$30 or $225?

As I said I would, today I am sharing some of the items I picked up at Brimfield for myself.

The very first collection I started was Liberty Blue Transferware.

This is some of my collection in my kitchen hutch.

I was given three dishes in college, just for use, but then I started seeing pieces at vintage and antique shops and they were very affordable.

I began picking up pieces one by one for the last twenty years – I love how each piece depicts a scene from American history.

I am even lucky enough to have a teapot given to me by my Hubby’s Grandmother.

We use these plates and pieces everyday, they are not stashed away for special occasions (okay, I don’t use the ones that are propped because but I have a lot of plates and it would be a pain to get them down – I do use the platter).

But one piece always eluded me – I had never even seen one in person.

Last year, it was rumored to be an estate sale I was at but then no one could find it.

Within ten minutes of arriving at Brimfield I happened upon a booth that had not one, but two soup tureens!

One of them was in pristine condition and was $225…

and the other had two chips in the lid and cost $30.

Which one do you think I bought?

To be able to place it in my hutch for only $30 – you bet I bought the chipped one.

I figure we are all a little chipped and dented, why not our pottery!

If I were to spend $225 ( which by the way, I just never would) on a piece like this, I would never use it and would always be nervous about breaking it.

You can’t even see the chips when they are in my hutch.

I also figure someday I may find a lonely cover with no pot – you just never know!

I also found…

This fabulous brown transferware casserole. I actually was mentioning to my friend that I was looking for brown transferware in a booth. The owner of the booth heard me, went to the booth next door, negotiated a lower price and brought this lovely piece over to me. I thought that was very sweet and gracious of her.

I was smitten with the shape and the little village scene on it.

I also bought this tray from a lovely woman ( I wish I had not lost her card). I could have stayed in her booth all day and chatted with her.

She is also the person who declared to me that “the economy is back”. She was leaving a day early because she had already restocked and her booth was sold out.

We heard several people talking about how well the show had been going for them, the best they had seen in years.

I also picked up some vintage silverware from the “imperfect” bins. I was drawn to patterns that had little interesting work or the little boxes that could be filled with words.

I disciplined myself in only getting four Tole trays - there were quite a few at great prices.

I saw the one on the top left the first day as we drove away and went back for it the next day, I paid a little more than I would have liked, but the colors are just so pretty.

My girlfriend found the small ones that I love – I don’t have anything that size and the other large was just too good of a deal to pass up.

I can’t wait to get these hung in my dining room with the other I already have.

We actually ended up not going back to Brimfield on the final day but did hit some yard sales where I found this amazing blanket. The lady was so pleased that I really liked it as it had been made my someone in their family and had been kept in an Adirondack home.

Speaking of broken things, I would like you to meet a friend my daughter picked out a few weeks ago at an estate sale. I carefully wrapped him in some linens so nothing would happen to him.

You guessed it, I totally forgot, picked up said linens and the turtle came crashing to the floor broken in many pieces.

I may or may not have cursed loud enough for my children to hear.

I assumed it was a lost cause.

But my children gathered all pieces and showed me we could put him together.

It took us about an hour, all of the seams are not tight, and there is a hole in his neck – but he sits proudly on our mantel holding flowers that my daughter gave me.

See, just as you read all over blogland, it doesn’t have to perfect…

And my daughter still loves it regardless.

Have a fantastic weekend!