What to take with you to the Flea Market

It's Spring

so that means Flea Market season!

Yay!

Have you ever wondered what to take with 

you to the Flea Market?

Well, if you have, you've come to the right place!

My local flea market is the Nashville Flea Market.  

It is held at the Nashville Fairgrounds.

The parking lot is at street level,

but the fairgrounds are quite a hike up a hill.

Wearing comfy shoes is a must!!! 

It is so worth that hike up the hill

because the Nashville Flea Market is AWESOME!!

There are many vendors inside,

in climate controlled buildings,

and a bunch outside.

The weather in Nashville can be a little unpredictable.

It could be hot and it could be chilly.

So I always check the weather and wear layers.

I always take a cart to haul all of my treasures.

I actually bought this vintage shopping cart at the flea market.  

I sprayed some sealer on it to keep the rust 

from getting on everything.

It folds flat to store easily.

I like to stick a reusable shopping back down 

in the bottom of the cart to keep my purchases from falling

through the holes.

The next time I go to the flea market (4th weekend of the month)
I am going to take this wagon for a test drive.

It's so easy to pull and I think I can fit more stuff in it!

It also folds flat for storage.

Rather than carry a purse, I carry a simple tote bag.

It can haul my wallet and all of my other essential items,

as well as any small purchases.

This tote bag is my favorite!

Look at how small my babes were!

The most important thing to bring is CASH!

Some vendors take cards, 

but cash is always king!

There is an ATM at the flea market if you forget, or need more.

Most of my favorite booths are outside

in the animal stalls.

That means there is a lot of dirt and a lot of dust.

I always bring hand sanitizer and wipes to keep my hands clean.

There are also bathrooms inside the buildings with running water.

A tape measure is a good thing

to have on hand to measure your purchases.

Nothing worse than buying something and figuring out it won't fit 

in the spot you have planned for it, or even worse, 

not fit in your vehicle to take it home!

I always bring a water bottle and a few snacks.

Food and drinks are for sale at the flea market,

but I'd rather save my money to score treasures!

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I have had the best time

and found the best stuff at the Nashville Flea Market.

The flea market is such a good place to score

one of a kind treasures.

I found all of these vintage lamp pieces!

I used them to make Repurposed metal candle holders.

I can't wait to see what I find on my next trip!

For more information see

Tips and Tricks for shopping at the Nashville Flea Market.

Game Night Party

Do you want to host an event for 

your friends or a large group?

Host a game night!

For any party I am throwing, the 

first thing I start with is the invitation!

I found some scrabble tiles

and chess pieces on the internet.  

I googled "free game piece png"

A png is like a digital sticker.

It has a transparent back ground.

It's easy to add to an invitation 

in photo editing software.

(I use Pic Monkey, which is free)

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This party was held at my church.

I made dice by wrapping 12 x 12 boxes with

white wrapping paper.*

Then I used a large circle punch*

to create circles for the dice.

I used a foam core board to make a Welcome Sign.

I cut colored cardstock into squares

and wrote the words with markers.*

I used a game board,

my lightbox*, a jar of vintage game pieces

for the greeting table.

I used labels* for name badges.

Our ward (church congregation) just split.  

This is the first time a bunch of new people

have gotten together so it helped to have name badges.

Decoration ideas

I used a rag banner (tied strips of fabric to twine).

I printed large scrabble letters and clipped them to yarn.

I also used a felt pennant banner  

that was made from inexpensive felt sheets sewn to ribbon.

All of the guests brought appetizers and desserts to share.

As a host, don't forget to provide:

plates,

napkins,

silverware

and drinks.

I always use bottled water

because it's inexpensive and easy

to serve to a large group!

Appetizer ideas

7 layer dip

ham and swiss sliders

veggie and fruit tray

salsa and chips

chex mix

cookie bars

brownie cookies

On the tables,

I used white table cloths.

For centerpieces I used board games.

It's a fun and functional centerpiece!

Games were played in small groups at the tables.

We also played 

Charades.

It was SO entertaining to laugh with friends!

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This party for a very enjoyable evening!

I totally recommend having a game night!

How to Declutter your home for Spring

SPRING!

It's the time of year to clean,
clear out the clutter and
get your home free of junk!

That's really easy to say,

but not so easy to do!

Where does one start when faced with an area,

a room or even a house that needs decluttering?

If you want to declutter

and don't know where to begin,

let me tell you my process for
clearing out closets, drawers and everything else.

First of all,

Get 3 boxes, baskets or even blankets

and put a sign on each one.
Put the 3 baskets into the room that you are cleaning.

Start with one pile (or drawer),
in one corner, in one room.

Go through each and every item.

Make a quick decision and put it into

one of 3 baskets:

Keep, Donate or Toss.

Don't take too long to think about where

to put each item.

You can evaluate again later.

Keep

Items to keep:

items that you currently use, 

items that you have a plan for using,

or items that are sentimental.

All keep items MUST have a place to

go, or you cannot keep them.

Donate

Items to donate: 

items that are in decent condition

but are no longer useful in your home

such as:  toys, games,

clothes that no longer fit or that are no longer worn,

housewares, furniture, decor, dishes, etc.

A good rule of thumb is to donate
anything that you 

have not used in one year.

If the item in your donate pile is in 

great condition,

you could try selling it in on a Facebook sale page.

Toss

Throw away anything broken,

out of date or non repairable.

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After the initial sort,

go through your keep pile again.  

It will most likely be the biggest

because we get emotionally attached to our possessions.

Go through the pile a few times 

and pare down the items you would like to keep 

and those you can part with.

Keep in mind the space 

that you will use to store the keep items.

If you have sentimental attachment to things,

but don't have the room to store them,

take a photo and then donate the actual item.

It's the memory of the item you want to hang

on to, not necessarily the stuff.

I am a fairly sentimental person,

so I have to be very intentional with the stuff I save!

My kids each have 2 totes.

One is full of sentimental baby/child items.

The other is filled with file folders for documents and papers.

That's it.

I am also working on paring down

the amount of home decor, holiday decor

and everything else that clogs up my house.

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After you have finished going through the 

Keep pile, move to the donate pile.

It is important to 

take action on your donate pile

as soon as possible, or it will

become another pile, and you will 

have to go through this process again.

I bag my donate pile up immediately

and put it in my trunk.

Then I can go through the thrift store drop off

on my way to school pick up or other errands.

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After you have taken care of your donate pile,

move to the trash pile.

Immediately bag all trash

and dispose of it.

____________________

Now you can move onto another area of your home.

Repeat this process over and over again

until you have cleaned everything!

For more cleaning ideas, you can check out:

6 housekeeping hacks to work smarter, not harder

Why you should have a Cleaning Schedule

My favorite Cleaning products

Floral and Greenery Spring Mantel

Floral and Greenery Spring Mantel

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With all of the Spring plant posts

I've done lately, 

vintage chicken feeder succulent holder

update home decor with plants

lavender spring wreath

I'm going to be the crazy plant lady!

I can't help it.

After a long winter, I love filling my 

home with green and life.

Or at least plants that look alive!

Inspired by a display I saw at a local market,

I decided to add some greenery, faux lavender

and hanging watering cans to my mantel for spring.

I bought some mini watering cans from Hobby Lobby.

They looked too new,

 so I distressed them a bit by wiping  

a bit of brown, white and black craft paint

on them with a paper towel.

I made a chicken wire message board years ago

(so long ago that the photos are terrible)

from hardware store chicken wire and 

canvas frame stretchers.

I used a garland from Hobby lobby to drape

over the top of my mantel.

It is held in place with push pins.

At the top, I used a branch from my 

yard, hung with clear command hooks.

I hung the watering cans with cotton twine.

I filled the watering cans with faux lavender.

 I bought this Spring metal sign.

To antique it a bit,

I sprayed it with textured spray paint.

I used little metal clips to

attach it to the chicken wire.

A fun mantel for Spring!

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It's the 2nd Wednesday of the month,

so that means it's the

Inspire My Creativity Link Party!

This months theme is Spring!

Check out the projects from my friends! 

Shani  |  Sunshine & Munchkins

Anna  |  Practical and Pretty

Ali  |  Home Crafts by Ali

Christine  |  Swordfights & Starry Nights

Meg  |  The Kusi Life

Lauren  |  A Life of Love and Joy

Amy  |  Leap of Faith Crafting

Jaclyn  |  The Dotted Nest

Victoria  |  Dazzle While Frazzled

Sydney  |  Tastefully Frugal

Julia  |  The Quiet Grove

Pam  |  P.S. I Love You Crafts

Marie  |  The Inspiration Vault

Then link up, up to 3 of any of your projects with a spring theme.

An InLinkz Link-up

Join us next month!






linking up to:  
BFF Link Party

Repurposed Metal and Spindle Candle Holders

Candice is my name

and junkin is my game!

I love the thrill of the hunt

and I love repurposing my found treasures 

into other things.

One of my fave things lately

is repurposing old lamp parts,

light fixtures and spindles 

into candle holders.

Lavender Spring Wreath

Hey friends!

Happy April!

At this time of year,

I'm loving all the green grass , flowers and everything else springy-

including this Lavender Wreath I made for my front door.

End of the month - March Favorites

I blinked and here it is-

only ONE more day of March!

How in the world did that happen?

It's kind of a blur.

I'm glad I have these monthly recap posts to remind me!