Flea Market Finds

I had promised myself that today I would stay home and just putz around the house (I did get the living room mantle rearranged)...and, as usual, I didn't. I really like the idea of doing nothing but I guess I'm just not very good at pulling it off.  Instead, I invited my friend, Sandy, to come down and, maybe, do some crafting. And, as usual, Sandy and I never actually made anything, although, to be fair, we did spend some time in my craft room. Now those of you who don't know me may be starting to wonder if Sandy actually exists since every time I mention her coming to do crafts with me, we never quite manage make anything. So...just to reassure you that she is not an imaginary friend, I took her picture. (Anyway, imaginary friends don't teach biology and organic chemistry, right?) Sandy and I are both a little shy about having our picture taken...even fully clothed...but she did let me take a picture of her feet...so, here it is, proof that she does, in fact, exist.

Instead of jumping right into making something, I suggested that we might need a few more vintage craft supplies... just to get our creative juices flowing. (Sometimes I wonder if Sandy and I don't enjoy shopping for the craft supplies more than actually making the crafts...but that's a story for another day.) Suffice it to say that somehow we ended up in her Jeep headed for the local flea market in search of just the right inspiration for whatever it was we thought we might eventually make. So, instead of posting any finished projects tonight, I am posting photos of more flea market finds.

I couldn't resist buying this lot of old sewing items. I loved the wooden spools of embroidery thread in faded shades of white and ivory. They were perfect for this big jar that I had on hand.

With the thread were a couple of other items, including this little button which someone had careful sewn to an old church program and dated 2/9/12. On the bottom, the lady had written that the button was from "Mama's blue dress".  Also in the jar was a little pin cushion made from blue calico stuffed into a walnut shell, some tatted shade pulls, and a few creamy doilies.

I like how the jar looks on top of my old spool cabinet with some of my vintage autograph books. They are safe there...Nancy is watching over them.

I also found a set of four little hand-appliqued napkins which, of course, I had to buy. After just the right amount of dickering, I got these cuties for $3.oo for the set...no sewing required and just right for Valentine's Day.

Sandy and I both love books...both to read and to pull apart or copy from for collages and paper crafts. We did a little more dickering and ended up with seven wonderful old children's books full of great graphics. These are the four that I chose:

One was We Look and See, an original Dick and Jane book. I'm sure that many of use "of a certain age" remember Dick and Jane...and, in this story, Sally is on hand, too. As a former English teacher,  I have to admit that the plot is a little thin...but I guess in 1st grade that didn't matter to us so much.

Two of the books were a little older, published in 1934. My mother would have been in 7th or 8th grade then so they were a little before our time. These stories were about "Alice and Jerry", two popular names from that era. My Mother's name is, in fact, Alice, so I was thrilled to find these.

A couple of vintage postcards made their way into my bag as well.  This one was so cute I had to have it...

Here's the back...

I bought the second postcard for my sister, Joanne (don't tell her!). It's an old photo of the church she was married in...St. Anne's in Kennebunkport, Maine...and it's dated 1906 on the back.

And finally, I bought these...I have no idea why. I actually only wanted the one on the bottom but they were being sold as a lot, so now I have the "hand" as well. Now, if Sandy and I ever do finally get our act together and make something, we'll each have a sign to hang on our finished creations!

This post is linked to Glenda's blog, Dab of This and That.

I am also linking this post to Junkin' Finds Friday at A La Carte.