Box Lot BUST! or not?

I have written before of my love of the flea market or auction "box lot." The mystery. The surprise. The possibility of scoring something amazing.

I guess it's my version of playing the lottery.

Yesterday I played and I lost.

David and I went out to a local auction where they always have a huge number of box lots. I've done well with box lots there before.

With box lots, it's best not to advertise your interest too much, lest the other dealer/bidders get interested too. Of course you need to examine the box's content, but if you spy treasure, sometimes it's best to leave it at the bottom of the box and hope no one else notices. Pulling out each of the tablecloths or kitchen towels, spreading them out and examining them closely is kind of out of the question. Besides, the crush of people circling the box lot tables would make that impossible anyway.

Yesterday I caught sight of a fairly big box of linens and fabric. I rooted around in it and saw a number of things that really caught my eye. I was definitely interested, and I mentally set a fairly high limit on what I would bid for the box.

Others saw the same things I did and the bidding went all the way up to my limit--more than I ordinarily pay for a box lot.

When I got the box home, I had very high hopes for what I would uncover. 

And--thud. Bust. Bad box lot.

I saw a lovely aqua border on a tablecloth.

What I got was hopelessly faded--except the border.

I saw linens carefully folded, pressed, and starched, and I assumed they would be well cared for.

What I got was full of holes and stains.

I saw some great bold colors on a tablecloth.

What I got was a "do it yourself" tablecloth made with fabric paint.

I did get a few nice things, but most of them are "cutters" and I'll have to bundle them with other linens that are past their prime and sell them to crafters at a discount.

Those are soaking right now in an attempt to freshen them up.

But in the process, I came up with a new idea for my online shops: the "Virtual Box Lot!" I can pull together a bunch of things with similar characteristics, and sell them as a group. Except I'll let you see them, in their entirety, warts and all. That way, your virtual box lot won't be a bust like mine was!

Hunting Vintage Textiles Abroad

David and I just returned from an amazing two-week trip to Switzerland. Although we were married the end of November, being a teacher meant the honeymoon trip had to wait until summer. 

It was worth the wait.

Although we certainly spent the bulk of the trip seeing the usual Swiss highlights: the Matterhorn, the glaciers, the Alps, the trains; we also found time to doing some vintage treasure hunting!

First, the obligatory shot of the two of us with the Matterhorn in the background.

And now, on to the vintage textiles. 

We came perilously close to a flea market as we toured past the market in Locarno--I even saw a stack of banana boxes filled with treasure, but alas, we could not stop. We also found a vintage clothing store, but it was closed.

But finally, in Locarno, in the southern part of Switzerland, we did find a genuine second-hand shop, filled with junk and treasures. There were some very lovely linens, but the prices were--like everything else in Switzerland--very high.

We had lots of fun digging, and I did buy a pretty linen Kreier tablecloth and another embroidered linen table topper. Kreier is a Swiss company that specializes in table linens, handkerchieves and scarves.

There were textiles to admire, of course. On our tour of Stockalper Castle in Brig, we found a lovely embroidered banner. It was hard to photograph under plexiglass without a glare, but here is a section of it:

We visited a tiny little village all the way up in the Valley Verzasca called Sonogno, where they had a museum and some lovely examples of linens and traditional clothing:

And on a hidden shelf in one of the little shops in 
Sonogno, I found these beautiful, hand embroidered pieces. Through a complex (and sometimes hilarious) exchange with the shopkeeper, during which we spoke German (David's contribution), French (my contribution), a little English, and a little Italian (which only the shopkeeper knew), we discovered that they are designed to be bedskirts for a baby's crib, and they are made from antique linen bedsheets. I think they would be lovely as valances in a nursery window, don't you?

And lastly, we also visited a little museum in Grindelwald, a little village at the foot of the Jungfraujoch (the highest point in Europe, way up in the Alps), and found more gorgeous textiles!

But what I will never forget is the lace curtains that hang in nearly every chalet window across Switzerland.

I had to have some for my own. 

We searched and searched, and finally found a fabric store that sold the lace by the yard. Or by the meter, actually.

And now, every morning when we wake up, we will think of Switzerland as the sun shines through our new lace curtains!

The Lure of the Banana Box

I don't really like bananas. Maybe some banana nut bread, but just a plain banana? I'll pass.

But what I absolutely CANNOT pass is a banana box.

I'm not sure what trend-setting junker or flea market fanatic first decided that using banana boxes was the best way to pack and store her collection of treasures, but she should have patented it. She'd be sitting on a beach somewhere attended by an army of cabana boys with cold drinks.

But I digress.

When you have been to a lot of flea markets, or when you go to a couple regularly, you learn to be purposeful as you walk through the rows. Cheap sunglasses? Stacks of socks and underwear? Keep moving.

But there--THERE is a collection of neatly arrayed banana boxes! And that's where I want to be!

Sometimes vendors can trick you, and they fill their rows of banana boxes with cheap tchotchkes from China, and you beat a hasty retreat. But if you're lucky? Oh, joy!

Boxes of Schtuff. Junque. Auction flotsam and jetsam.

HEAVEN!

When things don't go as you expected...

Sometimes things just don't go as you expected. Such was our adventure out to the flea market today.

It's sort of a rule: I usually find more vintage treasure at the flea markets than I do at the antique mall. Of course, the antique mall has lots of wonderful things, but they are usually at "La dee Dah" prices, and not "Dirty Box Lot" prices.

So Dear David and I set out at the crack of dawn this morning for Saturday's Market in Central Pennsylvania. Located at a defunct discount department store building, the inside includes regular vendors with booths, along with fresh produce, Amish baked goods (OMG, the smells are wonderful) and the occasional stand selling replacement gutters or carpet remnants. 

Outside in the parking lot is space for the day vendors with their tables full of sunglasses, socks (who on earth BUYS all these socks and sunglasses?), garage sale leftovers, flowers, used children's toys, obsolete computers and electronics, and rusty tools. 

We start outside. 

And here is where things don't go as expected. I did find a small box of gorgeous Irish linen damask tablecloths. Two of them with their 1940s paper labels, unused. On the ground. Next to the aforementioned rusty tools. At a very agreeable price.

But we really didn't find much else, particularly given that both our sock drawers are already pretty full.

So, we headed over to a large antique mall we hadn't visited in a while. 

And hit the vintage linens jackpot.

We found some great tablecloths, a Bates double sized bedspread, and some other goodies!

Sometimes you just have to leave yourself open to the possibilities!