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.

Crazy Good or Just Plain Crazy?

Before hitting the flea market on Friday, I stopped by a few estate sales. As usual, I had more luck at the one I just "happened" upon after seeing a sign on a street corner. I found nothing at the Flea Market. Nothing. Nada. I think I was just too hot and distracted. Oh well. On the way home, I hit a junk/antique store I had never been in before and found this . . .

Am I nuts for liking this? I've never seen anything like it, which I must admit was part of the allure. Of course, the Asian influence didn't hurt either, plus the bamboo/glass frame - so unique. It's a needlepoint piece which intrigued me even more. 

I think it would look great as the centerpiece of a room. I love the glass detail because it would allow your wall color to peek through and provide a contrast.

Needlepoint has experienced a resurgence in popularity lately in great part thanks to Jonathan Adler and his quirky and quaint needlepoint pillows that he uses throughout his interiors . . .

I love the homespun quality of needlepoint juxtaposed with modern patterns.

Some other little goodies I found at the aforementioned estate sale include an unframed oil or acrylic painting . . . 

Really like the colors in this one.

a framed piece of painted silk artwork . . . 

and lastly, a small mid-century bench which could use some new upholstery, but I love the shape.

All these pieces will make an appearance in the blogger Tag Sale (unless I decide to keep the stool for my son's room) we're hosting on October 1st. I know I keep teasing this, but I promise we'll be sharing more details soon (like the location and time) once details are hammered out. 

Hope everyone has a Happy Monday!

Source: Jonathan Adler (Google Images)

The $14 Blog Post

Today, after mistakenly thinking the flea market was this weekend at the fairgrounds, I stumbled upon an antique show I had never been to or even heard of before - something called the Tailgate Antique Show and Antiques at Music Valley. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, and at $14 to get in, it was a little more than I wanted to pay, but what the hell. Here's what I found:

The show is apparently geared toward "country" antiques which thankfully encompasses a lot more these days than it used to (as evidenced by the new Country Living I just picked up the other day at the store). I enjoyed meeting a few of the vendors and learning some new things. And even if the merchandise was not all my taste, I did find some cool things.

This huge iron circle (not sure of its origin) would be great with a mirror placed in it.

Huge wood sculpture. Wish I had space for this.

Fantastic old, weathered Chesterfied sofa. Swoon.

Didn't love the fluted glass shades on this light fixture but did love the fixture itself. Such great, clean lines.

Old post office desk. How cool is this?

 Some large orange container. Just fun.

I know I've seen some similar botanical charts floating around design publications and blogs.

Industrial light fixtures. Loving the green.

Modern rustic chic. I just made that term up.

Just loved this. Beautiful wood, great lines.

More cool industrial-looking stuff.

Gorgeous bombe chest from the 1700's. This and the chairs below came out of the dealer's home. Apparently, his wife decided they needed to redecorate. She sounds like me. I just need to start a business to unload all my old stuff.

One of a pair of pumpkin orange French leather chairs. So unique and pretty. Also pretty expensive. Don't know if I happened to mention but basically everything here was way out of my price range. Remember, I thought I would be flea market shopping, not antique shopping. 

The following photos are all from the same booth, and I loved just about everything in it. Interestingly enough, the guy working the booth couldn't have cared less that I was there and didn't offer any help or even look up from what he was reading. Can you see the giant golf ball in the reflection of the mirror? The guy was hiding behind it. Coward.

Loved the desk lamp and the GRAND sign, of course. That is definitely a statement piece.

And, some other random things that caught my eye . . .

I have absolutely no idea what this is, but it has real oyster shells as handles and feet, a ceramic crab on top, and it's a beautiful green color. Conversation starter for sure.

Just because I like portraits. They're oh so serious.

A really pretty blue chest.

Graphic orange tables would be great used together as a console or as bedside tables.

Huge blue cabinet. Anywhere.

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween!