Mini Hoarder

The estate sale that I went to this weekend was labeled "mini hoarder".  If you can tag something with t.v. show verbiage, you've got people on a hook.  Everyone wants to go to a "Hoarder's" sale or a "Picker's" sale, or even an "Antiques Roadshow" sale.  What I found even more interesting and appealing than the title was the catchy phrase: "Nothing new".  Every single piece of treasure up in this place is old.  It's ALL old, ya know?  That makes my mouth water.

I went on the second day of the sale, so everything was 30% off.  There was a tiny porch with a long table full of jewelry.  I mean, more jewelry than you could ever, even.  And most of it was unused, still on the store cards.  I heard some women talking about how ridiculously expensive the jewelry prices were.  I wanted to bang my head on the wall.  For real, ladies??  If you were to go to Target #righthisveryminute and purchase some stupid pair of earrings, it would cost AT LEAST $8.  Whereas these earrings are all unique, vintage, and 30% off of $2.  Face reality.  I bought A LOT of jewelry.  A bunch of stuff for myself, but almost even more fun, a bunch of stuff for presents!

The day glow pink danglers on the right are screw backs.  I plan to trade them out for hooks.  Please make note of the glitter clip-ons in the middle.  Few things will make me endure the pain of clip-on earrings.  Multi colored glitter is one of those few things.

*drool

Now that I've been purchasing my weight in 80's earrings, I need a place to put them.  I had a lovely mint green box with floral print on it for earrings when I was a kid.  It had square sections inside for storing earrings.  I've been looking for something like that for a few months.

THE EXACT box I was looking for from my childhood!  Huzzah!  I also got the clear plastic one that is probably for fishing lures or bullets or something.  But now it's going to hold earrings.  Gorgeous, gorgeous earrings.  And plenty of 'em.  The velvet lilac box is stunningly gorgeous.  I could not pass it up.  I have no idea how much it cost.  I just sort of mumbled and stared dumbfounded at it's beauty whilst checking out.

It's not even going to be super useful for storing many earrings.  But it matters not.  It's beauty is enough for me.

So, this "mini hoarder"'s house was four floors of stuff.  I hadn't seen a lick of holiday paraphernalia anywhere.  I finally found it hiding out in the attic.  Boy howdy.  I had been up there for at least two full minutes before I spotted this by nearly walking into it:

This is what is referred to as "an eyelash tree".  It's made of metal. Aluminum probably.  I nearly died when I saw it and did this crazy dance trying to get it into my hands before anyone else could scoop it up.  I'm afraid I really didn't do a good job of maintaining poker face for this one. 30% off of $7.  Swoon!

I also found this vintage Beistle honeycomb pumpkin ($2) and some aluminum double layer bell decorations.

Come to find out, the "mini hoarder" is a 100 year old lady who just moved to assisted living.  Not a nursing home, not hospice.  Assisted living.  I'm not sure that people say this anymore but, "You GO, girl!"  Respect.

So, in summary:

If this was mini, I'd hate (love) to see what a full sized hoarder looks like!

Stark Panic

It's June.  That means summer in upstate NY is half over.  HALF OVER ALREADY.  I'm starting to have anxiety about winter already.  It's like John Snow's favorite line is just playing on repeat in my head.

Not to mention it's been raining so much I feel like gathering up two of each kind of dog and finding a Jewish dude with a big boat.

On the weekends I'm dutifully attending church and estate sales to keep my mind occupied. Last week it was two church sales.  Now, church sales are notorious for being the cheapest of all the sales.  They are even cheaper than yard sales. You WILL find things for a dime. 

I've been working on cleaning out the upstairs of our house (The first step in a monumental clean, top to bottom, which will probably take at least 2 years.) which we don't really use, and has sort of functioned as a giant storage area for the past 11 years.  When I say "clean out" I don't mean that I'm putting things in their place and doing some light dusting.  I'm opening every drawer, cupboard, and box, dumping the contents, donating 9/10 of the stuff and then reorganizing the rest.  Thusly, I've been on the lookout for small organizational bins. I bought a bunch of them for a quarter each.  I also got the cocktail spoon for a quarter.  Because, this project is so big you need booze to fuel you onward.

The green wooden bracelet was a quarter and so were the earrings.  The rad flamingo mug was ten cents.  Told you that there would be stuff for a dime.  What is this?  1950?  Should I go down to the soda shop and get a malt for a nickel? (Seriously, that sounds pretty good.  Though, I've never understood the difference between a malt and a milkshake.  But I'm an ice cream fiend and I'm pretty much down for ice cream in all situations.)  The set of vintage tiki salt and pepper shakers were $5.

This weekend I went to an estate sale down the street from my house.  I bought this hanging light for $10.  We'll put a new light kit in it since the cord is both filthy dirty and sticky as sap.  It's also old as the hills and looks like it would burn your house right down.  Thankfully the husband is an expert at putting in new light kits and can do it in a matter of minutes.  I plan to hang it on his side of the bed as a reading light.

All this gorgeous treasure was traded for $8.  The problem with buying jewelry is that I want to wear it immediately.  All of it. At once.  I want to Iris Apfel the crap out of it.

So, In Summary:

Winter Is Coming

If you don't know who Iris Apfel is, we can't be friends.  Since I want to be exactly like her when I grow up.

MCC Parking Lot

I'm almost certain that this was the first time that the local community college held a garage sale style event in their parking lot.  It was very small, only about 20 vendors and we had to pay (gasp!) one whole dollar to park.  When you see twenty tables set up in the midst of a huge and sprawling parking lot, you don't get overly excited.  It looks wee.

But, I did end up getting a few things, and it was full sun and 80 degrees by 9:30 am, so I'm not complaining!  Any time I can go to an early morning sale in a sundress is a good day.  Plus, one of the vendors was an ice cream truck.  You know, one of those trucks that drive around neighborhoods ringing a bell?  I really respect a 9:00 am ice cream truck.  I would have become best friends with that truck if we'd stayed 10 minutes longer. Or if they'd had the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle face ice cream treat with the gumball eyes.  Because, yum.

This is my haul.  I found the funky lattice earrings for $1.  Kermit was $2.  Every time I find a Muppet thing I don't have it seems like some kind of magic.  Still thrilling after all these years. The gold bangle was $5 and fits my child-wrist well.  The earrings are hand made by a hysterical woman who repeatedly told us about how much vodka she consumed while making them.  And about how much her dog wants to be right on her lap in the middle of everything.  I hear ya lady.  On both counts.  Nothing like a boozy craft day with a pup!

I'm glad I stuck it out and didn't turn right around when I saw how tiny the sale was.  I'm hoping that they do it again next year and that it grows and becomes a big, fun thing.

So, In Summary:

Ya Just Never Know!

Tamper

The husband and I recently went on vacation to warmer climes.  Tampa, Florida to be exact.  This post isn't going to be about how adorable the area we stayed in was (Seminole Heights), or about how the neighborhood was pretty much exclusively 1920's craftsman bungalows (tear inducingly gorgeous), or about how perfect the little cottage we rented was
(http://www.erehwonretreat.com/accommodations/cottage/).  This post is just about the things that I bought.  My Florida Souvenirs.

Disney Muppets Pins.  I culled most of these (all but one) from the Webster Flea Market.  This place is actually full of really nice antiques and vintage things.  And then a zillion people selling Disney pins.  Lucky for me!  We did go to actual Disney (Magic Kingdom) for a day, and I did bring my pins to trade.  There were far less cast members wearing lanyards and hip bags than last time I went.  It was very hard to find people to trade with and it was so busy in the park that it just took all the "magic" out of it for me.  The entire day I only found one Muppet pin that I didn't already have. (Statler) From now on I'm just going to buy them on Ebay like any other self respecting Muppet Collecting adult.

While in Florida we visited my grandma and aunts.  These ladies made us a delicious lunch and shared some pool time with us.  One of my wonderful aunts gave me this!!  I've never even seen or heard a whiff of this Miss Piggy on a bicycle.  It's amazing and rare, just like my awesome Florida relatives.  What a great and relaxing (and delicious) day we had!

While in the Magic Kingdom I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the new(ish) shop, Memento Mori. It's next to the Haunted Mansion and sells, you guessed it, Haunted Mansion merch.  I got this set of Haunted Mansion tombstone ornaments that I've been coveting.  I'll put them with my little cemetery plot when I decorate for fall.

The Hallmark Merry Miniatures and the like were purchased at an antique store in Tampa.  So adorable!  I can't even stand the bunny dressed as a chubby alien!

The Muppets keychain is also a gift from my awesome Aunt PJ and the flocked and glittered Christmas ornament was purchased at Disney World.  In the Christmas store.  Just imagine how much my brain explodes when you put those two hands together!!

The tiny purse I bought at the Flea Market for $1.  ONE dollar.  They had tons of different patterns.  This was the most Florida pattern and also the most 80s.  It was so perfect for taking to the beach or to a crazy town theme park.  Just big enough for your phone, some cash and credit cards.  The perfect thing to have on vacation.

The Scottie dog earrings are made from buttons. I got them at the Flea Market for $2.  The necklace pendant is gorgeous and iridescent. The reason is that the background of the pendant is a butterfly wing.  A real and actual butterfly wing!  Crazy and not just a little creepy.  The image is painted on the back of a piece of glass. I got it at a very cool jam packed vintage store.

So, In Summary:

Tampa-A delightful retreat from the cold north.

Ronald McDonald Sale #1 2015

The first RMD sale of the year was amazing.  The usual crew got together, stood in line for an hour, and sallied forth. 

I try not to have too great of expectations for this sale.  I never find a ton of stuff but what I do find is so good that it makes it worth the half day off, the hour wait in line, and the crazy madhouse once I get inside.  Plus, after the carnage, we all reconvene at a pub, have some drinks, some food and rehash the dirty details and delights.

Last year I was behind some people in line who I overheard say they were going to pants first.  PANTS, people.

I stuck to my usual plan and it payed off.  Big time.

Toys was first and a big strike out.  No Muppets!  The tragedy.  Then onward to holiday!

Three, count them THREE vintage Christmas corsages, still in the package!  75 cents each. I can't wait to put them out in my Christmas display.

The tropical leaf planter is for the dream room. $1.50

I nearly never find Halloween items.  This time I tore it up in Halloween.  The trees are Dept. 56.  New they are $20 each.  These two were each 75 cents!  Eeep! The vintage snack cups (I refuse to use the term "nut cups") are from before the 50s.  Gorgeous, gorgeous.  $1!  The scarecrow pin was $1 and I plan to display him in my shadow box this year.  The squirrel is dressed like a Native American and has a real feather.  I got him in a bag with the tiny Hallmark bunny for $1.  The paper cone is for a project my boyfriend, Pinterest, told me about.

Then I raided jewelry. The earrings were $2 each.  I can't tell what I think of the faces quite yet.  They were too captivating to ignore.  I'm head over heels for the lilac triangles.  The necklace was $1 and so was the amazing tiny penny bracelet which matches my tiny penny necklace and earrings perfectly!  I love coin jewelry.

I was looking for a small poster frame, and got this one, still in the wrapping for $5.  I also wanted to find a tea kettle and finding it in red to match my kitchen was a fun bonus!  $6.

The crowd was huge this time, and the line to check out stretched all the way to Terre Haute!  I waited to checkout for about 45 minutes.  The line happened to pass the toy section.  As I had already visited this section and struck out I wasn't paying strict attention.  Until, that is, I saw a certain orange foot sticking out of a rack up ahead.  I immediately recognized that foot as belonging to Animal, of the Muppets.  You know the one.  Woman crazy drummer? It was torture waiting for the line to move up enough for me to be close enough to snag that orange foot.  A huge Animal plush from Walt Disney World theme park was my reward! $4.  Sale completed! BAM.

The following items were collected at other sales, not the RMD.  2 garlands of gold mercury glass garland. Two different sizes!  And a red and white polka dot hankie.  It is a scientific fact that I cannot resist a polka dot.

So, In Summary:

It was For The Kids

Beating the Blues

Can you call it "the blues" if you've got it from not ever seeing blue sky?  Shouldn't it be called "the grays"?  I guess I'm treading in Breakfast at Tiffany's teritory, here.  But, honestly.   It's gotten so bad that in a brief moment of real sunshine, I see it glinting off a car and want to call attention to it.  Like some child seeing a bird for the first time.  "Look!  See?  Shiny!  Warm!  Want!"

It's getting ugly desperate up in here.

So, in order to banish the gray sky/high winds blues I went shopping.  I know that a lot of people do this as therapy, but it's not really my style.  I'm not what you'd call a girly girl.  I prefer whisky and soda to some pink drink that tastes like candy, I hate shopping for clothes and, I never want to spend more than three minutes on my hair and makeup.

But today, I joined the masses of men and woman who soothe themselves with consumerism.  Just to prove I haven't lost myself completely, I started at an estate sale.  I was highly rewarded with some gorgeous 80s earrings.  $3 each.

I can't wait to wear them.  Blanche, Dorothy, Rose and Sophia are going to be so proud.  The polka dot pair gets worn on the diagonal.  Like badasses.  The light pink pair has a very pearly shine.  The round ones are just huge, and the squares are a very saturated plum color that I'm in love with.

This dude was hidden way in the back of a table full of Christmas junk.  He was covered in wax drippings of every color that thankfully, did not stain.  $4 Napco reindeer head vase.  I can't wait to cram some Christmas picks in his head, or maybe some sparkly garland, ooh-ooh!  Or maybe some glass garland!  So many choices!!

After the estate sale I went tanning.  Ten minutes of warmth and "sun".   It's always so jarring when that light snaps off and you are slammed back into the reality of laying half naked in a light bulb coffin.  We do what we must to survive.  I imagine the first human inhabitants of Mars will experience similar moments.  

Then it was onward to a real store.  Where I paid full price for a pair of brown wedge shoes and a mint green purse after going in after dresses and shirts.  More money than I've spent on myself for two things in a very, very long time. This is the way retail therapy works, I'm told.

So, In Summary:

Just Another American Spending Until I Feel Happy

A Hit

I refer to a really good sale as "a hit".  Like an addict.  A sale where you get all kinds of goodies is "a hit"  and today, I had one.

Last night I loaded up my car with donations for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester sale.  Today was the donation day.  On my way to donate, there happened to be a really juicy looking estate sale that I'd stalked online.  It had plastic, and lots of it.  You know how I love my plastic.

It makes a lot of sense to me to donate goods and purchase more goods on the same day.  Almost within the same hour.  Circle of life type shit.  Good stuff.

I spent $7.

Three of those dollars were spent on this.  A denim clothespin holder.  I'm lucky enough to have a relatively dry basement with a clothesline in it.  Why not outside, you ask?  Aren't clotheslines supposed to be outside, so that you get the scent of the air and the sun on your clothes as they bask and dry?  Don't be an idiot.  This is New York state.  If I had an outdoor clothesline I could use it two, maybe three minutes per year.  And the only scents my clothes would imbibe from being outside would be cold and despair with a side of taxes, maybe. In general clothespin holders are more adorable than this.  I figure if I find a cuter one, I'll just trade up.

Now on to the real haul. Sadly, someone with similar taste to mine (or someone who will be attending a white elephant party sometime soon) got there before me and scooped up some of the more glamorous plastic items.  Like the plastic leaf candle ring with plastic flocked chicks and Easter eggs and the huge plastic bunny floral pick.  The good news is that there was enough plastic and holiday flotsam to satiate my considerable appetite.

Plus, I was just talking about not having enough Easter decorations, and BAM!  A few more. You can't really tell from this picture but the tiny white Easter bunny second from the right is wearing an Easter basket as a hat, people.  It's ridiculous. All of the picks were .50 together, the plastic flocked pumpkin was also .50, and all four of the tiny plastic easter dudes in front were .50 as a set.  The chartreuse glass garland was one whole dollar. 

Will you look at how unhappy those honeycomb pumpkin party picks are?  They've had it.

So, in Summary:

That Hit Was So Good I Basically Can't Even