FUN FINDS AT ONE TRICK PONY

Yesterday, a couple dozen antiques and vintage dealers collected to sell their goods in the Anodyne Coffee Walker's Roastery in Milwaukee. Obviously, attending this event was a no-brainer for me. A fabulous coffee shop filled with vintage home decor, furniture, clothes and records for the taking? I'm in.

The doors opened at 10:00 am, and when Eric and I arrived at 10:30 the place was already bustling. It was a little difficult to maneuver through the crowds huddled around each vendor booth, but if you could squeeze yourself in, there were so many fun things to see. Because of my inherent, unshakable awkwardness, I couldn't fully register everything in my first pass through the vendors. I'm a mess in crowded areas, especially in those that are filled with so many visuals, so I decided to make one full sweep to scope out things that immediately caught my eye, then another to go back and seriously consider items I'd like to buy. It was a strategy that paid off nicely, and I came home with a gut full of tasty coffee and some lovely finds, all for just $55.

While I love vintage clothing, I wasn't in the market for any yesterday. The majority of what was being sold was clothes, and I just didn't have the patience for sorting through racks. Plus, vintage clothes shopping is always a crapshoot when it comes to sizing. As Americans have gotten fatter, sizing has accommodated the fatness and thus, vintage clothes sizes don't always match what we're used to today. So I bypassed the clothes and focused strictly on my forte: home decor.

On my first pass through, I took mental note of a couple of things that initially caught my eye. If I was still thinking about them after my first full sweep, I'd go back and buy them (if they were still available). By the time I reached the end of the vendor line, I'd had my list of things I loved, and went back through to think about purchasing more seriously. Now, I'm not a born haggler. I always feel like a cheapskate or I'm taking advantage of a person's kindness, but as Eric reminded me yesterday, the vendors are used to haggling on pricing. "Anyone who pays full price here," he explained, "Is an idiot."

So, after two sweeps of the place, here's what I came home with:

A gorgeous blanket, a little deer-head wall mount, a burro figurine (which is actually an old cigarette dispenser...you put the cigarettes in his pack, pull on his ears and the cigarette comes out of his butt as his tail lifts. I'm almost tempted to take up smoking just to use it for its intended use) and a little "S s" vintage flashcard (for our last name). Curious cat was not included, but as soon as I laid the blanket down, he flopped himself on it and would not budge. He was in love with it as much as I was.

Let's start with the deer.

I picked up the deer from my pal Caleb of Brew City Salvage. He's the picker for my beloved Bay View Trading Co. shop that I've covered a couple of times on Make, Do and Mend. I thought the little deer was sweet, and knew it would make a great addition to the gallery wall in our living/dining area. Home he came, and now he's taking up great space with his new pal Porker and the nice pair of hooters just below.

The little burro cigarette dispenser was the first thing I saw at One Trick Pony that I really loved, for whatever reason. It grabbed my attention, and I couldn't shake it... I paid $5 for him and am thinking about filling him with candy cigarettes, to the hoped delight of future guests at the Seis residence. I'm not 100% sold on where I have him living now on the side table in our living room, but for now it's as good a spot as any.

The "S s" flashcard is just kind of hanging out next to little raccoon dude in our vintage portable record player for now. I had initially wanted to hang it from a mini clip board on the wall, but it just didn't look right. Here, it rests nicely.

But let's get down to my favorite find of the day, my new Southwest-style blanket. I am in total love with this thing, and had been looking for one like it for a while now. It was covering a display table at the vendor Fox and Fawns, and I didn't think it was for sale. It caught my eye, so I decided to just ask if she'd be willing to sell it. The lovely girl running the shop said she would, and very nicely disassembled her display to let me take a look at it. It has a couple of holes, which I should be able to mend up alright, so she sold it to me for $30. What a find!

After bringing it home and laying it across the floor, it looked amazing as a rug between our living room and dining area. However, it's a little too delicate to hold up as a rug in a high-trafficked area, so I decided to throw it across the back of our couch for a bohemain feel.

Annnnnndddd... I love it there. I love the blanket's colors and pattern. I love how it makes everything look even more eclectic and full of color.

I mean, how great does it look under those antlers? SO happy about this find.

If I could have, I would've taken a lot more home that day, but I told myself to stick around $50. The four things I did buy, I love. They're fun and quirky and add some extra happiness in the house. I hope One Tricky Pony isn't a one-time thing. As much as I love antiquing, it can be daunting and exhausting looking through so much at shops scattered all over the place. When the shops come to you with their best goods, you've got enough time to find a few things you love, then get out there and enjoy the rest of the (what turned out to be beautiful) day.