The Vintage-Flea

New Address....

2011-02-14T22:01:00.002-05:00

Continue the story here... Hope you can join me!

Simple Times and Simple Decisions

2010-07-25T12:42:00.004-04:00

I've made some simple decisions this week that have been long overdue.. if you remember my Taking a Rest post at the beginning of this year, you will recall that I had an important decision to make concerning The Vintage-Flea. But more on that later....

Today while I was helping the kids put together a lemonade stand, my daughter told me she was going to use the Crystal Light Lemonade Sachets for lemonade. I asked her how much was she planning on selling the lemonade for.. she replies 50cents. I then explained to her that a box of 6 packets cost around $2.30 so .38 per packet. Then you have to add the cost of cups, napkins, and then your time. Your time?? Well sitting outside on an excruciating hot day like today.. you better get compensated somehow.

So we opted for the koolaid packets instead that can make a whole gallon of Lemonade for less than 50 cents each. A smart business woman in the making!

(At last check the Lemonade possie had $46 in their tupperware container and even bigger smiles.) A store owner once blogged that owning an indie retail boutique is intense, interesting, sometimes magical and absolutely all-consuming. This brings me back to my point about precious time. I get asked frequently.. how do you have the time to do it all?? Well I can't do it all and I've come to the decision to NOT renew my lease in March 2011. So in 7 months there will either be a new owner taking over where I am leaving off or an empty building for a hopeful dreamer to start something new.

So my friends this is my last blog posting for The Vintage-Flea. Please, if you are not already, join our facebook fan page where I will be introducing new products for Fall. I plan on making the next 7 months the most fabulous ever and want you to be apart of it!!

The past 6 years have been a wonderful roller coaster ride and I want to thank you all for letting me share it with you.

Hope to see you soon at The Flea!!

The Indie Spirit

2010-07-12T18:32:00.006-04:00

I've got spirit yes I do, I've got spirit how 'bout you??

This summer I set a goal to try to learn as many new crafts/art forms as I can. You see the summer is when I am in mommy overdrive and can not be at my shop as much as I need to be. Since I can not rearrange the shop, I need to find outlets for my creative juices... this is where the learning comes in. So in June I took a crochet class at the Two Sisters Knitting Nook in downtown Newnan. This was actually a kid's fiber camp so I dragged my 11 year old daughter, her two friends, and my 8 year old son with me. Well they took to this like nobody's business and started making their potholders.. just as happy as clams. I, on the other hand, was secretly cussing and gave up 1/2 way through. Such a role model, right?? So later that night my daughter helped me with my homework and I had a lightbulb moment (I actually said lightbulb like Gru in Despicable Me). Now I am a crochet addict and aspire to make the following projects... pictures found on Etsy.
Okay maybe the last one is a bit over my skill level at the moment.

For July I purchased a clutch purse kit from a company in the UK that boasts it to be "easy peasy". Well it was and now I am addicted to clutch purses. My daughter wants me to put a wrist cuff on the side so it is easier to hold and I also plan on making them much larger so normal wallets could fit inside. Either way I am now enjoying the hunt for vintage fabrics.

So do you have spirit??? What new things have you learned this summer??

Happy July

2010-07-05T14:46:00.007-04:00

Came into the shop today to do a little fluffing after our blowout 4th of July weekend.. seems like everyone and their momma was downtown on the square this past Saturday. Somehow this blue owl was overlooked and I had to bring it home and put him on my front gate. Artist Sherry Cook has several of these folk art beauties upstairs in her booth. Everything from owls, fish, angels, mermaids, and more. This folk art piece was $45.. a steal in my book. Sherry also has several pieces at the Southern Living Showcase House in Senoia, Georgia. Have you been yet?? Neither have I but have plans to go very soon when both kids go to camp!! In the meantime.. Happy JULY!! New merchandise is coming into the shop every week even in this dead heat. Hope to see you soon.

Change is Good

2010-06-30T15:28:00.006-04:00

Hi Guys!! I am back from my trip with some great new ideas and possible new merchandise for the store. Change is good, right?? No I didn't fulfill my dream of opening up a shop on the coast

yet... But I did open up my email to find that some class changes were made to my upcoming Creative Connections Event in September.

The Art & Coronation class was still a go....

The Folk Art Painting Class was still a go...

But my Needle Felt Kitty class by Pat Murphy was cancelled. So before I left on my vacation, I switched my class to Jennifer Murphy's felted pin cushion class. Boy did I ever get a better surprise when I found out the pin cushion class got switched to the Let There Be Peace clip ornament project!! Yipee Skippy!!

And other changes are coming your way... The Vintage-Flea is now a fully operating Antique Mall with over 30+ consignors. Crazy how 6 years ago we started with 1200sq feet of unique retail treats. After one year at the Summer Grove location, we moved The Vintage-Flea to Downtown Newnan and have spent the last 5 years in a 4000 sq. foot building. Now with the hardships of the economy, many changes had to be implemented to help keep The Flea a float. So now that we are operating 100% as an Antique Mall we have implemented a new return policy:

The Vintage-Flea
All Sales are Final on Clearance items, Holiday items, and Original Artwork. All other merchandise can be exchanged from the same vendor it was purchased from within 7 days and with receipt.

Thanks for your understanding and continued support!!

Hitting The Road Jack!!

2010-06-22T12:33:00.007-04:00

Yes that time of the year has come again where my family and I go off for a bit to explore the coast. This year we will be visiting Charleston and meandering our way down to my favorite city, Savannah. In the middle we will be visiting Hilton Head and Beaufort.. two new places that I have never been before.

vintage suitcase picture found here

So I wish you Aideu and hope to bring back some wonderful new treasures and stories to share.
See you soon at The Flea!

A Colorful Flea

2010-06-13T21:23:00.004-04:00

"If you're quiet, you're not living. You've got to be noisy and colorful and lively"

- Mel Brooks

Blasts of colorful new items have come into the Flea recently and we love it!! Our peacock feathers are back (18"-20") and are only $1.00 each.

Dried Lavender bundles are also back in for $5.00 each.

New colorful Robes.. yes something different for our Flea customer but look at those colors!! Cotton robes with two large pockets in the front. We only have 6 in stock, $35.

Some fancy new mannequins have taken over my turquoise display. $55 for the small, $65 for the large. All with a linen body with Paris stamped on top and wooden base.

Quilted journals with the French Provencal color palette. $12.50 each. Framed Bird prints are $22 each. (Only 5 remain)

In the French Provencal color palette we also have clip boards, $12, and trays (not shown), $10 & $14.

Finally these would be perfect for Father's day, colorful globes $8 each.

If you want to see some of our new Americana goodies that have also come into the shop, click on "Flea Bite" at the top of this post. See you soon!!

Bloom

2010-06-10T12:07:00.004-04:00

Heading over to one of my favorite new stores in Serenbe today called Bloom. Sisters Lindsey and Lauren have got it going on for sure in this adorable, funky & eclectic shop featuring some of the neatest one of a kind items. Lindsey and Lauren do a great job searching

out the Indie Artist and want to have a shop filled with handmade, quality items.

I was honored to be asked to bring some paintings by to hang in their little paradise. Here are a few of my new ones headed their way..

I think they will like this one called Bloom. $275 Encaustic on Luan Board. 24"x16"

One of my favorites that will fit really well in the Serenbe Community is Lakeside. $275 Encaustic on Luan, 24"x16".

And another mini landscape. I've been selling lots of these lately. La Plage is $150, Encaustic on Luan board, 12" x 12".

Thanks Girls!!

If you are interested in any of these paintings, you can call the Bloom Shop at 770-629-1756.

Meet the Neighbors...

2010-06-06T16:54:00.003-04:00

We have some new neighbors that have moved into our backyard paradise.. Romeo and Juliet. We have lived in this house for 7 years and we have seen several geese, a blue heron or two, but never any swans!! What a treat. The kids and I decided to play the welcoming committee this morning.

This brought back fond memories of my childhood living in South Florida. We lived on a small canal and I remember fondly treating the ducks to white wonder bread at least once a week. My father and brother would fish for catfish and my friends and I would take the canoe out and someone would intentionally turn us over for a fun dip in the canal. That was until an alligator showed up in our backyard and decided to hang out with us for a few days. We never swam in that canal again and the "what happened to the cat" question was finally answered.

Back to Romeo.. what a handsome fella. He had his feathers ruffled up for us the whole time making sure that his lady love was always protected.

Juliet stayed in the back for awhile before coming up to say hello herself. She was definitely very shy.

Olivia told Romeo over and over again.. please stop eating all the bread pieces, Juliet is hungry too! What a typical male.

Brice (blue shirt) had his friend over to "hang out". Ever see Diary of a Wimpy Kid?? Boys don't play together, they hang out. Oh and let me just say that my son probably has the largest collection of silly shirts amongst 8 year olds. His favorite in his collection says "your lips keep on moving, but all I hear is Blah Blah Blah". With that smirk you KNOW I have my hands full.

Finally this is my backyard that Romeo and Juliet have come to call their own... definitely prime real estate.

300 acres of pure bliss living sans alligator. Anyone want to go for a swim??

A Visit From Olive Rue

2010-05-30T19:57:00.006-04:00

So it all started with this..

an amazing image transfer from Olive Rue (btw I didn't get this one last time but OMG.. I am so buying it now) which I was planning to use to make some great new products for the shop. So that purchase led to a convo with Crystal, a.k.a Olive Rue, where she told me that she was from Carrollton. A few days later.. she visits the store. Talk about talent.. this girl not only runs her Etsy shop but she is a fantastic photographer. You can catch her on her other blog (did I mention that she has 2) called Vintage Remixed.

We must have been friends in another life because she is as crazy over shells and beach decor as I am!! Head over to see Crystal at Vintage Remix and see all of the lovely shop photos!!

Thanks Crystal!! Your a hoot!!

Feeling Flirty??

2010-05-28T21:38:00.002-04:00

Some new jewelry came into the shop today.. I think you will LOVE it!!

Pearls, Pearls Pearls.. white pearls $15

silver pearls on silver wire $10 (also in white)

I'm calling this collection Vintage Flirt!! Love the new headbands. $20 each

some pretty flirty new earrings have also come in.. $14 each.

see you soon.

New Store Pictures

2010-05-27T18:44:00.005-04:00

I was feeling a bit blah lately about the shop... a colorful makeover

was all I needed!!

Lots of Japanese lanterns are hanging from the front room

to highlight our newest pottery from Rae Dunn. Rae is

a California native whose handmade pieces are simply

stunning.
A colorful new clock has found its way onto our walls.

New bird prints that just flew into the shop.

Our new Sea Horse lamps are gorgeous and really

make our beach section complete.

Our Memorial Day Sale will be this weekend on Friday and Saturday. You will find amazing booth wide sales from 10-20% off, a $20 children's clothing rack from Simple Treasures, Low Country Produce Gourmet will be 50% off, all plant kits are now only $5, and much much more.

Hope to see you soon.

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

2010-05-13T16:00:00.005-04:00

Yep.. I have sent off my registration form and check and now I am officially going to The Creative Connection Event in Minneapolis, MN

in September!! This is an amazing 3 day workshop filled with art, inspiration, and wise business advice for the entrepreneur. Best yet it is hosted by Jo Packham (Where Women Create), and Nancy Soriano (former editor-in-chief of Country Living Magazine).

and if that is not enough.. some of the featured artists on hand to teach workshops are Betz White, Jennifer Murphy, Kaari Meng, Pat Murphy, and Wendy Addison.

Owning a gift boutique may seem like glamorous work to a few but the reality is I don't take home a paycheck. It ALL goes back into The Flea. So I promised myself to take at least one fun, business related trip every year. I went to Portland one year for the Art & Soul retreat, New York after that for the Country Living Fair, and do you remember this past February??
I wonder what new people and new things I will be introduced to this time!!

more fun than you can shake a stick at.....

2010-05-10T23:42:00.007-04:00

Seriously.. what kind of expression is that?? Anyways a few months back I was seduced by a blog with the most amazing photographs. Reading back several posts I found out that she uses Photoshop Element Actions. Okay I don't speak the photog lingo but she linked over to the Florabella Collections website where any amateur can instantly be turned into a wonder wiz...

(Well I don't know about instantly, I had a hard time figuring out where the goodies went after I downloaded them into photoshop) 2 hours later and 1 email from Shana Rae herself.... taa daa!!

The Florabella Vintage Action
The Florabella BW Action
And this was the original. My daughter (pink hat) and her friend after their Easter Egg hunt on the beach. So now I am ready to redo The Vintage-Flea website with some amazing new photographs of our latest and greatest in the shop. What could you do with a little action??
For more inspiration, visit the original blog that started this all.. Mimi Charmante. And lucky you.. on her blog she is giving away a set of the Florabella Actions!! Get on over there and register.. best of luck.

update.. The Florabella Actions giveaway has inspired one of my own!! Leave me a comment and you will be entered to win one of our adorable wooden birds now posing

for us in our new Blog Banner!! Yes I love these actions so much I changed my blog banner. Good Luck!!

I'm a sucker for a good Tote...

2010-04-29T07:15:00.003-04:00

I really am... I must have at least 10 large ones in various colors and a few dozen smaller ones that I keep around. My kids use them when they sleep over a friends house, we use them to clean up the junk in the car (mostly toys), and I especially use them to haul all my finds to work.

So that is why I like this company so much.. The colors are gorgeous and the price is perfect. The small drugstore bag is $9, large department size is $14, the laundry tote is $22, and the storage box is $28.00.

And they can be monogramed for those that like that extra touch of personalization. Here we have a laundry tote that I will be giving to our shop girl Kate who is graduating this year from High School. Plane Stitches is just around the corner from us.. this embroidery cost just $8!

Here are some more of our department bags.. beautiful summer colors.

For those that are heading of to The University of Georgia this year.. how about a black and white bag with red monograms?? Come on by The Vintage-Flea soon for best pickins...

Meet and Greet

2010-04-24T20:18:00.002-04:00

Hey Everyone.. meet our new Consignor, Lucille Miller.

This adorable entrepreneur has a wonderful array of homemade bath products!

Her number one seller are these Loofah Loves!! Delicious soap encased
around a loofah. Exfoliate heaven. $5 each.

Her Bath Bombs are the bomb!! $2 small and $5 large

And my favorite.. her body scrubs. $5 each

So come on by The Vintage-Flea to see our Flea Chick!

Yummy Promo!!

2010-04-19T11:08:00.004-04:00

Here is a yummy promo for you to enjoy in more ways than one. Buy any 2 Jars from our Low Country Produce line and get a

Happy Spoon for FREE!!

Sale ends Friday April 30th!!

And here is another great recipe for you from their Low Country Produce Recipe Blog

Tomato-Basil Seafood Stew - dinner in five minutes!
• One jar of Lowcountry Produce Tomato Basil Soup
• One half pound of bay or sea scallops
• One half pound of large (21-25 per lb) peeled & cleaned shrimp
• One pound of cleaned crabmeat
• One 8-ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed & drained
Bring soup to a simmer. Add the spinach & bring it back up to a simmer. Add the shrimp & sea scallops and cook for about two minutes. If using bay scallops cook the shrimp for one minute, then add the bays. Gently add the crabmeat so as not to break up the lumps. Cook for one minute more.
Serve with your choice of rice or linguine.

My New Favorite Bracelets!

2010-04-16T14:32:00.002-04:00

I am smitten with these wire mesh braclets and you will be too! The top one reminds me of those cotton sailor knot bracelets we use to wear over spring break. Okay that was a long time ago.. Fort Lauderdale baby!

The best is that they have magnetic closures. $18 each at The Vintage-Flea

Happy Spring Break

2010-04-05T17:53:00.002-04:00

Another beautiful day in Newnan!! Is your garden calling to you?

Vintage Silverware Plant Markers $5 each

Silhouette Artist Clay Rice Coming to Newnan

2010-03-30T10:24:00.004-04:00

A friendly reminder that Clay Rice is coming to Newnan in 1 month!! Yipee! We are so excited to have him come discover our Historic Mainstreet for a change. (He usually goes to the big name shops in Atlanta)

He is a 3rd generation Silhouette Artist that can do any age portrait in under 1 minute. Now that is a talent. His silhouette fee is $40 per person which includes 2 portraits.. left and right facing. The event is on May 5th from 10am to 6pm. Mother's Day is May 9th so this is perfect.. one portrait to keep and one to give.

Also available will be beautiful sterling silver necklaces made to order with your silhouettes! These normally are priced $22 but for this event we have a special price of $14 w/necklace or $10 w/o necklace.
You must book your appointment in advance. We have 9 spots remaining between 4:40pm and 5:20pm, 10 spots between 10:10am and 10:55am, 11 spots between 2pm and 2:55pm, and several spots scattered throughout the day. Call us at 770-683-2825 to reserve yours.

**To the sweet little Nanny that came to our store yesterday.. you purchased 2 cards and 2 necklaces for your sister.. please call us at the number above. We have something for you.

Three Little Pretties

2010-03-22T18:22:00.002-04:00

Oh I can just loose myself in one of these....

Three little lanscapes all ready for Art Walk. These are 12x12 Encaustic Paintings on Luan Board. Priced $150 unframed. Don't know if these will be at The Flea Friday night or The Fine Arts and Framing.

More pictures to come...

One Week to Go

2010-03-19T21:06:00.003-04:00

One Week to Go....

artwork done by Olivia Dumas, age 11.

The Spring Art Walk will be held on Friday, March 26th from 5pm-8pm. The cocktail served this year will be the Strawberry Lemon Drop. Here is the recipe..

1 1/2oz Strasberi Stoli Vodka

2oz Lemonaide blended with Fresh Strawberries

1/2 oz Triple Sec

What do you think?? Should be a fun evening

New Goodies from our Consignors

2010-03-15T23:37:00.003-04:00

New items from our consignors...

Deadlines

2010-03-12T07:48:00.007-05:00

What do you do when it is 9pm at night and you have just realized that you need to make a piece of art to give to the Fine Lines Art & Framing in the morning in order for it to be photographed for an upcoming issue in Lifestyles Magazine (our local magazine). I couldn't bring them something I had already done because the gallery needed it to be unframed. What do you do.. panic. That is exactly what I felt after a full day of work, picking up daughter from Annie rehearsals, taking her then to Tennis Lesson, and running through every drive thru in town because my kids can't agree on the SAME thing for dinner. Normally I would add Soccer practice into the mix but last night the fields were closed. So what did I do??

Take a little from this.. French Words ("Oiseaux" painting done in 2007)

and this.. Stacking circles ("Abyss" painting done in 2007)

and this.. Birds ("On a Line" Painting done in 2009)

To get this.. La Bonne Mere. This is actually done on paper, a neat little technique that I picked up this past weekend from my SEA girls. Our encaustic group gets together once a month to teach, inspire, and collaborate. La Bonne Mere will be available for purchase for $45 at the Fine Lines Art & Framing in downtown Newnan after today.

Early Birthday Gift

2010-03-11T16:01:00.003-05:00

I was so excited to see my early birthday present waiting for me on my doorstep this afternoon when I got home. I fell in love with this book the moment I saw it in the La Vie Claire Magazine a few months ago.

Women and The Sea, Hearing the Siren's Song. 168 pages of gorgeous photography and inspirational stories from women who have been enchanted by the sea and who have built their lives around that passion. As I get older, I realize how much I took living by the beach for granted. I lived in Antigua as a wee little tot but remember fondly our house sitting on the cliffs looking over the ocean. My father would go down and get fresh lobster for dinner.
Here I am with my brother in Antigua.

The water was always crystal clear and beautiful. When we lived in the Philippines I remember the ocean being dark and scary to go into. The sand was pitch black. This is when I developed my crazy phobia for sharks. (story to ask me about next time you see me.)

Then we settled in Fort Lauderdale where I was a mere 20 minutes away but you could still smell the salty sea water on calm nights. That is the smell I miss the most being in Newnan.. almost 5 hours away from the closest beach!

I would highly recommend this book for anyone in love with the ocean. Just the beach photography alone has my head spinning with new encaustic painting ideas and color combinations. Off to the art studio I go.....

Taste of Spring..

2010-03-09T08:08:00.005-05:00

Do you remember when, a few posts back, I showed you that our sign had fallen down? It was just the boost I needed to get my Spring window display underway.

Here is the "After" on the left side of the shop. The right side is still waiting for the new signage to be put into place. Today Mary and I will be hanging paintbrushes on the inside of the window to mark the upcoming Spring Art Walk show on March 26th.
Inside the shop we have received several new items which really scream SPRING.

First these lovely silk flower pins made from an artist is Southern California. These handmade French roses have vintage style ribbons dangling down with vintage buttons attached.

Still my favorite.. these pieces were custom made for The Flea from an artist in Thailand. Here real crystals, pearls, and semi-precious stones are strung with silk threads and have sterling silver clasps.

Now onto our Easter items.. egg wreaths.

and more egg wreaths. These colorful fun wreaths are only $10 each. Only 4 remain.

Rag Eggs perfect for bowl fillers or tree decorating. Only $1.75 each.

Then we have bunnies for all tastes... Chocolate (not real) Bunnies for the whimsical,

Fabric Bunnies for the vintage decor,

and Silvered Bunnies for the traditional decor.

Which Bunny are you??

Silhouette Artist Clay Rice...

2010-03-03T17:45:00.004-05:00

Have you heard the news??

Silhouette Artist Clay Rice will be coming to The Vintage-Flea on May 5th.

Clay is a 2nd generation silhouette artist who can transform your profile into paper in a matter of moments. His nationally renowned portraits are priced $40 per person for 2 silhouettes. Frames will also be available for purchase the day of. Appointments are now being taken from 10am-6pm that Wednesday, May 5th. Call us at 770-683-2825 to make your reservation today.. a $10 deposit will be needed for booking so please have your credit card ready.

Also.. our special for March... if you book your reservation for Clay Rice, a 25% off coupon will be available for you to use between your booking date and Saturday, May 8th. This coupon will be good to use on any Flea products, artwork or custom pieces. (not available for use on sale or consignment items)

Weekly Wrap.. a few days late

2010-03-02T18:19:00.003-05:00

This one is for you Mary... who told me I was being a slacker because I had not posted my weekly wrap up last week. So here we go, the new things in the shop:

Sweater Wrap (only winter white, brown, and paprika remain) $48
Nest with eggs small/$4 medium/$6 large/$8
Heavy Duty Buckets made from Recycled Tire Tubes $24
Flip Flop Doormats small/$12 large/$26
Assorted Ribbons 12-36ft $8
Antique French Chair (pair) $225 each.. Starburst Vintage Clock $45
Paddywax Travel Candles $6 available in New Mown Hay and Olive Tree
Ceramic Artsy Mugs $14 each
Dainty Jewelry from Town & Reese $12 and up

Hope to see you soon.

The Sky is Falling Down

2010-03-02T18:08:00.002-05:00

That is what we thought after we heard this loud BANG outside our building last Thursday. After verifying that nothing fell down inside the store, I headed home to get my babies from school. Then the text message... "Your sign is falling down, Yikes!". What the @$#(*?? Laura, our gaurdian angel from across the street, sent the message which made me rush back into the store...

Mary, Natalie.. get the ladder!! Seems our wooden sign had seen better days and had rotted right through. Well what do you expect for a $70 sign??
So it now sits against our front window in all its glory. No we are not going out of business.. which seems to be the daily question. Actually it is good timing because I had wanted to change our look in the front of the store. So consider this the "before" and the "after" coming very soon.

Honey, I'm home...

2010-02-27T21:24:00.002-05:00

Oh it is so good to be home.. but what a fabulous time we had on our trip. Just a few quick photos.. here I am at the penny slots but for some reason we didn't read the 75cent minimum so we only got 1 turn!! What's up with that?? The whole time I was looking for my "John Gage".. the character in Indecent Proposal played by Robert Redford. In the movie he offers a million dollars to sleep with the married woman. I joked with my husband that the only guy that got fresh with me was SpongeBob Squarepants.
We stayed at Bally's which was right next to the Paris hotel. Oui Oui.. the next time I will be staying there instead.
Our favorite destination every night was the bar at Bill's.. 99cent Margaritas baby!
Here I am with Jenni.. notice the drinks!! I did say 99 cents right?Okay I did get serious during the day and took some amazing classes. First off I took a sculpture class from Ty & Marcia Shultz. They have a movie prop company in Canada where they have made props for many television series including the XFiles. I loved that show!! Here they have taught us how to make crows out of t-shirts, tape, aluminum foil, wire and the secret ingredient, Paverpol. Paverpol is a dutch product which will make any absorbent material rock hard in a few short days. I can't wait to use this product on other applications... wait and see!
Here is my crow.. sweet baby.

My next class was taught by the lovely Stephanie Rubiano. I do not have my pictures from that project because I am saving it as a gift for my mother. Since she reads this blog (Hi Mommy), I don't want to spoil the surprise. Lets just say my daughter exclaimed OH MY GOD when she saw it and it is by far her favorite of them all.

Finally My last class was with Stephanie Lee, author of Semiprecious Salvage. This was the class that I was most looking forward to and it didn't disappoint. Since it was a technique based class, I don't have any finished pieces to show you.

But I can tell you that I now know how to make beautiful jewelry bezels and boxes. My head is spinning with all the possibilities out there.

This is a close up of my house bezel. I made this nest a long time ago and was thrilled to be able to incorporate it into my house. This will eventually get turned into a necklace.

And my new favorite technique is metal etching. My friend Barbara from Perch had asked me to bring back something that I could teach and this is definitely it.

So that's all Folks!! While I was gone we got in several boxes of new spring merchandise. I'll be posting pictures very soon of those and of our upcoming events.

Sin City

2010-02-20T06:19:00.002-05:00

The day has finally come.. I am off to Sin City for a little Art Retreat known as

Art & Soul. This year I will be taking some interesting classes.. here is a sneak peek at a few of my classes.

Crow sculptures using old t-shirts

Butterfly boxes using old photographs

And Metalsmith techniques using old jewelry parts.

Have a great weekend!

Winter Break

2010-02-17T10:50:00.003-05:00

This week the Coweta County schools are having their Winter Break which means I have to pay lots and lots of payroll!! Ha Ha. I haven't been to the shop in a few days and am missing it terribly. Sally is working her magic with getting in some fabulous new vendors for our upstairs consignment area. Sherry Cook will be bringing in some of her encaustic pieces and folk art pieces, Kelly Farris will be bringing in some vintage linens and aprons, and Betsy Burnette is looking into an area for her wonderful collections. You may remember Betsy from Paper Appointments, a stationary shop across the street from us which closed last year.

So while the store is being taken care of very well, I decided to use my new Valentine's Day gift from my sweet husband and venture down to one of my favorite Antique Malls in Alabama.

Even though I knew where I was going, Tom Tom talked me right to the front door. Angel's Antiques is located South on Hwy 85, exit 62. (just pass the Alabama line). This place is huge, I believe it was a Wal-Mart at one time and has over 350 booths.

I was searching out jewelry pieces to use in my Junk Drawer Metalsmithing class that I'll be taking out in Vegas next week. More on that later. Also worth mentioning is Ressurect Antiques which is right next door to Angel's. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to go in and say hello to Michelle, the owner, and be tempted by her wonderful displays. Man that girl knows how to showcase a product. You can see some of her shop pictures online at her website. And speaking of websites.. I have changed my etsy blog banner and have added some artwork online. Hope you stop by and take a look.

Have a great week!

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T09:15:00.003-05:00

This incredible picture came from The Cloud Appreciation Society.

(yes there is such a thing)

Have a Happy Day!!

The "Doghouse" Coupon

2010-02-11T18:54:00.002-05:00

Okay guys.. just trying to keep you out of the Doghouse this Valentine's day!! Print this coupon off and bring it into The Vintage-Flea to receive 20% off one Flea item. Coupon is only good from Friday, Feb. 12th to Saturday, Feb. 13th and is only good for Flea items. (Does not include consignment items or sale items)

New Flea items in the shop include these gorgeous jewelry pieces which are hand crafted using natural stones, freshwater pearls, sterling silver, silk thread and crystals.

Simply stunning!

Weekly Wrap

2010-02-07T19:31:00.006-05:00

This week was a slow UPS week for The Vintage-Flea. About 2 weeks ago I lost my wallet and have had to put all ordering on hold until the new cards came in the mail. Luckily my wonderful consignors brought in new goodies for you to drool over.. for example now we will give you even more reason to say "It smells so good in here"... yes my friends we are now tempting you with divine chocolates and candy. Legacy II is now offering gourmet truffles, malt balls, taffy, fudge, and hard candy at The Vintage-Flea. What does your Valentine like??

Jennifer Candler is offering a special incentive to all The Vintage-Flea customers. Proceeds from every piece of jewelry bought from her in the month of February will go to Haiti. What a perfect Valentine gift to give.. one that does 2x the good!

We did get a box of new wonderful jewelry that I will be putting out on Monday. Most of it will be just $12!!

And although we had an uneventful week.. our weekend was filled with action. Olivia, my 11 year old, won 3rd place in the 4H District Competition in Rome, Georgia. Her project was "How to Make a Magnificent Wax Painting". Wonder where she got that idea from?

And over the weekend, The Vintage-Flea participated in the "Paint The Town Red" event at Serenbe. Natalie, our fashion guru, helped man the booth on Saturday while I was at the 4H competition and on Sunday I had both my little helpers with me.

For those of you who guessed Belt Buckles in my last post.. you were right. These beauties will be heading to the store tomorrow.

Hope to see you at The Flea soon!

Clue... Bling

2010-02-03T16:48:00.001-05:00

Can you guess what I have been up to???

Coming soon to The Vintage-Flea.

Weekly Wrap

2010-01-30T10:06:00.005-05:00

To get me slowly back into the swing of things in blog land, I'm starting a new series called The Weekly Wrap where I will post pictures of all the new items that we have gotten in over the week. I've been doing something similar on The Vintage-Flea Facebook Fan page but know that not all of you are fans... YET. (hee hee) If there is anything you are interested in, please call us at the shop for more information.

first up are my new Happy Spoons at $6.50 each.
love all the pretty colors they come in

I flipped over these hooks that have the chalkboard paint on them. $14 each

Queen of Hearts is a new addition to our Valentine table.. $26.50 and only 1 left.

an inventive way to make a wreath... vintage chip clip rack in a circle. $55 each

Swan Creek Candles back in stock... Fresh Linen, Cotton Crisp, Olive Verbena, and new Fruit Slices.

Love these.. The Glass Funnels came in with chips on the ends so I got a better deal from the company.. luckily we have a glass grinder in our back fused glass workroom and I was able to fix them up. Normally they would retail $22 in other stores, ours our only $12!! Only 2 left.

desperately looking forward to my Art & Soul Retreat getaway in February.. one of these sachets will be in my suitcase. $4.50 each.

new shells just in.. Bahama Starfish 9"-10" $5.00
Bai Shells .75 cents

Ruffled Clam Shell 9"-10" $12.00

Green Turbo $2.50

Just a quick note.. we will be sending out a special Valentine newsletter over the next week filled with new vendors, new products, and coupons. If you would like to receive our flea bite.. please click here. Have a wonderful weekend!

Taking a Rest

2010-01-12T08:08:00.003-05:00

Taking a break for awhile from Blogging my friends. I just finished up a whirlwind 5 day shopping trip to the Americas Mart in Atlanta.. the most I have ever spent up there. Found hundreds of new items to bring into the store and met several wonderful people along the way.

January is always the hardest month for me with owning a store. I get so used to the constant ding-a-ling sounds of the cash register from September to December and the constant chatter amongst happy shoppers in the Flea. Then January comes and hits you like a brick wall... everything stops. So this is the time we try to re-invent ourselves, move things around, do a thorough cleaning out, and wait. Wait for warmer days, wait for customers to start venturing out for some sightseeing in our little town, and wait for the new merchandise to start coming in.

This will also be a big decision year for me as well since my lease will be up in March of 2011.The Vintage-Flea was started 6 years ago and it certainly has been a dream come true of mine, however lots and lots of mistakes have been made along the way. Although I am proud of The Vintage-Flea and what it has NOW become, is it what I had envisioned from the beginning, NO.
I had once heard the analogy that owning a business is like hosting a party. You prim and preen your store like your home, getting everything perfectly clean, arranged and "set" for the show. Then as the hostess with the mostess, you are suppose to be "ON" all the time by greeting people, conversing in small talk, and making sure they have a good time. The best part of being the hostess, is hearing all the compliments.. oohs and awes over your hard work. I love the instant feedback I get in the shop as well. Sadly it is one thing I miss in this blogging experience. I know that people read my entries because I see a stat counter but nobody makes comments (unless I have a giveaway of some sort). I am getting to a point where blogging is my lease favorite thing to do as I am always saying in the back of my head.. "What's the point, nobody will comment on it". So this is why I need to take a break from blogging and hopefully I will be able to start enjoying it once again in the future.

You can still follow me on Facebook in the meantime or the website, as I plan on making some changes there as well. Hope to see you soon at The Vintage-Flea.

2010-01-02T22:41:00.003-05:00

Get up and Shake the Glitter off your clothes now.... -Katy Perry

Love that line from her "Waking Up In Vegas" song!! So I'll be shaking the glitter off my clothes this week as I head off to the Atlanta Merchandise Mart for another buying trip. I am on the hunt for a body care line, vintage inspired decorations for Christmas and Halloween, books, unique jewelry, dishes, towels, botanicals, and more garden. Do you have any suggestions?? Send me an email or post them here. I would love to hear what you would like to see at The Vintage-Flea.

Happy New Year

2009-12-30T18:08:00.003-05:00

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year.. this picture was found in Country living Magazine, circa 2002. The picture was taken outside the home of one of my favorite bloggers.. Sis Boom Day Dreams. I am really excited about 2010 and the direction I am going to go in. The Vintage-Flea will be more romantic and dreamy, frilly and fabulous, pastels and glitter. (oh Mary, our Tuesday&Thursday Shopgirl is rolling her eyes right now) Hope you will stay with us along for the ride.

Feeling Crafty Lately....

2009-12-30T09:37:00.003-05:00

The next time you go to log onto Etsy, go to the search tab and type in "Tutorial". You will be amazed at the several hundred results that will turn up. This is where I found this adorable t-shirt craft project from Eliza Axel.

The kit came in the mail and I was feeling crafty....

Basically the idea is simple. You will need 2 t-shirts to make 1 complete. one will rest as the base, while the other is cut up into fat hearts, or circles for the flowers. Two ways to go about making the flowers, you can take your needle and thread and baste stitch through the heart, gathering them at the bottom like a flower garland. Or you can make tiny circles and hand stitch them onto the shirt as seen at Hope Studios tutorial for making rosettes.

Once your garland is made, you can hand place them onto the shirt and then stitch them into place.

And Viola!! A fabulous & frilly t-shirt.

This was definitely a fun project. I've already found pink tutu's on ebay for my mannequins for a valentine display. I think they will be wearing fun tops like this as well!!

Thank you Santa

2009-12-28T11:01:00.007-05:00

I wanted to show you some before and after pictures of our recent bedroom makeover which finished up on Christmas Eve Day!! Thank you Santa!! As some of my blog readers know, I have 2 large dogs... one has lots of hair while the other is a puppy. We had shag carpeting in the master bedroom so the puppy never quite figured out that shag carpet was not a good substitute for fresh green OUTDOOR grass.

Here they are with Sophie, our French guest this past summer, and my carpet cleaning machine. (which only put a band-aid on the problem). So you can imagine after 1 year of several stains and horrible smells....

We decided to re-do the floors, which led to repainting the walls, which led to recovering some old chairs, and so forth and so forth. Here is the finished product....

It smells so wonderful finally. And to help me keep up with cleaning the floors, Santa brought me a Roomba for Christmas. This sweet little girl zips around the floors and picks up all the debris and most importantly, dog hair. Love her!!

And finally a sneak peek at some new items that have come into the shop over the past week. Our Christmas has been moved over to one area and is now 60% off. Thus giving us room for our new bird sculptures, tramp art frames, bird cake plates, new pillows, lavender sachets and more....

The new shell shipments have come in and will start to trickle there way out to the sales floor very soon.

New apothecary linen sprays in a gorgeous cobalt blue glass are from our new Etsy artist The Paris Market.

New shipments from our fantastic botanical soaps company have arrived.

Adore this pillow which I put out on December 23rd.. sold both of them the next day. I hope to get more in soon.

Love these bird clips.

And finally these green apple candles which look good enough to eat. Hope to see you soon at The Flea.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T16:55:00.004-05:00

We are not through with Christmas offerings just yet... come by Saturday, December 26th and receive extra savings at The Vintage-Flea & Brocante. The Vintage-Flea will be having all their Christmas on sale for 60% off (final markdown) and storewide for 15% off. This includes brand new Spring merchandise as well. Yes I was up late last night putting out 10 new product lines!!

Not only will the Flea be having a sale but my consignors have also jumped on board. Rustic Attitude, you know that fabulous spoon jewelry, is having 20% off everything. Jenni Horne is having 30% off everything.. including her original art. Legacy 2, oh those pear candles, is having 40% off her entire booth. The rest are having sales from 10%-50% off their Christmas decor.

We will be open from 10am-3pm on Saturday. We are going to be closed on Monday for a little R&R and shopkeeping and then back open again on Tuesday. Thank you to everyone for a wonderful Holiday "Shopping Locally" Season. We look forward to another great year with all of you.... Merry Christmas from the Flea!

50% off SALE

2009-12-20T12:46:00.003-05:00

Look who came shopping at The Vintage-Flea. I caught this red cheeked man looking at the jewelry for Mrs. Claus when I pulled up to the shop. I finally got the nerve to ask for a photograph when he was leaving the store. He said he was on his way to the Festival of Lights Parade that was held last night downtown. Hope he had a good time!!

All of our Christmas decorations are now 50% off at The Vintage-Flea. Yipee!!! This includes Flea Tea Towels, Christmas Ornaments, Stockings, Santas, select Christmas Candles, and Christmas Stationary. Supplies are limited.

New Shipments

2009-12-18T12:08:00.003-05:00

Over the next few days, I will be posting pictures of some new merchandise that has come into the store. For starters, these wonderful fingerless gloves by California Artist, Doriandra of CrowsCloth. Her incredibly warm gloves are made from super soft micro fleece and are machine washable.

We have Chocolate Brown, Lichen Green, Purple Plum, Espresso Black, and Brick Red in stock for $18 per pair.

Our 12 days of Christmas sale is still going strong. Remember 30% that day only.. today we have Archipelago Diffusers followed by Tea Towels, Soaps, Pillows, Hot Cakes Jewelry, Stockings, and finally Candles. Not only do we have the 12 days of Christmas sale going on but several booths have sales as well. Legacy II has 20% off her entire booth, Beverly and Marian have their Christmas 20% off, Georgia Ann has her Christmas 20% off, and Grit & Grace has her shirts 30% off. On Wednesday, December 23rd we will be marking ALL Christmas down 50%.

Hope to see you soon!!

Pantone Unveils Color of The Year for 2010

2009-12-12T10:11:00.002-05:00

If you see an extra skip in my step, or gleam in my eye, it's because Pantone unveiled its color forcast for 2010 and the color of the year is..... Turquoise. My favorite color!! Yippee.

What an exciting year this will be in home decor and fashion.

How many more days until 2010??????

Mainstreet's Cookie Exchange

2009-12-11T07:14:00.004-05:00

Tonight, Friday. December 11th from 6pm-8pm

Come on by The Vintage-Flea, enjoy a little Christmas shopping and take home one of our cookies w/recipe. Toodles!!

12 Days of Christmas

2009-12-09T07:08:00.009-05:00

The Vintage-Flea, The Other Side of The Moon, and Two Turtle Doves would like to give you

a gift this holiday season! The 12 days of Christmas!!

From December 13th thru December 24th, we will each have one item in our store on sale for 30% off!! You may come in or call us on that day to secure your items.... but when the clock strikes 5pm (closing time) the item will no longer be on sale. Enjoy incredible savings on Candy, Pillows, Candles, Jeans, Shirts, Ornaments, Rugs, and more!! Merry Christmas from the shops on Greenville Street.

Click HERE to preview what will be on sale and when.

Atlanta Show in Cabbagetown

2009-12-05T09:50:00.009-05:00

So my best gal pal Jenni and I went up to Atlanta yesterday for two reasons. The shopping (of course) and to get me set up for my very first Atlanta Art Show at the Stacks Lofts in Cabbagetown.

These lofts are amazing. They were retro fitted into the very first textile mill in the South, built in 1881. Cabbagetown was built as the surrounding mill town. The mills' primary product was cotton bags for packaging agricultural products. The mill closed down in 1977. However, in 1996, the mill got renovated and is now the world's largest residential loft community.
The front of our loft where our show is held

In 2008 a tornado came through and destroyed parts of the lofts as seen here in this standing shell. The pool is now built on the other side of this structure.

Here is an adorable garden outside one of the loft buildings.

Here is a birdseye view of our loft which we are using to showcase the 11 wonderfully talented upcoming Encaustic Artists.

Here are my 6 paintings that I brought to the show. I have to be honest that I have been very lazy lately with the paint brush. I had wanted to bring new works but never got around to it. Hopefully after the New Year I can get back into the art studio.

The following pictures are my fellow artists. We call our group The Southeastern Encaustic Artists. All the members, except me, live in Atlanta so it makes it a little difficult to make it to the monthly meetings. I look forward to learning more from them though in the future. In our group we have Allison Miller, Adriana Blackard, Penny Treese, Dru Molen, Glenda Chamberlain, Edie Morton, Barbara Brenner, Rae Broyles, Judie Jacobs and Melody Trivisone.

So here is a little trivia for you.. why did they name the town Cabbagetown?? There are 3 possible explanations floating around. One is that back in 1881, the residents were mostly of Scots-Irish descent and they grew cabbages in their front yards. One could distinctly smell the odor of cooking cabbage in the neighborhood and soon the nickname Cabbagetown was born by the people outside the neighborhood. The 2nd explanation is that a train carrying a load of cabbages derailed by the mill and the residents quickly grabbed up all the cabbages and used them in every meal. The 3rd is that a local cab company gave nicknames to various neighborhoods that is served. The mill town was called Cabbagetown because of the constant smell of cooking cabbage. Either way it is a wonderful little town filled with artists, musicians, businesses, restaurants, shopping and lots of local flair.

Our show continues today from 2pm-8pm. Wish me luck!

Buy 2 get 1 Free Sale*

2009-11-28T09:27:00.007-05:00

Is your tree up yet?? I'm a little late on getting mine up, usually I try for Thanksgiving Day but with our recent Turkey Twilight Event at the shop.. I've been slacking. Thank you again for all that came on by. It was a huge success!

Flipping around Flickr the other day I was mesmerized by the paper art of Carlos N. Molina. Here on his website, he as graciously given you the directions and templates on how to make his paper sphere ornaments

and Leaf ornaments. I see a window display in my future!! Anyone want to help me make a hundred of these??? Well if your not in the mood to make your ornaments this year...

Come on by The Vintage-Flea for our annual Ornament & Stocking Sale, the first week of December. Buy 2 get 1 Free on ornaments, stockings, or combination of both. Sale starts December 1st and will go until December 5th. *Does not include consigment items. (The Free item will be of equal or lower price.)

See you at The Flea!

A European Christmas....

2009-11-14T19:00:00.002-05:00

Joyeux Noël and God Jul!! This year at The Vintage-Flea we wanted to have a European Christmas theme with timeless French and Scandinavian accessories.

European Christmas Mosaic Titled Winter White So to help our vision, we found Etsy Artist Petit Coterie

and her amazing French Burlap & Muslin Pillows.

"Fais de Beaux Reves" means sweet dreams in French.

Many design choices are available but not very many pillows... hope to see you soon!

2 Weeks to Go....

2009-11-12T20:07:00.004-05:00

Whether you want to be the Hostess with the Mostess or just find that PERFECT gift to give the hardworking Hostess on Turkey Day.... The Flea is the place to be!

We have Fall candles from Aunt Sadie....

Porcelain Pie Plates (a frozen pie never looked so good)...
a set of Vintage Butterscotch Ironstone Plates...

and Vintage Turkey Platters...

Everything in our Fall area now 30% off!!! Hope to see you soon.

Paper Joy

2009-11-11T20:23:00.005-05:00

A holiday decorating idea to pass along to you... paper wreaths. We have been getting so many compliments lately on our wreath by the front door and skirt on the mannequin!! I wanted to share with you...

and you can do it too with books for only $1.00 at The Flea.

Many pages were torn out of our lawyers books.. (I know some of you don't like to ruin a good book but these are LAW books we're talking about) They were then rolled up and the ends were stapled to a piece of thick cardstock in a circle pattern. Layering as you go. These were are inspirations...

This last one is from an Etsy artist called SimpleJoysPaperie. Her wreaths are truley amazing and start at $50.

Want to make ornaments instead of wreaths?? Here is a great tutorial that my pal Jenni found from ColorFlyStudio. Happy Crafting!!

Did You Miss It???

2009-11-10T17:11:00.008-05:00

Well if you didn't come by this past Sunday, here are a few pictures of what you missed. Unfortunately I only have pictures of the store because I was too busy behind the counter to take photos of the event. But that is a good problem to have, right?? So take a break and enjoy the beautiful new things to see at The Flea...

Snow Angel ornaments.. flocked and glittered, $8.00 each.

Archipelago Scented Diffusers, $24.00 each.

Pom Pom Mice from Jennifer Murphy, $6.00 each

Vintage Couch, $450.. French Pillows $39-$55

Newspaper Ball Ornaments, $4.00 each

Beautifully embroidered State Towels, $24.00... Map Paperweights $12.00

Silhouette Christmas Necklace in Glass, $10.00 each.

Our Fall vignette....

Our Gorgeous Brass Bells (yeah you've seen them in Potterybarn) $6-$8

Battery Powered Candles starting at $6.00

Our Religious vignette...
Snow covered Pine Trees.. only 4 left.

Embroidered Christmas Tea Towels.. $12.00 each
Turkey Place Card Holders, $6.00 each
Our Christmas vignette....
Glittered Nest Ornaments, $12.00 each
Our Candy vignette...
Festive Cones for candy filling, $4.00 each
my FAVORITE of the season, HeadAid Relief vapor sachets.. $3.00 each
Our Stationary vignette...
Velvet Ribbon 12ft long, $8.00 each
Our Christmas Ornament Board, $3 and up
Fabulous Stripped Candle Tapers, $22.00 pair

What a wonderful time we had so thank you to all that came out to our Holiday Open House event. Our next soiree will be out First Annual Turkey Twilight Event. The Vintage-Flea will open up on Thursday, November 26th (Turkey Day) from 5pm-8pm!! Bring your out of town guests and enjoy the night with the Flea Girls.

2 Years in a Row.....

2009-10-31T12:59:00.002-04:00

Thank you everyone for voting The Vintage-Flea as BEST GIFTS in the Lifestyles Magazine's 2009 BEST OF SOUTHERN ARC contest. The Lifestyles Magazine covers 6 counties in the Southern Arc and winners were selected by voters choice. Last year we tied for 1st place with The Phancy Pheasant. This year we tied for 1st place with One Magnolia Lane located in Peachtree City. So thank you again!!

BOO!

2009-10-30T07:59:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween weekend!! Looks like another rainy weekend for us here in Atlanta but that won't stop our trick or treat fun. First off we will have our Trick or Treat on the Square from 10am-12noon today on mainstreet. Nancy will be dressed as Charlie Chaplin and I will be dressed as a vintage Candy Striper. Do you have a costume yet for this fun weekend ahead?? I wish I had found this artist sooner!! Thanks Alyn Carlson, now I know what I should be doing with all my junk mail.
Check out her website, shop, and more of her hats!

That Yummy Smell.....

2009-10-26T17:06:00.005-04:00

What's that yummy smell?? We hear that quite a bit at The Vintage-Flea. We burn a candle everyday.. switching them up here and there so that our customers can experience a new scent. But this weekend we didn't have a candle burning, instead we had yummy apple cider brewing...

...and brewing, and brewing. Well I guess ya'll liked it according to the sales of it.

I don't blame you, the mulling spices are the best from the Aspen Mulling Company. Just add a box of mulling spices to 1 gallon of apple juice for a delicious treat. Available at the Flea are the Original Aspen Mulling Spices, Caramel Apple Spice Blend, and Chai Spice Blend for $4.00 each. The chocolate fudge mix is also available for only $6.00!! What a perfect gift for the holidays.

New shipment alert... we just got in 12 boxes of Spiced Pumpkin Mix and 12 boxes of Cranberry Orange Mix. These mixes are great for baking muffins and breads for the holidays.

Save the Date

2009-10-26T08:05:00.002-04:00

2 weeks to go and a list a mile long to complete. Please save the date for our Mainstreet Open House event where all merchants will be open on Sunday, November 8th.

New Paintings to Share

2009-10-20T08:27:00.004-04:00

Even with the kids out on a 4 day weekend, I had time to do some paintings this past Sunday. I wanted to share the new lovelies that will be making their way to some wonderful organizations. Yep.. it is that time again. Donation time. As a store owner we get asked all year long for door prizes, gift certificates, teacher appreciation gifts, product for gift baskets, etc. If I gave to every single one I would be long gone and out of business by now. Once in awhile I get asked to donate a piece of art for a good cause and I am always happy to participate.

This one I am calling Afternoon Tea. It will be going to the Heritage Art Auction to help raise money for the Heritage School. Normally I only do things for the school that my kids go. But I was intrigued by this one because if your painting sells...you get 1/2. I like that and I can broaden my clientele base for my paintings and for the shop.

close up on tea cups.

This one is framed.

Here is another painting that I did called The Littlest Bird. This one is going to be in an Art Silent Auction at the Brooks Elementary School Fall Festival this Friday evening.

I was channeling my Artist friend Jenni Horne into this painting. She does several pieces with whimsical sayings. Here the verse is taken from a song lyric from Be Good Tanyas.. The littlest bird sings the prettiest song.

If you would like to bid on this painting, please contact me at flea@numail.org and I will pass your bid on to the art show organizer, Alison Kelleher.

And finally, this one will be hard for me to let go. I am just in love with him... I titled this painting Best Friend. He will be going to the Newnan-Coweta Humane Society for their First Annual Furr Ball on November 7th. It will be a Dinner/Dance and will be held at Something Special on Greenville Street. If you would like more information about this event, please call 770-356-1626.

Here he is close up.

Enjoy!!

The Art of a Lampshade

2009-10-18T00:00:00.009-04:00

Last January, after scouring the Americas Mart in Atlanta, I noticed all the gorgeous lamps and lampshades in the high design showrooms like Aiden Gray. I also noticed the incredible price tags that went along with them... wholesale at $100 and up!! The lamps were so/so. The shades, however, were the crown jewels. Have you ever been to Anthropologie and stopped to look at their shades? You will be forking out anywhere from $80 to $180 for a shade there... A LAMPSHADE!! I knew it was time to do a little research and learn how to make them for myself.

Above are two beautiful lampshades currently offered on the Anthropologie website.

Fast forward several months... I found this interesting blog called The Lampshade Lady and I became hooked. I loved reading every post and especially seeing her beautiful shades. She does teach workshops but the problem was she offered them in her studio in Vermont. Then she wrote a book!! So I had to wait until August before the book arrived on my doorstop.

Above is a sample from The Lampshade Lady's book

I was happy to learn that the drum shade was the easiest of all lampshades to make. So I ordered my supplies and waited a little more.....

So what do you think?? I finally made my first drum shade today. To be truthful it isn't as easy as the lampshade lady wants you to believe and now I see why you pay $$ for them at the stores. It does take a lot of time to put it together. BUT that being said, I don't think I did too bad for my first shade. Just need a little more practice.

The next time you are in the shop look around a bit. You just might find one of my custom lampshades sitting upon a vintage lamp. Which of course will make the lamps irresistible. Happy Shopping!

Halloween on Sale

2009-10-14T19:59:00.004-04:00

We are finally doing it.. all Flea Halloween is now on sale. 30% Off!! This will be the only markdown so get your Halloween treats while supplies last.

Got to make room for our Christmas inventory which will be coming out in 2 weeks. Want to know our theme this year?? Here's a hint.... God Jul!

2nd weekend... must be Scott's weekend

2009-10-10T08:43:00.007-04:00

Do you remember the Lakewood Flea Market? Oh how we all miss Lakewood. On the 2nd weekend of every month, I always made a trip to Lakewood to scour over the fabulousness of it all. Now that is where you could find the deals. During the era of Lakewood, there was always the Scott's Antique Market held during the same time (2nd weekend). Now if you were looking for true antiques... this was the place to go. Bring the bank loan with you- expensive! Well my friends, it is still expensive BUT you can find some great deals if you know where to look.

First of all there are two major buildings of the Scott's Antique Market, the South Building and the North Building. Each compound is separated by the I-85 interstate. On the South side, many of the old Lakewood dealers have set up camp on the outside of the building in the old parking lot. This is where you will find the most of your bargains. In fact, they usually set up on Wednesdays so that inside antique dealers have first pick. (Then they go home, clean up the pieces, and sell it the next month for 3-4x the $ they paid for it)

I purposely didn't bring my checkbook, only $200 in cash. I had a mission- I wanted to find vintage blingy pins to make more belt buckles and lampshades.

Julie from Two Turtle Doves, the store next to mine, went with me this weekend. She was determined not to spend any money until I did. Here she is talking to Dave about the Vintage Chicken Coop.

Well she had nothing to worry about because I fell in love with this bird sculpture from his booth.

Just what I needed, sticks. No really these are large Hickory sticks that were selling for $2.00 each. I bought 3 of them to make the Christmas tree this year at The Vintage-Flea. Intrigued?? You'll have to wait and see.....

Inside the buildings are hundreds and hundreds of booth spaces all set up with their goodies.

I loved this idea of lavender sachets made from gorgeous fabric remnants.

And of course, what day of shopping wouldn't be complete without some yummy food.
Here is the back of my car with all of our deals from the day. About 1/2 goes to Julie-- I think she won the who spent more contest.
Have a great weekend!

Random.org said......

2009-10-02T08:15:00.004-04:00

Congrats no. 11!! Alyson you are our winner in our Sweet Halloween Necklace giveaway!! Alyson wrote about her favorite trick-or-treat costume:

My favorite memory was the last year I went trick or treating with my best friend. We made our own costumes and dressed up as aliens. We had football helmets covered in tin foil, antenna made of wire and painted Styrofoam balls, and green leotards. The best part of the costume was the green, gooey oatmeal facial. By the end of the night it was dripping off our faces.

That is one costume I will not be trying. Thank you Alyson, please contact us so we can get you your new necklace.

Blingy Belt Buckles

2009-09-27T17:36:00.000-04:00

Another fabulous batch will be making their way to The Flea very soon!!

Our Halloween Giveaway

2009-09-24T17:15:00.003-04:00

Well it is no secret how much I love Halloween. The colors, sounds, smells.. the fantasy of being someone else for the evening. It's magical to me. Now my children prefer store bought costumes, but there once was a time where I handmade the outfits. We did everything from witch, mermaid, ladybug, pumpkin, woodland fairy, and robot. Seems my mom enjoyed making costumes too. Here is a picture of me on the far right as Ragedy Ann. I was wearing a mop on my head!! (that is my younger brother on the left with his matching frock)

I would love to hear about your favorite handmade costume. Whether you made if for someone or had to wear it yourself as a tyke.. .tell me about it. Leave me a comment. Then I will choose
someone at random to receive one of these fabulous BOOtiful

necklaces which have sweet halloween silhouettes encased in glass. Our drawing will be on October 1st so get your comments to soon.

Dealer Spotlight.. Grit and Grace

2009-09-20T10:28:00.004-04:00

Do you ever watch the Rachel Zoe project on Bravo TV? I am "Bananas" over this show! I am also "Bananas" over our next dealer.. Natalie Hayes, owner of Grit and Grace. She is our very own Rachel Zoe with her quirky inspirational t-shirts and Bohemian clothing collections that she represents upstairs at The Vintage-Flea. Natalie is so adorable when she comes in the shop wearing her adorable outfits, fabulous jewelry, and her vintage cowboy boots. This is what we learned about Grit and Grace....

Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo TV, Monday at 10pm

Flea..Hi Natalie.. thank you for participating. You are definitely a Southern Girl with tons of Southern Charm. What part of the South are you originally from?

Natalie..I am Originally from Atlanta.Ga.,a true Southern belle! My brother and I would go the movies on the weekends at the Fox theatre,and play at Piedmont Park.I attended College at The High Museum of Art in Atlanta,and received my BA.I met my husband, Peter,And that is how I landed in Newnan.We have three children, J.P.,23,Ben and Bailey, twins,that are 20! The last 23 years have been busy,fun filled years raising our children,and dogs!
Flea..You once had an antique booth over at Mrs. Wendy's Antiques.. how did you get started in antiques?

Natalie..I got started in Antiques after my Mom's Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe passed away.They were avid antique dealers from the Baltimore,Maryland area.They had a barn full of treasures "their so called rejects or unwanted projects", that they gifted to me. Why me? I use to play in their barn as a young girl and pretend I had a store with one of their old cash registers. I guess you could say they made my " play, pretend days" become true!
Flea.. But now you are selling the coolest clothes upstairs at The Flea.. Why the huge 360?
Natalie.. 360! it is! I was looking to mix it up a bit, and never dreamed the mix would be cool,hip t-shirts. They just grabbed attention with their amazing designs, colors,and inspiring messages.The t-shirts are a way to connect with customers offering everyone a chance to share short stories of there lives,journeys, and motherhood.

Flea.. How would you describe your personal style?
Natalie.. My personal style would probably be a"relaxed,hip mom" style! I say just be your own style,and have fun,and do not be fearful of change.Be creative with something old, and something new from "Grit and Grace" at The Vintage Flea!
Flea.. I am sure you keep up with the trends, what do you predict will be hot for Fall 2009?

Natalie.. The Trend For Fall 2009....Well,I do not claim to be a Fashion Diva in the fashion world! But,An oversized Boyfriend t-shirt, colorful scarf, short jacket, skinny jeans,and a pair of short boots! Great colors for fall are anything in purples and grays,and do not forget a big funky ring with some festive earrings.

Flea.. Thank you Natalie so much for playing along with us!
Natalie.. And many thanks to,Valerie and The Vintage Flea girls for All your smiling faces,great hospitality and over the help and hard work! I am so grateful to be a part of this great store.

Artful Night

2009-09-20T10:07:00.006-04:00

Just a few pictures of the fun we had on Friday night at Art Walk in downtown Newnan. The weather man forcasted rain but luckily it broke around 3pm and it remained clear and sunny the rest of the evening. Here I am with one of the artists, Jenni Horne.

I was amazed by the amount of people who came through my little shop. I think this year had the best turnout to date. Here this customer is trying to decide which artistic jewelry to buy from Dayna Miles.
Here we have a customer admiring Jenni's work.

Mary did not leave the register all night!!

One of our tablescapes outside.. like I said it ended up being a beautiful night so we put out two tables for the crowd.

This way they could enjoy the wonderful music provide by Tyler and River, two boys from Northgate High School. Their mother told me this was their second "gig".

I think everyone had fun. Our next big event will be Oktoberfest for the beer tasting boutique. This will be October 23rd from 5pm-9pm.

Art Walk Countdown.. 2 more days

2009-09-16T22:17:00.002-04:00

A few more artists have stopped by The Flea to set up their beautiful creations. Sherry Cook brought in her whimsical folk art goodies...

and her amazing encaustic pieces.
Jan Fruit is a newbie to the art scene but she has certainly blasted out of the gate!! She recently learned out to make these colorful hooked rug creations..

portraits are her specialty! Here we have her doggie and her adorable husband.

More pictures to come! Hope you will all mosey on down to The Flea and support the local artists of Coweta County. Art Walk is this Friday, September 18th from 5pm-8pm.

ART WALK.. countdown

2009-09-15T17:31:00.003-04:00

Yes it is that time again.. my how time flies between the Downtown Spring and Fall Art Walks. But the countdown has begun at The Vintage-Flea. I am finishing up putting out Fall and Halloween decor as we speak and setting up the Artist areas. This year we have a variety of talent that will be showcased. Hook Rug portraits from Jan Fruit, Folk Art creations from Sherry Cook, Paintings from Charlotte Scarce, Acoustic Guitar serenades from Tyler, Encaustic Wax art from myself (Valerie Dumas), and Mixed Media Paintings from Jenni Horne.

Art Walk will be this Friday, September 18th from 5pm-8pm. Adult beverages will be served along with snacks. Hope to see you there.
Artwork by Jenni Horne
Artwork by Valerie Dumas

Dealer Spotlight- Georgia Ann

2009-09-06T20:14:00.003-04:00

Now that the Labor Day Sale is over.. it is full speed ahead at The Vintage-Flea. Fall and Halloween merchandise will be going out on the floor beginning this week. With that means a store redo with interesting vignettes reflecting the our carefully thought out themes. And while we are going to be upside down for a bit downstairs, I have to give props to my wonderful vendors upstairs (and a few downstairs too). Most come in every week to say hello to us and to bring in new goodies into their booths. We appreciate them and with that I am starting a new Dealer Spotlight Series... for you to appreciate them too. First up on my list is the very effervescent Ann Pelrose or Georgia Ann. She literally lights up my day with her huge smile!

Flea: Tell me a bit about yourself, are you from Newnan originally?

Georgia Ann: I grew up in south Alabama, where country living is very simple. We walked barefoot, swam in creeks, and every Sunday we went to my Mama Rosa's where she always cooked fried chicken and made banana pudding. I have been married for 21 years and have two sons, ages 15 and 19, that I absolutely adore.

Flea: You have 2 sons and have a cleaning business.. how do you have time to find things for your booth?

Georgia Ann: Yard Sales. Yard Sales. Yard Sales. My absolute favorite thing to do. Saturday mornings are my time. "Early bird gets the worm."
Flea: So we all have dumpster dived at one time or another to find a fabulous piece.. do you have any funny stories to share?
Georgia Ann: About 5 years ago, I was taking my oldest son to school at Newnan high when I spotted this neat, primitive little table on the side of the road. I had my son jump out and load it up. My husband thought it was the ugliest table he had ever seen. Well guess what? It was the first piece I sold when I first opened my booth!
Flea: You have lots of primitives in your booth and yet some amazing vintage finds as well. (I'm so in love in your vintage mustard card catalog) How do you describe your design style?
Georgia Ann: I have a country soul and my roots trace back to the deep south. Mixing old with new is the trendy thing to do and it really shows my style.

Flea: Lastly.. What collections do you have at home that you treasure most?

Georgia Ann: For my 10th wedding anniversary, my husband brought home an old primitive corn bin (I was so excited!!) from Blue Ridge, Ga. It had a hole in the front where rats had chewed it up trying to get to the corn mill. It has so much character!

Thank you Ann for playing with us!!

Annual Labor Day Side Walk Sale

2009-09-02T20:50:00.006-04:00

Just a reminder that this weekend will be Mainstreet's Annual Side Walk Sale!! This is the day that The Vintage-Flea will pull out all the old displays, merchandise, furniture, etc from the back storage room and put it all out front at BARGAIN prices. Our gorgeous 8' Harvest table was $650.. now only $400, Chenille Loveseat was $250.. now $175, and much much more.
Sale starts Friday, September 5th at 9am. See you on the Square!

Ann's Butcher Block was $1200.. now only $950

8' Harvest Table priced to SELL!

Amy Butler Hunting

2009-08-24T17:21:00.004-04:00

Yipee!! Our friend Michelle Wiseman has finally opened up her own dream shop called Fabritique.. a Fabric Boutique. She and her 2 business partners have been planning this for a long time and when I found out they carried Amy Butler fabric, I was off to check things out!

Their boutique is located at 3339 Hwy 34 E. in Sharpsburg. Look at their pretty business cards!! Michelle is also a Design Consultant who frequents The Vintage-Flea many times looking for that special something for her clients.
The gang is all here... Michelle, Jenni, Terri and Kelley.

It's like going to a candy shop.. look at all the pretty trims, ribbons, threads, and fabrics.

And finally... La piece de resistance.. Amy Butler Fabrics!! The fabulous fabric collections are still growing but stop on by Fabritique the next time you are in need for some fabulousness!

Good Luck Girls!!

How to Feed 50 Children... at the Flea

2009-08-17T16:25:00.002-04:00

Want to make a difference? We all do. I found this unique company in January called Two Loops. They sell beautiful handbags and tote bags... but this time around they were introducing the World Market Tote Feed 50 Program.

Proceeds for every 1 World Market Tote purchased go to feed 50 children in India and Africa! The bonus is how pretty they are for only $14 each!!
While in Franklin last week, I went into a store called Philanthropy: where fashion meets compassion. These tote bags definitely fit that description. Get one today and make a difference in the world.

May the Force be with you... Helping a Friend

2009-08-16T09:40:00.015-04:00

Went to Franklin, TN this past week to help out some of Jenni's friends open up a new store called Wedding 101. Actually the concept is pretty ingenious.. a virtual wedding directory/retail boutique. Space can be rented out in 3 tier levels from photographers, planners, designers, event locations, rental companies, caterers, etc. When done, their space looks like a 3d magazine advertisement for the potential bride to see, touch, smell, etc. Pretty cool!

from the dashboard of Jenni's car....

Our first order of business from the boss woman was to rearrange their retail area. It was definitely in need of some Vintage-Flea TLC. You can see on the right side a project runway style dress that Jenni and I made for the vintage mannequin. The close up picture is the gorgeous trim made from coffee filters and left over tulle.
The next day we continued with the clean up and set up. That evening was the cocktail party to welcome all the new vendors and for the opening of wedding 101. We walked in through a gorgeous hand made awning with their logo attached and found our name tags.

Here is a sampling of our party.. wedding displays from cake chiefs, photographer displays, bridal gowns from a designer... then the delicious food from the caterers.

A toast to each other. Amy & Ashley, I wish you tons and tons of success!!

May the force be with you. -Yoda

Cocktails and Cowboy Boots

2009-08-11T22:00:00.004-04:00

I'll be away for a couple of days... Jenni and I are going to Tennessee. Do you remember our last trip to Franklin? We are headed back to help Jenni's friends, Amy & Ashley, get ready for the grand opening of Wedding 101. (A really cool concept to help with the wedding planning process.) I can't wait to see it all come together for them. They both came up here in January for the Atlanta Market.. still in the planning/dreaming phase of their business. Of course they will have their grand opening in style with a cocktail party to celebrate and Jenni said she will be wearing her cowboy boots!! Should be lots of fun. Have a great weekend! image from French Blue & Co.

Inspired

2009-08-11T07:40:00.004-04:00

So I have been wanting to change my office at The Vintage-Flea for some time now. When we first moved into the building, Jenni did a gorgeous wall mural on the back wall of the office as a surprise to me. Imagine a chocolate brown wall with vibrant green foliage and ginormous hot pink flowers. Very pretty.. but it has been 5 years now and I need a change. Cruising the blog world I found these great inspiration pieces from Desire To Inspire. Embroidery hoops have been turned into great design accents with the use of gorgeous fabrics. How easy (and cheap) is that!!!

This one is my favorite- used as a bulletin board or inspiration board.

Think of all the possibilities.. clothing from your child that you just can't get rid of, lacey doilies can be turned into jewelry displays, any of Amy Butler's fabrics (need I say more). Here is a tutorial from The Purl Bee on how to make the fabric hoops. Enjoy!

Have a Weekend Full of Smiles

2009-08-08T09:29:00.002-04:00

new kitchen timers at the Flea..... Have a great weekend.

Library Geek?

2009-08-05T09:03:00.002-04:00

Am I a library geek? Definitely not.. I don't even have a library card. I am a geek with new gadgets though so I had to try out this fantastic little Card Catalog Generator. My thanks to Beach Bungalow 8 for posting it on her blog.. which BTW is one of my new favs in the blogsphere.

This turned out cute, don't you think? What card catalog would you write?

Another Hollywood Visit

2009-08-04T21:05:00.005-04:00

Okay I admit it.. I do get jealous when I open up the pages of Southern Living Magazine or Country Living Magazine to find wonderful glossy spreads on fabulous shopping areas in Atlanta. Yes Star Provisions is amazing and Virginia Highlands is on my "favorites" list but never do these publications go beyond the perimeter of Atlanta to seek out places like Newnan. There are so many wonderful little mainstreets outside the big city!! I can not say that about Hollywood though. You see our little town has been blessed as a filming location for many movies, television series, and commercials. Currently Newnan is being used in the lifetime series Drop Dead Diva.

You remember my posting here about the Zombieland Movie that was filmed outside my store.
Here is a partial list of other movies and tv shows that have been filmed in Newnan.

Movies on the "Big Screen"
Angel From Montgomery
Driving Miss Daisy
The Fighting Temptations
Fluke
Fried Green Tomatoes
Gordy
Moonrunners
Our Winning Season
Pet Sematary II
Raney
The Sheriff and The Satellite Kid
Sweet Home Alabama
The Unseen
The War

Television Movies and Shows
Andersonville
Caroline Skeletons
A Christmas Memory
Decoration Day
Desperate for Love
Flash
Grass Roots
Guyana Tragedy
I'll Fly Away
Mama Flora's Family
Manhunt in the Dakotas
Motor Home Massacre
Noah Deaborn
October Road
Passing Glory
Severed
Silent Victim
Stolen Babies
White Lie
Wife, Mother, Murderer
Zoobilee Zoo

So I guess Newnan won't be in the pages of a magazine just yet.. but you can see us as a backdrop on many of your favorite shows. I suppose the Atlanta shop owners can be jealous about that......

New Goodies

2009-08-04T13:46:00.004-04:00

"Sometimes just a little change in your routine can transform something you dread into something you love." This is a line taken from the Sweet Grass Farm website concerning their line of Farmhouse Homecare Collection. So true indeed. I fell in love with this company on my last trip to Savannah where I saw the line at one of my favorite shops, Paris Market & Brocante. I purchased it and have been using it ever since. It definitely brings me back to when I lived in France during the first 2 years of my marriage. I loved doing the laundry because my clothes smelled so darn good afterwards. I have never been able to re-create that smell until now.

This is definitely my favorite of all the Farmhouse collection, reminding me of when I did laundry in France. There are 3 sachets in each bundle. Can be used to freshen drawers, gym bags, any stinky place...

The Shea Butter Lotion is suitable for hands and body. It contains both shea butter and olive oil.
The liquid soap is a glorious, rich and creamy lathering soap with natural glycerin and vitamins. It is a great hand cleanser, but it can also act as a shower gel too.

This old fashioned laundry powder formula is wonderfully fragranced, biodegradable and very effective. You only need 1/8 cup per wash load. This is a low sudsing formula, it is kind to nature, and kind to those with sensitivities to chemicals. Safe for high efficiency and front loader washing machines. The 4lbs bag will make 58 loads of laundry.

The liquid laundry softener provides a natural, non-chemical means of softening your clothes. Made of natural, plant based ingredients, this non-chemical softener conditions water and brightens fabrics. The 32oz bottle will care for 32 loads of laundry.

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Also new at the Flea.. we are bringing back an old friend. Remember our gorgeous Bakelite rings and necklaces? We brought them back for Fall. I am still amazed when I get people stopping me on the street asking me about my crow ring... they will be stopping you too!!

Hope to see you at the Flea.

Tax-Free Sales Weekend in Newnan

2009-07-30T09:02:00.003-04:00

One of the benefits of being a Georgian is that we have a tax-free sales weekend right before kids go back to school. Mainstreet Newnan is participating in an extended tax-free sale.. everything is 7% off. So come on down this weekend and scoop up some great new items. Saturday is Market Day downtown as well. Hope to see you.

Back to Reality

2009-07-30T08:42:00.006-04:00

School is about to start for some of us Georgians.. yes we officially will start back August 7th. Summer is over.. back to reality. To help get you back into keeping house and keeping your sanity, a few new products are being introduced at The Flea.

coming at the end of this week will be our line of Eco-Friendly home products like Laundry Detergent, Fabric Softener, Dryer Sheets, Linen Spray, Hand Lotion and Hand Soap. All in the amazing scents of Lavender, Verbena, and White Lilac.
Whimsical Magnets will get you motivated in the morning.

New 1/2 aprons and appliqued tea towels are in. Sorry for my awful pictures.. lesson learned never to take pictures at night! Also new to The Flea is the very unique mixed media jewelry from artist Lisa Souers. She and I participated in the Curious Sofa Art Show a few months ago and we became friends. Her keys and numbers series can be customized for you.

Why was the book in the hospital?

2009-07-19T10:26:00.006-04:00

It broke it's spine! This was the joke my 7 yr. old told me after eating his popsicle (the jokes are on the stick). I got a good laugh then remembered that I wanted to show you all what we found the other day. Boxes and boxes of old lawyers books. We have them upstairs for sale for $1.00 each!! What can you do with them you ask......

Artist Sue Blackwell makes gorgeous sculptures with them.

Etsy entrepreneur "Rhymes with Magic" sell them in her etsy shop.

You can cover them and stick them in your library.

or you can take off the covers and use the insides to make some gorgeous displays.

See you at the Flea!

Back In Stock

2009-07-09T15:33:00.004-04:00

The amazing soy candles "Scentsationals" are back in stock. Only $15 each.

New scents to tempt you.

Shellicious

2009-07-07T12:49:00.005-04:00

Inevitably someone will come into my store and ask about the seashells. Yes we have several different varieties for sale.. in Newnan!! I just love them. I always say you can take the girl out of Florida but you can't take the Florida out of the girl. So cruising through my bog roll recently I found this posting from This is Glamorous. I love the seashell chandeliers. We once covered a lamp with shells and it was gorgeous. In fact I have 2 more sitting on my pantry floor begging for me to shell them up.

And when I am ready to shell them up, I will look at Christa's South Seashell company for a little inspiration. I did just buy 3 busts at the antique shop for displays. Maybe I can shell them up when I am done with them.... hmmm.
My final bit of inspiration comes from the lovely mermaid looking necklace I found online. I can't remember now where it was but it showcased wire and unusual objects. Yes indeed it does.

Happy Shelling!

Fit for a King or Queen!

2009-07-05T16:25:00.003-04:00

This week in art camp we were Royal Artists indeed! From paper silhouettes with fabulous Amy Butler paper backgrounds..... To watercolor castles........

To lovely royal portraits that would surely make Queen Elizabeth smile......

Our campers this week were treated to the best royal art experience any child could ask for!

This week Daly and I are taking off for the beach. But we'll be back to finish out our summer series with more next week. Check back and see what my campers cook up for your sweet tooth!

Happy 4th of July Ya'll

2009-07-04T16:59:00.003-04:00

Have a safe weekend.

Looking Towards 2010

2009-06-26T18:43:00.003-04:00

Yes it is true.. I am already looking forward to 2010. Well February 21-24, 2010 that is. The Art and Soul Retreat has now open its' online registration doors and I am ready to go baby.

A few years back, Jenni and I traveled to the Art and Soul retreat in Portland, Oregon and had the best time. I learned new jewelry techniques, met the famous Sally Jean Alexander, and had a blast with my BFF. What could be better- VEGAS! Yes, this year the retreat will be traveling to Las Vegas.

Want to join us? Start saving your pennies and go to the Art and Soul retreat website for more information. It would be fun for our first Flea Field Trip.

Art Camp Week 3

2009-06-26T09:11:00.002-04:00

This week we went on an Outdoor Adventure without the bugs and heat! We painted these fabulous daisy fields, painted butterfly magnets, made firefly jars, and drew an animal in our camera lens. It was a great day for making art! Join us next week for Insects on Tuesday and Fit for A King and Queen on Thursday. Sign up today!

Art Camp Week 2

2009-06-21T14:37:00.004-04:00

Hello again! This week my little artists created work that truly soared to new heights! From watercolor hot air balloons like below: To adorable wooden race cars....

To one of my favorite subjects to paint, the bicycle, we had an amazing day of creating.

This week's agenda for Daly is the Ragin' Cajin'...I am thinking there's going to be shrimp on Tuesday so I am thinking about stopping by. At least a little gumbo Daly? On Thursday my students will be going on an Outdoor Adventure. We'll be making firefly jars, painting butterflies and an outdoor landscape. There's plenty of room so please call today! 770-683-2825! See you next week! Jenni

New Totes

2009-06-20T07:44:00.004-04:00

I am loving the new tote bags that we just got in at The Flea. Made with a durable oil cloth material, these bags will be great for you next outdoor adventure. They would even make the most mundane task like going grocery shopping, more pleasurable.

small tote $10

medium tote $12

large tote $14

Back from New Orleans

2009-06-14T19:12:00.005-04:00

We are finally back from our 10 day trip through Mobile, Biloxi, New Orleans, and Gulf Shores. My Mother-in-law is visiting us from France for 3 weeks and we thought a little side trip out of Georgia was in order. The one thing I couldn't get over was all the alligator souvenirs you see in New Orleans. Coming from South Florida, I thought we had the market on Alligator heads.. but not even close!!

Heard about the Cafe Du Monde from a brochure and they were right.. the best beignets ever!!
We had our fortunes read by a very reliable source...

And then we were itchin to see the real thing.. Swamp Tours here we come!!

Glad to be back home now. Can't wait to see what our visiting artists do next week at camp. Thank you Jenni for offering to blog about it for us.

Art Camp Round-Up

2009-06-12T11:09:00.006-04:00

Hello there Flea readers! I'll be guest blogging over here on Fridays to give you a peek at the week's art camp adventures. This week Daly hosted Gone Fishin' on Tuesday where they made some great Father's Day gifts. I understand these projects were really "fishy". My little artists chewed their way through the day creating these fun projects:Self portraits with giant pink bubbles were a favorite project for many. The giant bubble is a wooden doll head painted pink and glued on. Here Gracen, Abbey and Abigail show off their folksy portraits. These were created on a canvas board with acrylic paints.
What kid doesn't love a bubble gum machine? These were created on watercolor paper with watercolors.

This project was inspired by our story of the day, Icky Sticky Bubble Gum. The main character, a frog, gets stuck in some icky sticky bubble gum, just as these little silly frogs have. These were created using acrylics on canvas paper.

And of course we chewed bubble gum ALL DAY! We even had a bubble blowing contest. This little sweetie won by far! Next week Daly is "Going on Safari" and I'll be "Moving Right Along" making Hot Air Balloons, Bikes, Rockets and Race Cars! Call 770-683-2825 to sign your child up today! See you next week! Jenni

Outside These 4 Walls

2009-05-26T12:30:00.004-04:00

Taking a page from my artist BFF Jenni, I am going to try to sell my encaustic paintings outside of these 4 walls, The Vintage-Flea. Yes I am packing up 8 little guys to send to The Curious Sofa art show in Kansas. These are a little different then what I have done in the past. I painted on scrapbook paper, then mounted them on foam board. Finally I put them all in a 11x14 driftwood frame. The request I had from the store owner was to keep my art under $100. I have priced these to be $90.00 each.

But my favorite piece of art right now is from this wonderful caricature artist Dave Washburn. We found him at the Cotton Pickin' Fair a few weeks back. He can even do caricatures from photographs. Check him out at www.davewashburn.com.

Happy Friday

2009-05-21T23:10:00.005-04:00

Wanted to show our cute little vignette that Julie came up with at the shop. Super Mom is what I call her.. aren't we all? She is showing off our very popular Cotton American Flags. (These babies flew out the door last year.) We have huge buntings for $36, the standard 3'x5' flag for $36 and the hard to find 20'x8" pillar flag for $42. We also have antique reproduction wall mounts that hold up to 5 flags and Americana primitives. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. The Vintage-Flea will be closed on Monday in observation of this holday.

on the color wheel

2009-05-17T10:33:00.003-04:00

Cleaning out my magazine stash today I ran across the March issue of House Beautiful.. their ultimate color issue. The magazine asks "How much color is right for you?" and "Are you neutral or bold?" Since I am wanting to redo my master bedroom (again) I thought it would be easy to answer these questions... but I find that I am a little of everything. How about you?

Are you Cool? Shades of blue feels restful and soothing.

Are you Warm? Neutrals and Earth tones allows the interiors to breathe.
Are you Deep? Rich colors like chocolate, fuchsia, orange always add drama.

Are you Bright? Caribbean colors like citron, turquoise, coral.

Or are you Intense? Confident jewel tone colors like indigo, eggplant, corn and kumquat.

I like them all!! It will be a hard choice.

picnic in the park

2009-05-14T21:46:00.003-04:00

Getting close to summer time and that means great new products like these Indian blankets. Don't they just scream picnic in the park? These colorful blankets are 5'x7' in size and are priced at $16. So grab one today and enjoy that concert in the park, the beautiful fireworks, or that breezy Beach day.

The Celebrity

2009-05-05T06:37:00.007-04:00

I am not a "Dancing with The Stars" fan... it falls on the same night at "American Idol" and well never cared for it. But I was curious when Jenni called me and told me that Albert was about to dance.. my Albert?? He is here in the kitchen with me I told her. She meant the Albert Look-A-Like, Gilles Marini.. an actor. Well they definitely have the same accent.

Everyone has always said he looked like another actor, Andy Garcia.
Here is my Albert. What do you think?

So while we are on the topic of celebrities in our lives.. we can't forget the most important- our Mothers. We have a few items in the shop that might be perfect for your mother's day gift. Order by Thursday the 7th to get one of these custom necklaces made for you.

Sterling Stix- $18.. kids names are very nice here or a special date to remember.

Sterling disc- $18

Fine Silver Initial Charm- $10. We also have necklaces to go with these that retail at $10 each, you even get a free pearl to go with it.

These are brand new in the shop, lampwork glass pendants. With or without foil backing. Only $12 each.

Have a Happy Mother's Day!

This Weekend....

2009-05-01T08:11:00.002-04:00

This weekend The Vintage-Flea will have a little set up at Serenbe's 4th annual Mady Day celebration. This is a fun event for the whole family. Click here for more information about the show. You will be amazed by some of the artists they have found from all over Georgia. Hope to see you there.

I Scream for Ice Cream

2009-04-30T16:40:00.004-04:00

I remember so fondly running after the ice cream truck when I was younger. The truck would come 1x per week after dinner and my brother and I were always the first in line. I believe the push pops were my ice cream of choice back then.. or fudge bars. Yummy!

So I was running around like crazy when I heard the familiar ice cream truck sing along songs coming down my street today. My kids thought I was nuts.. I was screaming "The Ice Cream Truck is Here, The Ice Cream Truck is Here".. What??? They had no idea what I was talking about.

Oh but they quickly learned and got up in line with their $1 bill. Mr. Ice Cream man said that he will be by 2x per week in our neighborhood. What a fun summer we will have.. and yes they have the push pops.

Olivia choice of the day.. Joly Rancher Ice Cream.

And of course Sponge Bob Ice Cream for Brice!! Enjoy.