The California Crafters Club of Etsy (CCCOE) is a group of independent artists, crafters, & artisans from California who sell their wares on Etsy.com.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Flea Market Madness

My name is Felicia and I'm a flea market addict. There, I said it. What's worse is I got my husband hooked too! There was a time before I injured an ankle that my husband and I would spend most every Sunday at a Southern California flea market. The first Sunday of the month was the Pasadena City College market, the second Sunday was the famous Rose Bowl flea market, the third was the Long Beach Flea Market (my personal fav), and the fourth was our Sunday to rest (unless the Ventura Flea market was going, of course). I swear, it was the only thing that could have gotten my butt out of bed before the sun was up! But with my inability to walk for long distances my flea marketing days are, if not completely gone, then seriously dampened. Thank goodness for online shipping and Etsy! I've found many vintage goodies shopping on Etsy and within the CCCOE there are a number of sellers that specialize in vintage alone (CCCOEr's - make sure you tag your listings with CCCOE Team). Here are some goodies I've found recently while browsing through the Vintage section: This vintage Mexican tooled leather purse in KMalinka's shop takes me back to summer vacations spent with the aunts in El Paso. They used to cross over to Juarez to buy these (back in the 60's when it was still safe to venture there). If I were more of a purse person (backpack, anyone?) I would totally have this one in my arsenal. Many times the best vintage finds are those that you no longer use for their originally intended purpose. This camera has a great silhouette and is a sculpture in its own right. Carried by SlothArt. Alyssa of Oldetymenotions is a great supplier of antique buttons and other vintage goodies. I used to collect antique buttons once upon a time and I'm sure if I hadn't gotten over THAT addiction that I would have been Alyssa's best customer. Alyssa not only sells the antique buttons but she creates wonderful jewelry from them.
Dustdesignco uses a circa 1950's Los Angeles Transit Authority token in a way the original commuters never dreamed would look so good. I wonder if these were for the iconic "Red Car" my mom used to talk about.
I love when vintage components are used to create contemporary pieces. Nan of Nansglam uses a vintage skeleton key to good effect by creating a necklace with a sense of mystery.
This post was contributed by CCCOE member, Felicia of Maid of Clay Ceramics (in her very first blog post EVAH

18 comments:

  1. What a fabulous set of finds. Thanks for the very interesting post. And sorry about your ankle!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great article MOC! I love going to Flea Markets also. It is always an adventure finding new treasures. Love your pics too! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. My fiance is the one that got me addicted to the flea markets! I love the Long Beach one, and there is a great one at Irvine Valley College on the first Sunday of the month. I don't buy a lot, but love to look at other peoples trash/treasures!! I try and remember the vintage sellers when making a CCCOE treasury. Great finds, Felicia!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very nicely done - i love a good deal, and flea markets, or even garage sales are fun - but i do like the convenience of a computer!!
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very nicely done!!
    love a good deal, and finding them in unexpected places is wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You found some true treasures here. I love checking out all the vintage in our team. They sure look great in treasuries too :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. What awesome picks! Love the vintage camera. Thanks MOC!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Awesome article with some terrific finds from CCCOE! I too, love a good flea market, especially the one in Long Beach.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love this post! Flea markets are so fun!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lovin' all this Flea Market Madness! Wish I could go to one right now! Terrific post and wonderfully fun finds! Thank you! ✿

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a Fabulous First Blog Post! Flea Market Finds are always the best. Thanks for sharing =D

    ReplyDelete
  12. Fabulous First Blog Post! Flea Market Finds are the best. Thanks for sharing =D

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great blog MOC. I especially like the transportation token pendant. My hubby has collected them since the 70's, and has quite an extensive collection from a lot of states. We would spend hours at flea markets on dates to find them. Thanks for jogging some great memories.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Very cool finds. Hope your ankle heals well.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by. We love to hear from you.
.