Lady of the Fleas

On Saturday it finally was flea market time again. We hadn't been to any since the last - and disappointing - outdoor one a couple of weeks ago, and frankly speaking we were both getting withdrawal symptoms.

It was quite chilly, so I dressed warmly, and I was glad I did so, as it wasn't very warm inside the venue either.

I chose a black and white polyester dress in a flowery pattern, to which I added a  red vinyl belt and some red and black beads.

I topped it with a red cardigan, to which I pinned a wooden brooch featuring red and blue flowers on a black background, bought at an outdoor flea market in September.

My trusted red woollen jacket came out of the wardrobe and, as it's that time of the year again, I wore a poppy at my collar. It's hard to make out with all the red going on, but believe me: it's there.















The suede boots, with elasticated panels and front buckles, are a favourite pair, charity shopped last year. The black furry beret was another one of my € 2 finds at Think Twice.

Right, that's that, back to the business at hand.

This is by far our favourite indoor flea market. It's held every month except in July and August.

The best months to visit are the two months leading up to Christmas (there, I've said the dreaded word!) and indeed the general quality of the stalls was even better than last month.

There was already a lot of Christmas stuff about, which, not really being  a Christmas person at the best of times, I only gave a cursory glance. I will probably not get into the spirit - if at all - until well into December ...

In spite of the many tempting stalls, it took us until the end of the first aisle to make our first purchase. Or rather, purchases. Two ladies were selling a veritable jumble of costume jewellery, which I spent a happy time rummaging through. I came away with a satisfying haul of ten brooches and a chunky plastic ring!

The brooch in the bottom left photo is pretty special, as it's a "Liberation brooch", with the typical clover leaves in the colours of the Belgian flag, made to celebrate the Liberation of Belgium which started in September 1944. I paid less than € 5 for it, which is quite a steal! I don't think those two ladies knew what it was ...

This enamelware Côte d'Or bucket, again featuring the iconic elephant the Belgian chocolate brand is famous for, was our next find.













We were pleased to see Fanny, formerly of Blender Vintage Shop, had a stall too, which made us feel quite nostalgic for our monthly visits to her wonderful shop.

We had a  little catch-up, and bought this 1970s jewellery box ...

.. and this cute little dog jug.















The jewellery box will be used for storing a selection of brooches to choose from each day. As you may know, my brooches are stored in a series of empty cutlery boxes, but while they are a very neat storage solution, it makes choosing brooches to wear on a daily basis quite an ordeal.

After waving goodbye to Fanny, we went to have a much needed car picnic during which the sun, which had been playing hide and seek all morning, made a short-lived appearance.

Back inside, we ooh'd and aah'd over the many wonderful items on sale, but we somehow seemed to have lost our momentum.

Jos was happy to find this Expo 58 tiepin for his collection. Now, if he'd only wear a tie once in while ...

My final purchase was this cute bamboo handbag. Yes, I know! I have run out of space to store them. And it's not even very practical. But seriously, how could I leave this pretty thing behind?

I guess I will have to have a good clear out soon, and get rid of the less interesting ones, though I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you ...