Junk Bonanza 2013

I can't say I was Ful-O-Pep when I started out for Junk Bonanza 2013. I had been awake since 4:00 a.m., long before the baby woke up. I decided to accept the gift of a quiet morning, and I read Gilead for two blissful hours. I would quote some passages from the book here, but every word is perfect, and I would not be able to stop.

So back to JB. I was helping Gretchen at her jewelry booth. First I had to extricate myself from clingy Malachi, who knew something was up. He was safe at home with his daddy and big sister. Anna Kate understands full well how busy he is, and she did not want me to go.

But how could I miss all this? Eye candy for someone like me.

 

Light Reading makes lampshades out of vintage slides, anatomy posters, and grain sacks.
This skeletal-system one was one of their top sellers. They place these gorgeous lampshades atop vintage lamp bases, and the result is close to perfection. They are not cheap, but had they displayed a Pillsbury shade (my Grampa worked there) or a cardio one (for my med school son), this thrifty girl might have caved.

Yes, everyone, read! Do you know that reading to young children is the only sure link to high ACT scores? Not that ACT scores make for a wonderful life. But if that's your goal, then read. Good books. All the time.

This was a great price. Blue mason jars are useful and beautiful. Mine are on the countertop, filled with coffee, and in our highest glassed cupboards. They light up a room.

One of Gretchen's vintage-bling necklaces at Mimi-Toria's Designs.

Odometer sculptures.

European grain sacks from UberChic. This booth is known for its imported furniture. They almost sold out the first day. I broke my no-red rule and bought a French grain sack with a faded red stripe. Faded red is almost a neutral, right? It's pretty grimy, but it's soaking in Oxy-Clean and I expect it to become several pillows someday.

Plastic magnetic letters.

An entire crowd of plastic letters (and numbers).

A lovely little chandelier with a wire basket to make it interesting, at The Vintage Pixie.

These were all the rage when I was little. My mom still has the one Grampa made.

An old mailing box (which I think I'll take apart and use as boot trays), and blocks for my baby Mick.
These were from Gypsy Crown.

Baby blocks in the morning sunshine!

My new necklaces from Mimi-Toria's. The brass tag has the numbers 327, for my three boys, two girls, and the seven of us who are so rarely all together.

A close-up of the necklace.

I bought one of these file cases (only $7!), but in the blur of leaving, I forgot it. It's with Gretchen's things, but she is recuperating , so I'll wait to reclaim it. By the time the show drew to a close, JB had set records for attendance. My sorties away from the jewelry booth had yielded a few prizes. All in all, a good day. And when I got home, how sweet to be welcomed by a tired teenager, a worn-out daddy, and a toddler. Malachi knows how to hug, and he wrapped his chubby arms around my neck and chortled with joy.

"How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterwards."
(Spanish proverb)

Sabbath rest to all my friends, especially those hard-working vendors.

Featured vendors:
Mimi-Toria's Designs (blog in my sidebar)
Rivertown Antique Company
Hilltop Furniture
Gypsy Crown
Nancy Mortensen
The Vintage Pixie
Light Reading
UberChic