Flea Market Finds-April 2019
It’s truly like a treasure hunt my friends.
Saturday morning, 6 am and I’m up getting ready for a mini road trip and some antiquing with my friend Abby. She’s a seasoned vet at this process so I’m always happy to go along for the ride. There’s something truly magical about these vintage finds. The thrill of the hunt, negotiating, finding treasure? SIGN THIS GIRL UP.
We took off for Chicago early with two stops in mind. First up was a small antique store in Sandwich, IL. Y’all I lived in Chicago for 8 years and never stepped foot in this “fair town” (not kidding, this is what their sign says. It’s fairly remote and feels far from the hustle and bustle of Chicago’s downtown/suburbs. Sandwich traded in all of the busyness that typically accompanies this area for open fields, beautiful barns, and a true hometown, country feel. Second was the Kane County Flea Market which is in St. Charles, IL. The vast fairgrounds is taken over with vendors who have set up their tables of goods.
It was beautiful weather…sunny, 50s, the perfect day for a little road trip and some wandering. We found great stuff. I wanted some more Jadeite for my collection (done), Abby wanted some statutes for her garden (done, done). Here are my finds from this round of treasure hunting!
PINNED YA’
Any flea market that you go to is going to have trays of old costume jewelry and pins. It takes a bit of a hunt, but there are some gems in there friends. Statement necklaces, beautiful bracelets, and crazy rings. But my favorite? The pins. Can we just go ahead and bring brooches back? I love them…they’re like art for your clothing. The sweetest old lady sold me all of these for $10. What a gem.
OLD SPICE MUG
I found this vintage Old Spice mug and fell in love with it for some reason. I thought it would be perfect for Doug’s shaving stuff or his toothbrush/comb in the bathroom. There’s something so charming about the way that companies would use graphics for their marketing. We emulate so much of it today including the retro fonts and simplicity of design. In this case, nothing beats a red/navy combo with a touch of nautical-ness.
JADEITE
We scored some serious Jadeite at both the antique store we stopped at and the flea market. I added some dinner plates, bowls (mixing and mini dessert ones), and tea cups to my growing collection. The pricing on them were really good…Jadeite can vary depending on their origin, year, and quality. Usually they hover anywhere from $5 on up. There’s just something about the history of these pieces that charm me. Due to their popularity, they are sometimes a bit illusive so it’s fun when you come upon a great piece while you’re out treasure hunting.
APOTHECARY/MEDICINE BOTTLES
I also collect glass bottles. I have been surprised how much I use them from holding a happy bud to serving as a centerpiece at an event. They each hold a story-old companies, medicines, cities they hailed from. The best is when the vendor has some kind of knowledge of their history. It’s a fun and affordable collection…typically they price anywhere from .50 to $10. You can get into the realm of really rare or valuable ones but given how much I use them, that’s not the zone I’m typically in.
Thanks for following along on this round of flea market finds. Do you go antiquing? What fun are you finding and collecting?
Sincerely,
Ashley