Flea Market Finds

Today I thought I would write up a Flea Market post sharing some of the neat things I see while shopping and some of what I buy as well!  I'm lucky to live in Chicago where there are quite a few great flea markets all less than an hour from where I live. And I count myself very lucky to have a husband who is willing to watch our kids so I can go visit at least one a weekend with my girlfriends.

One of my all-time favorite Flea Markets I seem to hit up every month is the Kane County Flea Market that occurs the first weekend of the month in  St. Charles, IL. I think the only times I've missed picking at this Flea Market was right after I've had a baby, otherwise if it's open, I'm there!

I always hit this one up with friends, it's nice to have a great group of ladies to shop with at the Flea. My momma friends and I get some good girl time in while we look out for each others "wish list" of things to find if we have one although I've gone many times without anything in mind as it's fun just to see what I find. And we help each other barter with the vendors...that is a total learned art and I have been getting better and better at it over the years!

The best part of Flea Market shopping is that there really is something for everyone!  Whenever we go, we spend the better part of the day there just picking through each vendor's goodies...you really never know what you'll find. And many times, it's the vendors that I would normally have just passed by from the first look of their booth that are the ones I tend to find the best deals!

If you are wondering where to find all that pretty vintage pyrex, a flea market is a great place to look.  Seriously...how pretty is this!

 I tend to find all my vintage trims and lace at Flea Markets...I mean really, how can you pass up picking through vintage trims in vintage suitcases!

And tables full of vintage pillowcases, tablecloths, and linens...oh my!

A couple months ago I found these two milk glass pieces, one is a smaller sized candy dish and the other is a large pitcher, all for $2 a piece...what a deal!

Last time I went I found these beautiful vintage fabrics for $1 a piece and they are all about a yard or more in length!  

And many of you saw on my Instagram feed how I bought the buttons and trim for $2 (!!!)  That set of vintage napkins?  Yup, $0.25 for all of them!

I thought I would use these water spigot handles in Oliver's room...if I can get this project done, I'll share it on the blog soon!

And this wee little mushroom?  Well, my friends' Ana and Katie found it for me at a very random seller's booth and I just had to have it.  How cute would it be with a coat of spray paint?

That's the cool thing about Flea Markets, garage sales, and thrift shopping.  You just never know what you'll find.  Keep your mind open too as a change of color or a coat of spray paint or chalk paint can really change a piece of furniture or other flea market find into the perfect decor piece for your home!

Thanks for stopping by today and letting me share!

 XOXO,

A Weekend at the Flea Market

Is it Monday already?  The weekends just go by way to fast, don't you think?  As much as I love the routine of the week, it's always such a bummer to see a Monday morning come around again.

On Sunday some good friends and I did some Flea Market shopping...so much fun!  We are lucky to live within a not-so far driving distance of a pretty large Flea Market that only happens the first weekend of every month.  If you live in Illinois and get a chance, you should go and check it out...we always find some amazing treasures and are able to bargain for deals...which I am always so scared to do but am always so happy when I ask and get a great price!

This time around I went with nothing particular in mind to shop for, I was an open book which can and can't be a good thing :-) 

I found this lovely set of matching vintage pillowcases...perfect for dresses for Penelope and Eloise!

Then I scored these beauties...

Yesiree Bob, PYREX in the house!

A perfect condition set of vintage yellow nesting mixing bowls!

I love how the middle size bowl's colors are reversed...

And the baby one, well, it's just so small and sweet!

Delicious vintage goodness :-)

I think I'm ready to mix something up.

I also scored these lovelies too...

A set of four (yes, I know this picture only shows three!) covered dishes.

These two would be perfect for Ellie's baby food...

Two little dishes stacked up high...

Become three when they multiply...

And then *poof* become four as they reach the sky!

So how was your weekend?  

Did you do anything fun??

Please do share!!

XOXO,

Thrift Store Fun Finds

I was able to get out and do some thrifting last week!  

Come take a peek at what I bought...

Delicious vintage baking dishes!!    

Soooo pretty!

I found this sweet little round bowl...

And then this lovely bread pan made it's way into my heart (and cart!)...

Can't you just see a loaf of cinnamon bread baking in this little beauty!

I also found this pie plate which has already been used a few times, ahthankyouverymuch!

And I can't forget this pretty vintage sheet set that is calling to be made into some pretty dresses...

And lastly, I found this rockin' shoe sizer for a whopping 49 cents!!  

How awesome is this find!!  

Cause it's only slightly annoying to go out to buy shoes for your kids only to find out when you bring them home that they have grown a size bigger without even telling you!! 

Now I will never be caught shoe shopping for the little tikes without their current foot size again!!

{It's the little things I tell ya!}

Happy Friday Friends!!

Vintage Lovelies

After reading Cheryl's post here, I got the thrifting bug BAD.  How jealous am I of her ginormous vintage finds!!  So, yesterday I had the pleasure of taking little babe out with me and doing a little thrifting, just the two of us.  I thought just taking Eloise would be a breeze since when she is in her car seat she just falls asleep.  Without the other two crazies the trip would be easy, right?  Well, I guess I didn't really plan the trip out so well, let's see...I forgot her stroller so I had to lug her carseat around each thrift store and ALL their tables and shelves of glassware, no fun.  And because of the no stroller situation I had no extra hands or places to carry my finds.  It was pretty comical.  Thank goodness for all the sweet people who helped me out (which was like everyone).  I guess seeing a discombobulated momma brings out the soft side in others :) 

I didn't find nearly as many vintage goodies as Cheryl but I did score these lovelies

Aren't they just gorgeous?  I love finding vintage sheets and pillowcases!  

The floral prints and the bright colors just draw me in.

And the flowers!  Oh, how I love the flowers.

And, I even found some Old Skool Sesame Street sheets...love them!!

A complete twin sheet set, major score!

I think the kids will like these just fine!  I love Old Skool finds.  How I wish I still had my Smurfs sheet set from when I was a kid.  Man, I loved that set.  I also remember that my brother had a pretty nifty Star Wars set too or was it Return of the Jedi?  Either way I wish we still had them.  How cool would that be.

So what have you found lately? 

Happy Weekend Friends!! 

Hoop Dreams

Oooh, I had the best start to my weekend! On Saturday my mother-in-law came up to babysit the littles and I was able to finish up some errands kidlet-free as well as do some thrift shopping!! I found such great things...maybe it was because I could actually browse and concentrate...hmmm!?! Well, here are some of my finds...and all for six dollars!!! What a bargain!

I found a ton of embroidery hoops both large and small that I am going to use to continue embroidering my littles handprints, remember this post? I also found a super sweet pillowcase that I am going to turn into some kind of cute pillowcase dress for Penelope in the spring. And the best thing, er things, I scored were some rockin' vintage patterns, 10 total, WOOT WOOT!!!! Now, you all know I am not a pattern sewer so much as a free-hand-it-and-see-how-it-turns-out kind of sewer, but I thought these would be great to get some inspiration from...

Check it out, I mean each one of these was 29 cents!!! And then when I went to the check out my whole purchase ended up being an additional 25% off! Can you believe this madness!?! I don't know how or why thrift shops have sales, their stuff is just so cheap anyways. Yay for me though :)

This pattern above was my favorite I found...lingerie! I think I may just have to try making one of these just so I could say I did it...don't they just look so sex-ay!?!

Having my MIL babysit also meant I could run a gift for my sister's birthday to the post office. If you are reading this, dear sissy, you can just stop reading now...xiexie!

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So, I was debating for the longest time what to make my littlest sister for her upcoming birthday. It was so hard trying to come up with the perfect gift...or what I thought would be the perfect gift for her. Then, I started flipping through Heather Ross' book, Weekend Sewing, and came across the pattern for the Everything Tote...jackpot! This could work! So, I go to pull out the pattern to take a peek and man, IT WAS HUGE! I needed about a gazillion pieces of paper all taped together and my whole dining room table to cut the fabric, just a little FYI for you all if you are thinking about making one. Maybe that is why I'm not so much a pattern sewer!?! Aside from all that though, it came out beautifully! Hip Hip Hooray! It is the most ginormous tote bag I have ever seen and is so well constructed. Props to Heather Ross!! Here is what it ended up looking like:

I used a courdoroy flower fabric for the outside.

And a green leaf printed fabric for the lining.

I just love the pockets, perfect for my, I mean my sister's (hehe), wallet and cell phone. This tote easily will fit an elephant and it's owner...well, not really, but it will hold a ton of stuff, no lie.

I also made her a half-apron with a vintage-y feel to it. She is a vegan chef and loves to cook and bake (hmmm...think we are related?) so I thought this would be good for her at-home experiments. :)

Side-ish view

Front view

Front and back of fabric view

AND as you can see in the picture above, it's reversible too...yeppers, I was thinkin' ahead on this one! So, if she gets it majorly dirty or stained on one side she can just flip it over to the other! I hope she really likes what I made for her...crossing my fingers now :) I think she should be getting it by Tuesday.

And lastly, if you guys think you can handle just one more picture...this is what is currently sitting on my dining room table all ready and waiting for me to get my craft on. Felt and lots of it! This pile of felt is for some birthday gifts I plan on making for Noah's birthday...I have two weeks to get it all done....wish me luck! I'll post pictures if it happens!

Hrmmm...well, if I don't get it all finished for his big day then at least I can have some high hopes for his Christmas gifts ;)