That's What She Said #5: Quantity vs Quality

Ann (of @magicsummervintage) is my Friday partner in crime. (Not actual crime, unless you count finding fabulous vintage items at incredible prices a crime.  If so, lock us up!) We go out on "the hunt" every Friday during the summer.  Estate sales, church sales, and even a garage sale or two are the hunting grounds.  We, armed with our trusty reusable shopping bags, are the hunters.  We know our prey, we stalk it well.  We move in at lightening speed!  Throwing elbows, dodging past other shoppers, we move in for the kill! We can smell a good find hidden in a tower of towels, or in a baggy of other crap.  At this point we almost have mutant powers that Professor X would be proud of.  (Not super sure how we could use a vintage set of knitting needles or a pair of vintage lucite earrings to fend off Erik and his cronies...but it could happen!)

This year we decided to do dueling blog posts for each of our adventures!

(Link at the end of this post)

This sale was a hoarder sale.  Stuffed to the rafters, underfoot, and all around the walls.  Tiny walking paths.  These kinds of sales are both fun (So much stuff to unearth!) and stressful (So much stuff, so many people, and so little room!) We were there on day two - 50% off day!

While we were waiting in line, my boss showed up!  I'm teaching him the ways of the Dark Side.

Eventually we were let in.  They couldn't let many people in at once because the place was so crowded with items.  It was day two, as I said, and the workers at this sale were cranky after being crammed into a hot, cramped shoebox with frantic shoppers for two days.  We felt for them and tried to be super upbeat so that they knew we thought they were doing a good job despite the circumstances.

I headed to the attic first which was where I had seen Christmas items in the sale photos.  Lots of the items I'd seen in the photos were gone, but there was tons and tons of stuff not pictured.  Just look at all these photos I took for you so that you could get a sense of the amount of stuff!

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Yeah.  Well. Sorry about that.

There being tons of stuff at an estate sale doesn't always translate into me finding lots of stuff to take home.  I have a tiny home and need to be very choosy when it comes to my weekly vintage outings.  It does help that I sell lots of the stuff I find, and give some as gifts, too. I try to choose quality over quantity. (Or else I'll have to lose my spot on the bed because I'll be using it to store vintage stuff.)

This is what my basket looked like at the end of the day. 

(Minus one large flannel cape/poncho.)

Here are the things I I found in the attic Christmas area.  A hot pink strand of mercury glass beads, a composite sugar glitter pear, a string of metal foil dots, and a gorgeous glass lantern lightbulb that I will fashion a hook for and hang as a tree ornament come Christmas.

I also found these cute vintage planters in the attic.  The elephant and cat are for Heather and the pink shell is for my mom.

Back side of the shell.  Just because it's so pretty.

I also got this vintage bracelet for her.  She'd seen it in the sale photos and I was happy that it was still available when I got there on day #2.

I saw this funny hand made pillow, but passed it up.

As I was taking one final lap around the house, I spotted this crazy poncho/cape in a closed wardrobe on the porch.  My mom loves a poncho situation.  I snagged it for her for $1.50!  It's very thick flannel and reversible!

Plus, it came with this very cool vintage wire hanger.

Ann was dead set on getting a lute she had seen in the photos.  Yes.  You read that correctly.  Please don't make me repeat it. She was pretty hyped up about it, and actually said the sentence: "I could do so many cool things if I had a lute."  I'll just let that sit there for a minute.

I suspect that the job #1 "cool thing" she'd do would be to learn to actually play the lute, since she does not possess that talent at the moment.  Then I assume it would be on to  wander Renaissance fairs since that is my only idea about what you do with a lute.  At any rate, the lute was already spoken for when we got inside.  Someone else gets all the cool points, I guess.

I also had to talk her down from buying a serger.  Which, is a good tool to have if you are a sewer.  IF.

She also really wanted a couple sets of vintage knitting needles that she'd seen in the photos.  They were nowhere to be found once inside, however.  But then...enter Super Sarah, who sniffed them out under a giant pile of towels.  Sometimes people hide things in weird places so that they can come back on day two and buy them for half price.  But too bad for them, because I'm good at digging.  Getting the needles helped with the sting of losing the lute, a bit.

Ann also got some vintage gloves for one of her alumni who is sashaying into the world of drag.  It's very exciting!

After the sale, we were lucky enough to get invited to a gorgeous pool.  It was a hot, sunny day and there is nothing I like more than a float around a pool.  There we spent a lazy , contented afternoon. (Thanks, Stephanie!)

There was a tiny nightmare unfolding at the pool.  A huge spider caught and was fighting a bee whilst dangling from a single stand of webbing! I acknowledge that this is a terrible picture, but the struggle was real.  In the end the bee lost and was dragged back to the spider's lair, high in the poolside umbrella folds.  I felt like I had spiders on me for the rest of the afternoon. (IS IT ON ME!?!?)

To see all of the treasures that Ann amassed, check out her blog!

And find us both on Instagram at:

@thesnugbungalowshop

@magicsummervintage

Or if you have a hankering to get yourself some vintage treasures, visit our Etsy shops:

The Snug Bungalow Vintage & Design

Magic Summer Vintage

That's What She Said #4: Church Puts Out

I've been friends with Ann @magicsummervintage for a long, long time.  We've been searching for treasure together almost our entire friendship.  This summer we decided to write dueling blog posts each time we go out on the hunt. So, when you are done reading here, go check her blog out.

Last week we went to a church sale.  It was roughly one and a half minutes from Ann's house.  She was late.

When she arrived I was already knee deep in Christmas. I should have taken a few pictures of the huge room the sale was in, but of course, I didn't.  When I get to a sale I go into soldier mode.  Just gotta stay alive, keep my head in the game, rescue the vintage, and get out!  No vintage left behind! (That's not entirely true, I leave plenty of it behind, but that's really a space issue more than anything.)

I passed on these vintage ball ornaments.  But it was a tough call.

I swooped this vintage tree skirt.  It's my second one.  I'm not even using the first one! What is my plan with these? I just can't resist them!  So many good details. I could find a use for them someday. ("I could be Chandler's new roommate.")

I have a fake tree, or else this puppy would have come home with me.  So much glitter!

I saw this ridiculous candle.  You might think to yourself,  "Sarah! It's two things you love, put together! Flamingos and Christmas!  Why ever would you leave such a gem behind?"  And to that I'd say: Dude. Not all things were meant to be married.

This was such a good church sale.  They almost always are.  Prices under a dollar, and plenty of vintage.  Just the way I like 'em.

I also passed this guy up.  But he was super cute.

This lounger was very awesome but did not come home with me.

This tin also got passed up, but I did swoop a few others.

Ann was wearing a very cute lilac colored sundress from the 70s and got loads of compliments on it.  The people running this sale were super eager, nice, and helpful.

She bought a ceiling fan for $10 because she broke one in her house by ramming into it with her  dress form.  The dangers of selling on Etsy!

I got a few kitchen gadgets.  Now, don't let this mislead you into thinking that I cook. Because, I don't.  Ever.  My husband is an amazing cook and he makes dinner for us every night.  If I didn't have him, I'd subsist upon spaghetti, toast, and eggs. The cheese cutter I might actually use, because I'm among the special group of people who cannot cut a normal slice of cheese.  I'm hoping this will make me look and feel more accomplished in that arena.  You know, cutting the cheese.  ;)

These are some items that will eventually (in a year or so) make it to my Etsy shop.  I have quite a backlog.

Christmas tins and the tree skirt.  Things I'm keeping!

A closeup of that gorgeous vintage Christmas tin!

A creepy mask that Ann hates and the husband has asked me not to keep in the house! Hahah! I love crazy vintage Halloween masks!  I also love tiny fuzzy creatures that are Christmas ornaments.

After the church sale we decided to visit a neighborhood sale.  There were about ten streets involved, so it seemed like a good bet.  It was not, in fact.  It was too hot, threatening to rain, and the sales were way too far apart and had nothing good.  We didn't buy anything.  We decided to cut and run instead.  To lunch, obviously.

Here follows the photos I took of the neighborhood sale.

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If you'd like to check out other pictures of our finds, pets, etc. check us out on Instagram:

@thesnugbungalow

@magicsummervintage

If you have a hankering for some vintage of your own, visit our Etsy shops:

The Snug Bungalow Vintage And Design

Magic Summer Vintage

That's What She Said #3: Pleasure & Pain

My buddy Ann ( @magicsummervintage ) and I venture forth every Friday, into Estate Sale Land.  We throw ourselves into the breach, between junk and garbage. (In this instance, junk is a good thing.  A very good thing.)  We pick, we dig, we salvage.  We add to our extensive jewelry collections. (Check out her version of the day's events here.)

This past Friday we teamed up to visit two estate sales.  The first was run by our very favorite estate sale company in the area. For them, Friday is generally day two of the sale, which means, everything is half off.  This company has very simple, well stated rules that they always follow.  This, along with their great prices and fun personalities, puts them at the top of our list.  Very little angst at these sales.

Numbers on day 2!  A very rare occurrence!

We got in very quickly and did the jewelry table first, as always.  One of the workers said that she wanted to show me a necklace, because it made her think of me.  Apparently she's got my taste down, because I ended up purchasing the vintage pink necklace. (photo farther along)

This was the funky kitchen floor.  I love old houses.  I feel like we don't have nearly as many fun choices for our modern houses. Check out this crazy thermometer light switch!

I took my time wandering around, there was so much stuff left in the house, even though it was day two.  And loads of shoppers. I talked myself out of this beauty. In the same room Ann talked herself into a brass piggy bank.

Vintage Bills cups for the Bills lovers in my life. (insert snarky sports quip here)

I had seen on the sale photos that this sale was stuffed full of 80s items. (Which is the main thing that I sell in my Etsy shop.) So, it was a tinch overwhelming for me when I realized how much of it was still there on day 2.  I already have a backlog of items about a year long.  That's not an exaggeration.  But when I see stuff at a great price I feel like I have to get it.  It's living right in that spot between a rock and another rock.

 And then Ann walks in with a gigantic Lurky and you know you are toast.

Adorable plushes.  The Smurf's shirt says "Happy Birthday".

Gummi Bears, Trolls, Garfield (from the sale before this - but it needed to get a photo, too), and Strawberry Shortcake.  

Duck Tales, TMN Turtles, And Mario Christmas tags along with some 1970s Hallmark ornaments. Gawd, I love me some Hallmark.

Golden Guide books and a USA hankie.

Micro Machines, Masters of the Universe, and E.T.  All of these items will be for sale in my Etsy shop sometime in the next year and a half.  If you'd like pricing on anything before then, please contact me via Instagram @thesnugbungalowshop

These items will find their way to my mom's house in Virginia. Because last week she didn't get enough vintage planters, obviously.

I also picked up two items for myself.  This amazing Christmas rug for $1.50!

And these gorgeous ornaments in their gorgeous box. Mint green and pink with stars!

Ann found some awesome vintage beer glasses and a few other tid bits. Not nearly as much as I did. I was basically in panic mode the whole time.  Too many things!  And Lurky takes up a lot of space, so hauling him around whilst having enough room for other things was tricky.  Saying that sale #1 was good is a gross understatement. It was GOOD.  The kind of good were you need a cigarette after.  Completely satisfying. 

This is a photo of us before sale #1.  We looked much like this after sale #1. Happy.  Hopeful.  Get a good look, because it didn't last long.

 We wandered up to sale #2 fresh faced and ready for more.  Silly, stupid girls. We got there after the start and were surprised that people were still taking numbers and waiting in line outside.  We followed suit.  There were promising signs on the door "50% off!" Although it took us a minute to see the "some exclusions apply" line underneath.  This is not a good thing.  Ann was all "Oooohhh! I know you haaaaate thaaaaat!"  Yes. Yes I do. Because it generally follows that anything you show interest in purchasing is suddenly one of the excluded items.  This makes my Slytherin blood boil.  I hate playing games with vendors.  Just mark your prices clearly, make it easy to understand, and then let people shop. So we hadn't even gotten into the sale yet and I was annoyed. 

Then we got up to the door we were told that we hadn't really needed numbers. THEN WHY DID YOU PUT THEM OUT HERE YOU...#@!*&^%.   If I'd have been smart I would have turned us around and just gone home at this point.

We stepped inside and the first room was just LOADED with jewelry. Which was, of course, not part of the 50% off sale.  There were tons of tables, each marked with a different price.  And it became clear that the people who had marked the jewelry, did not "know" jewelry.  I paid $7 for a pair of Laurel Burch earrings, which is a good deal in my estimation.  And then there was also a pair on the $2 table. Sigh.

It was also 100 degrees in that house. And we were hemmed in on all side by humanity.  In teeny tiny rooms.  That were stacked high with many items, not to mention the smell of cat pee and moth balls.  A winning potpourri.

Just look at these wonderful photos that I took.....or not.  Since I spent my time doing some deep breathing (and regretting every breath) and trying to fend off a claustrophobia attack.  At one point a baby started to wail and Ann said in a hushed tone. "This is what hell is like."  I dare say, she's not wrong.

We had to battle our way out through the middle of a loud argument between the sales people and a lady with her five children that they asked to leave, a distracted cashier, and a hoard of other very determined shoppers.

At least we made it out of there alive.  And with a few jewels.  It was sort of like Aladdin trying to escape the Cave of Wonders.  I wonder which of us was Aladdin and which was the Genie?  Or maybe since I was driving us around, I'm the Rug?  

This is how Ann looked/felt after we made our escape. Because, yipes.

This is what I ended up with for the low price of two helpings of annoyance, and one small claustrophobia attack. (Minus the pink necklace which was the piece I told you about from the first sale.)

If the first sale was Heavenly, then the second sale was from that other place with two hockey sticks.

If you need a vintage hit, without all the sweaty angst, check out our Etsy shops:

The Snug Bungalow Vintage And Design

Magic Summer Vintage

That's What She Said #2 - Mama Said Knock You Out

My friend Ann (@magicsummervintage) is a teacher, so she has the summers off. I have Fridays off. We use this to our advantage and go to estate, yard, and church sales together nearly every Friday during the summer. This summer we decided to blog about our adventures, each of us from our own perspective. Each week there will be a new she said/she said installment to read about, you lucky devils!

This Friday was very special. My mom was in town! She lives in a different state, so I don't get to see her often enough.  We both really love to go to garage and estate sales, so it was perfect that she was here on our regular sale-ing day. She also knows @magicsummervintage from way back, and counts her as one of her own children.  Again, we won't be talking about how long ago that was.  "Way back" seems like enough.

Since the estate sale didn't start until later in the morning (10:00 - Come on, the day is half over by 10 am!) We stopped at a neighborhood sale first.  There were people milling about, not a huge crowd, but enough people to make you want to get in on the action.

The neighborhood had an Italian flavor in both architecture and landscaping.  But then, this is Rochester.  Most neighborhoods do.

Right away Ann found this...African...instrument.  A maraca-ish thing made from a dried gourd that makes a nice "shuka-shuka" noise.  She'll use it once the school year starts back up, as she's a choir director and loves to incorporate very specific instruments into some of their numbers. (NO tambourines!)

En route to the second house we saw a tiny poodle all dressed up for the 4th of July.  Complete with headwear. Her owner was an older lady, perhaps in her 80s, wearing a kerchief and some other crazy bits, including shorts and poodle socks pulled up to her knees.  The cumulative effect of which was something like a fever dream about Gray Gardens and Paw Patrol. I've mentioned this specific poodle and her owner before.  They frequent neighborhood sales in our area.  Never have I taken a picture, though.  Mostly I'm too agog, at the time.  You'll have to trot over to Ann's blog to get a glimpse.  She can be agog and still remember to take a photo!  Quite a talent!

It was warm and sunny, so you know the members of #teamsummer were in our happy place. We saw these tiny law chairs and it was a perfect day to use them. I hope someone bought them and made some tiny kids super happy.  When I was little I had a tiny lawn chair and thought it was the most special thing.

I didn't end up finding any treasures at the neighborhood sale.  We only had time to visit a few houses before we had to go to the estate sale.  My mom found a beautiful blue rhinestone bracelet, but of course, I didn't take a picture of that.

We got to the estate sale a bit later than usual.  But, still in time to pick up numbers, get in line, and enter in the "first wave". As you can see, I was #34.  My mom and Ann got numbers too, but apparently that doesn't matter.  I just took a picture of my own number. Tunnel vision.

It was a good day for garden statuary.  The house and driveway were FULL of pots, vases, figures, etc. Basically if it was meant to house a plant, or be put among plants, this sale had one bajillion of them. (The vintage metal motel chairs were only $9 each! Too bad I don't have room for any more.)

We entered the sale through the garage, and it was loaded with shelves full of vintage pottery. Amazing pieces of U.S.A., Haeger, and McCoy.  Interesting shapes, and all colors.

There were also some oddities, like this fish planter.

Odder still, this green elephant bank planter.  Yep.  It's a bank AND a planter.  Don't ask me how that's supposed to work.  How are you supposed to get the money out without dumping the plant all over?

The garage was seriously overwhelming, and not lit well.  This contributed to me grabbing what I wanted and getting the hell out of there, into the house proper. And therefore not taking photos of the many, many shelves of pottery.

Although, inside the house wasn't much better.  It was very dark, and the flooring had all been pulled up, so we were walking on bare particle board.  And everywhere you looked there were ceramics, vases, glassware.  So many things.  All breakable.

Ashtrays and figureines in the living room.

One very special ashtray that I didn't buy, but had a chuckle about.

I did find these cuties inside the jumble of the house.  I was shopping for @hmcamma since she had to (stupid) work.  She had quite a long list and had, along with my mother, freaked right out when she saw the pre-sale photos online. They both love vintage planters and have very large collections of houseplants. (I cannot make house plants grow at all, so I have none.  No sense in bringing in a poor, innocent plant, just to kill it.) I was able to secure many items from her list, thankfully.

I got her a whole basket of goodies! (Yes, she wanted the green elephant bank planter!)

I also scored her a few surprises, like this vintage enamel hair clip! I was going to get it for her when I thought it was a pin, but a hair clip is even better!

I was able to round up a few goodies for myself as well.

Check out the amazing Pac-Man glasses!  I'm sure I'll break them sometime soon, (Nobody is better than me at breaking glasses.) but until then I'm going to enjoy using them. Whiskey and ginger in a Pac-Man glass?  Yes please! The duck planter will join my other cream colored Easter planters, and the mint green planter (upside down for this photo) will go to work in my bedroom holding jewels.  Or maybe change purses! OoOOooOoohh!  Good idea!

I also got some loot for my Etsy shop.  Vintage Care Bears Christmas tags, and one billion micro machines.  They will be put into my ample backlog and show up in my shop about a year from now. (DM me on Instagram if you see something you'd like a price on before then.) @thesnugbungalowshop

I know that Ann and my mom bought stuff, but I couldn't say what exactly.  I wasn't there when they checked out and of course "didn't take a photo".  My new catch phrase.  Much of what Ann finds ends up in her awesome Etsy shop: Magic Summer Vintage . Go check it out!

After the estate sale we hopped over to a sale we'd seen advertised as an estate sale with a ton of jewelry.  What it actually was - a garage sale with loads of new jewelry - wasn't what we were looking for.  They had some vintage items, but wanted exorbitant prices for them.  Like $40 for an unmarked rhinestone bracelet.  Higher prices than most antique stores I've been to. Needless to say, I didn't find anything worth haggling over.  It looks enticing though, doesn't it?

After getting slightly cranky at the jewelry sale, we decided it was time for lunch.

My mom treated us to a round of very delicious drinks, just the right thing to cap off a day of sale-ing with two of my favorite people. Ann and I both had the blood orange margarita, and my mom had a dirty martini.  This place makes amazing martinis, and if I hadn't been driving, I would have had one of my own!

All in all, it was a very fun day and I was happy to share it with two of the awesome women in my life.  Cheers!

(P.S. - My mom took a picture of her loot when she got home. Here it is! Color coordinated vintage planters, along with a large brown lightweight planter, a sparkly poinsettia pick, and a groovy orange dress!)