Vintage rubber stamp holder

Found this today and could hardly wait to post it to the store. I've got one and just love it. It's so retro! And it spins! http://www.thepaperfleamarket.com/

Local travel inspiration

I've been following Mary Ann Moss's (or would that be Moss'?) trip through Paris on her blog http://dispatchfromla.typepad.com/ If you haven't seen her beautiful posts, I highly recommend it! I just loved her images of the everyday sights in Paris and the surrounding neighborhoods (as one of her early entries promises, you won't see any photos of her at the Eiffel Tower). Her awe-inspiring photos made me dream of how wonderful it would be to visit and photograph and journal about Paris ... or somewhere in the US ... or my state ... or maybe somewhere just an hour away ... and then it hit me. Why couldn't I do that in my *own* neighborhood? I bet myself that if I just stopped and looked, I could find some pretty cool things to photograph and to get myself inspired. And maybe, just maybe, my town looks different and exciting and new to someone else out there, and maybe they'd be inspired, too. So with that said, I give you the town of Vienna (Virginia) ...

Journal + Wallpaper = Love

Been getting the itch to do a LOT more journaling lately ... so I've got my supplies spread out all over the place ... upstairs, downstairs, on my desk, on my nightstand ... just got the urge to cut and paste and doodle and color and write!

I was revisiting an e-workshop I took through Teresa McFayden's website http://www.paperbellastudio.com/category_14/E-Workshops.htm in which Pam Garrison was the guest artist (absolutely A*D*O*R*E her work) ... and was inspired to create these two spreads. See what you can do with a snippet of beautiful vintage wallpaper? Don't have any? Well, I can help with that ... hop on over to the store and get yourself a piece right now! http://www.thepaperfleamarket.com/vintage-wallpaper.html And have fun!

A paper bag swap

I've had an idea for a paper bag swap in the back of my mind for awhile. My friend Mel over at Ephermeraology http://ephemeraology.blogspot.com/ had a post about grocery stores and bags and that got me thinking maybe there are other people out there who are interested in this sort of thing. I think it would be fun to see what kinds of graphics are found on paper bags from other parts of the country and other parts of the world (hint, hint ... would love some international players as well!) Plus it would be great to use all that paper in a journal, don't you think?

So here's what I propose ... gather up a collection of paper sacks ... new, old, grocery, pharmacy, bakery, whatever ... they don't even all have to be the same. Send them to me and I'll put together a packet of bags from other folks and send them back. That's it. Easy peasy. But first things first ... I guess we need to know how many players. If you're interested in joining the swap, drop me an email at thepaperfleamarket@yahoo.com by March 31. Then I'll let everybody know the details of how many to send and what I'll need to cover postage to send them back out.

Sound good?

Spring printing

Happy Spring! Such a nice day, so I decided to do some block printing outside. This set of type blocks was a happy find at an estate sale several years ago and I just love to use them to print on different kinds of paper ... telephone book pages, kraft paper, old computer paper, maps, etc. I typically don't spell out anything ... just lay the letters out, ink them up and print! These are great to bind into a handmade journal. I'm offering a set of these on the Etsy site ... hop on over and take a look! www.thepaperfleastudio.etsy.com

I don't have a drying rack, so I just clipped them to branches on a bush.

Little Daisy wants to help!

Saturday night vignette

Just playing around with some of my treasures in the house ...

Ribbons -n- chains

This ribbon has been very popular (and it's my absolute *favorite*), so I just posted some Spring-y colors for you to enjoy. Once you get your hands on some, you'll discover why I call it "the perfect ribbon"! http://www.thepaperfleamarket.com/the-perfect-ribbon.html

Also just posted this hanging chain choker to the Etsy shop ... it has lots of shimmer and movement ... so sassy! http://www.thepaperfleastudio.etsy.com/

Sew much fun ...

Been having a lot of fun stitching up these little vintage-tart-tin-pincushions for the next Chick's Picks show. It's this weekend if you're in the northern Virginia area ... for all the details, go to (www.chickspicksbyhillary.com) And since I've been in a sewing mood, I decided it was time to post more vintage patterns. Lots of good ones to check out! http://www.thepaperfleamarket.com/patterns.html

New old stuff!

So many things went quickly last week, so I just posted some more treasures to the store .... http://www.thepaperfleamarket.com/ A movie record from the 1950s

1935 calendar page

1970s-era address book (would be fun to alter or use as a journal)

Money receipt book ... I remember playing store with receipts like this ... what fun!

Announcing The Paper Flea Studio on Etsy!

I'm tickled to announce the launch of "The Paper Flea Studio" on Etsy! The Paper Flea Studio is the handmade or "studio" branch of The Paper Flea Market. http://www.thepaperfleastudio.etsy.com/

In addition to finding and selling vintage goodies at the store, I, too, use these items in my artwork. I adore making new things out of old and just *have* to create something everyday! I decided to open the studio shop because I wanted to separate the "supply" store from the "handmade" store.

So please hop on over to http://www.thepaperfleastudio.etsy.com/ and take a look. And thanks!

Squishy

For over a year, I've been wanting to make a "squish pot". It's like doing mosaics, only you use a thick layer of adhesive grout and then "squish" in whatever you want ... broken china, marbles, coins, keys, buttons, found objects. I chose to use little toys. I found 3 big bags of them at a thrift shop (for 50cents each!) and decided to use those. As you can see, there was quite a variety! I love the dimension, especially the rhino and the globe. The base is a 4-sided glass vase (I discovered after the fact that you need to seal glass somehow ... Kilz was recommended ... or else the grout tends to shift if you move the vase). I've only finished two sides but was excited to share.

If you'd like to get started on one with a toy motif, I've just posted a fun packet of little farm figures from the 1960s. http://www.thepaperfleamarket.com/little-farm-figures.html Fun, fun, fun! Don't you just *love* making stuff?

The day after

Catching my breath after a weekend at the flea market. Spent much of the day filling orders, unloading the car, unpacking and posting! Here are a few new goodies you'll find over at the store http://www.thepaperfleamarket.com/ Vintage blue price tags (these fit neatly in those holders I'm crazy about) A big top stencil kit

The Cathy Taylor special (those of you who've taken one of her classes know what I mean)

Day 2

I "refluffed" this morning ... if you see anything you like that's not on the site, lemme know ... it might just still be available!

Posting these soon ...

Made by me ... these are going on Etsy soon ... will be doing a store launch announcement later this week ...

I did a post last year about seeing a young girl at a local sandwich shop dressed all in pink wearing her ballet tutu and longed for the ability to wear such a frilly skirt in public. Well, I'm tickled to say I did it! This is a very flouncy crinoline that has been hand dyed a lovely shade of pale blue and it makes the most awesome skirt! The gorgeous jacket is also a vintage piece that has been hand dyed. Both pieces are from Wendy at "Rough and Tumble". I sat across from her booth and could not stop staring at the **FABULOUS** clothing she had for sale (at very reasonable prices I might add). Wendy frequently has a booth at the Brooklyn Flea Market (anybody been? sounds like a roadtrip to me!) Here's a link to her FB page: http://www.facebook.com/roughandtumblevintage?sk=info

Wendy's booth ... see what I mean?!?

Thanks to everybody who stopped by. It's such a joy to meet like-minded souls who love paper and other fun old stuff!

Day 1

Big Flea sneak peek!

Getting ready to set up for the Big Flea tomorrow. Here are a couple of the offerings ... Vintage price tag holders ... I *love* these. (Any that are left will be posted to the store next week) Square dancer ties! Aren't they cute as can be? Love the sparkles!

Here's where you can download an admission discount card: http://www.damorepromotions.com/index.htm

Saving for a rainy day

Found these sturdy little coin savers recently. It'd be fun to bind some handmade or scrap papers into these and make a mini on-the-go journal, don't you think? You can find them here: http://www.thepaperfleamarket.com/coin-saver.html

Update on "cleaning out the studio" ... well, I missed my Feb 28 deadline. I was making a lot of progess, then my momentum kind of waned a few weeks ago, so I've decided to keep that section of the site open as I continue to clear out more supplies (plus it's been so popular!) Next deadline: Spring Break!