Oh we had soooo much fun!
Hi everyone. Spring shopping is like spring cleaning but more fun. The day started with a plan to run errands with my friend L, just like old times. First on our list was to drop donations at the church for their sale. The market was only open for drop offs, or so we thought. A nice man came to help with L's boxes and we followed him inside to get new flyers with the 2023 schedule. Now usually the church ladies are very forbidding :"No peeking", but the man showed us the open door to the gym/ sales floor and waved us in. "Go on, go on, you can look, take a look!" L and I exchanged glances, shrugged and tiptoed in. Imagine a flea market all to ourselves. And I had not been to a flea market since before Covid, more than 3 years. [you may recall flea market hunting is my all time fava thing to do!]
Note the sign, "Good Stuff".
I think the guy was very proud of his Irish themed St Paddy's Day displays, so cute.
Imagine having shamrock themed bone china for your corned beef and colcannon each year.
Many fun things. I thought these cradles would be adorable painted a primitive color and filled with folded dolly quilts.
Esp loved the bow one.
Continuing the bow theme:
Flow blue bowl or cache-pot, redware hen w polka dots.
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More ''treasures'', noted not purchased.
There's always at least one truly ''white elephant" item at these sales! Seashell ornaments--the colors, omigosh.Note the price. What were they? Pretty blue striped linen runner under that bowl. And actually not a bowl, a nice farmhouse tin screen strainer? Glass starfish hidden behind it too. [below]
Sadly I had NO cash at all and L only one large bill to share. I did find two beautiful fishing floats.
and an unusually small Murano glass fish., $10.oo borrowed from L for everything.
L snapped up a beautiful cut crystal vase and platter.
Which she elegantly filled with Trader Joe finds.
We left happy, and promised to return soon with donations. I like giving to this church because the funds are used for community programs like nursery school, kids' sports, AA and other meetings. Not for profit like Goodwill, much as I enjoy Goodwill.
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We were so stoked by the fun of the flea that we went on a few miles north to check out a new-to-me spice store I see on Instagram. Their website is slick and enticing, so I was expecting a spice and tea shop like I loved in Brooklyn, all blond wood, green plants, fancy spotlighting, and airtight glass canisters of spices. Where I could find fresh sweet paprika that would be carefully spooned into tiny envelopes. Ha! Instead it was a parking lot where the Spice Guy from the farmers market sets up his van.
There's an outdoor display and a wish list; you fill it out and a few hours later knock on the back door where your order is handed to you [surreptitiously]. Nothing wrong with that really, quite entrepreneurial. But the jars are huge, like Costco spices. Maybe a big pint volume? That's enough paprika to last me twenty years, I laughed.
so no....
We went to Trader Joe's instead, a different smaller store. Oh do they have cheeses!
My current faves.
Lovely spring asparagus and artichokes.
And speaking of Brooklyn days, kibbee! That's for tonight, with a butternut squash couscous. [both kibbee and couscous were awful! Disappointing after big success of spring rolls and other treats.]
Flowers, esp the Irish daffodils I had been hoping for. $1.oo a dozen!
The sun is shining, Mo and I are on our way out. We were thrilled yesterday to find forsythia in bloom And very early daffodils in full bloom in a sunny, but sheltered spot.
love
lizzy
gone to the beach....
They're here! Oystercatchers arrived promptly on March 17. Pics are not mine. I hope to see them soon.
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Nothing much better than a visit to the local thrift ot "antique" shops in the spring. Love the glass floats you found there! We searched the beaches in Oregon for years looking for some washed ashore from the Japanese fishing boats but never found any. We went to our local shop this week and I came home with a quilt - not even particularly old but for $15 it was a steal. Looks great on the bistro table too. Your spring veggies look yummy too, we've been roasting lots of asparagus and potatoes lately, so good with coarse sea salt and rosemary.
ReplyDeleteI want to go to your flea market/white elephant sale! I don't know about the prices but it looks so beautifully organized and arranged. Those fishing floats are really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love Trader Joe's caramelized cheddar cheese. I think it's especially delicious melted on a sliced croissant.
Hooray for the oyster catchers! The buzzards (turkey vultures) return to Hinckley, Ohio, on the 17th, too. They are definitely not as beautiful as the oyster catchers (though they have a job to do and do it well).
That's a fun scribble journal page.
Wonderful that you could get out with your friend and get back to one of your favorite things to do. Looks like a wonderful church flea market and good causes to support too. How fun that you got a sneak peek! The fishing floats are very cool.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly had a splendid white elephant visit. The glass floats are such a beautiful colour and size. Everything looks so clean and thoughtfully arranged. It must have been a treat to have the hall all to yourselves.
ReplyDeleteOyster catchers and daffodils in one post is a joy.
You've make me want to go thrift shopping or antiquing. I don't need anything but when did that ever stop me from finding something special. I love the little Murano glass fish. It's so striking. I saw the first Mountain Bluebird of the year yesterday. It's no Oyster Catcher but it sure was pretty.
ReplyDeleteCan't say just how much I've enjoyed reading this post! Love your glass fishing floats, especially photographed with your collection of shells. Only found your blog a couple of days ago, a joy to read.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy going round your fleamarket. You bought wisely - they look lovely in your home.
ReplyDeleteWhat a disappointment the Spice Store was. We have a newly-opened (last year) greengrocers in town and she has a few of the mot popular herbs and spices on offer, to go into bags, but her fruit and veg are dearer than I want to pay. But my friend P (who comes from near London) thinks she is CHEAP!!
Fresh herbs and spices can be expensive, but worth getting small quantities for special dishes. I use the paprika for goulash, it's a main ingredient. Prices for most things are high here, as a friend pointed out--cost of living on the coast near a big city.
DeleteI'm pleased with the floats. I'll have to get out my whole collection this summer.