I’m thinking Spring

Motivation is first and foremost in my thoughts this week. The weather might be a tiny bit better by Saturday, but I'm thinking you're about as motivated to go shop at the flea as I am to go sell at the flea. In this weather, that means we're not too motivated. However, all of the amazing stuff pictured to the right just sort of fell into my van this week. It's like the antiques and the butterflies and necklaces are dragging me to the flea. I hope they have the same effect on you. I think I might win the "Most Colorful Booth" award this week. I can't wait to hang all those butterflies up. They're stunning (as if you need me to tell you that.) I bought them from Irene, a lovely woman who went to my mom's antique shop, and asked her to come over and look at her treasures. Mom made the mistake of inviting me along. I bought out the whole basement. Irene's late husband made the butterflies and used to sell them in front of the house. And, unlike the American Pickers, when she quoted a price for them, even though it was a bit higher than I was willing to pay, I bought them anyway. I also paid more than she asked for the costume jewelry, because the Givenchy star necklace pictured below was a real winner. If Mom hadn't brought me to Irene's, I would have zero ambition to set up this week. I'm in it for the butterflies though. And the Zebra chairs. The upholstery is not perfect, but not terrible. I can't keep lamps in my booth, so I'm bringing all I have hanging around. Kitchenware is always a hit. It's a wonder you've gotten this far in life without a Dominion table model chrome hair dryer. It works. Magazine racks are ever popular. That jazzy number at the end of the line is a vintage 60s necklace by Goldette. It is the largest, most amazing piece of Goldette I've ever seen. It's not signed, which is downright maddening. But glass intaglios coupled with bezel set Swarovski crystals is a Goldette trademark. The quality of the brushed gold plating is also standard. If you ask to see it, I can show you what I'm talking about. Jewelry people know what I mean. In case you're wondering, I plucked that out of a consignment shop. One more bit on motivation…. I go to bed at 8 on Friday nights, wake up at 2, and get on the road at 3:30. Naturally, the motivation is running pretty thin at 2, or 2:40am. But, in order to get my brain functioning last Saturday [ahem] morning, I checked my email while still warm under the covers. Lo! A customer emailed and asked if I still had a $12 trivet I had posted on my blog. That's all it took to get me out of bed. I was ready to drive to Brooklyn to make a $12 sale. Naturally, he didn't show up, but that's ok. I might not have shown up either if he didn't email. And I threw the trivet in the car right before I left, without wrapping it. Now it's chipped. So if he shows up this weekend, he wins a free chipped trivet!!! Hooray. Now we're all properly motivated to shop and sell this weekend.