Flea market finds and a little room revamp

On Saturday, my mom, my sister and I hit up our local flea market. It happens every weekend in a former mill building, and the dozens of vendors sell everything from furniture and jewelry to trinkets and comic books. Some of the booths are so chock full, I could literally spend hours perusing them. I love looking at old books, glass bottles and jars, and any odds and ends made of cast iron or metal, like old farming tools.

The indoor farmers' market happens next door on Saturdays in the wintertime, so the place was pretty busy. And we stuck out like sore thumbs, since most of the vendors and shoppers are at least twice our age and male. :)

I didn't take a lot of pictures, because I wasn't sure if the vendors would appreciate it if I wasn't buying, but we found a fantastic oversized mirror with a wooden frame for $18, and an antique storage chest for $150. My sister was really pining over it to use as a new coffee table or to put at the end of her bed, but the price was a little steep. My mom also found a book on the history of beer in Maine -- I mentioned it to my amateur brewer husband, and he was disappointed I didn't buy it. Maybe I'll go back for it next weekend...

Afterward, we treated ourselves to some locally made gelato. I had half brownie batter, half toasted coconut. Um, YUM!

So what did I come home with? On this particular visit, I was looking for interesting glass bottles and an old picture frame, and luckily I found both.

The vendor said this bottle was from the early 20th century and likely used for wine. It's blown glass, and you can see all the bubbles and lines in it -- so cool! I love the color; it reminds me of sea glass, and the shape reminds me of my aqua lamp from Target.

I got this bottle plus a half-gallon antique Ball jar for $15. The jar will hold our spare change.

I also found this weathered frame, priced at $2, but I talked him down to $1. 

I was thinking about painting it and distressing it, but I really like the way it looks now.

They'll all find a nice home on a new piece of furniture I brought home last weekend from Target. We had the Dolce folding bookcase here, but it was just a little too small to fit the space. The Avington console table had great reviews and was just the right length. I even managed to get it into my cart and into the car on my own, and I put it together all by myself. Which was good, because the hubs was a little annoyed I bought a piece of furniture without mentioning it first....ooops. 

Here's the space with the Dolce bookcase.

BEFORE

And here is the after with the new console table.

AFTER

Isn't it such an improvement? Not only is it the right scale for the space, but it looks more like living room furniture, you know? I've already decided we need to buy the matching coffee table. (Yes, I know matchy-matchy is a bit of a design faux pas, but since our living room is mostly a hodge-podge of hand-me-down furniture, I figure having a couple pieces that match would help tie the room together. Make things look a little more intentional, instead of the here's-some-cheap-furniture-thrown-into-a-room look goin' on right now).

I arranged it quickly, so the accessories definitely need a little work. I staged it with a lamp I already had, but the shade really blends into the wall, so I'll need something with a little more pizzazz. But I'm already loving having something with a little height to fill the space below the floating shelves. And the baskets below will be great for holding an extra throw or two.

The table also features another flea market find from a few months back. I got these three glass bottles for $2 each and filled them with sand I collected from beaches we've been to. Just looking at the sand gives me a little tropical boost. Isn't it cool how different the sand is?

The bookcase has found a new home in our bedroom, and I'm really loving it up there. It's the perfect scale for our slanted walls, since it fits so nicely underneath. No photos to prove it, though, since our bedroom was a little messy yesterday... It was laundry day, what can I say?? :)

I'm linking up to Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Party. Swing by and see what lots of other talented people are remaking and redoing!

And I'm linking up to Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia. Stop by and check it out!