Worship in the house of grace

I spent two days on the mainland in Rhode Island before heading over to Block Island and I had to make the most of every minute. Once I'm on the island, the shopping is very limited. Plus, I'm gonna be busy making breakfast at my friends' bed and breakfast and trying to sell some of my jewelry.

Make no mistake, for the serious pickers, getting up early Sunday morning to attend a flea market is nothing short of worship in that house of grace and beauty called the great outdoors. So I got up bright and early in Jamestown on Sunday morning to head down to Charlestown, Rhode Island to one of the largest and longest running flea markets in the state, the General Stanton Flea Market. It's open every Saturday and Sunday once the good weather hits.

Just past the washtub stand there is a vintage folding card table and chairs made of real wood.
I've been wanting one of these for sooooo long. But my Jeep was already full, so
I'll wait til the end of the summer and see if it's still there.

General Stanton's Flea Market in Charlestown, Rhode Island is the kind of flea market you go out of your way to check out.

No, don't ask questions, just go.

Here's some pics to show you a small smattering of what I saw Sunday morning.

If I was at home I would have bought that little buffet.

Oh my little sheet music cabinet, you are like the scarecrow--I will miss you most of all.
If I had room in my Jeep, if I was heading back to Ohio . . .

I'm not including pics of the boxes and boxes of cheap brand new baseball caps, knock-off faux leather purses, tube socks, paper towels, kitchen utensil trays, dish drainers, the countless cheap plastic what-nots that you only buy when you are setting up house, the cheap hippie dresses, the scads and scads of cheap NEW costume jewelry, the CDs, the DVDs (pirated? Who knows!), the scads and scads of cheap plastic toys, knock-off athletic shoes, you name it! It's at this flea market.

But in addition to all that crap, I suddenly walk by a stand and see this . . .

And I stop . . . momentarily . . . not sure if what I'm seeing is real, antique, cheap chinese imports, or what . . .

And then I realize . . . what I'm looking at . . . is real crafting . . . someone who really knows what they're doing.

You don't have to be a fan of doilies and crochet to appreciate the workmanship here.

I stop to inquire, and I see a woman sitting behind the display table crocheting, almost non-stop, almost as if it's an automatic response to her surroundings, like she simply was born to crochet lace.

Her name is Anna Moreau and her grandmother taught her to crochet many years ago. The patterns she uses were passed down to her by her grandmother also. Anna does some incredible work.

I particularly like the bold color choices of red, purple and lavender.

To be honest, I am not even a huge fan of lace doilies, but Anna's work was so impeccable I couldn't help but appreciate and admire it. As I continued to look and take pictures, Anna told me that one of her young family members has taken up the craft and she hopes that the tradition will continue and she'll be able to pass down the patterns given to her by her grandmother to the next generation. What a wonderful legacy of crafting.

Anyway, here are the small coaster doilies I purchased as a gift to my hosts and dear friends Toni and Marsha in Jamestown. Green is Marsha's favorite color and Toni is an Irish fiddle player. Fittingly, these green doilies are a shamrock pattern. Thanks, Toni and Marsha for welcoming me once again into your home for my two day respite before heading to the island.

I'm heading out to the following party pads:

Ivy and Elephants What's It Wednesday

Our Delightful Home Show Me What You Got

Beez Rental Designs Frugal Treasures Tuesday