My Big Green Basket.........Flea Market Finds

On a freezing cold Sunday morning, I woke up, ran a brush through my hair, grabbed my trusty green vintage basket and set off for the flea market.

It was a HUGE one and because we were there super early (before the birds had even woken up !) we had pick of the lot !  My son decided to come with me when bribed with money to spend and we had the best time together.

Turns out after all the years observing his Mum buying antiques, he has developed quite the eye for detail. I was super impressed with his efforts to scan over a stall and determine whether it was 'trash' (as he called it), or something worth a look.

I had a budget of $20 and found amazing buys. I wanted to see just how much you could buy with a small amount of money and it had to be something of quality. 

 We definitely managed to accomplish that and  we even managed to treat ourselves with bacon and egg rolls too.

We stumbled upon the best stall that were pretty much selling a lifetime contents from their home. The old wife had passed on and the husband was cleaning out.

I could almost hear his wife shouting 'NOOOOOO' from her grave as one by one her prized possessions were sold for a song.

The first thing I saw was a BEAUTIFUL floral dinner set. It was VERY grubby and needed a bath. In fact everything that they were selling needed a bath.

When I asked how much the set was I heard '$10' come back to me..........YIPPEEEEE

BARGAIN !

My son was off like a shot digging into a big bag of cricket items and found himself a pair of wicket keeper gloves that he was quite chuffed about. He paid $5 for them and was very happy. Apparently these particular gloves were quite expensive so he was on to a winner !

I was filling my basket up with my new dinner set which was almost complete. 2 cups and 1 saucer was all the had been broken over the years.

Next I found 2 lovely books at $1 a piece.

Next came a beautiful lace table runner for 50 cents.

The gentleman saw me looking at an old song book and threw it in for nothing.

(I will use the pages of the book for crafting)

Lastly I found at another stall 4 beautiful antique greeting cards for 50 cents each. Normally these are around $4-5 in antique stores so they were also a bargain !

I also found a bag of Victorian lace at another stall which was only a couple of dollars.

 (So chuffed about that as well !)

My son and I had a fantastic morning together. We found a lady selling the BEST caramel fudge ever. We opened the bag before we had even left the market and then went back to buy another bag.

All up we spent $25.

A great mornings work if you asked me !

There is something about flea markets that I find really addictive. I guess it's the thrill of the chase and the fact that almost anything is likely to surface amongst it all.  You can grab a bargain and save yourself a small fortune instead of shopping in antique stores.

On top of that you get to meet the nicest people who can give you a little history into the piece that you are buying.

Here's a little look at our treasures.

(I didn't think you would be too interested in the gloves so left them out)

Isn't she pretty !!!

I'm not sure if you can see or not, but there is a very pretty decorative edge on the china.

There will be hot tea in this cup very shortly !

(I have the kettle on boiling as we speak !)

and for a couple of tiny dollars I bought home these gorgeous lengths of lace !

and we all know how much I adore lace :-)

and of course the antique postcards.

This pretty card is for all of my beautiful American bloggy friends who will be celebrating Thanksgiving soon !

Happy Thanksgiving to you all !

This card came all the way from Baltimore. I wonder who brought it here and when. It dates back to 1908 and is such pristine condition. I actually thought it was a new card when I first picked it up.

and you can see why I had to have these vintage books. Dating back to 1947 they are beautifully illustrated and I can't wait to read the sweet stories. (I am a big kid at heart !)

Look at this stunning lace !

This table runner has been eaten up by moths over the years but the lace is all but perfect so I will unpick the lace and remake the centrepiece.

Isn't it gorgeous......and a steal for 50cents !

So there are our treasures !

It just goes to show that on a shoestring you can buy quality, beautiful items.

It was so nice to share in all of the fun with my 12 year old son who probably would have much preferred to have been kicking a ball around the garden. Hopefully I have unleashed the thrill of flea marketing with him and crossed fingers a love for antiques and vintage. I told him that I would give him an allowance each time we go and he can buy something for himself and something for him to on sell. I think encouraging a business head on young shoulders is a great thing. It will show him what you can do with a little creativity and imagination. 

                  I hope that you all had a great weekend too !

                                               Melanie
                                                     x

                                           I am linking up with the following linky parties.
                                                  Pop in and visit them and be inspired !

                                                                   The Cottage Market
                                                                   Faith, Grace, Crafts
                                                                   The Coloradolady