The vintage items I picked up at Jardin Antiques

A little over a month ago, in a post called Blue Jean Baby, OK Falls lady, I mentioned the fact that around that time my husband and I had spent a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon in the neighbouring community of Okanagan Falls, where amongst our stops, we paid a visit to one of the Southern Okanagan’s longest standing and, in my opinion, best antique stores: Jardin Estate Vintage Jewelry and Antiques.

Nestled in a small building on OK Fall's quaint little main street, this shop  is one that I remember visiting occasionally as a child in the company of my mom and paternal grandmother (who, like me, has always adorned the Victorian era). Back in those days OK Falls had two antique shops in the same area, but today only Jardin Antiques remains.

I'm very glad that it does, because there are really aren't too many vintage and antique stores in this neck of the woods, and I think that the community needs to try and hang onto those few that we are fortunate enough to have. As such, whenever I'm in the vicinity of one, I love to stop in, chat with the employees and hopefully make a purchase or two.

It had been so many years since I lasted visited Jardin, that I couldn't say for certain any more what types of items they carried (aside from jewelry, which they are renowned for). I was delighted to find that amongst the gorgeous antique and vintage babbles, beads and jewels on offer, there as also a lovely, well curated selection of household goods (from fine china to recipe booklets), accessories (I hummed and hawed over a black lamb's wool muff, but decided against it in the end because I felt it wasn't in quite good enough shape to survive the many future Canadian winters I'd want to use it for), books, and sundry other terrific items.

While they did have a few vintage garments (mainly 1960s frocks) in stock, the selection in that regard was sparse. What they weren't lacking for however, was vintage hats (a blend of 40s-70s styles) and gloves - two of my absolute favourite wardrobe pieces in the whole world.

Though I could very easily have bought more, I spared my credit card a beating and opted instead for the following five items (all of which were, to my mind, quite reasonably priced).

Far from collecting merely for the sake of collecting, I frequently wear vintage gloves and hats, so I was tickled pink to find three of the pairs of 40s/50s era gloves (they had several other, too, but again, I was trying to be a budget-conscious shopper) and a gorgeous green velvet hat all in my size.

I'd been hunting for a dark green hat in that sort of hue for ages, and was thrilled to pick this one up for (if I remember correctly) $22.00. It's beyond comfortable and I've already worn it a few times since bringing it home to join my other vintage hats.

 

 
{Close ups shots of the dainty crochet, ultra tiny buttons, and chic rouching that, respectively, adorn my three new pairs of beautiful vintage gloves.}

As some of you will recall from this post back in March of 2011, I've long been a fan of the classic young reader series of books, Cherry Ames, and have been on the look out for a title from that series to add to my vintage book collection for some time now.

 
{I love that Cherry's cheerful, smiling face appears on the spine of this fun vintage book about the adventures of a young nurse, who, in this title, finds herself at a wild west dude ranch.}

♥   ♥   ♥

Given that Ok Falls is a mere 15 minutes or so away from our town, we'll likely be out that way periodically (especially during the summer months when the town holds a public flea market on main street there every weekend), and will no doubt stop in and visit Jardin's many more times in the future. I hope that on subsequent visits I'll find additional "must have" vintage treasures to add to my collection, too.

Should you ever be in this sage green, lake filled corner of British Columbia, I highly recommend stopping in at Jardin's. We spent over half an hour there and I still could have kept looking for longer, because every last one of their offerings is just the sort of thing that makes a vintage loving gal's eyes light up.

Blue jean baby, OK Falls lady

The town of Penticton, where we live now, is sandwiched rather quaintly - and permanently - between two lakes. On the north end is one of British Columbia's best known and most generously sized bodies of water, Okanagan Lake. On the south side, the much smaller Skaha Lake helps turn Penticton into a water locked town and adds to the good time appeal that sees tourists flock here by the thousands each summer like clockwork.

Along the perimeter of each of these lakes, one finds various small communities and towns. Okanagan Lake has places such as Naramata, Summerland, and Peachland (each a small village/town with roots and present ties alike to orchard based agriculture), whereas the tinier of the two lakes, Skaha, gets Kalenden on one of its sides and wraps up a few miles away with its shores in the wee little community of Okanagan Falls.

Known locally by one and all as OK Falls, this sandy spot actually began life with the unique name of "Dogtown", which came from fact that Skaha was the local First Nation's word for dog. As the years went on however, that title was swapped out in favour of Okanagan Falls, as two small waterfalls once comprised part of the local landscape.

Though it's pretty much one of those "blink and you'll miss it" kind of communities, OK Falls manages to cram several interesting attractions into one small parcel of land. From two popular vineyards to a terrific outdoor swap meet that runs from April to October, OK Falls is worth stopping in for if you're journeying through this part of the province.

Should you happen to have a sweet tooth or just need something scrumptiously refreshing to beat the summer heat, than a trip to the areas largest (and best known) ice cream shop, Tickleberry's, is definitely a must.

Comprised of an ice cream parlour, candy and fudge shop, and inviting array of collectibles and small home decor pieces (think wall plaques, teacups, figurines, etc), Tickleberry's has an inviting air that beckons one to wander all around its grounds, both inside and out. Especially if you're in the mood to spot some terrific vintage pieces that the shop has utilized as both decor and as functional storage for some of its wares.

 

 

As one pulls up to Tickleberry's they're greeted with a large, splendidly cute mural of bears enjoying an ice cream picnic on a sunny day, as well as a vintage bicycle and a mid-century washing machine that are on permanent display out front.

A few days ago the mister and I took a drive out to OK Falls and stopped by Tickleberry's. Naturally, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have Tony grab a few snaps of myself posing with these time worn vintage pieces - especially since I was in a polka dot, cherry, and denim 1940s ensemble that went well with both the teddy bear painting and the old school decor pieces.

 

Outfit details:

 

Red and white polka dot hair scarf: eBay

Prescription eyeglasses: (frames) Venus Eye Design V-12

Faux pearl earrings: Clare’s

Sterling silver & Swarovski crystal cherry pendant necklace: a beautiful gift from my husband ♥

White ruched sleeve cardigan: Fairweather

Black knit sleeveless shell: Sears (Jessica brand)

Black plastic bangle bracelets: Clare's

Vintage Saks Fifth Avenue black patent purse: etsy seller MK Retro

Vintage style side button jeans: Freddies of Pinewood

Black and white saddle shoes: eBay

Lip colour: MAC Russian Red

Outfit photography by Antonio Cangiano, Tickleberry mural and sign images taken by me.

After our visit to Tickleberry's (which has been a local institution for 25 years now), we continued to explore OK Falls together. I'd been there scores of times as a youngster, and even Tony had visited a couple of times before, but this was our first trip there alone, just the two of us, and so I suggested we check in on two antique stores that I recalled exploring as a youngster.

Sadly, as with far too many small town businesses these days, one had long closed up shop, but thankfully the other was still going strong. Believe it or not, it had actually been a rather long time (years) since I last set foot in a proper antique shop, so I was more than a tad eager to explore what Jardin Estate Vintage Jewelry and Antiques had to offer these days.

Though not an especially large shop, the space had been well utilized and an abundance of treasures filled each shelf, cabinet, table, basket, and hook. Though I could easily have melted my credit card in such a store, I was a good girl and did no such thing.

That didn't mean, however, that I refrained from purchasing all together, and the lovely little handful of vintage items I bought there that afternoon are going to be the focus of a future blog post unto themselves (as it's not everyday I get to go antiquing).

With candy in hand for Tony from Tickleberry's and a few yesteryear pieces for me popped into the truck of the car, we bid farewell to OK Falls for the day and whisked out onto the highway that runs alongside Skaha Lake and back to Penticton.

Despite the nippy weather (you might not be able to tell it from the photos above, but it had been snowing that very morning and the temperature was only a couple of degrees above freezing when we got out of the car), we had a fantastic day and agreed that we'd definitely be returning to Okanagan Falls again from time-to-time to check in on our favourite shops and the friendly locals who run them.