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

I miss you still

April 30, 2010~

Today is the first anniversary of the death of someone very special to me.

  I visited the place where we placed his ashes and said hello today

  as I do almost every day.

I remembered my dear friend with love...and forgot until tonight that today is the day he left us.

Is that bad, or good? I don't really know.

I will always love you, my dearest friend. I will never forget you....

The stone is at my marsh land bird sanctuary. The wetland park looks west, over a huge salt marsh and a saltwater bay---and towards the setting sun...

This is the text on the stone:

When the light begins to fade,

And shadows fall across the sea,
One bright star in the evening sky,
Your love's light leads me on my way.
There's a dream that will not sleep,
A burning hope that will not die.
So I must go now with the wind,
And leave you waiting on the tide.
When I leave and take the wing,
And find the land that fate will bring,
The brightest star in the evening sky
Is your love waiting far for me.

                                                                      7/1/o5

[The words on the memory rock are lyrics from a song by Celtic Woman. I believe the stone was set there as a 9/11 memorial, but I am not sure. Once upon a time, we could stand there on the edge of the marsh and see the WTC Towers far, far away---glowing in the setting sun like Oz. ]

       
love

   lizzy

  gone to the beach

April Showers/ April Flowers

I hate spring.

Anyone who knows me at all knows I hate spring, I'm not at all ashamed to admit it.

Spring is so---disappointing:

 There's a warm sunny day, you get out your shorts and bam! it snows.

Oh, sure, spring is pretty---

if it isn't snowing...

...or raining or blowing a nor'easter gale.

Even a sunny day...

can be frigid, with a 40 MPH " breeze" howling off a 40 degree ocean.

And we pore over the current catalogs, wondering despreately why LL Bean can't sell spring colored cashmere sweaters and gloves...
Wouldn't you love a cozy new sweater in say, cherry blossom pink? or pansy purple? Hyacinth blue, oh yes!

So yeah, I hate spring...love summer (beach!), adore autumn (pumpkins!), really really like, almost love winter (quilts, knitting, snow days, hot chocolate. Christmas!),

but let's face it,

Spring sucks.

And here at the beach, it can last until July!

But the flowers are pretty.

right?

love
                lizzy