I had a great time at the Springfield Antique Show Extravaganza today! This was my third consecutive year, and I think it gets better every year! According to the show's blog, they had record attendance on Friday, and today, they had the best attendance they've had in 10 years. The word is out that this is the best show in the Midwest!
My sister Laura and I now make Springfield a yearly ritual, and this year, my husband joined us, and we brought Georgia. We saw a sign that said 3,300 dealers, and that sounds about right. The show is HUGE--impossibly huge. I'm sure we only saw about 1/3 of it (it's hard to move fast with a baby).
My sister Laura and I now make Springfield a yearly ritual, and this year, my husband joined us, and we brought Georgia. We saw a sign that said 3,300 dealers, and that sounds about right. The show is HUGE--impossibly huge. I'm sure we only saw about 1/3 of it (it's hard to move fast with a baby).
I'm trying to be more restrained in my acquiring of things (our house is small!), so I thought about what I really wanted to buy. In the end, I only had a few specific I was looking for, including nice wood toys for Max. This great wooden tractor ($12) turned out to be the perfect find (he's already played with it this evening!)
Speaking of toys, I wanted this play house SO BAD, because I had this exact one when I was little. I almost got it, but it didn't have the people and furniture that come with it. And I realized that even though I loved it, my kids might think it was stupid. So I passed. But I'm still thinking about it . . .
Springfield is known for being a great place to shop for vintage fabric, feedsacks, linens, pattern, and notions. I didn't see as much this year, but I think it's because I didn't cover as much ground. Still, plenty of great retro finds . . .
I think my favorite purchase of the day was a spoon ring. Laura reminded me that our Grandma Ketteler wore a spoon ring, and I suddenly had a memory of that spoon ring clanking against the side of the whiskey glass (Grandma always had one shot of whiskey in a glass with ice when she came on Friday nights). I don't have a picture of me wearing mine yet, but it's in here!
As always, there was some great furniture there. Allen and I bought one small mid-century chair. But mostly, I just browsed.
The two things I wish I would have had a reason to buy: these chandeliers, and these dishes!
But looking gives me great ideas and inspiration--and that's free (and doesn't clutter up your house). So, even though I only bought a few things, it was still a great year at Springfield!
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