Yesterday morning on the way to breakfast I commented to Drew that I wish we’d see some tag sale signs. I really felt like spending the day looking for treasures, so to speak. And that’s just about when we passed the billboard that advertises what’s going on at the fairgrounds. As luck would have it, this was the the giant indoor fleamarket weekend! Perfecto! So, after some French toast and a quick run to Target we headed back to the fairgrounds (accident-free this week, thank goodness!). I could have spent hours upon hours going through books and glass and dishes. The boys were slightly less patient, so we did the best we could do.
Drew scored on comics and came home with a stack. He should be good on bedtime reading for a while now. I hedged over some vintage Pyrex because I wasn’t sure if it was a good price for a particular divided dish, and now I’m wishing I just bought the damn thing. I did hold back on milk glass and didn’t buy any. There wasn’t anything really calling out to me, anyway. I did, however, score some vintage tablecloths:
I have a couple of these at home and I love them! I actually use them because, well… why not? That’s what they were meant for. (I am very big on using the things I love, including my good china.) These tablecloths were priced between $3 and $5, but the vendor sold them to me for $1 each. There was one more on her table, but it was a Mexican motif and I prefer the florals. They’re stained, but I’m going to give it my best shot to clean them up.
I also found two vintage books that I just could not leave there, The American Woman’s Cookbook (1940) and A Guide to Good Wine (1973):
The American Woman’s Cookbook has some great stuff in it — lots of molded salads, a chapter on packing lunches, menu suggestions, fabulous dessert recipes, and even a chapter on “Cooking for Invalids.” Ah, those pre-PC days. But it stresses the importance of using whole grains, “succulent” vegetables, and sparingly using fats and sweets. I love those period cookbooks. I don’t know how anyone could pass it up! Next week I’m going to try a few recipes from it. I can’t wait.
I’m jealous! I love wandering through Flea Markets. I’ve raised my kids to like them too. You found some great stuff. I have some old cookbooks and a lot of the recipes call for lard! ewww! LOL! Sue
I’m one of Lisanne’s friends and I was reading her blog and wanted to send good birthday wishes your way. Hope you are having a wonderful birthday. God Bless..
Can’t go wrong for the price and they are really very pretty. What I like most is the uniquiness. On another note, your soon to be wedded brother received a nice present from his beloved Red Sox. What about those Red Sox!!
ohhh love those tableclothes.. and that cookbook sounds awesome… I really want to get more vintage cookbooks…
Sounds like you really scored some GREAT finds! Glad you had fun! I *love* searching for awesome stuff like that. Love the tablecloths … if you get bored with using them as tablecloths, you could always cut them up and sew something out of them. That women’s cookbook looks *so* cool! Wow! I’m curious about the chapter on packing lunches. Would love to hear some tips and ideas!
I’m uber jealous. Our flea market here stinks big time. Those tablecloths are awesome!