As a writer, it should come as no surprise that I love objects that
have a story. I have my fair share of Target and Ikea items in my home,
but the majority of my decor can be attributed to flea markets, antique
stores, garage sales, and thrift stores. I enjoy speculating about whom
they belonged to, where they came from, and how old they are. And I
happen to be a sucker for cast-off's, imperfections, and underdogs.
In fact, my very first published piece appeared in
The Walworth County Week newspaper, and it was about the
Elkhorn Flea Market,
an event that I have been frequenting since I was 12. It covered my
tips and tricks on flea market success, and boy, was I proud of it.
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| My piece in The Week. Yup, that's me circa 2004. |
My trip to yesterday's flea market proved, as usual,
to be a treasure trove of amazing oddities and collectibles. I have been to
my fair share of flea markets...Cape Cod, Florida, even Paris...and I
think this is one of the best ones I've ever been to. It's only five
minutes from where I grew up.
I love how creative sellers get with their booth displays. This flea market is packed with Pinterest-worthy imagery.
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| This seller knows exactly how to announce the types of wares she purveys. |
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| A Wes Anderson-worthy vignette |
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| A very fancy pig |
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| A plethora of vintage signs. How much do I want to hang up that bowl of ice cream in my kitchen? |
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| Antique bottles in whites, creams, and lilacs |
And as usual, I found
vintage goodies to add to my collection. Many times, I turned to my mom
and dad and said, "Why isn't my house bigger?" Usually I want to take
home about 88% of the items at the flea market.
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| An embroidered bracelet from the '60s. I like to imagine that a hippie wore it. |
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| A (non-working) men's watch that I plan to stack with sparkly bracelets |
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| A kitschy tea towel that's totally apropos, seeing as how I am a vegetarian. |
And I got a gorgeous vintage
French science print that showcases various mushrooms, set in an old
window. I'd show it here, but it needs some picture wire, so I'll be
posting it when it's properly hung in my house.
I
like to think of antiques as inanimate versions of rescue animals.
They're just looking for a good home. And there are plenty of antiques
in need to be found at the Elkhorn Flea Market.
Upcoming dates for the Elkhorn Flea Market: August 10 and September 28
No time to flea? Get the look with these Etsy finds.
Chicago Pennants
Helloooo Shelby!*!*!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sooooo Much for the **Shout-Out** & Stopping in my Booth at Elkhorn!*!*!
Glad I popped over to take a look at yours as well...
Jeanine Burkahrdt