but who knew?)

On this day, she was selling her latest book, Salvage Secrets Design & Decor and donating the proceeds to Juvenile Diabetes Foundation-SOLD. And autographed to me : )

This book is so chock full of all kinds of DIY’s using salvage materials in newly inspired ways. I had literally just opened the book when I got to page 16 and yelped-old coil bedsprings! re-purposed into decorative candle holders! It just so happened that Coach and I recently sprung for two of those old-timey bedsprings-a twin and a full size-and were contemplating where to begin re-purposing them…once we got them off the roof of my CRV. (OK, full disclosure. Coach got one a few weeks ago and then we saw another one at an estate sale last week and I refused to buy it because our back yard is already full and did we really need a second one?!? Until I opened up the book and saw the candleholders so we went back to the estate sale and bought the second one…)

Well, page 16 is a very good place to start : ). So, there you have it. Another amazing Vintage Bazaar come and gone with September waiting in the wings. Have an inspired Thursday, everyone! Susan