Sarah Bocket dot bowls serve up some retro flavor

Sarah Bocket's hand-painted wooden bowls, spotted at the Renegade Craft Fair over the weekend, sent me back in time.

Put an ashtray and a glass grape cluster next to the leaf dish above, and you have a coffee table vignette from my family's 1974 living room.

The bowls made me smile, and not just because they made me feel nostalgic. I love what the Los Feliz artist, pictured at right, has done with the thrift store finds: Using a tiny paintbrush, Bocket paints each dish with acrylic, covering them with multicolored dots.

The result is a fanciful mix of past and present, particularly when styled with vintage books or tabletop piece, as pictured at top.

Bocket says the dishes are "lightly food safe," meaning they can be wiped clean with a damp cloth but should not be submerged or scrubbed.

They start at about $40 apiece on Bocket's Etsy shop.

-- Lisa Boone

Photo credits, from top: Sarah Bocket, Francesca Balaguer

Home Tour: This definitely is not IKEA

Our latest home profile: Alexis Hadjopulos, the man behind TINI and ThisIsNotIkea.com. Follow writer Lizzie Garrett Mettler through Hadjopulos' mash-up of modern and vintage, rough and refined, designer decor and garage-sale scores.

You'll see the full story in the Home section of the Saturday L.A. Times, or you can check out our 19-image photo gallery.

Photos: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

MORE HOUSES:

Frank Lloyd Wright's Ennis house

Ray Kappe's modern masterpiece

Former doctor's office gets a face-lift

Two artists' mosaic madness

Frank Gehry's Schnabel house

L.A. Flea Market: Q&A with the man behind the event Sunday at Dodger Stadium

When the L.A. Flea Market premieres at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, it will feature about 400 vendors of vintage home decor and furniture, gourmet food trucks, bands and more. The all-day event will even offer carryout services if you don’t want to lug your purchases to your car.

The monthly market is organized by Phillip Dane, who also founded the Melrose Trading Post, the defunct South Park Flea Market and farmers markets in Eagle Rock and Glendale. Dane, who thinks of his latest creation as more of an event than a market, spoke with L.A. at Home about what to expect on Sunday, why he chose Dodger Stadium and what makes a good flea market.

Question: Why Dodger Stadium?

Answer: If you were to ask yourself what is the premiere location in Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium is the first thing that comes to mind. It has the most incredible views, it is a fantastic space, it has wonderful breezes and it is evenly accessible. And the parking is better than any other location. The Dodgers are a great organization and it has been fantastic working with them. It was a long process to make it happen but a very amicable one.

How will the L.A. Flea Market differ from the region's other outdoor markets? 

I think if we offer something that is a bit different, it benefits everyone. Our whole goal is to give L.A. a more upscale version of the Rose Bowl Flea Market, which has been around for 40 years. My concept is to take the flea market to the next level by offering amenities that no one else has and adding fun things to the mix. Bands aren’t just meant to be background music. Our food court will be unsurpassed with 18 of the most tweeted gourmet food trucks.

What are the criteria for vendors?

I personally look at every single e-mail application that comes in along with photographs. We’ve had more than 1,000 applications and have accepted 400. I’m looking for a good cross of antique and collectibles, vintage and new merchandise. I’m not looking to duplicate things. While something like jewelry is more individual, we will have only one person doing high-end bedding, for example.

With the rising popularity of craft fairs and Etsy, will arts and crafts have a presence?

Quite a few vendors came to us through Etsy. They will have a team block of eight spaces with 22 members.

For more questions and answers, click to the jump ...

New L.A. Flea Market at Dodger Stadium won't be your typical swap meet, founder says

Bargain hunters who flock to Long Beach or Pasadena for the best second-hand buys will have a new destination starting July 18: Dodger Stadium, site of the forthcoming L.A. Flea Market. The monthly market will try to distinguish itself as more than just a place to shop. With 500 vendors, gourmet food trucks and live entertainment, it promises to be an event, its organizer says.

"We've got room for up to 2,500 vendors," says Phillip Dane, who also founded the Fairfax Trading Post. "And we can accommodate 25,000 people."

The event will feature the usual outdoor market fodder: antiques, collectibles and other furnishings, plus vintage clothing. The market will also house a place for arts and crafts, green products and booths for charitable foundations. General tickets with parking will be $5 and allow admission from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; early-bird tickets will be $10 and allow admission at 7 a.m. VIP tickets, $25, will include early admission, valet parking and carryout service. Kids under 12 will get in free.

Dane created the carryout service because hauling items can be something of an ordeal at an outdoor market.

"Every time you purchase an item, you get a ticket," he said. "When you are done shopping, you give your tickets to a runner who will then go out and pick up your merchandise and put it in your car." Delivery service also will be available for bulky items.

The goal with the food, Dane says, is to "bring in the best food possible and have it look clean. The food trucks are fantastic looking and they have a huge following." Fifteen trucks will create a food court representing Komodo, Border Grill, India Jones and Tropical Shave Ice, among others.

The kids' play area will have a rock-climbing wall and an inflatable Titanic ship. Pets will be welcome as long as they are on a leash. 

Check the L.A. Flea Market website for dates.

-- Lisa Boone

Rendering from the L.A. Flea Market

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WPA children's art at Things of Montecito

I rarely expect a bargain on Coast Village Road in Montecito, a resort where Charlie Chaplin built a hotel and Oprah Winfrey has a hideaway. On a recent visit, however, I discovered Things of Montecito, a consignment store specializing in furniture and accessories from Santa Barbara County homes. Despite its rather nondescript name, Things of Montecito had a fantastic collection of odds and ends.

Among them were portfolios containing these mostly anonymous works of art from 1935-44, above, priced at $100 each. Flipping through them, I was astonished at how bold and modern they looked.

If you're the type of art critic who is fond of saying, "My kid could do that," here's the back story: They were, in fact, made by children. The paintings and drawings are part of dozens created by students at the Flint Institute of Art, a Works Progress Administration institution that spanned the Depression and World War II eras in the industrial city of Flint, Mich. The youngsters were taught by the Czech painter and muralist Jaroslav Brozik.

These works on paper, some in pencil, left, are not only visually arresting but also emotionally charged. As historical documents, they depict an uncertain world as seen through the eyes of children. Just look at that imposing suit-and-tie businessman with the pencil behind his ear and the cigar in his mouth.

The styles ranged from naive realism to Expressionism and there is more than a touch of paranoia and political commentary. (Who are those blue-hooded creatures, above, and what do they want?) 

Thanks to the devoted attention of the collector who consigned them, the pieces are in good condition considering their age. Some have minor flaws and ragged edges that can easily be hidden by a good frame. 

The drawings and paintings are not currently on the store's website, but the owners are happy to answer questions by phone or e-mails sent to tzr7@cox.net.

Things of Montecito, 1187 Coast Village Road, Suite 6, Montecito. (805) 845-8411

--David A. Keeps

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Photo credits: David A. Keeps

One flea market lamp, three DIY shades

Finding a whimsical vintage lamp at a flea market can be great, but what if it doesn't have a shade? You might top off your find with something off-the-rack. (Yawn.)  You could have one made. (But how much does that cost?) Or you could go the DIY route and craft a shade that honors the style of the lamp and is truly one-of-a-kind.

This is the route I took after convincing my friend Jan to buy a $20 vintage lamp -- a stylized tree trunk with a red bird perched on it -- at the Long Beach Flea Market. Jan let me take it home as an experiment: As the design editor for the Home section here at The Times, I wanted to craft three shades and let readers vote on their favorite. I limited myself to the same inexpensive shades (IKEA, $10 each) and spent no more than $10 on materials for each. I had some materials on hand -- acrylic paint, white glue and a craft knife -- but those aren't expensive.

Because the lamp looked like a tree trunk I thought it only natural that the shade reference a tree's canopy, but not in a literal way. Keep reading to see the three results and how I achieved them:

The Deal: Retropia garage sale this weekend

This just in my e-mail: Señor Amor and Jonona, owners of Retropia in Hollywood, are liquidating inventory in an Echo Park garage sale today and Sunday, Nov. 14-15 

Amor promises an abundance of vintage china, fabric, wallpaper, rugs, lighting and furniture. Among the cool and kitschy items for sale: A flying saucer pull-down ceiling light with a glass shade featuring a gold snowflake pattern by the midcentury modern barware designer Georges Briard, $65, and a flower-power tea set, $40.

Hours: 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. today and tomorrow at 1040 1/4 Laguna Ave., Los Angeles. 

-- David A. Keeps

Photo credit: Retropia

'Man Shops Globe' for Anthropologie, and the Sundance Channel tags along for the ride

You've gotta hand it to Anthropologie. The chain for suburbanites who wished they lived in Paris has great home decor. Now the Sundance Channel has a TV series about the guy who buys it all. 

In the first episode of "Man Shops Globe," which airs at 10 p.m. Wednesdays, buyer Keith Johnson drops tens of thousands of euros in France. (Note to self: Add the Avignon antiques fair and the city of L'Isle-Sur-la-Sorgue, which has 500 dealers, on next European itinerary.)

Tonight on Episode 2, Johnson goes on a South Africa safari, hunting down craftsmen who work in beads, clay, wood and junk. (Spoiler alert: Johnson visits the Magpie art collective and commissions a chandelier made of plastic bottle tops and Barbie legs. Later, it is revealed, that the funky fixture has been purchased by President Obama.)

Get a glimpse of Episodes 3 and 4 after the jump.

Found at the flea market: Accidental surrealism

The Long Beach flea market is my favorite monthly shopping event in the world, so imagine my despair when I realized I was going to be out of town last weekend. (Thanks a lot, Rosh Hashana.) Luckily, my friend (and the Home section's page designer) Reuben Munoz was there bright and early to capture the best the flea market had to offer -- like the accidental vignette above starring a rocking jackrabbit. Munoz is truly the Long Beach flea market king. He's one of those 7-in-the-morning people who knows his favorite vendors by name. Read about his drought-tolerant plant finds at his fabulous blog, Rancho Reubidoux. While you're there, check out photos of his ongoing landscaping project. It's low-water, heat-tolerant and completely insane (in an inspiring way).

-- Deborah Netburn

Photo credit: Reuben Munoz

Found at the flea market: The story of Benedict Arnold

Oh, Long Beach flea market! If only you existed every weekend and not just the third Sunday of each month. This week I was on a personal hunt for a vintage kimono (found it! 1940s, $40) and a vintage typewriter (Tab-O-Matic, $15). But the best thing I saw was this crazy-looking framed artwork: An old-fashioned etching of a gray house with an ominous caption below, "Arnold's birthplace in Norwich, Ct. For many years it was supposed that this house was haunted by some evil spirits." It was weird in the way the Museum of Jurassic Technology is weird. And there was a table full of them -- each with a different caption and drawing. I needed to know more.