Octopus Finds at the Fremont Market!

We had a whirlwind trip last week to the Pacific Northwest. First on the Oregon Coast, and then in the Seattle area catching up with our families and our close friends.  We spent lots of time eating fresh crabs, oysters and steamed clams, beach walking and roasting marshmallows around the beachfire.  Have so many things to show you from our trip;  might be a week of blog posts before I am all caught up!  (might also be a week of sleep!)

Last Sunday morning,  we woke up to one of those rare, stunningly clear days in Seattle.  Exactly the right kind of day to explore the Fremont Market.

So excited to jump on the ferry and head to Seattle to meet my daughter for coffee, girl talk and shopping.  I was the first car on the boat - just take a look at the view!   Kitsap Peninsula and the Olympic Mountains in the background, surrounded by clear (cold!) blue water.

After grabbing our coffee cups, Allison and I made our way over to Fremont. So excited to see what we might find!

Brightly painted cottage furniture (LOVE)

Beach signs. The blue "Boat Rental" sign came home with me...

Vintage nautical finds

..... love the treasure hunt!

Just take a look at these cool Octopus T's that we found!  Soft, and all hand screen printed by Black Bird Tees.

From their website:
 We have a passion for handmade, and strive to make every aspect of our business look and feel like it comes from a real human being. All of our raw goods are sourced from American-based, sweatshop-free companies, we use environmentally friendly inks, and we recycle all of our screens. 

Their t-shirts were absolutely adorable!  Bought the black and gray octopus design for Allison, just could not resist how cute it looked on her, paired with her tangerine orange skirt.  It even has a name - "Sucker for Ink"!

Here's a few more of their designs that we loved too!

Am seriously bummed though, we met one of the artists and he told us that this would be their last Sunday in Seattle; but you can still find them online at http://www.blackbirdtees.com.  Trying to decide which t-shirt to buy for me....


Have a great Saturday!

Looking for Beach Cottage Inspiration

Took a break this weekend from my never-ending task of adding products to the Caron's Beach House website (hoping to launch mid-February!), for some inspiration at the Fremont Flea Market.  If you are a local Northwest person, and have never gone to this unique event, held every Sunday rain or shine, you are really missing out on some great handmade crafts, awesome vintage finds and lots of interesting people.  This is definitely a Seattle tradition - I like it much better than Pike Place market for FREE parking, less tourists and for the chance to hang out in the funky neighborhood of Fremont.

Here's a few of the things that I saw this weekend!

Vintage booth full of Tiki memorabilia - kicking myself for not buying the purple tiki cups for $2.50/each!  

Vintage Monterey Bay watercolor with bamboo frame - also should have bought..

Thought that these were interesting. Actually saw quite a few different images like these. My grandfather served aboard the Aircraft Carrier, The Enterprise during the 1930's, and can't help that I really like these images pre-WWII.  

Also saw globes in every shape and size, this one was the perfect table top, desk, or bookshelf decor.  Can't wait until I have a real office again and this is one of the first things that I will put on my desk, right next to my favorite shell finds....

Was so excited to see my friend, Amber of Season's Creek Furniture and Decor! Some of you might recognize the colors that she uses - the aqua and the greens were featured in my old store in Poulsbo. 

Season's Creek collection of painted furniture and accessories, vintage shells and linens

Gray-Blue wicker tray with seashell vintage seashell bowls (I know, I should have bought these too!)

 Love the clear green plates! Perfect touch for spring - 

Close-up shot of Amber's repainted frames! Like her imagination, think of  how a painted frame could make over a room... frame a plain mirror, bring out the highlights in a stormy sea picture....

Simply one of my favorite things to do. Hang out at the flea market and let my imagination run wild with ideas for creating my own space, and helping others define theirs!  Happy Hunting for beach treasures -