Twice every year, at the end of May and the beginning of September, Christie Conservation Area in Greensville, Ontario becomes the site to Canada's largest Antique Show & Sale.
Two weekends ago my sister and I filled our pockets with cash and headed up there. My sister's pockets were filled with actual bills, my pockets were only filled with change. Which made me look like I had suspicious growths all around the front area of my thighs and on my bum.
That's lesson number one in antique show shopping. Don't carry a purse. Don't carry anything. You'll need both hands for grabbing, picking and poking all the boys at the show. Plus, there's the added bonus that your hands will be free to check out all the antiques, too.
To give you an idea of just how huge the Christie show is, here's a map of the show layout. It was also scrunched up in the pocket of my jeans along with my change, some gum, my driver's license, an iPhone, some napkins, a few Advil and a multitude of business cards picked up along the way. By the end of the day I looked like I had a mild case of Elephantitis.
My last post on the Christie's brought us up to the middle of the show. Here for your viewing pleasure, is the second half of the Christie Antique Show as seen through my eyes.
Wherever you looked there were displays like this. I couldn’t figure out if they were carefully laid out after meticulous planning or just happened to look great by accident. This display in particular ended with me calling my mother to ask if she still had my field boots from my riding days in the basement. I have the very same lace up boots in black INCLUDING the wood forms for the inside. Sometimes things just work out.
- A big box of balls. If they’re unique, antique/vintage Christmas balls are expensive. The regular old round variety however are fairly inexpensive. This whole cardboard box filled with multicoloured glass Christmas balls was $10.
- Yes. Even a coil of rope for sale. Balls & rope at the antique show. You’d pay considerably more for these things in a sex club. Plus they’d have the disadvantage of having cooties.
- I always gravitate towards pale, old wood and this show has more pale old wood than date night at the Swedish retirement home. I could have stared at this mannequin and set of single beds forever. They’re dreamy.
- And … something for all the men dragged to the show.
- Again … I could have stared at Viola the Mechanical Cow forever. She was from 1947 and apparently plugged in and worked. I have no idea what “worked” means. I’m assuming Viola didn’t give milk, but who knows what those crazy people in 1947 did. The Cold War started in 1947. It’s entirely possible Viola is some sort of a submarine weapon.
- If I had the room for this I would have bought it. Oh. And the money. The room and the money. I’d also need a little girl with pigtails.
- For years I had old gold frames hanging on the brick wall in my backyard. Don’t try this trick with wood or plaster frames. They’ll rot and fall apart. If you want to place gold frames outside in the garden go for the plastic ones.
- This is the television I’d like to watch Leave it to Beaver on.
- I can’t remember the price of this cabinet but it was in the thousands. Overpriced. Some things that are priced in the thousands are worth it. Especially old painted pieces, like the ones often found in Quebec for instance. This was not one of those rare finds that was worth thousands. It was only *priced* at thousands. The drawers are all labelled as you can see. The drawer I like best is the one actually labelled “junk”.
- Boys toys.
- This is pretty much how I looked all day at Christie’s. My sister found it annoying. I find the way she phones me while she’s loudly crunching her way through a bag of potato chips annoying. So we’re even.
One of the few retro pieces at Christie’s.
The setting of Christie’s is beautiful. It’s a huge conservation area that’s given over to the show twice a year. Behind the painted gramophones you can see the lake. Well, pond really, but they call it a lake.
- The gramophones were a perfect addition to the site. They were shockingly beautiful and sounded great. The music from them drifted across the field. I had to contain myself from buying one and spending the rest of the day looking for ’78′s.
- Red and white kitchenware. LOVE IT. Love it. Loveitloveitloveitloveit.
- Red and white stuff that goes in the kitchen was promptly followed by red and white stuff that comes out of the kitchen.
- Banister posts repurposed as candle pillars or decorative structural objects. Great tones of grey and beige. Greige. $15 a piece. Can’t find that at a Homesense or Homegoods.
- The bear. What else is there to say.
- Burled wood bowl from the early 1800′s. How much you ask?
- A mere $4,500. This probably isn’t the bowl you’d let your kids whack with a wooden spoon at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Plus the sound wouldn’t really be all that satisfying. Clunk, clunk.
- Just some cruddy old step type things I happen to love. If it’s old and gnarly and crappy looking, I love it. Go ahead. Ask me how I feel about Keith Richards.
- Some more reasonably priced wood doughbowls. Start at around $65. If you’re thinking about buying a dough bowl like this try not to buy one that has a finish on it. Dough bowls were used for food and were never coated with any sort of finish. They should be natural wood that feels smooth to the touch after years of use. If the bowl has been shellacked or finished with anything else, it isn’t in its original condition.
Winding down. Yes. We closed the place. We’re the drunks of the antique show world. Almost always overstaying our welcome.
- One last look at my favourite thing … bowls.
- My sister and her purchases. A Florentine sconce and 3 of those post pillars.
- Until September …
I bought two things at this year's show. Both of which are shown in the above pictures.
And I've given you a pretttyyyyy large clue as to what they are.
In Friday's post I'll reveal the 2 things I bought and exactly what I'm going to do with them. And in case you are swayed by the fact that my pockets were only filled with change and napkins, keep in mind ... stuck smack dab in the middle of that conservation field, was a bank machine.
I'm betting you bought some of the 'red and white' and the stair/step thing.
the bowls. a bowl. something round-shaped and able to hold items or food?
I'm also voting rope and french fries!
Great pictures Karen! I enjoyed the show but felt many things were overpriced. I have this thing for cake stands and sadly left all of them behind.
I'm guessing the rope will be worked into a DIY project for our chicken friends :)
Wendy - There are very few "deals" at Christie's. I figured that out years ago. It's a place to go if you're desperate to find something in particular or something so unique you couldn't find it anywhere else. There were some "average" priced items, but yes, a lot is expensive! Fun to look though. ~ karen
First, that mannequin is creepy as can be! It has a man's head and a woman's body!
I'm guessing you bought some red and white kitchen stuff and the steps. I love the red and white kitchen stuff. I'm working on doing my kitchen in blue and white. I need more blue and white accessories to set out to go with my blue and white checkered curtains.
Oh I miss the Christie's Antique Shows. I used to go all the time when I was living in Toronto. One of the things I really miss about that city. Oh well. Thanks for sharing.
C
I'm not a man, but I want that model boat.
And I have no idea why.
Also, Karen, this:
if (typeof ord=='undefined') {ord=Math.random()*10000000000000000;} document.write('');
...was under your "Home and Garden directory" button. Just FYI. Might just be my computer, I don't know :)
Alexandra - Thanks! I know about the script error. It's from a wonky ad that's running on my site. I just took it down until I can fix it. ~ karen
"this show has more pale old wood than date night at the Swedish retirement home"
After a line like that how can I not have just a wee bit of a creepy fan-girl thing going on? Brilliantly written.
I opt for the cruddy old steps for some plants or a retro chair. Close second was that beautiful blue bowl--couldn't decide. All depends what mood you were in that day! Looked like you had a lot of fun!
Jeanne - I'm already looking forward to the show coming back in September! ~ karen
In your shot, the Fitflops outnumber the Hunter boots!
Laurel - I tried my sister's Fitflops on the next day and HOLY CRAP, I can't believe how comfortable they are! I want a pair! ~ karen
You bought the rope and some red and white items...though, maybe a wooden bowl. The fries looked delish. It breaks my heart to see so many 78's just getting tossed away when I go to auctions, but I don't have the money or space to rescue them. If I had a gramaphone, that would be super, what a fantastic touch for what sounds like a just perfect setting and day.
I would be staring at the mannequin for entirely a different reason....hoping it didn't come alive and get me in the night :(
Hi, loved the pics, but the text on a purple background was virtually impossible to read with these old eyes!
Vicki! I know and I agree! I'm working on it. It's an ad that's gone "screwy" on me. ~ karen
Just curious -- was there something special about the rope? It wouldn't have caught my eye, but I'm sure I'll see it in some future post and think, "D'oh! Why didn't I think to use rope like that!" I would have bought the banister posts and doughbowls. Beautiful.
Firstly, your ma 'n pa must so proud to have two such good looking girls! Must say my fav'rit item is the pale, old wooden man - love his "patina"! I have an ol' pale man myself, so I'm a litte partial to them - LOL! My fav'rit photos would be the "self" reflection in the mirror - love the rope as your prop! And my other is the "shoe shot" - I always love shoe shots! Can't wait to see what you're going to do with your acquasitions! Cheers my friend!
I just snorted and laughed so hard! "...this show has more pale old wood than date night at the Swedish retirement home" Oh my god! You are so funny!
Given there is one picture of your hand holding yummy french fries, and another picture of you with rope slung over your shoulder those are my votes for the two things you bought.
You should have sprung for the bear though - who doesn't need a giant teddy bear? ;)
rope and a bowl. although i wish one of the items was viola.
Also, the site amuses me with the actual board walk. Pretty cool, that.
Rope, for sure.
I think your mannequin might be a saint. I see him dressed in robes looking at a penitent with that mild eye.
I'm betting you bought the crappy old steps. I would have. Plant pots and heaven.
Jenn - Yup! Bought the rope. Or maybe I'm just screwing with you. Or maybe I bought the rope. Hmm. So hard to tell with me. ~ karen
It could just be the rope she likes to walk around with. Not that she has ever said she walks around with rope, but it wouldn't surprise me. You can do a lot of stuff with rope and gum boots. Some of it is even legal!