Flea Market Finds

Sometimes flea market finds are sexy, amazing, stunning; and sometimes the "flea market fairy" points me in a far more practical and useful direction ... like this week with three big glass jars that can be used for storing lots of things.

Mr H, you see, has decided to preserve lemons, and alas, for his first effort a few months ago, all we could find in the cupboard were a couple of smaller jars, including this one with a metal lid ... and not a great choice when you're dealing with caustic elements like lemon juice and salt but ... needs must.


Now we no longer need to worry about that as I found not one, but three, large ex-coffee jars between the nine op shops I managed to get to this week ... in about three hours! (Poor Mr H ... I've already snaffled two of them for sugar!)

And just so you know they're out there if you're interested in glass jars ... Mr H and I found this huge glass jar a few months ago (we now have three which store SR and plain flour, and the "newer" one for regular sugar).


I can't wait to find more because I love the sturdiness of these jars (and because I need to find at least another one for Mr H), and maybe next week I'll be a little luckier with the vintage sheet finds. Can you believe I've been to 11 op shops over the last week and I managed to find only one sheet worth getting for the swap: a pretty but slightly faded striped lilac sheet? Lucky I have almost no purple/lilac sheets and I love stripes so I was excited all the same.

What have you been up to? Find anything good ... or did the "flea market fairy" not smile on you? Lots more flea market finds over at Sophie's place.

Flea Market Finds

I managed to pick up some gorgeous pyrex and glasbake this weekend from two separate op shops ... and think myself very lucky. I almost didn't find the blue pyrex dish and it's so pretty. It was inside another dish with a lid on that and it was a fluke I looked inside it because it was so ugly!


So I had to use them ... the blue pyrex held our vegetarian beans in homemade tomato sauce. Very yum!


And an apple and rhubarb crumble in the largest of the glasbake dishes. I gently cooked the apple and rhubarb in a little brown sugar, orange peel and cinnamon stick, which turned our nice. The crumble didn't turn out so good, but I didn't make it. It needed more butter but Ms C had to make it her way! Them's the breaks!


I hope everybody had a great weekend and if you'd like to play or see more flea market finds ... visit Sophie.

Flea Market Finds

My vintage sheet collection is really getting out of control ... to the point where I have to seriously think about what to do with what I've got and about collecting.

My stash? Two stacks high of about 2-3 feet! Truly.


There's lots of stuff in there including a few heavy white cotton sheets for backing and flannelette for winter (or softies). The striped single sheet (mainly pink facing) is in fantastic condition and I'm keeping the purple floral for winter for my bed.


I've also managed to collect a small stash of pillow cases. I like the ones on the top and further down I've a picture of my favourites on my bed.


This is all the stuff under the pillow cases and white sheets ... and I have to call almost of them favourites. Most are in good or better condition, and many are a little faded. But there are gems. Check out the jade blue near the top and the pink towards the bottom.


I've got a few older sheets, lots of good stripes, which I love and stuff from the 1970s. Some are ordinary looking 1980s or more recent patterns that I'm thinking about passing alone. The single bed set on the top is gorgeous and will be gracing Miss W's bed when she visits at Christmas.


I have a few choices re what to do next ... and I just can't think about about stopping soon because I love looking for sheets too much. Next year making a quilt is very high on the list of my plans ... again. This year I just actually have to achieve it. Other options including swaps and maybe becoming the first Australian on Made It to sell vintage sheet fat quarters?

Until I make up my mind I'm using some of the stash on my bed ... as well as stuff I deliberately picked up for my bed.


I love these pillow cases and these sheets are favourites I'm keeping. (It's kinda interesting my favourites tend to be from the 1980s and 1990s).


These 1980s sheets are also a favourite and sit really well with the white floral embroidered doona cover I found a few months ago. (Sorry about the unmade bed).


And lastly my favourite I picked up yesterday ... for the princely sum of $6 at Vinnies. Beautifully stylish and so 1980s! LOL


I'm off to visit Sofie at Her Library Adventures for lots more Flea Market loveliness.

Ruby Tuesday

My Ruby Tuesday posts are starting to look as if I spent my time bouncing between graffiti and the second hand store Lost & Found … because this week we’re back to Lost & Found again to admire the numerous examples of red to be found.

This most recent visit to Lost & Found happened after an amazing lunch with friends at the Napier Hotel. I’d been lucky enough that day to spend a very pleasant morning with a couple of friends touring second hand stores in the Fitzroy area, and after lunch I promised them the treat of scouring through Lost & Found to admire the vintage goodness.

So what did we see … because I didn’t buy anything?

Would you like ice with your whisky? Or maybe a boiled egg?


We seem to have salt and a lovely kettle to make a nice cup of tea.


And our choice of teapots and tea cosies to keep the tea warm.


We could always fill a thermos full of tea and have a picnic.


Especially if I was able to bake a cake ... it looks as though we have flour and sugar and maybe there's a little butter, eggs or milk somewhere close?


If I can't find any I could ride my bike to the store.


In my favourite red hat.


And something red to wear ... of course.


But I can't decide whether I should bring everything home in this red bag,


or maybe eggs would be safer in this red basket.


Of course I can't go to the store without making sure I have the right accessories ... and everything's neatly displayed on a red background to best effect.


And when we sit down and relax under this beautiful red lamp,


we can enjoy our cake and tea, and watch the children play on this gorgeous rocking horse.


Thank you for visiting and I hope you'll come again ... go visit Mary T for lots more.

Flea Market Finds

I thought this week I'd take a little wander through the eclectic blue and white (with a touch of gold) mix that is my crockery cupboard.


Thanks to Reverse Finds hosted by Catherine at pencils and pins I've been working my way through my kitchen cupboards and so far I've managed three ... of which one is the crockery shelf.

It was cluttered before and it still is ... but now it better shows off all the blue and white stuff I've managed to collect.

One thing that struck me after I'd done this is how dull too much white and blue of the same shade of blue looks. I think that might be part of the reason why Jo at Joe Bloggs stopped collecting blue and white china.

So instead of abandoning the cause I've decided to add a little lime green in ... and you can see the tiny little platter I found a few weeks ago with some lime green in it.


I just noticed a largish platter at the back with some yellow in it but I just can't warm to that colour in crockery? Can you? And I can see my favourite little bowl ... in the top right corner. I guess I'll just have to share that another time.


And the theme fits perfectly with the blue and lime green glasses I picked up a couple of months ago ... which I still totally love.


For more flea market finds ... Sophie Isobel at Her Library Adventures is the place to go.

Flea Market Finds

It turns out today is Flea Market Find of the Year ... I lucked on to that considering what I have to share IS probably my best find of the year.

And without further ado ... here it is. A gorgeous vintage beauty case in fantastic condition. The exterior, in particular, doesn't have a mark on it.


I didn't get out op shopping yesterday. I didn't actually get out at all. I spent the day cleaning and knitting and watching DVDs ... a lovely slow day pampering myself and a great use of the day considering the crappy weather.

But that's OK because I'm still excited about this find. Look at the huge and almost perfect mirrow inside And do you like the way the neighbour's tree shows up in the mirror? I had to include this photo because it looks so cool.


I'm also still excited about the beauty case despite the obvious purple stain on the inside. It looks huge in the previous photo but not actually that big. Any ideas for how to remove the stain? The interior is absolutely perfect otherwise and I'd love to get ride of it. I have no idea what leaked although the offending bottle (an unmarked no name bottle so I'm guessing hand cream, conditioner or body wash) was still in case..


There are always lots more vintage finds to explore with Sophie Isobel at Her Library Adventures. I can't wait to take a look at the best vintage finds for the year.

Reverse Finds

Last week I cleaned out my wardrobe and managed to fill this bad for charity. Sorry, I didn't get the chance to photo after I'd finished!


And while I was at work Mr H managed to fill a second bag.

A good effort between the two of us.

Sometimes Miss Cathy over at pencils and pins plays and sometimes she doesn't ... a bit like me! In any event it's a great way to sorting through those over flowing cupboards and moving this along to a new home.

Ruby Tuesday

Over the weekend I made it to my favourite second hand market in gorgeous Collingwood--of course it's the Lost + Found Market.



While everything in it's looking for a new home, the market isn't hard to find sitting at 12 Smith Street Collingwood ... very close to the CBD and close enough for a stroll for out of towners . And even better, it's open 7 days a week from 10am-6pm so even if you're only in town for the weekend and have no idea where to find an op shop you can still rummage Melbourne style!

Now to our guided tour, red wise, of my visit to Lost + Found yesterday.

Racks filled with red clothing everywhere I looked.


Red crocheted handbags.


This gorgeous red tin ... definitely a favourite.


Even the odd out of town model catching a little spring sunshine in the window.


These dolls in their original clothing. I love the red dress.


I loved this red dress.


I remember these thermos' from when I was a kid ... and I've always wondered whether you can still buy the inserts for them when they break?


Who didn't have one of these in the 1970s? Very cutting edge.


These red shoes and ice bucket in a red cabinet look so elegant. The piece de resistance of the day I think.


Lots of red jewellery.


And what day would be complete without red shoes ... those square toed sling backs are very me!


A red tartan suitcase.


But did I buy anything? No. Yesterday was a day for relaxing and enjoying myself ... and besides I was very good this weekend and only picked up two crochet hooks on Saturday for the princely sum of $2.

For lots more delicious rubyness ... visit Mary T at Work of the Poet.

Flea Market Finds

I haven't found much over the last couple of months ... and so I thought to share these Japanese cups and saucers in the Blue Danube pattern.


I'm not sure how vintage they actually are ... the pattern itself commenced in 1951 and my research suggests what I found dates from somewhere between 1977 and 1996.

I was also shocked when I saw the price of a cup and saucer ... $18.95 a set when I got a set of four for the princely sum of $3!

Probably the best bargain I've ever found.

Visit Sophie Isobel at Her Library Adventures for more Flea Market Finds.

Reverse finds

I met Catherine from pencils and pens at NCB on Thursday night and it was so nice to meet her ... she's so bright and bubbly, and I totally look forward to the Softies for Mirabel she ends up making. I should get myself organised to contribute ... but I hesitate to commit myself and then have to renege, and even if I don't make anything I can still claim a contribution (I passed over a plastic bag full of stuffing to Catherine).

On to Reverse Finds ... I'm still working my way through my kitchen cupboards and I'm extremely happy at passing on this dinner service to a better home.


It was a gift a very long time ago (20 years ago?) and it's never really been me. One of the bowls has a small chip on it and a bread and butter plate and tea cup plate are missing, but it's barely been used.


We mostly use spaghetti bowls for eating and I have a gorgeous white with gold edging dinner service if I really want to go to town.

If you've got stuff you'd like to pass on or you'd just like to unclutter or destash you life ... the idea is that each week we focus on for something that can be recycled, donated etc. I'm breathing easier already. The Reverse Finds Queen at pencils and pins is leading the march!

Good luck with destashing and have a great weekend.