Monday, November 23, 2009

Last Flea For Me



Well, not really the last flea ever....just the last flea market for the season!
And look what I found! Giant number 52...old metal signs from a gas station. They were a bargain because they appeared to be rusty....when I washed them off at home it turned out to be just caked on mud so they cleaned right up and now they look pretty good! I have no idea what to do with them....but am sure I will figure something out!



Some nice old wooden blocks...



Buckets of locally grown beautiful fresh cranberries!



...and an old cranberry scoop a few tables away...



Work this week has been really tough and I was beginning to think I was losing my marbles...
...not to worry...there were lots and lots of marbles at the flea this week!





Look at this box full of feathers!



A lovely lady was considering this vintage pink girdle with attached garters....I promised I wouldn't reveal her face if she held it up for me to take a picture!



And then it started to get weird! A French couple were selling these mannequins...



...and this porcelain pair of hands



...and this half dress form covered in white linen...
The porcelain hands and dress form came home with me....for very little money.
The wheels are turning in my head...I'm full of ideas!



This beige linen table cloth and napkins were vintage but never used...



Clark thread advertising cards....great graphics on the back and sweet lake pictures on the front!





I found a wonderful photo album with a brown tooled leather cover...it was full of early photographs and tin types...



...a striking beauty!



I was pleased as the prices were very reasonable. I have a feeling that the dealers were trying to move as much merchandise as possible since it is the end of the season...



This, however was the icing on the cake! A box full of letters from 1866 to 1871...beautiful old penmanship...I am waiting for a quiet time when I can sit and read through these...the few I looked at seemed to be written from a daughter to her mother. I will make copies to use in art projects.

So, together with the vintage Christmas ornaments you saw yesterday, this completes my finds at this last flea for me! I will miss this particular market during the next few cold and wintry months ... and will be ready to go when it opens again in April.
Take care,
:) Laura

49 comments:

  1. Hi Laura,
    Wow, what wonderful finds for your last flea.
    How cool you found the giant 52.
    My next flea market is in January. It's sometimes cold and or rainy but we go anyway.
    Happy Thanksgiving!!
    Enjoy the cranberries,
    Rosemary

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  2. Oh Laura, your treasures tug at my heartstrings so... the old photos are wonderful and the letters from a daughter to her mama are simply priceless...Bisous... Julie Marie

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  3. Oh, I just love your amazing finds, the old photos and the dress form! Everything looks wonderful!
    Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
    Debra

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  4. What an amazing collection of goodies you have found. I think you have done very well with this last shop for the year!
    Best wishes, Natasha.

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  5. Hi Laura, Have just discovered your blog and am immediately envious of your great finds this weekend. I love the old enamel letters, and the box of letters is indeed a wonderful find. Quite sad to think that these old letters were kept safely for so long as they are obviously sentimental, and then they suddenly pass their use by date, and are sold along. Amanda

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  6. I love EVERYTHING... i wish we had good flea markets here in CA, they pretty much stink and boy some vendors charge so much that you can only wish on some items. I hope you have wondeful plans for the week and that your Thanksgiving day is full of blessings :)

    smiles,
    Sheila

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  7. Absolutely fabulous finds! So much history. So GLAD you found your marbles. Still looking for mine! I can't believe how much quality stuff you found. The mannequin is perfect. Sure you will look forward to April. ~ Angela

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  8. Everything at the flea market looks amazing, but the box full of letters...I adore these! You must let us know what some of them say, I love thinking about what was happening during that period of time in these writers lives. A great find, you must have been so excited! :)

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  9. Laura, I saw that first line and thought...My stars...I have been gone so long from visiting that she is giving up Fleas and I didn't even have a clue :) Goodness what neat things you found! I loved it all, espcially those letters! the writing is just gorgeous...why oh why is there nothing like that here :)Got my coffee now, so I am gonna go and catch up on some of your posts that I have missed. Besos, Rose

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  10. I have so enjoyed this entry. I've had a stressful day and this is the last thing I'm reading tonight. I'll go to sleep with these lovely things in my head. Thanks. Alice

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  11. What an awesome Flea Market. I love all your finds! Sue

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  12. o wat een geweldige foto's.
    Heerlijk om dat zo mee te maken.
    ik vind de briefen ook zo mooi
    en sterven veenbessen o geweldig sterven kan ik wel gebruiken om mooie dingetjes mee te maken.
    lieve Groet Stipje

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  13. great finds!
    I like those old pictures and letters!
    and the wooden blocks are so very lovely!
    gr. Anna

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  14. Hi there! What fun for you to find your numbers! And your other treasures are really wonderful. So many of them I would have been thrilled over too. So love dress forms (not so the weird mannequins)! Do you know if those did sell? I would love those beautiful letters - especially touching if it is a daughter writing her mother. And I always appreciate the beautiful old penmanship - simply glorious!

    Thanks for showing me this great finds...

    Cynthia K. (Beauty and Blessings)

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  15. Toujours un rêve de se balader avec toi!!
    I love cranberries!!!
    bonne journée

    manon

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  16. Such nice collection you found again......
    Oh I am a bit jealous on you.....
    And that YOU found exactly this number must be a sign from heaven I guess.
    Nice day

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  17. OH girl, you scared me, I thought you were leaving us:) I love all your treasures, my favorites are the linens and the photo album. I would have bought those too. Have a blessed day and it will be Springtime before you know it!

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  18. Oh my goodness Laura. What will you do ? Do you think that you might need counselling ? He he.
    More lovely finds. I covet the linen and the thread advertising cards and, my favourite, the letters.
    At least your attic can heave a sigh of relief for a few months !!
    I think you might need a sit down and a nice cup of tea. XXXX

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  19. Too bad the season is over, but you did manage to find some great stuff, maybe, as you told, because of the end of season. I love the letters, if I find them here they are usually from the fourties, not that old.

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  20. Nothing starts my morning off better than a cup of coffee and a photo of a naked man...headless, yes, but still naked!
    That's the way to end a season. Just think, you'll have all this down time to create using your wonderful finds!
    Debbie

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  21. Hi!

    The old letters with penmanship are so charming, I like them a lot.

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  22. ALL of this from one market? What a day! I love it all, don't even know which is my favorite, it's all soooo good. I'm so happy you found your marbles, that would have been tough with the holidays coming up and all ; )

    Have a happy Thanksgiving!

    xo
    Jill

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  23. My favorite of all your finds were the letters. I have some letters that my Mom and Dad wrote to each other while my Dad was in WWII. Both of them had the most beautiful penmanship. Which is now a dying art.
    I love all your things and I can't wait to see what you are going to do with them.

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  24. I am going to have to start wearing a bib when I look at your blog, cause I am always drooling over your amazing finds! I have dreams of finding old letters, photos, clock parts and you find them in real life! I so miss the flea markets and await the days when the weather turns nice again and I can go hunting for treasures again....

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  25. Of all the vintage finds I've made, I have never found vintage letters! What a treasure. Loved all of your photos! Thanks for sharing and come visit when you have a moment! Coralie

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  26. What fabulous finds! I would have snatched up the cabinet card album and those old letters in a heartbeat!! That was my kind of flea market.
    Have a very Happy Thanksgiving.
    Jane

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  27. Hi, could you mention what flea markets you go to? Or is that a trade secret? :)

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  28. Be still my heart! What a wonderful flea to go to! You walked away with so many treasures!!!! I cannot wait to see how you use them!

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  29. Wooowwww you found some great tresures, lucky girl!!!
    I love the numbers and the old letters!!!
    Have a nice week my friend!!!

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  30. I just love the old letters, and the linens!! You found some amazing goodies! Whatever will you do with the 52? He he, I am sure it won't take you long to think of something!
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    Hugs,
    Margaret B

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  31. That was truly a grand finale wasn't it? I don't get to many flea markets but will be missing garage sales here this winter.

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  32. Love your finds!!! SOooo Pretty!!! The letters are simply divine. Oh I would have to read all of them. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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  33. Love all your finds and such gorgeous photos to share with us. I envy you your wonderful flea market! Have a Happy thanksgiving!

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  34. Your last Flea was a great one! I'm sure the mother and daughter will be happy that someone will cherish those letters. Enjoy your non flea time,
    Annette

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  35. What fabulous finds. I have a bit of a penchant for the letters and how lucky you found your 52 again. I just missed the last 'interesting' flea of the season in Banyuls boohoo as it would have been a good one! Oh well, there's always next year ;-) Have fun with your finds... I too would be full of ideas. That's what I love about my garage - it is a home to 'ideas!'

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  36. So, all the French dress forms have gone to America, have they? That explains a lot...

    I missed the last Vide Grenier of our year due to cash-flow problems. Annoying, but at least we have set a little aside for the Christmas craft market, and I suppose that has to be a priority!

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  37. What gorgeous finds you came home with so many lovely things.


    The pink garter she is holding up is breathless!


    I adore the make and hands you came home with as well as the box of letters what a find. I have so much trouble reading letters and written notes from the 40s i cant even imagine reading all of these old letters.


    ♥Darla

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  38. So jealous of those porcelain hands! I would have fought you for them.... ;o)

    What great finds though! Get cooking those cranberries.

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  39. room service ~ decorating 101November 24, 2009 at 5:38 PM

    Hey gf, thanks for visiting! I also had one of your photos in my file... but later noticed that you don't want anyone to copy your work, so I did not use it in my post. But I look at it often... love your style.

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  40. I am so envious about the old letters...hope we will still hear from you before April, 2010 ???

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  41. I'm telling you - you have the greatest flea markets where you are. AZ is a little sparse with them - I never find such great things. Everything you brought home is wonderful.

    Blessings,

    Jo

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  42. Love your 52's! You found great stuff!! Thanks for sharing!
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    Hugs, Lisa

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  43. Oh, what gorgeous items! I really liked the way you stacked the blocks....lol
    I was eyeing that manichen but it already has a good home with you! Lucky lady.
    Until next years...
    have a blessed week,
    Sharon

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  44. I love your blog. Your pictures of your vintage finds are beautiful. I can't believe all the marbles that vendor had. My 5 year old son would be in heaven with all of those marbles.
    Sincerely,
    Melinda
    alabasterrosedesigns.blogspot.com

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  45. Fantastic finds. What do you plan with your metal numbers? Happy belated birthday, by the way! Stan

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  46. WOW Woman! I'd love to be able to read the letters - they must be wonderful! I just had a friend give me a bunch of baby cards she found in a box lot and they were for the birth of baby Patricia from the 50's - the stamps were neat as were the envelopes and baby graphics. But letters are so pretty used in artwork. I make cards and I love to copy letters for that very thing. Have fun! Jennifer

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