It's That Tme

At some point you need to stop collecting and start creating.  This week I pulled ALL of my beads and findings that I've been stashing for ages and got them organized.  Let's just say that I have way more than I even realized.  It feels great to know that you won't judge me for buying this haul before I ever knew what I'd eventually do with them.

I made a couple of necklaces this week but I was mainly playing around to practice some basic skills that I've recently learned.  I found out right away that tools matter!  I'm getting more comfortable with linking in vintage pieces that never thought they'd be involved in a necklace in their lifetime. 

Here are a few of my favs...

Love the color of these and all the fun shapes...

The silver ones are plastic but I'm not above working them in somehow if it feels right...

And fnally last Sunday's flea market purchases to work in to future necklaces...

I'm going to get back to my to-do list for today.  I took today off work so my list is all fun.  So far I walked around the lake, had an egg souffle while I read a trashy novel, shopped the new Target for kids clothes, had a lemon lime Icee and went to the bead store.  I still need to craft, take a bubble bath, nap, load the car up for the drive-in and pick up a custard pie to take to my parents for dinner.  Not necessarily in that order :)



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Blazing A Hot Trail

I'm 100% positive that I looked like a tremendous dork when I blazed a hot trail to a vendors table at last months flea market after spotting this from a far.  I LOVE purple and yellow together.  Of course this soda was well before my time but I'd never heard of it. 

What am I going to do with it you ask?  I think I'm going to cart it from store to store with me until I can find glass bottles that fit inside.  I thought a grouping of them in the center slots would be beautiful with some fresh flowers.  Once I'm hooked up I'll share how it turned out.

Flea Market Review {Part II}

I didn't realize how much more I bought at Sunday's flea market that I didn't get to show you. 
 

I love these old plastic reindeer.  I passed up a bunch of them because I was specifically looking for the frosty pink ones with tinges of aqua.

I took more time this month to pick through paper, something I normally get bored with pretty quickly.  I found some great album frames, german scrap, french papers and pharmacy labels...

These itty bitty muffin tins were my find of the day.  They are from a childs baking set.  I didn't take a picture of the teeny utensils and rolling pins.  Each one of these fits in the palm of your hand.  Fabulous storage for little items and supplies. 

And the suppository tin....what can I say, it's the prettiest shade of olive green.  Nothing that a few paper scraps can't cover right?

I couldn't not buy these snowmen toothpicks.  Also in the same bunch were a bunch of santas, not quite as cute but hey, it's vintage honeycomb and what's not to love?  {P.S. Shawn, don't be sad, I have some of these put away for you}

Hmmm...compote purchases two months in a row.  I'm finding that I love these...

A delightful old box of colorful spools...

What's a Sugar Prune? I have no idea but I bought this stamp and have been calling my daughter that all week. She loves it.

This button card shaped like a shirt was too cute to pass up.

And last, I found more of these from the same guy that I bought them from last month. They're just scrumptious.

So that does it!  I have another fun find from an Etsy seller that I'll share with you tomorrow that I think you'll love.

December Flea Market Review {Part I}

I lost battery life right after I took the first picture of my flea market finds for today so this will be 1 of 2 posts on what I brought home.  I loved every minute out there today, Christmas was in full force and I had the best time rifling through boxes of ornaments and old holiday decorations.  Here are a few of my favorites.  I love the twisted ornament and it's rare when I pass up a faded purple bulb, they're just not as easy to find.  I have several of the bumpy indented ornaments so I almost left this one behind but at the last minute I took it {well I didn't exactly take it...I did pay for it}. 

There were bottle brush trees galore, but then again, there are bottle brush trees galore in my garage waiting to be flocked so I only picked up one.  And funny...the picks, well I had them in my hand and the lady whose space it was came over and got, seriously, almost nose to nose with me and told me that they were a great deal.  I bought them partially because I liked them and partially because I got the impression that she was going to use the money to fund her breakfast burrito :) 

Flea Market Bag Before Pictures

There was one other item that I bought at Sunday's flea market that I didn't show you.  I found this great over the shoulder bag that was ripe for jazzing up.  This is for sure, the before picture.  There are times when I flea market and I don't want to yank around my rolly cart with a bum wheel.  More often than not I leave with just a few things that could be put in a bag like this.
 

I love the long straps so that you can wear it over one shoulder across your body.

I don't think this picture really shows how many great pockets it has inside.  I believe that it's some kind of military bag because it's stamped inside with ink and they had lots of them in various conditions from well used to almost new.  This is a different color than I ever choose to work with so we shall see what happens!

Give-a-way Winner & Today's Flea Market Finds

Before my flea market review I'd like to congratulate the winner of the Martha Stewart Craft Station, a one Miss Susan Lacis!!  Thank you to everyone who left a comment and stopped by to put their name in the drawing. 

It wasn't looking good for today's flea market right up until I went to bed last night but I remained hopeful.  Not only did it turn out to be beautiful and sunshiney, I also got to go with my sister and her sister and mother in law and niece.  I wasn't looking for anything in particular today with the exception of small metal tins {more on that later}.  I found the trophy above to hold my paint brushes.  I think I will pass on the scary baby head that holds them now.  My kids will completely appreciate that decision since it freaks them out.

Now this...in all the time I've been flea marketing I have never seen one of these egg holders.  I thought it was just darling however it was WAY overpriced.  I ended up buying it anyway.  I won't tell you how much or you'll consider me super frivolous. 

You'll be seeing this again used for the purpose I bought it for.  Think shot glasses dropped into those holes with various buttons, small bits, etc....

This brings us to miscellaneous.  It's completely my intention at this moment in time to send out those vintage Christmas cards.  The tins I mentioned earlier are for the January class at my studio.  In 2012 I'm going to be centering 1/2 my classes around decorative storage for organization.  The January class is called Precious Metals.  I'll post more on that in the upcoming months.

I really loved this compote.  And the few ornaments that I picked up today look so pretty sitting inside of it that I suppose I've begun decorating for the holidays as of today.

So if you think I was kidding about all the posts have some faith.  Girls I've got 4 posts in the hopper already!!!!!  GO ME!!!

The Latest & Greatest

With a lack of daylight after sports this week I haven't been able to take any decent photos to use in a post.  I didn't want that to hinder me any further from posting so I just snapped some tonight.   I haven't had a flea market review for awhile so I thought I'd share my latest and greatest.  This old Structo truck is adorable even though the towing mechanism on the back is long gone.  I love the tires.

I also found a great vendor that had a ton of Christmas ornaments out.  I will freely admit it, I'm a fussy vintage ornament girl.  Any old ones won't do.  I hand pick them out with no real criteria.  I just know the ones that I want when I see them.  Was that clear as mud?

I like where this is going...a fun Christmas display for sure this year.

Does anyone else keep Christmas ornaments out all year long {Colleen}?  Since I'm always looking for them I've been storing the ones I've bought so far this year in this glass canister. 

Why is there a doll leg in there?  It's the topper to my table top feather tree.  Turned upside down it's the sweetest accent to a tree.

I couldn't resist this old turquoise metal box.  The handle is really neat and the closure works great.

I will be on the PROWL for more of these tiny metal spools.  Apparently they had solder on them previously.  They are about 2x2 inches.  I could use 100 more of these.

Finally, my favorite latest, an old chipped up doll bed. 

Um.......what kind of crazy already has a doll mattress that fits the bed exactly?  ME!!!!!!

Fresh Stuff

Today's flea market was beautiful! It wasn't as crowded as usual, I heard a few times that lots of shoppers had gone to the Remnants of the Past show in Nipomo. We were camping this week and returned yesterday so I didn't feel up to the drive. Maybe next year. It was all for the best since I got some great big items this time. I had ordered the sign above from one of the vendors for my boys' room. Cute huh?

And this odd little wire settee was so cute I couldn't pass it up. I bought it for my daughters room but after seeing it in front of the window of my studio where I photographed it I might just leave it there. I need to have a piece of foam cut to fit and then I think I'll make a slipcover for it. Whether I leave it green or not is yet to be determined.

I've been wanting an old metal shopper to hold my wallpaper and it's a wonder I spotted this one in the corner of one of the booths.

I knew it would be cute and useful...

And on a completely different note is anybody else getting the "spring cleaning" bug? I've been cleaning, purging and painting around here. Isn't it funny how one day you just realize that all your towels have seen better days? I shipped the old ones off to the garage and did something new this year buying all white towels. When I wheeled my cart up to the register with this boatload of towels the lady at the register said, "We've got a bleacher!". Yep, we do now.

And then the towels led me to soap. These were so pretty I couldn't pass them up. You can't tell in the picture but one of the pump dispensers is half gone. That's because yesterday my two littles were in my daughters room and they pumped it all over her carpet and then poured a bowl of water on top. When I asked them what in the world they were doing they just stood there in their underwear and stared at me like they didn't understand the question. Then my husband rolled up on me in the hallway and asked me why I didn't know what they were up to. I just stood there in my pajamas and stared at him like I didn't understand the question :)

What A Fruitful Weekend!

Saturday Colleen, Val and I had a button adventure to write home about! The German glass buttons with the luster above are my favorites. It's the 80's girl in me that loves a good rainbow on anything. If I would have known I was going to have that big of a selection I would have went all out and wore my I Love Andy Gibb t-shirt {and I do love him just for the record}. I also picked up some glitzy metal and rhinestone buttons...

Let me say that under no circumstances should you ever turn down Colleen Moody if she wants to hang out. She is SO fun. She and Val and I had such a good time rummaging through boxes of button cards until our hearts were content. We followed it up with a great lunch at Sideboard. I hadn't been there and I had the best beet salad of my life.

On to my flea market buys today. I bought a few more buttons {I know, but what was a few more?}. That big convext glass button is bee-u-t-full.

Warning: To die for millinery coming up...

Some odds & ends...

This old and abused tackle box is not as bright as it appears to be in the photo. It's the perfect color blue for me...

You girls that are going on the July camping retreat are getting a peek at your substrate for one of your classes...

I'm not a fan of red but I was partial to this tray for my market area at classes. Nice that things can be on top of and underneath it...

So there you have it. A fruitful weekend indeed!