More ANTIQUE Shopping Tips & Rants :

I go to Sleepy Poet Antique Mall in Charlotte . N.C. about every week or two weeks usually. A HUGE mall with super nice employees that make my shopping a pleasure. I finally took my camera along again recently, and got some shots of some interesting antiques, and some dumb antiques( my opinion ), and a final story of me being dumb as  a brick many years ago. But let me just take your hand and show you what I saw...

Another painted mirror, I do not think this is old, I believe it is a newer piece, but silver paint seems to be in vogue, which means, do NOT go spray an antique mirror silver simply because it is in vogue in 2012 !!!!!!!

Another case in point ( and there will be many),someone painted an antique cherub  base WHITE, and then added a top. This may have been metal, I think it was wood with metal, but still, RUINED for future generations that don't want everything painted white.

Bust with pink velvet sombrero, nice touch.

Great 1960-70's vinyl cowgirl jacket, I would have bought it but it smelled heavily of cigarette smoke. Always give vintage jackets/hats/purses the sniff test, as old cigarette odors are about impossible to get out after so many decades. I know some people toss them in the dryer with a febreeze sheet or spray them with febreeze, but that doesn't last always.

So sniff first.

Here is Jamie( Jamey), one of my very favorite employees/dealers there. He is showing his large 1980's Vietnam soldier painting he has for sale. While he was posing, a very tall older man walked up and looked intently at the painting. I asked him if he remembered the war, and he said he was a Vietnam Vet, and we discussed how unpopular the war was back then. I still remember the look in this man's eyes when he was staring at this.

Here it is on the wall in his booth. It was oil on canvas, about 250.-275.00 I believe. Nice large piece of artwork.

Plus he has a nice' come and get it' Western meal -caller thingee that they used on ranches and farms.

With a handy old screwdriver used as the tool to start all the noise for , " ' Come on in to dinner ' round up .

Moving on I spy a 1980's ala Micheal Jackson purple leather ensemble.

A great old vintage 1960's ESSO gasoline plastic clock, I would have bought it but it had a break on the side of it. Passed.

Vintage 1980's poster/album cover which personifies perfectly a few men I have known.

Another mirror destroyed for the future with white paint. Shabby-yuck-chic. Sorry, very tired of this paint all this nice wood madness.

Great smaller booth with lots of neatly arranged vintage telephones. I miss the click-click sound of dialing a rotary phone.

A really neat vintage movie poster , loved this movie, but the price was close to 200.00 so a no-go for  resale. Passed.

Killer gorgeous antique pair of large cement garden statues. I think they were about 950.00 for the pair. Here is the other one...

These were very large and expensive, but high quality, and original old statuary. Love these.

Another painted white tole chandelier. I swear if I see anyone walking a round with a spray can of white paint, I will tackle them.

Another nice vintage cement statuary for your home and garden.

Nice old pastel of a terrier dog.

If I can't stop this white paint madness soon I am going to explode. Better yet, I see I have run too long here, I have much more to show you, including the story of me being dumb as a brick in the next post about my trip. To find Sleepy Poet antique mall, click here.

thanks to you all for coming with me,

more later, Gina