Tag Archives: flea market find

Flea Market Finds: Tall Plant Stand

22 Tuesday Jan 2013

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 Stand2Stand1I hope you all had a good Martin Luther King Day!  We were a bit under the weather here, but did manage to make it out to one of our favorite building salvage places: Build It Green.  We found this super-tall, 50 inch plant stand for $20.  Build It Green is an amazing, dusty place full of architectural salvage from New York City buildings.  Their mission is to keep building waste out of landfills, and promote recycling of salvaged materials.  The BIG warehouses hold an amazing array of tile, sinks, mantels, shelving, bathtubs…and we found five matching (!) radiators for the house.  The heavy cast iron radiators have been stacked in our downstairs room next to the clawfoot tub while they await their sandblasting and powder-coating.  That room is starting to look like our own salvage shop, but some day the pieces we find will all be put in their proper spots.  The plant stand is now holding up the geranium I took pity on and brought inside this frigid weekend.  We have been wanting more plants around here and this tall stand is the first of more to come.

Keeping House: Flowers

17 Thursday Jan 2013

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Flowers1Flowers2Fresh flowers make everything better, in my opinion.  These Casa Blanca lilies are one of my favorites.  Casa Blancas are fragrant and will last for more than a week.  We get ours for $5 a stem around here.  I like to buy lilies when their buds are closed and watch them open a little more each day.  Each Casa Blanca stem is so full of flowers that we often cut off singles to put in small vases for the bathrooms.  Our Bluebird of Happiness pitcher was an $8 flea market find.  To make your lilies last longer:

*Cut flower stems and place in water as soon as you get home.

*Be sure to add flower food to the water.  (Ask the florist for a couple of packets).

*Remove pollen anthers as soon as each bloom opens.  (If you miss picking one before it gets messy and fuzzy, use a pipe cleaner to dust pollen off of petals).

*Change water every four days.  Recut stems, add more flower food and be sure stems are submerged.

*Remove old blooms as they fade.

Enjoy!

Flea Market Finds: Suitcase Side Table

10 Thursday Jan 2013

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SuitcaseWe are always on the hunt for the perfect vintage furniture for the house.  The bedroom search list includes bedside tables, a lamp for Ada’s room, wall sconces…But for now we’ve employed this little vintage suitcase to hold the lamp and water glasses.  It is just the right height and can be quickly converted back to its original self when Ada needs a suitcase to carry to Nan’s.  Vintage suitcases are abundant at flea markets.  Etsy has some cute choices here.  Be sure to check inside linings if you plan to use the case for storage.  A stack of vintage child-size suitcases also makes a good storage/table option.

Flea Market Find: Pegboard Towel Rack

02 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Projects, Vintage

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Rack

I found this rack for $8 at an antique shop in Northwood, NH.  We weren’t sure what it was originally used for, but the color and price were right.  (It is genetically impossible for me to pass up a bargain with potential).  Our upstairs bathroom has a funky layout with no space for hanging towels, so Chris added some hooks and hung the pegboard on the wall above the tub.  Some days we have to hold ourselves back from digging under the old floors in this house and knocking down walls with our hammers.  (What the heck is under the tile that completely encases the clawfoot tub upstairs?)  Other days we can make peace with the slow renovation of an old house, one dependent on time and money we don’t always have right this minute.  Some days we can be happy with an $8 towel rack, and move on with life for the time being.