The Flea, a Fail and Fish

Crazy title, I know, but all will be revealed. First up, the flea market which I hit up on Friday with some equally designed-obsessed blogger friends (Melissa of Insane Domain, her friend Brandy who will soon be blogging, and Modfrugal). We had a ball, and while the pickings were slim (not as many vendors in January), Modfrugal and Brandy had some luck (Melissa and I - not so much). But here's a little bit of what we saw . . .

Brandy nabbed this chrome, brass and glass table for an amazing $10. We peer pressured her into getting it even though she didn't really have a spot for it. That's what friends are for.

Oops, let me back up a bit. I've gotten ahead of myself. Before the flea, we all met up for lunch and on my way there I happened upon a moving sale. Of course, I had to stop. They mainly had some serious crap junk but one thing caught my eye and I just had to grab it - it was only a $1.

Isn't it cute? The irony - I don't drink tea nor do I collect teapots, but I just couldn't resist the gold squiggles. It's so modern-looking. Kind of like if Kelly Wearstler made a teapot. Anyway, it's made by Sadler in England, a very popular teapot maker. They're apparently pretty collectable. Who knew? The point of the story is that even though I've never cared a bit about teapots, I kept seeing them at every turn at the flea market as you will see. 

More flea finds . . . 

This thing was crazy ornate, but so interesting. It had a marble base with a malachite veneer. I've never seen anything quite like it.

Teapot #2.

You never know what you'll find at the flea, and this is the perfect example of that. These vintage chrome hotel luggage carts were massive and so pretty (in a weird way). They would be so cool re-purposed as . . . something.

Teapot #3, McCoy Pottery. 

Yes, I have one of these as do a lot of people. But I still have to stop and appreciate the bamboo. Those are my Christmas boots in the mirror. 

 Brandy holding teapot #4.

They had two of these super cool ram/Aries swings. Loved these but alas have no need, place or money for them. 

And last, but not least . . . 

Teapot #5 with matching cups, saucers and sugar bowl. It was a beautiful vivid orange (although it looks a little red in this photo). 

After I left the girls, I hit a little antique mall on the way home. There I found a couple of things . . .

This footed brass bowl. I know, I'm obsessed with brass - I just can't stop myself.

And this porcelain bowl/dish made by Block Spal in Portugal. I just thought it was pretty and would look nice with some fruit in it.

Okay, now on to the "fail." I present the scene of the crime . . .

Yes, I'm afraid that's exactly what it looks like - several shattered glass shelves at the bottom of my etagere. And there's the telltale bottle of Windex with a paper towel. I knew one of the shelves was not perfectly secured, but thought I was being careful. Apparently not. That's what I get for cleaning. Now, I'm sure I'll be paying more than I paid for the whole thing just to replace three glass shelves. FAIL.

And, the "fish?" Well, you'll be happy to know my dolphin table or the "fish table" as my children lovingly call it is now in its rightful place in the basement serving as a desk. 

We finally got our nasty basement carpet replaced this weekend, so we're slowly moving some furniture in. Here's a quick before and after . . .

BEFORE: Gross and stained (disclaimer: these stains were here when we moved in, and in our defense we only used this room for storage before) . . . 

AFTER: Clean and cushiony . . .

We now have an about-to-be-tween daughter who was practically begging for a space away from her brother where she could watch TV and play on the computer and hang out with her friends. So finally, after five years, we decided to make this room into something usable. Stay tuned for updates. Here's how Meg describes the space: 

Well said. It will be one kick-ass tornado room. Glad it has so much glass in it - very practical.