Sunday, April 15, 2012

9 Year Trip and Long Beach Antique Flea Market

We just got home from a 2 night trip to So Cal for an early anniversary weekend. Our 9 year wedding anniversary is next week! I can't believe we've been married for 9 years already!
A drive down Pacific Coast Highway when we were leaving Huntington Beach, on our way to Newport Beach for dinner. Gotta love Joe's Crab Shack steampots! ;) Hubby got to spend time at the the famous RC Track, and I hit up Goodwill and Salvation Army for some thrifting while he was there.
I booked our hotel online and saved 20% by doing the pre-paid, no refund route. Yes, if we cancelled, we'd be out the money, but I took the chance and we LOVED our hotel!!! I would highly recommend it and we already decided we will return! We stayed at The Westin South Coast Plaza, in Costa Mesa. It was only $100 a night and the hotel was really upscale. Hubby and I notoriously sleep bad at hotels but their bed was great! They call it the "heavenly bed". I've never stayed at a hotel with a big bathrobe waiting for me. :) We had a great view, especially at night with all the city lights on. South Coast Plaza was within walking distance, just over the walk bridge from our hotel.
Of course we needed something sweet after dinner, we were celebrating after all! This was the line at Sprinkles in Newport!
Saturday morning we went to the OC Marketplace at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. I didn't take any pictures there, but they sell everything. I didn't know what to expect, but pretty much everything they sold there was new (I was expecting used too). The kids would have loved it because they had bouncey slides and obstacle courses. I joined their mailing list and they emailed me two free admission passes, score! All weekend long we were looking for ways to save money. One thing we did was self-park at the hotel. It saved us $16 in fees PLUS all of the TIPS we would have had to pay each time we needed our car!
Sunday morning was the Long Beach Antique Market. It is held the third Sunday of the month at the Long Beach Veteran's Stadium. I also joined their email list ahead of time and they emailed me coupons off admission. There is free parking and the admission is only $5 after 6:30 am. If you want in at 5:30 you pay $10. IT.WAS.FABULOUS. I didn't even get to see half of it! It was so huge! Vintage pyrex, dishes, old windows, crates, furniture, art, chandeliers, and everything under the SUN!
I loved these pretty plates.
There was a booth of all new but vintage-inspired lace clothing. Lace is so popular right now, it was beautiful up close!
Repurposed furniture...

Shabby chic painted furniture, old wire baskets.
LOTS of glass jars and bottles of all types!
I've had my eye out for lavender bottles, I researched it and it's actually colored by the sun! Bottles made within a certain time period were made with magnesium in the glass and when exposed to the sun for months to years, it turns various shades of purple, depending on how long you leave it there. I checked on Etsy last week and they go for anywhere from $5-$28! Some vendors wanted way too much money for them, so I was patient and found a vendor with a few for $2 each, and the vendor I have in these photos, who had them for $3.
I came home with $12 worth of 3 lavender bottles and 2 of the aqua glass bottles. I have plans for them, after I collect more on the cheap!
We ended the trip with lunch at Super Mex in Long Beach, before heading home. The BEST chips and salsa! It was a GREAT, relaxing trip, and I'm very thankful!

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