Just in time for the first Spring yard sales and Flea Markets!  What’s on your mental shopping list?

Your Flea market shopping list

When Jeanne Sammons asked the question, “What is ONE THING  on your ‘junk search list’ for this year’s  junking season?”  you answered!  Many of us have a mental list of desired old things we want for our gardens and for creative projects. When we go out ‘junkin’ it helps to know what style we like, rustic or cute, flowery and feminine or cleaned lined and modern.  The word that pops up again and again is “Old”

From the humble, like these:

• an old funnel
• blue and aqua glass

to something BIG, like these two:

• A vintage camper…..any woman’s playhouse
• A small log cabin to relocate to my farm to start a new country garden around

You all came up with a list suitable for any Flea Market gardener.

Here’s what you’ve said you want:

Old washtubs and buckets to plant flowers in

Willow chairs

An old ladder

Galvanized anything

A rusty green wheelbarrow

Old fence pieces

Old ash bucket

Salvaged architectural pieces…gingerbread, trim

Child’s wheelbarrow

An old garden gate

A set of Vintage wood frame French doors

Old gates and doors

Something different to plant flowers in

Aqua insulators

A really old wheelbarrow with the old cool iron wheel

I want to find a saddle I can make a swing with

An old bird cage to put my sweet potato vine in!

An old gate so I can plant morning glories and let them twine around it

A bottle tree

One “real” porch post, the 4 in x 4 in turned kind, to make a tall plant stand out of

An old table or dresser to use as a potting bench

An old rocking chair that I can paint and turn into a planter

French writing desk

Bowling ball

A double washtub

An old pump to waterfall into my fishpond

Any antique bell to hang on the wall by my front door

A Wagon Wheel

Legs from tables and posts from porch columns

Old shovels and old watering cans

An old lantern

Concrete chickens

An old dresser to plant in

A rusty old metal something to hang on my wall

An old rustic weather vane

Old Radio Flyer wagon to use as a Fairy Garden

Bed frames, to make garden benches

An old 2 drawer file cabinet I think I will use as a container

When I lived in the suburbs relatively close to the ocean, I decorated my home in watercolory tropical fish colors and had a fish figurine collection. Our house was a small cottage, and now I refer to it as our ‘Beach House’ although we were a 1/2 hour drive to the beach.

When thinking of my new homes decoration, it also helped to have a mental list. Some things were for inside and some out.

My List

Since I had shifted my focus to mountain living, I slowly developed a mental list of items and materials, I’d look for at the annual flea market in our county and at junk shops and yard sales. Here’s the list:

These were the materials and things I’d search out so I didn’t get distracted by the possibilities of everything! I can be a bit of a crow, gathering shiny objects in its nest.

I’d find things, each with a feeling of exhilaration, sometimes with a look over my shoulder to check if someone else was reaching for what I had snatched up!  They must be! I couldn’t be the only one to value the things on my list so highly, right?  I carefully put all these things away in boxes and bags and into storage until we were ready to move. When it was finally time to unpack, opening my treasure boxes and bags was like Christmas for me.  You all understand…  ~~ Sue

Now, tell what is on YOUR list….