Flea Market finds: California Girl Edition

It's been so long since I've posted anything at all...

but of course I had to start with my most recent flea market finds! ;)

This vintage "exercise equipment" threw me

for a loop when I first saw it. 

Well, that's after I looked inside first to see what hand grips were.

(Seriously. Had no clue.)

It's so perfectly "retro" looking, I sort of wasn't sure

wether it was truly old, or a modern jokey gag-gift type of thing.

D'you know what I mean?

This skip rope section on the exercise poster 

that was included made me giggle.

Correction.

The drawing of Mr. Studly skipping rope made me giggle.

Hand grips! ;)

Maybe this guy used a pair of those.

I really like this picture--

what a scene!

Awwwwww.

While still being kind of odd...and funny.

A great example of books I would never read,

but bought purely for the covers.

Pretty bad for a one-time English major.

Another find in the book category, 

this one a 1930's book of fairy tales.

Who doesn't love fairytales??

And the illustrations inside are truly gorgeous.

Please pardon slightly excessive photos below.

I always love children's items.

Vintage blankets, toys, clothes...

so much of it is just so charming.

I am beginning to show a bit of a weakness

for old tea set pieces.

Something that I like also are old school-related items--

flashcards, workbooks, that sort of thing.

I love this vintage shabby tray...

 ...and the price was great--$2!

Some Munising bowls, which I had actually never heard of...

but there was something really lovely about them.

I read that they stopped being made in 1955.

 These old doorknobs were too pretty,

and too inexpensive, to pass up.

Even with all the rust and paint on them.

I kind of like them that way :) 

 Case in point:

this very rusty old Ghiradelli chocolate tin.

It didn't deter me!

These shoes I found at the flea aren't old, but they do have 

a vintage flair.

They're my new favorite "dressy-therefore-I-won't-wear-them-much"

pair of shoes.

My other new favorite thing is finding things to 

paint and shabbify.

For example, this wooden notes & keys sign.

I loved the typography, 

but I didn't like the dark wood.

Since it was only a dollar, I figured a stab

at upcycling was worth a shot.

So I painted it white...

and pondered and pondered wether to place this 

metal adornment on...

before deciding I liked it without.

I am not being dramatic when I say my creative/crafty

skills are severely deficient in...talent.

But I liked how it turned out :)

Excluding the sign above, 

all of these vintage items were found in California,

while we were visiting for the holidays.

This is my very favorite find from that trip!

I collect vintage statuettes of the Virgin Mary,

as a nod to my Grandma Rosa, who I was extremely close 

to as a child.  She did the same thing.

Although I am not a traditionally religious person, I find

certain ones really lovely and even fascinating.

This wooden sculpture was originally a dark blonde wood.

I wasn't sure wether to paint it, 

because it had a very 50's/60's look to it,

if that makes any sense.

But being on a shabby-chippy streak lately, I had to try.

I didn't like it at first, not until I added this equally shabby tiara.

For some reason that seemed just the thing she needed.

 Now it is on my nightstand with all of my other statuettes.

For more flea market and thrift store finds visit:
Her Library Adventures

(One of my favorite blogs!)