Finally -- an Estate Sale

Yesterday I finally got to go to an estate sale!   I figured out that the last one I'd gone to was in mid-November (and that one hardly counted because it wasn't very good...)  There just haven't been any good ones worth driving 30 or 40 miles for.

If I'd realized how bad the roads were, I probably would have skipped it, but by the time I figured that out, I was on my way and determined to do some shopping.  You know the roads are bad when everyone was going 25-40 mph (even the crazy people who drive 70 mph in terrible snow)!  The temperature was only 6 degrees and the freeway was like a sheet of ice.  It took over an hour to drive what should have been a 40-minute trip.

There was some pink gooseberry Pyrex that I wanted, so I wanted to get there early enough to get a good number.  The estate owner also had lots of vintage Barbie clothes in unopened packages and a thimble collection and I was hoping that all the people ahead of me would want that.  But, because of the roads I got there a half hour later than I wanted to and was number 22.  Thankfully, the 'guard' at the door took pity on us with the frigid temps and let everyone in at once instead of the usual first 15 or 20.  Even getting in really fast and making a bee-line for the kitchen, the gooeseberry was GONE -- gone in literally 15 seconds!

I found a few things, though and still had a good time.  Here are my first estate sale finds of the new year...

This is a great Valentine from 1929

This valentine was given to someone in 1929 -- it's marked on the little red heart 'From Oliver' and on the back it's dated by the lady who received it.   So sweet!

A plain clothespin bag (I'll embellish it with vintage fabric & trims)
A travel laundry clip set in bag

The owner of this cookbook wasn't much of a cook!  It's from 1953 and is in MINT condition!  I almost didn't buy it because I thought it was new...

This recipe folder (with categories and envelopes) is also completely unused

I love these kitchen dispensers, but have never seen a chrome one.  Sweet!

Samsonite train case

I just had to pick up this bunch of curlers!  

I remember my mom putting my hair in pin curls with these at bedtime when I was really little.  She'd tie a big red bandana handkerchief around my head to keep them from coming out.  Those little things HURT to sleep on!

The BIG News -- a LITTLE Girl!

I haven't posted in a while, which seems to be the norm of late.  I haven't been junking much and so I really haven't had much to share.  My New Year's intention is to post at least twice a week and, now that life is slowing down after the holidays, I think I'll really get to it.  But on the other hand, life might just be getting a whole lot busier!

Since everything posted on the internet lives forever, I've always been hesitant to share very much personal stuff here, trying to reserve the blog for fun things I find and repurposing projects.  But I feel like those of you who read and comment all the time and whose blogs I read all the time are friends -- I feel like I know you, even though we've never met (and probably never will).  AND sometimes, you just have to share good news with our friends!

On Tuesday afternoon, little Gracie came into our family!  The little one who started life in our family of jokers as 'Whozit' (because we didn't know if the baby was a boy or girl) is now a part of our family history.  How cool is that!  As a mother, you try to imagine what it will feel like for your baby to have a baby, but nothing prepares you for the reality!

What a wonderful blessing birth is!  It's hard to imagine that a year ago, she didn't even exist (except in what my family has always called 'God's pocket').  Seeing those tiny hands and feet, fingernails and eyelashes reminds me just how fragile, precious and miraculous life is!  (It sounds so cliche, but it's so true...)

Mother, baby (and daddy) are all doing fine and are now back at home settling into a new routine.  I'm sure that MY routine will be changing, too, and I can hardly wait!  I promised not to make her an internet baby, but I can't help but share one picture...

Etsy Every Day Project - Week 3 Recap

Week Three of the Etsy Every Day Project was a mixed collection of goodies.  We were getting ready for the birth of our first grandchild (who arrived yesterday afternoon), so I've been trying to keep it simple!

#15 - Mississippi Gulf Coast Postcard Folder

#16 - 1950s Child's Valentine with Envelop

#17 - Hannibal Missouri Postcard Folder

#18 - Niagara Falls Postcard Folder

#19 - Unused 1972 Pink Baby Book 

#20  - Green Chenille Ball Upholstery Gimp

#21 - Avocado Green Mod Flowered Coffee Carafe

Etsy Every Day Project - Week 2 Recap

Week two of the Etsy Every Day Project was all about ceramics!  As I tried to get Christmas decorations taken down (I know I'm late with that but, oh well...) and get back into the post-holiday routine, I listed several things that had been on my 'next up on Etsy' table forever...

Except for the first one!  I had just picked this little sweetie up and was so excited to list it...

# 8 - Tea Time Teapot

#9 - Cronin China Salt and Pepper

#10 - 1930s Strombecker Doll House Furniture

#11 - Lefton Piggy Bank

#12 - Double Flamingo Vase

#13 - Shabby Chalkware Cat Bank

#14 - Estes Park Souvenir Postcard Folder

Etsy Every Day Project - Week 1 Recap

Well, I did it! I listed (at least) one item on Etsy every day for the past week...one down and fifty-one to go (I don't think I'll say that again -- it sounds REALLY overwhelming)!  Two days of being snowed in didn't hurt -- we got close to 20" of snow.  Check out Mr. Snowman (he's about 3 feet tall):

Here are the items that made it in this week:

Day #1 - Texasware 118 Bowl

Day #2 - Thousand Islands New York Postcard Folder

Day #3 - 1950s Child's Mittens with Duck Faces

Day #4 - 1950s Child's Gloves with dogs jumping through hoops

Day #5 - Buffalo New York Souvenir Pennant

Day #6 - Wear Ever copper-lidded casserole

Day #7 - very large Washington Zoo souvenir pennant

A New Year and a New Project

I haven't posted in a MONTH!  It's hard to believe because the time has flown by.

I thought the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas was busy before -- all the usual holiday stuff and lots of family coming to stay in the week between Christmas & New Year's.  Now that I've added in a mall booth and a really busy Etsy shop (no complaints here), I've been beyond busy.

We had a wonderful holiday!  All three of our sons, with their wives and girlfriend, were able to be here.  The Florida ones, who work for the Ritz-Marriott hotels in Naples, were even able to be here on Christmas Eve & Christmas, though it's their busiest week there.  What a blessing it was to have everyone together -- we reminisced and caught up, laughed alot, talked alot and ate alot.  It was such a delight to see the grown-up 'boys' and their ladies interact as adults & friends.

So now everyone has all left (sadly), the laundry is started, the house is (almost) straightened up and I'm thinking about getting back to work.  With the luxury of not working a day job (almost) and the basement re-organization well underway, I feel I should have lots of time to get to the projects and items in the basement...and the barn...and the garage.  We'll see...

I was inspired by Gina at Vintage Junk in My Trunk, who had an Etsy 365 Project last year -- she listed at least one item every day and tracked her progress on Facebook and her blog.  If you've never visited VJIMT, check it out -- it's a great blog and her Etsy shops (VJIMT and Vintage Christmas Junk) are filled with fun vintage items.  Anyway, the old saying is that 'Imitation is the highest form of flattery', so I'm hoping Gina will see it that way when I launch the 'Etsy Every Day' project.  All the credit for the idea goes to you, Gina, and if I fail, it will be all on me.  We have lots of travel planned for this year already, and a grandchild to be born in 3 weeks, so there are some possible potholes in the road ahead.

I hope you'll all follow along in this sales journey.  It's always good to tell someone else about a resolution, because it makes you accountable.  Well, I'm telling lots of someone elses and I'll be accountable to all of you.  I'll be posting each day's listing on my Facebook page and will wrap up weekly (hopefully) here on the blog.  Wish me luck and keep checking back!