The Week in Junk in a Million Words or Less

There was an Estate sale that started Thursday.  I decided to not even go to it until Friday because there was a slew of antique furniture and hard to find items, so I knew it would be packed with dealers  And, yes, I know, I am technically am a dealer -but I am a small potatoes.  I still always go thrifting looking for things for me or for my collections.  If I find something worth reselling to make it worth the trip, all the better.  So, I went on Friday about 11:00.  There was a big shop building full of old stuff - chippy cabinets, old tins, wood working stuff, tools, etc.  Everything was priced.  And, I do mean every. single. item.  Like a hundred drill bits - all individually priced.  Rows of old cans - each one priced.  It must have taken months to price the thousands of things that there must have been in that shop.  Not to mention the thousands of little white stickers and hang tags.  I went all through the shop, but I didn't see much that I could even afford.  I went into the house expecting it to be crammed full of treasures, but there was only a few pieces of furniture, some old military uniforms and a set of dishes.  The lady having the sale told me that there were things in the garage, so I hightailed it out there because most of the things I like to buy are usually in the garage.  Again, there just wasn't much out there and what was there was priced really too high.  The only thing that peaked my interest was the owner's former schoolbooks from the very early 1900's.  Each one had his name written inside the front cover from My First reader all the way through 8th grade.  each book was $4.00 and there were at least four from each grade, so I couldn't buy them all.  But, I really wish someone in the family would have kept all those sweet old readers and schoolbooks.  But, I can't save everyone's memories now can I?  I left completely empty handed except for the handful of shopping bags that I had foolishly taken in hopes of filing them with treasure.  I do't think I missed out by not going until Day two - I just think they oversold their ad to make it look better than it was in reality.  I saw Saturday on Craigslist that everything was half price.  Why not price it lower to begin with?  Or at least, not so very, very high?

Estate Sale #2 I ran into quite by accident by myself on Saturday.  I was having a bit of a pity party this weekend so I decided to go out alone for a bit.  I spotted the signs and started following them.  Before I knew it I was out in the boonies and driving down really narrow dirt roads.  I turned here and turned there and finally found the sale.  It was located in a valley with somewhat of a mansion to the left and hillbilly squalor off to the right.  That's the unique thing about my area.  Big fancy homes right next to beat up old trailers.  When I got out of the car, the man greeted me by saying he was sunning himself like a lizard on a rock.  I thought that was funny.  Then I heard him say the exact thing to the next eleven people that arrived and I immediately wondered how the lady running the sale had kept form killing him.  There was a table full of Christmas items including four boxes of Shiny Brite ornaments.  They were round red ornaments with white roses and white with red roses.  They were different than I like, but I thought they might look good on a wreath or for the booth.  They were in the newer boxes and they had the address with a zip code on them.  They weren't priced, so I asked, "So how much are the ornaments?"  He said, "For you?  Three dollars a box or buy all four and you can have them for $11.00."  Oh My a one dollar discount!  Goodie gum drops!  Then he opened his mouth and spewed,  "Those are old antiques hand blown shiny brite ornaments from World War II and they are really rare and really had to find and valuable."  Uh, no they aren't.

I went into the garage and picked up four prints.  Two were Turner prints, two were not.  He stepped up right behind me and said, "Now those are Turner prints!"  I said, "Actually, these TWO are Turner prints,  The other two are not."  He wanted me to ask how much they were, but I swear to you if he had said they were $1.00, I don't think I would have bought them.  One sire fire way to get on my sh*t list at a yard sale is to follow me around and to tell me what everything is.  I call them "Thatsa Sales."  "Thatsa McCoy vase"  Thatsa antique"  Thatsa dead mouse"  YES!  YES! YES! I know!  I can see that.  

I did look in the jewelry cases and found this tiny knife for $3.00.  See how small it is?  Is says ACP on it.  I am trying to research it a bit.  It's sweet as far as a knife is concerned.  It has a nice patina on it.  I would take really great joy in finding something worth some money at a sale where they thought they knew it all.  :D  But even if it's not worth the three dollars, I like it.

Thursday I stopped at the Super Cheap Thrift and again on Saturday.  Guess what?  I have sad news to report.  It isn't so Super Cheap lately.  I used to get vintage tablecloths for no more than $2.00.  Now, they are $6.00 - and they aren't even vintage.  There are still cheap things, but a lot of the prices have gone up.  Boo-hoo.  

I did find this vintage baby quilt.  I collect vintage feedsack baby quilts, so this one will go to the booth.  I've sold quite a few vintage baby quilts.  I am slightly smitten with the gingham, but it's still going to the booth.

This restaurant ware cup is from locally owned AQ Chicken House.  It's been open since 1947 and it's World famous.  Bill Clinton loves it there!

I especially enjoyed the FREE REFILLS script on the bottom.

And, because I was desperate to buy stuff - this nice teddy bear.  It's not vintage, it's from FTD Florist.  We have a baby about to be born in our family and I just might include this n the gift.  Shhh.  Don't tell them it's thrifted.  

In other finds this week - 

Another vintage Hostess Fruitcake tin.  I use them to hold my jewelry making supplies, so it will be used.  Gone are the days of Hostess Fruitcakes.  :(

A vintage picnic basket.  I know own more picnic baskets than one human being should be allowed to own.  But, I am keeping it.  I already packed food in it once, which is unique since I normally use them to hold craft supplies.  I also bought one of those round "Party Balls" that comes apart and holds plastic ware for a picnic.  It's read and really cool and I Honest to Pete cannot find it anywhere!  That says a lot about my organizational skills.  Or  maybe my mental state.  Or both.  It will be a nice surprise when I stumble onto it one day out of the blue.  Getting senile is super fun!

A really cool old blue toolbox that I must not keep.  I really like it though.  I think it will sell in the booth, so I will sacrifice it.  Chase Automotive apparently appreciates money over vintage blue toolboxes as payment.  

A nice old, old basket.  Lord, I love old baskets - the stories they could tell.  I think this one is about 100 years old.  It will go in my collection.  To heck with Chase Automotive anyway.

Two matching vintage Floraline matte white planters.   I was surprised to find these at Goodwill.  

Actually, Goodwill has had some good vintage items lately.

I spotted this flag today.  Actually, there was a pile of flags, but most were printed on nylon.  This is an old canvas flag made in Pennsylvania.  

The Bean and my stepfather unfolded it and found out that it 5' x 9'.  And, it only has 48 stars.  I suspect it was on a Veterans casket at one time.  I have mixed feelings about me owning it versus the family still having it.  But then again, I didn't donate it to Goodwill.  See, I can rescue other people's memories! Not sure what I will do with it, but at least it's in appreciative hands now.

Finally, my last story of the day.  Friday The Bean and I went to the sale that we MOST LIKELY should not have gone to - The Mothers of Multiples Sale.  What teen age boy and his mom go to the MOM sale?  We went last year for fun and we enjoyed seeing rows of the same outfit, rows of three matching bicycles side by side, etc.  But,t hey also have a slew of household items, books, movies and other things too.  So, we stopped by to see what we could find.  The Bean bought a pile of books that he was been eyeballing at Target - $8.00 for the whole set versus $15.00 a book.  He also bought a big box full of Yu-Gi-Oh cards.  He's kind of old for that, I suppose, but he has been collecting hem since they came out.  I guess it's no different that a man collecting Comic books or baseball cards.  He likes them, so that's all I really care about.  

I was surprised to spot this vintage Grapette bottle among the new stuff.  Grapette was made in Arkansas, so I will put it in the booth and wait for just the right buyer to come along.  

So, if you are still with me after all that, thanks!  I don't blog forever and then I just yak and yak and yak.  Thanks for staying for the long haul!