GLORIOUS FLEA MARKET HOW YOU TORTURE ME SO!


Sunday was a spectacular day of sun and beauty and grandma offering to babysit so I could thrift in peace at the World’s Greatest Flea Market. Jacinda and I have dueling flea market scores and regrets from our visits to Canton (for her) and the Rose Bowl (for me).

My flea market strategy is to take a picture of whatever I like, then sit down with a diet coke and review the pics when I’m done browsing. If I still like it and it’s still there, I figure it was meant to be and I’ll get it.

Well I was TIRED AS HECK after 5 hours stomping about the furniture and doo-dad section of the flea market, so I ended up letting a lot of stuff go and only taking home a few treats. Good for the wallet, but now I have regrets. I did get business cards though, most of them are local, and they’ll be back next month. Take a look at what I left behind and tell me what to try to hunt down next time. PLEASE!

Check out many weird and wonderful flea market finds after the jump…

Kinda wished I had bought this “P”. I want to put a P and a B on my office wall, but they didn’t have a B. In fact, of all the booths with letters, no one had any B’s – is this a sign that B is an unpopular letter, or a really popular letter? Anyway, I have since decided that an unmatched P and B would be great, and wish I had picked this one up. I’m probably over-thinking this, right?

I have been wanting a 60’s set of glasses like this, with the carrying stand, for about four years, but I never find exactly the right one (i want one with an ice bowl in the middle and short, round glasses). I decided that this time I would just pick one and bring it home, because I usually see 40 or 50 of them at the show, but I only found this one and it just wasn’t quite right. Anyone know where I can find some of these sets?

Bashful Owl necklace, sorry we didn’t pair up.

I want a vintage fan for my office, but I saw so many the choices overwhelmed me, as did the prices. It’s an old fan! It’s not worth $200!

I totally want to make grain sack pillowcases, but I do not care whether my grain sacks are “vintage” nor whether they are “european” and the fact that the sack is priced at about thirty times what the grain costs concerns me.

AAAA!!! Piles of vintage bottles in all colors. I wanted these lavender ones so much, but I kept trying to imagine what I would do with them, and you sort of need a lot of them to get the effect, and they are sort of just asking to be shattered by a toddler, so I didn’t get any. Regret. Just one with a flower from the garden in it, by the bathroom sink or some such would bring such a smile to your morning, no?

Adored these vintage embroidered tea towels. Started to imagine how I would never use them for fear of ruining them, much like I am with these amazing family hand me downs, and then somehow convinced myself out of purchasing them. Now i think they could have made an awesome quilt or tablecloth!

Child size rocking chairs! $40! i kept trying to find the perfect one to repaint and ended up not getting any. But there will be more right?

Thought about getting s an old school desk for the Craft Room Redesign Project, but then I remembered that I hated these desks in school because you couldn’t take anything out of them without everything on top sliding onto the floor.

So many awesome hanging lamps. But that requires an electrician or some such. But a girl can fantasize.

First I saw a tiny black doll carriage for $60. Then a green one for $30. Then this one for $40. Then I wanted them all for Scarlet. Then I picked the one I would get. Then it was gone, so I decided it was a sign to get none. She has so many push toys already! But what little girl wouldn’t ADORE something like this? Jeez, totally kicking myself on this one.

I desperately want an outdoor bed. How nice would this be in the garden? But then there’s the whole mattress issue.

Then I started imaging an ACTUAL bed outside. Wouldn’t that be nice? But again with the pesky mattress problem.

Look, a cage for children!

Wait, someone already thought of that:

I kinda wish I had bought this tiger head because it has a hole in the back to hang on a wall. prudent dad would have liked it.

One day I will save enough to buy Carleton a beautiful, working phonograph.

A pile of findings, bakelite and other goodness. I bought a giant $5 bag of buttons.

Doilies! I picked up a few red & white ones for $1 each. I have probably 50 doilies though, not really something you need that much of. But I just can’t help imagining all the hard work that went into them, a woman sitting on a cozy chair by a fire working away while her family plays around her and everyone drinks cider and is jolly and warm. At least, that’s what it looks like in my head and every time I take one of my doilies out I see that image and I like that. And that kind of happiness only costs a dollar!

Vintage table linens. I found one I LOVED but it was $50. I couldn’t do it. I still dream about it though. It was a map of california in blue and red – gorg.

I did buy this viking glass dish to put on my desk. The seller told me it was worth $250 but I didn’t really believe her. I paid $20. I just had to have it. Any viking enthusiasts out there have info about it for me?

Always look at the turquoise watches, but yet to buy one.

I wish I had bought this stool, so perfect for a little desk for s in the craft room.

This is my single biggest regret. I went back to find them at the end of the day but I got lost and couldn’t find the booth and needed to use the bathroom. I hope they are there next month. They were $20 each. I thought they were $20 for the pair so I was sad and walked away, but in retrospect that seems like a reasonable price for something so cool. All the joy of a beautiful bird and birdcage, but no one has to have their wings clipped!

So, whaddya think? Does any of this stuff need purchasing next month??

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27 Comments

Magpie Mimi

Those birdcages at the end, the stool and the day bed I think would be the best buys. You're a Prudent Mama, you can whip up a mattress for the day bed in no time! Just make some square cushions and then lots of scatter cushions, maybe made with some of the doilies as decoration? Did you ever see the wedding dress someone made that was decorated with doilies? Sorry can't remember where I saw it but it was amazing!

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Jessica

I love that little stool, and the old school desk. I just this week saw an amazing before and after of one of these, but now I can't remember where…

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teatimewithmandy

I have a vintage Calfornia map tablecloth! We bought a house last year that was built in 1928, and we bought it from the estate with most of the "junk" still inside. I wondered if that tablecloth was worth anything! Now, I need ideas for what to do with it instead of keeping it folded up in the dining room buffet.

I love the birdcages. Those are really cool.

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Yvonne

Love the cage for Children!!!
I may just have to go next month – Wouldn't that be a fun field trip!!!
~Yvonne
OneCreativeMomma.blogspot.com
OneCreativeMomma at yahoo dot com

Reply
Erica

As for the rocking chairs, I saw child sized rocking chairs in red or black at HomeGoods here in the southland for $35 today. I almost picked one up but we live in the tiny-ist of apartments. So, just check there if the Rose Bowl doesn't have them next month.

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Shavone

Let's see… I'll have 3 glass bottles, a Bashful Owl, an outdoor (day) bed, and really all I need it just the SEAT of that stool..!

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Suzanne

The child-sized rockers are WAY over priced! There's one at my Goodwill right now for $10 that looks exactly like the one in the middle. We already have four child-sized chairs or I would have picked it right up.

Tell you what, I'll go buy it tomorrow and trade you for that child cage. My, uh, friend needs one.

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Coco

Wow, that looks like the most awesome flea market in the world! You totally should have bought the floral seated stool, it's gorgeous.

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Patti

How about an air mattress for the outside bed? I've always wanted one as well and this is my plan to get around the mattress issue

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Bridget

I have that same pram! It was my childhood toy. My kids never play with it, and it just sits and gets dusty in our garage. Sigh. It makes me so happy to read so many people admire it.

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Dakota

Jaime- I personally know the AWE of the rosebowl flea market, for I yes, I used to live about a block from it in the most awesomest house ever. But then i moved HERE. And now i no longer enjoy the splendor. I miss that place. Its so friggin GREAT AND PRETTY. i have sooo much jewelry and other paraphernillia from there. GRRR. Next time, enjoy it for me too. Lol. i <3 PASADENA!! btw, been to The Hat? If youre down for some greasy goodness, enjoy their chillicheese fries with your kiddo and the hubby. Its DEFINITELY ENOUGH TO SHARE AND HAVE LEFTOVERS.. ๐Ÿ™‚

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Alex

My mom got me a baby stroller like that when I was little. I swore it was haunted. There's nothing more terrifying than being about 6 years old on a stormy night with that creepy thing casting all kinds of shadows on the wall. I shudder just thinking about it!

I've seen vintage-ish looking fans at Target. Not as cute as the one you pictured, but also not nearly as expensive.

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ppags

Ok, here's a deal, if you get me the pram, I will get you the rocking chair. Then you can buy the stool and the birdcage to complete your purchases.

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jessecreations

Sometimes when I see the high prices on "vintage" items, like the grain sacks, it cracks me up to think of the people who used them to actually hold GRAIN and how they would laugh at the prices some people will pay for stuff like that. Can you imagine if someone in the future paid $20 apiece for plastic grocery bags? HA! Anyway, I wouldn't have paid that for those, either. The dish towels are neat, though – I've seen cute tutorials online about turning a dish towel into a skirt for a little girl, so that would be really cute with some embroidered ones, even if you had to line them or pair them with a slip since they're white. I also think the little lavender bottles would have been really neat, and the baby carriage, but I'm sure you can find something like both of them next time!
Jess

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jessica

ummm YES! you NEED to buy that GORGEOUS rocking chair (the one in the middle) and that super cute stool!! (hmm… maybe i have a thing for chairs??)

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Seaweed and Raine

You NEED to get the lavender bottles! They are not only cheap, but you could use them for flowers, or buy some little corks and fill them with something wonderful to gift (and the recipient will get DOUBLE the pleasure!!!). I also think you need to go and get one of those rocking chairs… I am an adult, and I STILL want one after all these years. Scarlet would love it!
Nice find with the cool buttons! And what were those little glass disks next to the "P"? They were cool!

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Dani

my aunt has an old bed like that in her yard, but she took the legs off and planted flowers inside, get it? a flower bed! It looks lovely, is a wonderful conversation piece and a pun all in one! I dream of the day I can have a yard for one!

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