Flea Markets

A delightful two-in-one guidebook, with many of the authors' favorite shops and stalls illustrated in color. The wares of hundreds of them are described, with notes about proprietors and their specialties and quirks. There are maps and directions for finding markets, tips on bargaining, and even suggestions for nearby cafes. -- Interior Design, August 1999

Whether you are a first-time visitor to France or a seasoned Francophile, general tourist or serious collector, this guide to the flea markets of France is an essential companion on your travels.
        
Sandy Price, a voracious flea marketer, has toured the French countryside to compile this exhaustive and comprehensive listing of flea markets. She has discovered exactly which markets--whether they are urban or rural, upscale or low-end--are the best for uncovering specific treasures from
café au lait bowls and faïence pottery to antique clothes and linens to war memorabilia and farm tools.
        
Organized by region, markets are rated according to price range and quality of merchandise, scenic value, and nearby amenities. Far from being a dry catalog of lists and addresses, this guide provides colorful history and cultural information, invaluable collecting advice, travel tips, and restaurant recommendations that could only come from someone who has frequented the sometimes off-the-beaten paths to the flea markets of France.
        
Exploring the Flea Markets of France is an indispensable sourcebook for anyone looking for authentic French treasures to bring back home.
More than 200 market listings
Descriptions of more than 30 popular French collectibles
A handy English-French glossary of key phrases you'll need to know to bargain successfully
Important packing, shipping, and customs information
9 maps

This is an excellent introduction to the hunting of old objects and the incorporation of those discoveries into a home. It is not, as the editors are quick to point out, a guide to cashing in on the next hot collectible; instead, it is filled with information about the how-tos of antiquing, eight examples of decor, room-by-room ideas, and notes about restoration. Pictures tell the stories well; an architect-collector talks about repurposing objects, exemplifying his philosophy by transforming antique faucet handles into towel holders. Every scrap of data is valuable, whether it's almost the technique of paste wax application to decorations or about purchasing old objects. Great for the just plain curious and the novice; a good refresher for the initiated. Barbara Jacobs

Dog lovers and kitsch fans watch out: this goofy little giftbook-cum-photo album is stocked to the gills (or should we say whiskers?) with photographs of vintage pooch doorstops, salt-and-pepper shakers, paintings, books and toys. It's "always junking season" for Leiner and Moss, the former a freelance writer and publicist and the latter the author of Hello Kitty, Hello Everything, and they chronicle their flea market finds in chirpy, pun-laden and alliterative paragraphs. Think of items like "puppy potholders, terrier textiles," "woof woof wearables" and "Fido photographs"-and pronouncements along the lines of "no bones about it." For readers who can stomach the prose-or who just like the vibrant pictures-this book is a gold mine of secondhand canine treasures. The photo captions and bits of history (about Marguerite Kirmse, for example, an early 20th century illustrator) are more sedate, and a "Go Fetch" section at the end points readers to antique stores and flea markets around the country.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

If you like car-boot sales, antique fairs or flea markets, you'll find this book invaluable. Written in association with "Country Living" magazine, it is an informative and knowledgeable guide to every sort of collectible to be found. China, basket-ware, textiles and glass are but a few looked at in depth: history, care, restoration and display or use. How to tell pottery apart from porcelain, detect a real Lloyd Loom chair or bakelite ashtray, where to find your local market and innovative ideas on how to use your finds in attractive ways. Packed with advice and many colour photographs, this is another practical "Country Living" guide, presented in a question and answer format for easy reference. - Lucy Watson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The eclectic look is home decor's hottest trend, but flea market shopping has become a national obsession, making it difficult to find real bargains. BJ Berti reveals how easy it is to get the look for less by giving new life to inexpensive castoffs and finding unusual ways to make the most out of ordinary pieces.

A flea market veteran, BJ is a pro at reimagining the wobbly end table as a vehicle for vibrant color and seeing beyond a coating of ugly paint or covering of faded fabric. In Flea Market Makeovers, she reveals secrets for spotting diamonds in the rough at local flea markets, neighborhood garage sales, and vintage furniture stores and shows how to gauge the potential of the curbside castoff.

Through twenty-five projects and a special section of basic techniques, BJ explains how a little loving care and a touch of elbow grease can transform the most forlorn-looking pieces into charming additions for all rooms of the home. Step-by-step instructions make it easy to follow her philosophy of restore, revive, and reuse. Why overlook a piece just because it has loose joints or a shaky leg? Minor fixes are easy to accomplish with a little craft know-how, and sometimes just a rigorous cleaning is all that's needed to unveil a prize find.

BJ carefully describes how to strip away layers of paint, smooth nicks and dents, and replace old stuffing and fabric. She also illustrates how simple it is to revive a piece by adding a painted pattern, some beveled mirror pieces, or a carved wooden molding. For example, a simple folding card table looks entirely different after BJ replaces its dull floral tabletop with new painted canvas. Finally, BJ demonstrates how to successfully reuse pieces with unexpected placement. For example, a bookcase with fresh detailing stands out as smart storage for a dining room, and a panel from an old upright piano makes waves as a headboard over a bed.

With projects that range from a new lamp to brighten a corner of a living room to a mirrored panel for sectioning off a study, Flea Market Makeovers balances the best of crafting with extremely chic results for every room of the home. Flea Market Makeovers makes it easy to spot the hidden gems with the acumen of a pro.

Fun. That's the best word to describe flea market style - the art of furnishing and decorating your home using found objects.

In this new book by Jerri Farris and Tim Himsel, you'll find hundreds of ideas - some outrageous, some quietly ingenious, but all of them unique. And you'll find directions for nearly two dozen step-by-step projects, using salvaged items that are widely available.

Flea market style is unlike any other way of decorating. With most styles, the final room is the reward, but as you begin to practice flea market style, you'll quickly find that the real fun lies in seeking cast-off treasure and transforming it. Jerri suggests tips and strategies that will help you search flea markets and other sources for valuable but overlooked treasures and then adapt them to new roles that produce an atmosphere of creative surprise and gentle humor.

I love this book and take it with me to every auction or flea market. I was not able to find everything in it but how could you? The nice thing about this book is that it is the perfect size to carry or drop in your purse and not a burden. This is a great book to get kids inspired to collect flea market finds and teach them how to do the research. Once you start looking items up you can't stop. -K. Alton

Kerry Trout's works exclusively with craft malls, antique stores and interior decorators rehabbing, painting and decorating furniture pieces of all kinds. She is also the author of Handpainting Your Furniture.