That's Old Ya Know Is Getting Old, Ya Know?

One of the worst things about yard saleing for vintage treasures is being old "That's old ya know" all the gd time.  I feel like screaming, "YES! I know it's old! That's why I'm here!"  I'm not an idiot, I'm just younger than you.  I know exactly how old that rotten piece of shit is.  I'm telling you what.  No matter how interested I am in something, when I'm told how old something is, I set it down, give them a stern look and walk away.  I never say a word.  I just walk away.  What is this?  A freaking museum?  I don't want to know the play by play history of this thing, I want to buy it for 50 cents, is that ok with you, oh curator of the aged?

One of the best things about yard saleing for vintage treasures is finding vintage treasures.  On the cheap.  HB and I went to a sale in Churchville last weekend.  An enormous neighbourhood sale.  It was mostly older people (they're old ya know) and as we know older people have both the best stuff and the best prices.

HB bought pretty much everything.  Don't believe me?  Witness:

Click on the picture so that you can see a bigger size and really get a feel for how much stuff is in there.  Cast iron unicorn doorstop?  Check!  Maple tree, ready to plant?  Check! Blue felt boot...thing?  Check!  

When we brought the blue boot...thing up to the checkout the lady asked us, "You know what this is, right?"  You might think that would send me into stony fits of silence like the other accursed phrase, but you'd be wrong.  I like knowing what weird things are.  Especially if I don't already know and especially if the person telling me isn't trying to tell me how old the damned thing is.  At any rate I answered the lady with full confidence. "Yes.  It's a felt boot."  She told us that it was for storing scissors.  Clearly.  Tell ya what I want to do with it.  Stick some candy canes in that mother and hang it on a tree!

HB has an Etsy store, too.  She sells vintage linens and supposedly, someday vintage wrapping paper, cards and gift tags.  Whenever she can get herself to part with some of her hoard.  I'm telling you.  She's got a problem.  A bonafide addiction.  Much like my mother's dresser drawer full of greeting cards.  I'm not kidding the woman has a dresser drawer full of greeting cards.  She never uses them, just keeps collecting them, hiding them away in that drawer like a squirrel.  It's nuts.  (see what I did, there?)

We also found some amazing 60's dresses.  She got them for $2.50 each.  WHAT!?  Yeah.

 

 Here are some other things that HB found along the way a few weeks back.  She has started finding these huge rolls of ribbon.  In amazing colors.  They are so gorgeous in a display, let me tell you.  What's that back there?  Oh right.  more vintage wrapping paper.  Of course.

I only scored a few things that were for me and not for my Etsy shop or for presents for people who look at this blog.

There is the inevitable vintage picture frame (25 cents) along with the few odd pieces of etched silver (a quarter for both) and no, I have no idea what kind of forks they are.  From what I've seen I'm guessing fish fork.  Then two gorgeous pieces of vintage Avon novelty.  10 cents each.   I mean, come on with that.

I just love Lily of the Vally.  The smell and the look.  Gorgeous.  I love this funky 60's take on the classic shape.  So cute.  I'm trying not to get all preachy about vintage Avon again.  I'll just say this: they had some majorly talented artists working for them.  That is all.

And you should all be glad to know that I finally chose a spot for the sacred mirror.  After much deliberation.  It's in the bathroom.  It's taken the place of a similarly shaped mirror I had in that spot with just a simple chrome frame.  As you can see, I've chosen the correct spot.

So, In Summary:

If You Say That One More Time I'll Cut You

I've Got Quite A Few Interventions To Plan

Vintage Avon, Living Up To The Hype

Just Look At It

Going Green

The annual Monroe Ave Church sale.  Woot!

I told you I buy green things.  Pretty much all of them.  

I found the most amazing mirror.  It's sea foam green, plastic and has gold glitter in the plastic.  Let me repeat that: glitter in the plastic.  It's so goddam beautiful I can hardly look at it.  It also has rubber nubs on the bottom in case you want to use it as a perfume or jewelry tray (cover it up??  I think not) and has a hook on the back in case you choose to hang it.  It's sitting on my dining room table right now because I'm a little nervous about finding just the right spot for it.  Just the right place.  Somewhere sacred enough.  Somewhere that will highlight it's many amazing attributes to all who wander near.  Honestly I was thinking about putting it in the john.  At least everyone will see it there.

This mirror was $4 and while I was checking out some lady in line accosted me repeatedly.  She kept reaching in and touching it and was all, "Oh my gawd, what a steal!  What I find!  How did I not see that!?  I love turquoise!  Oh my gawd, I wish I'd seen that!"   OK, A: It's not turquoise.  B: You touch my new green mirror again Imma slap ya.

The pile of restaurant ware jadeite saucers went for $1 each.  Of all my jadeite pieces the restaurant ware takes the cake.  It's just so...hardy.  There were about 100 of them on the table.  I'm not kidding.  Only the saucers.  Where did the cups go!?  How did you end up with 100 jadeite saucers!? 

To top it all off I got a whole bag of the plastic glittered Christmas trees (at a different sale) for a quarter!  So, it's been a really great week, glitter-wise.

I also found Pictionary for $2.  I looked for this sucker all last year and never found it.  I'm really happy that us girls can start annoying the men in our life by asking to play this all of the time.

 

So, In Summary:

Jolly Green Short Girl 

Glitter, The Dust Of Gods

Ronald McDonald House Sale IN MAY!?

Yeah.  That's right.  The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester have decided to make their annual sale a bi-annual event!  BOOM!  Shit just got real, son.  We got out for this thing en masse.  We donate to the sale, get the golden ticket (which lets you and a friend in a day earlier than the general public) and then go to dinner at an awesome German brew pub down the street after the sale.

Being that this was the first time the sale was held in May instead of October, I thought that perhaps not many people would have caught on.  I honestly expected it to be low key and much less attended.  Wrong.  Check out the line. 

See that white building waaay in the distance?  Yeah.  Neither do I.  Not that I was complaining, because this was a rare gorgeous day in Rochester and I wanted to be outside feeling the sun on my skin anyway.

Generally I go into this sale with a plan.  Hit Christmas first and then head over to housewares.  But, the last RMD sale was a game changer. I went directly to toys, bypassing the boxes of enormous, free reusable shopping bags, practically running full tilt.  I was rewarded for my effort.  Not as much as last time perhaps, but I was still smiling.

The Kermit is an official, really nice Disney resort/store version.  He only has a scarf on, but I feel like there was more to his outfit/accessories at some point.  It is crucial to note that his mouth is closed.  There are very few Kermit dolls made with a closed mouth.  The blue mouse is Tutter, from Bear in the Big Blue House.  Kermit: $3.50, Tutter: 75 cents.

After scoring in the toy section I headed for brick-a-brack, a much overlooked catchall area.  I find amazing things in this section every single year.  Mostly it's because it's the "what the crap even is this?" section.  Witness exhibit A: $1 adorable antique wooden shelf.  Sometimes I think about what the sale volunteers who price things were thinking or the conversations they had about the things I chose.  

Volunteer A: What is this?

Volunteer B: It's a shelf I guess.

Volunteer A: Looks like it's seen better days.  And that color!  Ugh! Nobody is going to want this thing.

Volunteer B: Just stick $1 on it.  Some schmuck will pay a buck for it.  It's for the kids, after all.

Volunteer A: I'll be you that $1 that this thing is still here, even after the half price day.

Me: OMG! Can you believe they only want a dollar for this?!  Yoink!

Statistics show that if something is green there is a least a 78% chance that I will buy it.  If that thing is also a Scottie dog that number soars to 99.9%  You might think that this is a cutting board.  I thought it might be, too.  But the top layer is made of laminate and you aren't supposed to cut on laminate.  But there are shallow cut marks in it, nonetheless.  After looking it over a few times I found that this little dude had actually been cut from a counter.  Probably some sentimental person in the 50's was getting a new counter and thought they'd keep a little piece of the old one.  $1.00 for a weird counter Scottie dog thing that you can't use as a cutting board?  Yeah, I'll take that.

The lantern ornament was from the holiday section, 75 cents.  I'm also very partial to lanterns, and if they are green, by George, double the pleasure, double the fun. 

I also got a bag full of wooden bunnies.  $2.50 for the bag. God, I just love weird little guys like this.

My friend Kara joined me at the sale and scored big right out of the gate.  A working receiver and speakers. I feel like she told me they were $25 together, but I could be making that up.  She also got a crockpot that has a timer.  I didn't even know they made those.

Kara is a dancer. She's an Irish dancer to be exact.  And she's awesome.  She bought the awesome vintage dance pictures for her studio.  Yes, they are ballet dancers.  No, she isn't.  We're moving past it.  A French press is always a great find.  The butterfly shadow boxes have real butterflies in them!  As Kara says, "Science!" (She's also a chemistry teacher)  Please don't miss the "Notice do not tamper with cook's buns" vintage mirror for her kitchen.

So, In Summary:

I Get To Do This Twice A Year!

Go Green? Don't Mind If I Do

My Friend Is An Irish Dancing Chemist. Jealous?

Pearce Church Sale

Out here on the west side of town there is a large church called Pearce.  It has a sale every year in a very large gym space.  I always go.  Generally on the first day of the sale, which is a Friday.  Right after I get out of work.  I usually find a few things, but it's never amazing.  

This year I happened to have the first day of the sale off.  So, Lilah and I went first thing in the morning.  We weren't exactly what you might call prepared for what we found.  A good half hour before the sale opened there was a line.  Of like, 100 people.  There were parking attendants and a cross walk attendant, too.  It was a big stinking to-do.  And let me tell you.  We did.

I got only got a few things for myself and one cool gift.  Lilah on the other hand...

Well, she bought everything.  She had four bags of stuff and a huge picture frame.  It's been a long time since she was able to yard sale in the summer.  She's been working hard on a degree and just finished her last class, officially graduating.  I could not be more proud of her hard work and dedication, so Imma let her off the hook this time.  She needed a hit, so it's ok that she got a little...crazed.  Hours later her arms still bore the marks from lugging those jam-packed bags around at the sale. 

I only found a few things, but I was just as happy with them as she was with her horde. Some gorgeous fall decorations. 25 cents for the SET of two votives, you people.  And 50 cents for the acorn dish.  Amazing.

The schnauzer cross stitch picture is a gift for a friend who has two schnauzers.  I paid an entire dollar for it.  Hear that, Daria?  Cherish that shit.

The tiny little dog figurine is for moi.  It was a quarter and it reminds me of my little pup who is the most adorable guy, ever.  Adorable and grumpy by turns.  Here, I'll show you.

So, In Summary:

There's Nothing Left, Lilah Bought It All

Did You See His Widdle Facey-poo?