My biggest purchase

When I was a dealer in an antiques arcade, my bread and butter was "smalls."  For one thing, they didn't cost a lot, and I usually sold enough to make my rent.  Period.  Profit?  If I made one, it was usually less than $10.  I stayed in the business for so long just because I enjoyed the thrill of the hunt.  And I still do.  I just buy a whole lot less these days.

So, what was my biggest purchase this summer?  A pitcher and ewer.  (Did you ever notice how many times the word "ewer" is used in crossword puzzles?)

Anyway, this one is a beauty . . .

. . . or it was.  What you can't see are the cracks in the back side of the pitcher.

So why did I buy such a flawed pitcher?  First of all, I LOVE brown transferware.  I had a yellow pitcher and ewer sitting in the same place in my guest room for years, but it was something someone made in ceramics class.  Mind you, it was pretty nice, and it had yellow flowered decals.  But it wasn't an antique.  I bought it in the hopes that one day I'd have an antique one to put in its place.  The yellow one cost me $4 at a yard sale in Oswego, NY.  This one came from a yard sale in Fair Haven, NY.  The woman was downsizing for a move to Florida and was selling her treasures.  When I saw the price tag on this ($5) I knew I had to have it, cracks and all.  She figured it was at least 150 years old.  I'm not so sure . . . but it's got to be at least 100 years old.

I love it.  How about you?

New for the garden

For years I have begged Mr. Ivy for a burning bush.  I know, I know--why didn't I just buy one myself?  After all, in the spring I wanted hollyhocks and I bought two fine specimens (which REFUSED to grow, no matter how much I watered them or how much Miracle Gro I gave them), and I bought myself a very robust honeysuckle plant, too.  But I didn't think to buy myself a burning bush.

Well, my begging (nagging?) did not go unnoticed and on Tuesday Mr. Ivy presented me with a burning bush. Only it's green.  And it has rained for two days straight and who wants to plant a bush in the rain?

Still, I'm hoping that by next fall my bush will look like this.

What's new in your garden?

Toil, toil, today ... with hot dogs and potato salad on the side

I don't really need it . . .

Every week or so I get an announcement from Replacements Ltd. telling me they have GREAT PRICES on my good china.

The only problem is, we have different definitions on what's a great price. Great price for me is CHEAP. Great price for them is "your order could buy me a new Mercedes!"

My china is Royal Albert's Silver Maple design, which has been discontinued for years.  Many years ago, my grandmother gave my mother a tea set of the pattern and the truth is my mother wasn't exactly thrilled.  But I loved it from the day I saw it and I was thrilled when Mum gave it to me after I got married.

But it was only a tea set.  Cups, saucers, cake plates.  So one year, with my work bonus, I bought eight place settings.  Not the additional serving pieces, just the dinner plates, cups saucers and yet again cake plates.  Since then I've bought a few odd pieces--and I do mean odd.  I now have a bon-bon dish, a sugar and creamer, 1 salt shaker, 1 egg cup, and 2 small platters.

For all the years I have been receiving those emails, I've longed to get a teapot that would go with my good dishes.  The fact that I only use the dishes once a year (because I'm not putting them in the dishwasher, and during a big family dinner, I don't have the time or room (in my tiny kitchen) to stack and hand wash them.  So once a year it is.

And no teapot.

Oh, but I want that teapot.  I dream about it. I visualize how I would rearrange my entire china cabinet just to accommodate it.

Then I look at the price list and say:  $189 (plus shipping) for a teapot you will never use?
Get real, girl!

Somewhere there's a spendthrift inside me just aching to bust loose.  But until that teapot comes down in price (or hell freezes over), that isn't going to happen.

What frivolous thing  have you been denying yourself?

Happy Anniversary To You!

The yard sales weren't quite as good this week, but as the junking season starts to wane your faithful correspondent and her chums (who seem more interested in coffee and doughnuts than the thrill of the hunt) went forth to forage and once again triumphed.

The first score was this darling little petal dish . . . or is it a shell?  And is it a soapdish or is it a condiment dish?  Who knows.  I just know it's CUTE!  It's post-war Made-In-Japan.

At the same sale, I found these steak knives.  Actually she had four packages of them, and I scored two.  They're made in Japan, too, so you know they're probably 20 or more years old, but in mint condition.

And then I got this 25th Anniversary bone-china (made in England) tea cup.  The truth is, we'd been to this sale at least twice before.  The last time I was there I decided not to get the cup, but as it was still there I figured it was meant to be.  And since it was only a dollar -- why not? 

I figure if I turn it around, no one has to know that it's a 25th Anniversary cup. And if I hold onto it long enough, I'll have been married that long anyway.

I also bought myself a little ivy rubber stamp for a quarter.  It's terribly cute and for a quarter, how could I miss?

So what do you think of this week's treasures?

Greetings! Cards a Plenty!

As I mentioned earlier this week, the sales last week were terrific! I got all those lovely dishes ... but I also bought a HUGE box of old greeting cards.

I am a SUCKER for memorabilia from the 1950s and early 1960s, and these cards sure fit the bill.  The entire box (and it was a BIG ONE) sold for only $3.  I swear there must have been several hundred cards in the box.  Not all of them were keepers.  But I sorted through them and made three piles.  Those I wanted to keep, those I'd be willing to sell, and those that would go in my next (catch-and-release program, if I may borrow the phrase from the Yardsalebloodbath blog) yard sale.

Inside the big box were many smaller boxes of greeting cards.  One of them was totally devoted to welcome-to-the-world baby cards.

Isn't the above card darling?  Sadly, the ribbon didn't scan as pretty as the rest of the card.  Or how about this one?

Don't you just want to pick up that baby and kiss it?  And what about this next one?

Wouldn't you want to be this person's secret pal?

Or how about this . . . ?

There must have been at least 10 "thinking of you" cards.  Isn't this doggy card sweet?

This house card was die-cut, so that the roof and chimney are part of the card, but the pink skyline isn't.

There were a whole series of these thinking-of-you cards with the gingham background. And there were a whole box of "satin"card like the one below, printed on some kind of pseudo-satin fabric.  Lovely. Just lovely.

The scanner just couldn't do the following birthday card justice.  The "front" side" of the card (the right side) has lovely sparkles, but I scanned the backside as well because ... well, you just don't get cards like this nowadays.

And these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the cards in that box.  There must have been over 500 cards--most of which are not that remarkable.  But the ones that are (about 100-150)  are exquisite

Or, at least I think so.  Maybe you would, too.

Big-time Yard Sale Scores!

It's been wayyyyyy too long since I blogged about my yard sale scores.  The reason?  THERE HAVEN'T BEEN ANY!

Along with the long weather drought, there's been a long yard-sale drought.  The pickings have been small to nothing for weeks on end.  If it wasn't for the doughnuts and coffee at the Alton Coffee Cup, my two junking pals and I would have had no joy at all on our recent junking forays.  All that changed this week.

First of all, there was a big car show in Wolcott (NY) this weekend. What a load of pretty vintage cars. (And did I have my camera with me?  That would be a very big NO!)  But part of the celebration was a community yard sale.  Yes!  Lots and lots of sales.

My first score was at a former bed and breakfast.  I got two (count 'em) bone china sugar and creamer set for the insanely low price of a buck each.

These were from a sales promotion from the old A&P grocery store in the early 1960s (or so an antiques dealer once told me).  I already have the same set (along with 6 cups and saucers and luncheon plates), but how can you pass up that kind of a deal?

This is the other sugar and creamer set, which was marked Ansley Bone China England.  Not sure what the pattern is.

At another sale, I found these sweet rose plates -- three of them -- for yet another outrageously low price.  (Can you say less than a buck?)  I do think they would have been prettier without all that gilding, but they are nice nonetheless.

My last score in the china department was from the Wolcott Historical Society.  They were practically giving this cup away, and I didn't dispute the price.  Isn't it darling?

And here's its pedigree.

Of course, that wasn't the end to the scores for the weekend, but that's enough for this post.  Check back later in the week!

A box lot of delight!

Saturday I went to an estate sale.  No big deal.  I was there about a month ago, but they seemed to be getting desperate to get rid of the stuff.  This time they had box lots of items.  I was attracted to a box lot of glassware, and in particular one tiny, heart-shaped cup.  (This must be my month for box lots.)

Isn't it darling?  The person who owned it must have loved tiny cups.  There were five of them in the box.  Sadly, one of the prettiest ones, with an old rose pattern, was badly chipped.  It's going into the trash.  : (

Here are the four of five items that were worth keeping.

They're all tiny and all delightful.

What's going to happen to the rest of the box lot?  (Which contained a couple of glasses, a few tea light holders, some badly chipped salt dabs, a St. John Fisher mug, a shot glass, and a small wire basket from The Dollar Store?  It's going into the catch-and-release plan (to steal a phrase from the Yard Sale Bloodbath blog), that is--I'll put them in my own yard sale later this summer.

The Linen Box Lot

My, I've been remiss.  I've been junking and buying up wonderful stuff and just haven't had a chance to write about it.

Last week, one of my favorite purchases was a $2 box lot of linens.  I love box lots.  You never really know what you've got until you unpack them.

This box lot was a bit of a disappointment.  It had more men's handkerchiefs and nylon scarfs that were cut up than anything else, but it did have a number of doilies, a pair of kid gloves (so small I can't get my hands in them--and I have little hands), and a pair of yellow cotton gloves, and enough doilies to keep me happy.

Here are a few of the things after sorting the wheat from the chaff.  Now, they're off to the Oxiclean bath!

Have you found anything good in a box lot?

Have a Happy!

Is that all there is?

On Saturdays I usually hop in the car with my best two girlfriends and we go out junking.  (And, yes, sometimes we sing.  One of the girl's favorite new song is "Friday" by Rebecca Black.  Yeah, it's cute, but it gets tiresome.)

Anyway, we hit at least 9 or 10 sales and there was just NOTHING there.  Okay, there was stuff, but not stuff we wanted.  Here's my booty:

Bone china mug, reproduction Fire King Jadite mug (the price was right) and a willow cup from Syracuse China.  (The saucer was marked "Blatt Band" and "Made in Sweden" - and we know where the Syracuse cup was made, right?)

And though it wasn't a hot day, July is right around the corner.

We did enjoy each other's company and laughed and stuffed ourselves at lunch afterwards, and that was the best.

Did you find anything good this weekend?

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Reading for pleasure

I love to read. I'm sucker for books that nobody loves, too. So is it any wonder I rescued a book from a free box at one of the yard sales on Saturday. As if that wasn't bad enough, this had been a library discard. It's called Adopted Jane.

Here's the Amazon description: Jane Douglas has lived at an orphanage for long as she can remember. Reliable and sensible, she has watched other children come and go, but never once has any family wanted to adopt Jane. Then one magical summer Jane receives not one, but two, invitations to live in a real house with a real family for a month each. If only the summer could last forever.

I read it over the weekend and it's a sweet book. I think I'm going to keep it.

I also hit another sale and found a copy of Mastering The Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle.

Of course, I probably would have NEVER bought it if I hadn't seen the movie Julie & Julia, which I've now seen at least ten times.  The woman who sold it to me said, "Someone's going to be cooking."  I said, "Not me.  I only want to page through it because I saw the movie."  She said, "I learned a lot from that movie."  I said, "I learned NOT to crowd the mushrooms!" and we both laughed.

I imagine I'll get an hour or two of pleasure flipping through this cookbook.  (The movie really intimidated me when it comes to trying any of the recipes.)

What books have you recently acquired?

What I found while junking . . .

Finally.  Going to yard sales is starting to become fun again.  Once again I scored some nice stuff for not much cash.

My first purchase as a lovely little china plate with roses.  Isn't it sweet?

Next up, I got a hand-painted china tray.  I guess it's a dresser tray ... I just love it.

Went to a sale put on my the local ambulance corp and found this sweet little cup with roses on it.  (Seeing a theme here?)  It was only a dime.  No saucer, but it looked lonely and I couldn't resist.

I love it's pedigree, too.

I got a few other things, but I'll save them for tomorrow.

So, what do you think?

Did The Money Pit Claim Another Life?

So there I was, checking to see if my stained doilies were bleaching out in the sun.  Soak them with lemon juice, hang them up to dry. Voila!  Pretty whites once more.  Only the stains on these were pretty bad.  (Had someone tried and failed to tea dye them?)

Then, feeling all Martha Stewarty, I decided to check on my new red climbing rose.  The first bloom!  It's gorgeous.

So as I was passing the money pit (in-ground pool), I notice a very tiny little swimmer, tiring fast.  Whoa!  A chipmunk.  "Hang on, little chipmunk!" I called (yes, I actually did), and ran for the net skimmer (with the million foot pole).  I scooped him out and he (well, it looked like a he), gratefully stopped paddling.  I carried him over to the ivy in the shade and he closed his little eyes and straightened out his little limbs.  I don't know if he was already dead, but I'm pretty sure I didn't find him in time.  I gently laid him on the ivy and he sank into it.

Sometimes they revive.  Sometimes they don't.  I always feel awful if I can't save whatever is drowning.  How frightening it must be to weigh about 8 ounces and be unable to get out of a 26,000 gallon pool.

I find myself looking out the window a lot more in the summer months, just because I try to look out for the creatures that go flying across the concrete and don't know there's an ocean in front of them hidden over a small rise of concrete.

I sure hope the little guy made it.