That's What She Said: Sweat Till You Can't Sweat No More

One of my very favorite sales takes place in August each year.  It's a church sale, rather close to my house, and it's always during the hottest week in history.  And there are a million people.  But, it's so worth it, because there are also a million deals!  And a room full of holiday stuff that will knock your proverbial socks right off.

Ann and I went last year and she lost the will to sale, and made her get away early.  Not so this year!  We went during the day instead of after I got out of work.  And we were in it to win it. (For more on what Ann and I get up to during summer- please read previous posts.)

We went on Thursday (the second day of the sale), because I haven't worked my way up to paying the $5 necessary to get in on the first day.  I overheard some volunteers talking and saying that over 400 people did pay the $5 on the first day.  This place is always so packed with stuff that I cannot even begin to imagine what it looked like on the first day.

Our first stop is always the jewelry room.  It's a very large room and half of the room is filled with individually bagged jewelry items.  Top price is about $5.  It's usually somewhere around the same temperature as the surface of the sun in there.  And you are elbow to elbow with other shoppers.  Everyone trying to claim enough space to paw through the goods.  I failed to take a photo of this room.  I was too intensely "in the moment" (Read: Claiming my space and elbowing other people out.)  I'm pretty sure Ann took some photos, though.  So head over to her blog to check it out!

These are my keepers from the jewelry room.  I'm on the fence about the dog pins, though.  And the tiki mask and Figment came from the toy room. I'm dying over all the rainbows!

These are items that will make it to my shops sooner or later.

After sweating it out in the jewelry room I always hunt down holiday.  I remembered to take a breath and a photo in that room!

The jubilation!

Digging around in this wonderland of holiday is so much fun.  There were only a few other people in there when I was there, so it wasn't nearly as sweaty or anxiety ridden. 

Here are the ornaments I snagged.  The home made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are the best.  They are holding coffee stir sticks as weapons! They crack me up.  I love crafts.

I did have a bit of a scare in the holiday room.  I saw this and instinctively grabbed for it like a wild woman.

It did NOT turn out to be what I thought it would be.  Nope.  Not Kermit.

Clothes for a wine bottle.  To dress it up like an elf.  Something on everyone's list, I'm assuming.  I think because I thought it was Kermit, and then it turned out to be this instead, it really gave me the creeps.

After holiday I hopped over to toys.  On my way out of the room, I found treasure chest.  Boxes and and boxes of littles, all 3 for 25 cents!  I got all the things. Littles are my jam, son.

I have no idea what Ann was doing during this time. She would find me in rooms and then float away.  I don't think there were clothes at this sale, which is kinda lame for her.

I went into a few more rooms, and all told it took over two hours. Here are a few other gems I dug out of the rubble.

(Notice...HONEYCOMB! Not keeping it though.  I don't decorate for St. Pat's Day.  When you go as big as I do with decor, you just can't do it all.)

Because we did such a good job finding the treasures, we rewarded ourselves with a stop at Rohrbach's Restaurant for a snack and beverage.  It's German, and a bit meat-centric, so I did what had to be done.

Huuuuuuge happy pretzel covered in buttery goodness served with three dipping sauces!  We all know the world revolves around dipping sauces. (Peanut butter mustard, mustard, and cheese ale.)  And a Scotch Ale on the side.  Heaven!

There are only a few more weeks of magic summer left!  So stay tuned for our last few adventures in treasure hunting!

Also you can check out photos of our finds and dogs on Instagram at:

@thesnugbungalow    and   @thesnugbungalowshop

@magicsummervintage

Or if you'd like some vintage treasures of your own, visit our shops:

The Snug Bungalow Vintage & Design

The Snug Bungalow Ebay Store

Magic Summer Vintage

That's What She Said: Sacred Church Of The Holy Treasure Hunt

This week, we brave explorers traversed the perils (And by "perils" I mean, delicious baked goods. Best $2 I ever spent.) of two church sales.  Church sales can be the very very best of all sales.  There are usually many vintage items, and the prices are usually very low.  Lots of good digging to be had at a church sale.  These two sales were particularly good.  The kind where your muscles hurt afterwards from dragging around such large amounts of loot.

Now, just as a warning, I was really in the zone at these two sales.  So that means, I was busy grabbing all the finds and not quite as busy taking all (or any?) of the photos.

If you want to see more photos, head over to Ann's blog to get her version of the story.

I started off really strong.  I arrived at our first location before Ann did and snapped a picture of the surprisingly long line.  I wasn't expecting a line. I don't know why.

Well, enjoy that photo.  Because it's the only one you are going to get from church sale #1.

Once in the door you were right in front of the jewelry table and of course we brake for jewelry.  Everything was scanned and it was determined no Bakelite lived at this sale.  The home made baked goods were right next to the jewelry, and that is a one-two punch that I narrowly avoided...on the way in.

I hopped over to the toy room next because I made out like a bandit in there last year.  And did again this year! So many vintage plushes, plus a bunch of other cool stuff.

Generally church sales have oodles and oodles of Christmas decor, you know, on account of The Lord.  Not so this sale.  They have it down at the end of a sad hallway and it's never enough to even spit at.  What gives??

On the way out I bought a bag of two very serious chocolate chip cookies and gave one to Ann, because I'm heroic like that.  Plus, chocolate chip cookies are among her most favorite sweet treats. (Total Hufflepuff move.)  There was no time and also no clean fingers available for a photo of that.

We found a surprise (not listed) Estate sale and made a quick stop there before heading to church sale #2.  It was actually a barn sale, which is a different entity entirely.  Strike #1. Also, nothing was priced.  Strike #2, and you are out.  Because, in my sports game you get 2 strikes.  I don't have time for 3.  And I'm certainly not playing the "nothing is marked" game. Puh-leeez.

Church Sale #2 was one that we went to last year.  I found tons of great stuff then, so I was very excited!  I was not disappointed!  The top price on their sticker code system was $2.  I can rock that, real hard.  I dug right in and was piling stuff in my basket, when I got a text. From Ann.  Who was in the same room as me.  I looked around and saw her head juuuuust peeking out behind a wall of clothing.  Her text said, "I'm going to need a picture of me behind this huge wall of clothes."

For your viewing pleasure:

It was really hard to dig through all that without risking an avalanche.  So Ann came away with one thing.  One.  From that huuuuge pile.  It was just too stressful.

I wound my way through holiday and found tons of great stuff. Then I saw this gorgeous pile and dove right in!

I was rewarded for my efforts and came away with many delights!  The most exciting of which were these...

Avon perfume pins!  I have a collection of them and these are new to my collection!  It's been so long since I found one!  So much excitement!

After checking out (Some of us with multiple bags.) we decided to go to a thrift store.  Not because we are addicts.  But because we wanted to go to lunch and needed to kill a few minutes before the restaurant opened.

It was very hard for me to restrain myself from buying one of every color.  What a cute little rainbow display!  I think my favorite was the orange one - the design was fall leaves!

Cheers!

Here are some photos of the mishmash of treasure that I found.  So much great stuff!  It will all end up in my shops sooner or later.

You can check out photos of our finds and dogs on Instagram at:

@thesnugbungalow    and   @thesnugbungalowshop

@magicsummervintage

Or if you'd like some vintage treasures of your own, visit our shops:

The Snug Bungalow Vintage & Design

The Snug Bungalow Ebay Store

Magic Summer Vintage

That's What She Said: Hump Day

Instead of going out treasure hunting on Friday, this week I took a day off to venture forth on Wednesday.  The original plan was for Ann (@magicsummervintage) and I to hit up some Salvation Army stores in the next city over.  Wednesday is half price day at Salvation Army.  Ann and I have been haunting thrift stores for decades and we know the tricks of the trade.

You can read Ann's version of this story here.

The original plan was bucked a bit when we found that there was a "digger" estate sale that morning. (A digger sale is kind of a big, delicious mess.  Lots of things, in lots of places, much to dig through.) It held one of my holy grails.  Something from my All Time Want List. A vintage ceramic flamingo vase.  Yep, you heard right.  I'm that girl.

I was pretty worried, since I had just scored something from my All Time Want List a few weeks earlier, and I didn't know how far my luck would stretch.

When we got to the sale, I had to explain to Ann and her cousin Kristen (Who boldly decided to pop her estate sale cherry on this trip.) that I had erroneously worn "shirt to show".  This is a phenomenon wherein a person going to a concert of some kind, wears a shirt with the band they are going to see, on it.  So they are at the concert of X band, and they are wearing an X band shirt.  Like, we get it pal.  You like X band.  Geez, play it cool.

So, I was at the sale trying to get my grubby mitts on flamingo stuff and I'm wearing a shirt with flamingos on it. I'm basically the worst.  Then...THEN Eastern European woman walks by me and gives me a look.  Kristen and Ann immediately respond that she was looking at my shirt, and is probably there for the flamingos too!!  I buttoned up my sweater.  It felt and looked wrong, but it covered up the brunt of the flamingo disaster.

There was only one more number left when we got there, so Ann made more.  Because we are organized and on top of things.  And we aren't going to wait in a line with no number!

Of course when they opened the doors, 25 people were let in.  We had numbers staring at 26, so we had to wait until the second wave!  Every second was torture.  I was sure Eastern European lady was in there, scooping up my beloved flamingos.

Once we were let in I was off like a shot.  Into the room with the flamingos.  Everything was gone...except the vase!  Victory!!  BEHOLD:

Now, generally when I've secured the object of my desire at any given estate sale, I drift around the rest of the sale in a state of satiated bliss.  All tension gone, every additional find, just icing on the cake.  Not so, this sale.  Enter: Grabby Lady.  Grabby Lady is not one of the cast of characters I recognize from Friday sales.  She is no doubt a re-seller though.  Grabbing up all the goods in a frenzied state, unabashedly reaching in front of people, and arguing with the employees over prices.  In general, not minding her manners. Not the way to win friends, Ms. Grabby.

Through some miracle, I made it into one of the Christmas rooms before her.  I say "one of" because there were three rooms of Christmas in this sale. I found good stuff in that room and happily scooped it up before Grabby McGrabbersons made her way in.

These flocked Santas will make their way to my shops at some point in the future.

Of course, finding this amount of honeycomb nearly made me faint dead away.  And I've resolved to only keep ONE.  Because, strength. (And also because, storage space.)  The others will be for sale sooner or later.

Some fun bits for my shops.

These are keepers.  For some reason, I love a chimney. There was just no way I could leave a silk plaid neon rainbow change purse behind! The little Florida purse was found by Ann.  I have the little change purse version already!

Family members reunited!

I then went to the basement where the other two rooms of Christmas were.  They had been heavily picked over and I didn't find any further delights.  But, I did find loads of vintage plush! Most with original tags!

The basement also held an area filled with spring and fall decor.  I found this awesome 18" honeycomb ghost!  So big!

Speaking of haunting...I also found...these...in the basement.

While we were standing in the checkout line (Some of us with three bags full...much like Baa Baa Black Sheep.) Ann had a conversation with one of the employees who told us that they were also running another sale a few streets over.  The phrase "table full of jewelry" was uttered, and that was pretty much that. 

When we arrived a few streets over, we got pretty much the same numbers.

Well.  Let me tell you.  There was indeed a table full of jewelry.  And when Ann descended upon it, Eastern European Lady passed a box to a guy, juuuuuust in front of Ann's nose, saying, "Here.  Is this the Bakelite?" Turns out it was the Bakelite.  Mere inches from Ann's face.  Needless to say, we left shortly after.  We did not buy things.

It was time for some fuel. Or maybe a consolation treat.

Off to cull the thrifts of Syracuse!  An hour later we arrived...at an abandon building.  The first thrift on our list was closed.  Forever.  We decided on a second location and were duly and justly rewarded for our travels.

Neon pink Chucks - in my size!! For $2.50!!  And some other goodies to sell.

Another flamingo shirt.  That'll help. 

I also found this terrifying / supposed to be funny shirt.

Then, it was time for lunch, so Kristen hunted us up an awesome spot nearby to eat. A Mexican restaurant in an old church, called The Mission.  Very amazing atmosphere and really great food!

Shrimp tacos, beans and rice.  You really don't need to ask for more in life.

After lunch we decided that we hadn't had enough thrifting, just yet. So we headed to another shop, where we mostly struck out.

We took Friday off from treasure hunting to recuperate. But, we will be on the trail again this week! Never fear!

Until then you can check out photos of our finds and dogs on Instagram at:

@thesnugbungalow    and   @thesnugbungalowshop

@magicsummervintage

Or if you'd like some vintage treasures of your own, visit our shops:

The Snug Bungalow Vintage & Design

The Snug Bungalow Ebay Store

Magic Summer Vintage

That's What She Said: Lightly Baked

Another Friday, another adventure. @magicsummervintage and I are back on the dusty trail, hunting down vintage treasures at an estate sale and a church sale.  

I really do think the allusion of Vintage hunting being like actual hunting is apt.  You know, except for the guns and killing bits.  Clothing:  Hunters have camouflage and orange stuff so they don't fire on each other. We have comfortable, sensible clothing and footwear, for long hours on the hunt - stalking our prey. You don't want to accidentally expose four inches of ass crack while you are swooping some treasure under a table.  Because we all know that in that case, the swoop wins.  Ass crack be damned.  Gear: Hunters have guns and calls and animal pee.  We have baskets and bags for hauling, phones for photos and information, and credit cards to see the "kill" is processed.  I mean, it's basically the same exact thing.  But without blood and guts.

You can read about Ann's version of events here.

Today I wasn't on the trail of anything super specific.  I looked at the photos beforehand and it seemed like there were enough things to make it interesting, but nothing stood out.  

I snagged a few treasures at the jewelry table but passed on this geode / crystal belt buckle.  Lots of people are all hot and bothered about geodes and crystals these days. Bet someone would have loved this hunk of rock.

There was also a Winchester belt.  Maybe we should go down the pub and wait for this whole thing to blow over.

Next I headed to the porch, where I had seen vintage plush toys in the photos.  There were a few left, so I put them in my basket.  The porch was pretty packed.

I had to do a double take at the wallpaper in one of the bedrooms. Whoa.  I can't imagine sleeping with all that going on.

I found this sweet lilac velvet ring box that matched a larger version I bought a few years ago to hold other jewelry. So beautiful!

In the basement they had this awesome bar setup. It's hard for me to imagine having enough time and energy and booze to warrant a specific room to drink in.  But so many old houses have a built in bar area in the basement.

Behind the bar, on the wall I found this set. Yep.  #gunlawsnow

When we were done with the estate sale, I had a full bag of fun...

...while Ann bought a huge box full of paper products in order to get the vintage paper Genesee Beer cups therein.

After the estate sale we went to a church sale.  We'd gone the previous year and I fondly recall the mountains of holiday that I was able to dig through. We walked through the doors and it looked like a huge amount of stuff, just like last year!

Except not holiday.  Sad, sad times.  I only snagged one bag full of ornaments. 

Next I went to the jewelry table, because it looked pretty loaded, and I do love a jewel.  I found a few things to buy...

...and then set about rifling through the plastic bangles for Bakelite.  Instagram has been lighting up with people finding Bakelite bracelets at thrift stores and estate sales for next to nothing.  I kept telling Ann that we were living in a moment, and that our time would come sooner or later.  We'd find it in the wild.  For cheap.

I narrowed the pile down to one weird grayish carved piece, and an orange bangle.  When Ann arrived she said she didn't care what the gray one was made of, it was ugly and she wouldn't wear it.  Fair enough.  On to the orange.  It was more thin than other pieces I'd seen. Not as heavy or as chunky. Ann felt it.  She tapped it.  We looked at each other and shrugged..."maaaayyybbeee???"  Out came the testing kit: A plastic sandwich bag with a paper towel inside, dampened with 409 cleaner.  The 409 reacts to the formaldehyde in the Bakelite.  The paper towel will come away with a yellow spot because of the reaction, if what you have is Bakelite.  The plastic will be unharmed - just a tinch more clean perhaps.

(Photo taken after the sale, in the car.  Where one can be more free to express one's emotions about plastic jewelry.)

I let Ann test it.  Instant yellow.  All she said was, "Dude" in a very hushed, poker face voice as she showed me the spot.  We had found it!  In the wild!  For cheap!  One dollar to be exact!  Now it can go live with her growing stack of happiness.

I passed on these adorable plates.

...and then I saw....THIS.

...😱...

I really thought about asking them to buy it for a minute.  But it's obviously part of their school signage and proooooobbbbably not for sale. But whoa. I couldn't close my mouth for a minute.

After we decided there was no way for me to end up going home with the Animal sign, it was to check out.

Our goodies, safely stored, our Bakelite appropriately gloated over, we set about finding a place for lunch.  At about 10:30am.  Because we sale early.  And rather quickly, really. This is not our first time at the rodeo.  We know that if we wait, all the good stuff will be gone!

We found a lovely cafe on Park Ave, open and willing to serve lunch.  YUM!

It was the best kind of day.  One that felt super summery, was fun, and delicious, and was shared with a pal.

For more photos of our finds and dogs, check us out on Instagram at:

@thesnugbungalow    and   @thesnugbungalowshop

@magicsummervintage

Or if you'd like some vintage treasures of your own, without getting up at an unholy hour or waiting in any lines - visit our shops:

The Snug Bungalow Vintage & Design

The Snug Bungalow Ebay Store

Magic Summer Vintage