What a Sale! Everything 75¢!

Every Saturday morning I head out before 8 a.m. to run my errands:  laundry, P.O box, ATM, etc. Last week, I took a detour to follow a garage sale sign on a whim. Not that that's unusual or anything. It was just an abrupt detour (I did signal my turn, though).

When I pulled up in front, my heart started racing. I could see from the street, I was going to like this sale. Two young women were frantically staging their mostly antique and vintage wares and apologetically told me the sale didn't start for another 15 minutes and they really needed that time for set up.

One of them said, "I hope you wait, or at least come back. Everything is 75 cents today. It's our second and final day."

Wait? For 75-cent vintage goodies? Heck, yes!

I usually go for the "smalls" and this sale had some great ones. I could have loaded up my entire car with great stuff, but I'm trying to cut back with an eye toward downsizing. Sales like this one make that a challenge.

Here is some of my loot.

Teacups: 75 cents for all. They're so sweet.

Mirror tray: 75 cents, chip and all. I use vintage etched mirrors and mirror trays in my decorating year-round. But, at Christmas time, with the twinkle of lights and candles, they create a magical look around the house. I am especially drawn to mirrors with age flaws, such as this one.

Set of five dishes--Mason's Ironstone, England:  75 cents for all. Watch for this pretty vintage set to appear in an outdoor project in the next few weeks.

A lovely 22-kt. gold Royal China Co. plate also will be featured in a future garden project. A real bargain among bargains at 25 cents.

A girl can never have too many silverplate pieces. Fill them with rose petals in the summer, vintage ornaments in the winter or serve fresh berries out of them at a backyard barbecue. This one was totally black with tarnish. It cleaned up beautifully, but I'm waiting for some degree of tarnish to reappear. I like that used, mildly neglected look.

Yep. 75 cents.

And 75 cents for both decks of South African Airways playing cards. I snap up interesting decks whenever I find them to use in my handmade For Giggles and Grins ephemera journals. I'd never come across this set before.

The 75-cent orphan salt shaker is destined to become a handmade decorative tassel.

75-cent Haeger pink dish has a detachable flower frog and built-in candleholder. It's in mint condition. But, I'm not a fan of pink and will probably list this one at some point.

Pretty vintage linen tea towel will look nice in someone's kitchen.

Love this kitschy metal rooster tray from the '50s or '60s. It's in very good vintage condition and was 75 cents, of course.

Wonderful Treasure Island book, copyright 1947, has a colorful illustration on the inside cover and fly sheet and illustrations throughout. This treasure needs a good rubbing alcohol bath and it will be fit for the rental book inventory. 75 cents.

Grand total:  $7.25.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Show and Share

Knick of Time Tuesday

The Scoop
Cottage Style Party
Thursday Favorite Things
Time Travel Thursday
Fridays Unfolded

With Treasure Hunting, Timing Is Everything

For quite some time now, I've been meaning to stop by The Humble Home, a charming little shop that specializes in retro and vintage home decor. It's owned and operated by a former colleague of mine and his wife. They've been open two years or so and I never seemed to get around to stopping.

One recent Saturday, Hubby and I were out and about and decided to stop in. Boy, am I glad we did. What an enchanting store! It was chock full of unique antique and vintage furniture, architectural salvage, home decor and art.

My husband found this beautiful German religious print and had to have it. As you can see, all but a few scraps of the ornamentation have come off the frame, along with a good deal of the silver paint. The print itself has significant water stains. But, the artwork is gorgeous and the flaws add to its beauty (in our opinion).

The owner hadn't even priced the art because she had just picked it the previous day. She had set it out only minutes before we arrived that morning and figured she'd have time to price it before someone came in.

Her price was right, we knew exactly where we would hang it and before she could blink it was SOLD.

Now it hangs in our foyer where we had a space that we hadn't been able to find the right piece to fill.

This stunning tabletop mirror caught my eye just as we were preparing to pay for the print. I collect vintage etched glass mirrors, but I didn't have anything in my collection like this gorgeous item.

As with the antique print, this piece didn't have a price tag. You guessed it. She had just set it out minutes before we walked in. It's as if she knew we were coming. Again, price was right. SOLD!

The mirror itself is in near mint condition. The sterling footed frame shows a bit of discoloration, but I had to look hard to find it.

The etched design and the detail on the frame are so elegant!

Currently, the mirror decorates my August Stickley post office table and shows off a pale pink cake stand and my grandma's tea cups. But, I'm pretty sure it will find a prominent place in every season of the year. I'm already thinking about how I want to use it at Christmas. The etchings look a bit like snowflakes, don't ya think?

Yes, with treasure hunting, timing is everything. Had we walked into that store even a day earlier, we would have missed out on two fabulous finds. Perfect timing.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Saturday Sparks

Share It Sunday

Nifty Thrifty Sunday
Silver Pennies Sundays
Make It Pretty Monday
Show and Share at Coastal Charm
What's It Wednesday
Thursday Favorite Things

A Simple Splash of Red

When I visit the wonderful blogs on my reading list, I find the all-shades-of-white, light-neutral and shabby chic vignettes and decor are what most often catch my eye and draw me in first. They're so luscious,  soft and romantic.

Funny that the soft whites impact me that way because I love color. Our home, while dressed in knotty pine throughout, bears color on all the (non-knotty-pined) walls and the original vintage tile floor on the lower level.  Some of that color is big and bold. Additionally, most of our accents and decor are colorful, and I don't mean colorful as in a single color family. I guess it's my passion for all things vintage that heavily influences a color palette with a wide variety of hues. 

This Christmas season, for the first time ever, I "neutralized" much of the holiday decor in the living room. Not quite able to let go of all color, I added small splashes of red amongst the winter whites, silver, gold and mercury glass. Like my great-grandmother's tiny antique bottle brush Santa.

And an antique German liquor bottle in the shape of a Santa.

A couple of well-placed pretty red items alongside the feather trees adds interest. In my humble opinion.

And, the tall, ceramic pencil Santa my mother hand-painted for me adds subdued, but stately, color against a collection of vintage mirrors.

A simple vintage ornament with a red band creates some pop next to the large mercury glass bowl on the Stickley postal table.

Relax! It's not a bonfire in my living room. But, I wanted to share a night shot of the mercury glass bowl on the postal table. I filled it with twinkle lights and this is what it looks like with the lights on. Sort of. You'll just have to take my word for it that it's softer light than that in person.

For a final splash of red, I included this stunning male cardinal I photographed this morning in the cedar tree along the ravine at the back of our yard. This was our first significant snow of the season. Fitting as a prelude to winter, don't you think?

Although I used a long lens to capture him, this brilliant guy was quite a distance away. So, I hope you'll pardon the photo quality.

I'm dedicating this post to my mother, who was born in December and passed in December six years ago. She was an avid, amateur birdwatcher, who counted the cardinal among her favorites.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
Rednesday
Time Travel Thursday
Primp Your Stuff
Nifty Thrifty Sunday

Re: Turn Tables on Trash

Reclaiming and repurposing items to give them new life and keep them out of the landfill is one of my favorite activities. It's a fun way to save money and to be earth-friendly.

My heart does a little happy dance whenever I stumble upon someone else's trash-to-treasure project. This whimsical little redo greeted me at an estate sale this weekend. Isn't it cute? (Pardon the smartphone photo quality.)

Such a simple idea. The base is a nice, recycled ceramic table lamp minus the electrical workings. The tabletop is a freshly painted picture frame with a pretty piece of scrapbook paper or wallpaper inserted under the glass.

A project like this is relatively simple to do and can be an inexpensive way to add some fun and color to an outdoor seating area or a sun room.

Here's another repurposed table from the same sale. (And, an even worse photo. Oh, my!)

Another lamp base, painted silver. The tabletop is a vintage mirror.

Don't be afraid to experiment with repurposing household items rather than putting them out to pasture. Learning to look at common items in a new way can make your life more interesting and you home decor totally unique.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:

Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop at Homemaker on a Dime
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Trash 2 Treasure At Kammy's Korner
Wednesday's Bunny Hop at Bunny Jean's Decor & More
Vintage Thingie Thursday at The Coloradolady
Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage

Obsessed with Amber

A girl can never have too much amber. This girl can't anyway.

So, for a flourish of fall around the house, I pulled out nearly every piece of amber glassware I own. And the amber-colored vintage jewelry, amber-beaded tassels and garland and amber-toned ornaments. Then, I threw together a dining room decor full of warm fall color and sparkle. 

To add polish and cohesiveness, I called into service my vintage beveled mirrors and, finally, sprinkled the room generously with satin fabric pumpkins and turkey feathers. A simple recipe for an autumn feel.

Front and center on the buffet, I stacked vintage cake stands and topped them with an upside-down small amber bowl that forms a pedestal for a larger right-side-up carnival glass bowl. I embellished the centerpiece with vintage brooches, beaded tassels, garland and satin pumpkins. Can't you almost smell apples and cinnamon, pumpkin spice, caramel and perhaps a hint of dried leaves?

What a nice warm glow . . . a vintage Fostoria juice glass forms the pedestal for a pretty pumpkin.

The vintage mirrors add special sparkle and interest under the room's arrangements. Love the etched detail on this mirror.

Flanking either side of the buffet's cake stand tower are arrangements of amber-colored goblets, more satin pumpkins and beautiful iridescent feathers courtesy of our flock of backyard wild turkeys.

On the dining room window seat, which catches the southern sun, I positioned a beautiful amber-colored, mirrored-glass mosaic bowl on top of another amber cake stand and filled the bowl with small pumpkins and gourds. The mosaic mirror glass dances in the sunlight, throwing bits of light around the room, changing character and intensity as the day goes on. The cake stand is embellished with amber-beaded garland and positioned on another vintage mirror with beautiful etching.

A large satin pumpkin atop an art glass cake stand adorns the dining room table. Amber-colored fabric-and-bead ornaments on an oval vintage mirror round out the centerpiece.

And, finally, I wrapped the chandelier in evergreen and strung it with an amber prism garland to round out this sensuous fall decor.

But wait! There's more! When you look now, you'll get amber vignettes in the foyer and amber tableware in the kitchen awaiting Sunday guests.

Don't worry--I won't bore you with the rest of it. Not today, anyway.

Make it a great day!

Linking to:
{Primp} Your Stuff Wednesday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm  
Wednesday Bunny Hop at Bunny Jeans Decor and More
Potpourri Friday at 2805
Vintage Thingie Thursday at The Coloradolady
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Autumn Arrives Party at Savvy Seasons by Liz
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground
Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors
Saturday Show Off at The Rosegarden in Malevik
Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper
Sunday Blog Love At Cherished Treasures