NEW YEAR'S EVE 2010

We will be staying home tonight doing our usual Watching tv and probably in bed before 12. I bet if a poll was taken more people do this then actually go out to celebrate or party. especially among the older group.

I have a few more things to show you from the last couple of flea markets. Something I do want to clarify is how I buy at the flea market. If I see an item and the price seems fair I will buy it wihout even trying to quote "bargain". If I see it is a little high I will ask in a very nice way "can you go a little lower". In 9 out of 10 cases they will.
If they say no I have to get that amount and I want it I will pay the price or walk away if too high. I feel that the majority of the people there selling are not doing it because they love it but trying to make a living. I have got to know a lot of the gals and guys at my weekend one near my house and they are like long lost friends when I come back. They even save things for me or will say I have some things you would like and bring them the next week or two. When I cleaned out cupboards last Spring before we left I brought items to the market and gave them to one of the really nice gals who I knew was having a hard time and told her to sell them and keep the money for herself. I talked to her yesterday and she said she sells clothes at some of her markets and I didn't know that. I just gave a couple of bags to one of the ones that call you. I will save them for her from now on.

I wanted to say with the red and white quilt when I asked her how much and she said 25.00 or best offer I came up with 15.00 thinking she would come back at 20.00 or more but she seemed very unconcerned and accepted the 15.00 very happily. This will probably never happen again.

I have been with people who pick up an article and then try to find every little fault and belittle the item thinking that will help bring the price down. That doesn't work, in fact it backfires because it usually gets the dealer really upset and they don't want to sell to you at any price. The above are just a few little ideas that help me and make the dealer happy to see you again. In fact I have been known to buy things I don't even want if I feel sorry for a dealer or I am the one that sees one person sitting at a craft fair not selling anything and I always go over and talk to them and tell them how nice their work is. Unless the things are really expensive I will buy something just to try and make them feel better. Next thing they are in the Goodwill bag but someone down the line will enjoy it.

I have a couple more things from the last few weeks to show you. First is a very pretty old silver dish the dealer asked 5.00 and I paid it willingly.

Next is a small old jug that is engraved and is an almost pale lilac color glass. This was 5.00 and I thought it worth it also.

Next is a pretty pair of white kid gloves in great condition and they were only 3.00.

The next pair I bought a while ago and I really liked the detail down the sides of them. They asked and I paid 5.00. I usually just display them lying over something.

I can hear either fireworks or gun shooting going on and it is only 8.20. I think I will hide under the bed not on top tonight. They are crazy down here with the gun shooting on holidays.

Happy New Year to all my dear friends and followers. May the next year treat all of us very kindly and no more illnesses for you, us, your parents and children whatever the case may be.

Hugs

FredaB

MY PRESENT

I have been seeing these dolls on Shari replogle's blogspot www.playswithpaper.blogspot.com and the dolls would be sold before she could even get them on her etsy site. I wrote Shari and asked if she would make me one. I ordered one for myself for Christmas and it came a few days ago. Normally it has a long hanging ribbon but I had no where to hang it with all the Christmas stuff up so just put it in front of one of the bowls on the bakers rack and tied it on to the rack. I took a picture but not sure how well it shows. She actually is an old fashioned candy box and mine came complete with candy.

Once I clear out Christmas next week I will find a good spot to hang her. I think they are really different. She has been featured in some of the Somerset magazines, rightly so.

CARDS & FAMILY

Christmas is slowly fading away but before we finish with it I would like to show you a couple of pics of cards received and of the family pictures that came with them.

My daughter is into scrapbooking and always makes the most beautiful cards. The first pic is Sue's green card with the decorated snowflake. I don't know if you will be able to see the embossing but the green is embossed with different snowflakes. Great job Sue.

Next is from my DIL Jeana who did not make this but always picks out gorgeous cards to send us on different occasions. This one has an actual little wooden sled on it that tickled me so. Especially this year with Chicago under snow over Christmas and the kids tobogganing and sledding.

The 3rd. card came from a friend in Naples, FL and I picked it because I just liked the idea of how they had the house hanging seperately. We did receive many beautiful cards from all our friends and family both in the US, Canada and overseas.

The next pick is of our six grandkids. The top pic with the 3 boys are Sue's children and this photo was taken on vacation this summer in Mexico. Kyle in the back is 15 and just entered high school. Sean on the left is 12 and just entered junior high. Luke is 8 and also in 2nd. grade.

The bottom photo are my son & Jeana's three. The redheaded fella is heading off to college next fall and his sister will be a junior. They will be 18 and 16 both in Feb. Little Tommy is 8 and is in 2nd. grade. This pic was taken recently when the family room was decorated.

They are a really nice bunch of kids and we are very proud of them.

I started knitting a scarf last night and got so involved that I forgot to blog. First day this month that I think I have missed. The scarf is for the Special Winter Olympics and they tell you what colors to use and give various patterns to use. I just found out about this so not sure how many I can get done by the time to mail them which is the end of Feb. in Minnesota. Ill. they had to be in in Jan. So thought I would try to make a few more and will send them further north. They started this last year I believe and every entrant received a hand knitted or crocheted scarf. If anyone else wants any info on this I can give you a site to go to for info.

ANOTHER FLEA MARKET FIND

For years I have been looking for a red and white quilt that I could use at Christmas time and Valentines, etc. They have either been too beat up for what they wanted for them or were very good ones that were too expensive for what I wanted it for.

Every thurs. morning they have a flea market in Eustis - the town next to ours - and they have a whole building as a food market. We go there mainly for the food. Harv will even go over there with me as there are a lot of men there and he enjoys looking at the fishing stuff, tools, etc. It is large and he has no trouble getting around there in his scooter. Well for one reason or another we have not had a Thurs. morning without an appt. of some kind or it has been just too cold in the morning to go. Well last Thurs. was free of anything else and in the 60's and sunny so over we went. I found a lot of small things, a couple of which I haven't taken pics of yet but right near the end I went to this one booth and saw this red and white quilt on a table. I unfolded it and had the woman help me to open it up and look at it. It is one of the very old ones with the cotton batting that has shifted a bit. It is hand quilted and the only bad parts are around the edges where the binding has become raggy in a few spots. I asked her what she wanted for it and she said 25.00 or best offer. If she hadn't said "best offer" I would have handed her 25. and taken it. I took a gulp and said how about $15.00 and she said fine. It was discolored in spots and I knew I would not use it without washing it and wasn't sure what would happen. It could have just fallen apart and goodbye money. Well when I got home I put it in the washing machine on gentle with some All and washed it. Then I threw it in the dryer on low and let it go until dry. I held my breath and took it out and it was so much brighter and no worse for the wear. I think this is a quilt that had been used by someone on their bed everyday.
I covered the back of my sofa with it so you could see the pattern. If I had been home I would have hung it but have no open wall space down here.

This has to be the best bargain I have ever found at the flea market.

Does anyone know what the name of the pattern is?

DECEMBER 26

We had a very nice Christmas. Very lazy - slept in until 9 or so then got up and had our usual juice and coffee then we opened our stockings like we have always done. Filled with small, sometimes silly things but that makes it all the more fun. After that we had breakfast of fresh pineapple and very large, delicious cinammon rolls. That is not our usual breakfast. Usually cereal with fruit in season, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, etc. cut up on it. Speaking of season I have been waiting for the Florida strawberry crop and it is just starting. Haven't seen any at the markets but today our Publix store had them advertised in the food paper so bring them on. I love strawberries.
In season we just eat them out of hand and also have waffles with them.

After breakfast we opened our gifts. Our son & daughter had gone in together and bought Harv a Squeeze Box radio that works off the WiFi. We have terrible radio reception in our area of Florida and a lot of static. This radio can pick up stations all over the country and if today was any example it played beautifully. We had no idea there was such a thing until a neighbour mentioned it to Harv at a party. He had asked for one for Christmas. They both like jazz and got talking about missing their good jazz stations and that is when this was mentioned. We have picked up our WGN from Chicago and now I can just push a button and listen to my guys up there.

We both got a lot of nice things and I got 4 sewing/collage books. That will keep me busy for awhile. I am interested in getting into the paper arts for awhile and give cq a rest. That is once I finish this last quilt.

We had 2 other couples over for dinner and it was a great time. I had our usual crackers and made them play along, hats and all. They really are a silly fun thing with the little games, toys, etc. and the jokes. We were all laughing. We had a spiral cut ham that I made. Sweet potatoes plus a potato casserole one of the other gals made. Corn pudding one made and frozen peas plus crescent rolls I had. Dessert was vanilla ice cream with home made cherry preserves I made last summer and brought down. Along with this was a plate of various cookies. All in all it was a great meal. Of course in there were a few martinis, manhattens, wine and white grape juice. No driving to worry about. Just walk across and down the street. The weather co-operated and was in the 70's. Today it turned bitter cold and was not above 40 outside with a very cold wind. We are back to worrying about freezing crops, flowers, etc. for the next couple of days. Poor growers.

Harv took a picture of the table set up and one of me. I will show an updated me. The other one is quite a few years old. Don't throw tomatoes at me please.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM FREDA & HARV

I am so thankful to all my friends and family who follow me on this little journey through life that I blog about. All the good and bad of it. One last picture to end with today is with our Christmas stockings that I needlepointed many years ago. We still do stockings for each other and in mine was a new battery charger for my camera that is still missing plus many other fun things. For my CQ friends no I was not even into CQ when I made my stocking. Just liked the look of it. Strange how our world revolves.

I wil try to keep blogging faithfully and hope you will still follow me on this journey.

Hugs

FredaB

DECEMBER 25 - MERRY CHRISTMAS

Well here we are on Christmas Day and I have opened the last of the matchboxes. Today's litle beauty was made by Michelle Cummings. It is covered in silver paper with a Santa photo on it and decorated with glitter and holly leaves. Inside the present is a bottlecap with the Santa pictre cropped to size and is covered with some permanent plastic and glitter all around the edge. On the back is a magnet so it can be used to hold a pic on my fridge. I had read about the bottlecaps but never seen one. Now I have one of my own. Very clever and thank you Michelle.

The boxes are all finally either hung on the tree or are the presents below. Beside the tree sits poor Santa all tired out from his trip around the world last night.

DECEMBER 21, 22, 23 & 24 matchboxes

I apologize to the gals who made the above boxes tht I wasn't able to get them on until tonight. I waited to add the 24th. to-day then there will just be 25 tomorrow.

They are all wonderful each in its' own way. #21 had a beautiful ring of brilliants with her # in silver glitter in the middle plus some German paper edging along the bottom. Inside was a pretty little angel face wearing a halo with pipe cleaner arms & legs. Really cute.

#22 was very unique in the way she had rounded the corners and made it into a book by drawing lines along the top, bottom and sides. Very clever. This is the only one I received like this. Great idea. Inside was a little glass vial with snow inside. Thank you but that is where it can stay.

#23 had a beatiful flower on the front with rayon ribbon , glitter thread and green leaves. Very pretty and sparkly. Inside was a clock face made on a scrabble tile - E to be exact.

Box #24 was really decorated very pretty. Paper over the box then a band of red print paper with a circle cut out of a dictionary with Santa claus as the word in question. This was printed on a round sticker then it was all wrapped with red and white twine put through a button and the 24 tag tying it all up together. Such great ideas these gals have all had. The present inside was a ring made from buttons. Another first.

Well it is time to go spend the rest of Christmas Eve with Harv and watch some Christmas caroling or service probably on PBS. Hope Santa is good to you all in the morning or tonight whatever your tradition.

MORE FLEA MARKET

I thought I would show a few more things I have picked up at the flea market in the last few weekends. The first is a old hankie box with a ballerina on the front. The minute I saw it I thought of Cathy Kezarian and her hankie collection. I thought I had a lot but she beats me. When I see something that I think someone would like and it is inexpensive i usually buy it and surprise the person with it. I did that with this box and Cathy just received it Tues. and loved it. The old saying "It is better to give then to receive" is so true. It makes you feel so good.

Next I found a butterfly house to put in the sun room. It was 3.00. I had a real one in my backyard at home on a tall pole and along came the woodpeckers and pecked holes in some of the slates, I am assuming to get in there. It went in the garbage this summer.

Next is a group of old bird picks that I will use somewhere - sometime.

The box is a beautiful wood though you can't see that much of it. The slats can be removed and hung up and down and then would be four shelves. Or it could be hung sideways and remove every second or so slat and you would have more shelves. I think this will go back to Chicago as it would go better with my stuff in my family room at home then in here with all the white. The emblem on the bottom says made by the Napa Valley Box Co., Calif. I wonder what this would have been used for. Any ideas anyone?
5.00 was the grand price for this.

I have opened 3 more matchboxes and only 2 more to go. I will use Harv's camera tomorrow and do the 3 sitting here then just the 24th. and 25th. to go. What will I do with myself with no surprises to open.

MORE FLEA MARKET

Here I am with a few more flea market finds and still a couple to take pics of when I find the charger or buy a new one. The first pic is of 2 boxes for presents and they were .25 each. The next is a book I bought a couple of weeks ago and it is from 1932. Says so right on the cover. The inside page says it is the Society of Silent Unity. Anyone ever heard of that. Paid 2.00 for it just because I was curious.

The next was a very large box of beautiful Christmas tags and only a couple were missing.
I used the one with the pair of mitts on one of my daughter's packages. The next pic is of the Santa tag and he even has a string of lights attached to him. Some of these could be used for matchbox covers or at least the idea could be copied if they do the matchboxes again next year. Poor Linda is probably shaking her head no at my remark. It is like having a baby - you forget with time the labor that is involved. Well that is my brilliant quote for today.

Harv just reminded me that he has a camera that I could use - DUH moment. Tomorrow I will have 3 matchboxes to show.

Debra and Mary Anne both left comments that they would like to come on down and go flea market hunting with me. Wouldn't that be fun for a bunch of us to get together and go to some of the big ones around here. I usually just go to our local one but within an hour's drive there is one somewhere every day. Considering Deb is in Houston and MA is in Ontario, Canada it doesn't seem likely but the idea makes me feel good.

DILEMNA

My camera stopped working yesterday because the battery is dead. I went to find the charger and I cannot find it anywhere. I am wondering if I left it in Chicago. I have looked everywhere and in everything for it and no luck. Until I either find it or go out and buy another one there will be no more pics. You know the minute I go buy one the other will show up.

I can show some of the flea market things I found on Sat. Some I haven't photographed yet.

I was looking through a bag of lace pieces, cloths, etc. and the lady said I could have the whole bag for $20.00 then said oh heck how about 15.00. Guess I didn't look excited enough. When I came home I through it all in the wash and hung it over a small rack to dry. There is a picture of laces and things on the dryer then there is a pic of 4 different collar, nightie tops that were in there. Everything washed up really well. I had soaked it for awhile in a OXY cleaner and that took a lot of grime, etc out. I would say for 15. I got my money's worth. By the way the orange ribbon was in the bag made into a large bow. I almost threw it out until I undid it and found about 3 yards of 6" wide ribbon. I will find somewhere for this next Halloween.

Next is a large glass floor flower holder (or table for a monstrous room). I thought of my daughter's house immediately but was trying to think how to get it home to her in one piece. He wanted 30.00 for it and I offered him 20.00 and he even carried it back to my van for me. When I got home I have a small corner nook where I did have a black stand with a small glass holder. I had to fill it with glass marbles to hold the flowers in. I grabbed the bunch of flowers and put them in and it fit in the corner perfectly so I guess this will not be going home. Sorry Sue. I think I need a little more filler so they won't sink in so far.

I found this little hanging fixture that I assume you would put a candle in. I liked the
crystals woven through it. It was 8.00. I am thinking of re-painting our bathroom and I would like to do a wall of decorative mirrors. I have 2 collected already and with them I think it would look good. I will be on the prowl.

DECEMBER 20 & Last of the Victorian Cones.

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Another neat little box.The two children looking for Santa and there he is inside checking his list. The present is a cte reindeer ornament with an old key attached. Very nice. Thank you Lyneen Jesse of Bremerton, WA.

One of the cones has a complete angel made of lace that I tacked down and then put some light tatting edge on it so it wouldn't look too heavy. I kept this for myself or my daughter if she likes it. I believe the other two are similar to what I showed before except I used a piece of old lace that I just loved on it. The flowers sort of stand alone. It has my same winter angel as the other ones. They all flew off to friends who I owed or to family. It was fun making them.

DECEMBER 19

Todays box is another very cute one. I think the scrapbookers are out in force. We have a little Christmas Tree Fairie on the box and she is wearing a hat with a small tree on it. Lots of glitter around but not too much. Very nice. The gift inside is a tree dangle ornament made with various beads and a jingle bell on the end. Boy we sure should be jingling around here by the 25th.

Well yesterday I went to the flea market and this is one of my finds. It is a Hallmark Advent tree and each handle has a little box you pull out and there is an ornament to hang on that day. The days are all mixed up over the tree. I spyed it at the back of her stand and said what did she want for it and she said she had been asking 20.00 but wanted to get rid of all her Xmas stuff and she had a lot. She said 5.00 and I grabbed it. She is a local gal and said when packing the ornaments were wrapped seperately and she had forgot to bring them. I didn't even think of ornaments. I thought maybe you would put a candy in each one. Guess you could do that also. She will bring them in January or leave them at the local antique mall where she has a space. It was Harv that said wouldn't the matchboxes fit on there - even some of them? I didn't think so but started and by golly I think I got 17 on and then sat two under the tree as presents. That is what I will do with the rest. I put a couple of the little presents where I thought they would fill in. I must go look for a nice doily to put under as a little tree skirt.

I am finished ordering, packing, shipping and making things. The rest of this week should be nice. Harv and I want to see the King's Speech with Colin Firth but it doesn't start until Christmas Day. We both grew up under King George until he passed away so this is right up our alley. That new True Grit looks like it might be good also. Will have to see when that starts.

I have a bunch more flea market pics to put on later or tomorrow.

DECEMBER 18

Another cutie opened today. It is a picture of a little boy wearing a Christmas hat in green and the word Peace beside him. It also has some mistletow, red ribbon and a jingle bell. Inside is a little snowman ornament. This was made by Erica Hofstetter of Texas.
Thank you Erica.

I went to the flea market today in the pouring rain. Well it wasn't pouring when I left so you all don't think I am mad. It had been raining and stopped and Harv said it has stopped and looks like it is clearing so why don't you go. Well away I went and by the time I got there it was just spitting. The 3rd. weekend of the month Renningers always has a larger antique dealers affair at the other end from the flea market. Well luckily there are a few areas that have roofs over them plus all the regular inside buildings where the really nice antiques (read expensive) are. Well luckily I was inside one of the covered ones and it started to pour. It didn't stop me as I found quite a few things that I really like plus a bunch of old lace pieces, nothing wonderful but for CQ and other bits they will do great. They are all soaking in the washing machine as I write. I am getting leary of bringing things home that can't be cleaned, washed, hosed down, whatever. The bedbug stories going around Chicago when we left were horrendous. They say heat will kill anything so you could also just throw things in the dryer on hot if it can stand it. I am probably being paranoid when I think of all the fabric and laces I have lugged home over the years but these pieces could use some cleaning anyways.

When it is light out tomorrow I will take some pics and show you some of what I bought.
One thing relates to our matchbox swap.