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Good morning! We had couple of nice days but now winter is back, along with a sudden migraine. Cold and spitting rain, 40* , 100% humidity, 25 mph wind off the ocean which means a windchill of about 30 degrees. Brrr, get out the snow pants, I tell myself.
Friday was similar, a perfect day for the indoor Church flea. And, Yes! There was parking.
The lot had half a dozen open spaces, which is plenty, even for me with my hard to park Jeep. I am not one to be on time ever, let alone early, but I got there 15 minutes before the ladies opened the big double doors to the gym. I stood in line with about 30 other folks, all grumbling and stamping their feet like impatient ponies at feed time.
The doors opened on the dot of 2---late opening time on preview day. We surged inside.
The dollhouse is still there!
This time I took note of the price tag.
Previously I probably blocked it out of my mind because it is so ridiculous. It's darling and enticing, but even with the [cheap craft shop] furniture and waxy zombie dad doll, it's not worth $150.oo. (I'd go maybe $25.oo?)
It needs a flip! A rehab.
Look at these awful parquet floors, I thought, pretending to be Christina, the impossibly skinny but beautiful blonde Flip or Flop girl.
"The wallpaper is good." says the guy, I forget his name, Turk?
''I love how the stairs are functional.''
''And the finished attic space. Your handmade furniture would look so great here,
Lizzy."
"There's no kitchen," I pretend to waffle.
"Pffft!" answers Christina.
Good thing I have nowhere to put the house. It is true to 1" scale but is huge. I walked away, looking for other finds. Lots of treasures this week.
A stack of blue and white dishes of many types.
A lovely sepia gravy boat with attached drip platter c.1900. English Staffordshireware, transfer design. Great autumn motifs, pheasants, not turkeys? Wild turkeys? c.1890-1900.
Grey-blue polka dot plates.
More transferware, called People in Victorian Etchings series, repro. But nice, like Currier and Ives calendar pics. Each of four had a different scene.
Nice engraved border. Note the bold and sporty young lady on this plate, with her fancy carriage and fine horses. It's like she is driving a Victorian Porsche. On the beach?!
Lovely mid-century modern teak Dansk candle holders, large for pillar candles.
Lacy linens. No quilts, sheets, pillowcases, no papier mache German Easter eggs. There was a stack of vintage needle craft magazine but one lady hoarded the stack and I never got a look. Another woman had a pincushion sewing tomato in her shopping basket. I could hardly restrain myself from snatching it out for my so far tiny collection.
So what did I get? How much did I spend? I spent an extravagant $1.50.
A tray from a Blue Willow tea set, popular since Victorian time for dolly tea parties.
This is a 20th century [1950s?] version from Japan, not an earlier English piece. But one dollar.
I collect random pieces of the miniature china, mostly pitchers and jugs.
And a little primitive wooden house for my Cape Cod village set.
Shown here with the Illinois Main Street village, but not appropriate because i think a Chandlery sold rope and tar for sailing ships.
The Cape Cod village is huge with really-existing houses, a grist mill, a harbor, two lighthouses, and the Brewster General Store. It only comes out at Christmas. Both villages made by my dad. This little house is signed and numbered, do we think it is really one of 16,000? It looks so handmade. Well worth 50 cents.
So that's the treasures. Next flea in three weeks, after Easter, I can't wait.
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In other flea-ing news, you may recall my friend Bea's finds in PA, the blue and white Chinese bowl for $8, and I said I'd have bought it. [below, left]
She went back and got it! For herself, she collects blue and white too. Not Chinese; marked: "China Blue/ Fine Porcelain/ Exclusively for Seymour Mann". More research needed. Good find. I'd plant it with spring bulbs for my holiday table if I were her. I love how the inner scene is a village.
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On the home front, Mo was under the weather.
We think it was separation anxiety, poor mite. Now he is somewhat better but hiding under my feet here, in hopes he doesn't have to go out in the rain. And, swap doll quilt is mailed, what a relief. I hope it pleases.
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Last thing to share: If you can shop at Trader Joe's, this soba/ buckwheat noodle stirfry kit is lovely Good firm noodles, though oddly vacuum packed, just microwave 30 seconds then separate w two forks. [Don't overcook, they get icky and gluey.]
Lovely fresh crispy veggies--I especially liked the Savoy cabbage and the bok choy, with a spicy ginger sauce. Takes all of six minutes to prepare! Add sliced leftover chicken or steak, or cubed tofu if you need more servings or more protein. I could eat this every night!
Have a good week.
love
lizzy
gone to the beach...
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