Flea Marketing 101 at Pasadena City College

I did not bring this home, but I was so tempted.  It’s a two-level tin bread box.  The tag said $19.99.  I really love this and thought it might look cute sitting on the yellow Formica kitchen  table in my studio/office, maybe holding art supplies.   I figured I could return to it, but I was caught up in the action and it didn’t call me back, so I guess it’s okay I didn’t even make an offer.

Hydra and I spent all morning at the great free Pasadena City College Flea Market , which is held on the first Sunday of every month.  There  are two parking lots and several levels in the parking garage given over to flea market booths.  Student groups set up booths around campus too. The Engineering club sells carved key chains, the geology club sells minerals and geodes and there’s a great little tee shirt shop where you can also buy used screen printing frames and test prints.

One of my favorite finds of the day.  I recently started wearing necklaces, and usually wear 2-3 at a time.  I looked all around Puerto Escondido, Mexico when I was there and didn’t find anything I liked enough.

This is my new necklace.  The 24″ chain (my favorite length because I’m too lazy to unclasp them) was $1.oo at one booth and the  keys with lions on them were 25 cents each at another.

Does anyone know about glass like this?  I thought at first it was a vase, but when I got it home and cleaned it up, I thought it would make a very nice water carafe.  The only mark on the bottom is a sort of large asterisk design.  It has no seams.  Wonder what the lead danger is in a piece like this.  I paid $4.00, so either way, I really like it.

Loved this dog, watching his owner’s stuff.  He seemed to be having a grand time.  There were lots of dogs around. Also The Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA offering adoptions of some adorable canines, and guard dogs in training.

I”m not usually terribly into hearts, but my pal Antipasta has given me a few pieces and I liked the heavy feel of this.  For a buck!

Little bench/storage box that we’ll keep our growing collection of little percussion instruments in. It’s a bit scuffed up here, and there so I may end up either painting it entirely or adding little flowers or designs.   $15.00.

I got the bug to do some refinishing from watching a few episodes of Flea Market Flip.  I got a great deal on these two little tables, and I’m kind of hoping I don’t fall too much in love with them to try and sell them later.  I don’t have any experience, but I feel like I really can’t do anything but improve the black table.  Maybe I’ll put it on Craigslist or find a consignment shop.  Stopped at our local Ace Hardware on the way home and talked to the owner, who’s always helpful.  Spent two hours sanding these by hand and filling in a little crack in the black table.  More work to be done, but it’s kind of fascinating to see what’s in there.  I was gong to paint the wood table, but it might be worth staining.

A little something for Dodger to play with.  Fifty cents.  So far, he’s suspicious of it, but if I play with it, he’ll get interested.

We also found a great magnifying glass on a gooseneck stand for Hydra to use when working on model planes, and some other tools and odds and ends.  Turned out that I bought things (the carafe and the two tables) from the same family that had booths in two different parts of the market.  Guess I like their style!

I love a good garage sale or flea market.  I always run across familiar things that it’s good to see again, and things I’ve never quite imagined. It was kind of fun to see a pitcher like one I bought for $5 about 15 years ago selling for $55.

I like old stuff, stuff with a little history.

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