Anyway, it was worth the pain (and skipping the Oscars), because I got some great stuff for my TAA for very, very cheap. After all, that is the name of the game when you're living on both a space- and money-budget!
Images from the PCC Flickr pool; this one's from user cathydanh...
And from calamity_hane.
We started out at the Pasadena City College Flea Market. Most people are familiar with Pasadena's Rose Bowl Flea Market, but it's overwhelmingly ENORMOUS, and you have to pay to get in (and I'm sure you know how I feel about that). Pasadena City College's market takes place the first Sunday of every month, and admission is free (and I'm sure you know how I feel about THAT!).
Once Rachel and I arrived, we were immediately attacked by a wild pack of adorable boxer puppies.
Not the tights, not the tights!
Having a plan of attack is essential when you're going to a flea market. It keeps you focused, and prevents you from getting distracted by the million other things on sale. If you don't have a lot of money to start with, you need to save it for the things you wanted and needed before you even got in, and not blow it all on a stable full of original My Lil' Ponies. (I did see that there, and I was tempted.) I have a very specific vision for how I want my TAA to look, and so I was looking for some very specific items: brown leather club chair with nailhead trim, Persian or Oriental rugs, mercury glass taper candle holders, and bentwood dining chairs.
Rachel and I dug through piles of stuff. She came away with some really cute vintage Pyrex and some jewelry pieces perfect for a lil' DIY project. I got three candlesticks (two brass, one silver, none mercury glass - but the ones I got were so cheap I knew I would never get a better deal) and a bentwood dining chair. (I'm buying them one at a time to save money, and because I want them slightly mismatched.) Two things that were already on my list! I did cave and get Girl Scout cookies, though... Those sly foxes -- they knew I couldn't pass up Samoas!
To the victor go the spoils
Edited to add: Apartment Therapy has been reading my brain again.
And though I didn't buy this, I just had to share the best thing I saw all day. Because who doesn't like a good "that's what she said" joke?
I just discovered this site, and I'm hooked. I'm not sure what qualifies an apartment to be "tiny-ass" but I live in a 600-ish sq ft one-bedroom thing in DC with a really inconvinent layout. I'll definitely be using some of your tips!
ReplyDeleteokay, I've got to say your blog is pretty frickin awesome.
ReplyDeleteIvoryPomegranate: My first apartment, the one that started it all, was 300ish square feet. But this past summer I moved into my current place, which is about 700. My apartment is no longer teeny-tiny, but it's definitely small. Yours definitely counts in my book! Also, Apartment Therapy's "Smallest Coolest" contest breaks up entrants by square footage size. You and I both totally qualify: http://contests.apartmenttherapy.com/2009/small-cool/main/info
ReplyDeleteCourtney: Aw, thanks! :-D
Plan of attack..that's my problem..I never have a plan of attack! PCC?! I'll have to visit.
ReplyDeleteEileen: If it weren't for that plan of attack, I'd have that stable of My Lil' Ponies instead of that chair. I have a feeling the chair will be more useful in the long run.
ReplyDeleteJust discovered you thanks to Design*Sponge. LOVE IT. I need all the tips I can get as I try to squeeze my boyfriend into the 650 sq/ft. apartment I've been inhabiting for three years. Also, I have that same Ikea rug, and your cat is pretty much identical to mine. So there's that.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had fun! Great to see photos of your flea market buys! I love candlesticks. Can't wait to see more photos of your current place!
ReplyDelete