Tuesday, August 19, 2014

How Fast Can I Shop?

There were some good shopping opportunities this weekend and almost no time to take them in, which left the question, "How fast can I shop?"

On Saturday, Williamston Antique Market had their annual Summer Sale & Outdoor Market.  My shopping buddy Bargain Hunter couldn't go with me and I had so much to do I didn't think I'd get away.  I was so surprised (and happy) when Mr. KV volunteered to go with me!  We had a fun time on the short outing, sandwiched in between household chores and errands.

The weather was beautiful -- sunny and 70s and there were more vendors outside than there had been in past years.

I didn't buy a lot, but got some good stuff.  Everything inside the mall was 20% off, too, but all of my bargains came from the outside.
Hoenig of California covered pumpkin dish
Barkcloth covered sewing box
Paper advertising fans -- including some unusual ones (Iwo Jima, Mahalia Jackson and Will Rogers)
These western themed tin trays are so cool!
An army of birthday angels...
These are for me...Commodore Christmas candleholders with unused candles in the original box and all in mint condition!
 On Sunday, Mr. KV and I were going to watch little Gracie overnight so our son and daughter-in-law could get away for their anniversary.  Before she came, though, I wanted to go to Mega Mall's Flea Market -- Bargain Hunter's talked about it a lot and I've never been.  So I went for a quick trip there with Bargain Hunter and she agreed to speed-shop so that I could get back for Little Miss G.

The flea market filled Mega Mall's parking lot, but was less vintage and more 'tube socks' than I expected.  There were lots of booths that were easy to skip because you could tell at a glance that there was nothing in them that was more than 2 years old or that wasn't made in China.  Regardless, I found a couple of things (don't I always?)!
This TV lamp was so dirty and 'unloved' -- the owner said she was tired of looking at it.  Her loss is my gain...
Here it is after a good cleaning
...and lit up
I thought these were fun -- Judy Jewelette sets.  They were a mid-century version of the Bedazzler, complete with 'rubies, diamonds, emeralds and pearls'
An extra-large -- 10 cup -- Pyrex stovetop percolator, complete with insides
I think this dark green and chartreuse plastic pitcher is pretty cool
This is the star of the day -- a mid-century wood and woodgrained formica drinks cart -- rolling bar.  I'm trying to figure out a way to ship it so I can list it on Etsy
We were only gone a little over 3 hours and that included 1-1/2 hours drive time!  That was some serious speed shopping!

Saturday, August 16, 2014

A Quilt Collection Copycat

When we were in elementary school, being called a copycat was a bad thing.

Now we have Pinterest.  I waste spend so much time surfing Pinterest, finding really cool things that other people have done, pinning them and daydreaming about how wonderful they'd look in my house or garden.  Every once in a while I even do one of the projects I've pinned.  Being a copycat isn't bad any more, it's an extension of 'imitation is the highest form of flattery'.

With that in mind, I say, "Thanks, Bargain Hunter".  A while ago, my good friend and partner in junking posted pictures of her awesome sunroom and her massive collection of Fiestaware, Pyrex, mid-century glassware and quilts.  She displayed her quilts in a double-wide white kitchen utility cabinet and they looked so good that I wanted one, too.  Here's my inspiration, from her sunroom:
She sold me a cabinet she had when she closed down her booth that was just perfect for quilts.  This week I (finally) cleaned it up and moved it in to our bedroom, the only available space in the house.

Because the cabinet had a fair amount of rust, I cleaned it well and put contact paper on all the shelves.  I thought about getting one of the pretty patterns they have now, but in the end opted for white, so that the quilts could be the stars.
Here it is filled up.
Most of them are ones that my great-grandmother or grandmother made, but a few are ones that I've bought at estate sales or antique malls.   The red poppies at the bottom was made for us as a wedding present by my grandma and the blue & white block one on top of it was made for me when I was a baby by my great-grandma when she was almost 100!  She was getting forgetful, so it's kind of thin on batting in a few places and one of the blocks is upside down, but that makes it even more precious to me.
My favorites are the the feedsack crazy quilt top (unfinished) and the airplane quilt, both from the 1930s and 1940s.  The barkcloth quilt (under the airplane quilt) is one that Bargain Hunter picked up for me at a garage sale because she knows how much I love barkcloth.  I've taken it to the mall 3 times to sell and brought it right back home each time, so it's here to stay!
The one standing up on the top shelf is the baby quilt that our great-grandmother made for my sister (and for me, by default).  The little quilted pig is just a sweetie I bought at the antique mall.
I was surprised at how many quilts I had when i started gathering them from all the places around the house where I had them squirreled away.  I was also surprised at some of the really poor-condition ones that I'd apparently spent good money on.  What was I thinking?  I know where those cutters will go -- into Pinterest projects!

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Gooseberry and Butterprint, Oh My! - Treasures from the Michigan Thumb Yard Sale

I promised a peek at the things I got at the Michigan Yard Sale Trail in the thumb.  I meant to post on Sunday but, as usual, life got in the way...
This pink gooseberry was the highlight of the trip -- I could have gone home immediately and been THRILLED with what I found!
Three butterprint pieces plus one horizon bowl.  
These two Verde fridgies aren't great, but the price was right.  The little clothespin apron is hand painted and embroidered
Remember Margaret's straw hat?  It's 2 feet wide!
The other hat is a more fashionable one from Winkleman's department store.
I broke my self-imposed moratorium on vintage Christmas at the second stop!
This is a vintage Davy Crockett shirt from the 1960s -- it's pretty sad, though.  I really liked the little doll-sized chest of drawers, too.
This is some great made-in -Japan Christmas stuff
Have you ever seen a twin faced alarm clock?  Perfect for Ozzie and Harriet twin beds!
Just a few vintage linens, but they were very nice.
This big lot of feedsack strips (all 2-3' long and about 8" wide) was super-cheap.  I wasn't even positive it was real feedsack, because it looked so bright and new
Here are all the paterns -- multiple strips of most of them
This primitive home-made hen & chicks will go out by the girls.  
I just loved this kitchen from the 1970s-80s.  I almost walked away from it but knew I'd regret it if I did.  I still have to arrange with the seller to pick up the box of 'accessories' (dishes and toy food) that she forgot to bring to the sale
I picked up this sad lamp to make a globe lamp.  It needs to be cleaned up (really dirty) and rewired.  You'll see this one late when the project is done

Friday, August 8, 2014

First Time Fun in the Thumb -- Michigan's Yard Sale Trail!

I had a new experience today and it was a great one!  My friend and fellow-junker Bargain Hunter asked me to go with her to the M-29 Yard Sale Trail... I didn't need to be asked twice.  The Yard Sale Trail runs along Lake Huron on the 'thumb' of the Michigan mitten (the Lower Penninsula).  The weather today was in the high 70s with a gorgeous blue sky and deep blue lake -- it was just a perfect day for this fun adventure!

This is a panorama of three photos, so it's a little dodgy...but the lake is still beautiful!
We left early and drove to Algonac and began shopping right away.  The first place we stopped was a frog (no bargains there) but #2 was a prince -- Pyrex gold mine!  It just got better and better after that.

Since I'd never done one of these sales before, I was just flat-out amazed at (and overwhelmed by) how many sales there were.  We did nothing but shop non-stop for the next 60 miles -- all the way to Port Sanilac, where we just ran out of time (and money...and energy) and we had only stopped at a quarter of the sales that we saw on the way and had only stayed on M-29 (didn't go down any side roads).  There was so much junk were so many treasures that I had to remember to pace myself.  What a great problem to have!

If you ever get a chance to do one of these long sales, don't miss the experience!  Wear comfortable shoes, pack some snacks and cold water and bring lots of cash.  You won't be disappointed.

Here are some of the pictures of the day.  I'll apologize in advance that they're not well staged and sometimes a little blurry.  They were shot almost on the run, with my phone.  Since I totally beat and my car won't get unloaded until tomorrow, there won't be any pictures of the treasures until then.
Picture 150 continuous miles of this.  Junking HEAVEN!
We saw LOTS of ships on the lake, but this was the coolest!  That's the Canadian shore in the background
I came home with this sweet 1980s kitchen for my little sweetie, Grace
This was one of my favorite sales, even though all I bought were two vintage hats
I knew I had to have Margaret's giant straw hat the moment I saw it.  This is one of the few pictures of me you'll ever find online -- I think I look really good like this ~
I really liked these pet beds and their furry models
This is the only antique mall we stopped at, which really couldn't rival the sales...
I wish I'd found this sink unit when we were redoing our kitchen.  I searched everywhere for a sink with built-in drainboard.  We had one identical to this in our first house and I loved it!
This was a sad sight out in back of the mall.  A dealer had lots of formica tables and matching chairs and was just spray painting chrome paint over all the rust without even trying to clean or restore them.  He scurried away when Bargain Hunter saw him.  
A big park with lots of booths, but only about half were vintage
Rows and rows of tables of bargains -- all 'price reduced'
One of the creepier things of the day -- the sad deer looking out of the shopping cart 
Picked up this large bag of feedsack for an amazing low price -- I can't wait to go through it tomorrow
A napkin doll, photo for Bargain Hunter
Here's the back of Bargain Hunter's car...
Everything you see is MINE!  (Kind of scary, isn't it?)
Tune in tomorrow for a peak at my finds!