Wednesday 8 February 2017

Second nature

Entering a flea market always makes my heart go a-flutter with butterflies of excitement. There's a heady mixture of anticipation and hope that somehow that little serendipitous surprise will cross my path.

The difference with entering a regular shop is that you never, ever know what, if anything, you will come across. It's the thrill of the unexpected which is so appealing. So, in spite of anything you might have in your head, it's good keep your mind wide open and your eyes peeled.



First time visitors can be quite daunted by the jumble of goods on offer, on neatly arranged trestle tables if one is lucky, but more often than not in ill-assorted boxes, spilling the unedited contents of garages, attics and basements.

But practice makes perfect and and soon it becomes second nature to find treasure winking at you from a table full of mundane stuff, peeking out from under a pile of tat or lurking at the bottom of a carton full of broken bits and pieces.


As you know, I'm always on the look out for brooches and unusual handbags, but we often make surprise purchases as well.

I was happy to see the brooch lady at last Saturday's flea market. Eagerly, I started browsing through her folders of brooches. She always brings different folders from her lifetime collection of over 3000 brooches, yielding must-haves every time.




It didn't take long for me to find this Lourdes brooch, top right, which needs a bit of cleaning, then the wreath of orange metal flowers (top left). The posy of red hearted flowers (bottom right) instantly appealed to me. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the miniature tapestry handbag, which obviously had to be mine!









It really looks like a mini version of the handbag I found at another flea market last spring. Truly a match made in heaven!






















After lunch, we continued our treasure hunt, which is when we found the navy handbags (right and above) languishing in a carton. They were  € 3 each.












The carved ivory coloured plastic beads were a steal at just € 3 too.



At the stall of a lady selling hats and haberdashery, this green depression glass carafe set was hidden among her display of hats.



It's now living on my 1930s marble topped bedside table, where it's feeling quite at home!



Our final purchase was this marble art deco set of bookends, which was only € 4. We were in need of some decent bookends to tame the never-ending stream of books we are bringing back from my dad's. The Shakespeare used to belong to him too!



Speaking of which, we spent Sunday afternoon clearing some more of my dad's stuff. And still we haven't finished sorting through his books! I guess I'm really my father's daughter when it comes to books and I'm sure I inherited my collecting (and hoarding!) gene from him as well ...


These are some of my dad's jazz records, all 10-inch 33 rpm's dating from the 1950s, which have found a loving new home at Dove Cottage.



I can't wait to sort through this box full of assorted family photographs and documents, which will provide hours of entertainment on rainy Sunday afternoons.

I am actually in four of the photographs you can see. Can you spot me?

30 comments:

  1. Oh my, that handbag brooch is adorable, it was made for you! I'd love to go to that flea market but wouldn't know where to start. Have fun going through those photos, they look very interesting xx

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    1. It's cute, isn't it? After all these years, I think I've become adept at tackling flea markets and spotting bargains. It didn't happen overnight though ... xxx

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  2. The handbag brooch would have caught my eye too ;)
    Great treasure hunting as always! X

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    1. I think I was lucky that brooch wasn't snapped up by someone else. And lucky that we went on Saturday, as we often go on Sunday. I guess it would have been gone by then. xxx

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  3. woww, that miniature tapestry bag really stole my heart!, such a cute brooch! and all those beautiful bags are also fab pieces!!
    Lovely bookends and glass set too!
    And I think there are few things more delightful than rummaging through old pictures and jazz discs on a rainy Sunday evening!

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    1. Thanks Monica! We have been playing my dad's records in the evenings all week! xxx

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  4. that bag-brooch was made for you!!
    and yeah! the excitement when entering a fleamarket! we cant wait until it will start again in spring (not much indoor makets here) - the biggest is on the riverbank in dresden which is a extra fab surrounding if the weather is right.
    can i come over to dove cottage for a drink and some jazz record listening?? ;-)
    huge hugs!
    xxxxxx

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    1. Of course you can come over, Beate. Just say the word! xxx

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  5. I have never seen a flea market like the ones I see on your blog (I’m obviously not looking in the right places!).
    The handbag brooch - what a super find! And the bookends are so beautiful!
    My Dad has a similar collection of old family photos, at our last big get-together we spent hours looking through them. It’s fascinating!

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    1. Thanks Hazel. I just love browsing through old family photos. xxx

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  6. After a month of no (or very little) shopping, I'm itching to get rummaging! You've described perfectly the excitement of second hand shopping, you know you'll find something but what will it be?
    That tiny bag brooch is fantastic and so's it's big sister. I love the font on your Dad's volume of Shakespeare. xxx

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    1. That Shakespeare's lovely, isn't it. That book was so much part of my childhood home, and I'm glad it's now mine. xxx

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  7. Gorgeous little handbag brooch and you're right - its a perfect match for the real thing! xx

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  8. Yes you've hit the nail on the head about buying from a second hand shop, there's always something to discover. Love the tapestry bag brooch. Those family photos will give you both a giggle and a yearning for those no longer here.xx

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    1. I was so pleased when I found the "big" handbag last spring, never dreaming I would find its little sister in the form of a brooch ... xxx

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  9. as ever you have found some absolute gems. I really NEED to go handbag shopping with you!

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    1. Thanks Gisela. Judging from your latest post, I see you found some pretty handbags yourself ... xxx

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  10. Flea market shopping is the best! I love the huge one we go to but I can just imagine those who are new to it would feel quite overwhelmed by everything.
    I absolutely adore the green carafe. That may very well be uranium, do you know how to check? Those bookends are to die for and I cannot believe the price!! Those would be about £40 at the flea market I go to. They've really cottoned on to the whole vintage revival thing there unfortunately. xx

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    1. Is that the Shepton Mallet one, Cate? As for the uranium, I've heard about the blacklight trick. Must see if I can find one, as it might indeed be uranium. Will let you know how I get on ... xxx

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  11. Great bags I love embroidered bags

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  12. Oh the wee handbag brooch is so diddy! Perfect mini me to the bag.

    I have never been to a flea market and I'm sure I would get overwhelmed were I to go to one! I get sensory overload when faced with too much. I have been to indoor vintage and antique emporiums though, the sort with individual pitches and central tills.

    I just love that green glass, so beautiful xxx

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    1. I was quite daunted at first, but you soon learn. The trick is not to let the sheer volume distract you. Though I see what you mean, when I'm not in the right frame of mind, I sometimes get overwhelmed too. xxx

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  13. The handbag broochis so pretty! I would love to go to a Fleamarket- I did go to one in Paris but it was really expensive! A shame, I'd prefer to go to something like your ones!!!

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    1. I've heard about flea markets in Paris being quite expensive. Ours are a mix of cheap and more expensive stuff, so there's always a bargain to be made. xxx

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  14. I love it when someone buys as much stuff as me haha. The handbags are my favourite. Put the top blue one in my pile please xxx

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    1. I'll have to start an Excel sheet to keep tabs of all your things! Oh, and we're real magpies aren't we? I wonder what would happen if we'd go shopping together ... xxx

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  15. That green glass carafe is beautiful. And somehow I knew Cate was going to love the bookends. :-)

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