Friday Fun in Fredericksburg

Last week was great - it started out on vacation with Andrew to celebrate our anniversary and ended with big sales at the booth. And throw in a fun trip to Fredericksburg to do a little shopping and chatting and it was complete! 

I don't often make it over to Fredericksburg Trade Days, but when I do, it is either over 100 degrees or below 40. You can guess which end of the spectrum Friday fell on. I will take hot over cold any day - though I was pretty worn out at the end of the day I must admit.

I got a late start on my trip west because I needed to take some pieces to the mall to replace the great chippy white cabinet base that sold on Thursday. Go figure, the trunk I took was too wide for the hole left by the cabinet, so I had to rearrange one half of the booth. And when you have only 77 square feet in which to work, rearranging gets tricky. I pinned myself in the corner at one point and had to climb onto the furniture to get out. Maybe one day I will use that measuring tape I carry around with me and actually plan. Doubt it.

Finally got out of the mall at noon. I got to Trade Days just as it really started to heat up. Again, good planning on my part! But at least it wasn't too crowded; I found some great stuff and truly enjoyed talking to lots of sweet vendors.   

Cactus Man has what I need - plants that love the heat, tolerate the drought, and won't get eaten by the deer. But my one question is - how do you put them in the ground without getting a million needles in you? Do gloves alone work?

From cacti to characters, Fredericksburg has it all! Look closely and you can see lots of doll heads too.

One of my first stops was into this cute little house to actually meet in person Betsy and her sister Elaine from Sisters' Treasures. They have an amazing collection of vintage clothing, outdoor furniture, and tons of other goodies. I am kicking myself for not buying one of those cute blue shutters out front.

 

It is always so fun to meet in person someone you feel like you already know - Betsy and I have been reading and commenting on one another's blogs for months now. I know I have shopped their space in Warrenton too. I had a great time talking with her, Elaine, and then Theresa from Garden Antqs Vintage walked in. So fun to be surrounded by so much talent.

 Sadly, I didn't get any other pictures - I was too busy talking and my hands started filling up with purchases. I got some light bulbs from Theresa, a set of old silverplated flatware, and a divine chippy white bead-board backed doorless cabinet that will be perfect for displaying small finds at the booth. Thankfully I didn't have to carry the cabinet around (btw, thank you Betsy for helping us load the cabinet!). I found this great piece from "Old Gold," the business run by Megan's (from Salvaged) mom Patty. I loved talking with her and look forward to getting to see her at Rusted Gingham's Barn Sale in November. I am sad that I missed seeing both Megan and Tracy, but I am sure our paths will cross soon! And now that I know so many talented people are routinely at Trade Days, I will have to go more often. 

Since I was in Fredericksburg, I just had to pay my first visit to the new boutique, Smitten. I was so excited to finally get there and couldn't wait to see all the great vignettes and merchandise by talented designers including Anne Lorys of Fiona and Twig. As I drove into town from the Trade Days grounds, I wondered if I would just run into it on the main drag of town. I did not. I pull over, try to locate the address, get on facebook, and finally find the address. But my iPhone has no idea that E. Auguste is a real street; my phone's little blue dot/red dot application failed me this time as it took me to August E.'s restaurant. I tried calling Smitten, but got the recording....what was I going to do?! It was almost 4:30 and the shop closed at 5. 

I finally stumbled into Smitten as I was driving down Washington. In case you have a chance to go, it is south of the main street across from the Inn on Barons Creek just off Washington. I was so relieved I was there and still had some time to gawk and shop. This place is truly wonderful and each little room of the house has its own style and flair. I wish I could have captured it better, but I am a) not a good photographer and b) the lighting from all the windows just really wasn't working to my advantage (but what an awesome backdrop those windows were!)...however, Tracy from Rusted Gingham also was there this weekend and has some great pictures from her visit, so be sure to check out her site.  

 

 

 

 

 

This little room smelled like heaven - lavender was everywhere!



The next few pictures are from Anne's space.  

 

 

A perfectly peely, chippy table.

 

It was definitely a fun Friday. I will close this (yet again) long post with some pictures of my space with the newly crammed merchandise. 

 

 

 

As always, thanks for reading.

Have a chic week!

~Sarah