New Paintings to Share

Even with the kids out on a 4 day weekend, I had time to do some paintings this past Sunday. I wanted to share the new lovelies that will be making their way to some wonderful organizations. Yep.. it is that time again. Donation time. As a store owner we get asked all year long for door prizes, gift certificates, teacher appreciation gifts, product for gift baskets, etc. If I gave to every single one I would be long gone and out of business by now. Once in awhile I get asked to donate a piece of art for a good cause and I am always happy to participate.

This one I am calling Afternoon Tea. It will be going to the Heritage Art Auction to help raise money for the Heritage School. Normally I only do things for the school that my kids go. But I was intrigued by this one because if your painting sells...you get 1/2. I like that and I can broaden my clientele base for my paintings and for the shop.

close up on tea cups.

This one is framed.

Here is another painting that I did called The Littlest Bird. This one is going to be in an Art Silent Auction at the Brooks Elementary School Fall Festival this Friday evening.

I was channeling my Artist friend Jenni Horne into this painting. She does several pieces with whimsical sayings. Here the verse is taken from a song lyric from Be Good Tanyas.. The littlest bird sings the prettiest song.

If you would like to bid on this painting, please contact me at flea@numail.org and I will pass your bid on to the art show organizer, Alison Kelleher.

And finally, this one will be hard for me to let go. I am just in love with him... I titled this painting Best Friend. He will be going to the Newnan-Coweta Humane Society for their First Annual Furr Ball on November 7th. It will be a Dinner/Dance and will be held at Something Special on Greenville Street. If you would like more information about this event, please call 770-356-1626.

Here he is close up.

Enjoy!!

The Art of a Lampshade

Last January, after scouring the Americas Mart in Atlanta, I noticed all the gorgeous lamps and lampshades in the high design showrooms like Aiden Gray. I also noticed the incredible price tags that went along with them... wholesale at $100 and up!! The lamps were so/so. The shades, however, were the crown jewels. Have you ever been to Anthropologie and stopped to look at their shades? You will be forking out anywhere from $80 to $180 for a shade there... A LAMPSHADE!! I knew it was time to do a little research and learn how to make them for myself.

Above are two beautiful lampshades currently offered on the Anthropologie website.

Fast forward several months... I found this interesting blog called The Lampshade Lady and I became hooked. I loved reading every post and especially seeing her beautiful shades. She does teach workshops but the problem was she offered them in her studio in Vermont. Then she wrote a book!! So I had to wait until August before the book arrived on my doorstop.

Above is a sample from The Lampshade Lady's book

I was happy to learn that the drum shade was the easiest of all lampshades to make. So I ordered my supplies and waited a little more.....

So what do you think?? I finally made my first drum shade today. To be truthful it isn't as easy as the lampshade lady wants you to believe and now I see why you pay $$ for them at the stores. It does take a lot of time to put it together. BUT that being said, I don't think I did too bad for my first shade. Just need a little more practice.

The next time you are in the shop look around a bit. You just might find one of my custom lampshades sitting upon a vintage lamp. Which of course will make the lamps irresistible. Happy Shopping!

Halloween on Sale

We are finally doing it.. all Flea Halloween is now on sale. 30% Off!! This will be the only markdown so get your Halloween treats while supplies last.

Got to make room for our Christmas inventory which will be coming out in 2 weeks. Want to know our theme this year?? Here's a hint.... God Jul!

2nd weekend... must be Scott's weekend

Do you remember the Lakewood Flea Market? Oh how we all miss Lakewood. On the 2nd weekend of every month, I always made a trip to Lakewood to scour over the fabulousness of it all. Now that is where you could find the deals. During the era of Lakewood, there was always the Scott's Antique Market held during the same time (2nd weekend). Now if you were looking for true antiques... this was the place to go. Bring the bank loan with you- expensive! Well my friends, it is still expensive BUT you can find some great deals if you know where to look.

First of all there are two major buildings of the Scott's Antique Market, the South Building and the North Building. Each compound is separated by the I-85 interstate. On the South side, many of the old Lakewood dealers have set up camp on the outside of the building in the old parking lot. This is where you will find the most of your bargains. In fact, they usually set up on Wednesdays so that inside antique dealers have first pick. (Then they go home, clean up the pieces, and sell it the next month for 3-4x the $ they paid for it)

I purposely didn't bring my checkbook, only $200 in cash. I had a mission- I wanted to find vintage blingy pins to make more belt buckles and lampshades.

Julie from Two Turtle Doves, the store next to mine, went with me this weekend. She was determined not to spend any money until I did. Here she is talking to Dave about the Vintage Chicken Coop.

Well she had nothing to worry about because I fell in love with this bird sculpture from his booth.

Just what I needed, sticks. No really these are large Hickory sticks that were selling for $2.00 each. I bought 3 of them to make the Christmas tree this year at The Vintage-Flea. Intrigued?? You'll have to wait and see.....

Inside the buildings are hundreds and hundreds of booth spaces all set up with their goodies.

I loved this idea of lavender sachets made from gorgeous fabric remnants.

And of course, what day of shopping wouldn't be complete without some yummy food.
Here is the back of my car with all of our deals from the day. About 1/2 goes to Julie-- I think she won the who spent more contest.
Have a great weekend!

Random.org said......

Congrats no. 11!! Alyson you are our winner in our Sweet Halloween Necklace giveaway!! Alyson wrote about her favorite trick-or-treat costume:

My favorite memory was the last year I went trick or treating with my best friend. We made our own costumes and dressed up as aliens. We had football helmets covered in tin foil, antenna made of wire and painted Styrofoam balls, and green leotards. The best part of the costume was the green, gooey oatmeal facial. By the end of the night it was dripping off our faces.

That is one costume I will not be trying. Thank you Alyson, please contact us so we can get you your new necklace.

Blingy Belt Buckles

Another fabulous batch will be making their way to The Flea very soon!!

Our Halloween Giveaway

Well it is no secret how much I love Halloween. The colors, sounds, smells.. the fantasy of being someone else for the evening. It's magical to me. Now my children prefer store bought costumes, but there once was a time where I handmade the outfits. We did everything from witch, mermaid, ladybug, pumpkin, woodland fairy, and robot. Seems my mom enjoyed making costumes too. Here is a picture of me on the far right as Ragedy Ann. I was wearing a mop on my head!! (that is my younger brother on the left with his matching frock)

I would love to hear about your favorite handmade costume. Whether you made if for someone or had to wear it yourself as a tyke.. .tell me about it. Leave me a comment. Then I will choose
someone at random to receive one of these fabulous BOOtiful

necklaces which have sweet halloween silhouettes encased in glass. Our drawing will be on October 1st so get your comments to soon.

Dealer Spotlight.. Grit and Grace

Do you ever watch the Rachel Zoe project on Bravo TV? I am "Bananas" over this show! I am also "Bananas" over our next dealer.. Natalie Hayes, owner of Grit and Grace. She is our very own Rachel Zoe with her quirky inspirational t-shirts and Bohemian clothing collections that she represents upstairs at The Vintage-Flea. Natalie is so adorable when she comes in the shop wearing her adorable outfits, fabulous jewelry, and her vintage cowboy boots. This is what we learned about Grit and Grace....

Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo TV, Monday at 10pm

Flea..Hi Natalie.. thank you for participating. You are definitely a Southern Girl with tons of Southern Charm. What part of the South are you originally from?

Natalie..I am Originally from Atlanta.Ga.,a true Southern belle! My brother and I would go the movies on the weekends at the Fox theatre,and play at Piedmont Park.I attended College at The High Museum of Art in Atlanta,and received my BA.I met my husband, Peter,And that is how I landed in Newnan.We have three children, J.P.,23,Ben and Bailey, twins,that are 20! The last 23 years have been busy,fun filled years raising our children,and dogs!
Flea..You once had an antique booth over at Mrs. Wendy's Antiques.. how did you get started in antiques?

Natalie..I got started in Antiques after my Mom's Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe passed away.They were avid antique dealers from the Baltimore,Maryland area.They had a barn full of treasures "their so called rejects or unwanted projects", that they gifted to me. Why me? I use to play in their barn as a young girl and pretend I had a store with one of their old cash registers. I guess you could say they made my " play, pretend days" become true!
Flea.. But now you are selling the coolest clothes upstairs at The Flea.. Why the huge 360?
Natalie.. 360! it is! I was looking to mix it up a bit, and never dreamed the mix would be cool,hip t-shirts. They just grabbed attention with their amazing designs, colors,and inspiring messages.The t-shirts are a way to connect with customers offering everyone a chance to share short stories of there lives,journeys, and motherhood.

Flea.. How would you describe your personal style?
Natalie.. My personal style would probably be a"relaxed,hip mom" style! I say just be your own style,and have fun,and do not be fearful of change.Be creative with something old, and something new from "Grit and Grace" at The Vintage Flea!
Flea.. I am sure you keep up with the trends, what do you predict will be hot for Fall 2009?

Natalie.. The Trend For Fall 2009....Well,I do not claim to be a Fashion Diva in the fashion world! But,An oversized Boyfriend t-shirt, colorful scarf, short jacket, skinny jeans,and a pair of short boots! Great colors for fall are anything in purples and grays,and do not forget a big funky ring with some festive earrings.

Flea.. Thank you Natalie so much for playing along with us!
Natalie.. And many thanks to,Valerie and The Vintage Flea girls for All your smiling faces,great hospitality and over the help and hard work! I am so grateful to be a part of this great store.

Artful Night

Just a few pictures of the fun we had on Friday night at Art Walk in downtown Newnan. The weather man forcasted rain but luckily it broke around 3pm and it remained clear and sunny the rest of the evening. Here I am with one of the artists, Jenni Horne.

I was amazed by the amount of people who came through my little shop. I think this year had the best turnout to date. Here this customer is trying to decide which artistic jewelry to buy from Dayna Miles.
Here we have a customer admiring Jenni's work.

Mary did not leave the register all night!!

One of our tablescapes outside.. like I said it ended up being a beautiful night so we put out two tables for the crowd.

This way they could enjoy the wonderful music provide by Tyler and River, two boys from Northgate High School. Their mother told me this was their second "gig".

I think everyone had fun. Our next big event will be Oktoberfest for the beer tasting boutique. This will be October 23rd from 5pm-9pm.

Art Walk Countdown.. 2 more days

A few more artists have stopped by The Flea to set up their beautiful creations. Sherry Cook brought in her whimsical folk art goodies...

and her amazing encaustic pieces.
Jan Fruit is a newbie to the art scene but she has certainly blasted out of the gate!! She recently learned out to make these colorful hooked rug creations..

portraits are her specialty! Here we have her doggie and her adorable husband.

More pictures to come! Hope you will all mosey on down to The Flea and support the local artists of Coweta County. Art Walk is this Friday, September 18th from 5pm-8pm.

ART WALK.. countdown

Yes it is that time again.. my how time flies between the Downtown Spring and Fall Art Walks. But the countdown has begun at The Vintage-Flea. I am finishing up putting out Fall and Halloween decor as we speak and setting up the Artist areas. This year we have a variety of talent that will be showcased. Hook Rug portraits from Jan Fruit, Folk Art creations from Sherry Cook, Paintings from Charlotte Scarce, Acoustic Guitar serenades from Tyler, Encaustic Wax art from myself (Valerie Dumas), and Mixed Media Paintings from Jenni Horne.

Art Walk will be this Friday, September 18th from 5pm-8pm. Adult beverages will be served along with snacks. Hope to see you there.
Artwork by Jenni Horne
Artwork by Valerie Dumas

Dealer Spotlight- Georgia Ann

Now that the Labor Day Sale is over.. it is full speed ahead at The Vintage-Flea. Fall and Halloween merchandise will be going out on the floor beginning this week. With that means a store redo with interesting vignettes reflecting the our carefully thought out themes. And while we are going to be upside down for a bit downstairs, I have to give props to my wonderful vendors upstairs (and a few downstairs too). Most come in every week to say hello to us and to bring in new goodies into their booths. We appreciate them and with that I am starting a new Dealer Spotlight Series... for you to appreciate them too. First up on my list is the very effervescent Ann Pelrose or Georgia Ann. She literally lights up my day with her huge smile!

Flea: Tell me a bit about yourself, are you from Newnan originally?

Georgia Ann: I grew up in south Alabama, where country living is very simple. We walked barefoot, swam in creeks, and every Sunday we went to my Mama Rosa's where she always cooked fried chicken and made banana pudding. I have been married for 21 years and have two sons, ages 15 and 19, that I absolutely adore.

Flea: You have 2 sons and have a cleaning business.. how do you have time to find things for your booth?

Georgia Ann: Yard Sales. Yard Sales. Yard Sales. My absolute favorite thing to do. Saturday mornings are my time. "Early bird gets the worm."
Flea: So we all have dumpster dived at one time or another to find a fabulous piece.. do you have any funny stories to share?
Georgia Ann: About 5 years ago, I was taking my oldest son to school at Newnan high when I spotted this neat, primitive little table on the side of the road. I had my son jump out and load it up. My husband thought it was the ugliest table he had ever seen. Well guess what? It was the first piece I sold when I first opened my booth!
Flea: You have lots of primitives in your booth and yet some amazing vintage finds as well. (I'm so in love in your vintage mustard card catalog) How do you describe your design style?
Georgia Ann: I have a country soul and my roots trace back to the deep south. Mixing old with new is the trendy thing to do and it really shows my style.

Flea: Lastly.. What collections do you have at home that you treasure most?

Georgia Ann: For my 10th wedding anniversary, my husband brought home an old primitive corn bin (I was so excited!!) from Blue Ridge, Ga. It had a hole in the front where rats had chewed it up trying to get to the corn mill. It has so much character!

Thank you Ann for playing with us!!

Annual Labor Day Side Walk Sale

Just a reminder that this weekend will be Mainstreet's Annual Side Walk Sale!! This is the day that The Vintage-Flea will pull out all the old displays, merchandise, furniture, etc from the back storage room and put it all out front at BARGAIN prices. Our gorgeous 8' Harvest table was $650.. now only $400, Chenille Loveseat was $250.. now $175, and much much more.
Sale starts Friday, September 5th at 9am. See you on the Square!

Ann's Butcher Block was $1200.. now only $950

8' Harvest Table priced to SELL!