Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Flea Finds & Inspiration

Two friends and I attended a large flea market Sunday, about an hours drive away, and had a great "girlfriends day out" filled with many laughs ... and found a few things along the way.  This is a photo of two sections of sewing cabinet drawers that I picked up ($5 each) because (1) they intrigue me with their nostalgia, (2) I LOVED the details on their sides, and (3) I intend to make a countertop cabinet out of them, similar to this one I recently discovered on eBay (pic below) ... listed at a Buy It Now price of $235, yikes!
Isn't it gorgeous?  A great way to preserve our ancestors' heritage, and memories of Grandma's sewing machine, in my humble opinion.

Next, I found these feet to use on the shutter cabinet I shared last week ($3 each).  The gentleman I purchased them from cut them himself, and told me they were designed for the smaller end to go on the bottom, but I kinda like the wider end on the bottom!  These should add a bit of "spunk" to the shutter door cabinet, don't ya think?

I also found some knobs for the orange chest I recently completed!

I chose an "eclectic mix" and love the result!

My only other purchase was a Gorham silver serving dish ($5) that I may keep, and I may not, but it was too pretty to pass up.

We saw many "inspiring pieces," that were already "upcycled" and thus not something I desired to purchased, but they may inspire future pieces, for you or me!  Here are a few photos of some of them.
Not very inspiring pieces here, but this "turquoisy-blue" color was EVERYWHERE.  I think it's particularly yummy here with the green shutter behind it.

Simply because I would have never thought "outside the box" to do this technique of leaving the drawers their natural color, I found this piece intriguing.  It allows for preservation of the original piece, while also upfitting and renewing a perhaps too "distressed" top and frame.  My grandmother had a desk just like this, and I have to wonder "is this it" as I have no recollection of what became of it ... and now wish I would have taken it when it was offered, some 20+ years ago!

I LOVE to see old ceiling tiles repurposed, and this was a new idea for me.  What a neat Christmas Tree "stand!"

This table caught my eye simply because of its uniqueness in shape.  What a neat idea to do with an out-of-date coffee table!  It would make a unique plant stand ... or entryway display piece.

Now for some "eye candy" that was simply WAY beyond my budget, but much to my liking for bling!
Admittedly, anything over $20 was quickly a "not" for me, but if my memory serves me correctly, this centerpiece was priced at $950, not including the two matching side pieces ... but, oh, so gorgeous!

I love Tiffany lamps, and this one immediately caught my eye.  The seller admitted the shades were repro's, but what a beauty, nonetheless.
The same gentleman had several of these Tiffany boxes, this one in the Grapevine pattern, that were gorgeous.  Again, nothing that I was going to purchase, but absolutely beautiful to observe.



Now, I wish I had brought these babies home!  These two bentwood chairs were very unusual, as they were so narrow, and not something you see everyday.  But the left one was missing a spindle on its back, and I had no idea where I would get it repaired.  However they were only $50 for the pair, but my goal was to find something to upfit.  And, besides the repair, these were too pretty in their natural state to upfit!

On our way home, we stopped by an antique store that didn't have much of interest besides the following photo of what Marcia referred to as Yard Art, if I understood her correctly, I suppose because the artwork is roughly a yard wide?

And this was my Sunday afternoon outing with two fun friends, an afternoon out that I needed, and totally enjoyed.  I hope each of you enjoy your day, and ... have made it through my Girls Day Out!  I found much inspiration on this adventure, and hope you will also.  If anything here inspires you, please let me know!  I LOVE hearing from you, and seeing what you do with the inspiration!  Happy Day to each of you.  May you enjoy life today and always ~~ J

9 comments:

  1. That had to be a very fun day...girlfriends and all those wonderful pieces to look at...Wow.....I love the cabinets you got and can't wait to see how you are going to finish them......You defnitely have an eye for the good stuff.....

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  2. Jeanne;
    It sounds like you had a fabulous outing with your girlfriends! I think you found some wonderful things in those old sewing drawers! I am too impatient to look through things I think! LOL! Good for you!

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  3. omg i love those sewing boxes..how cool, cant wait to see what you do with them!

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  4. Okay, I am completely green with envy!! And you got an excellent deal on those sewing drawers--I'm always on the lookout for these--I love what your plan is for them.

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  5. Looks like such a fun day! I would give anything to find some of those sewing drawers. I like your inspiration in how to use them, also. What great finds and ideas to get the imagination juices flowing.

    The little orange/red chest is a fun piece. A nice pop of color!

    I appreciate that you liked my color choice for the living room. Color is such a personal thing. I wanted to cheer the room up a bit. You know it's so gloomy here in CO...lol!

    Have a great night, Jeanne!

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  6. I love your pictures!! and thanks for everything

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  7. Thanks for each of your comments. You make my day sparkle with your added comments, truly! To Nancy, Diane, Mist, and Michelle, I too love those sewing cabinets, and can't WAIT to "get the ball" rolling on them! However, it's hunting season, so DH is preoccupied for the next couple of months. So, hmmm, perhaps I need to contact that gentleman of a handyman to help me with this project, ;).

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  8. I had such a good time looking at all these things, I like everyone and would of paused by them as you did. I do love to buy shabby things the best and fix them up, I have a lot of shabby and enjoy it all the time and would not get rid of it, I want to live with it.

    Thre is such joy in bring these things home and finding place for them in your house.

    You have made me want to go look and I just went and looked on Wednesday, I need to get control of myself.

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  9. So much FUN joining you on your flea market adventure. Looking forward to your drawer project - gotta love a bargain. YaY on the eclectic knobs - love the color on that dresser and I'm a big turquoise fan...very inspiring:)

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