Why a flea market fills the well

Another heavy photo post today. This time with the photos I snapped at Pingstkyrkan’s loppis (flea market) in Viksängen. It’s my absolute favorite loppis right now. Mom and I visit there rather often and we’ve never left empty handed I think. They fill it up with new “old stuff” each day and the circulation of things is great!

Going to a flea market is filling the well for me. That is an expression I learned from reading Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way I think. If you’re an artist you need to “fill the well” of inspiration every now and then. Some go to an art museum others go to the library. And while I enjoy both of those a good flea market will make me happy every time. I like the diversity of items, you can get anything from office supplies to vintage shoes, from goodie-bags of embroidery floss to furniture.

My only complaint about flea markets here in Sweden is that they almost never sell ephemera or papers like letters, notebooks or photos. Never!

This week I went there with dad and a friend. I brought my camera and had lots of fun taking photos of stuff. It’s a very different experience to bring the camera because it makes you view each item in a different way.

I loved taking these photos. I hope you enjoy looking at them, let me know about your favorites!

The record rack would look great in a 1950’s environment (Maria?) and these yellow and bright colors makes me think of Tricia and her apartment;

Personally I love the look of glass, because anything will look nice together (especially if displayed in a window or under a light) and it comes in every form and size possible! I think I would start collecting glass mini pitchers if I had somewhere to display them, or maybe sugar bowls or coffee cups in transparent glass? :-)

I’m also a big fan of porcelains with prints. Cups, plates, jars, vases. I adore the painted birds with pink flowers I found this time, but the mugs were to heavy for my liking. I think this is a common “problem” (or maybe luck) that the look is great but the form is not perfect (for me) or vise versa!? That’s when the camera comes in handy!

And more…

What about this cat;

Would you’ve bought it? It’s so ugly that it becomes cute. It’s supposed to be a cat but it has the look of a silly monkey. Hilarious! I wish I’d bought it even though I just laughed when I saw it in the store. It would have looked great with my pink cat with kittens and the very kitchy black poodle I own, I swear it would.

Kitch kitch kitch!

A knitting grandma with her newspaper reading husband.

Friends. A ceramic mini owl and his friend the dog and the mouse.

A paper organizer in metal for the office. I think its way cool!

A lid decorated with roses.

I picked up the brown owl and was going to take him home until I found another one that I fell in love with! I bought that owl instead. I think he is way cool, look at those wings and giant eyes;

He was 35 sek but I had to have him! I now own 3 glass owls, this latest one being my favorite because he looks like a children’s drawing! Behind him you can spot the flower pot. Also got a few tops and yes, the desktop paper organizer from some official office somewhere came with me home!

Wouldn’t you considered this one a great find!? It is a very heavy piece that folds open to the side and has three compartments. I wonder who Knytte is? I really like the metal color but I might try to spray paint it later, that would be cool too.

Dad has a huge collection of books about gardening and I took a photo of his pile of finds too:

Now he can fill his inspiration well as well, just in time for spring!