DC Big Flea Purchase Round Up

Last week, I shared my experience at the DC Big Flea and I promised I'd show you my finds. Unfortunately, I did a bit of Christmas shopping so I can really only show two of my purchases. BUT, both of them are awesome!  First up, I finally found a vintage Pyrex refrigerator dish in pristine condition, with a pattern I wanted, and I could live with the price.  This Butterprint pattern is actually turquoise rather than the dusty blue it appears to be.  I've been on the hunt for a refrigerator dish for quite sometime to store bacon grease.  It's a southern thing y'all and adding a bit to your hot cast iron skillet before pouring your corn bread batter in makes an amazing and tasty crust.

My big purchase of the day was two of these sling arm chairs with attached cushions and brass trim from a super sweet retired couple who go to these shows for fun.  If you recall, I have been in mourning after I let two chairs get away, BUT in spite of that lesson, I still waffled back and forth on purchasing them.  After a text message picture sent to Mr. 3 who told me to buy them and we could find a spot for them and a conference call with Briana (which J helpfully interpreted while Briana was driving around St. Pete), I decided they were a must have!  As with all second hand goods, I made sure to smell them for smoke and check them for wear and tear to the fabric and the seat bottoms.  Aren't the brass bits on the legs awesome?

I talked the lady down by $100 by offering cash and playing hard to get (but super interested).  Playing hard to get means coming back to see the chairs twice and check them out for damage.  The seller had already knocked $50 off for me when I made my first pass (probably because it was the end of the first day), but then I told the lady that I had sent a picture to the my husband who said that he liked them (true) but they needed to be $50 less (not true).

Her super sweet husband then offered to carry the chairs out for me and waited with me at the curb until my friend Amy pulled the car around to load 'em up.

Even though I originally had no clue where I would ever fit these chairs into my house, I found out that it was meant to be after all!  I had two previously undiscovered nooks in need of seating!

The black leather (pleather? unknown.) works great in the living room and I plan to keep them this way for quite sometime...however, I have briefly thought how awesome they would also be in dark blue leather orrr banana leaf fabric with green leather sling arms.  Future home, perhaps?

Do I still mourn for my thrift store chairs?  Yes, a bit (Briana has taught us that one can never have too many thrift store chairs after all), but I can console myself with the fact that these pretty pieces don't need their seats replaced and they fit right in with my current furniture.

Between my great finds and the Christmas gifts I picked up, I'll be headed back to the DC Big Flea for sure!