Last week was Home Improvement Week at our place, so this week will be Show and Tell, as I try to show you the results. It has been SO gray and dreary around here that I have had a really hard time getting good pictures, since the lighting is so bad. Anyway, let’s start with the Flohmarkt. I’ll get you caught up on our discoveries from the last two trips.
I was thrilled to find this “potato basket.” This was one of those classic cases where there was a husband and wife team selling some of their things, and the husband gave me a price without asking his wife. I immediately took out my money, and as he was taking it, I heard his wife say, “SEVEN euros?!!” A few people selling at their booths inquired about how much I’d paid for it, and everyone agreed that it was a steal. Always ask the husband– they are usually just trying to get out of there.
This week we bought an actual piece of furniture! This table, I was told, is about 150 years old, and something special. I’m not totally sure about that, but I like the shape, and the price was right. Although I love it in the kitchen, we actually have something coming from an antique place in a week (apparently it needs to be excavated from a pile of things) and so this will probably become a desk somewhere.
This set of bowls was my first purchase on Saturday, and it was thrilling to get all four of them for five euros!
I love them. And I am slowly picking up more things in the cobalt blue.
Like these knobs. They are for the piece of kitchen furniture that I mentioned. I will look forward to showing you our whole kitchen once that comes. Then you can weigh in on whether we have made a huge mistake with your choice of paint.
More furniture! Jeff and I found two of these chairs for five euros each. Right now they are sitting in our giant, lonely living room. Nice to have somewhere to sit if we wander in there for some reason.
I like having things in our home that allude to the fact that 1/3 of the population is very young. I don’t like seeing kid junk all over the place, but I do like child-sized versions of normal stuff. This little rack was practically free, and it’s in our dining area. Those sweet plates were a gift from my sister from The Village Merchant in Portland, a place I would LOVE to be able to shop at right now!
Here are some odds and ends…
A very old mirror.
A butter dish– I needed something exactly like this for putting on the kitchen counter by the stove– I do cook with a lot of butter.
I love this, because it just looks like someone’s Saturday afternoon project. This design was burned into the wood, it’s really sweet and imperfect.
Pewter candle holders. I am looking forward to putting some beeswax taper candles in these to make cozy some dreary corner.
And a good ol’ moka pot.
Some ancient artwork. I wish I knew the places these sketches are of.
Now, here’s something special! It was SO hard to get a decent picture of, but hopefully you can see it alright. It’s the story of Rotkappchen– Little Red Riding Hood. The print is from 1932. I told Amelia the whole story for the first time, and it was so thrilling– up until now she has rejected any story that had any hint of danger. She looked very alarmed through most of it, but said at the end in a tough little voice, “It wasn’t THAT scary.”
These little wooden house shelves are very popular here, and it will be fun to hang one in Amelia’s room. I think I will use it as a mindless project, painting each room a little different than the others.
And, lastly, can you guess what this is?
It’s a Christmas tree stand! This is one of those classic examples of even ordinary stuff is prettier in Europe. This was almost free, and of course so much nicer than a big plastic tub.
Whew! That pretty much wraps up our flea-marketing show-and-tell. Next up… Antique shop furniture!
Wow, you got some treasures for sure! I especially love the potato basket, tree stand and the Ridinghood print!
Oh how fun to pick up all these special items. Right off I’m picturing you figuring out how to bring some of them back to the States some day… I know I’d hate to leave them behind! Well, you can cross that bridge when you come to it. In the meantime, I love what you’re finding.
You have a gift, Ariana. I love that you are able to see the beauty in these treasures and put them together to make them shine. Such taste.
We got a very similar Christmas tree stand in Kyiv (but made in Germany), and we love it. Even a spindly tree looks charming coming out of such a lovely vessel.
Way to appreciate the finer things in life! I love your style.
Way to appreciate the finer things in life! I love your style.
Oh how fun to pick up all these special items. Right off I’m picturing you figuring out how to bring some of them back to the States some day… I know I’d hate to leave them behind! Well, you can cross that bridge when you come to it. In the meantime, I love what you’re finding.