Bodhisartva ..... Art/Spirit/Life

Long Beach Flea Market in July

Can you say hot?  Really hot.  Crowded.  Glaring sunlight.  All of this may explain why I acquired so little this month in Long Beach. Steve and I were resolved to get there early, but a late night Saturday drained some of that away.  Still, it was just after 8 am, but we didn't last past 10:30.  Nonetheless, I am happy with my littles.

 

 

 

That green thingy is a retractable clothesline.

 I have two more of these in the studio.  I like them because of the color and the patina.  Looks as though I got a pretty good price, judging from eBay.

 

 

 

I can't explain why I bought this can of wire that I will never use. But the label is distinctive and it was 5 bucks, so why not?

 

 

 

This is my favorite find.  I've started collecting these old agricultural notebooks. They were given away by seed companies, equipment manufacturers, etc.  I love the feel of them and the cool graphics. Sometimes, there is even something interesting written inside, but not this time.

I could not pass up the memo notebook because of the address cards!  Nothing written on them, so I can actually use it.  There were some business cards with a word for the "exchange' instead of a number in, so I know it is somewhat old.

 

 

So, not a lot of stuff, but some good stuff - and sometimes, that is enough.

Return of the Blog

I've decided to resurrect my blog, after months and months of neglect.  A lot of changes have been going on in my life these past months and now it's time to forge a new road.  My intention going forward it to post at least once a week, post more of my art and share more and different things.

But, to kick it off, let's start with a flea market!  Because, hey.  

Pasadena City College Flea Market is so nearby, a very manageable size, good parking ($2) and free to attend.  Some of my favorite vendors are here.  It's held on the first Sunday of each month.  You can find information and a calendar here.

The weather was a blessed relief from last month, when it was scorching!  Yet, it wasn't that crowded because it's the weekend of the 4th of July.  Very nice not to have to jostle the crowds.

My tidy little collection ....

Don't you just love the fat file box?  I have two others, of totally different size and color and they look great together.  There is something about carpenter's pencils that gets me and I found two boxes.  Those notebooks are nestled in a divided drawer that someone made from an old cigar box.  

 

I've been collecting these old notebooks and the collection deserves it's own post.  But here are a few I found today.  One of my favorite vendors just came back from a trip to Minnesota and brought them back for me.

 

I'm not sure I'll ever get around to reading this particular one, but sometimes there are real treasures to be experienced by stepping back into someone else's life.

 

Here are today's "littles".  Adding to my collection of bullet pencils, little coin purses, clay marbles.  I collect those tiny gold pencils to turn into necklaces with some pretty chain and beads.  The background colors are pieces of leather and suede to use in my books.

 

Did you spot this small canvas roll in the earlier picture?  Here is the inside.

 

From the thread colors, I think this must have been military.  I'm going to replace the red fabric with new flannel and use this to carry my bookbinding needles to classes.  I can replace this thread with waxed linen and add a scissors that works and voila!

What was the last flea market you visited?  What did you find?