Following the recommendation of a fellow expat and flea market junkie on the Design Eur Life Facebook Page, I found myself at the Vaihingen Flea Market this past Saturday, ready to find some deals… in the rain… yes, a die hard junker here!  Armed with 100 Euros {my flea market allowance} and our umbrellas, Brennon and I set off on what would turn out to be a vintage treasure hunt.

After frequenting some of the biggest and best flea markets in Europe, Brennon and I weren’t expecting much from this local neighborhood flea market. We’ve been to plenty like this before, a glorified garage sale with hand-me-down clothes and grandma’s old dishes rather than a flea market full of European antiques and vintage valuables, but we were pleasantly surprised after we began scoping the place out.

The great thing about these neighborhood flea markets is that you can usually find interesting vintage clothing or really nice china sets, all for GREAT prices! Most of the people selling their goods here aren’t antique dealers, who tend to hike up their prices… what you will typically find at larger, more well known flea markets. These are just everyday people that set up here once a year to get rid of the junk that they don’t want anymore.

However, also unlike larger ones, markets like this are always hit or miss; sometimes you will find amazing things that you can’t live without, and sometimes you’ll walk away with a wad of Euros burning a hole in your pocket.

Situated on the Vaihingen University grounds, calling this flea market “small” would be a mistake… there were rows and rows of vendors, most of which we didn’t even have a chance to visit.

We also breezed by an area with picnic tables and bratwurst vendors for those who needed a break from haggling… not me though, I was on a mission…

Some things that caught our eye.

A few hours and 70 Euros later, we made it out with sore arms and heavy bags full of unique treasures…

My favorite thing to do after a flea market run is to unpack the bags we’ve just brought home and start thinking about what I am going to do with them… my husband’s favorite thing to do is to calculate all the money he was able to save by haggling down asking prices.

Here’s how we did…

Vintage Blankets: € 2.00 each

I’m in love with these vintage blankets… They are pretty and functional {best of both worlds}!  We keep a basket of warm blankets next to the door that leads out onto our back terrace for chilly nights spent by the fire pit… I can see myself wrapped up in them already!

Linen dinner napkins:  € 0.50 each & Vintage tablecloths:  € 2.00 each

Amazingly, I was able to find a complete set of six linen dinner napkins along with a matching tablecloth that I fished out of a large cardboard box… I’m picturing a nautical themed seafood dinner this summer!

I also found the cutest tablecloths for our breakfast room that are shabby chic like the rest of our main floor:  I bought one in pink, white damask with pink lace trim, red polka dot, and a blue & white bohemian style tablecloth, which will be perfect for entertaining a group of friends in our backyard this summer.

Vintage nightgowns and gloves:  € 5.00 total & Glass jar:  € 2.00

Ever since moving to Europe, I have began collecting vintage women’s clothing and accessories… most everything I find is really expensive, but at five euros for all three items, I couldn’t pass them up!  They need to be cleaned and a few holes fixed here and there, but nothing too serious.

I have something special in mind for this vintage cut glass jar & lid… stay tuned!

Faded Ceramic Pottery:  € 1.00 & Collection of scarfs:  € 0.50 each {16 total}

I couldn’t resist this faded ceramic bowl for one euro… these make the perfect serving dishes and I’m a sucker for anything faded.

Aren’t scarfs so multifunctional?!  You can wear them as accessories or use them in diy projects!  When I find a beautiful scarf at a great price, I scoop it up because I never know when I may have a new idea for a scarf project.  I have a few that I’m working on now and you will hear all about that shortly!

Red Clutch:  € 0.50 & Yellow Beach Bag:  € 0.50

I stumbled on a box full of purses and so naturally, I had to dig in to see what I could find.  I’m not a huge purse collector but when they’re going for fifty cents, I’d be stupid to pass these up.

Assorted jewelry:  € 5.00

The man selling this jewelry was asking ten euros total for my picks, but luckily, Brennon was able to talk him down to five.  The man was very reluctant to negotiate {as Germans tend to be from what we’ve experienced} but falling victim to Brennon’s persistence, he finally gave in.  Brennon was very proud of himself… persistence pays!

Picnic Bakset:  € 3.00 & Matted Nautical Encyclopedia Page:  € 2.00

Both of these finds fit nicely in our beachy family room.

Deal of the day ~ Coral:  € 22.00

This extremely heavy coral that was such a pain to carry around all day, also turned out to be a great family room addition!  When we asked for the price, I was expecting something high, definitely over 100 Euros, but when she responded with 25, I was shocked.  We ended up negotiating the price down to 22 euros {because you should never pay full asking price at flea markets!} and it now serves as a companion to the rest of our coral collection.

Silver Candlestick:  € 1.00 & Old Beauty Tin:  € 1.00

Thinking about displaying both of these on my makeup vanity… pretty finds!

Children’s Books:  € 1.00 {for all four} & Tarot Cards:  € 1.50

Brennon was most excited about these purchases.  He bought the children’s books to improve his German… one euro to spricht Deutsch… not bad at all!

He spotted the tarot cards and thought they would make a really cool art feature… so creative!  I can’t wait to see what he comes up with!

All in all, I’d say it was a successful Saturday… I mean, all of that for less than 70 Euros, what a deal!  There’s nothing I {we} like more than saving money on cool vintage treasures {Thanks for the recommendation Heather}!

In two weeks, our village of Gärtringen will be hosting their own lively flea market.  Last year, there was a live Country Music cover band and a squad of country line dancers… something you don’t see too often in Germany!  I can’t wait to check it out {and if you’re in Germany, you should come check it out too}!