freshvintage

Craigslist Bait & Switch

Before I share some vintage finds, I'd like to thank my personal shoe buyer, Jenny, from Yard Sale Bloodbath for leaving this comment on my last post:

OK, this is blowing my mind. I was doing my usual thing, going through yard sale listings on Craigslist for Seattle and look at this:
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/gms/733884541.html

I KNOW THOSE DRESSES! (Because I was thinking that I should comment that it's a shame no drag queens came to your sale, or they would have been gone in a flash ...)

Apparently this person thought they were so compelling that they decided to use your photo in their ad. If I make it over there tomorrow I will attempt to find out what the heck they were thinking! Too strange!!

They actually used three photos from my blog. Think of all of the disappointed people who will walk away empty-handed. They only went to the yard sale for the sequins dresses, pin-the-tail on the donkey game and an old adding machine.

If anyone is near Ballard today, go to the yard sale and bust their balls, please.

Now, on to the twenty bucks worth of stuff that I bought at Goodeals and one yard sale on the way to my mom's yard sale last Saturday...

Set of 8 Pyrex mugs with creamer and lidded sugar bowl. This is the Summer Impressions pattern in Honeydew (aka lime green).  That's a Marx tin dollhouse in the background.

A little framed print, rectangular metal floral frog, small gray planter and a cardboard sign that says "Abide in Me". Anyone know anything about this sign?

I also found two sewing cabinet drawers and a BIG box of Shiny Brite ornaments. Here's a just a few of them:

 

Another fan. Are you sick of them yet? 

By the way, Erin and I will be shopping at Renninger's in Adamstown tomorrow (Sunday, Jun 29). Is anyone else planning to go?  Send me an email, and maybe we can get together. We're thinking about selling there in September, so we are going to scope it out.

Yard Sale Cotillion

My mom had a yard sale on Saturday. Read about the sale she had a few years ago, if you want to know how she rolls.

These pageant dresses hanging from tree branches are the "Open for Business" flags to let everyone know that the sale has started. My mom has been trying to get rid of them for years.

She was selling four-daughters-worth of prom, sorority, cotillion and semi-formal dresses. Every one more hideous than the next. Velvet, iridescent, tulle, plaid, lace. You name it - we had it. We even found my sister Megan's dress that still had a faint vomit stain down the front. Poor girl must have had a stomach virus that night. Or maybe it was too much Zima in her hairspray bottle.

These two are my sister Erin's pageant/prom dresses. I am proud to say that she was Miss Brigantine second runner-up in 1990. She clinched it with her performance of Honey Bun from South Pacific. I can't even begin to tell you how pissed off she is going to be that I just wrote the last two sentences. (Don't tell her that I found an audio tape of her singing Honey Bun strewn among piles of Sheena Easton and Boy George cassettes at the yard sale. I'm in the process of converting it to MP3 to share with everyone.)

(Don't worry - these ended up going home with Erin. She'll pass them down to her oh-so-lucky daughter.)

Erin may be known for belting out showtunes, but my mom is known for her fake plants. And trees. My sister told me that this sea of silky plants was twice this size before I arrived. We were all so proud of her when she decided to sell them. It is such a big step for a fake plant addict.

Our kids don't mess around when it comes to selling lemonade. That damn tip jar had ten bucks in it by the end of the day.

Remember my brother-in-law, Doug (Erin's husband)? He has a history of dressing up at my mom's yard sales. Saturday was no exception. 

I don't remember this type of clothing ever being in style, but my mom and sister wore it proudly in the 80's. And now Doug continues the tradition...

 

My mom was selling these empty wine carafes for fifty cents. She became irate when I told her that I was throwing them away. "Put them on the FREE blanket. Someone might want them." I need some backup here, readers. Do people really save these? I swear - I won't judge you if you do save them (well, maybe a little). I just need a second opinion.

Chris' Last Clothing Gift Ever

I had my very own yard sale today, along with a few other families in our neighborhood. I forgot what a pain in the ass it is to get organized. And then deal with the hagglers who make a big pile of stuff and then ask to pay half price. At 8am. I had to say more than once "Nope, sorry. Someone else will come along in the next few hours and buy it at full price". With a big passive-aggressive grin on my face.

I didn't put any of my vintage stuff out, because I wanted to focus on getting rid of toys, kids clothes and home decor stuff.

Chris dug through our closet and found a huge pile of clothes that he no longer wears. Fifty cents each. I was happy that he was getting rid of them, until I noticed a woman holding a pair of his Banana Republic pants.  After she bought them, I asked him why the hell he was selling those pants, when they were only a couple of years old and they weren't cheap (although we probably bought them at the BR Outlet).  "They are missing a button."

Then I spotted a really nice Gap sweater that I had given him for Christmas a few years ago:

I love this sweater. He wore it once (as implicitly obligated), but today declared it "too metrosexual".  He probably should have told me that when I bought it for him, so I could have returned it and used the money to buy something for myself.

The sweater didn't sell - even at fifty cents. So maybe he was right.

Return of the Legos

Last Saturday morning, my husband and kids joined me on my yard-saling trip. Usually, I only bring Maeve with me, or I sneak out by myself before anyone wakes up. Before we left, I gave each of the kids a buck. We hit a few yard sales before they were both able to find something that they really liked.  And what does Finn find?  An unopened box of Harry Potter legos. I immediately had dollar signs in my eyes. Dammit. This is exactly why I don't like to bring the kids. I know...I sound like a mean, horrible mommy. But, believe me, my house is already FILLED with lego pieces. We have enough friggin' Spongebob legos to build a life-sized Krusty Krab.

I knew that this box was worth some dough from my previous Lego experience. And it was only two dollars! Finn wanted to buy it, but the evil side of me reminded him that he only had one dollar. I told him that he could buy it if he could successfully convince Maeve to give up her dollar. Oh - too late. She had already found something girly that she wanted to buy. And so the good side of me gave him another dollar and let him buy the Legos.

As soon as we got home, I looked it up on eBay. The same unopened Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Lego set recently sold for $105. By the time I looked up the price, Finn already had the box open and started to build. By the end of the day, he finished putting together the entire set. That's okay, though. The opened box sells for $50-$60 on eBay. (I'm not selling it anytime soon. I'm not that evil.) 

Luckily, I found some things for me, although they probably aren't worth half as much as the damn Legos.  Here are my fifteen dollars worth of finds...

I love this whitewashed bushel basket with the floral lining. The homeowner said it was from the 1950's. I also found a box of old sheet music for two bucks.

Read it and weep...FREE! The homeowner told me that I could have this box of old sewing notions.

With one stipulation...

Her grandmother had lost a sentimental treasure in her sewing stuff.

If I happened to find a tooth, could I please return it to the house?

Um, yeah sure.

Thankfully, I never did find one.

UPDATED TO ADD: About the Legos...I'd love to hear what you would have done. Let him keep the Legos? Or trade it for something else?  Let me know in the comments. 

Short Changed

I went to an early morning multi-family yard sale a few Sundays ago and found a cute blue doll highchair for four bucks. I told the homeowner that I wanted to buy it, and handed her a $20 bill. I know - big bills are a no-no at yard sales, but this stop wasn't planned and I was not prepared with small bills. She looked at me worriedly and said that she didn't have change. I guess I was their first customer.

OK, then, let's brainstorm about this. I couldn't come back for it later, because I was going to be away all day, so I suggested that she ask the three other family members who were also selling at the sale if they had $16 that they could lend her. They all said that they didn't have any money. WHAT? I'm convinced that they were pissed at her for something, because I found it awfully hard to believe that these people who live in a nice house with nice cars couldn't scrape up a few bucks to help her out. It was either an enormous display of yard sale-induced passive-aggressive behavior, or they were really, truly poor (hence, the yard sale to make money).  I bet they were secretly mad at her because she was selling something that they really wanted to keep in the family, like the box of lidless, tomato soup-stained tupperware or the adorable collection of wicker baskets filled with dried flowers and mauve wooden ducks. Heirlooms, for sure.

Alas, I walked away empty-handed and a tad bit annoyed.

A few days later, I visited the blog of my yard-saling friend, Antekin Dona. Lo and behold...she bought the damn highchair from the same yard sale! Bitch stole my dolly furniture!

My rage has finally subsided, so I'm ready to share some finds from a few thrift shops, antique stores and yard sales from last few weeks. And don't get your undies in a bundle - Dona knows I'm not really mad at her. (Ummm...right, Dona?)

I found another Laundripak suitcase, along with a trunk insert, folding clothes dryer, a bunch of Broadway memorabilia from 1942-43, linen dishtowels, Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking (my first one sold right away in the shop) and a fruit crate-turned scooter (imprinted with the name of the little town where my husband works):

Here's the pink folding dryer and the vintage blue & white linen dish towels...

The trunk insert was made by National Veneer Products in Mishawaka, Indiana. That company manufactured trunks between 1903 and 1925.

I found a zip-loc bag filled with souvenirs from someone's visits to New York City in the early forties. There are Playbills, hotel brochures, ticket stubs, napkins, postcards, a folded-up placemat and even the envelopes that the tickets came in. I searched for the wadded-up gum that she chewed and maybe a bit of earwax from that special day, but no such luck.

Check out the prices of the hotel rooms...a three-room suite for $10. That sounds like the hourly rate where these lovely ladies hang out.

Family Feuds

As I've mentioned in the past, I tend to avoid neighborhood yard sales because they typically don't yield many vintage finds. Mostly just exersaucers and Boppy pillows. But there are always a few exceptions! One of the homeowners in a neighborhood of brand-new houses was selling some things that belonged to her great aunt. She told me to make a pile of everything that I wanted to buy and she would give me a good price for it. After I made my pile, she tallied everything up and said that it came to $40. And then she added, "So, how about $30"? Um, yeah, okay. I love it when a seller does the haggling for me. Erin was famous for that at Renninger's. A customer would ask how much something cost, and Erin would say, "It costs $10, but I'll take $5 for it". Jeez, give them a chance to counter-offer before you lower the price!

Everything in the following pictures is from that yard sale. The only exception is the Vornado fan that I bought at different sale for $3. Here are two croquet sets, enamel pan, oak file drawer, wooden recipe box, 3 books, leather jewelry box and a gooseneck desk lamp with green shade:

...and a metal doll-sized highchair with decal, scrollwork lamp, pair of porcelain floral lamps, floral lampshades, two satin containers, makeup compacts, cigarette holder, and a strange ribbed glass tube-shaped container with screw cap and rounded bottom. You'll have to click on the photo to see it better. Maybe I should play another game of what the hell is it. Anyone?

These books are from a series called My Bookhouse printed in the 1920's. The one on the right is called In the Nursery and it is the first in the series. I just checked eBay, and this book usually sells between $20 and $50!

It is filled with colorful illustrations...

One of the pink satin containers was filled with six pairs of ladies' gloves. I usually don't buy stuff like this, but they were practically free, so I just threw them in my pile.

The hot pink satin hosiery bag contains a box from "Jaques Heim - Paris". Inside the box are a pair of unused "seamless sheers". This was one sexy great aunt.

As the homeowner was helping me put stuff in my car, I asked her if she played with the highchair when she was little. She told me that she did, but she thought it originally was her mother's. She called over to her elderly father, and asked him who owned the highchair. He looked a little pissed. "That was your mother's. I didn't know you were selling that". He looked in my trunk to see what else I had bought. I thought I saw smoke coming out of his ears when he saw the two croquet sets. I quickly threw the rest of the stuff in the car and hauled ass before she changed her mind. I can only imagine the arguing that ensued after I peeled wheels out of there.

And what were the first words out of my husband's mouth as I carried all of my finds into our newly-empty garage? "And so it begins again..."

Erin's Colorful Finds

One morning last week, I was on the phone with my sister Erin while she was on her way to work. Suddenly, she squealed, "Ohmigod! There is an old robin's egg blue door in the trash. Wait! There's a lady in front of the house. She sees me looking at it. Ohmigod, she just gave me the signal. I gotta go! She said I could take it!"

Did you notice that she immediately said "robin's egg blue"? A normal person would just have said blue or light blue. But we grew up with a mother who is a certified color analyst for Color Me Beautiful. We never used regular colors to describe things. Aubergine, luggage brown, salmon and chartreuse were part of my vocabulary in fourth grade. While all the other kids were coloring with red crayons, we were trying to determine if it was a warm red or a cool red. Does it have blue undertones? Even today, my mom still gives me the evil eye whenever I wear a color outside of my "spring" palette.

Erin got this apple green desk with pale yellow drawer pulls for five bucks:

Here's my favorite. This was a splurge, but worth it.  We're bringing this to Renninger's, if anyone is interested!

Here are a few more of Erin's finds that totalled $28. She's debating about painting that chest. Don't worry - the chest isn't really old. I think she should paint it. You know how I feel about hearts. 

That little book on the red chair is "The ABC of Cocktails". Did I ever mention that my husband works at a rehab? It's true. So ironic and so convenient all at the same time.

Game Day!

We're going to play a game today.

Which one of these things that I bought at yard sales this weekend is very rare and highly sought-after by certain collectors and valued between $50 and $100?

Here is everything I bought on Saturday:

Item	Price
Porcelain wall sconce	0.50
Small ServeWare mixing bowl	0.25
Pyrex Advertising mug	0.25
Pyrex snowflake creamer	0.25
Anchor-Hocking peach lustre bowl	0.25
Small chicken planter	0.25
Ironstone Imperial dish (free)	0.00
White Fire King hobnail vase	1.00
Scroll-work shelf	1.00
Oak bench with lid	2.00
Red child stool with saying	0.50
Ladder (for linen display)	2.00
Pink/white/red floral tablecloth	3.00
Total:	11.25

Did you guess?

If you guessed the Pyrex mug...you are right! Can you believe it?

I thought it might be helpful to give you some background on why I bought the mug. Because, normally, I wouldn't give it the time of day.

A few days ago, I read a comment that someone left on this post at The Auction Rebel blog. Gary, the rebel himself, just started a new weekly post called "Weekly Winners" where he asks his readers to share a few of their recent eBay triumphs. A reader named Stephen A. posted that he sold a group of 65 Anchor Hocking/Fire King mugs for $436. He had bought most of them at various yard sales for a quarter.

Stephen's comment made me pay more attention to mugs when I went to yard sales on Saturday. At one sale on Saturday, there were a few boxes of 25 cent mugs. When I saw the Pyrex mug, I remembered that Pyrex Love has a pattern category for Advertising/Specialty items. I didn't specifically remember seeing this mug on their site. But, I assumed that if Pyrex Love has a category for it on their website, then it must be something that people might actually collect. So...I shelled out a quarter and bought the mug.

I found a few sites that have the mug for sale right now: TIAS, RubyLane and CyberAttic.

I listed the mug in a seven-day auction on eBay. The sites I listed above are typically overpriced, so I'm guessing that I will get between $25 and $50 for it. Let's see what happens...

A Newly-Found Relative & Barbaro's Glamour Shot

The yard sales were lame on Saturday. Way too many dried flower arrangements and dirty sneakers. I bought ONE thing. ONE. But I am pretty happy with my one thing: a cornflower blue metal rolling cart with a black enamel top. It has a metal tag on it that says "W.D. Allison Company, Indianapolis, IND". A strange coincidence since my husband's grandfather's name is William Davies Allison. I did some searches and found that W.D. Allison was the manufacturer of physicians' tables, chairs and cabinets at the turn of the century. I'm making the natural assumption that this metal cart was used during hundreds of frontal lobotomies. I'll write that on the tag if I ever sell it.

I bought the other items in the picture from a thrift store and a rare mid-week estate sale on Wednesday.

I'm going to sell this old framed photo at Renninger's in September. Maybe I'll tell potential buyers that the horse is Barbaro's grandma. People around here would eat that up. The New Bolton Center (where Barbaro recovered from his accident) is only five minutes from here. 

Speaking of horses, this box looks like it was used to hold bets at the horse racing track. Each slot has a paper label: Win, Place, Show, Two-way bets, and Three-way bets.

I found this suitcase at the thrift store for $2. It looks like it was handmade from wood slats and woven strips of straw.

I finally won a blog contest!
A special thanks to Allison at The Lark for picking my name in her Rosie Flo Coloring Book contest! I won the Johnny Joe coloring book made especially for boys. It is different from other coloring books because the child can draw their own heads, arms and legs. Here's a blank page:

And here are a few pages after my four-year-old son got to it:

Probably not what the creator of the coloring book intended, but imaginative nonetheless.

Allison has some other Rosie Flo coloring books for sale at her neat-o web shop.  Thanks, Allison!

   

It's a man, baby!

The woman who sold me these tins this morning had a hard time parting with them. I asked her how much they cost, and she kept hemming and hawing about the prices, "Oh, I don't know...I paid over $30 for each of them". She was crazy if she thought I was going to pay that much. If she would have just PUT PRICES on everything before her yard sale started, we wouldn't have wasted so much time!! I ended up getting the biscuit tins for $5 each (the U.S.S. Idaho tin on the right, and the two bottom tins in the stack). I originally thought the Ohio Art beach pail was older, but I think it might be kind of new. I can't find the same one anywhere on the web.

I bought these 18 milk bottles for three bucks. I really only wanted the two that said "Avondale Farms Diary", since Avondale is the town where we live, but they were so cheap that I just bought them all. They are from six different dairies in Pennsylvania.

I've always wanted a nice, shapely dress form with a slender waist and perfectly symmetrical boobs. It's hard to tell from this picture, but there are no boobs on that dress form. Hey - is it still called a dress form if it is a man? Shouldn't it be a suit form? I'm actually thinking about putting a bra on it and stuffing the cups with socks. I'll save that for a future blog post when I'm really out of things to write about.

I also bought: the child's chair, small tray, two volumes of The Girl Aviators (1910's), and some embroidered runners and pillowcases.

The man who sold me the dress form ($10) also sold me an old hooked rug ($6!!). He told me that they were both his mother's, who was born in 1896. The rug is 2'x4' and is in relatively good shape. Any ideas on how to clean hooked rugs?

PS: Have you seen the Lego auctions?  My $12 investment is up to $289 right now! As my friend, Abby, wrote to me, "Holy fricken crap, watching your legos is the most excitement I've had in a looong time"!