'Tis The Season

'Tis the season to not have enough hours in the day, not enough days in the week. 'Tis the season to be busy as shit and cranky as crap.  'Tis the season to start a drinking habit. 

And, 'Tis the season to grab any little minute for yourself - including hitting an Estate Sale or two!

'Tis the season to buy everything vintage for yourself, and nothing for everyone else and feel really good about it!

This is how @magicsummervintage and I do Black Friday shopping!  Standing in line, out in our nemesis (the cold), waiting to paw through someone else's old stuff.

Paw, we did!  And rewarded, we were!  (Honestly not trying to sound like Yoda on purpose...)  I went to the basement first, which is where the vintage holiday was being stashed.  There were only a few other people down there, and I had my pick of so much great stuff!  The best part was that most of it was a quarter per item!

I just adore these little mice ornaments.  I have rescued a whole family of them now, one skinny, stripe-y kid at a time.  I'm so stoked about the white plastic tree. They were made in a host of different colors, but I've never crossed paths with one...until now.  I don't collect Gurley candles, but I do want a select few of them.  Very specific designs.  The candle was on the list.  Red and green, delicious Christmas combo!  The tiny deer is flocked with glitter antlers.  I mean, come on.  I almost never see the small brittle cardboard glitter houses.  I have three of them now.  The pack of vintage Hallmark party matchbooks has never been opened.  I hate/love when I find something that has never been opened. All the agonizing over whether to open or not! 

This ceramic Santa dude used to be a bell, but is now missing the clanger. I love that he is carrying a present on a weird string, for some reason.  I've only ever found ONE of the plastic lantern ornaments to date.  I love all things lantern!  I plan to put them on a tropical themed tree that I'll have in the future.  Hold on to your seats, people!  VINTAGE HONEYCOMB!  And it had never been opened!!

Well, I guess you can see that I didn't agonize over this one for too long.  I got to pop out all the pieces and put this Christmas sweetness together for the first time in it's life!  It was such a treat!  My goodness.  The love of honeycomb hit hard and fast this year.

There was a little table of Easter decor in the basement, too! I chose these vintage flocked floral picks.  So cute and tres pastel!

From the basement I ventured to the first floor, where the dining room was covered in jewelry.  An entire room full of jewelry!  It was nuts!  Not much of it was vintage, but most of the items seemed to have never been worn, many still sported their original price tags. This was the one pair I found.  Vintage lucite with white and silver confetti.  Clip ons.  I also actually found a pair of earrings made from shell, carved into the shape of a shell, but I lost one between the sale and my house.  I don't really want to talk about it.

The third floor held treasure, too!  Treasure, let me add, that @magicsummervintage did not pick up for me, but knew I'd want.  She just let the treasure sit there for whomever to snatch up, even though I was toting around an entire armload of dresses in the basement, just so she could have first pick.  Just so we're clear.

Vintage Halloween masks!  I find like one of these a year, so it seemed like striking gold to find two at the same sale.  For way cheap.  Way. I said that I thought the one on the right looked similar to Inspector Gadget.  The husband said no.  He looks like "someone playing cards."  So there you have it.  The "Spooky Kooky Jewelry - Dracula" set is Ben Cooper, and will be displayed in the package, of course!  I wonder if there were other sets?

I also went to a few other sales and picked up some goodies.  I like vintage hankies, but only when they aren't poinsettia themed.  They always seem to be poinsettia themed.  I was so happy to find this pine and holly specimen! The glitter bird is paper mache, and the mushroom ornament is blown glass.  I do love a toadstool!

A lovely jadeite and white linen tablecloth, a Hallmark Merry Miniatures Santa, two Santa mugs with lenticular eyes (!), another and different candy striped Santa pencil - this one with dangling balls...erm....bells, an embroidered vintage hankie with the likeness of a Christmas tree, rhinestone clip-on earrings that go up your earlobe, a chunky faux pearl wrap bracelet, and my favorite: lucite earrings with (red glitter and gold star) confetti.  Lots of happy!

In my travels I found something from my All Time Want list!  This crazy flickering faux candle. He's a Halloween decoration from Hallmark, though he isn't marked as such on the bottom and the base looks a bit different than the others I've seen online.  It still lights up! Don't miss his spooky flame face!  The egg cup was a great deal and will, of course, be displayed in the spring.  And check out the teensy bunny and flamingo!  I love small things!

If you need a dose of vintage yourself, check out my Etsy shop!

Until next time, happy hunting!