Rose Bowl Flea Market December 2014

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It happened again.

I got up before the crack of dawn.

To shop, of course.

What else is worth getting up early on a weekend for?

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My husband and I both love going to The Rose Bowl Flea Market in December. The weather is nice and cool. Cold but not too cold. The vendors are a little more jolly. It is just a nice time to go. Plus, it is fun to pick up unusual one of a kind Christmas gifts for people who will truly appreciate them.

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We have now worked out what is most enjoyable for us when we go to the flea market. We like to get there early and leave early. We got there at 7:05 and left at 9:05. Well, we left the first time at 9:05 and the second time at 10:05. But that is a long story involving me thinking we had lost a piece to an item only to come to the conclusion it had always been missing. You know, because items that are old… Vintage… They are always in pristine condition and you should never inspect them before you buy. Or always inspect them. It is one of those for sure.

There were so many amazing items there this time. We saw a beautiful library cabinet. It was too expensive for us, but I am sure someone grabbed it. And, of course, we did not get a picture of the beautiful piece.

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An Indian wedding bench from a wedding house. Actually two of them. And the third one, a blue one, had just sold. They were $350 each. They were so beautiful they made my heart ache. I have absolutely nowhere to put them. The sweet owner said I could treat them and put them outside to which I not jokingly replied I would move my bed out there first. I would never ruin such beauties with the outdoor elements.

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This green laundry bin was really cool. I have enough laundry bins. But I had not seen one like this before. And I am not quite sure it was a laundry bin, but it was perfect for the task. I hope it went to a good home. It even had wheels.

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I ended up taking this old game wheel home… I know. But my bleary (not Beery) eyes fell in love.

It was probably from some hometown carnival many years ago. It was not a professional wheel, but I loved the colors and the sentiment of it. Now where to put it? I had originally planned on hanging it above my daughter’s bed. Then the grogginess of the morning wore off and I once again became aware that we live in earthquake country. Probably not the wisest move to hang a heavy wooden object with rusty metal above your kid’s bed. It is a good thing I do not make most of my life decisions at dawn.

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I loved this old, I believe it was from Nepal but I could be wrong, alter. It was from the 1800s and very pretty.

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Of course, I had to take pictures of the unusual, too. This old Hamburger symbol. It was huge. I do not know what someone would do with it, but I had to take a picture of it after that dream I had a few months ago.

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Dolls. Dolls. Dolls.

They are watching me.

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With hungry eyes.

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I do not know why, but this sign made me giggle. I just pictured giving it to someone as a gift. I have since learned it was an old time actor. But I thought it was a bar sign. Both cases make me smile.

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In my hoarder’s ultimate fantasy, I would have a room filled with these metal letters. And I could reach in and grab handfuls at a time and they would slip through my fingers. And whatever letters were left would be my fortune for the day.

And that would make as much sense as a bar sign advertising Beery. Which, by the way, would always be my fortune of the day.

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I did not buy any of these letters, but they were neat. It was an overwhelming amount of choices.

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The coat is Anthropologie Tartan Blanket Coat (previously styled here).

There is a man at the flea market that sells exotic textiles whom I think has the best taste. He was there again on Sunday. He was selling the most beautiful blanket. It was like a kantha, but unlike any kantha I had ever seen. It was white with red and blue stitching. It had patches of kantha-like material. It was subtle but beautiful. I wanted it desperately. But my sweet husband really wanted to buy me a coat at another vendor because he thought it was perfect for me and I would wear it and think of him and so he did for Christmas. And the blanket had to give for the coat. I took a picture of the blanket in my mind. The coat will stay on my body and in my heart… When I get it.

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I picked up this fun little chest covered in fish for $20.

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I also purchased three of these afghan cardigans. Two for me and one for my daughter. I did not really think she would like them, but my husband was insistent that she would. What would be your guess? Would a teenage girl wear one of these?

I do know the answer.

Just like I did before the purchase was made. ; )

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I saw this dog and I thought it was a perfect cross of what Ollie and Murphy would look like if they had a love child.

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What would one would do with these geese? They looked interesting. Almost like they were from a set of a 1940s movie. They were also in pristine condition. I would have loved to have learned what the purchaser was planning on doing with them.

Remember when that man asked me if I was looking for an iceberg detector the last time I went to the flea market? Well, my husband recognized him again right away in his booth. He actually had glowing devices and was asking people as they walked by, “Do you need an iceberg detector?”

He added a new part to the line this time, too, “Or a zombie zapper?” So, if you are looking for either of those devices, look no further. But best to have some beery before your first use.

Would you be excited or sad to get a gift from a flea market? I only purchased gifts for people there who I knew would like them. If I gave certain people a used item, I would never ever ever hear the end of it. I will show the pictures of the gifts I bought in “Keepin’ It Real” at the end of the month. July’s Rose Bowl Flea Market trip can be viewed here.

P.S. I shared this on Savvy Southern Style.

Rose Bowl Flea Market July 2014 Recap

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We left our house at 5:00 in the morning to be sure to get down to Pasadena and get the good parking ahead of the crowds. I knew I wanted to pay the extra entrance fee to enter at 7:00 instead of waiting for the general public fee of $8 at 9:00 in the morning. The entrance fees per person go like this:

Before 7:00 a.m. = $20
7:00-8:00 a.m. = $15
8:00-9:00 a.m. = $10
9:00 a.m. and later = $8

I find that before 7:00 most vendors have not finished setting up, so it is generally not worth the extra $5. In fact I overheard a lady complaining about it to her companion that she felt ripped off when so many vendors had not even begun to display their wares.

Even at 7:00 there are still people arriving but the majority of the vendors are ready to deal.

We knew we wanted to be in and out.

Make a quick trip of it.

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Here are a few tips:

1. Arrive early and then leave early to beat the crowds.

2. Haggle. Haggle. Haggle. I never pay asking price. It is the name of the game. It is a friendly conversation. They expect it. You should do it. It is fun. The end.

Wait. I spoke too soon:

Funny thing about that. We were leaving and these two hipster chicks were carrying the most amazing leather chairs to their Range Rover. I knew how much those chairs were worth because Emily Henderson has a pair. And Anthropologie has recreated them and sells them for almost $2500 each. So, I had to ask.

“How much did you pay for those?” I rudely quipped.

“$700 for the both of them,” one of the girls replied. I wanted to bite something in my jealousy.

“That is a fantastic price!” I told them.

“You think so? He wanted $1500 for both but I threw out $700 and he agreed really quickly… Almost too quickly.”

Ha! That happens every time. You always wonder if maybe you could have done better. Either way those girls scored. So be prepared with your offer and know what something is worth.

3. Bring a cart. We used to lug around a beach cart, but now we have a handy dandy cart that we purchased for $20 last year at the flea market. They rent them for $15 at the entrance but some booths near the back (of course) also sell them.

4. Read Emily Henderson’s Flea Market Tips. It is handy. I do not think you need a notebook because most of us have cellphones that we can just write the booth’s info down into.

5. Do not hesitate. We lost out on the coolest storage end tables because we decided to walk around and think on it. We did end up getting their smaller cousin for a great price ($20) and he worked out perfectly where we needed him (pictures in a future post). But they were something my husband really wanted, so that was a bummer.

Things are one of a kind so they sell quickly and early.

6. Pay for parking. VIP Parking is $15 for the upfront parking. It is a Godsend. You will be doing a tremendous amount of walking. Why walk more after a long day? This is especially true if you are buying large pieces. This is not a store and you are required to get your items to the car yourselves. It is worth it.

Okay, enough! Let’s get into the flea market all ready!

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I waited in line until exactly 7:00. And I do mean exactly. The windows do not open even one second early.

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I made my first purchase of these cool vintage carpet remnants that I am currently sewing together and finagling into a giant pillow.

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We always forget to take pictures of the beautiful things and usually take pictures of only the weird ones. Sorry about that!

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I guess from these pictures you can tell we are drawn to the wacky and strange.

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As evidenced with the boar head above.

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I did manage to take a picture of the coolest vintage foosball table that had immediately sold. Isn’t it amazing?

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An anchor. Yes, an anchor?! For $600. I cannot imagine where you would put this, well, unless you are super practical and bought it for your boat. But if you have a boat that needed an anchor how is your boat remaining in place?

This poses the question:

Which came first the anchor or the boat?

It was too much pondering for my wee brain at the crack of dawn. It weighed it down, so to speak.

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This has nothing to do with the picture above, but every single time I am at the flea market I see this lady selling a cool vintage cast iron garden bee. I love it. It has been there for three years.

It is overpriced.

She will not haggle.

It is extremely strange. And I do not understand how she can go to the flea market if she is too attached to her things to actually part with them.

This time she had a small garden gnome (I did not get a picture of her booth) and I asked how much he was. He was not anything special. Just a gnome.

She said, “Oh, you mean the magical rainbow leprechaun who grants wishes?”

Um, sure.

“He’s $25… $125.”

We walked away. ‘Cause no.

But now I wonder if she truly is a witch and selling magical cast iron creations. It would surely explain the prices.

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We had not gone to the flea market for anything particular. We didn’t need anything.

Which is why we bought everything.

As it goes.

The only thing we needed was a stop sign for my son’s room because he wants one every time he goes to the flea market and his birthday is coming up, so I figured it would be a good surprise for him.

And it would have worked because I found a cool weathered Stop Sign for $15 (priced at $25, but haggling is the best part). Except the sneaker saw me editing this picture and said excitedly, “So you did find a Stop Sign?”

Do not let me handle a surprise for you.

We found the cool ottoman coffee table. I love it. It is made from vintage crates and the fabric is a vintage Czech army blanket. This booth is always my favorite. The owners are constantly one step ahead of their competitors and one step ahead in terms of trends. The ottoman was a fabulous price and we are so happy with it.

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I got this. I will showcase more of it later. It is just a sneak peek. I cannot tell if it was a good purchase or not, but either way, I had to have it.

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So, we got into the flea market at 7:00 and we left the flea market at 8:50. I thought maybe I should meet some people down there, but we wanted to be quick. It was the perfect amount of time for us. We were in and out and home with the kids for lunch. We beat the heat. And most importantly, we beat the crowds.

Have you been to the flea market lately? Have you been to The Rose Bowl Flea Market (last year’s trip can be found here)? What do you look for when you go?

*The next Rose Bowl Flea Market occurs this Sunday, on August 10th.

P.S. I shared this on Savvy Southern Style.

July 2014 Clothing Purchases

I am currently working on my Comic Con posts so that I can get them up starting tomorrow and also my funny but mortifying story of seeing Patrick Rothfuss again. I was not going to post anything today while I worked on those, but I decided to share the things I purchased in July instead. Because I always enjoy seeing, reading or hearing about other people’s finds.

July was my birthday month so I was able to splurge much, much more than usual. The great news is I did not spend my own money on most of these purchases because almost all of my birthday presents were gift cards to my favorite stores (thank you family and friends!). Plus, I had birthday discounts and 20% off sale purchases going on when I acquired a lot of these items. And I still have funds left over on a gift card to Anthropologie (which I am saving for the River Fade Dress when it goes on sale). I have become an exclusively sale shopper (I have to be with a kid heading to college in three years), so some of the items that I list are probably sold out but you might still find them in a store if you call customer service with the style number. I am still hoping for a price adjustment in the next two weeks on some of these things as long as they get further cut.

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First, I purchased some accessories that I had in my wishlist for what seemed like forever as I patiently waited for them to go on sale: The Caterpillar Earrings (these are brown and not green in real life), Tassel Bloom Hoops in purple, Anthropologie Monogram Bangle (this did turn my wrist green), and Free People Kantha Clips. Of those four accessories my favorite is the Kantha Clips. I love anything Kantha and these are no exception. I actually own three different pairs.

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I also picked up the Anthropologie Rainforest Belt now that it is such an amazing sale price. It reminds me of dragon scales. Just call me Khaleesi.

No, seriously.

Oh wait, that’s just what I make my kids do. Don’t worry, it ‘s not all of the time… Just when they want dinner… Or food… Or a ride.

It’s tough being the kids of The Mother of Dragons.

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My Modcloth Twofer Honey Dress that I styled here with my honeycomb earrings was such a cool addition to my wardrobe. The dress just got cut to 70% off! I think it is now a great price.

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I am so happy with both the Free People Loretta High Neck Dress and the Free People Late Summer Love Dress (styled here). My husband’s very favorite dress (and outfit post showcasing it which is going up later this week) in the world is now the Loretta High Neck Dress. So I love it all the more now. Plus, now I know what to wear when I need somethin’. Not that the Mother of Dragons ever wants for anything.

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Anthropologie’s Melanie V-Neck Dress that I got for $20, down from $138 was one of my best scores.

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Anthropologie’s Talisman Peasant Dress was 75% off after my birthday discount, but I still debated on keeping it. I was unsure about the fit, but when my daughter saw me try it on she could not stop gasping about its awesomeness, so now I am definitely wearing that teenage-conversation-starter everywhere.

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The Anthropologie Salta Shirtdress (I thought this was awful on until I cut off the extra sleeves) was a great popback price. I love the dress with the alteration I made.

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And this Anthropologie Laced Chambray Popover was too good of a price at $20 to pass up.

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I waited for the Anthropologie Sunpass Dress for months, too, (after reviewing it here) and when it hit almost 75% off, I pounced. I am still hoping this gets cut one more time because I am greedy. (Edited on 8/3/2014 to add it did get one more cut! Wheeeee!).

Those dragons need to bring Momma some gold. Isn’t that the good thing about dragons? Don’t they hoard gold? Mine are slackin’.

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Last but not least is my beloved Free People New Romantics Rio Dress. I originally tried on this dress here, but it was much too expensive for me. Every morning since I reviewed this dress in March, I would wake up and check the website to see if it had gone on sale (I am a patient stalker). Last week I noticed a review I must have missed where the reviewer spoke of buying the dress on sale in the store. Free People’s clothing prices do vary from store to website.

I called a store that the website had listed as having it in stock as soon as it opened (if you know me, you know this terrified me. I never call to order something. I get nervous, slur my words and inevitably get the sweaty shakes, but I did it for this dress. And guess what? They were really nice to me. I think it had nothing to do with my dragons roaring in the background). I bought both colors because both dresses purchased through the store were still 30% less than just one dress would have been retail price. Plus the store I ordered them from did not charge me tax or shipping. Score! Not since my beloved Anthropologie Vanga Kantha Dresses have I been this excited about a dress. I still have not received them, but I am hopeful they will arrive soon.

Whew! Thank goodness for birthdays! It was so fun to stretch my gift cards by being frugal and buying multiple items that were on generous sale markdowns with them instead of just one or two items. I only had one black dress in my closet before this month but I saw this post from the wonderful and incredibly witty fashion blog, Suzanne Carillo Style Files, and it made me want more black little numbers. I knew I wanted to add some to my clothing collection (a much nicer way of saying, gluttonous pile of excess) with my wonderful, generous presents. I am doubtful August will lead to any purchases for myself because the majority of the budget will go to the children’s back-to-school finds, and alas, my birthday gift cards are almost gone.

Do you own one or more black dresses? Do you buy more in your birthday month (gotta love those discounts)? Are you waiting for anything to hit sale? Do you ever stalk something for months (I’m hopeful no one will say me)?

*this post contains some affiliate links. Clicking on a link on this post may result in a small commission to feed my dragons for this site.

Photos are from Anthropologie, Free People and Modcloth.

Winner Of The Floral Necklace Giveaway and Stuff

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Congratulations to Liana! She won the beautiful floral necklace courtesy of The Peacock Fairy. I think it is so gorgeous. Enjoy! I am so happy for her. Liana is such a sweet girl. You can get to know her better at The Frock and the Hound.

Thank you to all who entered. Heather and I appreciate it. So much.

This is the time of the month where I usually list my cravings, but I have a problem.

I am kind of over “stuff” this month. What I am really craving this month is more organization. Especially with summer sneaking up on me. I do not want to be overwhelmed with clutter.

But I am the least organized person I know.

And I love clutter.

So I’m in a bit of a rut.

I thought I would share some things I have all ready purchased in the last two months. Unfortunately everything I had wanted for months hit sale (Frangipani Top) or became available after a long wait. This means that I have not even been looking at shopping sites this week. I have been lovin’ on my current closet additions plus restyling some oldies. I also have a pile of clothes to dry clean and sell soon. My style has changed a bit since I first lost the weight, so I want to just keep what reflects the current “me.”

That counts as organizing, right?

My Spring Clothing Purchases:

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I was finally able to snag the Free People Mix Print Tunic. It is everything I hoped it would be. I love this top.

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Forever 21 Floral Kimono. I plan on wearing this over my Free People peach maxi slip and also over all of my sleeveless white dresses this summer. This is sold out online. It was also sold out in our store. But if you have it in a store near you, I highly recommend it. Especially as it is less than $20.

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This Vintage Skirt from Etsy. It is a Mexican Blanket Skirt. So rad. I have worn it with it with a silver cuff, silver coin necklace, silver sandals, and day drifter denim tee.

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A simple tee from Forever 21. I can also wear this with the above skirt. Although, I will probably pair it with my Duggar Skirt. And tons of bohemian jewelry.

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A wooden ring. I know I am breaking the rules, because this is not clothing. But since I made the rules, I think I can let it slide. I love this! I waited for it to go on sale and happily purchased it when it did. I have realized that almost all of the jewelry I am drawn to on Anthropologie is made by the artist, Pam Hiran.

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Anthropologie Savant Dress (squee! It finally hit sale!). I waited months and months for this dress to go on sale. And I am so glad I did. It looks so cute with my vintage boots, the ring mentioned above, and the necklace The Peacock Fairy gifted me.

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Modcloth Sea the Light Skirt (I’ve worn it over my green Colima Skirt. It is so good! Modcloth has a similar skirt to the Colima Maxi here). This skirt is almost sold out. All of the reviews say it runs big, but I took a medium and it fit fine.

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I love this dress I recently purchased with a gift card from my sweet mom. It is really incredibly short but I am working that out. Because I love the overall fit and tiny details.

Thank you Mom!

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My family gifted me these Tall Gladiator Sandals for Mother’s Day (we got them 20% off). I really needed a new laptop, but practicality has never been my strong suit. So, I shall continue to type these posts one handed.

Totally worth it. ; )

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They also gifted me these. Um, what do you think these gifts ssshhhhhaaaAy about me?

Do you have any cravings you want to share? Has anything caught your eye this month?

*Images used here are from the retailer’s site and are not my own.

*This post contains affiliate links. Clicking on or purchasing from select links will result in a small commission for contents in a flask this site.