The First Flea!

Hi! I got an unexpected treat today---the outdoor flea market opened early!
Usually it opens the first weekend of April, but that will be Easter Sunday and Passover so the organizations that sponsor the flea are observing their holidays: no flea. Instead the market opened today! I'd been watching the market website and no date was yet announced, but late last night I had the idea to to try the Lions Club site and there it was---March 29, Opening Day!

crapola under the LIRR train trestle. Yay!

Of course it was still snowing last night. And today when I got up early with Mo the temp was 27* with a 17* windchill. Not very Flea. We went back to sleep. But later it was so sunny and bright, though cold, that I decided to drive over and check things out.
A good dealer turnout!

Even the hot dog man was there.

This dealer had the best treasures by far, I saw so many things I wanted on his tables.

The bright sun made it hard to take photos. He had a wonderful green fishing float.

A shabby , rusty, white painted Eagle, for quilt applique inspiration. Note how his ribbon wraps around his wings and flutters out to the sides! I think he was a doorknocker.

And these cool letters.

A sign with "my name" [my etsy  /eBay seller name] on it!

And he had this big collection of perhaps-vintage chocolate molds! (They were very shiny.[?] ) Really great figures. I didn't get pictures of the hen or the cat or the bunny with a basket cart that I wanted.

Even the tin box with the small molds was great.

They were VERY expensive. And since I hadn't planned ahead I had very little cash. I couldn't afford any of the larger figural molds.

But how could I pass up chocolate hearts? I always buy heart molds, tin or wood, or cooky cutters.

And we haggled a bit so I could bring home a bunny or two.

These are the little molds for foil wrapped chocolates probably. See how shiny they are? i'd hate to pay collector prices if they're recent and I could buy them at the kitchen supply store for .99 cents

outside

inside

I thought this bun had a basket but now I'm gonna guess a bunch of carrots?
Back home I dug out my two partial Easter molds. Both are eggs. A running rabbit and a rooster. They came with a batch of tin cooky cutters, I've had them for years.

So now I have a little collection going!

For now I just put them in a mulberry Staffordshire dish, to enjoy.

In retrospect I should have bought ALL his molds, as besides Easter motifs he had wonderful Santas and a large, standing, 3-D turkey. I think I could have bought them all for about 200.oo, though the man was a bit grumpy [long cold day?] and wasn't very much of a bargainer guy.

I told him maybe next time. Because now I really really want the Santas! Think how cute they'll be on a tiny Christmas tree in my kitchen next winter.

At another booth I bought a few utensils.

A very large scalloped spoon, what I call a mashed potato serving spoon. I'll use it to scoop up my lavender filling for my sachets. (The new batch will be lavender with lemon verbena and bergamot! So springtime-y and sweet!)

And a knife to experiment with, maybe the handle can work for another velvet strawberry pincushion?

Besides the molds: What Didn't I Buy ?[ sometimes my favorite part,lol]:
-a blue and white transferware plate, Bicentennial, flower border with monuments/ buildings and Revolutionary War soldiers marching with an American flag. Oddly with many stars. From 1976, of course.  English.
-And a vintage souvenir plate, pink lustre glazed china with pierced rim and tacky map of Cape Cod! I loved it!
My mother's spirit whispered in my ear, "Absolutely not!"
Then she added, "And don't buy the Land's End or Chico's pink capris either! Grown up women do not wear pink pants!".
(''Maaaa! Not now!")

I had to hustle home because I hadn't made a playdate for Mo. He was miffed. We took a long walk and visited the koi pond. It's been frozen solid, but a patch melted and there they were! The big orange koi, swimming happily under the ice.

Do they, what?--hibernate? I was so happy to see them. Mo was not impressed.

Sooo...whatd'ya think? Get the molds next time? Sell the dupes, extras, and  oddballs on eBay? $$$?

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

Quiet Time

Hi! This has been a delightfully quiet week here at the beach. Much as I love the summer busy-ness and friends and family galore, I also relish some quiet time alone.

Do you ever feel that way?

These photos were taken on a quiet late afternoon walk. It's been an oddly cool summer and even though the afternoons are often hot, in the eighties, by early evening the breeze has cooled things down.

The beach is filled with the returning gulls and their big dark ugly babies. Mosy of these gulls are herring gulls.

My beach is professionally cleaned by our town, mornings and evenings. But a midday high tide can leave a trail of not-pretty flotsam along the tideline. The lines of black are tiny empty mussel shells. They'll be gone the next day, only to return next summer as they hatch or whatever they do out there.

Gully wannabee. He came up to my chair and WAH-Wah!!, begged.

I think this is the real Gully in the background.

Maybe this is his or her bad baby?
A little Gully-in-training?

Unknown shellseekers, below. I saved this photo, thinking it would make a wonderful painting. I love the lack of color, just shades of khaki and grey---maybe just a bright spot of color, the boy's board shorts, or a sandbucket?

Back home, on the deck, I've been eking out a half hour each evening to sew on my Eagle block. Does it look less like a goose now? I redrew the eagle's head. [the stars inside the wreath are not as white as shown in the photo. But I may have to go back with tea and a paintbrush and darken it up.]

I am teaching Mo to sit beside me in his own chair!

He has a special Kong thing so he can hold his chew sticks by himself.

Unfortunately so far he thinks the game is Throw the chewy down for mom to retrieve. Stitch, stitch, pick up the chewy. Stitch, stitch. And repeat.

The eagle is about 1/2 done. Then there are the stars to be done this month. I think I will do them with a whipstitch, my compromise between too hard needle turn [too slow, I mean] and machine sewing.

I prewashed the corner triangles' reds the other day, and rinsed them in Retayne. I'm glad I did because they ran a lot even with the Retayne. I rinsed them until they showed clear rinse water. I hope that fixed the red dye! (Or disaster looms!?).

Have a great weekend! Here's hoping my blog friend Hunter weathers the hurricanes okay, in Maui!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach......