Everyone has their own style and if you are like me, making your house into a home is a process that takes time and undergoes many changes. Our home style is fairly eclectic, mixing antiques and faux antiques with found objects, art prints, contemporary items with a dab of shabby chic, liberally sprinkled with books. I tend to grow very attached to the things that decorate our home and over the last decade those things have been added to and yet much has remained the same. This year we are wanting to change things around a bit. We aren’t planning a radical shift in style so much as an expansion on some things that we’ve grown to love over the last few years (my wife’s adoration for 60′s drinking glasses, for example).
And so we took our first trek of the year on the antique/flea market road with a trip down to Springfield, Missouri with my parents and my aunt and uncle this past Saturday. It was a sunny yet bitterly cold day and we had a lot of fun reminiscing about our childhood (my aunt and uncle’s kids are the same age as my brother, sister and me) and digging through others’ trash to find treasure. That is probably a bit unfair as all the places we went to were more in the antique vein and less in the flea market arena, but we still had a lot of fun. I got some really good ideas, found a few fun things, and didn’t spend much money at all.
It was a win-win!
This old tool box was one of the first things I eyed when walking into the fair and it was on my mind over the next several hours as we examined all the booths. I had told my parents about it and just before leaving my mom wanted to see it and of course that meant I was once again staring at it with a desire to make it my own. I’ve never been real confident about asking for discounts, so my mommy had to come to my rescue and she got it knocked down a bit for me. I paid $35 for it and was happy to do so. There were two more there that were bigger and would have been fun to have too and when I got home and my daughter started talking to me an idea popped into my head and now I’m kicking myself for not buying the biggest one too. Oh well, gives me something to keep my eye out for on future adventures.
Here is what it looks like inside. Not sure yet what I’m going to put in it or where I’m going to put it, but I’ve got some ideas brewing.
On the way back home we hit a store that is just outside of Bolivar, where my in-laws live. That is important because they had a small but very nice vintage SF collection and I picked up this copy of book four of Edgar Rice Borroughs’ John Carter of Mars series. I’m wanting to collect all the Whelan covers and all of these covers too.
The other thing my wife collects are silver (color, not necessarily real silver) and glass salt and pepper shakers. As she says she just looks for ones that catch her eye, not anything that has a particular value beyond aesthetics. She saw these right away and we both liked them so much that she bought them right away, $8 for the pair. Later on that day my uncle Jack pointed out two sets of these in a display box at another store that were selling in sets of four for $55. So Mary was even more pleased with her find!
And we got one mystery item which I cannot reveal as doing so will ruin the surprise for its intended recipient!
I had a list of items I was looking for and didn’t come home with a one, but I’m very happy with what we found and am glad we stayed well within our budget for the weekend. To cap the experience we started watching American Pickers on Netflix streaming last night. 
As the year rolls on I’m sure I’ll share pictures of our finds and our work in progress. I’m actually thinking of doing a feature on spaces that I will be asking you to participate in. It probably won’t be soon, but keep in mind that I’ll be enlisting all of your participation in the future.
In the meantime, this past week I discovered (well after everyone else), the Pinterest site. And I LOVE it. A place to link all the images that inspire you that automatically links back to where the image is found so credit is maintained! It is wonderful. You can also follow people on it like the other social media sites. I am using it for inspiration purposes and you can check out my Pinterest page here. I don’t have much on there at this time, but rest assured the images will multiply like rabbits.
As I finish this up the snow that began overnight is continuing to fall. Our first real snowfall of the winter. In mid-February. It has been a weird season.
What did you do over the weekend?
N has a mousetrap car project for tech class, so knowing Sean has built aplenty, we all went to down to visit his parents, and his father’s shop in particular. we had a nice dinner with his family and then Sean and I left N with them and went to see The Descendants (how romantic, right?)..it was that or The Woman in Black and I was warned it was scary so I want to see it in the daytime.
flea-markets leaning toward the antique show are fun. and I look forward to hearing about the transformation of your spaces. btw. love those salt/pepper shakers…and the tool box.
Yes, those aren’t necessarily romantic choices, but at least there are some nice parent/kid moments in The Descendents. I’m wanting to see Woman in Black because it looks scary.
Mary does have a really nice collection, some she’s found herself and others that have been gifted to her.
I’m fond of flea markets, but I’m only looking for books. Looks like you scored a nice copy of THUVIA, MAID OF MARS!
I’m glad I stumbled across that booth in that store, George. It had nicer books and a more interesting variety than I am used to seeing in flea markets or antique malls.
ohhhh man! I love love love the tool chest! I have a thing for wood and also “wood boxes” of any sort lol.. living in such a small apartment it sure curbs one from “collecting” much.. (although I just did a post about some movie posters I have tucked away..again from lack of room) Love antique stores but to be honest I like things that are old and warn and useable.. hmm kinda sounds like I am describing myself! LOL.. anyway… love the tool chest and it’s well worth the price! “mama did good!” lol
hey send me an email sometime with a list of paperbacks you are looking for so I keep an eye out when I go to the used book store.. many times I see books and think of you but I don’t know what you have or “want”.. for instance, if you EVER find hardback copies of Dragonflight, Dragonquest and the White Dragon (separate) and don’t grab them for me I will come and beat you up! lol.. so send an email of some “special ones” you keep an eye out for and what condition you will accept. ya know.. we should all make a small list and post them for our other blog friends to keep “just in case”..?? what do you think?
Mama did do good indeed! I appreciate her taking me under her wing yet again. It also helped motivate me to go ahead and buy it. I would have been so disappointed if I had left and not brought it home with me.
The cool thing about decorating with wood boxes is that you can also used them for storage, making them ideal decorating pieces for small spaces. Same with the cool old suitcases people decorate with.
I’ll keep your threats in mind about the McCaffrey books, lol!
I may just take you up on that list.
absolutely send a list! and keep one for yourself.. if you find a book on that list let me know to cross it off.. I probably won’t find what you want..but you never know!
I’ve got the itch now, Carl. My whole life I’ve been going to flea markets, yard sales, and antique stores. Growing up, whenever my family took a vacation, the only events we planned (usually) were where to eat and what flea markets to hit up. It’s been a few months since I’ve been to a honest-to-goodness smorgasbord flea market, but Springtime she comes, and the markets’ll open up again.
As for the deals… dude, it’s simple. Just offer a fair price and haggle with ‘em. They expect you to. And it just feels better doing it that way.
The toolbox looks great. Best of luck with Pinterest. Keisha’s quite taken to that site.
I have a feeling Pinterest could be very, very addicting. Already I want to add about 10 rooms onto my home so I can decorate each of them in the variety of styles I find fun. I have a small house and big eyes! LOL!
Mary and I always do that on our anniversary week off, we trip around the antique stores and flea markets looking for things we can’t live without.
And I do know they expect the haggling, I’ve just never been good at doing it. I just need to decide I’m going to be brave and not worry about it. The worse they can say is “no” and if I decide ahead of time whether or not I’m willing to pay the asking price then it is an easy decision to take it or walk away if they don’t haggle.
That tool box looks like it would make a great small paperback display case. Two levels. It would really show them off!
Honestly Richard it was that second shelf look when the lid is open that first caught my eye. The boxes looked cool closed, but she had this one open on top and I loved the way the lid opened back and made a little display area of its own. I’m not 100% sure, but it is highly unlikely that books won’t be a part of this somehow, LOL!
I don’t flea but after looking at your tool chest, I think I should start! What a great find! This weekend I just relaxed and did homework. Have a great week, Carl!
There are a group of girls here in Missouri who all have great websites and they have friends elsewhere who also have great websites and they all craft and flea market/vintage shop and repurpose things and they are so inspiring. Makes me wonder why I don’t shop at those places more often.
You have a great week as well!
I grew up going to yard sales with my parents nearly every weekend. So my wife and I go whenever we can. It’s funny, I don’t really even find stuff I want all that often. I mean I look for comic books and science fiction novels, but I hardly ever find them. Mostly it’s just about taking a drive, getting outside in the fresh air and spending a leisurely Saturday with my wife.
That is a great deal of the fun of doing this John, especially with one’s spouse. We don’t often find things that we need or want, or at least that we want to pay the asking price for, but we always get inspired and just being out and doing something is fun. Plus there is something of that voyeuristic pleasure associated with looking at other people’s stuff.
What a find!!! And those salt and pepper shakers are to die for!!! Mary has wonderful taste…and quite the steal
Saw your pinterest. You should do those pics of the two of you, You’ll be immortalized! and I’m sure your daughter would love them 
I probably should add those to Pinterest. Mary has only developed this love of salt and pepper shakers and fun old drinking glasses over the last couple of years but I have to admit that she does find stuff that I really end up liking too and neither are things I would have glanced twice at before. She’s inspired me and her collections have begun to inspire some new decorating directions we want to take in our home.
I forgot to mention… De did say that a number of times he used salt shakers for a Dr McCoy “tool”.. heh…ya never know what Mary might find! lol
That is too funny!
I love flea markets! I like the really crummy ones with hidden treasures. I love that box you got and those s/p shakers are really nice. Great job. It’s fun to make a house a home. My house is going to be quite empty soon, but all the better to refill it with things that are my own, right? Right!
Exactly Daphne, there is pleasure in that. You can have a huge canvas all to yourself.
Carl, that box is outstanding! I am not surprised you were taken with it and hooray to your mom for getting a discount. I often don’t want to ask for them either, but sometimes it makes all the difference.
Mary told me about the salt & pepper set, but those are lovelier than I imagined.
Thanks Nick! We do both need to be more assertive in our shopping then, don’t we?
We’ll have to break them out for use next time we have you over.
Oh, wish I had known about that sooner! Springfield is within a weekend’s drive, and I’ve got two flea marketing buddies that are itching to go somewhere soon!
and welcome to Pintrest it’s addicting! You can find me on there as merlin513 also, got you bookmarked now
Woman in Black was a good old-fashioned ghost story, with a bit of who-dunnit mixed in. Wasn’t something i’d go see again, but the scenery & cinematography is GORGEOUS! I want that house badly & could possibly be enticed to even share it with a psychotic spirit…
Yes, that would have been fun to say “hello”. Of course given your track record you probably would have found other things that would have tempted me to spend money. LOL!
Pinterest is great fun. I need to block out some time to check out other’s pins.
Your description of WIB makes me want to see it even more.
So jealous of your wooden tool box. That looks awesome.
Thanks Elizabeth, I am so pleased with it, it was a real find for me.
That toolbox is great! My husband and I love flea markets, thrift stores and yard sales.
One of my greatest finds was a set of china with enough for a 12 place setting (dinner plates, salad plates, soup bowls, desert bowls, cup/saucers), that also included 2 serving platters, 2 bowls and a gravy boat. All for the magical price of $35! Found the pattern online and found out that just 1 plate cost $10. So I basically got this great set of china for the price of 3 plates! And it was one of those impulse buys too. I wasn’t out looking for anything in particular and just happened across this set of china with a pattern I really loved at a price I couldn’t pass up. And I didn’t even know how many dishes there were until I got it home. I was shocked yet extremely happy!
Wow, that was quite the find Sarah. Isn’t it fun when you just stumble upon treasure. And even more fun when it turns out that your “treasure” is actually worth something.
I have the exact same copy of Thuvia. My Burroughs collection is almost all old sixties paperbacks, from about five different series editions with no rhyme or reason to which books are from which set. I kind of enjoy the randomness…the lack of consistency makes its own consistency somehow.
I like randomness too and my collections of series of older books are often very much like that, although when I have a chance to build up the similar collections I do like to do so if I am fond of the cover art.
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love the wooden box you acquired and can’t wait to see it in person. Cool book as well…
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours, and everyone else as well.
I love flea markets but haven’t been to one in ages. You have given me some ideas for a fun afternoon in London! And they mystery is killing me! I read an article about pinterest last week, but haven’t looked into it yet. Sounds like you enjoy it.
There have to be some amazing ones in London I would think, TBM. Would love to find out what you might discover there.
You should check out Pinterest. It is wonderfully addicting.
I would so participate in a “spaces” challenge – it’s something I’m working on over the course of the year anyway and I would love some sort of community to discuss this with. Great post and I love the tool box!
Great to hear Courtney. Once spring really kicks in here I’ll be doing some of my own stuff which is why I’m holding off on getting started on the “spaces” thing, but it will be here before we know it and I’ll be sure to post about it well before the time comes.
This is going to sound…monumentally bizarre. And more than a little superstitious (which isn’t a word I’d think applicable to me, but what I’m about to admit would seem to prove otherwise). But…I rarely end up taking antiques (or flea finds) home because *deep breath* I wonder if I might not be borrowing the original owner’s sorrows or troubles, as if emotions were capable of leaving behind some kind of potent residue. What can I say? It’s partly me, partly you’re-starting-to-crack-under-all-the-paranormal-stuff-you-read-and-watch-Chelle-you’d-best-watch-that. (Joe Hill’s Heart-Shaped Box did not help this illogical reasoning of mine one bit.) I certainly appreciate things like that, and will look at them appreciatively, but…In any event, that box is awesome!
And it’s funny that you mentioned/pictured that Burroughs find. I just put up a post dedicated to the reissues of the John Carter novels. (And I have you to thank for pointing me in the direction of those books, so…Thanks!)
You are welcome, they are a lot of fun!
Although I don’t think any of my items are possessed in any way, I do love to think about where these vintage items might have come from, what history they have, etc. It would be wonderful to be able to pull that history out of those objects. I feel the same way when I buy used books, wondering what life they’ve had before, how many times they were read, what the owner or owners thought of the story.
I’ve been hearing a lot about Pinterest lately… I might have to give it a shot!
Old books have so much character. Flea markets and thrift stores are a lot of fun, but we don’t really have many non-pretentious ones in the DC area.
You should try it, but beware!!!
These were a couple of the better organized and interesting stores I’ve been in, but sometimes the treasures are in the really junky, disorganized ones.