Hunting for Treasures at the Flea Market

When my mother-in-law emailed me last weekend to see if I'd be interested in taking the girls to meet up with her at a flea market event, I was a bit skeptical at first. I knew I wanted to go, but I was worried about taking the proverbial bull(s) into the china shop. My imagination led me to picture small children tipping over displays of 800 year old crystal goblets, but I chose to be brave and sacrifice for the sake of a good treasure hunt. Lucky for me, the morning turned out to be a blast, and even the girls had fun shopping. I thought I'd share some (iphone pics, sorry) of my finds with you today!

And, by the way, I totally headed in thinking "I'm gonna pop some tags; only got $20 in my pocket." Except I did not wear footie pajamas. Thank you, Macklemore.

This was (clearly) an indoor flea market, held in a very very large indoor exposition center. I'm sure the tables/stalls were pricey to rent, and many of the prices were accordingly pricey. I imagine there were a number of knock-offs and reproductions, but there were also many beautiful pieces.

The girls brought their American Girl dolls, and it's a good thing they brought Michaela Byrd's stroller because they used it later on to haul their coats and purchases!

We wasted no time before roaming the aisles in search of treasure. Some pieces were worth the internal debate of "I'd love this, but should I spend some cash?" and some were "Wow, this is awesome, but I could never afford this today."

The girls came home with a tiny (doll size) Radio Flyer Sled and a little wooden doll rocking chair that my mother-in-law purchased for them. I spied a stall with some great looking printer's trays. Priced at $20 each, that was a pretty good bargain compared to others I've seen in our area. I chose one and have plans to display it in our family room!

No, the green paper is not permanent!

All in all, I prefer the more "rustic" outdoor flea markets because I think they have better prices. But this one was an absolute blast to shop, especially because I knew ahead of time what to expect. I don't go often because (honestly) I don't need a bunch more tchotchkes, but it sure is fun to see all that history in one area!

Do you shop at flea markets? What's your best find?

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