Flea Market Scores!

I've been having a tough time with my camera and it's really making it difficult to blog, but I did a quick trip to an estate sale and the flea market today and scored some goodies. (Apologies for the blurriness of the photos- I have to use my phone to take pix now.)

The frosted glasses have a leaping horse pattern on them and were only 10 cents each, the recipe box was a quarter and the boomerang ashtray was $1 at the estate sale. The chalkware fruit wall hanging is a duplicate of one I already have, but I love these things so much and it was only 50 cents. I'll find a place to hang it.

These Pyrex 401 bowls are what I bought at the flea market and are the best patterned Pyrex I've found in a while. I saw more Pyrex there than I have at any thrift store or yard sale, which is great because the prices are low and there doesn't seem to be the competition for Pyrex there like I see in the thrifts. (That's another whole issue which has been bugging me lately, but I don't want to get into that.)

The top is Horizon Blue and is my first piece of that pattern. I'm still kicking myself for passing up a complete set of casseroles in this pattern two years ago- it's so pretty. The bottom one is New Dots (of course you knew that if you are into Pyrex) and is so minty! I am now halfway to finishing that set- you may remember my post about finding the yellow New Dots. And the best part of the flea market is I got both of them for $5! Which is a good thing, because finishing these sets is probably going to cost me- especially the New Dots 404.

Finally, an estate sale worth writing about!

So, it's blisteringly hot around here. I can't remember the last day it was under 100. Perfect estate and yard sale weather! NOT!

But I had a real hankering to find a bargain, and lately the thrifts have been an unqualified bust. And yard sales haven't been much better. But I decided to head out anyway and I'm glad I did!

I found one estate sale advertised about 15 miles from me in an area I haven't been to much. And the ad mentioned Pyrex, so I was definitely going to check it out. As the thermometer reached into the high 90s by 10, I packed the kids into the car and hoped our A/C was working! (It was.)

It was a pleasant and easy drive, and when we got to the sale I was shocked to find that we were the only ones there. With the kids, I don't usually have the ability to get to estate sales early, and I definitely don't want to fight the crowds with them in tow, so I always wait until after the early rush. I'm not sure there was any rush at all with this sale- it seemed like we were the only folks who even knew about it, even though it was well-advertised. I guess the heat was a factor, but it didn't bother us.

First thing I headed for was the Pyrex! I bought the Golden Pine Space Saver, with lid and cradle for $10. I have a rule to just buy any Space Saver I see, especially if it has the lid, and this is a nice one. I can't wait to get out all my Christmas Pyrex and put this one on display! The Pink Daisy 043 is my favorite size Pyrex and I love using them, but this one is so nice I might never use it. The Butterprint 472 casserole is my first of the 470 series. Didn't I just mention in my last post that I needed that, and lo and behold... 

She also had the 471 and 473, but had them marked as a set for $25. That's too steep for me- why this one was priced at only $6 I don't understand, but it's mine. (I would hazard a guess that the lady was looking up prices on the internet and found turquoise Pyrex goes for more; apparently she didn't get to the part where the turq. on white Butterprint goes with the others...) I also left behind a Golden Tulip promo with lid and cradle for $20 and a set of primary bowls (minus the green) for $20. I didn't love the tulip and have an unnumbered primary set, so at those prices they're not a bargain for me.

The rest of the stuff was awesome and great prices: 

These HoJo motel glasses were 25 cents each. If my kids were older I would put these out in my bathroom as everyday drinking glasses ;)

This chalkware planter is huge and also only 25 cents. I know it will sell fast in my booth, and at almost 100% profit. Whooo doesn't love owls! (sorry!)

This quirky Christmas centerpiece was also only 25 cents. Not my style, but again, someone will love it.

These vintage Halloween treat bags were in the FREE pile! There are 25 of them- totally headed to Etsy.

My son took some of his own money and bought this souvenir desk set for $4. He is going to resell it in my Etsy store, so watch for it! He's got a great eye and is very motivated to make some money reselling- I might have some competition in a couple of years if I train him right! I love the Marlin graphics on the flip calendar and the tiny seashells- he picked a great piece.

Vintage wrapping paper for 25 cents a roll. Every time I find some it sells fast.

This lamp was so cool and only $5. The base is handmade but the shade is killer.

And this last find was pure serendipity. For the last few days I had been thinking I should have a mug tree to display some of my vintage mugs near my coffee maker. I hadn't even had time to go out and hunt for it or search Etsy, and one literally fell into my lap. When I asked the guy in the garage of the sale how much he wanted for it, he just gave it to me- said he already rescued it from the trash pile and just wanted someone to have it. It has great patina and I love the orange color. Perfect, and perfect price!

How I lost my (Auction) virginity, or What Goes Around comes Around.

OK, now that I've got you all excited, let me tell you a story.

Back when I was 5 or 6, my parents went for 2 weeks to London. For some reason (this is very much out-of-character for my mom, but hey, it was the 70s) my parents hired a nanny to watch my brother and I while they were gone. The woman they hired ("Mrs. T") apparently came very well-recommended from some other parents in the neighborhood, and they must have felt comfortable leaving us with someone they had never really met before.

I don't remember very much about her, except that she had a blue 1974 Nova, was in her 50s, and impressed me as being fairly strict. We did not like her. So much so, that one day after kindergarten, I went home with another boy from my class because I didn't want to go back to Mrs. T. I stayed for lunch and played for a while (I guess I assured the other mom that it was OK for me to do this- remember, again, this was the 70s) until a police officer knocked at the door and brought me back to a very anxious Mrs. T.

I guess I kind of scared the hell out of Mrs. T; maybe that experience with me began to lead her down a dark path to becoming a hoarder...





...Fast forward about 30 years, to last week, when the fabulous MaryDeluxe asked if I wanted to accompany her to an estate auction in my old home town.

"A True Hoarder's House!" went the auction listing, with vintage clothing, jewelry, Lionel trains, ephemera, and 400 box lots. Looking at the photos, I thought yes, this may be a great time to lose my auction virginity and go to one. Plus, something about that neighborhood was very familiar.

I couldn't tell exactly from the map which house was the hoarder house, but I had a feeling I was about to step back 30 years in time and pay another visit to Mrs. T.

Sure enough, bright and early Saturday morning, there I was, standing once again in Mrs. T's driveway. But this time it was filled with a giant dumpster, hundreds of boxes and years of dust, mildew and mouse poop. Well, I said, "Mrs. T, I'm back! And this time I am here to buy your stuff...." and I proceeded to do just that.

It was a very productive auction for the both of us. Since I was an auction newbie, I probably overspent and overbought little bit, but there was so much good stuff I couldn't help myself. (See, it's a short road to becoming a hoarder!) And since we both have Etsy stores and a booth at an antique store, we needed the merch.

Besides, with stuff like this- and you all know how hard it is to get good vintage clothing for a good price anymore- we were almost obligated to buy Mrs. T's old clothes!

Check out my part of the haul- MaryDeluxe got a bunch of great stuff too- 14 dresses from the 1930s-80s (mostly 50s), plus two skirts, a skirt/top set and a 2 piece playsuit set. And a beautiful Persian lamb coat with a mink collar- for $5. I think I spent about $175 on all of it. It's hard to tell from these pics, as I have them out on the clothesline, but the clothes are all in great shape- shocking, really, considering the condition of the rest of the place. If you see anything you like, email me (practiceintime@gmail.com) for a pre-sale deal or just wait for them to appear in the shop.

I also scored some Pyrex in the box lots- a yellow and green primary mixing bowl, plus a pink fridgie- the black Rooster dish was a thrift find later the same day.

This is the rest of the stuff from my box lots- all freshly scrubbed! 

I have about half a set of Steubenville Fairlane (including the butter dish and some platters) there, some misc glassware and a bunch of chalkware Madonna and Child images. I got a MCM vinyl stool for $1 that also came with a gigantic vanity mirror. I don't know what I will do with that yet, but if anyone needs one...

There's still a whole box of bird figurines in the garage I have to go through, but there are some really neat pieces in there amongst all the junk. Some of it will be donated back to a local thrift store, but I will certainly make my money back- I don't think I spent more than $15 total on the box lots. (I spent the remainder of my $ on some items for my son's Lionel train set- another really good deal, as it has so far kept video games out of our house.)

So for my first auction, I think it was a great, if somewhat bizarre, experience. What goes around definitely does come around.

Summer's End Thrifting Adventure

Since my kids go back to school in the next few weeks, we took one last thrifting adventure as a family today. And as much as I never thought I would say it, it will be bittersweet to go thrifting alone the next few months. My son, aka Eagle Eye, is always such a great help, and believe it or not, my daughter was actually good and did not cause me much stress until she started whining about how hungry she was (OK, it was past lunchtime and she is four, after all.)

I was glad we went today; I really think we got some great stuff. And now with both an online store and an antique mall booth to stock, I really have a good excuse to buy stuff! 

First was this embroidered fish with felt and bead flowers. I've bought a couple of these types of artwork lately for the booth. I don't know if they are going to go over well with that clientele or if I need to eventually list them on Etsy. I really love it though, and hope some others do as well.

This hammered aluminum platter is also going to the booth. I already sold some of the hammered aluminum I had in there, so I hope this will be a quick sale. I love the deer running along the border.

I picked up these ceramic mugs at a Goodwill on a recent trip to Lancaster. I think they were both 97 cents. The squirrel is just too funny.

This print I bought for myself. It is going up to the cabin (where I need to do a little re-finishing of the frame as well.) It was ony 99 cents and probably dates to the 1940s. We have a bit of a bird theme going on in the bathroom. ;)

 

I couldn't pass up this chalkware planter for $2.00! It's in fabulous shape and gigantic- and heavy. Definitely going to the booth- I'll put some fall goodies inside and hopefully someone will take it home with them!

I have had a bit of a Pyrex drought lately. I think it's pretty well documented that thrift stores and private sellers are onto those of us that collect it, so when I do find it, it's way overpriced. But every once in a while I find some for a decent price. This Early American 401 mixing bowl was $1.97 at the Lancaster Goodwill. It's not a pattern I collect, so will be heading over to the booth. Incidentally, I saw a 403 for this set today at the thrift store- they wanted $17 for it. No thanks! (I also saw a set of Woodland mixing bowls at the same store for like $35- obviously they are still there.)

I bought this mint condition yellow 501 fridgie at another thrift store. I think it was $2. I always buy these if they are reasonable, regardless of pattern. I use them to store all kinds of things, mostly condiments and small bits of garlic, etc. And since I do collect primary, this was a no-brainer.

This was a bit of a splurge at $5, but I have never had a patterned lid casserole before. I do love the green color and it was in great condition underneath a boatload of grease and dirt. It's a 1 qt bake/serve/store casserole in a promo design called "Vintage" (apropos, no?) and supposedly came with a cradle, which I will have to find now! Interestingly it's from the same store with the crazy prices above- just goes to show that sometimes different people price things very differently, even at the same store!

These last shirts are huge scores and will be listed in my Etsy store shortly. Almost makes me wish I wore Hawaiian shirts because they are so cool. They would probably fit me too, but I'll pass them on to someone who will get some more use out of them.

This shirt is patterned with a motif of all the Hawaiian landmarks of the 1960s- it's like looking at a Waikiki phone book from 1960. There's Trader Vics, Hilton Hawaiian Village, The Embers, etc. all immortalized in one incredible loop-collar Aloha shirt. It is so killer.

This is from the same lot- the size and cut are the same, but this shirt is red with black and gold accents. It is really nice! Once they are listed, don't forget that you guys are all entitled to a 20% discount in my Etsy store- just use the coupon code PIT20OFF.

Flea Market Friday: sTrike my fancy, Vintage Tricycle!

As I sit here writing this indoors while the rain is pouring down, it seems an unlikely day for yard sales! Yet, a couple hours ago we returned from one of the best yard sale days ever. This morning we originally intended to do a little thrift shopping to stock my etsy store. We did do that eventually (and it was a total bust) but got sidetracked at a few yard sales. And am I glad we did! 

The best score of the day was this vintage trike we bought. Ain't she sweet? It is not a reproduction. I'll tell you the price at the end of the post so you get there without having to call 911!

Whoever had this when it was new didn't play with it much, that's for sure!

It's a "Foremost" brand from JC Penneys- made by Western Flyer in the 50s or 60s. Just a couple scratches to wax out and it will be virtually mint. I think some bullet-shaped grips for it and a bell would be fun.

 Then we found this awesome chalkware wall plaque for my son's room. The frame is chalkware and the photograph insert of a hunter caught with his pants down is actually an 5x8 postcard, dated 1956. I bought it for $1 without really looking at the subject matter, but we all got a good laugh out of it when we got it home.

 Here it is with some of his other wall hangings in his room- fits right in!

This is the haul from the rest of the stops. The green frosted milkglass vase, the enamel ware bowl and the 2 tupperware canisters will end up in my etsy store. The FireKing loaf pan I'm keeping- it matches a casserole dish I got from my grandmother.  The red plastic box is full of vintage dime store plastic airplanes- just going by the aircraft type, there is nothing in there newer than the mid-1950s (For you Cold War buffs, a B-36, F7U Cutlass- two of my all time fave weird airframes- and Boeing 707 are the "newest".) 

OK, ready for the price? Ten dollars. :)

Thrifted Thursday- Duck, Duck, Goose!

Someone out there in blogland had a thing for ducks recently. It inspired me to take photos of these chalkware ducks I thrifted a few years back (but I forget who the blogger was...)

Anyway, I think I paid $4 for the pair of them. They're beautiful old pieces that I believe originally came in sets of three. But two are enough for me and my son, who has them in his vintage Adirondack-style room.