The art of junking

There are some things about this "business" of seeking out and re-purposing, recreating vintage finds that I think those of us who do it can appreciate that may be lost on those who don't.

The amount of time, patience, thought and love that goes into what we do. maybe if people truly understood what is involved, we wouldn't hear those comments about what we charge when we are done.....

We spend a great deal of time thinking, planning, shopping, sorting, digging, painting, scraping, sanding, nailing, piecing together and taking apart. We scour stores, yard sales, junk sales, auctions, thrift stores and flea markets, searching for just the right thing. Then we spend a ton more time fixing it, painting it, reworking it to be that very special thing that catches your eye, that you can't live without.

We pour our hearts into each piece. Thinking about it's history, who might have loved it once, why it was discarded or sold, where it came from and who will love it again. It makes us happy to see someone enjoy it, or gush over how much we have improved upon it.

I recently did a flea market at OMG, a very creative vintage shop in my neighborhood of East Nashville, with my things separate from the All Things Vintage, my collection of art, vintage clothing and such "Heart for Vintage". While I was there, I had a customer who was interested browsing the clothing and a few kitchen items. She inquired about a large metal platter that had a folk-ish design painted on it. She shared with me that it matched identically one her Mother had hanging in her kitchen when she was a child, it literally appeared to almost bring her to tears. I sold it to her for $2.
I don't even know what I paid for it and I don't care, I wanted to make sure she took that home with her and it brought her the memories over and over again, it did when she saw it at my booth. I told her how excited I was that she was going to enjoy it, her response was "you have no idea". I almost cried myself.
The same woman also purchased a black eyelet 1950's dress suit with cropped jacket. I'd been in love with that dress suite since Mom bought it for me in 2005 to sell to make extra money for a trip I was taking that year. I tried selling it on ebay and lost more money than Mom paid for it, and I've had it ever since. I always wondered why I didn't sell it then, but when I met this woman I knew, it was because she was meant to have it.

To some people the things I spend money on appear to be junk. Those same people are often impressed when we are done "working" on that same junk and some, well they don't see vintage things as anything but old stuff and that's okay too. But for those of us who love this, we will continue to have paint stained hands and clothes, cramps in our backs and arms from sanding, dirty finger nails from scraping, a supply of mod podge, paint brushes, paint, fabric, sewing needles and "junk" in hopes of making something beautiful out of things with a long history of making people happy. It is worth all of the time and effort and love to see even one person's face light up, knowing they will truly enjoy it.

Off to the Market

Well Easter has come and gone, cant believe how fast a Holiday passes us by. We spend so much time preparing for them, shopping, making food, scheduling a get together then in a moment it's over and onto the next event! I did not unfortunately have the time to deck out the kid's canvas egg hunting bags :( although, I did get each of them a bag in 4 different colors. Hobby Lobby had them 50% off and I got 4 bags for a little over $3. Worth it to check ads and advertised specials during holiday time!

The day before Easter Mom and I were finally able to venture out to the Nashville Flea Market. Mom has been in Tennessee over 10 years and never visited, I've been here 5 and we both couldn't believe it took us this long to get over there and check it out! For anyone who has not been, you must check it out, it is every third weekend at the Nashville Farigrounds. The expansive array of vendors is impressive to say the least. We were immediately impressed with the number of people there both vendors and customers. I had never been to the fairgrounds and just didnt realize how large it was. We began with the ouside vendors, an assortment of plants, flowers, clothing, jewelry, iron work and garden decor, mixed furniture and $1 items.

Shelves made using repurposed tin ceiling tiles and hook boards

As we moved into each tent, shed and building we were greeted with a greater variety of items. Mom and I were both impressed with the furniture and local craft items. There are very high end pieces to bargain basement items. There is a lot to work with here if you are into treasure hunting, and as always a plethora of craft ideas to take home and try. I was impressed with shelves I saw made out of salvaged tin ceiling tiles, looks like they just bent the tin over a shelf made out of wood and painted it and hooks nailed to repurposed wood, then they used decorative wood accents to dress it up. You can see these items in the photo above, along with some shutters. Shutters are always a neat find at flea markets too, there are so many things you can use a shutter for. You will notice Mom made her doors that lead to her private back room out of shutters she painted and added fabric for curtains - take a look at the shop next time you are there if you missed it. She's also made screens out of them by hinging them together. The possibilities are endless!

Furniture is my favorite thing to shop for, period. I dont know what it is about an old chair or a table made out of old wood, a coffee table that lived generations in a home then revamped with a good cleaning and new paint, but old made new again is more fun to me than any newly manufactured piece of furniture. Maybe it is the history, but I am a sucker for anything that has a story. Turn of the century is what catches my eye most, but recently I have also seen items dating back further and in different styles that are really unique.

Mom checking out a neat side table

 Remember if you are buying old, make sure it isnt junk - water damage being one of the biggest issues. Pulls can be replaced, some small cracks can be mended and paint is an easy fix, but warping cant be reversed. I usually look on the bottom of a piece to see who made it, or to check for any indication of its manufactured date. Some times you will get lucky and find a nice Lane or Bassett piece typically they are made out of solid wood and will fair better longer. I saw a lot of nice pieces here at the market, and some I wouldnt take my chances on. Open it, feel it, look underneath!

Several vendors had marked items for sale, and they were discounted, I found a retro Circa 1960 lamp for $10!! It works and all I need is a shade, this was my favorite find. Seems like every trip there is always that certain something that you feel especially excited about bringing home, that was it for me. I also found a Frankenstein toy for Cash's room, a Toille table cloth for $5 and some LSU stuff for the man. Pretty exciting mix of things here. We saw a lot of quilts, glassware, ball jars, hardware like you wouldnt believe! Tin signs, pie safes, chairs, bistro sets and very creative furniture and art made out of wood and iron. Mirrors, frames, vintage toys, magazines, post cards, vintage clothing and shoes, scarves, kitchen tools, yard tools....the list goes on and on. I scored an old cast iron pan for $6 and saw about a ton of other iron pieces I would have loved to have had at the booth near that.



One of many booths under the shed area, check out the mirrors!



We felt a bit unprepared for what we ended up getting into with this trip. Mom and I are serious hunters, but we had no idea how many unique and interesting things we would come across. Being our first time, we just weren't prepared! We have vowed to bring along a rolling cart of some sort, shopping bags, and our own stash of cold water. With the weather trending towards summer temps and more heat, a day here could be exhausting! I also decided to wear tennis shoes next time too for all the walking.

A smart and convenient solution to the question of "how to get this stuff to the car?" is they offer a merchandice pick up. Mom found some really neat old windows and of course since we couldn't carry them, the vendor provided us with a pick up ticket. We were able to pull around and enter at the back to pick up our items. They even brought them to our car on a dolly for us. This makes it easier to continue shopping, and know your piece is bought and paid for and you can pick it up when you're done.

Quilts for sale

The Nashville Flea Market has one decent place to eat; The Garden Cafe. At first glance we were disappointed that we were going to spend about $7 per person for what we were sure was going to be crappy "carnival" style food. We were pleasantly surprised to discover, first: how professional and clean the place and staff were, second: that the portions were indeed in line with the prices and third: the quality was worth the trip here and wait in line as opposed to one of the snack vendors in the buildings.

They offer a weekly special, this particular week it was fish, they offer burgers, salads, corn dogs, hot dogs and chicken fingers any served with fries and they are fresh. I had the Hot dog with tomato, onion, and the fixings with fries. The nice man at the counter also spotted Mom and I two drinks for free. We will definitely check this place out next time too. Trust me, only place worth eating here and they scored a 90 on their last inspection!

This was a great trip, we took the trolley back down to our car which was parked at the far end of the parking area, next time we agreed we will try and park closer. Parking is $4 or you can try and park nearby at one of the many businesses and houses that sell parking for anywhere from $3-$5. On our way to pick up our items at the back entrance, we discovered an entire side of the market we didnt see before!! We can't wait to get back here and hunt some more. I love treasure hunting, I love finding that unique something the best part however is sharing this time with my Mom. I cannot wait until we do this again!