Flea Markets & Spring Baby Shower

Sunday morning I went to the Great Park Antique Market in Irvine, CA. They call it an "antique" market, but it is really more of a vintage flea market. Lots of old stuff, some new stuff, but all kinds of fun stuff to be found. It is held the first Sunday of each month.


I was on the hunt for items to use for a spring-time baby shower. The mommy-to-be is artsy and a bit edgy, but with a super soft side too. She is having a girl and I am so excited to be designing this shower for her. She knows some of my ideas, but not every design detail, and she could peek-in here, so I am just sharing a few of the items I have collected. I want her to be somewhat surprised.

I will be making something special with all of the doilies I am collecting for the shower.  I've found several baby baskets to use and will paint them. Old time clothes pins were a fun thrift find as well. Everything in this photo was found except the burlap, which is new.

This pile was from one vendor at the market that had great prices - I had a hard time stopping. This big pile was just $5. - which was nice compared to a single small doily I saw at a thrift store the other day for $3.50 (which I did not purchase!)

Some of the pieces in this pile were thrifted from an Orange County store called SAVERS. Their prices are very fair compared to some stores in San Diego.

These pieces have already been tea-stained. To do this I make a strong brew of black tea in a large pot on the stove (then turn off heat) and let the doilies soak for as long as it takes to get the color I want - maybe an hour or two. Some of them were white and some other shades of ecru, but they all came out the same after their tea bath. I saved the tea solution and will warm it up and soak all the new pieces.

My daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter Olive, came along with me to the market.  See that big orange ball in the photo? That is a helium balloon that you can take a ride in. It stays tethered and holds 25-30 people at one time. We wanted to go up and see the great view, but Olive needed a nap, so we decided to do it another time. Can't wait for that.