Rummaging Around...

Annual rummage sales have great vintage items for dollars or less.

Oh yes, they do!

  

Tis the season of the Rummage sale, and I just attended an annual favorite yesterday at the Greek Church in Manchester, NH. Some tables are dealers, some are church members, and some are just people who twice a year clean out their collections and sell them for very little money at the church. Although Jenny was otherwise occupied, I had an absolute ball and limited myself to twenty dollars. I got a slew of vintage fabric samples that are perfect for small projects or just to use as small surfaces or swatches for styling... for just ten dollars! I got another larger piece of 60's mod fabric in white with a teal and chartreuse graphic pattern that I will likely stretch over a canvas as wall art and then a few small liqueur glasses with gold flecks on the outside. I have found that these make amazing votive candles for all types of occasions.

Now, here are my tips for rounding up a lot of loot:

1. Check Thursday's newspaper for the listing and make a map of which sales to attend.

2. Start early and be in line when the doors open.

3. Bring dollar bills and quarters, as many things are priced in that range.

4. Bargain and make deals... ask for a group or quantity discount.

5. Bring those canvas or recycled bags for all your purchases.

6. Drag a wife, husband or friend to canvas the area better and help take purchases to the car.

Oh,and give me a wide berth, because I move down those isles like bull in a china shop with a palpable mantra in my head:  "mine, Mine, MINE!"

(posted by Matthew Mead)

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Oh, and head over here for a give-away I know you will love!

Looking ahead to a very special HOLIDAY!

Matthew Mead, is an expert at celebrating the holidays and bringing out the beauty of the seasons. Back in 2006, Matthew - as a style editor with Country Home magazine - launched his first issue of Holiday with Matthew Mead via Meredith Publishing. However, as many other projects, commitments and books filled his schedule, Holiday got put on the back burner. Still, Matthew always dreamed of bringing it back to his readers and bringing his focus back to his love of the holidays and sharing the many creative ideas that occupy imagination.

Over the years, and following the success of Flea Market Style, Matthew's fans wrote many letters and emails asking him to bring back Holiday and all its goodness.

And he listened.

I am thrilled to announce that Holiday with Matthew Mead is coming back for Holiday 2010. I am pleased to be involved and and will help Matthew and Jenny in their quest to bring you a magazine that has been lovingly conceived and will be sold online via his new website - and limited quantities will be sold and delivered straight to your mailbox this October. So, head on over to Holiday with Matthew Mead.com and learn how Matthew wants to include YOU and a chance to have your home featured in the magazine!) and discover our very special guests/features (hint: a very famous and much-loved blogger who has survived a life-threatening experience and is working hard to regain her life as a busy wife and mother).

Head on over and see what all of the fuss is about. Discover what Holiday 2010 entails and how you can get one without the usual seek and search. Who knows, perhaps you will even find yourself in the pages of the magazine!

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Oh, and stay tuned to this blog for news about the possibility for future issues of Flea Market Style. No promises yet, but the future looks bright!

Stamping...from old to new!

Junk expert Ki Nassauer has been attracted to vintage rubber stamps for as long as she can remember.  She snatches them up on her regular junking trips to antique shops, flea markets, and garage sales. She is particularly drawn to the ones displaying quirky business names, and those with great emblems on the handles. Long past their intended purpose in life, Ki has reinvented these hard-working stamps and pressed them into service as great photo, business card, and ephemera holders. Featured in Flea Market Style, we are now offering up a close-up of the project and how you, too, can make these handy and charming photo holders!

Follow Ki's directions and reinvent your stamps:

1.Remove the rubber lettering at the bottom so your stamp will sit flat.

2. Drill 2 holes in the top of the handle 1/2" apart and 1/2" deep. (I used a 1/16 drill bit)

(Tip: Make an indentation with a nail before drilling to keep your drill bit in the correct spot.)

3. Wrap 18 gage wire around a fine point Sharpie one and a half times to achieve the perfect round.

4. Snip with a wire cutter leaving 2 tails approximately the same depth as your holes.

5. Add a tiny bit of glue to the end of the wire and insert into the holes.

Your wire should look like this:

6. Add a photo, place card, business card, or small sign.

A great way to repurpose a once-used stamp!

Do as we do!

We have received some great feedback and letters from readers of Flea Market Style. Two that recently came to our attention shared a desire to recreate the cheery yoyo flowers found on page 13 of the magazine. Here are their takes on the project:

Erin from Creek Bed Threads:

and from Mitzi's Collectibles:

What were your favourite features in the magazine?

Join us on FMS Television!!

Life should be fun. Filled with fun! And I don't like any moment to pass without fully engaging that feeling. Itis what makes me get up in the morning in such an excited and chipper mood. CARPE DIEM! I say. It is in that spirit that the attached video was made. Wanting to share the launch party for the magazine with all of you was paramount to me. Jenny and I purchased a new FLIP camera and set out to bring you some of the experience. The video is a real, raw, behind the scenes look at the making of the event. We are new to this technology but really wanted you to glimpse some of the FUN that goes into to our adventures. This version is accompanied by music only, but a more professional cut is coming from a source at Company C. For now, sit back and enjoy our crazy antics as we gather our flea market finds, prepare our presentation and do a little dance that I call THE FLEA MARKET. Grab a lampshade and join me.... and as always, we would love to hear from you.

Best,

Matthew

The Making of Flea Market Style in Pictures...

What a Trip!!!