Victorious

What happens when you beat The One To Beat?  You reign victorious, that's what.  Let me tell you, Heather (@hmcamma) and I are reigning, baby.

We were stalking a Saturday Estate sale online.  Poring over the pictures time and time again.  This sale was jam packed and it seems like every time we checked over the photos, we found something new we needed to add to the "grab it quick" list.

My list was pretty short: Holt Howard Santa driving a car candlestick holders, Christmas girl head vase, Dream Pets-ish Santa mouse, red tin tray with fall leaves, Buffalo Bills mug for my mom's husband.  In the past Christmas ceramics have been a hot commodity, so I always have a lot of anxiety over nabbing them before anyone else does.  But as I've said before, there aren't that many people who are still into Christmas. (With a few small exceptions, none of which I'm into, thankfully!)

Heather's list was something like: Oshit (a melty plastic pieces art ....what are those things called, anyway??), table top vintage tinsel tree in original box, and Genesee Beer stuff for her hubs.

We arrived at the sale about a half hour before it started, in time to get numbers.  18 and 19. Not too shabby.  I don't really have the gumption to show up an hour and a half early to get number 1. The one time I did that the (*%&#^!@ing) company did not stick to their posted rules and had already put the numbers out so I got 14 or some crap.  Not worth it.  There isn't anything I need THAT much.

It was super hot out.  And humid.  It's been hot here all summer, like, in the 90s, which is unheard of, but not muggy at all, which is also unheard of.  But the muggs came out just for us and we sweated in line for a half an hour trying to quell our grabby anxiety by going over our plan one more time: Attic first, which, by the photos, seemed to be where all the Christmas stuff had been stashed. Then work our way down through the house and to the garage out back. Ready team?

We were let in within a minute or two of the sale opening.  The stairs up were basically right in front of us, so we ran up there, and luckily I saw that the stairs to the attic were hidden in the bathroom so I yelled to Heather who had already passed them by.  We scurried up into the attic (Can we just talk about stairs in these old houses?  If my tiny, child-sized foot has trouble navigating your weird, tall, skinny stairs, that means they are too damn small and quite a heath hazard, really. Thank goodness for building codes! Before buying an old house - check the stairs!)

The attic was wee.  A very tiny space. Most of it required people to crouch. (Maybe not Heather and I as we are rather vertically challenged...) It was a bazillion degrees up there, and the tension was palpable.  Because everyone had needs and wants, and nobody could freaking move.  Luckily I was able to slip past the lady stationed up there to write up slips (WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP HERE? THERE ISN'T ANY ROOM. GO AWAY.) and snag the Holt Howard Santa cars and the Santa mouse guy, which were on the same table.  

The Christmas girl head vase was on a table that had been pretty picked over by the time I got up there. (Someone bought a giant basket of 45 elf knee-huggers at $4 a pop) An older gentleman was standing RIGHT in my way holding a ceramic light up tree, having a conversation with his wife, one floor down.  People were pressed against people on every side.  It was ugly and hot and I'm sure got smelly at some point.  Everyone was frustrated and trying to inch by every other frustrated person.  I was finally able to squeeze my hand through the crowd and gently nab the head vase!

Heather was in another part of the attic. I'd nabbed the Oshit for her on my way to the Holt Howard cars, so that was safe in our possession. I thought that the table top tree had been on the same table and was disappointed when I didn't see it there, thinking someone else had grabbed it.  Not so!  It had been in the other part of the attic and she'd scooped it up right before the girl who was behind her, who also wanted it.  BAM!  Not our first time at the rodeo, kids!

(Because when you get the chance to own a plastic Oshit, you jump on it.)

She was able to grab a vintage Genesee Beer (a local Brewery) tray on the second floor, I scored the vintage Buffalo Bills mug on the first floor in the kitchen, where she grabbed a vintage art-deco-ish set of shot glasses with a handled tray, and then we went to the basement, which was just jam packed with stuff, and shoppers.

I was amazed that nobody had scooped up the red fall leaf tray! Huzzah! And I found a surprise (not in any of the sale photos) jadeite restaurantware plate!  The sale sweats, I got the sale sweats!  Poker face was out the window!  Too much excitement and joy!

A lady near us started to notice.  When Heather found the lucite lazy Susan with embedded shells (for her sister, who was watching Baby C so that Heather could enjoy a morning of digging through dusty crap in someone else's house.) things kicked up to a new level and the lady couldn't help herself anymore.  

"Do you like that??" She asked.

"Hell yes! What isn't to like?! It's beautiful, has shells, and is a lazy Susan!" Heather gives zero shits if you don't like what she likes.

The lady laughed and said, "You guys are just like me and my bestie! (I love that a woman over 60 was using the term "bestie".)  We always go to sales together and if we can't, we text each other the whole time about what we are finding.

Been there.  Tell ya what.

In her sale delirium Heather found a vintage metal cabinet (tall & skinny) for $12. She swears she's going to use it for something-or-other.  Sometimes when you get the sale sweats, you buy all the things.  So what?

We picked up some jewelry while checking out, and loaded all of our treasure into the car.  Stupid grins, the whole way home. It's what is known as "after glow".

This is most of Heather's stuff, minus the cabinet, and Oshit.

(The jadeite plate, Santas, and pearl earrings are mine.)

Jadeite plate: $3. Hold Howard Santas: $6 (one was missing the ball on his hat, that I replaced with a little white pompom) Big clip-on earrings with huge "pearls" and pink aurora borealis rhinestones: $3.

Slightly rusty fall leaf tray: $6. Dream Pets (ish?) Mouse Santa: $4.  Napco Christmas Girl Head Vase: $8. 

To see more pictures, and more adventures, head over to Instagram and follow 

Heather: @hmcamma

and me: @thesnugbungalow and my shop account: @thesnugbungalowshop

New In My Etsy Shop

A Coupon!!

A coupon for my Etsy shop! (Click the above image to be take to my shop!)

$5 off a purchase of $25 or more (pre-shipping price

 Coupon code: FIRST1

Enter coupon code at checkout.

This coupon will remain in effect until 8/31

Until next time, happy hunting!