Vintage Market Days Finds

Vintage Market Days came to town last weekend and it was amazing!  It was held at the local fair grounds in the livestock barn and the place was filled to the brim with wonderful booths full of vintage goodies, handmade crafts, and all kinds of fun stuff!
If you haven't heard of Vintage Market Days, don't worry, it's a new concept that just got started in 2012.  Two women came up with the concept in Tulsa, OK, and now independent operations have started branching off into surrounding states.  To learn more, click here or to learn more about the Northwest Arkansas events, click here.
The best way I can describe it is like a traveling antique/flea market, but you walk through the booths like a craft fair.  There were all kinds of vintage items, some really pretty furniture, and unique handmade items.  There was also new stuff (I found some really cute shoes for only $12!) like clothes and jewelry.  I have an unyielding love for anything vintage so I was in heaven.  I went after some smaller items and here are some of my favorite finds. 

These dish towels are my favorite!

The lady at this booth was so nice!  These vintage dish towels are screen printed with some cute sayings.  The first one says 'Pass the biscuits, pass the tea, thank you Lord for blessing me.'

The middle one says 'southern as sweet tea.'

And the last one says 'nothing says lovin' like something from the oven.'

 The owner uses real vintage dish towels and I love this one that has a little piece of embroidery on the back.  It was really stained and I didn't think I wanted it until I saw that sweet little mailbox and flowers. How precious!  

 

I also found this vintage cross stitch that was framed.  I have another one in our bedroom that says 'Life is fragile, handle with prayer' and I think they will look great together!

There is something so special about vintage items like this I think.  Maybe it's because I was so close to my great-grandmother and I can just imagine her using these dish towels, or working on that cross stitch.  I just can't help but thinking about the women who used these items.  I think about the hard work they put in making three meals a day for their families.  I think about the little mouths they cleaned off, and the strawberry jam that was cleaned up.  I think about the tired hands that practiced embroidery and then sat back and admired their work.  I feel like it's living history in my home, and I'm proud to give it new life and a longer story to tell.
But, maybe that's just the romantic in me. :)

After Easter Finds

I've always been a big believer in shopping 'out of season.'  As in, shopping for winter clothes in summer, summer clothes in winter, and buying holiday decorations after the holiday.  You can find some awesome deals that others pass up simply because they aren't in the mindset to buy because the holiday has passed.  Case in point: these 2 super cute Easter pictures!  I found these at TJ Maxx this weekend, sitting all lonely on the bottom shelf, just begging to be purchased.  They had originally been $19.99 (TJ Maxx price- I'm sure much more anywhere else), but I snagged them for $7.50 each!  I love them and I just know they will be super cute to decorate with....next year.  I don't have any problem buying them now, storing them, and then enjoying them later.  Plus, it will be a little surprise when I unpack them next spring!

 So cute!!!!

So, moral of the story: Don't be afraid to buy things out of season!  You will seriously not regret it the following year, plus you'll get to brag about how cheap your finds were! :)