Fit to Flea

Whew!

 Talk about tired...

I'm not fit to flea!

The yard sale at Paula's home was loads of fun.

A big thank you to all the neighbors, blogger friends, lurkers...

 and even self proclaimed stalkers :)

...who made time to come.

We loved meeting you all!

Suzanne, Janet, Debbie, Kim, Mary and Denise ...

...and those whose names escape me ( so sorry )...

Wish we could have hung out together a little longer!

The weather held out on Saturday and

many folks took a walk out back and toured Paula's gardens.


The photos here show a lot of the treasures Paula was selling and an old iron crib that our friend Kathleen has for sale.
I should have taken a picture of Paula's charming crib turned daybed ... it is fitted with a ticking covered cushion and sits in her living room...there probably is a pic of it somewhere in a previous post.

The yard sale was fun...

...relaxed, comfortable and so very civilized...

(as compared to the flea market)

We finished cleaning up after the sale and packed our cars full

 for the flea market on Sunday.
Then our good friend Deanna from the incredible shop Gather in Ivoryton stopped by and we relaxed with a glass of wine
 before our delicious dinner. 
Thank you Bill! 

It was early to bed as we got up at 4:00 a.m. 

Did I mention that I was tired?

Did I happen to tell you that I'm not used to all this

 lugging, packing, setting up and taking down,

and the worst...

 negotiating a sale...

?

I mean seriously when you tell someone your price is $2.00 for five perfect creamy white doilies and they say, "I'll give you $1.50"...

Well,

 I'm exhausted.

So, the idea of an online shop is sounding better and better...

As much as I love to shop a flea market...

...apparently, I'm lacking the required physical stamina and the unique negotiating skills needed for the other side of the table.

As a buyer, a friendly smile served me well.  

As a vendor...not so much!

There are some seriously talented bargain getters out there!

Sigh...I am no match.

...it's so much more fun to search out and buy treasures

 than it is to sell them.

I found myself just a little bit cranky at the flea market.

Sorry Paula!

But it was great to see Suzanne, Janet and Debbie again...
...they had a marathon weekend of flea shopping fun!


And it was great to meet Debra of  Capers of the Vintage Vixens!
She was shopping with cute as a button, little Stella who had just found a vintage Barbie
 with a bag full of delightful handmade vintage clothes!
We were playing Barbies and trying on clothes right there at the flea...what fun!

And it was wonderful to see our dear friends Evi and Ebbie
 who were at the flea searching for the perfect mirror for their newly renovated and decorated bathroom.
 I can't wait to see it!

Well, at least I got rid of a lot of good junk treasure!

:)

Hope it was a fun weekend for you too...

and that the week ahead brings all good things! 

Mildred and Talulah Break Out! ...and a Huge Sale!

Earlier this week, when the sun was shining...

Mildred Grace, one of the girls...tiptoed out onto the deck to let the early morning breeze take a bit of dust off her shoulders.

It was so lovely out...the pink and white dogwoods, the apple blossoms, the lilacs and cherry blossoms were all at their peak.

Mildred Grace called out to her BFF, Talulah Rose....

who promptly rolled out and joined her to see the 

spring splendor in the back yard. 

They whispered a few words...

...and before you know it...

...those naughty girls!

Doing what I can to amuse myself whilst the rain doth fall.

Good thing I took lots of pics when the sun was shining this week!

This is why it is important to keep sunshine in your heart...

...so it is ready to call on during rainy days.

Needless to say...

I woke up to the sound of thunder this morning and...

...the flea was cancelled for today.

That's OK.

Paula and I have other plans...

...like a giant yard sale at her charming home in Connecticut!

...and if there is anything left...

then we will do the ET flea on Sunday.

After all these years of antiquing together....Brimfield, Madison Bouckville, local fleas and such...it is time to clear out some treasures to make room for new objects of desire, time to change some things up and get our hands on some cash!

So, if you are in the Essex, Old Saybrook, Ivoryton, Deep River, Chester, Centerbrook, CT area next Saturday....you are in luck...

...we are having a fabulous sale!

Paula's home is chock a block full of vintage garden and architectural objects... old shutters, windows, corbels and such.

I am not sure exactly what she has decided to part with yet but to get an idea of the kinds of things she decorates with...

Click   HERE, HERE,  HERE and HERE and especially
 HERE 

 to see some posts featuring her beautiful farmhouse.

I will be packing my van full of vintage smalls... 

wire ware, enamelware, dishes and good old American junk

 and trucking it all to Paula's home for the weekend.

There is lots to do this week to get ready!

Hope you can make our sale!

:)

Elvis at the Flea Market

It was a glorious morning at the flea market...
... cool but clear blue skies....
Elvis greeted me with...
"I'll have a blue blue Christmas without you"....



And that set the tone for this November market...
...lots of Christmas items!



...click to enlarge for a closer look!







Besides Christmas... there was other quirky merchandise for sale...
a collection of faucets...kind of funky and fun all piled together...



Lots of boxes and trays of assorted jewelry bits and bobs to sort through...
What could be more fun than this at 7:30 in the morning?
Hey, I'm usually on my way to the office at this hour.



Just a few pictures of odds and ends that came home with me...
...a sweet angel, a lonely vintage glass ornament...
(Elvis told me to buy them...50 cents each)



A pair of old ballet slippers that came out of an estate in Connecticut....
I really love these....I can visualize them hanging on the wall, perhaps with an old gilt frame around them...so feminine...so sweet and so pink!



a bottle from the late 1800's with an interesting pewter top...



Look at these pretty green transferware dishes....9 large plates and 3 small ones...I am hoping to mix them with my red transferware dishes at Christmas....





A well rusted pair of antique skates with vestiges of old leather....
...can't wait to create a winter vignette with these!!



Elvis let me take some of his blue blue Christmas music home with me...



This was on the dollar blanket....surely you can't blame me for claiming this prize....
...now close your eyes and picture just the right flowers arranged in this lovely old mug...



And the last to show in this post...two little silver plated trays....
...at fifty cents each...they will be just perfect for a certain project I have in mind...
Will show more of my fun finds next time...
Hope you enjoyed my early morning jaunt with Elvis at the flea market this weekend...
:) Laura

Last Flea at the Lake

I'm heading to the lake this weekend to meet a girlfriend driving over from Vermont and to go the Warrensburg garage sales and flea markets....
It's an annual affair and fun to trek around hunting for treasures!



The photos here show some of the finds I sent to the winners of my 200th post Give Back in August. These items were all found at the Madison Bouckville show where I shopped as the personal shopper for the winners.....
....so much fun!



So this weekend, I will be shopping for myself.....the Warrensburg event is much smaller but always fun as this little Adirondack town puts out all their junk and we flea marketing, yard saling scavengers happily paw through it all! I'm dressing in layers as the temperature has dropped and bringing my umbrella as rain is expected. On more than one occasion it has snowed this weekend at this sale!
... I hope you all have a great weekend! Happy Hunting!
Take care, Laura