Skeleton Keys

As it turns out El Rastro wasn't a total bust. After the old man changed his tune I turned him down and kept on digging, finally settling for this lot of rusty old keys. They're missing the sparkle and lack detail in the cutout but cost half the price, and I have to admit I'm a sucker for a bargain. And what they lack in sparkle they surpass with a mood of antiquity.


I've been thinking about hitting the jewelry supply stores downtown and making a first attempt at creating some necklaces, key in hand. Or maybe wall art. If I'm feeling lazy I could always dump 'em in a bowl at the booth but what fun would that be?

If you have suggestions please let me know!

El Rastro, Madrid, Spain

It is said Madrid's El Rastro Flea Market is the largest in all of Europe. It certainly appears to be the busiest with tiny merchant lined streets packed from 7am to sometime close to 3pm when locals and tourists alike move from the streets to the bars, and if they're in it for the long haul stay out until some time nearing on the next morning. Note to anyone looking for two thumbs up: it doesn't take much more than flea markets, good food and inexpensive delicious wine.


Not that it's possible but even if you don't want to buy a thing, I didn't come home with much more than several bottles of wine and one little flea market goody, a visit to Madrid's El Rastro Flea Market is worth the effort. Hold your purse at your front preferably with a cross shoulder strap and push your way up the hill through the crowded streets.


There are a couple of main avenues, a small plaza, and several smaller streets to weave through. If you're looking to buy it would be best to A.) speak the language, B.) have a friend who speaks the language, or C.) you could probably buy my friend for a day! I'm kind of joking... kind of.


In addition to the mass of street vendors you'll find store fronts flowing out onto the streets and interestingly the Policia patrolling the streets for unregistered merchants. After all, it is something of a free-for-all when you take away the gates that control our flea markets here in the states. Without these it's the honor system, merchants could sneak in and the public wouldn't have to pay to shop - it's barbaric!


In all it's glory there is one major problem I have with the El Rastro Flea Market. The finds here are wonderful, had everything gone my way I would've taken home one of those ancient purses above, a fine Parisian alarm clock, an electric fan from the early 19th century that had been a prop in a Brazilian playhouse, and all the skeleton keys I saw. But the euro makes the dollar look like a peso and due to the low number, zero, of second hand stores in Spain vintage goods are more expensive than their modern day counter parts.


And so when we were told we could have anything in this tin for two euros I didn't get too greedy, I picked through it and found ten skeleton keys that I really loved, no joke, I have dreams about them, and I almost cried when the mean old man told me he meant two euros for each item in the tin! It didn't seem smart so I said no and caught a picture of him removing my shiny keys from Ivett's hand.



Still, it's my take that Sunday is Madrid's finest day.

I'm sorry, so sorry.

Dear SellingVintage(dot)blogspot(dot)com and it's sometimes readers,

I am terribly sorry for my recent lack of attention to you. Upon returning from Spain I encountered a bout of the blues that left me without words or moxie. I hope you'll understand and visit me regularly once again, after all it's your love that keeps me typing on.

Fortunately for us all my blues are easily cured with a little retail therapy, and fortunately for my pocket book LA has plenty of thrift stores to aid in my rescue. I've traversed the perimeter of the city, I've hit the Valley, OC and Pasadena. Regretfully I passed on some premium products but I found myself a bargain or two along the way, and now I have plenty of newbies to share with you next week.

But let us not forget that I have only recently returned from Spain and I have a debt to pay you - a review of Madrid's El Rastro Flea Market. I know you were waiting on pins and needles for so long, eventually you must have questioned if my computer was stolen along the way (it was not, but on day one my purse almost was!). Tune in tomorrow for photos and more on Spain.

Vacaciones en España

I probably should've told you sooner but it just didn't come up until yesterday, and guess what... we leave tomorrow!

This summer has just flown by, every little bit lending to a perfect summer break. Okay, slicing my finger open yesterday sucked but only a little, and now with my neon colored band-aids I'll be rockin' a pretty cool thumbs-up all through Spain.

With all the excitement I still find time to miss our little man who we dropped off just today at the "sitter" and will now push him upon you in all of his cuteness. All together now, ahh... whatta cutie! Lucas, mi amor, yo le pierdo.



Swag Bucks, aka Google, has presented me with quite the thrifting predicament. You see, it appears there are very few if any "second hand stores" in Spain, giving me one, maybe two, no three's-a-charm chances of bringing home some serious loot.



Primera Oportunidad: On Sunday morning in Madrid you will find me photographing the streets of El Rastro, vying for the goods to make my suitcase burst at it's seams and to claim upon entering US Territory that I bring back nothing worth taxing. I hope to have such luck at the properly titled El Rastro Flea Market which is said to be Europe's largest!



Otra Oportunidad: Second is not always best. Salamanca, a 2 1/2 hour bus ride north west of Madrid also boasts an El Rastro Flea Market, also on Sunday mornings. It's a pity I'm unable to clone myself, to be in two places at once, or to fly at the speed of light, and it's really a pity I won't be in Spain for longer than one week. But it just so happens that the one, I mean it, one thrift store I learned about it my meager online search is in Salamanca. And to my luck Scott and I will be venturing here on Thursday and Friday. Can you believe it?! In just a few days! To my dismay, that was posted on a message board in 2001. Eeek.



Forgive me now for few blog posts over the next week, I'll blog as I can and will update you for certain upon our return to our home and to our doggie.

That's all folks.

* on second thought - the photos above are of El Rastro Flea Market in Madrid. I stole them from Flickr and have linked the images to the Flickr pages.