Fancy Flea Market

My Front Porch

What is it about porches?  They beg to be sat on, played on and rocked on.

They are peaceful...loving....endearing...

They make reading the Sunday paper and sipping coffee with french vanilla cream an experience like no other....

When friends come thru the front gate they are welcomed into the arms of my front porch and they linger longer, smile more and leave happy.

And, I am looking forward to more time on my front porch soon.  After much prayer, encouragement from family and dear friends, I have given up my full time job so I can devote all of my energy to the Fancy Flea.  So join me on my front porch some time...coffee will be served!

We just can't do it all....

No matter what NOW says, for those of you younger than 30, that's the National Association for Women (for or of?)...anyway....if you grew up in the 70's like I did, Gloria Steinem was our hero. We love her...she loves us.

Women could "have it all", a career, a husband, a baby, a family, the works...but we have found that we cannot...and that's OK.  Oh, we can do all of that, and kill ourselves in the process.  Men don't try to have it all...they have a wife to help them make it to the top.  I want a wife!!  The whole point of this post is that that reason I haven't posted in almost a year is because I'm trying to "do it all" and failing miserably.  I work full time, produce 5 fancy fleas, have 5 children and 6 grandchildren, a husband, a family, cats, dogs...and the list goes on.  I'm exhausted...I've gone from a size 6 to a 10 in 2 years.  Every time I add a new show to the mix I gain 5 pounds...do the math.  Something had to give.  Just a little something that I didn't have to worry about.  I was never a great blogger to begin with, but I tried to post now and then.

So I gave myself permission not to...and you know what...it's OK.  Why do we put this pressure on ourselves to do everything?  No one is keeping score....no one really cares except us!  So I'm giving myself more little gifts.  The bedroom does not have to be repainted for the 5th time; so there are smudges all over the fridge handle; the cat puked up a hairball on the living room floor...I'll get to it...eventually.

Thanks for letting me vent.  Next time we'll cover my secret addiction.

 

Auugst 2014 Romantic Homes

You can only imagine my excitement when I saw this in my mailbox.....

I quickly found the flea market section and lo and behold.....there we were!

The only Florida market mentioned!!!  How happy does that make me?  Hello!!!

I know....isn't this cute?  I'm not a Hello Kitty fan per se, but I couldn't pass this up while I was strolling through Ross.  I've literally had ladies chase me down at Walgreens and the grovery store to ask where I bought it.  Ross...Dress for Less.  I certainly do.

Don't forget...La Petit Fancy Flea is on July 19th at the Lake Mirror Center in Lakeland.  Visit www.fancyflea.net for details.  See you soon!

 

Fancy Flea Bicycle Giveaway!

Can't you just see yourself on this adorable bike?

We're giving one away at both the Plant City and Madison shows.  All you have to do is register...no strings attached....absolutely free.

 

See you at the flea!  Happy riding!

Getting ready for Madison.....

Manly Man and I drove to Madison this past weekend to finalize plans for the May 3rd show.  I should say we tried to drive to Madison.  Between the awful traffic and monsoon rains, it took us all day to get there from Lakeland!  But once there, we had a great time.  All the details have been worked out and I'm looking forward to the event.

Cindy Poire of Madsion Antiques Market & Interiors is the lovely shop owner who asked me to bring the Fancy Flea to Madison.  I was searching for a north Florida location and Madison fit the bill.  Cindy's shop is the most amazing vintage store I have ever seen.  I took quite a few pictures so you can drool over everything as I did.  Step inside and step back in time....enjoy!

I bought some of these cute little carrot garlands for my Easter decor...

Very adorable Mr. Rabbit.  She's had them forever and they look amazing.  Here's Mrs. Rabbit...

Cindy and her husband Gino have the biggest collection of vintage mannequins I've ever seen and they are all so chic!

Remember these from when you were a little girl?

If I had a clothes line this would have come home with me to keep my clothes pins in!

More mannequins....remember these cowboy outfits?

Nursery lamps galore...

Little metal doll houses were so much fun.  Today they have to be made of plastic for fear our children will hurt themselves!

And these little appliances that really work.  I loved mine!

And this little vanity.  I should have brought it home for Evelynn.  And now, the coats.....

You have never seen so many beautiful coats in one place.  All in perfect condition, and even one for Evelynn that matches one of mine...

I had my eye on this one....

But I bought a vintage dress instead...I'll show you later this week as it's already upstairs in my dressing room.  It's a bit early for Halloween, but Cindy's ready....

Great selection of vintage chapeaus (did I spell that right?)

Aren't these black gowns beautiful?  I should have asked Cindy what they're for...she knows everything about everything....now for vintage lingerie & bridal....

So there you have it.....just a little of it.  There is so much more but my camera battery died!  You'll have to come see for yourself on May 3rd when the Fancy Flea is held right in front of Cindy's shop!

We can't wait to see you then!!

 

 

Raven's Relics

If you haven't visited Raven's Relics in Lakeland...you must make the trip. The shop opened a few weeks ago and I am remiss in not posting this sooner.  A conglomeration of gals, including me, have our own little spaces in this charming shop located at 205 McDonald St right off of Florida Ave. in the Dixieland section of Lakleand.  Across the street is Patio 850 which serves delicious food...you must try the pizza...to die for...not to mention the bacon popcorn...yum.  Anyway, here is a quick peek at Raven's Relics...

Cindy Childers of Glitz & Glam fame decorated the windows for the shop.  She has such an eye and creates lovely displays.

This is Brianne...she runs the place along with her husband.  She has put her blood, sweat and tears into the shop and it shows!

Another shot of Cindy's space.

And another.

Here are a bunch of random shots...enjoy.

Isn't that Publix cup a nice addition to my booth! For heaven's sake!

So, you get the picture...literally.  Come by and visit and shop and dine at Patio 850.  The shop is open daily Tuesday thru Saturday 11AM-7PM and Sunday noon-5.  This is how you'll feel once you visit.....

Miss Evelynn loves Raven's Relics!!

Finishing the Kitchen

I'm trying to finish my kitchen.  My kitchen is tiny...12x12....maybe.

I've been working on this little kitchen for several months and still can't find the time to complete it.

About 2 years ago I let the Manly Man make a decision on the wallpaper we would use to replace a red fruity waverly paper that had been on the walls for about 12 years and in need of replacement.  I have always called the shots in the decorating department and thought it was time to share the decisions with him....wrong, wrong and wrong!  We found some lovely wallpaper that had a black background with white roosters and a frenchy feel to it....so I thought...OK we'll give it a whirl.  Then, I let him pick out the faucet...wrong again.  It was a nice faucet, but had a black coppery finish and I like bright and shiney.  I wish I had a before picture to share with you. 

I lived with that kitchen for about a year and was so uninspired I could barely stand to be in it.  Have you ever felt that way about a room?  It was awful!!  I finally told him I couldn't take that ugly kitchen  any longer and ripped the wallpaper down and started over.

To that end, I'm so very happy with my little kitchen now.....if I can only finish it.  You know...the little details...unfinished painting of trim...molding to be cleaned & repainted...eventually a new wood floor.

I'll share the finished product soon.....I hope!

See you tomorrow!

Franklin, NC Sweet Salvage!

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the Manly Man and I decided to treat our oldest and youngest children, and their children, to a trip to Franklin, NC for a week.  Please remind me that if I ever want to do that again...my husband will surely kill me.  The 1, 2 and 8 years olds behaved much better than their parents.  But, anyway...we escaped one afternoon by ourselves and found the most amazing salvage place.  David Culpepper built this shop out of repurposed materials and it looks as though it's been there forever.  When he told me he had been open less than a year, I couldn't believe it!  He has the most amazing stuff.  I'll let you scroll through the pix and see for yourself....

 

I took SO many pictures.  I'll share more another time.  But, if you're ever in the area, take the time to stop in and say hello to David Culpepper and browse thru his great place.  You won't regret it!

 

Vendor Changes

Hi everyone!  I'm using my blog to reach out to you to make sure you don't have any changes that need to be made to your exhibit space for the November 2 show.  This week has been crazy with booth additions, adding power, putting friends beside friends and other inquiries.  So, if you have ANYTHING that needs to change concerning your booth, please let me know by noon on Monday, October 14th.  After that time, it will be hard to make adjustments.  I'm sending the floor plan & booth assignments to everyone Monday night.

Thanks for your help!

 

Lori

And the winners are.....

Thank you to everyone who posted a comment this past week.  I'm happy to announce that the winners of the Fancy Flea  Giveaway are:

 

Celeste Rivera

Marilyn Vreugdenhil

Congratulations ladies!  Please email your physical addresses to me at [email protected] and I'll send your packages out asap!

Thanks again for all the lovely comments.  I hope to see all of you at the flea on November 2 in Plant City.