Nearly Missed

I've been so gung-ho about estate sales this winter that I'd forgotten that the sale season has started in earnest!  I've just been clinging to my estate sale ads and haven't looked for or at any other types of sales.  Blasphemy!  My friend at work told me about an annual church sale on the day it was happening, to think, I nearly missed it!

It would have been a real shame, too. Because church sales are the best.  So much vintage and ridiculously good prices.  This sale is held in a hall, and the entire thing is stuffed with items.

Look at all these mint beauties!  I stopped at an estate sale before the church sale and the lily of the valley pillowcase is from that. (50 cents)  It needs a good washing, but the fabric isn't worn and the graphics are just gorgeous.  I love lily of the valley.  One of my most favorite flowers.  I cannot resist a plastic jadeite colored scoop.  There have been studies done, and it's just futile to resist. Especially at 25 cents.  The striped boxes hold candles. I almost never buy things because of the packaging, but these were too good to pass up!  They remind me of the boxes of taffy we get at the boardwalk.  Beautiful design!  Can't wait to display them. (In order to do that I have to take down my Easter decor.  I know, I know!  I'll be working on it starting this weekend.)

The weird plastic eggs are from the estate sale.  They originally came from Christmas Tree Shop, so they aren't vintage.  Just cute.  The tiny French artist bunny is Lefton and was scored for 50 cents!  Ee weel paint you a nice eastair egg, non? The palm tree and coconut salt and pepper (Yes, that's a coconut.  It is not a turd. Probably.) are "souvenirs of Florida" and will be headed to my someday tiki bedroom. They might have been all of a dollar.

You know I'm hot on the trail of candy striped and tartan tins.  I got two tins for my Christmas display! 50 cents each.  I'm telling you, I was trembling with joy at this sale!

These items both came from the estate sale.  The little mesh change purse is worn, but it has life in it yet, and I love the way it feels and it was only 50 cents.  As was the tiny metal tape measure.  I use them a lot while I'm out sale-ing or when I'm listing items in my Etsy shop.

These are the best things I got at the church sale.  I've been lusting after vintage felt icicle trim for simply years now.  Every time you find it in the wild it's all mangled and heinous.  Super old, falling apart, with bits of gawd only knows what stuck to it.  I found TWO packs for a quarter each, never been opened!  I know I gasped out loud.  I don't even care.  You don't need poker face when the prices are clearly marked.  Plus, I mean, PLUS, just look at how ridiculously cute the packages are!  It's going to be hard for me to even open them.  We'll see what ends up happening in the heat of the Christmas moment.

The red plaid blanket is wool.  Made by Faribo in Faribault, Minnesota.  It is in gorgeous condition!  While I was looking at it, the lady who was tending the linens area came up to me and confessed that it was her favorite item.  Not like, "I'm buying, that so back off" more like "you have great taste, I love that blanket, too".  I told her that it was gorgeous and I thought it wanted to come home with me, since red plaid is one of my favorite things.  She raised her arms and said "Hooray!  It has a home!"  Then while I was checking out the guy who was tallying up my purchases stopped at the blanket and gave me a very serious look. "This is a really nice blanket."  I looked at him with equal sincerity. "I agree."  The very nice wool blanket was $2.

Another guy was wrapping up all of my breakables and he stopped to tell me, "Now, I want you to know that I watched how they wrapped things at the Pfaltzgraff store, and you are getting a really professional job here."  :)  Oh man, that made me chuckle.  I love when the people running a sale are having a great time and trying to make each other and the customers laugh.

Last weekend was a time of triumph.  Which is good, because today was a day of defeat. I found a listing for an estate sale that was a mile from my house and had a literal pile of Jadeite for sale.  Also delphite and any other type of vintage Fire King, Pyrex, etc. that you could ever want.  So, I thought I'd go early, when they started handing out numbers. I don't usually play that game at all.  I'm not generally all about one specific item and I don't generally want to put in the effort to throw the elbows and whatnot.  But this was so close to my house, it seemed worth it.  Fun even.  Admittedly I was a little anxious about it.  Clenching of the stomach, stock straight back that never relaxes.  

I just wanted a few Jadeite pieces.  I'm not greedy!  I don't have room in my house to get greedy.  I can't hoard billions of one item.  I only have room for a few of each thing and I already have quite a sizable collection.  Maybe an egg cup? Or a refrigerator box?  Just a few things I don't already have, that's all I'm looking for.

I was there 4 minutes before they were supposed to start handing out numbers.  There was nobody around, and the numbers up to 14 were already gone. Nooooowww, here's the thing.  I'm not the one making the rules.  Because if I WAS, I'd STICK to the rules.  Because if you don't, why the hell make rules in the first place?  This company does not follow their own rules.  They also started the sale 10 minutes early and only let 7 people in for the first wave.  Which is UNHEARD of.  Usually the first 20 get in, no problem.  With #14 I was in the THIRD wave.  Whaaaatt?  

By the time the first wave had been in there for three minutes, the word got back to us that the Jadeite had been bought.  EVERY last bit of it.  When I got in I saw a girl about my age, maybe younger, wrapping every piece up.  I felt sort of bad for her, because people were actually very pissed.  She just walked in and said "I want all of it." And that was that.  All of the old vendors/sellers were fit to be tied.  Secretly I love seeing them suffer.  And they would have done the same exact thing if they'd gotten there first.  I mean, who knows how early this girl got up to get this Jadeite first!  You put in the time, you get the benefits.  

She also bought pretty much all the Pyrex and the swanky swigs and just pretty much everything. I liked her attitude though.  People kept asking her if she was a vendor and she said "No! I collect all of this stuff.  All of it! I just love it!"  She had her dad with her, and it was his first estate sale, and you could see that he was tickled and maybe a little proud of his daughter's haul.

I ended up scoring a bunch of Delphite and some translucent white milkglass plates for Heather, but got very few things for myself.

Just these. A Fire King red sunset saucer.  I have a very meager collection of these dishes.  I love them, but never, ever see them. ($1.25) and a black cat figurine which I'll put out at Halloween, obvs. ($3) and a cute $1 Scottie dog hankie.  The prices were more than fair, and had I had a shot at the Jadeite, I would have come home a very happy camper.

I'm trying to keep my eye on the prize, though.  The Ronald McDonald Charity Household Sale is next Tuesday!  I take the day off.  We all do.  Then we tailgate for an hour, shop for three hours, and reconvene at a German pub down the street for some food, brews, and a rehashing of every thrilling moment of the sale.  It's friggin' epic.

So, In Summary:

RMD! RMD!

Out In East Bahosa

My college roommate is one of the funniest people I've ever met.  She shared a lot of her family sayings with us, one of which is "East Bahosa".  Every single on of her family sayings had to be explained to us.  Because they were all completely made up.  "East Bahosa" basically means "in the middle of nowhere".

The sales that I went to last week were in East Bahosa.  It's the kind of trip that makes you especially glad for Google navigation.  

The only thing I got for myself at the first sale was this shelf.  Another perfect shelf for my burgeoning Muppets Vinylmation collection. It was $2.50 because it was the second day of the sale.  Half off!

The second sale I went to was not a "professional" sale.  It was being run by the family of a person who had either moved to assisted living or died.  The house this sale was being held in had a total of 2 working lights, no heat (April has been super cold and snowy here in the north), and actual crumbling walls.  As in, the plaster was falling off.  The place was a pit.  BUT.  That being said, the sale was pretty great.  A real "digger". 

The first thing I found in a ratty old box in the garage were these!  My first honeycomb Easter eggs!  I got all of them for a quarter!  They needed a little glue gun tlc, but it was worth it, because they are gorgeous and I'm in deep love! <3

I got the little lavender lamb for fifty cents.  She's vintage Avon.  There was an entire room  of vintage Avon stuff, upstairs (yipes) in this crumbling old house, at the end of a long hallway the likes of which you may have seen in such films as, The Shining or any horror movie ever made.  All of the other doors in the hallway were closed with "do not enter" signs.  I tried not to think about what might be hiding behind those doors.  Because, I'm a treasure hunter, dammit!  I boldly go where no sane human would go, I paw through moldy, sometimes slimy, unidentifiable items in search of that one prize.  I venture into basements and attics that lesser mortals would (understandably) never dare to trod!  We are the few...the strong....the....wait, what were we talking about?

Oh right.  Honeycomb.  I also found this rad honeycomb santa that came in the original paper envelope.  I love those paper envelopes. He was $1.  The little pompom dog ornament was 50 cents.  How cute is he?

And the coupe de gras of this little rendezvous with adventure is this...!

A set of ceramic, candy striped buckets with weird plastic handles! $3 for the set.  The bottom of the large bucket has a foil label that reads "Styled by Shafford Japan" and then "Country Club by Yonk" is stamped on.  I've never heard of either of those things.  The small bucket is missing one of the knobs that keeps the handle on and I couldn't care less.  These beauties have a forever home with moi!  Also, I have no idea what the pink velvet egg-like head is, or goes to.  I'll obviously be displaying her with my Easter decorations.  I've never found as many Easter decorations as I've found recently.

So, In Summary:

Redrum.

(Sounds like a delicious tropical drink, actually)

April (Snow) Showers Bring May...?

Up here in the cold north you really have to be hardcore to estate sale in the winter.  And by "winter" I mean any month falling between November and April.  Just for the record, that is SIX MONTHS.  And it's no friggin' joke.  Though I wish with all my heart it was.

Last week when I went sale-ing it was 30 degrees.  No sun. (Like I even have to MENTION that, because we never, ever have sunshine. And if you think that is a joke, I'm going to come live where you live.)

I got to the first sale just as it was opening and was able to secure a number in the 30s.  I was able to get in within 10 minutes, which is just about perfect.  I was on the trail of some jadeite I'd seen in the photos of the sale online.  I was pretty convinced that it would be gone by the time I got in.  But, it wasn't!  Only 1 of the 3 pieces I'd seen online had been scooped up.  And the OTHER great thing was that it was super affordable!  Unheard of around here. I like to blame the huge spread Country Living magazine did on it a year ago.  Thanks, Country Living.

Now, I'm not a purist by any stretch.  I'll buy any jadeite, new, old, sometimes even plastic, if I don't already have it.  It's the gorgeous color that lures me, not the pedigree.  That being said, I get extra happy when the piece does happen to be old.  Just a little bonus.  These pieces were "old ya know".  I got the pitcher for $10 and the ruffled bowl for $4!  I also scooped up the delphite bowl for Heather for ONE dollar!  Whaaaat??

This is only the second time I've ever found jadeite that I don't already have at an estate sale. I had no idea it had gotten so scarce in our area!  I hear a lot on Instagram about how vintage Pyrex has gotten scarce in various areas of the country.  I invite you to upstate NY.  There is vintage Pyrex at every single estate sale, and a lot of it.  For cheap.  There are even things left on the second and third day of a sale, so you can get an even better price.  It might be because we are relatively close to Corning, NY, the place where the stuff was invented.

I also saw Holt Howard pixieware for $18 each, which is just an incredible price, but not something I'm in the market for.  Or feel like selling.  I hate shipping breakable things.

This particular estate sale company doesn't take many photos of their sales.  So, when you arrive there are always a fantastic amount of surprises.  Their sales are never mobbed and always have super prices.  I think it's the lack of pictures online that really makes the difference.  Hence, I'm going to try to get to their sales each week.  They never, ever have pictures of Christmas stuff and they always have great Christmas to paw through.

For instance, I found these delicious "sugared" composite Christmas ornaments for 50 cents each, and the glitter spoon straws for the same price.

This teeny, tiny, bush tree with it's itty bitty candles and mercury glass ornaments was a prize at 50 cents.  I'm in love!

And I also found some great Easter decorations! The cream bunny planter was $1 and the little painted (German) duck was 50 cents.  Since I might still have my Easter stuff still up, they get to be displayed and enjoyed right away!

Warning: Incoming Rant.

I also stopped at a second sale.  In the photos online, this sale looked glorious.  A real digger.  Totally packed.  I got there about an hour after it started, knowing I'd have to wait outside, but prepared with my game face.  I got a number in the 80s.  However, I noticed that not all of the numbers were present on the hanger, so I thought that might be a good thing, less numbers equals a quicker entry.  You might assume.  But, what I didn't know, was that these missing numbers were actually a foreshadowing of how lousily this sale would be run.

The guy stationed at the door letting people in and out was about 65 years old.  No disrespect to other 65 year olds out there.  I'm just trying to set the scene.  I'm going to call him "Uncle Vito" since I live in a land of many Italian families and he looks something like an extra on The Sopranos. Short, with slicked back black hair, and an old black leather jacket.  Uncle Vito.

So it becomes apparent after about ten minutes that Uncle Vito isn't paying much attention.  He's not letting people in after when someone comes out.  And when he does remember that this is in fact, part of his job, he comes to the door, whispers a few numbers, and if people don't come forward for some of those numbers, he just sort of shrugs and goes back indoors.  Where it's warm.  Leaving us 40-ish people out in the falling snow wondering what in hell is going on.  People keep missing their opportunity to get in.  Nobody can hear his whispering from 30 people back.

People start to grumble.  I'm one of them.

After an hour of this shenanigans, I make my way to the door. Next time Uncle Vito pops his head out of the door, I'm there.  I'm ready.  He calls a number, I shout the number to the crowd.  He hesitates when nobody comes forward and starts to turn to go back inside.  I shout the next number for him, since he clearly has no idea what is going on.  This startles Uncle Vito.  He turns back around and takes the ticket of the approaching person.  Yeah, I thought so.  One out, one in dude.  This is how it's done.

People start leaving the line, dropping their numbers.  Everyone is pretty mad.

I have my nose literally pressed against the glass and I don't see Uncle Vito anywhere.  I'm furious.  I'm fuming.  I'm freezing to death.  And I might be a tinch hangry.  I start telling myself that if Uncle Vito doesn't do a good job letting people in next time that I'm just going to go in there, numbers be damned!  Then I take a shaky, frozen breath and start laughing.  Probably what I don't need is to be kicked out of an estate sale.  I drop my number, after having waiting in 30 degree snowing weather for an hour and a half.  Lesson learned.

I'm no longer going to the estate sales of Uncle Vito's company.  I cannot risk a homicide and I know for a fact that Uncle Vito has door duty at all of their sales.  I've been to others, but never one like this.

So, In Summary:

Jadeite!

Uncle Vito can suck it.

Tequila Will See Us Through

It's April.  Yesterday the snow started.  I'm ready to follow in my grandfather's footsteps and grab my snow shovel, head south, and not stop until someone asks me what the hell that thing is.  The struggle is real.  When you are as over it as I am, you just want to go back to bed and ignore outside, just pretend outside isn't a thing.  That and/or consume copious amounts of frozen tequila drinks with the heater on full blast and some UV lights standing in for the sun.

In order to combat the psychological effects of a lingering winter, I've hit a few estate sales and a thrift store.  Let's look at my pretty finds instead of thinking about cold and snow.

I scored this "sweets" jar for my mom.  ($1.50) She likes to stuff old apothecary-like jars full of sparkling Christmas ornaments.  They look faboo!  I also got the huge honeycomb pumpkin for $1!  It's even bigger than the last large one I found!

One of the estate sales I hit had oodles of vintage Avon. No jewelry though, which is my jam.  Lots of doll-related things and plates, which I'm not into.  I did snag these pretties for 50 cents, each. Very exciting!  The back of the phone is a mirror!

I found this unused sheet of Beistle Easter decorations for $2 at a thrift store. They are my bright Easter colors, too!

A lovely assemblage of little delights.  It's my fondest dream to have a huge, plastic ice cream cone light.  While I wait to find one of those at a decent price, I'll delight in this faux Dairy Queen cone.  The tiny witch cat is vintage Russ or Hallmark and will of course join the other Halloween tinies in my shadowbox. This tin is my first candy striped tin!  Got it for a buck, so excited!  Can't wait to display it at Christmas...and maybe all year...?  I scored the rad 80s earrings for a buck as well.  Love them!

I bought this shelf specifically to hold my burgeoning Muppets Vinylmation collection.  They fit so well!  A great $5 investment!

So, In Summary:

I hear it's spring in other places.

I want to go to there.

Marching

I really don't like when Easter is in March.  It feels too rushed, and always too cold.  I prefer an April Easter.  But this year it's in March and we just have to deal with it.

I hit a few estate sales this month, just to trying to even out the pure joy of a daily dull gray sky. With the addition of a "wintry mix" thrown in a few times a week.  If you don't know what a "wintry mix" is, consider yourself lucky.  And also, I'm moving in.

You know I love the color lilac.  I was happy to pick up these plastic bangles for a few bucks.   I love adding to my bracelet collection!  I'm giving the aurora borealis cluster cocktail ring to a friend. 

These little gems look great displayed with my Jadeite.  I told you that I've made peace with the apples.

I got the apples, the Westie card, and the mercury glass picks for $2.

I finally scored a plaid tin!  I've been looking for plaid tins and red and white candy striped tins for about a year.  I see them in the pictures of estate sales online, but once I get there, they are always gone.  This tin is weirdly thin, only good for holding pencils, probably.  The other side has a scene of the Scottish countryside.  It was originally for shortbread. I got the green bracelet for $9 at an antique store.  I know there is a way to tell if something is Bakelite or not.  I'll have to look that up.  I love it even if it isn't "real."  The shape is great and I love the marbled plastic.  The earrings are clip ons and were $3. I love me some lucite. 

Now for the sad part of our tale.  While at above mentioned antique store, I saw the obviously vintage Hallmark package with the white honeycomb bunny decoration on it.  I scooped it up, and even though it was $8, I bought it.  Not much stands between me and vintage Hallmark.  Especially honeycomb vintage Hallmark.  When I got home I opened the package to see, this blue impostor.  Now, he's cute and honeycomb and all, but he is NOT what I thought I was buying for $8.  He's $4 cute, tops.  The old bait and switch, my friends. The world is an ugly place.

To combat the Growing Gloom (first cousin to The Nothing, from the Neverending Story) I've got my Easter decorations up.  A solid dose of bright yellow, hot pink, and plastic kitsch should solve the problem.  At least temporarily. Until I can get to the tanning booth.  The light coffin.

This is the dining room display.  The honeycomb ball hanging from the ceiling came from Target.  They have a host of great colors.  It was not the only one I bought, as you can imagine.  It doesn't hang exactly straight, but I'm not upset about it.

The wee chicks in eggs came from Target, too.  They are erasers and were found in the dollar spot.  Yes, I am aware that I sound like a commercial for Target.  I can't help it.  Facts is facts.

Check out my new giant Peep pillow!  So bright!  So squishy!  So from Target!  They have all different colors.  I went classic.

I also have Peep lights.  I got them many moons ago.  From my friend.  NOT from Target.  SO there.

Some cute stuff.  Mostly plastic.  With a side of flocking.

Easter shadow box residents.

Cabinet display #1

Cabinet display #2

Cabinet display #3

Livingroom mantel.

So, In Summary:

Little Foo Foo Bunny,

Hopping Through The Forest

Picking Up The Field Mice,

And Bopping Them On The Head.

#whatareweteachingkidstoday

Estatesale Land

I'll tell ya what.  Estate sale land has been treating me right this year.  Especially if I can hit a sale on day one.  Everything is full price, but you get first dibs, and the prices are always pretty reasonable to begin with. I'm putting the work in, pounding the pavement (snow banks) and being rewarded.

Thankfully the cold, crappy weather has been driving people away. Nobody wants to wait in line for a sale in 18 degree snowy weather.  So there hasn't been a line at a sale in weeks and weeks.  It's awesome.

I hit a sale because the pictures looked okay and it was one of the only ones in the area on that day.  There were no signs of vintage Christmas, which is one of the things that will pull me in every time.  I felt like going to a sale anyway, so I took a chance.

I went to the basement first, because if there is any Christmas stuff, it's almost always shoved away in the basement.  Once I got down there (very slowly as I am still recovering from the ankle break in August) I saw things shining and glittering from every wall!  I nearly had a panic attack trying to get to all of them before the three random old men who were looking over the selection of nails and screws.  I'm sure they all had their eye on this shiny green Christmas tree to hang on their wall. Obviously.  It was marked ONE DOLLAR.  ONE!  Then I realized EVERYTHING was marked one dollar!  Panic in the streets of London, let me tell you. I can't show you half of what I got, as they are gifts for the two people who read this blog. (Not you, Ann, don't worry.)  But just know that I got a lot of shiny happy Christmas.  Teal and green and metallic.  I was just ripping stuff off the wall and jamming it into my bag like I was looting the place.  And with those prices, it didn't feel far from it!

I've never found vintage Christmas gift wrapping tape.  But, I found this entire box in the basement of this sale for one dollar!  Look how gorgeous!  Cant' wait to display it!

Can I just tell you how much this tinsel garland with the flocked balls makes me want to weep with joy?  I love flocking. (Insert joke about 'flocked balls' here.)

On the same day, I went to another sale, all hopped up from my luck at the first sale.  Then, they made us take off our shoes.  Man, I hate that.  And not just because the ankle is still recovering and I have to wear a compression sleeve instead of an actual sock.  It feels terrible walking around without shoes in a strangers home, with other strangers.  What are we, at a sock hop?  It puts me in a really bad mood.  I stalked over to the jewelry, picked out two pairs of earrings and got the hell out of there.  The earrings were $5 each, which is a lot for me to pay.

This stuff is from yet another sale.  I'm using the ($3) lily pad dish to hold jewelry.  I'd never seen a long rope of pipe cleaner before!  I had to get it for crafting. ($1)  The jadeite and aqua plaid tea towels were $2.  I am loving plaid these days.

I found this for $4.  It's a vintage craft. I'd seen one for the first time on Pinterest.  I also found one earlier this year that was made of tuna cans.  I would have bought it, but there were holes drilled to hang the ornaments in, but they were too close to the edge of the cans and the ornaments didn't hang in the center of the circles, and it was all attached together so that I couldn't redrill the holes.  But this cardboard model employs bobby pins slid onto the top of each circle and then the ornament slides on that and you can adjust where they hang.  Pretty cool.  I plan to spray paint it green and put only red ornaments in it.

At still another sale, I scored a second cellophane tree!  I plan to give this one as a gift.  I'd never seen one before this year. $3.

This gorgeous Jadeite green and Scottie dog apron might as well have had my name on it.  So perfect for me!  I might use it as a little curtain above my sink. $4

This gorgeous table runner is all for me!  $2.  It's so summery, I can't wait to display it after my Easter stuff comes down.

So, In Summary:

Estate Sales For The Win!

Dear December

Dear December,

Hurry up and get here.  I've already got a crap load of new delights to display!

Last week I went to a sale not knowing what to expect.  It was a "digger" sale.  A sale where there are lots of boxes of who knows what all piled up and you dig through and make a pile of stuff you want and they give you a price for it.  A very cheap price.  I went to the second day of a digger sale.  They are pretty much giving stuff away, at that point.

Some of the great stuff I got, I can't show, because they are presents for the two people who actually read this. (Hi Mom!)

But here is what I can show you:

This opaque cellophane faux feather tree was coated in old (gross) tinsel, garland, and lights.  The stuff was stained, sticky, and super dusty.  You couldn't tell what a gem was underneath.  If you were a chump, that is.  Because I could tell and snagged that gross tree in three seconds flat.  Everything was half price, might I remind you, so this tree cost me fifty whole cents.  (!!!)

The deer is rubber (Rubbery-plastic?) and has jewel eyes!  I have a friend who will go (lady) ga-ga for this.  This gem cost $1.50.  My most expensive purchase by far.

This might seem boring to you, but I really needed this picture hanging set.  We are constantly hanging up new pictures and rearranging the art on our walls.  I never have enough of these.  50 cents!!  Take that Home Depot!  (No, seriously, Home Depot, please know that I didn't mean that in a jerk kind of a way.  I really love you.  Never leave me.)

Here is a close up of the earrings.  They are clear plastic with black...bits (not glitter) and gold glitter stars!  I saw them in a bag of terrible jewelry that they were trying to hock for $15.  Even on half price day I'm not paying $7.50 for a bag of jewelry I don't want.  I asked them if they would let me buy just the one pair of earrings and they said yes!  For ONE whole dollar.  They are clip on and hurt like hell, but sometimes hell is worth it.  Because look how fabulous!!

So, In Summary:

There are no rules on half price day!