I guess all of us who go thrift shopping have our own favorite venues for bargains -- I just love rummage sales! I watch for them and always try to hit them early.
There were two on Friday and I made sure I was at the first one before it opened. It's a local church that advertises it as their 'Barn Sale' and it's always REALLY big. You fill a brown grocery bag for $7, plus they have furniture and collectables separately priced. I live pretty close and it was a gorgeous day, so I got there about a half hour early...I was sixth in line.
The tent area where they have the household items and tools was half the size as usual and the collectables was twice as big. All the interesting stuff was there and priced equal to or higher than an antique mall. No bargains anywhere and hardly much to tempt! I couldn't even find enough to fill a bag. I would have put it back, but decided to go ahead, since it was basically a donation to the church. I talked to a few friends there and we all had the same reaction and most are considering not bothering next year. Boo Hoo!
The next rummage was really small and also overpriced. I think everyone is watching American Pickers and Market Warriors and they all think they have the next great find!
Those were the second & third rummage sales I've been to in a row with not even ONE piece of Pyrex! How can such things be? It's enough to break a Pyrex-addict's heart...
Hopefully, the yard sales will be popping up here in Michigan along with the dandelions and there will be more treasures to be found.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Saturday, May 4, 2013
"You Find the Most Random Stuff"
My daughter-in-law told me last year that I 'find the most random stuff'. I took it as a compliment (and I hope she intended it as such). I remembered that as I was unpacking my car on Thursday afternoon.
Timing is everything -- I went to a couple of yard sales that were big busts. Then I decided to do an 'about face' and go another 20 miles in the opposite direction to a family-run estate sale. I figured that, getting there an hour after it started, all the good stuff would be gone.
I was so surprised to see really good stuff left! The first thing I saw was this bike for a really low price!
Then I picked up a big lot of cardboard produce boxes from the FREE pile (don't you just love the free pile?)
I found lots of treasures and left with my car totally packed! I think I could have fit more in, if there had been more to buy...
Here's some of the great stuff I got -- soon to be listed on Etsy or in the booth...
Do you want to see what I found in the box lots? So do I! Stop back tomorrow, when I unpack them all!
Timing is everything -- I went to a couple of yard sales that were big busts. Then I decided to do an 'about face' and go another 20 miles in the opposite direction to a family-run estate sale. I figured that, getting there an hour after it started, all the good stuff would be gone.
I was so surprised to see really good stuff left! The first thing I saw was this bike for a really low price!
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| AMF Skyrider bike |
I found lots of treasures and left with my car totally packed! I think I could have fit more in, if there had been more to buy...
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| The car from the side door |
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| There's still room for a lot more! |
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| It's not even up to the roof yet! |
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| 4 mint tablecloths and a set of napkins that go with the gladiolus set |
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| Have you ever seen a Mirro Dial-a-Cookie set? Really unusual! |
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| These carolers had brown hair until I cleanded them -- they're blondes! |
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| I love this spaghetti poodle vanity set! |
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| Four framed wildlife prints by Richard E. Bishop -- a famous waterfowl painter from the 40s through 70s |
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| This vanity set was mint, unused and still in the box...a Christmas gift that missed the mark? |
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| A set of Torquay salt and peppers -- I'm SO tempted to keep these! |
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| What a SWEET little green table! |
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| A brown painted wicker hamper. Even if it doesn't sell, it's always great for storage |
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| A red lampost blow mold and a jack-o-lantern |
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| A box lot of Christmas...I'd promised myself that I wouldn't buy any more Christmas! I couldn't resist this bottle brush wreath though. |
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| A box-lot of barware -- more on that tomorrow... |
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| A box-lot of pictures and odds & ends -- always a surprise. |
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
The First Week Flew By!
Last week was my first week 'not working' (ha!) and it went by so fast that I barely noticed!
On Wednesday, my friend Bargain Hunterdragged me to invited me to go with her to an estate sale that was about an hour away but, thanks to traffic, ended up being an hour and a half away. I'm glad I went, because I found some good stuff and we had a chance to catch up on the drive there and back. Then I helped her finish up the pricing on our friend's estate sale. It was really good to help out (though Bargain Hunter had been working with our friend for weeks on it and they'd done all the hard work) and 'many hands make a light burden'.
On Thursday morning, I helped work the sale. It was a new experience being on the other side of the sale! We were thinking that the morning would be super-busy, but it wasn't advertised in the newspaper (just on craigslist) so the traffic was slow, but steady. There were a few interesting encounters, but nothing too crazy.
Bargain Hunter had said that she didn't think there'd be anything at the sale I'd want, but she was wrong! She just didn't count on my passion for random stuff. My friend's father had been a draftsman and I got several lots of old mechanical pencils, pens and pencil leads and his old safety glasses.
I also got her sister's prom dress and a bridesmaid's dress, as well as a peignoir set.
In the basement was a webbed chaise lounge -- it brings back LOTS of memories of sunbathing in the backyard with my friends and covering ourselves with baby oil to increase the tan!
I took one of the quilts my friend's grandmother had made. It's a bowtie quilt in all pastel plaids -- a lot like men's shirting back in the day. I think it's beautiful, but she didn't want it. I'm going to 'foster' it for her, because I think one of her daughters or a granddaughter might want it someday. I'll be happy to send it back to the family.
The greatest prize of all, though, was a large (6") 1950s or 60s diorama sugar egg -- just like the ones my sister and I had as kids. Ours disappeared long ago (probably thrown out by my parents, because I know I save everything!) This egg is in perfect condition, though maybe a little faded on the outside (amazing for something made entirely out of sugar and icing). It even has its box! My friend was selling it and no amount of convincing on my part would make her keep it. I was so excited to have it! I'll have to make sure that my sister, who is a total Luddite and never goes near a computer, will see this post -- she'll be excited, too.
I went straight from the sale home to pack and get ready to go to a Rotary conference with Mr. KV and was there for the weekend. I was home so little last week, that this week being off work really feels real. The weather has been beautiful (70s and sunny) and I've been able to do some work in the barn and garden. It's so nice to be able to be outside!
I plan to hit some sales this week and continue working on reorganizing the basement so I can start getting creative. Right now, it's getting close to hoarder's paradise. I'm not walking on boxes yet, but I am starting to have pathways between the stuff. I guess I'm not ready for my TV debut, though, because the mess is making me crazy and I'm driven to sort, organize and de-stash. I'll have some pictures as the project continues.
On Wednesday, my friend Bargain Hunter
On Thursday morning, I helped work the sale. It was a new experience being on the other side of the sale! We were thinking that the morning would be super-busy, but it wasn't advertised in the newspaper (just on craigslist) so the traffic was slow, but steady. There were a few interesting encounters, but nothing too crazy.
Bargain Hunter had said that she didn't think there'd be anything at the sale I'd want, but she was wrong! She just didn't count on my passion for random stuff. My friend's father had been a draftsman and I got several lots of old mechanical pencils, pens and pencil leads and his old safety glasses.
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| Prom dress, complete with full-length gloves |
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| Bridesmaid's dress. She said her sister never liked it -- gee, I wonder why? |
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| Peignoir set -- isn't it lovely? |
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| A great webbed chaise! |
The greatest prize of all, though, was a large (6") 1950s or 60s diorama sugar egg -- just like the ones my sister and I had as kids. Ours disappeared long ago (probably thrown out by my parents, because I know I save everything!) This egg is in perfect condition, though maybe a little faded on the outside (amazing for something made entirely out of sugar and icing). It even has its box! My friend was selling it and no amount of convincing on my part would make her keep it. I was so excited to have it! I'll have to make sure that my sister, who is a total Luddite and never goes near a computer, will see this post -- she'll be excited, too.
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| The beautiful egg! |
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| Look at the sweet scene inside -- there are even chickens! |
I plan to hit some sales this week and continue working on reorganizing the basement so I can start getting creative. Right now, it's getting close to hoarder's paradise. I'm not walking on boxes yet, but I am starting to have pathways between the stuff. I guess I'm not ready for my TV debut, though, because the mess is making me crazy and I'm driven to sort, organize and de-stash. I'll have some pictures as the project continues.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
It's a Small, Small World!
I went to a 'sleeper' sale last weekend that turned out to be a real treasure. Sleepers, to me, are the ones that aren't well advertised and don't have lots of pictures and might be totally missed. This one was only 6 miles from my house and I almost forgot about it because it was only listed on craigslist -- not in the newspapers and certainly not on estatesales.net!
It was the estate of a lady who'd had a stroke several years ago and just passed away in the last few months. Her children weren't local, so they let her church run the sale & have all the proceeds from it -- how nice! It's in a very small town and all the workers knew her well and obviously loved her.
The house was a 1960s ranch and turned out to be filled with mid-century goodies! Everything was priced low and I got many, many bargains. I filled a couple of bags and bought so much furniture that I knew I'd have to make a trip back the next day to collect it. I forgot to take pictures of my loaded car, but here's how the kitchen looked when I brought it all in:
I got lots of odds and ends...
In the garage I got a wonderful enamel top table with a drawer and a home-built kitchen island or workshop bench:
Here's the deal of the day -- a three piece dining room set, priced at what one piece might normally cost! I didn't buy it (initially) because I wasn't sure if I could get the china cabinet home, didn't know what I'd do with it (I have no dining room and don't have room in the booth to sell it all together) and MOSTLY because I was afraid that Mr. KV would hit the roof about it. I got all the way home and just was sick over leaving it behind. I got in touch with Mr. KV and he told me it was all good, as long as it didn't just stay in the barn forever. That was all I needed to hear -- I dropped everything and hurried back to the sale & the set was still there! I'm so excited! It took us 4 trips (2 trips with both cars) to get all the furniture home...
I love this set so much -- it will break my heart to part with it! My youngest son & his wife might take it for their home, which would at least keep it in the family.
Here's the small world part of the story -- and one of the best parts for me...
I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and saw lots of Cincinnati & Ohio stuff at the sale. I asked the ladies running it if the woman had come from there. She had and so had her husband. They said that she and her husband had grown up together there, gone to the same high school married different people, both gotten divorced along the way and had reconnected at their 45th high school reunion. They'd gotten married after that (they had to be 63 then! I asked what high school they'd gone to and it was the same one my mother, dad and aunt had attended. So, I asked how old they would have been...92 this year. They had to have known my aunt! The ladies at the sale knew the husband's name and the wife's last name from her first husband, but not her maiden name.
When I talked to my aunt the next day, I told her the story and the husband's name -- she rattled off the wife's name immediately! She remembered both of them very well and was thrilled that I'd ended up with some of her friend's stuff. I was struck by how interconnected we all are -- especially since our country is so big and we've become a very mobile society.
As I said earlier, the ladies running the sale really loved this lady. They invited me to come to her memorial service in a few weeks and to say a few words (because, they said, I'd bought so much of her stuff -- I have to admit that THAT'S strange to me). It's our mall's dealer day and it will be tight to get to the service, but I will try to get there. When I say my few words, it won't be because I bought a lot of her stuff, but to speak for my aunt, her girlhood friend, who remembers her as a young girl who was smart and funny and had her whole future ahead of her. I want to tell those gathered there that my aunt still thinks of her fondly. I know it will make the church ladies happy!
It was the estate of a lady who'd had a stroke several years ago and just passed away in the last few months. Her children weren't local, so they let her church run the sale & have all the proceeds from it -- how nice! It's in a very small town and all the workers knew her well and obviously loved her.
The house was a 1960s ranch and turned out to be filled with mid-century goodies! Everything was priced low and I got many, many bargains. I filled a couple of bags and bought so much furniture that I knew I'd have to make a trip back the next day to collect it. I forgot to take pictures of my loaded car, but here's how the kitchen looked when I brought it all in:
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| These blue lamps have TALL drum shades & the orange corduroy pillow was free! It looks great on our turquoise sofa... |
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| Add caption |
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| This Christmas decorated box was great all by itself, but had 10 different colored silk scarves in it, along with a Vera scarf |
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| A metal tabletop easel |
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| I've seen lots of these collapsible type hangers, but had never found one before |
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| I love this Jack n Jill booster seat! |
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| Some fun books -- the Sears outdoor cooking book is too funny! |
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| A very cool light-up globe from 1972 |
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| I almost bought a meat platter like this the other day at a mall & now found one with the warming tray, too. I'm glad I waited for the 'thrill of the hunt'! |
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| 3 class pictures from the 1910s, 20s or 30s. I'm not sure how to date them. |
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| These mid-century lamps are wonderful! I ended up putting one of them in my living room. |
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| I'd never heard of a lipstick blotter before I found these. |
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| The workbench is at the back. In front is a fantastic stepped formica end table with a big faux wood & white checker board pattern. So retro! |
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| The enamel topped table |
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| A great mid-century chest of drawers with original hardware (the last pull is in the drawer) |
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| Here's the china cabinet in the house (can you read the price of the set?) |
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| Drop leaf table with 2 leaves, 4 chairs and felted table protector pads |
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| the buffet |
Here's the small world part of the story -- and one of the best parts for me...
I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and saw lots of Cincinnati & Ohio stuff at the sale. I asked the ladies running it if the woman had come from there. She had and so had her husband. They said that she and her husband had grown up together there, gone to the same high school married different people, both gotten divorced along the way and had reconnected at their 45th high school reunion. They'd gotten married after that (they had to be 63 then! I asked what high school they'd gone to and it was the same one my mother, dad and aunt had attended. So, I asked how old they would have been...92 this year. They had to have known my aunt! The ladies at the sale knew the husband's name and the wife's last name from her first husband, but not her maiden name.
When I talked to my aunt the next day, I told her the story and the husband's name -- she rattled off the wife's name immediately! She remembered both of them very well and was thrilled that I'd ended up with some of her friend's stuff. I was struck by how interconnected we all are -- especially since our country is so big and we've become a very mobile society.
As I said earlier, the ladies running the sale really loved this lady. They invited me to come to her memorial service in a few weeks and to say a few words (because, they said, I'd bought so much of her stuff -- I have to admit that THAT'S strange to me). It's our mall's dealer day and it will be tight to get to the service, but I will try to get there. When I say my few words, it won't be because I bought a lot of her stuff, but to speak for my aunt, her girlhood friend, who remembers her as a young girl who was smart and funny and had her whole future ahead of her. I want to tell those gathered there that my aunt still thinks of her fondly. I know it will make the church ladies happy!
Friday, April 19, 2013
A Leap of Faith...or Off of a Cliff!
I quit my day job!
This was a HUGE decision! Ever since I had carpal tunnel flare up last fall, sitting 28 hours a week at a computer has been difficult and by the end of the week, my hand, wrist and arm are really weary. So, when I looked at all the directions I'd like to go with my booth and the Etsy shop and some of the things I'd like to do creatively, it just seemed like the right time to do it.
I prayed about it a long time to make sure it was the right decision. I had lots of affirmation through support from family & friends and through some sales-successes in the past 2 or 3 months. I'm so thankful for Mr. KV and the support he's given me in this -- he figured out how we could do it financially and has encouraged me to take this step. What a guy!
Another 'encouragement' I got was from my sister (who is always my biggest fan). She gave me a 'gift' -- a pair of tiny, skimpy, lacy blue panties with a note, "Here are your big-girl panties. Now put them on and go in and quit your job!" I still laugh when I think about them, and plan to save them for the next friend who needs a gentle push to act on something (they'll literally be travelling pants!). All joking aside, though, I've been blessed beyond anything I could have hoped for or asked for!
I had hoped to be completely done with my job at the church, but agreed to continue as webmaster and keep the website going until they could hire someone else to do it. So, even though yesterday was my last day, I'll still be working for them (from home) the equivalent hours of one workday a week. Not bad, since I can work it around my other stuff (translation: work on the website at midnight in my jammies). If all goes well, I'll be completely 'unemployed' by Memorial Day.
So, I'm stepping out in faith into the next phase of my life. It's VERY exciting, but also scary! I'm hoping to be able to share many more junking adventures and many more before-and-after projects in the future. I'm excited to have you all along for the journey, too!
This was a HUGE decision! Ever since I had carpal tunnel flare up last fall, sitting 28 hours a week at a computer has been difficult and by the end of the week, my hand, wrist and arm are really weary. So, when I looked at all the directions I'd like to go with my booth and the Etsy shop and some of the things I'd like to do creatively, it just seemed like the right time to do it.
I prayed about it a long time to make sure it was the right decision. I had lots of affirmation through support from family & friends and through some sales-successes in the past 2 or 3 months. I'm so thankful for Mr. KV and the support he's given me in this -- he figured out how we could do it financially and has encouraged me to take this step. What a guy!
Another 'encouragement' I got was from my sister (who is always my biggest fan). She gave me a 'gift' -- a pair of tiny, skimpy, lacy blue panties with a note, "Here are your big-girl panties. Now put them on and go in and quit your job!" I still laugh when I think about them, and plan to save them for the next friend who needs a gentle push to act on something (they'll literally be travelling pants!). All joking aside, though, I've been blessed beyond anything I could have hoped for or asked for!
I had hoped to be completely done with my job at the church, but agreed to continue as webmaster and keep the website going until they could hire someone else to do it. So, even though yesterday was my last day, I'll still be working for them (from home) the equivalent hours of one workday a week. Not bad, since I can work it around my other stuff (translation: work on the website at midnight in my jammies). If all goes well, I'll be completely 'unemployed' by Memorial Day.
So, I'm stepping out in faith into the next phase of my life. It's VERY exciting, but also scary! I'm hoping to be able to share many more junking adventures and many more before-and-after projects in the future. I'm excited to have you all along for the journey, too!
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Fun, Friends, Finds...
Last weekend, our friends Mark & Kally (who've moved away to Minnesota) came back to Michigan for a visit. They spent most of the week with family, but we got to see them for Thursday night through Saturday morning. Friday was the Detroit Tigers' home Opening Day (baseball, for those of you who didn't know) and was also our friend's birthday. What better gift to give him than a trip to Opening Day?
We had a great time at the game -- it was chilly (only about 47 degrees all day) but the sun was out, we were with dear friends, the popcorn was good and the Tigers won. It just doesn't get any better than that...or does it? What could be the perfect end to a perfect day? A vintage deal!
We stopped for pizza at a favorite after-the-game spot. We'd just pulled up to the restaurant when Kally and I spotted the Salvation Army store right across the street! I know you won't believe this, but the guys didn't want to go! So we dropped them off and went to the SA to see what bargains there were.
It was our lucky day -- the Pyrex fairy must have just left as we arrived. We found 2 mixing bowl sets and some assorted casseroles.
Kally got this primary set and 2 large yellow fridgies:
I got these 3 Butterprint bowls, a small Horizon bowl, a white bowl and a 'Barcode' casserole (not that easy to find).
Here's the deal-of-the-day part: each bowl was individually priced, with the largest ones being $3.99 and each one smaller priced a little less. When we got to the checkout, we showed the man that and he said, 'It doesn't matter -- I just charged you $3.99'! She got the ENTIRE primary mixing bowl set for $3.99! I almost RAN to the car so that we could be gone before they changed their minds. What a deal!
On a different note, you might remember that Kally made a wonderful poof for me as a gift and sent it in a HUGE box from Minnesota. Well, when we went downstairs to look at all my thrift junk goodies, she could see it was covered with cat hair. Good thing she's a cat-woman, because she didn't mind at all.
This picture's for you Kally -- Leo says 'Hi' (and thank you) from his favorite spot...
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| A beautiful sunny day |
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| The marquee on the historic Fox Theater |
Detroit is pretty sad in lots of areas -- many vacant lots, derelict or burnt out or boarded up homes and lots of abandoned buildings. I saw this on the walk to the ballpark:
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| Can you read the graffiti a the top? |
We stopped for pizza at a favorite after-the-game spot. We'd just pulled up to the restaurant when Kally and I spotted the Salvation Army store right across the street! I know you won't believe this, but the guys didn't want to go! So we dropped them off and went to the SA to see what bargains there were.
It was our lucky day -- the Pyrex fairy must have just left as we arrived. We found 2 mixing bowl sets and some assorted casseroles.
Kally got this primary set and 2 large yellow fridgies:
I got these 3 Butterprint bowls, a small Horizon bowl, a white bowl and a 'Barcode' casserole (not that easy to find).
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| Blue Barcode casserole |
On a different note, you might remember that Kally made a wonderful poof for me as a gift and sent it in a HUGE box from Minnesota. Well, when we went downstairs to look at all my thrift junk goodies, she could see it was covered with cat hair. Good thing she's a cat-woman, because she didn't mind at all.
This picture's for you Kally -- Leo says 'Hi' (and thank you) from his favorite spot...
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