Friday 20 May 2016

All kinds of everything

We had been looking forward to last Sunday’s flea market for weeks. Held on some playing fields and surrounding streets in a neighbouring village, with around 600 stalls it is one of the biggest flea markets in the area.

The flea market has a good mix of stalls. There are people selling the contents of their basements, often right outside their own front doors, the usual flea market sellers selling everything and the kitchen sink (sometimes quite literally) and stalls selling vintage and small antiques.


The forecast said it would be cold but mainly dry, so we kept our fingers crossed.
As luck would have it, the minute we got up on Sunday morning we could hear rain drumming against our windows, which tempered our excitement a bit. Fortunately, the rain soon stopped, with the sun putting in the occasional appearance. They were right about the cold, though, as it was still barely in the region of 10 degrees Celsius.








I opted for a skirt and many layers topped by my red winter jacket, which I’d actually just put away. Black opaque tights and a sturdy pair or black boots completed my outfit. At first I regretted not to be wearing a pair of gloves, but one has to draw the line somewhere.












In spite of the weather, the flea market did not disappoint and there were hardly any gaps between the stalls. Lots of punters, too.

I had my camera at the ready, as I wanted to make sure that I didn’t forget to take photographs this time.

These are the things that caught my eye:


Red, white and blue


Instant collections of matchboxes, shaving brushes, coffee grinders, hunting trophies, ...


... strange dolls, glass bottles and lampshades



Veiled hats and gas masks


Elegant tea and coffee sets, a chandelier and songbooks from long-forgotten times


Childhood memories

The cute little tray brings back happy memories for me. It is from a Belgian series of books for girls which first appeared in 1954 and ran until 2010, with a total of 61 titles.

Although the tray is from a much later period, the most recognizable and sought-after titles are from the 1950s and 1960s. They were among my first reading material. As usual in Belgium, the series ran in both Flemish ("Tiny", which is pronounced "Tinny") and French ("Martine").

Here are a few of my childhood books. I was totally in love with the drawings (and Tiny's wardrobe), the lovely end-papers and the chicken-eating bear on the back cover!


After this little diversion, here are our finds of the day:


Two handbags and an unusually shaped olive-green case, which I might use as a handbag as well.



Two lovely scarf clips


.. and two fans, one of them a little brooch, which actually opens and closes!








A traditional, old-fashioned spinning top: pure boyhood nostalgia for Jos.

And finally: a Bakelite soapbox, for our small Bakelite collection.


Before I sign off this picture heavy post, I would like to show you the parcel I received on Wednesday from the lovely Lynn.


She spotted my tapestry covered handbag found at another flea market and sent me a cute little matching purse. It arrived in a little box, complete with a sweet note from Lynn and some beautiful Vogue cards. And some ribbon for Phoebe to play with ...

I am ready for another weekend. What about you? Do you have any exciting plans?

21 comments:

  1. Oh my word it's a good job I don't live near by I would have had that little pram filled with treasures.
    So nice to see your bag and purse together, they look perfect Ann.
    Lynn X X X

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    1. I can quite see you with that doll's pram filled with treasures, Lynn. And that purse really is such a perfect match. I love it. xxx

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  2. ooohhh - that "flohmarkt" ;-) sounds exiting!!!
    love all the pretty things you brought home! especially the wicker handbag. that tiny books are tooo cute for words - marvelous illustrations!!
    how gorgeous of lynn to send you that little purse! its exactly the matching design!!! wonderful!
    xxxxx

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    1. I came across the same wicker handbag at a vintage market today, only at more than six time the price, so I'm very happy! xxx

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  3. What an amazing market! I can see loads of things I'd want to buy. Loving the tin tray from your childhood and Jos's spinning top.
    Phoebe looks delighted with Lynn's bag!
    I've sold one of those teardrop cases before, the lady who bought it said it was for shoes. Great idea to use it as a handbag. xxx

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    1. It wasn't my original intention to use that case as a handbag. I just liked the shape and colour. But as I found it just minutes after arriving at the market, and had been carrying it around the whole time we were there, I thought it would make a perfect handbag, with lots of space too. xxx

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  4. The fan brooch that opens and closes is slaying me with its awesomeness. I'm so launching a hunt to find one of my own now! :) Terrific scores from this good sized flea market. The box of shaving brushes really caught my eye. Wow! Those things can fetch a pretty penny if they're in good shape, and I've never seen that many for sale in one spot. I wonder what the back story is behind how the seller came to have so many?

    Love your purses and the green bag. I'd totally use that as a purse, too - why not? :)

    Big hugs & the happiest of weekend wishes,
    ♥ Jessica

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    1. Can you believe that brooch only cost € 0.50? And those shaving brushes were only € 1 each. I've been wondering about that box full of brushes too. Big hugs, and have a great week! xxx

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  5. I remember having tops like that-I never could get the tension right so that they's spin for more than a second or two. My sister was much better at it.

    That tea set would have come home with me. Great treasures made up for the lousy weather.

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    1. It seems my husband was rather good at it. He says he's going to give it a try somewhere safe, where he can't do any damages. That tea set was rather fabulous. xxx

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  6. I remember having tops like that-I never could get the tension right so that they's spin for more than a second or two. My sister was much better at it.

    That tea set would have come home with me. Great treasures made up for the lousy weather.

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  7. I love all three bags, what great finds. I recognise the chicken eating bear! I'm guessing my cousins in Germany must have had some of these books and I must have looked through them when I was little.

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    1. I love it that you remember my chicken eating bear too! I guess there was a German version of those books as well. xxx

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  8. Woah, that purse is a perfect match to the bag! What a good find Lynn made.

    That flea market looks ace. So many wonderful things - I'd have a hard time deciding when/what to buy in case something better came up. You made some great finds.

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    1. I'm usually having a hard time at flea markets until I have made my first purchase. Lucky for me, I found the green bag/case after less than five minutes. xxx

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  9. Ooooh, the handbags! So lovely and the purse found its handbag! Such a thoughtful gift xxx

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    1. I'm running out of storage space for my handbags, as I've found quite a few nice ones in the last couple of weeks. It was indeed very sweet of Lynn to send me the matching purse. xxx

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  10. A flea market is full of interesting pieces and it's fun find little objects to collect. I love bakelite and your collection is surely full of little special items!
    Luckily the so-so weather didn't ruin the event!!

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    1. We only have a very small bakelite collection, Dan, and we only buy things when they're reasonably priced, as prices for bakelite can be quite steep. I will show some of our pieces on my blog some time. xxx

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  11. Oh my word, that looks like the perfect flea market. Lots to see and buy. I love your purchases particularly the green case. I had some earrings with those fans on. When do these things disappear from our lives? I have no idea. Isn't Lynn kind? I love your tapestry bag/purse combo! Xxx

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    1. That was a lovely flea market, Tania. Those earrings would have been fab. And that was indeed very sweet of Lynn. I'm keeping that combo for special occasions. xxx

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