Happy Sam The Eagle Day

Pretty much anything having to do with politics upsets me these days. Probably at least partially on account of the fact that I just finished all three Hunger Games books. So, I therefore refuse to wish you a happy Presidents Day. I mean, because really, what is it? Happy Rich Liars with Connections Day? Bah. I don't want to get into it. Instead I'll just wish you a Happy Sam the Eagle Day and show you some of the items I got at the sale for said dirty old so-and-sos.

A half off sale for card carrying members of Savers.

Vintage Portside sandals, $2.50. These are pretty much brand new and I had a pair exactly like them in the 80's. God, they are comfortable. I had a dream that very night that it was warm enough to wear them and they were wonderful. I think you call that delirium. The two shirts are long sleeved. The pink one is Calvin Klein $4, the blue is Old Navy, $1.50.


Mudd Tie-dye long sleeve t-shirt, $2.00. I'm going to make a confession. I like tie-dye. I'm on the lookout for a cute short sleeved tie-dye number for the summer. The husband is not impressed.


Majestic baseball shirt, $3.00. For whatever reason, I've decided that I like the way I look in these shirts. I haven't had one in a while and we all know I'm in love with black, so I was pretty happy about this score.


Gap shirt, $3.00. I can't get enough of this color combination. I love that buttery yellow against gray. Even though as a rule I hate yellow and almost never wear it. I've been making my peace with it the last few years, though.


Brand new Route 66 Boots, $3.50. I love me some boots. Especially ones without heels.

You'll be happy to know that these additions to my wardrobe will find happy homes in cleaned out closets and drawers. The husband and I made a whole day of it. We purged about 2 large black garbage bags full of stuff. I don't hope to repeat the process soon.

I can't stop thinking about the spring. I really need a yard sale hit. Out in the open air, old ladies telling me something is "old ya know", the smell of hot dogs in the air and things priced for coins. I'm having withdraw like some kind of drug addict. Blast this mild winter! It's giving me spring yearning pangs already!

So, in summary:

The Muppets Rule

Presidents Drool

Dream Sandals

Many Shirts

I Love Boots

The First Time Is Free

Sunday...At The Dome Arena...!

OK, so it was Saturday morning, but still. The Dome Arena has a nice ring to it, you have to admit. When I was a kid they would hold monster truck rallies and WWF matches there. (Dude, when I was little it was called the WWF and I refuse to call it the WWE or whatever it's supposed to be now. Long live Jake the Snake Roberts.) Now Roc City Roller Derby is held there. Hell yeah.

$2 to get in at 8:00 am. I'm guessing that right now you think there is something wrong with my brain. Waking up at 8:00 am and paying to get in to what amounts to a big yard sale. You're right. There IS something wrong with me. I'm a freaking genius.

I was working on a very limited time table of two and a half hours. This place was packed. I didn't end up getting that much, but my heart goes pitter pat whenever I step into a place that large packed with so much junk.

Check it:

The orange boots were the first thing I got. Right after stepping foot into the front door, paying my fee and getting my hand stamped with blue ballet shoes. (?) $1 for the pair. The purse is from the Gap. $5. The lady who was selling it had other great purses and a myriad of hand made hair do-dads. She calls her business "My Best Friend's Closet", which I think is adorable. The purse is in immaculate condition and I can't wait until summer so that I can carry it around.

I also bought a few things to re-sell on my Etsy page, of course.

Then there are these guys:

Lilah wanted the nun for $2. I'm going to put it in her Christmas stocking. This little sister will end up playing French music for a grouping of other nuns at my mom's house. She only has one poor, lonely friar, though. The Santy mug is for a buddy of mine. Looks like ol' Santy has a drinking problem with that nose of his. Stop spiking the eggnog that you leave out with the cookies, will ya? It's not easy driving a sleigh with 9 reindeer, especially when you are blowing a .08%


Speaking of blood alcohol levels...this set is also for Lilah. I mean, could there BE a cuter bar set? No. The answer is no. I'll save you the hassle of thinking for yourself. Check out those tiny top hats!

I wish I'd have gotten more of a chance to re-look around the place several more times. I would have made a run to the ATM and bought a bunch more stuff, maybe. But I console myself with the knowledge that it's happening again in January. It will be sub zero here then and nice and snowy. I'll be in need of a good hit. Get the tourniquet ready.

Do The Right Thing

It's finally happened. It's hot. I mean, hot. Like, cook an egg on the sidewalk hot. That could happen outside right now. For sure. Don't try it though, because that's just gross.

Even though we're spending most of our time powdering our sweaty crevices and considering cryogenics because freezing sort of sounds great right about now, we still hit the pavement and went yard sale-ing. Because we laugh in the face of pain. Or because we're delirious from heat.

Present: Sarah, Nick, Andrew, Sarah Mae

We only ventured to one church sale and a two street neighborhood sale, but got plenty of great things! Sarah Mae's finds:


Sarah Mae has a penchant for denim. This is her third denim purse. Not enough for a full collection, but it's getting close! The deer is cross stitched onto a vintage Levi's coat. I think the jacket was $2 and know that the purse was less than that.


She also loves elf style booties. And vintage insulated cups/mugs with raffia weave in them. $1.50 for the boots and cups. The genuine leather wallet is Andrew's. He bought two identical wallets. Just in case. $1 each.


She's also starting up a real nice collection of vintage elf dudes. Check out the planter. Some sweet paint by number pictures including what has to be my personal favorite. A 1950's street scene from the point of view of a church bell tower? Yep. Favorite. Then a little travel bag for toiletries. Everything you see here was under $5 including the thing in the next picture.


There are two of these. They came with clips on the ends. We speculated that they were for displaying pictures or maybe drying pictures in a dark room. Either way, they are magnificent and totally retro. I cannot wait to see what she does with them!


Who knew that the husband liked Fleetwood Mac? News to me. (25 cents) I'm all about these white enamel frames. (25 cents) And I have quite a collection going of mini headstones for the fall Halloween decor. (25 cents) The only thing that could be better was if they were replicas of the ones at the Haunted Mansion in Disney World. Don't get me started on Disney World. We don't have time for that right now.

I got this for myself for a quarter! It's a little boys shirt. So what of it? I think my inner geek is starting to show.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks dvd for $3. I love that movie. "Bobbing along, singing a song, on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea!" I'm pretty excited to watch it. The yellow bird is a vintage Avon bottle that a friend of mine will adore. (25 cents) The vintage Strawberry Shortcake doll is Apricot, I think. She's not in her right clothes. But, time will remedy that I'm sure. She also currently has a gum wrapper as a hair band. She's pretty creative and has her finger on the pulse of artistic innovative fashion. (25 cents) Now don't get all excited about my box of pink chicks. You get your own. (25 cents) If you remember correctly you already know I have a small box of yellow ones. Wahoo! These little pink tufts will be right at home with my spring/Easter decor!

We've also started watching our collection of hot weather movies. This includes Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing", one of my favorites "Fried Green Tomatoes" and Woody Allen's "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy".

It's too hot to keep writing. I'm going to go either stick my head in a bucket of ice or crawl into the freezer. Either way, stay tuned because next week we are going to the Renaissance Festival and you are not going to want to miss out on that report.

Cobbled

You might remember the boots from this post. I loved them right from the start and have worn them faithfully. Over the months some tragic things befell my beloved $4 boots.

Firstly, I fell down HB's back steps of death on Halloween night during the only five minutes it was sleeting. It's actually the only time I remember falling down, without catching myself before I was on the ground. Falling down steps is frightening. And it resulted in the front of both boots getting scraped. I bought a little shoe polish and fixed things up and kept wearing the boots about once a week.

Then, the unthinkable occurred. A huge crack, right across one of the soles. Super glue? No, not going to work. I could not wrap my mind around letting my $4 real Spanish leather boots go. I felt like the father from A Christmas Story when he is holding the broken pieces of his Major Award. I needed a shoe guy...a you know, what are they called? I needed an elf! No, no. I needed...a cobbler!

Then I remembered that there was a shoe repair shop right next to my gym. I brought my boots in, cradling them like an injured puppy. The shop was small, but I loved it instantly. There were home made wooden shelves lining the walls behind the small counter. They had no doubt been made and painted a cool mint green in the 50's. The shelves corralled a curious display of shoes. Other people's shoes. The cobbler was working in the back when I walked in, giving me a few moments to spy on the shoes and imagine what type of people brought them in. They each were fitted with a paper tag. There was something inspiring and magical about those rows of other people's shoes. Shoes that people love enough to take to the shoe doctor.

The cobbler came to the counter wearing a much used apron and a mustache. He bobbed his head to me and I explained my case. I know I was looking too concerned over a pair of boots. He took them gently and then proceeded to lean into the broken sole, really opening the gap up. I gasped. He smiled a quiet smile and never looked up at me from the patient. He said, "I think I can put half soles on them and new heel tips." I wasn't sure what that meant, but I was good with it. Now for the rub. How much? $30. Since I had only paid $4 for the shoes, I thought I could handle it. I shelled out the dough and he said in a quiet voice, "These are nice boots. I'll clean them up for you too."

I picked the boots up the next Saturday. He had them for one week because I couldn't get there before then. I walked in hesitantly, not knowing what had become of my boots. The cobbler looked through the shelves to find my boots and brought them to me. They were...stunning. Shiny bright! Like new! I could only goggle at them. He flipped them over so that I could see the half soles. He put new soles on my boots. With grip. And new heel tips. It was almost overwhelming, the change that had come over my $4 boots. If the counter hadn't been in the way I would have hugged that man. He seemed proud of his work in a modest craftsman like way. I thanked him profusely.

I wear these boots all the time. In the winter weather, in the rain, in the...office. The grip on the bottom actually makes them one of my least slippy pairs of shoes in the snow. And they have high heels, people! Needless to say, I want to recommend this cobbler to you. Incidentally, I don't know if he qualifies as a cobbler since he doesn't make shoes, just fixes them. Ah, well. Anyway, behold! New treads and heels!

No, my left ankle is not broken. It's hard to take a picture of your own legs at this angle, ok?

Hidden Valley

I know a secret. Hidden Valley is not filled with Ranch dressing as we have always been lead to believe! It is in fact, a park of beautiful little town homes and landscaping to die for. Willow trees, babbling brooks and foot bridges. It is easy on the eyes and nourishing to the soul. All this and I didn't take a single picture! Next year, my friends, next year.

Also, in Hidden Valley, there is a great community garage sale, once a year. We go every year and are never, ever disappointed. This time was no exception. Plus, we had our personal good luck charm (Culleen) driving us around in her awesome new vehicle.


I feel particularly happy about my finds. My house is very small and I can no longer go "whole hog" when sale-ing. I have to think about every purchase. Is there a place for it? Can I exchange it for something else? (I call this "editing the collection".) Can I live without it? On a scale of 1-10 how much does this item speak to me? If it goes to 11 you don't even THINK about it.


No, you are not seeing things. Yes, we did in fact purchase some vintage porn. What passed for beauty in the 80's boarders on hysterical. They were $1 each, what's a girl to do? Right next to Jessica Rabbit you'll see Alicia's 25 cent purse and HB's $2 picture. I think the box of vintage wrapping paper was $1 (HB) and the pyrex dish was 50 cents. I scored a Janet Evanovich novel that I don't have for 50 cents and the girls got a CD that they already have (but theirs is scratched beyond playable) for like $2. The $2 green "Rupert" (Scottie dog) tray is mine as are the 50 cent Mickey Mouse pin (to take to Disney world to trade) and the FREE Strawberry Shortcake figure and the FREE comics patterned umbrella. TWO FREE THINGS. Jackpot!


Alicia got witch boots for $1 in her size, which is akin to a magical spell. The fan is mine for 25 cents. HB finally got her TV trays, 4 of them for $5, like NEW. The shirt is hers for $1 and she got the Pottery Barn curtains for $1 a panel! Quite a haul, ladies!