I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Flea Market Treasures

A dedicated treasure hunter will always find a venue! Right?
Lucky for me I was searching the tag sale listings--not that I do tag sales! [lines! early mornings! crabby people! other people's lives....] and noticed that the smaller alternate flea market was scheduled for this past Sunday. Teeny-tiny notice, under "Bazaars"---how, well, bizarre? This group seriously needs better publicity. And some fliers with  dates. Geez.

I call it the little flea market even though it has grown in recent years. It is held a few parking lots down from the "big" market and tends to have more crapola, less "fleas" as my daddy used to call what I designate as treasures.


None of my favorite antique sellers show up at this market. BUT, the wonderful man I call The Button Man is usually there! He sells very cool medium-vintage buttons, old bottles, graniteware, a few china teacups, some prims...whatever. And he always has a friendly smile and cheerful attitude.
Most of my finds yesterday came from his booth.  I found some Mason jars of old and new vintage.

I love the seaglass colors and the zinc lids. Here they are, already in use storing my newest sea salt bath collection.


I like to find charming old silver spoons, especially baby spoons, but also sugar or berry spoons, to use with the bath salts. Since the salt corrodes the silverplating, I tie a bit of ribbon or twine around the neck of the jar, add a seashell or a button to the bow...and stick the spoon casually through the ribbon.
And I love these old-time-y clothespins!

Some of the  clothespins look hand-whittled! And the others have the neat old wire bails.....


The wood colors and textures are so wonderfully primitve. I stuck them in the glass heart mold and love the look...even though the heart mold was /is intended for a white pillar candle and a bunch of seaglass or white beach pebbles...and the clothespins were purchased for some nebulous idea of tags and bows on something textile (a heart sachet for the laundry room? a soap? not sure yet, they remind me mostly of wooden Hitty dolls)...

The glass mold is very cool too! I'm wanting a tin mold but for $2.50 I'll take the glass heart and be happy!


Finally, a few scraps of decommisioned rosary bead chain, great colors, old glass beads...I'm thinking a couple of charm bracelets---a heart locket? A silver sanddollar? with multi-chain strands....


So---no linens, no lace, no transferware---but a Sabbrett's hot dog truck! Wow! Next time I'm gonna get up the nerve to have me a hot dog and a root beer. I'll feel like I'm in PA!

All good things....and less than $20.oo spent to enjoy a sunny Sunday in May outdoors...searching for treasure.


love

                    lizzy


                               gone to the beach