Rummage Sale

Here's what I bought at a church rummage sale last weekend:

• potato masher
• two cutting boards
• ladle
• Kensuke Wakeshima* print "Sunrise Valley" 
• (Russian?) countryside painting

What can I say, but: needed it, didn't need them but will use them, needed it, loved it and loved it! The print was $50. I already tossed out the frame and I will re-framed in white. The painting was $5. The biggest score was the potato masher - only twenty five cents, yo!!!

*Kensuke Wakeshima's art was part of the summer 2014 exhibition, titled: “Artists from Postwar Japan Days of Struggle in New York, 1960s–1970”  I came across very little biographical information online. 

ps. to the people in line, the ones who jeered at the CHURCH VOLUNTEERS when they didn't open the doors on time, I am judging you.

Junk

I picked up stacks of dishes today at Goodwill and Salvation Army. 12 Steelite oval pie platters (or bread plates), 1 Duraline Grindley Hotelware platter, 1 Red Pyrex platter, 2 Johnstone brothers platters in Snowhite.

The "Beit Hayoster" vase was $10.01. I wasn't sure if I should cough up the dough, but I love it! 

The enamel bowl will go into the play kitchen. Perfectly blue!

Thrifting in Barrie

We hit up the Goodwill, Value Village and 400 Antiques Mall in Barrie and came home with a ton of new stuff! Most of it will be sent up to the cottage. I have maybe seven minutes to type up a quick post when I should be a) washing my feet, I cleaned the floors but my poor feet! b) folding laundry c) washing dishes

Oh well, let's go, here's what I bought and why!
1- Chunky acrylic painting. Fell in love. It's the chunky goopy paint. Who doesnt love a good thick gob of dried paint on canvas? From the 400 mall $45. You will find a bunch of small landscape paintings there in the $35-50 if that's your thing!
2- plant watering dodad for cottage so I can have a plant without actually watering it
3- pretty dish
4- covered basket that makes me cross-eyed. to put ugly stuff in, obviously.
5- basket with handles, for other stuff to go in
6- tablecloth
7- cutlery
8- bowls. I need cereal bowls, these brown ones (ridgeway?) are a nice size, the amber bowls I don't need but couldn't pass up because matchy matchy*.
9 - wooden bowls and a perfect salad dressing serving thing
10 - 3 West Elm hammered metal bowls and a little copper dish

 Ok, I hear little feet running up the stairs...later!

*I posted a picture of my cottage dishes on IG earlier today.

Goodwill Friday

Picked up some junk at the thrifts today. Books, a milk jug and a photo.

I love this photo. The boots kill me, I have almost the same ones. The old van. The cardboard & sharpie Merry Xmas sign and HAPPY something, that rad tweed coat with chunky sweater...vendors sold papers on the streets? What's so funny? Looks like a shushie Christmas - we don't get a lot of white Christmases in Toronto, do we? The paper only cost 75 cents. It is signed Jean Gordon. I want to fix the horizon for Jean. Did it bug her? This wasn't that long ago. What year would you give it?

Two church rummage sales

I picked up a few things from church sales this morning.

The major major score was the chairs. Set of 7 for $50. You can't beat that. I don't think the boys will be able to harm them. AND THEY STACK!

I saw them by the entry door of the church basement, tried to play it cool, and sauntered over. My first thought was: "they belong to the church, they won't be for sale." WRONG! Once I saw the price, I didn't want to step away for the twenty seconds it would take to flag down an attendant. I asked the guy by the door to watch them: "I'll be right back, I'm just going to get the lady so I can pay for this stack of chairs, can you please watch them? thanks so much...just going right there (I point), the lady with the green shirt...thanks" (There was no one else looking at any of the 15+ chairs at that moment, but I couldn't risk it) I then paid and got them reserved. She put an official looking yellow piece of paper on it with my name. I tried to enjoy the rest of the sale but couldn't. I planned to IG cool stuff, but I wasn't thinking straight. I was worried that something would go wrong and my chairs would get stolen. STOLEN! I saw a lady's hand come out and pluck a pyrex bowl off the shelf in front of me, I hadn't even noticed it sitting there. Forget about this. I went over where I could watch my chairs, and texted my husband to come down and pick me up in the truck. It was 9:17, the doors opened at 9:00.

The moral of the story is that panic, sweaty palms, and paranoia in a crowded church basement is a perfectly acceptable response to stacking chairs...a clear buy signal...trust your gut!


ps. for rich hipsters

Rummage sale finds

We blitzed two rummage sales yesterday. Our haul includes two light fixtures, a brass planter, yarn art (is that what you call this?), ripped folding seat (DIY to come in a year or so...watch for it!*), some kitchen stuff, and my husband picked up a beautiful tattered old art book.

The outdoor lantern is intended for our front portico, once it's been restored. To be honest, I was thinking of Janice when I swiped the brass planter, but my husband doesnt want to share (ha - sorry!). The yarn thing is a bit scary ("do you wear it?" asked my brother in law), I can't pull off that much boho anywhere in this house, but you never know when you might need some crazy yarn explosion (No regrets - it was $4 to charity)...the stool needs a makeover. I once bought two of these folding stools (originally from ikea) at the same church rummage sale and gave them to a friend. She had a party deck. The tins will go into our utility room to hold junk. The book can hang out on the coffee table and eventually join the stacks of other books.

Oh and can you send me pins of any vignettes (ugh) with white saucer lamps? If you run across them? Thanks!



ps. I need to clean the grout lines (with a toothbrush?) and wash the floor...that's embarrassing!

*you sense my sarcasm, but in case you aren't sure...

Goodwill and Estate Sale

You, my friends, have been waiting a long, long time for this moment - when I started thrifting again (or maybe not? I won't judge you!) It's garbage sale season and I have a reason to shop! What more could a blogger ask for? (ugh, did I just call myself a blogger, ick!)

I hit up Goodwill this morning and carried home a brass coffee table base for Janice. It is the same coffee table she missed out on from Craigslist, so I knew she would flip (she flipped!)...The glass top is still at the store, but it will get picked up tomorrow. Only $30!!!

Then I went to an estate sale and bought a leather ottoman, a wicker garbage basket, wooden condiment set (or something? that white stuff is from the price tag, the set didn't look used), tiny rug, and brass (copper?) dish (for plants or something).

Tomorrow we are hitting two rummage sales in the morning...we have sitters arranged so we can submerge ourselves, up to our eyeballs, in used goods.

Ahhh let the good times roll! Let the gooood tiiiimes rooooll.

ps. you know, I should TOTALLY do this as a job someday...because I never ever ever want to stop thrifting! Is there a thrift store consultant job? Personal vintage shopper? Is there something you need? I'm on a roll!!
pps. follow me on instagram to see items I love but don't need, well, that is, when my phone is charged! There was a brass console today that I wanted to show you, but the phone died! My IG ID: shannon8foot6  
ppps. I wont post photos from instagram on the blog, so I don't want you to miss out, but it's not about boosting my numbers or likes or anything - just so we get that straight...
 

Second hand treasures

Here are some of the pretty things I recently bought from an estate sale and thrift store. Bright floral tray, serving utensils, Bodum glasses, and peacock blue tumblers. All of this, for under $20...now that's a deal!

New plates from Salvation Army

During the last week or so, I've been going through my cupboards to keep things under control (I have too much stuff), and trying to decide what I should keep. Then I read Lindsay's post about blue and white ceramic. I was considering giving away my stray Mikasa Flora bread and butter plates (2) and happy yellow bowls (2)....then I thought...why not start a collection of yellow dishes? Why not commit to it? 

Then today, there they were, five Mikasa Flora dinner plates! No chips...great condition...$1.99 each

I want to be more selective at thrift stores, since I have too many unnecessary things in the house. I feel comfortable sticking to such a narrow range of items. I just need to stay focused!

ps. Also looking for pyrex dinnerware and restaurant ware in hunter green, amber glass plates, and yellow pyrex mugs.

Tuesday at Goodwill - 50% off books

For a couple months now, at least, goodwill has been having 50% off books on Tuesdays. No more Friday fever (when everything in the store is 50% off and the place is chaos), now, each day of the week has different items marked down.

This morning, I bought a tower of books and two pictures.

I bought the print of a bunny bottom for the frame, but, on the way home it got dinged (top right corner)...still worth my $5! It is a print by H. Cady. This could mean Harrison Cady, who illustrated books and a comic strip about Peter Rabbit...I'm sure we aren't looking at art that is too important here, but it's a cute bottom, and I love it next to my naked chickens (bunny bums and naked chickens!!)    

I also bought a $3 vintage frame with an old photo of the windmill. Pretty sure that this was taken in Amsterdam. I will have to get out my wikipedia to figure out what park, but I am pretty sure, if you don't want to take a train out to the countryside, you can go to see this one petit windmill in town**
 ...Anyways, I like the fact that I could have taken the exact same photo as this anonymous person (but didn't...or maybe we did? I will check)...Is it odd that you can feel sentimental towards someone else's photo? How many people through the decades have the exact same vacation experiences?*

*I assume the photo is old, the photo is faded, and the burgundy paper is faded, but there is nothing to date it

**Cancel all this...it is not one of the windmills near Amsterdam (according to Simply Amsterdam)...I remember seeing a small windmill on a hill near a river, but I guess I was wrong... so much for sweet memories!

Riding the TTC carrying boxes and bags full of vintage!

 

This morning, I went to the Christ Deer Park Church Rummage sale, and hobbled home with bags and boxes and more bags, and a large framed poster. I had to make two trips on the subway to get everything back home (loser!). I am going to list several things in the etsy shop (if I can tear my fingers off them)

Jordana left a comment and asked if I ever come out of a thrift store empty handed. I do! Honest. Sometimes I go through dry spells. It's the worst. More often than not, I buy things I don't need. Things that I love, but I don't need. The coolest stuff EVER, but it still isn't something I need. Like more vintage toys. Or a tiny jar. Or a wooden bowl. Or strawberry napkins. You get me.

But it's cheap, and I love it, and it's probably not something I will ever see again, and it probably costs a lot more online, and if I don't buy it, I might live to regret it, and the proceeds go to charity...and I love it!

This is the first time I bought clothing. I think I could wear this shirt all the time. It cost $10 so I don't know if this is a classy label or what?!! I was glad my friend was with me, else I may not have taken the time to notice it on the rack!

The Sony Tape. Full Colour Sound poster is available online for $100. Score! I paid $12 and it came framed! Plus it's an original! Double score!

The pyrex was priced average, not cheap. The small was $4, the yellow medium was $6, the brown medium was $8 and the large was $10. I didn't even look at the patterns until I got home.

My favorite purchase is the vintage fisher price lift and load railroad. We had this as kids, and I am really happy to bring home a set with all the parts for my boys to play with, for only $10!

So tell me, are you are garage sale and thrift store shopaholic? Or do you buy only what you need? Also, have you ever given second hand anything away as a gift? I think there is still a bit of a stigma around that, no? We should try and change that! I mean, most people might think you were being stingy if you gave them a chrome vintage pigeon...I would jump up and hug you!




TTC - Toronto Transit Commission