Gone To The Beach

Friday, May 9, 2014

First Farmers Market---Asparagus Season

decorative rosemary and French lavender

Hi everyone! This week our farmers market opened in town! I was excited, because as you know I love fresh foods and outdoor markets.

It was a cold brisk day. Not warm enough for the town's square's fountain to be filled, and you can see there's not a hint of buds on the big old sycamore trees.

But the market was busy and everyone seemed cheerful and happy to welcome this hint of spring.

Of course the market sells only locally grown (NY, NJ, PA) produce and products.

so sweet for Mothers Day! Love the orange!

Pickles:

Cheeses---must try!

A new guy with spices [maybe a local importer of?]....

This time of year our farmers offer mostly herbs and bedding flowers.

A few have greenhouses and they have fresh ripe tomatoes. A true luxury in May.

More herbs---beautiful large rosemary and lavender plants. They also had nice perennials, like Russian sage which blooms such a heavenly blue all summer.

more flowers...

The main food crops in season are---besides herbs---baby lettuces and spinach, plus my favorite asparagus.

Cut fresh that morning! I hope it lives up to its 5.oo a bunch exorbitant price.

I plan to make this recipe tonight.

I enjoy the market, love seeing the vendors, shopping outdoors in the fresh air. The prices though are often beyond my budget, which is too bad. I understand the growers [organic no less] have their overhead and travel expenses, they sit there all day...but at these prices I have to look at shopping there as a fun outing, like a movie or a margarita with friends. A treat not a lifestyle.

I got a kick out of this handwritten sign! Such a bargain: pots of annual flowers 5.oo each OR 5 for 25.oo. LOL.

Cute.

Do you have a farmers market you enjoy? Is it expensive? I hope you go and treat yourself, at least now and then, to a sweet bunch of asparagus or a head of baby lettuce.

PS Wonderful recycled plastic bottle market bags here on Barbara Brackman's quilting blog.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach

Town beach, public this time of year, then a fee during the summer.
Note: no crowds!

public town beach, also below

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Flea Market Update May

OMG! I had to come home and tell you guys....

Remember the little blue painted PA blanket chest I loved last week? Look what this guy did to it!!! He KILLED it!

It was so adorable, old chalky dark blue paint: like my boxes!

...and my big chest/ trunk, purchased many years ago in PA. Yeah it's got chips, but look at this original blue blue blue paint!

The little blue flea market chest was also painted chippy tan inside; it had its original clunky key tied with a bit of calico rag.
It was sooo perfect.
I *told* the guy I was gonna come back for it today. No, no deposit, and we hadn't bargained the price exactly. But he knew I wanted it. I had the entire 200 dollars even in my pocket today.

I imagined it layered over my big blue chest, to look like this [and hide my copy paper etc]:

I didn't see it when I got there today. Then, on my second circuit, this abomination caught my eye. "Is it...? How could it be...?"
I carefully examined it: yep, the scalloped tin edging, the big dovetails, the hobnail and cut tin sunbursts.

But where was the glorious blue paint?

It made me sick. I wanted to cry. It now looks like a cheap c.1985 humidor for holding fake Cuban cigars. It is so bad---shellac?---that it now has zero value, ZERO. I'd think twice before I took it home from the dumpster if it was free. It would be hard to even repaint it now, with the heavy coat of shellac. And he sanded the patina of the tin trim.

Sob!

I also found the pretty seashell sewing basket again. The woman was firm at 20.oo. The shells are loose, it isn't worth 20.oo---and I was just too sad to buy it, or anything else.

The good news is I have two of my doll quilts listed now on both etsy and eBay, whichever someone might prefer, if interested.

And the thrift shop had goodies, I have to return in day or two when I 've recovered from paint-stripping shock.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

look! Gully is here! Upper left

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Flea Market Finds and Thrift Shop Treasures

Hi! I have so many treasures to show you guys. Hardly know where to begin....

Remember I am often shopping for things to use for etsy and eBay projects. ''Raw materials" like this massive bundle of mixed white linens. Hand embroidered, many with lace.

They had a good soak in Restore and are now bright white.

Laces for other projects....

Huge 6" + crystals from an old chandelier. They will sparkle and be clear and bright once washed in an ammonia bath!

Look at the size!

These will become icicles for Christmas tress or mantel decor.

And in a musty old box of 1980s-ish weirdly ''country'' fiber crafts [think ducks with babushkas]---this lovely late 1800s/ early 1900s quilt top. All handpieced.

No I don't know the pattern name, I thought it was Philadelphia Pavement but no. I suppose, in its own way, it is a verion of the Album block I showed you a few posts ago. But I imagine it has its own name too.

The sashing fabric is really cute, tiniest circle dots in pink. And many interesting calicos in the blocks, to be studied. I hope to get this cutie quilted, though I am not sure whether it must be washed first. Probably, as I won't want to press the stains in more deeply, and also it's a bit too grubby to send to my quilter? But tops wash better if they are quilted and then cleaned. A dilemma. I'll have to see what my quilter thinks.

tiny pink dots!

Let me see.....well, I shouldn't even tell you about the sweet and primitive little miniature blanket chest I saw last week. Old. Authentic, 1800s. Blue. Still had its big old key!!!
200.oo!
Nope.
I didn't have time to bargain with the guy. Instead let's move on to thrifting. For almost a year my favorite very junky thrift shop has been a bust. Ive been finding nothing. But last Friday! Oh wow.

Modern quilted pillow shams. Handquilted, blue calico and stripes. I had planned to make a coffee table runner with them. [my coffee table is sturdy and a perfect size but not wonderfully attractive. I always cover it with a runner.) But when cleaning out my linen closet the other day I realized I have an awful lot of blue runners. So now I am not sure. Maybe to sell? Add prim applique?

These two large fancy Staffordshire [English] transferware platters.

Here's the maker's mark. This company began in the 1880s, I am estimating these plates at about 1910-30?

The color is odd, a deep cream. I thought it was the glaze color but wasn't sure. I've seen household goods exposed to years of cigarette smoke that take on this color. A day in a baggie of Clorox water brightened and sterilized the platters but they're still cream colored. And a wonderful blue. One to keep, one to sell? I especially like the top one, with the egrets or herons and pond.

Antique cobalt blue medicine bottles to add seashell stoppers to, for my etsy shop. Great find.

Doggy bowls for our expected new arrival, Mo!

A fat quarters bundle of very cute Halloween cottons, 50 cents. For my Halloween string quilt project. Or just because.

frog prince for Mel!

And yes, I saved the best for last! As I made my final circle of the store, before checking out, I spied this stack of plates.

I took a closer look: Quilt plates. STAR quilt plates. Big dinner plates, just the color of my yelloware bowls, with blue spongeware details. These are so awesome. I was in love.

Uh oh. I do NOT need more plates. I don't use plates like this, I use moderne white porcelain plates from Pottery Barn or Christmas Tree Shop. And, well, Pfaltzgraff isn't exactly in style, is it? But look! How could I resist? 9 plates marked 12.99 and everything was 30% off, so a dollar each! I thought, How cute these would look on my autumn table with a rough natural linen cloth and a crock full of bittersweet and autumn leaves.
Yes, I brought them home. They weigh a freakin' ton!

This shop has a thing for taping plates massively together. You can see only the top and bottom of the stack. When I finally lugged these plates into the house, 4 days after purchase [I had to get my wheelie cart out, that's how much the darn things weigh!]...I finally cut and tore off all that tape and OMG! Not just Star quilt pattern but all these other classic quilt patterns too.

In the shop I had noted the Pfaltzgraff imprint, even though I recognized the style without seeing that mark. But on more careful scrutiny I found this wonderful mark. The angel with the trumpet and MAFA stamped in blue.

This is a retired limited edition pattern made for the Museum of American Folk Art which is here in NYC. They were produced during the 1980s. Okay, not chic. But I love them.

Everything from the thrift shop cost, with that day's special discount, 24.oo. The flea market finds: lace and white linens bundle 8.oo; the quilt top, 20.oo. The crystals, I admit, were expensive but when cleaned and rewired and with a curly rusty hook added they will be beautiful icicles for someone's Christmas tree.

Good hunting, hhhmmm?

I hope the little blue chest is there next week---and the small [ugly brown, needs blue chalk paint]bookcase with the heart cut-outs that I passed up at the thrift shop. I have a really neat garden planter that is a rusty tricycle, a scrounged treasure, to trade. Wish me me luck!