flea-tiquing

the calendar says we are in SPRING, but in actuality, it’s been freezing like the dickens the past few days.  idk what’s up with our crazy midwest weather, but i hope we can warm up to somewhere decent, like the low ’70s, please.  thank you.

yesterday was the season opener here.  but OMG, mother nature was not very nice… it was a rather wicked cold, windy & rainy day (well, 1st half anyway)!  like the true die-hard that i am, i ventured out to the flea… lemme tell you tho, it was brutal.  not very many vendors were set up and the crowds were low, which is pretty unusual as this flea has over 500 vendors typically and a foot traffic of thousands of peeps.  you’d think we were in the  middle of february or something the way i (& many others) were dressed.  ugh, i could hardly stand it, but i trudged on, as did others.  i felt bad for the vendors, especially the ones who did not have tents or tarps to cover their stuff.  this was a bit of a disastous opening day… but as i was getting ready to leave, the sun made an appearance.  however, by then, i was thoroughly chilled and all too ready to go home. 

(i spotted these & thought of those two dudes, mike & frank, from american pickers… as they would say, “MANtiques”… i liked the shamrock sign, but @ 75bucks, took a pass instead.)

anyhoo, between shivering from the cold and rain and trying to look at all these items, many of which were getting wet from the sporadic sprinkles of rain, i managed to find some “smalls”, as they say in the flea-tiquing biz.  i was not looking for anything large, though i did spot a vintagey plant stand, such as this one here>>>

i’m debating whether or not to use this for plants or as some sort of organizational unit for my art & craft stuff.  hmmm, for now, it’s residing on the back deck.

on the way home from the antique flea, i stopped by a thrift store & found some other “smalls”, like this sweet dressy bessy doll by playskool (c. 2001).  for a buck fifty, i just couldn’t pass it up.  now, i’ll have to go find a dapper dan from the same era so she won’t be without her companion.  do you remember playing with these delightful playthings when you were little?  i do.  yep, so many hours of enjoyment.  years later, i also remember buying a set for a niece & nephew when they were very small.  even now, i think these dolls are the sweetest things ever… talk about the timeless quality of these sweet dolls.  for me, they represent fond memories, comfort & practical learning all rolled into one.  i just LOVE that about them & things like them.  don’t you?

 

ok, i’m skipping ahead of myself…  let’s back up to the freezing flea-market adventure, shall we.  here’s what i was able to score, despite my fingers going numb in a few places, hehehe.

well, one good thing about the rain, all these purty & inventive plant displays are well-nourished!

i did have an eye out for vintage tea cups & saucers, but didn’t spot any until i saw this combo… however, it turned out to be a garden stake.  oh well, better than leaving without at least one tea cup set, even if it is for the garden.

aren’t these vintage doll hangers just the cutest?

of course, i couldn’t resist these vintage buttons…

these vintage toy people had no faces, but maybe one day i will repaint them & give them their faces 🙂

the minty green of these toy trees caught my eye & for a buck, why not?

these were next to the trees above, so for another buck, what the heck… i’m sure i can find some use for them…

the same dealer where i found the above “smalls”, also had a big bag of these… a deal for $5… way cheaper than buying a couple of new scrabble games 3x that price. 

in one of the buildings, i came across a new vendor who sold BLING BLING and other fun vintage (costume) jewelry…  she had a $4 table and i couldn’t believe these were in this pile!  check it out>>>

i asked the dealer why $4 & she replied that they are damaged in some way.

well, could’ve fooled me!

they need a gentle cleaning and only the bracelet was missing a rhinestone…can you see it?  no, i didn’t either.  you can’t even tell, right?

when i was ready to pay, the dealer said, let’s just make it $15.  i was like, wow, thank you!! & i thought $4 a piece was a good deal.

what started out to bea cold, dreary & gloomy day actually ended up being a not so bad afternoon.  still cold and windy…

but at least the sun came out.  & a little SUNSHINE is always good for the soul.