Monthly Archives: April 2010

Fabulous Finds from Flea Markets In Oregon

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Hello everyone! As many of my readers know, I have been spending a bit of time in the Pacific Northwest and have been lucky to visit some truly FABULOUS flea markets and antiques & collectibles shops and I have been posting some of these visits right here to share with you all. Here are a couple neat finds from a recent visit to a NE Portland flea market. These are the coolest Orange Retro dog themed keychains that are handmade and hand etched by a local artisan.

I did find this vintage Lefton crying onion head relish jar, a 1950s  spaghetti poodle dog figurine and this neat vintage 1950s PY Lemon head anthropomorphic salt and pepper shaker set.  If you are interested to know more about these items visit here.

Main Street Collectors Mall & Soda Fountain

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Gorgeous day in Milwaukie, Oregon. Stopped in to visit Collector’s Mall on Main Street and their famous soda fountain. I have never been in collectibles shop with a soda fountain let alone soooo many toys and lunchboxes! Collector’s Mall is a pretty big place located right in the heart of old-town Main Street in Milwaukie, Oregon that is stuffed with toys, comics, records, lunch boxes, Star Wars memorabilia and as the lady who was ringing up my purchases said “this place if filled with so much crap”! I found some really cute items and it is NO exaggeration when I say I really had to dig and hunt for my 3 finds that consist of two Josef Originals figurines (a 4 year old Josef Original Birthday Angel and a Josef Original May Birth Month Figurine, along with a set of Miller Studio Chalkware Seahorse, Starfish and Sea Shell wall plaques).  I had a good time and urge you collectors out there to stop in for a visit if you are in the town of Milwaukie, Oregon as you may have to really dig and hunt but I am sure you walk out with some great treasure!

Main Street Collectors Mall & Soda Fountain
10909 SE Main Street
Milwaukie, OR 97222

VINTAGE PINK

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As I continue spending time in the Pacific Northwest, I was driving through the trendy “Hawthorne” district of southeast Portland, Oregon today when all of a sudden a bright pink building pops out and catches my eye. WOW – is what comes out of my mouth. I am excited, intrigued, and so anxious to park my car and go inside this hot pink retro vintage shop.

Vintage Pink is huge and has a ton of 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, items from records, vinyl, décor, tabletop, linens, clothing, purses, nick-nacks, shoes, and furniture. What really stood out to me was the reasonably priced vintage/retro furniture and it was all in really good condition. The place is very clean, brightly lit and well stocked and sellers keep their spaces neat and tidy. The store is really fabulous and you will be surprised.

Vintage Pink is a MUST stop place to visit if you are in Portland, Oregon.

Vintage Pink
2500 SE Hawthorne Boulevard
Portland, OR 97214


Surprises at South End Antiques & Collectibles Mall

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I am spending a bit of time in the Northwest visiting Oregon and Washington State. The weather today is what Northwesterners call “Gorgeous” as this morning is sunny and 60 degrees! Lots of Dogwood trees and Cherry Blossoms still have their amazing blooms and today I passed by a grove of enormous purple Azaleas that were truly breathtaking! Best part is, there are many flea markets and antique malls along with endless thrift shops to wander through and each offers a unique experience so, this week I will cover the fun of exploration at the many great Northwest flea markets and antiques & collectibles stops I explore.

Lets start with the South End Antiques & Collectibles Mall located in the charming town of Aurora, Oregon. From the outside this location didn’t seem like it would have lots to offer and boy was I wrong! Entering South End Antiques & Collectibles Mall revealed a bright, cheery, and sunny experience. This little mall has 25+dealers which is small in scale to many of the antiques malls I visit in the South but this place sure had a great selection and variety of items and the displays were really pleasing to the eyes. If you are interested in vintage romantic décor, vintage romantic country décor and vintage shabby romantic décor in a clean and tidy setting then you cannot miss stopping into South End Antiques & Collectibles in Aurora, Oregon.

I left this visit with a couple of cherry and tulip themed barkcloth tablecloths, a couple 1950s poodle dog figurines, and some amazing salt and pepper shakers. I was elated with all the great finds and the prices were some of the most reasonable I have seen in a long time. The shop offered a variety of complimentary beverages and cookies and the staff was so cheerful and helpful. I had a conversation with one of the employees as there were a pair of turquoise and hot pink vintage 1950s mama poodle dog with 2 chained puppies behind the register that I would have loved to have but she told me they were sold….to her as she has a little cottage style home that she has decorated in a 1950s vintage theme and that these poodle figurines were going to match her pink and blue bedroom. We then chatted about how much we both enjoy Romantic Country Magazine and she was hoping one day the magazine might come out and photograph her cottage, as it would match the magazines theme and she had submitted photos. Guess I will need to keep an eye out for her cottage one day appearing the magazine!

Today I had so much fun exploring South End Antiques & Collectibles Mall and I can’t remember the last time I got so exciting wandering through a new shop and having a new experience like I had today. I highly recommend a visit to this little surprise that practically guarantees a really happy experience for the visitor.

Decorating With Coffee Pot Lamps & Teapot Pincushions

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Do you ever wonder what to do with a teapot or coffee pot that are missing their lids?  Just because a lovely piece of china is not complete or has some damage does not mean it is ready for the trash but rather it can become part of your home décor and actually be repurposed into a useful lamp or pincushion.

On a junk jaunt not too long ago I came across a booth that had a wall arranged with various vintage teapot lids and coffee pot lids into a neat little artful display just like miniature paintings would be arranged; I wish I would have snapped a photo to share with you all as it was the sweetest display that would look so great in any cottage or country house décor.

Here are a couple patterns with instructions for crafting your very own teapot and teacup pincushions and coffee pot lamps. Remember that flea markets, antique malls, thrift shops and yard sales are all full of china and porcelains odds-n-ends that have a couple dings and nicks or are missing tops or bottoms and these can easily be fashioned into your new lamp or pincushion. Have fun!

Lamp-pattern
Pincushion-pattern

Exploring Vineyards Antique Mall

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This past weekend my husband was so wonderful and accompanied me to a new antique mall I had not been to and we were going to explore it together. We went to the Vineyards Antique Mall at 4701 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville, Texas. I had been looking for a different and new location to visit and did a quick search online and found the Vineyards Antique Mall and was thrilled that the mall touted their 300 dealers and booths so I got super excited as with this many booths I was bound to find a bunch of great stuff…or so I thought.

To describe Vineyards Antique Mall as an antique mall would not be accurate. The mall is very clean and there were lots of dealers fixing their booths. The huge mall is better described as a home décor, crafts, gifts, hand-made, bookstore, kids clothes, and furniture store with very little antiques and collectibles. If you are looking for floral arrangements, pillows, wall décor, candles, and kids stuff then this is the place for you. Yes, there were a few booths that had items like tools, cars, license plates; stuff for men, and they even had a “back room” that was all Christmas trees and Christmas decorations, and even another back room that was for ministries and I think they were holding services the day we visited the mall. We really had to walk through the entire mall to search out any antiques and collectibles and yes, approx. 20% of the mall has these items but they are intertwined amongst booths and stuff.  It was interesting maneuvering our cart around and looking at all the items as we explored this new mall.

Up towards the entry is the tearoom called Coco’s Tea Room and it looked very nice though it was not open when we were there. The menu looked good and it featured a lot of Italian dishes.

All in all we did end up finding a couple collectible items so all our walking around and exploring was rewarded. The staff was nice and helpful. Shopping carts were provided for ease of shopping. Mall looks like they will rent space to pretty much anyone who has something to sell but maintains a clean and pleasant atmosphere. Will we go back, probably, but for the interests we have we will visit the mall a couple times a year but not weekly or monthly like some of our other favorite antique malls in the area.  If you happen by Vineyards Antique Mall drop us a note, we would love to hear your thoughts!