The Week in Junk: Labor Day Edition

Labor Day weekend is the biggest weekend for yard sales in the small town where I like to do most of my yard saling.  There is a huge craft fair in town this weekend that attracts nearly 100,000 people to this town of less than 8,000.  Everyone throws junk in the yard and has a yard sale.  Many people wait all year just for this weekend to have a big sale.  And it's not the baby clothes and household goods kind of junk.  It's good junk like I like.  Boxes of stuff, holiday, vintage, old glassware, jars and random junk.  PLUS, this is where my flea market it as well as nearly fifteen others.  This tiny town is a mecca for junk this weekend!

We normally go to the craft fair, but the last few years it has kind of been the same old, same old.   One year I even walked loops around the whole place trying to get a certain baby to COME OUT.  Anyway, everything has to be a craft - handmade.  People (and me in particular) are more into up-cycled and re-crafted than strictly leather belts, crocheted towels, pottery and wooden birdhouses.  We might end up going on Monday if it's not beastly hot out there.  

Friday I took a bunch of stuff out to the flea market and loaded the booth up even more than it already is(!) and I put all my feedsack pendants on the display case by the register.  Along the way I stopped at a few sales, but then it started raining, so I had to quit.  Saturday morning it was raining, but it cleared up by noon, so I headed out to hit some more.  Honestly, a rainy morning that stops sales from starting early is the BEST.

I went to the Animal Shelter Fundraiser on Friday and Saturday.  It didn't start until Saturday, but they were out setting things up and annoying people like ME stopped to shop.  They had the money box out and were ready for customers or I wouldn't have stopped.  

This funny wiener dog ashtray was only 50¢.  The bottom of the ashtray is broken, but I think I can stick a little flower pot in there.  He still has an awful lot of cuteness left in there.  

I know how some of you *EDDIE* feel about old dolls.  And I might have to agree on these - but I always sell them in the booth, so why leave them behind at 25¢ each?  That oak basket is a nice handmade one. When I bought it, it was full of those horrible cinnamon scented pinecones that make my allergies go into overtime.  I considered dumping the pinecones under a pine tree until I realized they were glitttered.  Someone would think they had a very special tree if they discovered those under it!  

Funny vintage skunk bride salt or pepper.  I have a fondness for single shakers like this.  

I don't know if these glasses are new or old or sort of in-between, but I like them.  I was kind of nervous about what they would cost, because at this sale they have expensive antiques, vintage things and regular yard sale junk.  And I wasn't sure which category these were - but in the end, I think they were 10¢ each.  I paid $3.00 for the glasses, that nice oak basket and the skunk.   I think I will keep the glasses and actually use them.

When I stopped on Friday this was my purchase - a jewel eyed Santa mug - LOVE - and a wee tiny stork all for the magic price of 15¢.

A different sale in the rain on Friday brought this little silver tree to me.  It's not old, but it looks old and sometimes that's good enough for me.  That way I can use it for display when I am selling and sell it if anyone asks about it.

As well as this sweet piece of vintage pottery.  This is a keeper for sure.

I can't remember where I picked up this little Uneeda doll, but she gave me a chuckle with her funny hairdo.  

I was super excited to have finally found a BIG HUG MUG.  Too bad it's not worth the $125.00 they were six months ago.  Now it's worth about $15.00.  But to have actually found one made me happy!

Gee my memory is getting bad - I don't remember where I got these either!  Sweet apron with a different type of print than usual and a cast iron trivet clock.  

A popup sale by the road in a parking lot brought me the USA puzzle which will be sold on Instagram by the piece.  (People collect certain states!) A box of old cardboard thread spools, a wee box of playing cards and a tiny old telephone someone made.  It has thumbtacks and pushpins  - can you see it?

 My most expensive purchase was at this sale - these two boxes of old letters and numbers.  They are on an old type of plastic and the letters are carved into them.  There are two types and upper and lower case of each with multiples of some letters.  I paid $10.00 for them which is like a hundred to this cheapskate.  But, I thought they were interesting and have possibilities.

Cool, right?

Are you tired of me yet?  Two more sales to go.....

I went to a sale a couple of weeks ago where they had SO MUCH STUFF - sheds, garages, a yard full of stuff.  Nothing was priced, so you just rounded it up and they made a price.  I like sales like that and I don't like sales like that - you just never know what to will happen.  It seems it's either really cheap or really expensive.  I dug around and found these old letters and numbers lying around in different places.  They were about eight inches tall and pretty neat.  It took me about an hour to find them all and then when I asked for a price - it was $60.00.  Yikes.  I din't have that kind of money on me and I wasn't expecting that much either. So, I respectfully declined.  The guy asked me to make an offer, but you can't counter offer $15.00 when he just said $60.00!  

I did get a big box of old jars and bottles for $3.00, all was not lost.  They will go to the Junk Ranch.  

Anyway, he was having the sale again this weekend, so I stopped.  I asked about the letters and he told me that they had sold.  Then he said, "I liked you,  We should have dealt on those more.  You liked them." Dangit.  Oh well.  

I got these ceramic number balls for 50¢.  Remember when they were the rage a few years ago?  I still want to find an alphabet set.  And maybe a "4" now that I look at that photo....

This old red berry basket was 25¢.  And inside it?

All these old carnival prizes!  I remember picking these up in the claw machine.  I have a small collection of these in a jar - this quadrupled it!  (They will go to the Junk Ranch too).

And, are you ready??????

PINK. COLEMAN.  That is all. :)

No wait - FIFTY CENTS!

THAT is all!

ONE MORE SALE!

This is the guy I wrote about that works for the local auction company  - he buys the leftovers and sells them cheap.  I love his sales - there's never anything really valuable  - but you can make a pile and it's super cheap.  

An old BINGO game, metal cookie cutters, an old dovetail GLASS box and a Levi Strauss tray.

A wonderful old horse scarf slide.

Really big jingle bells, a watch doo-hickey, medical symbol pin and a couple Kewpies.

Super sweet vintage baby dress.

And even sweeter vintage baby shoes.

Also, this awesome old yellow metal leaf rake that is screaming to be used in my Fall Display.  All that, plus a shovel and a handful of things The Bean deemed "cool" for $3.00.  

Time to put it all away and get organized until next weeks sales.  I love Fall sales the most!