In years past, the yard sales have been really slim come a holiday weekend, but for some reason, everyone in western New York seemed to be having one. Or at least their best friend or brother was. I didn't have time to make the circuit on Friday, but surprisingly, there were still plenty of bargains available come Saturday, when I must have hit about 20 sales. I think I spent about $10 in all. Where can you get that kind of entertainment for such a small price?
I ended up with lots of pretty things and lots of useful things. For useful (and therefore no pictures), I got a plate stand, a new-to-me popcorn bowl, "diamond" hair bows for my Mom's dog (they're cute, but she's cuter), a lawn chair, nice basket, three dresser scarfs, lightbulbs, a cork trivet, and a little kitty afghan (just enough to cover a chair and keep it "safe" from cat hair).
My first "pretty" item was a bone china "Made in Ireland" shamrock teacup and saucer. (And in fact, I bought two of them. The thing is they had four, and I went back later to retrieve them, but of course they were gone. I mean, where are you going to find pretty bone china teacups and saucers for $1 each?) And keeping with the "tea" motif, I 
also got two bone china mugs. They were at a porch sale where nothing was marked. There was a sign that said "EVERYTHING MUST GO--MAKE OFFER" so I did -- a quarter each. And the woman said, "Okay."
Saturday as obviously a day for teacups. This little (and I'm not kidding, it's half the size of a regular teacup) beauty came with a rather dusty bag of potpourri, which was immediately tossed when I got home. And while I don't normally collect teacups that aren't made in England (or Ireland), this was so cute, I had to have it. And since it only cost a dime -- I'd be crazy to walk away from it. (It's now sitting in my green bedroom.) I got the little book on chocolate for a quarter. (Haven't had time to read it yet. Something to look forward to!)
One of the sales was held in an old dry cleaner's building, which hadn't been in business for many years. It smelled rather dank, and was heavy on old office supplies. (Like boxes and boxes of pads of paper for a nickel.) But there were some other oddities. I picked up two elephants (okay, I do collect them), both needing some TLC. This little baby elephant is just about the size of this picture. He's missing his tusks, a few toenails, and it looks like a lion might've nipped his ear. (I told you he needed some TLC.) 
Someone must've made a trip to Rome at one point, and I also got a bust of Emperor Trajan (and what the heck do I need that for?) and a plaster of Paris figurine of some Roman woman. She was kind of dirty, but a q-tip dipped in some watered-down bleach cleaned her up just fine. Not sure why she's yellow, though. They were both 50 cents. (I think old Trajan will end up with my husband, who is a real fan of Roman history -- or join the garage sale box for my next sale.)
I couldn't believe all the glassware that was available. If I collected it, I sure could've added a lot of pieces. We're talking pink depression glass for prices of 25-50 cents. I only bought one piece, and it's only because I never seem to have enough creamers. It's tiny, but isn't it cute? This was a quarter, too.
Of course the weekend wouldn't be complete if I didn't find at least one "rose" item, and of course I did--in fact, two. I'm not sure what this little dish is for--salt? A butter pat? But it was very cute and only a dime. I have to see if I can find a plate hanger small enough for it. 
This sweet little rose print is now hanging over my computer so I can admire it. The picture is rather deceiving, since it's only 4 x 6 inches. I estimate it's at least 80 years old, based on the frame, which were popular in the 1920s and 1930s. And, as I think I've mentioned before, I'm a sucker for a pretty little frame. (You can't see the details at that size, but trust me, it's cute!)
And what did you find this weekend?
