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Best Auntie ever?
Dec. 2nd, 2007 03:37 pmI began my day at Antiques By The Bay - which, for some reason has been moved to a different part of the base. (Possibly to prevent Mythbusters from blowing things up on it? I dunno. It's got the potential to be a traffic disaster if rain causes a mass exodus one of these Sundays).
I spent several hours of walking around listening to dealers and locals alike whine about the weather - a chilly, overcast 50-ish, which really, for December is not that big a deal. I was perfectly comfortable in a sweatshirt weight rugby shirt with a fleece jacket over it. Antiques By The Bay is always a challenge. You have to know what you want, what you want to pay for it and whether you're getting a deal on it. Some of the dealers are happier to dicker than others and that's fine. I saw lots of potential goodies, but I was not going to spend a lot of money on something that's basically going to be a cool toy.
I pounced on a $10 pair of compact binoculars for Nicky's birthday (last week, but I wasn't happy with anything I'd seen and wanted to wait until I tried the market). I also scored two stone arrowheads and two rusty and interesting looking skeleton keys for the boys' Christmas treasure boxes. Then it was off to the bead shop I like in Berkeley. I actually found some gold tone and silver tone skull-and-crossbones beads, which were significantly cheaper than the carved skull beads made of bone. I also picked out a few interesting carved gemstone beads to add to the treasure.
Next: Wilderness Exchange for compasses. The guy behind the counter began by asking how elaborate I wanted to get. When I explained, he loved the idea and furnished me with two nice basic, plastic keychain compasses in annoying neon colors.
Lastly and most painfully, Michaels' for wooden boxes. The boxes were cheap, it was just that it was Michaels' on a Saturday in December. I'll leave them plain - the boys can have fun decorating them if they want to.
I figure my total outlay per treasure box is as follows:
Wooden box with brass hasp: $2.50
Chocolate coins $3.00
Arrowhead $3.00
Skeleton key $1.00
Beads $6.00
Compass $3.99
Total: $19.49 per treasure.
I spent several hours of walking around listening to dealers and locals alike whine about the weather - a chilly, overcast 50-ish, which really, for December is not that big a deal. I was perfectly comfortable in a sweatshirt weight rugby shirt with a fleece jacket over it. Antiques By The Bay is always a challenge. You have to know what you want, what you want to pay for it and whether you're getting a deal on it. Some of the dealers are happier to dicker than others and that's fine. I saw lots of potential goodies, but I was not going to spend a lot of money on something that's basically going to be a cool toy.
I pounced on a $10 pair of compact binoculars for Nicky's birthday (last week, but I wasn't happy with anything I'd seen and wanted to wait until I tried the market). I also scored two stone arrowheads and two rusty and interesting looking skeleton keys for the boys' Christmas treasure boxes. Then it was off to the bead shop I like in Berkeley. I actually found some gold tone and silver tone skull-and-crossbones beads, which were significantly cheaper than the carved skull beads made of bone. I also picked out a few interesting carved gemstone beads to add to the treasure.
Next: Wilderness Exchange for compasses. The guy behind the counter began by asking how elaborate I wanted to get. When I explained, he loved the idea and furnished me with two nice basic, plastic keychain compasses in annoying neon colors.
Lastly and most painfully, Michaels' for wooden boxes. The boxes were cheap, it was just that it was Michaels' on a Saturday in December. I'll leave them plain - the boys can have fun decorating them if they want to.
I figure my total outlay per treasure box is as follows:
Wooden box with brass hasp: $2.50
Chocolate coins $3.00
Arrowhead $3.00
Skeleton key $1.00
Beads $6.00
Compass $3.99
Total: $19.49 per treasure.
