THE ALTERED FLEA: March 2013

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Sifting through the Treasures at the Local Vintage Marketplace

Last Sunday, I spent the morning strolling through the local vintage marketplace. It was a glorious day; and, I actually got there before the crowds. This particular event, the Topanga Vintage Marketplace, is held monthly. Begun only last spring, it has quickly become a popular venue. And at just $2 admission with free parking, you can't beat it.

This marketplace had everything--including the kitchen sink!

Old kitchen sink

Many vintage items caught my eye that day, including these lovely objects:

Vintage sifter & grater
(which I totally scooped up!)

Rusty metal bucket

Antique Ironing Board

Toddler seat planter?!

Vintage office rubber alphabet stamp sets

Antique Student Desk & Chair

Adorable planter box & window

In addition to the vintage sifter, I brought home these lovely treasures:

I'm hosting Mah Jongg next week, so these rule books, circa 1958, and the vintage Bakelite tiles are going to be a big hit with my group.

Following my shopping trip, I stopped by the local nursery to check out some new spring flowers. These African daisies immediately caught my eye, and I knew exactly where I was going to plant them:

With a little potting soil and some Spanish moss, I now have a beautiful ~~new~~ old centerpiece for our patio table.

Now what to do with the fabulous vintage blue Mason jars?

Stay tuned!

Sharing here:

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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Grow Your Own Placecards using Clay Pots & Herbs

The next two weeks bring many families and friends together. Not only are many families celebrating the joys of spring break (well, at least the kids are celebrating!), many are busy preparing for the week-long festival of Passover. This is where we retell the story of the Exodus by reading the Haggadah, singing songs and eating specially-prepared foods.

When we were growing up, my parents invited friends and relatives to join us for our Seder. Because we had 25-30 people joining us, we moved our living room furniture into the dining room, and turned our living room into a large dining hall. With so many people, we created place cards to assign everyone a particular seat. Making the place cards was always my responsibility...which I took very seriously.

Last year, I re-instated my job and made place "cards" using small Terra cotta pots. These are so much fun to create, and kids can get in on the creative action. I decided to share this idea on my blog again this year, with a few minor revisions.

Materials:

Small clay pots in various sizes, no larger than 4"

Clay saucers

Blue & white acrylic paint

Mod Podge

Brushes

Clear sticker paper or Xyron sticker maker

Passover Graphics & Text

Twine

Wooden plant markers

Herbs (such as parsley)

This is the How-To:

I painted the pots in different combinations of blue and white paint. While they dried, I printed graphics and text onto clear sticker paper.

Next Year in Jerusalem

Then I adhered the stickers to the pots. After coating each pot with Modge Podge, I wrapped blue and white baker's twine around two of the pots.

I printed names on white cardstock, cut them out and mod podged the cards onto wooden plant markers, which I had painted blue.

A green herb (such as parsley or cilantro) is used on the Passover table to symbolize spring. So I decided to plant herbs in each pot.

I'm going to use the largest pot as a centerpiece, so I made a label that reads "Kosher for Passover."

The smallest pot was just too tiny to hold a plant, so I used the medium sized pots for the place "cards."

These festive pots and plant markers will add a nice touch to any Seder table. The larger pot will also make a great hostess gift! And, of course, depending on the colors and signage you use, these pots can easily be made for any holiday or occasion!