Why my scouring pad has no home

Flea marketing with my little group of friends always turns out to be a fantastic adventure.  There's this thing we call "The Fate Game."  You see that thing that you love but don't need and you don't really want to drop that amount of money on the thing on the off chance that the OTHER thing that you've always wanted is just in the next aisle over and you just happen to have the exact amount of money because you didn't buy that earlier thing.  The fate part comes into play where, at the end of the flea-marketing day, you go back to the earlier thing and, if it's still there, you buy it.

Playing the fate game sucks sometimes.  I've been tracking these glasses since May.  They're only maybe 3 1/2" tall and there are 8 of them and she had them priced at $20.  This weekend, she still had them.  Still for $20.  I want them SO badly, but can't bring myself to paying that price.  I'll play the game until September.  If they're still there, I bargain.

UGH! But it's gingham AND rick rack!  

I was operating on a pretty strict and comparatively small budget for this one, as I'm running out of storage and don't *really* need anything.  I keep going, because I'm always keeping a half an eye out for: a) ukulele -not a cheap souvenir, something decent, b) a nice tea tray, c) a scouring pad holder - preferably a chicken; however, the phrase "I'll hold your scouring pad" is non-negotiable.  Must be present.  I played the fate game and lost miserably.  I found it on our second outing, did not purchase it, should have, found the dealer this weekend, and learned it had recently been sold. For a dollar.

  *sigh*  It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.

I DID, however find a handful of wonderful vintage patterns -- all really good deals.  The 1930s pajamas was a rather exciting find and I can't WAIT to make those pants. 

In the same booth, was this:

Yup.  Sanitary Apron from the 1910s.  Exactly what it sounds like.

Despite all of the research I've had to do in my career and all the costume history classes I've taken, I've never come across any mention of these.  I guess there's no real reason to cover this subject in my field and I'm sure it's uncouth to be discussing such sensitive matters, yes, but what an interesting piece of fashion history.  *Note: I did not purchase this, nor did I open the box to see if anything was actually inside.

I also scored a gramophone-appropriate record.  Selections from "Meet Me in St. Louis," featuring Miss Judy Garland.  Not that I've got a particular affinity for the movie, but it was something I recognized and enjoyed and I needed SOMETHING to I could test out the gramophone I picked up while I was in Ohio.  The needles showed up this week too...we'll see how it goes!  I've actually already gotten some use out of it as an iPhone amplifier using the high-tech method of just placing the phone right in the horn -- filled the room with sound.  Pretty fantastic.

Here's the rest of my haul. All for under $60.  Not a bad job, if I do say so myself.

Yup. That's a three piece avocado green luggage set in almost new condition, blue velvet hat, cocktail apron,  and a couple of old photographs in addition to all the aforementioned findings.