Day Twenty Three: Flea market finds

This morning we visited the Annual Fair at a local retirement village. We wandered the stalls of jams, cakes and Nana handicrafts as we listened to the old ladies choir. But most importantly, we were there for bric brac.

Admittedly, it was slim pickings, luckily we went early and acted fast. I am very happy with our finds. I also bought 2 retro aprons for a dollar each, but they are in need of a good soak in the wash. The children didn't leave empty handed either, beads, rocks, a key ring, barbie furniture and a vintage toy horse all found their way home with us.



I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am by this pair of breakfast plates and cups. I love the pattern, I love the detail, I love how fine they are, I love that there is two and I love that they only cost me $1.00.

I even love the friendly old gentleman that sold them to me.



More excitement. Fifteen souvenir, linen tea towels from Australia and around the world. Collected but not used.



Last week I vowed that I would not buy any more books (I ran out of bookshelf room long ago) But I didn't have these and I did need them, really I did.



A chamber pot for the lounge room, it's a pity I ran out of money or I could have picked up a cheap plant from the plant stall to go in it.

Go here, to see what other treasures have been found this week

Take a look here to see who else is participating in blogtoberfest.

Flea market finds...

We almost didn't go.

But I'm glad we did.

It was a quick fix, but we like that.



Yesterday morning with only an hour to spare, we went to Grandma's church garage sale. We spent $4.50 and bought this: A cream bowl, you can never have to many; a tiny enamel cup, too cute to leave behind; a small jug - made in South Africa, you can never have too many of those either; 2 melamine egg cups in perfect retro colours.

Spunky Monkey picked out the marmalade jar, not really my style, but for 50 cents, who was to argue. It has grown on me since getting it home, I can't wait to make some marmalade and put it on our breakfast table. Look how good it looks with the egg cups!

Miss Moo Moo came home with a tiny (ugly) glass sculpture, a small wicket basket that is now a bed for her dolls and two pairs of dolls shoes that seem to fit nearly all of her dolls. She is very happy with that.



But wait there is more...... included in our $4.50 spend was this $2.00 cookbook. Although the cover is ripped, I don't think that it has ever been opened. It is a gem, if you only ever had this book only on your shelf you would eat very well. It has been such a nice surprise to flick through it's pages and discover it's delights. I only bought it because of the name:

"Mrs Appleyard's Family Kitchen - A Treasury of Vermont Country Recipes"

Doesn't that name just epitomise all that is wholesome and good?



Go here, to see what other treasures have been found this week

Books and blankets

Some of my op shop finds from the last couple of weeks.



Firstly - two, like brand new, lolly pink wool blankets. I didn't need them, but for $8.00 each I could not leave them in the shop.























Secondly, some new (old) books. I have been avoiding the book section in op shops for ages as I have run out of bookshelf space. No problem, they are now piling up on the children's bedside tables.



I could not resist these finds. The eat your carrots book is a scream:



Eat your carrots, Sally



Please Sally, don't pick your nose



Clean your teeth, Sally



Put your bike away, Sally



Don't play with the television, Sally



(the picture here is of an old eighties TV with dials and knobs - I was always being told this)







And not really blankets or books, just some pretty patterned flannelette pillow cases - 50 cents each.



Go here, to see what other treasures have been found this week

Flea market finds...

I visited just one op shop this week.

Miss Moo Moo insisted we go, she was on the lookout for 'Cinderella gloves'. We were able to find a pair of beautiful gloves that are wrist length, not gloves that go past the elbow like the ones Cinderella wears to the ball, but she is happy enough. I have not been able to get them off her.

But is she as happy as her mummy? I don't think so.

My collection has me skipping around the house.

A cast iron milk saucepan in excellent condition, perfect for hot chocolate making, $4.00. A vintage pillow case, 50 cents. Eight, never been used, Irish linen napkins - with shamrocks! $5.00. Just what I wanted for our Irish themed St Patrick's Day dinners. And two sweet afternoon tea napkins, again, never been used and for $1.00, why would I leave them there?

I hope you had happy op shopping this week too, if you are that way inclined.

Go here, to see what other treasures have been found this week

Flea market finds...

A couple of weeks ago I needed to go into town to get a new tyre for the car. It just so happens that along the same road there are seven op shops.

Oh happy days. I had so many good finds, this is part one: Retro finds

Cute retro tea towel (above) that I plan to turn into a shopping tote.



I love this beautiful silky oak platter, 40 cm in diameter. I almost didn't get it. I'm glad I did because when I got it home - it is perfect. $4.00



Stylish, simple and never used. This wooden salad bowl and servers , $7.00







But here we are..... the piece de la resistance!

Here is what all the excitement is about. This time last year I became a little obsessed at finding a vintage fondue pot. I searched e-bay and found some great fondue sets in bright orange and yellow. The only problem: the ones I fell in love with were either in America or the UK. The postage was not something I could justify at the time.

I have been thinking about fondues again recently. It's that time of year. On the day I bought this fondue set I was in my first op shop and saw a cast iron one for $15:00, it wasn't the kind I was really looking for and I thought that $15.00 was bit too much, I was in an op shop after all. So I left it there, thinking I might go back. Then I walked in the next shop and nearly fell over. Here it was! $6:00, made in Austria, never used. The forks were still in the original box. I scooped it up and quickly took it to the counter while I continued to look around.

My only regret is of all of those other op shop outings when I have left sets of never used fondue plates on the shelves.

So my search continues. But plates or no plates, I think that there might be some fondue making appearing on my new blog sometime soon.

Come back next week to see the rest of my finds from that day. Part two: pretty and girly.

Go here, to see what other treasures have been found this week.

Flea market finds...

There hasn't been a lot of op shopping happening around here lately...... but this week I am happy to show off two my latest finds.

The sweet little aqua enamel teapot was found at the markets this morning for $2.00. And the sugar canister, made in Czechoslovakia was bought during our road trip from a very lovely lady in a very lovely shop. I don't even care that it is missing it's friends or it's lid. It cost $3.00 and I am a very happy girl.

Go here, to see what other treasures have been found this week.

Editors note: If you are popping over from 'her library adventures' I'm sorry to mislead you (not sure what happened??) but there are no vintage sheets here this week. I hope you are not too disappointed

Flea market finds...

This week the op shop came to me. My aunt rang to say she had something for me, she is a Salvo's volunteer. I was ecstatic to find she had four sets of vintage sheets and a shoebox full of embroidery thread.

Happy days!



Not sure what to do with the sheets, I am already using one for our afternoon tea tablecloth. On Friday afternoon we made jam tarts filled with homemade plum and peach jam. As you can see, my two little monkeys could not wait for me to take the picture.





The jam tarts recipe is from another op shop find from years ago. At just 20 cents, this Fifi's World Magazine has been well worth it.

Go here, to see what other treasures have been found this week.

Flea market finds...

Last Sunday, I spent a few lovely hours wandering around an antique fair with my mother-in-law. It was a happy diversion from a busy week. It was really nice looking at everything together and hearing stories of things that she remembered from her childhood.

Unfortunately their were no ATM facilities at the grounds were it was held.



I only had enough money for a cappuccino, a piece of date and ginger cake and some vintage buttons.

The rest I have to dream about.

Oh, lovely linens, Clarice Cliff breakfast set and Carlton Ware salad plates. How sad that I had to leave you behind.

Go here, to see what other treasures have been found this week.

Flea market finds...

I am wanting to make a quilt (yes, my first quilt) from vintage sheets. I probably already have enough to make it, but I am always on the lookout. This week I found these sheets at a local op shop. I didn't realise until I had got them home that they were both sets. It seems a waste to cut them up, so I have decided that Miss Moo Moo can have them for her bed - for now anyway.



She was thrilled and as soon as I washed them, I made up her bed. Here is Betty, testing them out.

Go here, to see what other treasures have been found this week.

Flea market finds...

My aunt gave me this gorgeous apron for Christmas. I absolutely love it.





So imagine my excitement this week when I found this one at the op shop. It is exactly the same pattern, with similar handiwork. I love, love, love it. I don't think either one has ever been worn.



I feel a strong urge to bake cookies and slices, so I guess it was lucky that I also found this book for 20 cents. I think I might just be well on my way to becoming a fifties housewife.

A big thanks goes to my little model. It is impossible to photograph yourself wearing an apron. Miss Moo Moo was very patient with me. My special little helper.

Go here, to see what other treasures have been found this week.

Also....

Would you like to make a doll or softie for the Queensland Flood Appeal Dolly Drive? There is still plenty of time. The close date is the 18th of March. We would love you to join us. Please read more on my original post.

Flea market finds.....

I'm joining Sophie's 'flea market finds...' this week.

I haven't been op shopping since before Christmas, but these plates have been sitting right here, next to the computer since then. You see, I don't actually have a spot for them . I knew that at the time, and it is the reason that I don't buy plates and platters anymore. But I just had to have them. I was waiting for Mr Moo to complain about antique platters balancing on top of the printer. Then one day I came in and found a 'post it' note stuck to the pile of three plates with the soft green edge.

"These remind me of the ones on my Grandma's farm" So, it seems, that it is no problem.

As I write this and think of Grandma's, I am thinking of this photo that I saw earlier today.

I stumbled across 'the house that A-M built' blog, for the first time and was stunned by the pictures of West End...... the tears started again. All of the pictures on this blog are of places that we know so well. We lived in Brisbane for nine years. If you know it, we lived in Tarragindi and Cooparoo, worked in Woolongabba and spent all of our free time in West End.

Brisbane, so close to my heart.

Back to Sophie, please have a look at her shop, filled with cute brooches - very affordable. All proceeds from her sales in January, will be donated to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal. Good for you Sophie!