A lesson in shopping

A sweet comment I found the other day was someone wondering what I look for when I go shopping. The outcome may surprise you abit, so follow along on a shopping day in...

... historic and beautiful Fort Langely, located in BC Canada.

I recently had a kidless half a day, so I scurried on over to this quaint little historic place, chalk full of antique stores. I went in knowing it wasn't a buying day as the prices are pretty high for a DIYer, however a place like this is LOADED with great inspiration.

I'd bet you're thinking I snapped pics of all these things I wish I could take home. Not necessarily. :)

I've recently been in a mission for old labeling and sign inspiration, so there was plenty of eye candy. I like studying the 'olde' way of signmaking, when it use to be done by hand. I love the simplicity and boldness of the Mother's sign. The 2nd one had me eyeing how the top line ran upwards, then dipped down. Note the AND, both have that swooping motion, very common in older signage. NICE detail!

I lied. I wanted to take this Blue Ribbon Tea box/trunk home. It would have made an amazing mini coffee table, however if you look closely, it's a box with a lid and feet. And very cool old hinges. Heck girls, we can make this!

Very nice reproduction! Classic old style hand done lettering. Love the slight arc to the top line and how the signboard mimicks the look right along with it. White on weathered grey barnwood looks great for a softer tone on tone effect.

I know. What gives, right? Check out the gigantic hinges. What a neat way to mount something to a wall. If I had that panel I'd make one big honkin' olde tyme sign out of it. Think like a builder and you find all kinds of neat stuff.

Indeed a replica, but it shows me what white lettering with a slight black shadow looks like on a galvanized surface. Why cross your fingers and guess when this one provides the perfect visual?

I 'bout fell over when I found this old railway cart. I wanted this one BAD for a unique coffee table. But the owners had refinished it and IMO they made the wood too dark. And the price was $1200.  Upon closer inspection, boy that base looks alot like a wood palette I can pick up for free...

I LOVE the strong primary colours on white in this piece. It's so kitcheny! Love how the lettering styles are mixed up abit too and how tight they're laid out. Neat shelf!

Next up, I ventured into a very modern store that was out of the norm for the rest of the town. But there's always something to pick up. The wall behind this display unit is bare concrete.  The rustic BEEFY shelves against the concrete and white... it was an awesome fresh look. If I ever build shelves, I want them to look like this!

The same modern store had these amazing industrial edgy lights. $325 a pop. They were large enough to even have just one above an island. I had to study them 3 different times to drink it all in.

You white lovin' gals will love this. It's an all glass chandy. Look how magnificent it looks against that woodsy flooring! Kapow! Love it. I think it was around $800. I use to think this stuff was too girly for me but I think I'm changing my ways just a nudge.

And then there was the church. Oh my oh my. It was dusk by now. Aren't those cross beams incredible?

The curve of those doors are 2nd to none. Even the old hardware had oodles of charm. Just a beautiful old piece of architecture that is obviously well loved by the community. Pristine shape. The doors had me on this one. I could implement that shape on something I make myself.

I ended my inspiration bonanza with a mocha and a leisurely sit by the river. It was sooo quiet. I love it when nature takes over. I just allowed my mind to go blank, took deep breathes, and enjoyed.

Basically put, my shopping goes far beyond what I can grab and take home with me. Some trips are purely for educational purposes. My artist friend Dan always says, you have to keep refreshing your 'card file' for new ideas. My interests are pretty diverse, but what better way to get a full rounded and free education that is card file heavy than to just snap free pictures?

How do you shop? Purely for what you can take home, or has this shown you a side you quite possibly never thought much about until now?

 ~ Voting ends Friday! ~