Last weekend was the big flea market in Midland, MI -- always a great shopping day! It was chilly and rainy when my friend
Bargain Hunter and I set out in the morning. The sun would peek through to tease us and then the clouds would open up and it just poured! Thankfully, I had a new pair of Sloggers I got from my sister for my birthday. On their maiden voyage, they kept my feet warm and dry even though many of the booths were big puddles.
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| Pretty, cool, aren't they? |
Maybe because of the rain, it seemed like there were less vendors there than usual. And the prices seem to be going up, too. More of the sellers are dealers selling stuff from their booths, often at mall prices. I still found lots of cool things, though I bought less than usual -- maybe I'm FINALLY becoming a more discriminating shopper!
Vintage Christmas was the theme of the day (which often seems the case for me)....I think I'm officially addicted to it! It's so hard to pass up mid-century kitsch, though -- how could I resist? I laugh with Bargain Hunter and tell her that I'll stop buying Christmas when she stops buying tablecloths. I hope she never stops!
One of the best buys was also one of the cheapest -- always a nice combo! It's a tall plastic Christmas tree that looks like a ceramic one. It needs many little bulbs replaced (fortunately, I've been stockpiling replacement bulbs and stars for these trees, so that's easy).
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| Not ceramic -- plastic! |
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| The snowman is 'mom art' from the 1960s...a styrofoam shape covered with hundreds of sequins pinned on . It had to take hours to do! I was going to sell him, but just can't part with him. |
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| Napco candle holders, original box | Napco girl planter in mint condition |
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| I love Japanese pose dolls and never pass them up -- the same with Bradford wise men. The little elves are tied together and are (I think) ornaments |
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| Oops! |
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| These glittered cardboard electric candles are mint -- the seller said she thought they'd never been taken out of their boxes |
It wasn't all Christmas. I got a few other goodies, too...
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| I'd never seen these Holt Howard chick salt and peppers before |
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| Of course, there have to be linens. The guest towel has a black poodle on it, too. |
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| Got these hankies for a tiny price. I think the husband didn't charge me what the wife would have wanted him to. My gain! I really like the Grand Rapids hankie -- I've never seen a city one that wasn't New York City or Washington. |
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| Bargain Hunter convinced me to get this Pyrex bowl. I probably would have passed it by. |
Here are just a few of the cool things at the flea market...
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| Empty window frame stretched with lace. I like the idea but the lace is too frou-frou for my taste |
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| Liked the idea of decoupaging a long piece and leaving white space at the top and bottom on this table. |
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| In that same shabby chic booth there was this low table that they'd turned into a chenille ottoman. Again, I like the idea, but don't like the plain white chenille. I think a vintage barkcloth would have been stunning |
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| Assorted letters -- some were cut of blocks and magnets added to the back |
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| I really liked this tray -- it's one I don't have. I didn't like the high price or the rust, though |
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| I spent a little money here! She had great vintage Christmas |
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| This little house & Santa was $75! It goes with an old railroad set and gets wired to the track. When the train goes by, Santa starts to climb down the chimney. |
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| This fountain was really unusual -- I don't know when you'd use it. The ballerina rotates the entire time it's on |
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| I always want a round laundry cart, but choke on the prices |
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| Lots of lovely Pyrex here....none came home with me |
On Sunday, Bargain Hunter and I went to Mega Mall Antiques' parking lot Flea Market. There were lots of vendors there -- more than the other 2 times I've gone. There were also lots of sales inside. I bought several things, but forgot to take pictures of any of them! In fact, I didn't take a single picture at Mega Mall. If you go to
Bargain Hunter's blog, you'll see lots of pics from Mega Mall & their flea market.
Of course, half of what I bought was (what else?) vintage Christmas!
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| I got a tree stand just like this (but in better condition) I forgot to take a picture of it, so this one is borrowed from Pinterest. |
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| I've been looking for a Santa on a rocket...so mid-century! |
On a less happy note, my carpal tunnel is coming back -- a clear sign that I've been doing too much computer work lately. I've had to switch back to a left-handed mouse and am really trying to limit what I do. I just can't type one handed, though, and photo editing left-handed is really slow. That's NOT a good thing with the busy holiday shopping season coming on Etsy! Hopefully, mousing with my left hand and wearing my brace as much as possible will make it go away. I might even have to dig out the carpal tunnel exercise sheet I got from physical therapy 3 years ago.
That's it from Kitschy Vintage land...I hope you have a great week!
