great flea market finds

I love to go to the flea market. My ideal Saturday afternoon, especially when it’s cold and gloomy (which in Milwaukee, are most Saturday’s from November to April), is spent pilfering through other people’s stuff. It is one of my favorite past-times. Luckily, we have more than our fare share of indoor flea markets here in Milwaukee. So the question becomes, why do I love flea markets so much? I love them for the sheer volume of random, weird, quirky and eclectic possessions. I love them because I find things that take me back to my childhood. But, here’s what I love the most…I love catching glimpses of the past. Everything has a story to tell, and I love a good story…even if I have to make it up.

When I purchased the blue lamps that now sit on either side of my couch in my living room, I wondered who would have commissioned such wild lamp shades. The very unique pattern is on the inside of the shade so that the true joy of the lamp is viewed when the light is turned on. I would love to meet the person who had the original vision for those shades (and the matching fabric wall panels that I have yet to figure out what to do with…pillows for my couch maybe…) and I would have loved to have seen the room those lamps lived in. Check them out.

The same thought occurred to me when I came across the round, frameless mirror that I hung in my foyer. I found this treasure buried behind numerous old pictures at this tiny shop that you could barely turn around in. As you can see the glass is still in really good shape considering the age of this piece and the etching is beautiful. Who looked in this mirror for the first time and where was it hung…in a bedroom maybe?

I have several smaller treasures sprinkled throughout my house.

This 1930′s blue boudoir lamp serves as a night light in my guest room. The gentleman at the flea market told me that is was custom to have a pair of these on your dresser in a bedroom. Where does the matching lamp live now?

I turned this square, blue, cut-glass toothpick holder into a tea light holder. I love how the light reflects and dances as the candle burns. I imagine this sitting in someone’s kitchen, on one of those half-moon shelves that were attached to the side of a kitchen cabinet, filled with toothpicks.

And I use this compote dish as a candle holder. My imagination runs wild guessing what was served in this dish and what special occasion it was used for.

And my last treasure is this tiny little fish. Any idea what it’s purpose is? Hint: it lives in the kitchen.

Drop me a note and let me know if you can figure out what it’s used for.