the weekend + my AMAZING flea market finds

 be forewarned.  lots of talking.  lots of pictures.

this weekend really felt like christmas.  the kind of christmases that are portrayed in hollywood movies where presents are overflowing under the tree.  (um, that does not happen in our household, okay?) before i get into the flea market stuff, i wanted to share with you what came in the mail over the weekend along with some furniture rearranging.  in a way, i feel like this is a brag post.  i don't like to brag.  truly, i don't.  it's just this weekend was exceptionally . . . weird.   christmas in march i'm telling ya.

my sister bought matt and i phone covers for our birthdays.  yeah, matt and i celebrate our birthdays only a few weeks apart.  aww, how sweet.  i chose this cute little fish scale print while matt was digging (no pun intended) this little superhero dog.   thank you so much L!!  we love 'em! (both covers are from Society 6)

 

i received my four fabrics from pink chalk fabrics to bulk up my stash.  plus, it was on sale.  i think this will be my new tactic to get fabrics.  as much as i would love to have the newest styles out there, i am very content with having the old stuff.  for me, it's all about the print anyways. 

this didn't come in the mail, but rather, i found discounted remnants of Aunt Edna at Joann Fabrics.  my good friend, danny, and i were talking about this discovery, and we wonder how Aunt Edna ended up at Joann.  is it the real thing or is this kind of like Missoni or Jason Wu for Target?  do you know?  well, i picked them up either way.

and lastly, i found $40 kohl's cash as i was rearranging furniture.  how awesome is that???  pretty freaking awesome.  so with my 30% off discount code from my mailer, i purchased two Bobby Flay stainless steel pans for a whopping $4.45.   word.

so that's a pretty sweet weekend so far right?  well, it got even sweeter.  i was excited about the flea market before i left, but after the trip, i was even more excited from the items i found and bought.  one piece was completely unexpected, and i am beginning to believe my husband when he says i have a furniture hoarding problem.  i guess it wouldn't be so much of a problem if we had extra storage like a garage, walk in attic, or even a shed.  okay, that was a BIG FAT LIE.  there would be some major issues if we had extra storage because my pea sized brain would say, "oh, you have more storage nancy.  we can fit that there.  and there.  and there. see? no problem."   though i am well pleased with all of my purchases, there were two of them that really put the cherry on my cake or the nuts on my sundae or the cream between my whoopie.   oh, yuck.  that last one sounded gross.  i did contemplate deleting it, but that's what seriously came out of my brain while typing, so this blog wouldn't really be me, if i deleted it.

A FEW PHOTOS FROM THE FLEA

 cute, but too exspensive dresser + dresser with potential

 old skool books + 19th century letters + more old skool

 amazing toy bus + amazing farm truck

 cowboy boots + skipper

 

chairs + chair with great lines and potential + more chairs

 

 

 really cool dresser

hey, i spy with my little eye . . . me!  yeah, this is why owen's olivia is not a fashion blog.

MY AH-MAZING FLEA FINDS

my first find was this $2 antelope? gazelle?  well, whatever it is, it's a unicorn in my book, and his name is charlie.  wait until charlie undergoes surgery like veni, who is still completely pleased with her new self.

the second find was this ridiculously cute $1 whale.  i am tempted to keep her as is.  she's just so preciouslicious to me. 

my third find were these two hilarious books, THE JUNIOR INSTRUCTOR. i got the set for $3.  they were first printed in 1916 with the last print in 1960.

i really loved the 90s, but i would really have loved to grow up in the 80s as a late teenager.  the 60s? well, i'll just imagine that era through these pages.

look at these two. if i remember correctly, on our way home with owen, i was either passed out from exhaustion (delivered at 8:30pm and checked out by noon the next day) or, if awake, matt and i were dazed and confused.  um, what do we do now???

 "It isn't work, it's fun!"

 i love this artwork!

The caption:

Question: What makes me want to run and play?

Answer: LOVE and APPLES and other good things.

this particular page reminded me of this (so off topic)

Question: What makes this boy want to run and play?

 my fourth find was a vegetable stand selling cheap produce, so i picked up onions at 50 cents a pound and large green peppers at 50 cents each.  i just can't get that good of deal right now in my grocery store.

my fifth purchase was an army blanket for $10.  if you don't own one of these, i am telling you need to.  go out and buy one because i said so.  keep it in your car if you can't handle camo decor.  this thin, and i mean thin, blanket will keep you so warm.  we already owned one, but i kept stealing it from matt.  you can purchase these at any army surplus store.

these last two purchases are my most favorite.  first up, Thom Filicia and Trina Turk home decor fabric!!!!!!!  wait. wait.  for only $12.50!!!!!!!  oh wait.  it gets better.  i got two yards of it, which puts it at $6.25 each!!!!!  seriously!  i typically despise people who find these ridiculous, to good to be true kind of deals.  so yeah.  you can hate me.

the company i purchased this from is named Sew There Fabric and Crafts.  they do not sell online, but are open to the public.  they are located in Angier, NC.  i will most definitely be checking this store out soon when i make a pit stop at Sunni Sky's.  i can't guarantee all prices are this good, but the few fabrics i saw at the flea market are enough to tempt me to visit their store. 

and lastly, check out the bolts of glory and one cycling shoe that are radiating from this 19th century dresser.  why in the world did i buy another dresser??? (this makes #6 for our 3 bedroom home)

1.  because it's awesome
2.  doesn't need any refinishing (that's a big freakin' deal for any DIYer)
3.  the color and finish rock my world
4.  it's in great shape, solid wood, and dovetailed drawers
5.  because it's awesome

now i wish the dresser was as cheap as charlie or the humorous books i found, but i think i paid a pretty decent price for it .  it did suck up my allowance though since it was the largest of my purchases, but i am okay with that.  it just means my window treatments for the kitchen will have to wait until next month.  budgeting has been a real life and marriage saver.  you guys probably laughed when i said marriage (either because you can fully relate or you think i am just crazy), but working with a budget has helped matt and i to see eye to eye on where our finances go. 

now that i have #6 home (only die hard battlestar galatica fans understand #6), i needed to put her somewhere.  i had it in my head to move my buffet in the kitchen, which happens to be a dresser too, to my sewing room.  i wasn't expecting to like the mirror on top of my white dresser, nor did i even think about placing it there.  but once i saw the combo, i really liked it.  matt thinks it looks odd because it's not white.  who cares?  this girl is all about breaking design rules.  i really do need a place to store it though.  i will have to jimmy rig the mirror to the dresser, since it is not made to hold a mirror.  i will show you how i will do that in the near future, and i am thinking it will be very easy to do.

so let's sidetrack here for a moment.  please tell me i am not the only messy crafter and sewer on this planet?  i mean, do you see that mound of a mess reflecting in the mirror???  how could you not?    well, i am hoping to kick my butt into gear after finishing my kitchen and owen's room, and organize the sewing room, which also happens to be the "let's put all excess home decor and crap room."

and lastly, my pot died.  no, not weed, but a planting pot that i bedazzled.  i got the pot several years ago and immediately slapped some black ink on it.  then, on sunday evening at 6:47pm, she died.  owen is the culprit, and he is doing jail time in his crib. 

she was a cutie, though you only see a smidge of one of the birds in this photo .  she will be missed. you can see my artwork here.

so, how was your weekend?  thrifty filled? dresser filled? bacon filled?