Picking for Pleasure

Last week I went antiquing with my friend Nicole, who maintains the blog Picking for Pleasure: Understanding Antique Acquisitions. We found some fun treasures when visiting three antique shops and Nicole shared tips learned during her many years of experience.

Nicole's tips for novice antiquers: 

• Look for antique stores that sell on consignment. You're more likely to find good deals. Also look for antique malls as they have a wide selection. 
• Negotiate - some stores automatically take 10% off the list price. 
• Pay with check or cash. They probably won't charge tax. 
• If you're new to antiquing, visit a few stores and get an idea about items / prices before you make any purchases. 

 Although I did not find any 18th century antiques, I did make a few fun purchases on our antiquing adventure...

I bought a set of three infant hats for $12. Two of the hats are entirely handsewn.  

The hand sewn hats are made from muslin and are in slightly fragile condition. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them but I couldn't pass them up.

I also found antique / vintage hankies for $2 each. 

I had plans to use the trim for another project but they're so pretty (the one above feels like silk) I don't think I have the courage to cut them.

And I found a strip of lace for $2. It's about 40 inches long and the seam is hand sewn. 

What am I going to do with these goodies? I'm using the strip of lace to create an infant swaddling band. As for the others, I'm not sure so I've stuffed them in the box with my other vintage textiles.