Piddlin’ Posts

Florentine Finds!

FLORENCE, Italy…ha! –I wish.

FLORENCE, SC– Dee and I met, grabbed a splash of gas, a drop of coffee, a quick breakfast sand’ and hit the road before dawn. We were like two mad women on a mission. Since I haven’t seen a good antique mall since say….August? I had been jonesin’ for a trip to seek and find at least one good piddlin’ spot. Here’s what we rummaged up…

some FAB shake/sundae glasses….for Ryan- who LOVE LOVE LOVEs my prized triple thick milkshakes! (be jealous)…

The Spinners Vintage Best Hits….OH YEAH! This is all Dad right here. I think he loved his sursie as well! I know I certainly was entertaining the ‘rents with some vintage dance moves. haha enough said–

argueably…my FAVORITE find of the trip! One for dee, one for me- Cross-stitched, Charleston “basket ladies.” Can I even begin to describe how GREAT these are? So Charleston, and just flat out awesome.

Sucker-Punch Sam – I had to name him, this is the first thing mom laid her hands on and she wanted to put it on the counter just 5 seconds after we had walked into Carolina Collectibles. He’s a heavy iron doorstop..a great conversation piece to add to her July decor!

…Check back later this weekend for THE FIND of the day! *You CANNOT miss this*

-the piggin’ piddler | mcw

Hello again!

So—left out a couple of pretty great finds. FIRST: I love Halloween and honestly will tell you it’s pretty much my favorite holiday and always has been…I could go on, but I’ll save it for October. ;) What I won’t save until then are these spooktacular holiday finds…is it bad that I’m already ready to decorate? WELL- since learning about Edgar Allen Poe on Sullivan’s Island as a little girl, to his macabre poems studied countless times since 7th grade Literature class, (and yes of course, adoring POES from the day it opened), I have a fond love of all things Poe so that explains these next finds:

…Annabelle Lee, herself!

also seen here, Edgar Allen Poe’s storied Raven…

Okay! At last…here’s the golden egg of the trip….

…after some humble researching this is what I have discovered. The above lovely piece of pine is called a “Hoosier” and named after the very popular Indiana company that made these kitchen cabinent solutions. At the time they were made, built in cabinets were rare as these served as a safe and rodent free way to store flour, sugar and the like in a “possum- belly” drawer that could not be chewed into. Check out some of the links (and pictures!) below…I can safely say, we got a serious steal on this piece! Wow- can’t wait to have my own house one day! …ENJOY!

Needless to say, I felt excited when we loaded this bad boy into mom’s car, but I feel like the luckiest piddlin’ girl in the world now that I own this unique piece of American Kitchen history…too cool. Can’t wait to find the perfect use for it! …thoughts of a permanent baking table are dancing through my mind right now. OOH joy- makes me want to get my mixer out right now and start baking for Easter!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoosier_cabinet

http://www.rubylane.com/item/496181-08-122/Possum-Belly-Kitchen-Cupboard

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0253314240?ie=UTF8&tag=lovetoknow-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0253314240

http://www.bonanza.com/booths/theoldgrainery/items/POSSUM_Belly_Hoosier_Sellers_Kitchen_Cupboard_Cabinet_

Now…for a little extra treat I have one more thing:

…for our dear “piggin'” friend, Jessie. These are for you!

Let there be no doubt about it – this is the piggin’ cutest pig that the pig herself has ever seen. Jessie – thanks for the voicemail…we laughed until we cried. SO SO Glad you LOVED the PIG SurPriSe!

Stay tuned for more piddlin’ trips…sure to come! | ❤the p.p.

Piddlin’ Treasures

“One man’s trash”, all found at the last Metrolina trip:

THE piddlin’ FIND of the day! My antique “work/drafting table”, with gorgeous wear…

…mom was thrilled to find this ole’ iron interlocking bed frame for $100 bucks even!

…a lovely and well worn pail with a punchy red stripe! LOVE.

…a handy muffin tray for organizing…

& the last find of the day and a gift from mama- a cameo with the three graces:

beauty, poise, and grace-

stay tuned. | keep piddlin’

…to METROLINA or bust!!

Hel-lo november! another season, another trip!
Tomorrow morning at 6am, we will be heading out on our semi annual antique road trip. If we are at all lucky at the fall “extravaganza” @ Metrolina we’ll come back looking something like this:

Metrolina, on a national level is not quite so noted, but it’s the bees knees for those of us stuck in one region of the country. Can’t wait to see what finds we will stir up. Pray for good weather! And let me know if you think of anything ya need!

xo,


Summer Piddlin’

So it’s been awhile since the last post, & we have some catchin up to do! -check out the fun piddles i’ve come across over the last three months:

…these fabulous finds have been rustled up and found a new purpose from all over including Mount Pleasant, Inman, Hendersonville & Asheville, NC, the most recent piddlin trips to the last three spots were part of the surprise trip that my beau took me on in early celebration of my 24th birthday.

We spent a nice relaxing LONG weekend in Asheville, exploring each block sidewalk by sidewalk, store window by store window, corner by corner. It was quiet & peaceful and so nice to have a little live folksy local music when least expected.

The trip included a full tour of The Biltmore Estate, gardens, grounds, and winery. SO BEAUTIFUL!!! It was everything I imagined it would be and so much more!

sweet potato pancake topped with whipped peach butter and lightly fried pecans & powdered sugar! ooh & how could I forget the creamy grits with pimento cheese(me) & cheddar(ryan)?

Highlight of the trip, hands down, breakfast @ Tupelo Honey, downtown Asheville. I can honestly say, nothing will compete with this breakfast for some time: feast your eyes y’all!!

Odds-N-Ends

Another weekend…another trip to my favorite booth! This was a very successful trip. I finally met and chatted with the two lovely owners, Pam and Sarah… thus P.A.S.! I let them know how much I love their booth and how I am addicted to piddlin…even if it’s just for a second to see whats new at their little nook. Check out the loot would ya?!

While I was there, I was in search and determined to find Ryan an “endtable” of sorts that he requested for the space by his door for mail/keys/etc…a drop-all/catch-all is what I snagged. I was stuck on the table idea first, then realized it would be more fun to have something a little different…so i was thinkin a chair? with a kind of tray, box or bowl on top… after running from one side of AntiquesMarket to the other, heres what I ended up with!

ryan’s new “antique” catch-all

Not only does the RC cola crate have a new home and purpose, but check out the piggin’ stool! It looks as if it grew in this spot. I was lucky that it fit, because I did not have measurements with me at the time.

After snaggin the stool as well as my very first wooden bowl, I stopped by Hungryneck because I just felt like there could be something unique and awaiting me there. Today was becoming more and more my day after all…

30 minutes in, and not a minute more, I found THE coolest vintage soda bottles in great condition(seen above)…a weekend after finding all those bottlecaps, I knew what to look for….I saw almost one bottle per bottlecap I had rummaged through at Metrolina!

I have decided that Pepsi is more collectible than Coca-Cola…although I really am a Coke girl through and through! Ryan does love Pepsi, he’s bein’ from North Carolina and all!

But i digress- the logo has changed SO many times over the product’s life span that it really gives the Pepsi collectors a very fun and vibrant display of memorabilia. I think it’s so interesting to see how things like that can change over the course of a certain number of years! It’s so… American, thus the genre of antique I am constantly searching for ~ Americana!

And with that here is the last items I found while piddlin at Hungryneck on april 10 (btw everything was on SALE):

Have you ever seen such original looking burlap sacks…the one with the potato cowboy ended up in South Carolina all the way from Quincy, Washington. TOO cool. What’s even better, they were marked at $12 ea. and I snagged both for $12 total! I love the way burlap adds a certain scent to a room too, makes me think of a  rodeo, or a stable…or a home straight out of country livin’!

some unique soda bottle finds!

check out the rare bottle finds I piddled!!!

(L-R) A very primitive Pepsi bottle, before the painted bottle phase…bottle has Pepsi written in the glass with a nice swirl to the glass from top to bottom all around;

a very dated RC cola bottle with SUCH character!!! the white crown located at the neck on front and backside, and the brand spelt out…timeless!;

a well-priced Pepsi bottle from a little further down the timeline of the popular soda brand;

and best for last, the DR PEPPER bottle with 10, 2 & 4 on the bottle as well as the brand logos at top and bottom. Check out this old Dr. Pepper commerical!!

Safe to say my soda bottle collection is complete. What more could a piddler like me ask for!?  That’s all for now….more to come!!

happy piddlin’ | mcw

Oh Piddlin-Trips!

Charlotte, NC / Columbia, SC

One month ago, while piddlin’ I came to the conclusion that I had seen all the antique shops in town (and surrounding area) and decided it was time for another trip to Metrolina. After quickly checkin out their schedule for upcoming “extravaganzas” I called our dear friend, neighbor as well as my own personal antique collecting muse, Jessie.

[piddlin’] is about having an eye for certain items that you may or may not be in need of and having an intutive sense of what these items can be used for.

A little background: Jess is a sun-kissed yankee transplant, a vivacious + passionate mother of two all-american kids that do it all.  Being originally from Upstate NY, Jessie was always exposed to some fine + primitive antiques + her love of such started at home- with her mom. I don’t know how she does it, but mygoodness this lady can piddle with the best-of-em.  She even takes along her special piddlin’ bag for the occasion, loaded with her favorite piddlin’ snack: almonds + dried cranberries…yum!  One of the many things I have learned from Jess is that piddlin’ is not only about finding a diamond in the rough piece, its about having an eye for certain items that you may or may not be in need of + having an intutive sense of what these items can be used for.

I’ve picked up quite a few great items lately, so this update will likely need to be spread over the course of a couple entries (so check back soon)…

Suffice it to say- the antique show at Metrolina in Charlotte was a great time , although not nearly as hustlin + bustlin as the usual show in Fall.

Here are a few items found last weekend:

RCola
…another coke crate for my RC Cola lovin beau! I recently found out that RC stands for Royal Crown, it being based in the Queen City- Charlotte, NC!  I also love that these are his + my initials.
"Little Queen"
…another coke crate for my RC Cola lovin beau! I recently found out that RC stands for Royal Crown, it being based in the Queen City- Charlotte, NC!  I also love that these are his + my initials.
crock 1
…another coke crate for my RC Cola lovin beau! I recently found out that RC stands for Royal Crown, it being based in the Queen City- Charlotte, NC!  I also love that these are his + my initials.

I did find a few other items however they are being stowed away for a special occasion {shhhh… don’t tell Ryan}

| to be continued

____________________

Well there’s more where that came from! How about these fabulous chippy shutters with that black on blue patina?!  Found these in the little fox den of an antique shop nestled right over the Gervais St Bridge in Columbia, SC…who knew!!?

shabby shutters

I had lots of fun picking out these fun vintage bottlecaps out of one serious collection @ Metrolina, now, they’re magnets for the fridge at the townhouse!

classic bottlecaps

unique bottlecaps

rare bottlecaps

I snagged this beautifully aged nautical flag for $12 also at Metrolina…it represents the letter “X” or can be interpreted alone as ” Stop with your intentions” as a means of boat to boat communication. SO. COOL. and such a great find!

Asheville2010 - 743

The ultimate find of this particular weekend must remain a secret, but will be revealed after the 2nd weekend in May when I present it to Ryan for his birthday! I think he’ll really like it…


…what will it be!!?

| check back soon!

mcwd-charcoal-marycatherine-script

 

 

 

 

Pickin’ + Piddlin’

american-pickers

“We’ve all heard of antique dealers, but most of us know next to nothing about antique pickers. And yet these specialists are a crucial link on the chain that drags valuable relics out of obscurity and into our stores, museums and living rooms. In fact, if it weren’t for expert pickers like Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, many antique stores would go out of business. Some historical artifacts would never have made their way into display cases. And an entire fleet of classic cars would still be up on blocks.

These self-described “modern archaeologists” are a far cry from dumpster divers. Ask any American picker, and you’ll probably learn there’s a science to their scrounging, a method to their memorabilia-seeking mission. Antique pickers like Mike and Frank travel the country, meeting collectors, hoarders, amateur historians and other individuals who all have unique stories to tell. Each and every treasure they uncover is a new history lesson, providing a glimpse at American life in the recent and distant past.

And then, of course, there’s the thrill of the hunt. Sometimes, it’s a race against time, with various pickers traveling from far and wide to check out–and compete for–a hot lead. Working for clients such as set designers, photographers, decorators and dealers, pickers go on wild goose chases for anything from motorcycles to military regalia to Ferris wheels.

So where do pickers track down their wares? Often, it’s way off the beaten path, in rural towns across the country, or right on the side of the road, especially on garbage pickup days. Sometimes they literally end up going from door to door, hoping to explore an abandoned barn or a basement packed to the gills with junk and gems.

Like antique dealers, pickers need a fabulous eye, especially when evaluating potential purchases that are covered in mildew, buried under dust or broken into fragments. It’s a risky business, too: after all, one person’s trash doesn’t always translate into another’s treasure. Or, as Mike and Frank put it, ‘You’re only as good as the last deal you made.’ ”

Source: http://www.history.com/shows/american-pickers/articles/what-is-picking :

pickin’ or piddlin’- call it what you will- these guys have definitely got the right idea!!!    http://www.history.com/shows/american-pickers

Check out the American Pickers every Monday @ 9pm on The History Chan! *update: now catch them on Wednesdays at 9pm.

Between Piddlin’ Trips

iron "doorstop"
a little piece of history for my architect beau; seen here as a front door stop

My mom has updated her booth recently!  Sterling Silver Tradition has traded two dusty cases for a beautifully aged wood + glass case…swoonworthy.

Also, be sure to stop by throughout the week to see SST’s latest purchases fresh from Atlanta to you (via Scott’s Antique Market)

What did she bring home for me, you ask?  Well…two very fabulous finds, if you don’t mind my braggin’.

first doughbowl!

…the first  being my very own dough bowl!!! at long last, I have one to call mine! Can’t wait to serve up some steamin’ lowcountry boil…I can already smell the ole’ bay! MmMmMm! …can’t go wrong with a receipe like this! (via Garden & Gun Magazine)

The second surcie is equally as fun as it is functional, a pretty antique-French-blue fleur-de-lis which looks great on a bookshelf or even as a doorstop!

fleur de lis

Now- I must add, just a few other finds I’ve been lucky enough to stumble over in the past month:

milk pail
This chippy little wooden bucket with rusted bands is perfect for holding my current reading materials + later, just about anything else! (via Northbridge Antiques)
blue school desk

The best part about this desk is how we found its matching counterpart while in Walterboro: a sweet little matching blue school desk chair which will one day make quite the study table.
washboards
Cannot seem to collect enough of these antique washboards; they will be so pretty in my laundry closet!

 

until next time- keep piddlin’!!

| mcwd-charcoal-marycatherine-script