Sunday, Sunday…

Beat the weather to the market and then the vintage fair today.

The fleamarket yielded six (yes, six) DVDs to keep the kids happy and 'Jimmy Smith Plays the Standards' on vinyl. Time was, it would have bothered me that "DALE" has written his name in biro across the album sleeve.)

1950s print cotton dress and Jimmy Smith Plays the Standards LP on vinyl.

Wallpaper sample book.

I wonder what Dale's up to now...

It's been a long time...

Week in week out, I still never miss the Sunday morning flea market at Brighton Marina. Today, being a sunny day squeezed in between rainy ones, was very busy and what treasures were to be had in that last frantic sell-off before the end of summer!

Wow! What's this – "I went for dinner at Mr Chow before heading for Studio 54"? Just look at those shoulders! Black and gold silk brocade jacket with decorative topstitching, pristine condition.

Next up, had to trust my marketing companion on this one as there was no mirror on this seller's stall nor on any round about, but when I got this 1950s grey and white skirt suit home I could see she was right. It's perfect fit, made in some mysterious place where the bottom half is two sizes bigger than the top half and somehow they had my measurements thirty years before I was born.

To top it all (not literally), a free fez!

I think I need to go for a lie down now, after all that excitement.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog. My name is Carol and I am an illustrator/designer/printmaker/dressmaker/crafter/collector/seller... blah blah blah.

Anyway, where to start? Well, why not with one of my favourites: fleamarkets. There's only one thing better than rummaging through a load of old tat and that's rummaging through a load of old tat on holiday. The week before last I visited a fleamarket which I'd rank as one of the best ever (I'm hovering over the keys here wondering whether I should keep this gem to myself, oh go on then) - the Saturday morning (6am-11am) flohmarkt on the riverbank at Dresden, Germany. Mid-century homewares, ceramics, clothing, textiles and Ostalgie mostly for five euros and less.

I was very glad to have Shaun with me - his ability to speak very good German kept the prices down, as soon as the traders heard me their prices quadrupled. We only wish we'd be there with a van...

I'm aiming to keep this blog updated reasonably regularly and you can expect more from me on the subjects of illustration and desing, printmaking, vintage clothing, collecting and maybe anything else of interest that crosses my mind.

TTFN! Carol x