OK, so it's not exactly a haul per se.
I should reserve that term for a huge pile o' junk. But I did manage to find a few cool things at the estate sale on Friday.
I'm just a little bit giddy over this very retro looking metal Christmas tree stand.
Since I had arrived over an hour AFTER the sale had started, I was surprised that no one before me had nabbed it.
Because who in their right mind would overlook this puppy!
I also was surprised that this snowflake Pyrex casserole dish hadn't been adopted yet.
I've been eyeing them on some of the Pyrex lovers' sites (you know who you are). So I was excited when I saw it in the Craigslist photos for the estate sale, but never dreamed it would still be there when I arrived at the sale.
Not that I dream about estate sales the night before I attend them.
And imagine which room of the house the stuff that caught my eye would be in.
And then visualize the floor plan of the house based on the Google Maps street view of the exterior.
And formulate a game plan of attack for said floor plan, based on the items that I'm most interested in.
Kitchen first, then basement, then garage, then bedrooms.
Nope, that would just be crazy.
Now this needlepoint thingie. I actually CAN see why it wasn't picked up with the first wave of serious, hard core estate salers.
I just don't think it's one of those super-marketable items at the antique malls.
But since when am I concerned about what's popular? What's trendy?
Not I, says the girl who has a deer head on her wall. And a Lane cedar chest in the living room.
It wasn't until I had gotten home that I realized I sort of had a Christmas theme going on. Must have been dreaming of a white Christmas the night before also.
So do you formulate a game plan for attacking an estate sale? Or do you just prefer to wing it and enjoy the spontaneity of the experience.
Angelia Christenson
No plan of attack really. Yes, if hubby is WITH he definitely hits the garage or garden shed or such though and hes found everything from brand new power tools and compressors and battery chargers for very very cheap to extremely OLD TOOLS which i do like to use as landscape or porch scape items but he generally wants to actually USE THEM instead. (he got an old sling blade and a small but super super old axe with the original handle once that ended up getting him close to 350.00 later from a collector of such things. I really HATE IT when someone replaces the old handle on some tool that came from the late 1800's and 1900's and i end up having to buy them off of him half the time to keep him from doing JUST THAT....i warned him the moment i saw those that if he went to the local small mechanic's shop in our little town that man would probably draw his shotgun and tell him to get out if he plans to "fix" those....i was right...(he didnt draw his shotgun tho ...ha. Hes been known to cause of being a dealer in some nice new farm equipment as well and robbery attempts) hes the one who offered him that much for those two and hubby only gave ten for the axe and twenty for the sling blade and HE USED THEM BOTH before he decided they were too fragile and took them in to try and get new handles. I have a tree stand like that. Took me three years to find one worth a toot and it was at a yard sale. Those big round ones may be a lot safer and more stable but they simply dont do the trick on the tree i cut down and put in the front yard and decorate with edibles for the birds. Ive been digging up baby white pines from our NC mtn house for years and planting them and every year i go ahead and chop down the biggest and move it to the front for the birdies xmas. (with over fifty birdhouses and feeders in my yard you can bet it looks like something off a cartoon the whole month of december and i start stringing popcorn after halloween and cranberries after thanksgiving and just go out about every three days and redo it for them. The kids never "got it" but the grandkids sure love it. I honestly despise the old glass finials and balls with the paint half peeled off and such from the 60's but i STILL HAVE MINE from when i was little and cant bring myself to repaint or repair them. Try finding "non shatter proof" glass shiney balls in the stores anymore!!! That used to be half the fun was the two or three that went SMASH on the wood floor cause some animal or child nudged the tree!!! (only time some mothers would actually curse back in the say and the words were abbreviations or different forms so it didnt count...ha. SHIP!!!!! and Gosh Dangit!!! were my mothers personal ones and she had to be really really upset. My nanny would just go "aw shtttt" (no i in the word at all just the noise...)
Kristin B
I LOVE the needlepoint Cardinal!!! It's perfect for our home as we call our casa Cardinal Hill!
Robin Johnson
Love your finds. I have never been to an estate sale before. Can never seem to find them around here.
laura sampson
well in AK we just don't have proper estate sales and when we do I'm usually dragging kids behind me so they HINDER my ability to stay and dig : ( but I have never EVER looked up a house of google maps and figured out the floor plan but now that you said that.....
Melinda
I usually just wing it because the estate sales
I have been to are lack luster.
Great finds for you though.
M : )
Olive
Donna (Distressed Donna Down Home) and I went to an estate sale last Friday and she beat everyone to the basement and got the vintage croquet set. I had no agenda. Now tomorrow I have an eye for some mortar and pestles but am careful about price. Yesterday I bought a white chippy mantle. Yes I did. I have this terrible habit of getting big heavy things and my dang shoulder is damaged.
The Old Parsonage
I'm all will nilly and just let the wild rumpus start!
Leann