Antiquing {in the great outdoors}

This post is all about the thrill of the hunt.  I know many of you know that feeling well.  If you share this same feeling, then by all means, head to Lancaster County, PA if you can! Over the weekend, my parents took the older boys with them to the beach, and we took a road trip to one of our favorite destinations.  Seems like everyone had the same thing in mind because traffic in Lancaster was bumper to bumper.  We eventually made it to our first stop though – an amusement park especially for small kids. In all of my years in this area, I’m not sure why we never made it to Dutch Wonderland before, but we made up for it with roller coaster and water log rides!

Chances are if you’re in Adamstown, you know all about their incredible outdoor flea markets.  We’ve gone to Adamstown a few times this past year, but still had something new to experience:  Shupp’s Grove.  When Laura Twiford told me about a flea market we had been missing, I made a mental note to visit the next time we were in town. It was incredible…. imagine searching for treasures while surrounded by tall, shady trees and not in the musky smell of an antique mall (don’t get me wrong, I love those too).   The weather was great, and the vendors were so friendly (and happy to negotiate on prices).  The boys had a blast looking vintage puppy figurines, marbles, and Furbys.  This setting had to be right out of the pages of Country Home, complete with an old barn in view.  My friend Lori was in PA over the weekend as well, although in a different area…it was fun sending quick messages back and forth all weekend with updates on our activities.

Now on to the pictures (how did I get so wordy in the first place?)   I’ve got some shots of the vendor’s booths, then the LOOT that I brought home!

Flags to add to my 48-star flag collection. These are not too hard to find, and date from 1912 to 1959.

I bought this stair-step style stand and filled it with all sorts of finds from one vendor alone.  He had SO many tables and boxes to dig through, we were at his “booth” for over an hour easily.  Everything except the chalkware figurine, buttons, MOP buckles and the rosary bracelet came from him for a total of $30, including the stand.  I am convinced that the best deals are found outdoors in the flea markets. Once the same items are brought inside to an antique mall, I’d expect to pay considerably more.  I’m sorry that the flea market season at Shupp’s Grove only runs from April to October.

One of my favorite finds this weekend was this old, leather coin purse.   The owner’s initials, and Ocean Grove 1915 are “engraved” on it.

I am absolutely crazy about collecting Victorian albums.  I’ll have to do a post on them soon.  The three albums in the middle came from the same vendor I just mentioned.   Not only do all of the clasps work from his albums, but they are all filled with pictures.  He said he finds most of his antiques in Manheim, PA (Lancaster Co).  The small leather album on top is going to Jeanette.

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails….

The softer side of collecting – can’t resist the wooden hangers that date from the 1930’s-50’s, lace, gilded books, bright hankies and sweet cabinet cards…

And now we’ve come to the end!  Thank you for joining me for the thrill of the hunt!  Enjoy the rest of your week and thank you for stopping by!

-Cindy