Sure, you can go to Restoration Hardware to outfit your home office, but wouldn’t it be more rewarding to know that clock on the bookshelf was made in 1918 and was once owned by a riverboat captain?

The next time you’re on the hunt for an item or if you just want to see what kind of vintage jackpot you may hit, check out Scott Antique Market that comes to south Atlanta the second weekend of every month.

From Americana to Victorian, you’ll find old-school furniture, books, art, maps, bottles, oriental rugs and just about anything else you can imagine. Scott has more than 2,000 exhibitors packed in two huge exhibition halls so you could literally spend all day there. The experience can be overwhelming but there are plenty of cool one-of-a-kind deals to be unearthed.

Some items are a bargain and others are pricey collector’s items, but half the fun is haggling with the sellers, so don’t pay the listed price.

Located on Jonesboro Rd near the airport, the next market is August 13-15. It’s $5 to get in and the ticket allows you access all weekend. Tip: For the best selection, go Friday morning before everything is picked through or for a better price, go Sunday afternoon when dealers are anxious to unload items.

Photo credit: Theory11.com

Before you and the guys kick-off your next night of winner-take-all, no-limit hold ‘em, give a nod to olden times and stock up on a few decks of Bicycle’s 125th anniversary edition playing cards. In continuous production since 1885, the U.S. company is marking the milestone with a limited edition design that replicates the original with smaller pips, enlarged court cards, vintage card backs and a foil tuck case. Available in red and blue for $4.94 per deck.

History note: Have you ever wondered why in Vietnam War images soldiers often have the Ace of Spades tucked in their helmets? Thousands of decks of this card were shipped to U.S. troops for psychological warfare because the enemy was superstitious of the ace and thought of Lady Liberty as the goddess of death.

We aren’t sure if the term lawn “sport” is really accurate since you’re practically required to have one hand on a cold beverage for the duration of the competition. Regardless of what you call it, these games are precisely what the backyard was created for.

Kubb
Have some Brannvin and sing a round of “Helan Gar” while you play this Swedish lawn game that claims to date back to the Vikings. Use your Battle Axes to knock over all of your opponent’s Shields and you’re a conqueror. Probably the most addicting game you’ve never played.

Cornhole
The name still prompts some scoffing, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from knowing the sweet feeling of winning a game by your bag going straight through the hole without touching the board.

Bocce
The Italian bowling game for old men is having quite a renaissance these days. The eight balls and a pallino can really be played on any type of surface (sand, dirt, grass), allowing you to mix up the speed and approach to the game.

Croquet
The decidedly English pastime of hitting balls with a mallet through hoops staked in the grass. Your form is always better with a Pimms in hand.

More: check out these videos by Tretorn on how to play Bocce and Croquet.

While most film cameras have virtually disappeared from the amateur photography market, the Diana camera, a cult favorite from the 60s and 70s, has, to the delight of photographers, returned. The original made a splash almost by accident: the camera’s cheap construction – the plastic lens allowed light to leak in the camera body that created odd color palettes, slightly blurred photos, and low contrast and resolution – lent themselves to more artistic photographs. This allowed users to play with formats, pinhole shots and angles before Photoshop existed. Discontinued in the late 70s, the Diana gradually became a mantle-piece rather than a functional device.

Now, however, Lomography has reconstructed the Diana camera, bringing back the cheap plastic lens and its singular artistic abilities with a reconstruction that borders on obsessive. All the light-weight camera’s (perfect) imperfections remain intact on the new model, which offers variable shutter speeds, a removable lens for super-wide angle pinhole shots, 12-shot, 16-shot and several panoramic formats (creating both square and rectangular prints), and a commitment to photos with a color-drenched, dream-like quality. The 2010 Diana comes backed with a 2-year international warranty and retails for $60.

Spice up the bar at your next warm-weather gathering with the SodaStream Genesis, a simple machine that carbonates flat beverages, be it water, juice or a cocktail.

The Genesis requires no electricity, which means it doesn’t have to take up limited counter space, and by using it you eliminate extra bottles on the bar or around the house post party.

Finally, you can find a host of affordable concentrates on the SodaStream website that allow you to create your own colas, tonics, fruit or energy drinks.