Today is Day 13 of a 31 day series on creating and cultivating an eclectic home.  For some crazy reason, I have accepted The Nester’s challenge to write on the same theme every day for the month of October.  This may end up killing me.  Or you.  But, I appreciate you reading and welcome your comments.

A few weekends ago, I took a road trip to the Round Top, Texas area to shop the twice yearly antique market.  Although Round Top only has 90 residents, thousands of shoppers and antique vendors descend upon the small town each spring and fall.  Quite literally, there are tents set up in the middle of pastures spread out over three little towns (Round Top, Warrenton and Carmine), and vendors ship in wares from all over the world.  It is truly something to experience if you ever get the chance to attend.

The first time that I attended, I was so taken by the excitement of it all that I forgot to take any pictures to share with you guys.  I had my wits about me this year, and I captured some of my favorite items.  The vendors in Warrenton, Texas had the best selection of items at the best prices.  It is an eclectic shoppers paradise!

One of the first things we ran across were these great spheres of curly wood.  My friend bought one to make a light fixture over her breakfast room table.  As you can imagine, her project came out beautifully!

Need a chandelier?  Warrenton was the place to find them!  There were some real beauties that day.

This loveseat was obviously a reproduction (you have to be careful if you are really shopping for antiques!), but I thought it was a fun twist on a fairly traditional piece.

These rococo style chairs were fabulous!

Just about every vendor had a great selection of old trunks.

The merchandising within each tent was a lesson in eclectic style.

I thought this was a creative repurposing of an old arm chair.  It’s been crafted into a new porch swing.

Letters, letters everywhere.

I’m not sure what I would have done with them, but these pieces of rock were just beautiful.  The color was such a brilliant turquoise.  This vendor had some that were polished, and they really made a statement.

This was a creative way to display two of my favorite things – a chandelier and a birdcage!  I’ve seen birdcage chandeliers before, but the birdcages are usually much more decorative.  I really like the look of this one.

There were certainly some freaky things, too.  I felt like I was on an episode of Oddities at times.

Yikes.

Freaky stuff aside, there’s an overwhelming amount of goodies and deals to be had at the Round Top Antique Market.  I ended up bringing home two really amazing items, which I’ll show off to you soon.  For the larger spring show in 2012, I’m going to join a group of gals in taking an RV out there and staying a few days instead of just doing a one-day road trip.  It is going to be amazing, and I can hardly wait!

Do you have an antique show in your area?  I know they have them (on a smaller scale than spread out over 3 towns!) all over the country.  I’d love to hear about shows you’ve been to and what types of items you found.

Today is Day 12 of a 31 day series on creating and cultivating an eclectic home.  For some crazy reason, I have accepted The Nester’s challenge to write on the same theme every day for the month of October.  This may end up killing me.  Or you.  But, I appreciate you reading and welcome your comments.

One of my favorite things to do when I am avoiding my to-do list have free time is to browse local vintage and antique stores.  Now, don’t get me wrong – I love a good thrift store as much as the next gal.  But sometimes, I don’t want to so much search for something as much as I want to find something.  That’s where vintage and antique stores come into play for me.

How to Shop Antique and Vintage Stores for Eclectic Decor

1)  Antique Stores – I always recommend taking a look in antique stores if there is something particular (or even not so particular) you are trying to find for your home.  I generally go in looking for something specific, like an interesting item to use for a nightstand or a piece of art to fit in my living room.  Those general ideas help keep me focused in a store that’s as overwhelming as an antique store.

In my opinion, there are two types of antique stores in this world.  There are those that feature “fine” antiques, where the pieces will be gorgeous and the prices will make your jaw drop.  There are also those that showcase a little bit of everything – from fine pieces to items you wonder why anyone bothered to save.  If you are like me, you steer clear of the first type of store and stop in the next.

Most of the time, these type of stores have many different vendors who rent “booths,” or space in the store.  The vendors set their own prices and run individual sales.  If I’m buying something that costs over $100, I always ask if the booth owner can do a little better on the price.  Most of the time, the employees at the store are authorized to come down 10-15% without contacting the vendor (and the vendors have built that markdown into their price).

Think about ways to repurpose what you find at antique stores.  For instance, I used an old fireplace mantel I bought at an antique store as a bed crown in Emma’s nursery.

2) Vintage Stores – For many years, I had been living under the impression that a vintage store only carried vintage clothing.  Not long ago, a friend of mine clued me in that many vintage stores also carry furniture.  These stores generally carry pieces with a mid-century modern vibe from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

That same friend found a great chair (covered in yellow velvet!) for a great price at one of our local stores, and she’s having it recovered in a more contemporary fabric.  If the fabric scares you – and it likely will – don’t forget that it can be easily recovered.

Couldn’t you find a place for a 1960s credenza, such as this one available at one of my local stores?  This would be great under a flat screen TV.  Could you imagine the original owners thinking that?  That’s some sort of Jetson-type stuff!

Have you found great items at antique or vintage stores?  Tell us about them!