The Change Jar

Doesn't every have a change jar?  I do.  All year long I collect the loose change I get and toss it into my jar.  When junking season comes along, I'm ready.

My favorite thing to do is go junking on the weekends with my two best girlfriends.  We're talking every weekend.  Funny, but we hardly see each other during the winter months, but come April, we're ready.

Of course, first we start out at the local coffee shop to gossip, drink coffee and eat doughnuts, but after that, we're serious--or at least I am.  I usually drive because the other two are too busy gabbing, but that's okay, we're all having fun.

My jeans pocket is full of nickels, dimes, and quarters and I'm ready to find those bargains.

How about you?

Getting closer to junking season!

It's already the 5th of March. Just think, in five weeks the garage and yard sales will begin again. My favorite sale in Lyons, NY is only 9-10 weeks away! (I sure hope that family on the bend will haul out their popcorn machine this year--and that the college student who makes fried dough will come home for the weekend. I sure missed both treats last May.)

I liken junking with the anticipation of Christmas. I mean, think of it--there's potentially 24 weekends of shopping and gift-giving. (Um...most of these gifts I give to myself, and a few go to the house.)

Once again I'll be looking for vintage dishware, pictures, and linens.

What are you going to look for this junking season?

It's about (scheduling) time ...

Did you all have a wonderful Christmas?  I sure did.  And not only was santa very good to me, but so were my family and friends.

My friend Tonya Thomas gave me this super keen calendar.  Since we go junking during the summer months, tt seems quite appropriate.

 

What's the subject of the calendar in your kitchen?

Toss it all away?

On Saturday, the Rochester newspaper ran a story that more or less said that to get your life under control you must go through every room in your house and TOSS EVERYTHING OUT.

Um ... that doesn't set right with me.  Okay, they weren't quit as ruthless as that.  They suggested you go through junk drawers (on my list of things to do) and medicine cabinets, and clear out all the clutter.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  (And by the way, what are we supposed to do with all these outdated drugs in the meds cabinet?  They tell you not to flush them, and not to toss them in the trash either.  How about mixing them with dirty kitty litter?)

As someone who has spent a lifetime collecting pretty things, it's heresy for me to even think of getting rid of my treasures.  Although ... I must admit that pruning the collection would allow for new additions.

Will I start my Etsy business this year?  It's on the docket.  I just need to find another 10-12 hours in the day.

How about you?  Will you do your spring cleaning early this year?

Just for fun

It's the end of the season and the yard sales are drying up.  But as a last hurrah! Pultneyville, NY puts on a community yard sale in mid-September, and that's where my junking buddies and I went this past weekend.

The free boxes were great!  I got a book of New Yorker cat cartoons and a tiny book of walking tours of Scotland with gorgeous photography.  At one sale, they had copies of Mad Magazine for a dime each.  I bought two (with Harry Potter spoofs) and now I wish I'd bought every copy.  I haven't laughed so hard in years.  (I'm getting a subscription!)

One of my purchases was just for fun.  These little quilted cubes.  Aren't they cute?

I'd say that the above picture is about the actual size of the tiny, hand-stitched cubes.  I'm going to hang them on my Christmas tree this December.

They came with a little cross stitched draw-string bag.

This picture is smaller than the actual size of the bag -- but not by much.  It, too, will find its way to my Christmas tree this year.  And the price for these three handmade items?  Twenty-five cents.  Some people just don't value hand-made items.

But aren't they darling?

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?

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?

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?

No sales this week

The weather has been terrible lately, and quite often when I arrive at a yard sale ... it's not there.  Or rather, because of the rainy weather, the person putting on the sale has closed up.

That's always a disappointment because at least I made the effort to come to their sale.  But I can understand that if it's cold and dank, you wouldn't want to be huddled in your garage or under a tarp on the hope that one or two people will show up.

This week Mr. Ivy and I have a house guest, so no sales for me.  But my best friends will go to the yard sales without me.  They have my list--they know what I like, so I'm hoping I get a call around lunchtime tomorrow from one of my friends saying, "We got you ...."

I'm crossing my fingers.

In the meantime, June 4th is usually the big street sale in Lyons.  That's my favorite sale of the year and I'm hoping it's still on, because not only do I usually find some nice bargains, but one of the houses sells fried dough.  Yum!  Not good for the waistline, but comfort food for the soul.

I'll let you know!

Well what do you know -- I'm CHEAP!

I've never lived in Scotland.  I've visited there four times (and have come to the conclusion it's the most beautiful place on Earth), and when it comes to finances, there's no doubt I'm a Scot.  (Hey, my paternal grandmother was born in Levin, so I come by it honestly.)

It's difficult to actually come right out and say I'M CHEAP, so I try to couch it by saying "I'm thrifty" (or if I want to sound REALLY noble, frugal).  That said, you can't skimp on certain things in life, like useful appliances (dishwashers and laser printers immediately come to mind), and fresh fruits and veggies will always taste and be better for you than canned.

But when it comes to decor, well, I'm a skinflint.  A big part of that comes from me hounding garage (tag) and estate sales for the past 12 years.  See, I used to be a vendor at a gift/craft/antiques co-op.  My specialty was "smalls."  Stuff that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, both for me and my customers.

So it really bugs me when fru-fru New York City based magazines deign to share with their readers the secret to finding "real" bargains.  Come on, can you even buy a bagel in NYC for less than five bucks?  Then don't tell me an old lamp I can get for under $5 at a garage sale is a steal at some fancy boutique for just under $200.

Yes, I know that prices are a LOT higher in a large metropolitan area.  So why don't these so-called experts hit smaller cities/rural areas looking for real bargains for their readers?

I've decorated a good deal of my home in garage sale finds.  I bought a pine corner cabinet for $100; solid cherry end tables for $70; I've got a beautiful (still in the box from Blenheim Palace, England) reproduction Victorian tile tray for $3.  Most of my bone china tea cup collection was purchased for less than $5 per specimen.

I've decorated the stairway down to my basement pub (complete with brass rails) with square plates.  I refuse to pay more than $1 each (and have paid as little as 5 cents for some of them).  Just last summer I bought a brass floor lamp with a nice shade for only $6.
My point: don't believe these magazines.  Especially ones that tell you you can find bargains at flea markets.  Forget them!  I haven't seen a bargain at a flea market in over ten years.  (Probably because all those editors of decorating magazines are willing to spend so much more than an item is worth.)

I gave up on Country Living and their ilk simply because the average reader doesn't have a million dollars to sink into decorating her house.  They ought to change the names of these magazines and aim for their true audience:  Country Living for the Stinking Rich, or Cottage Living in only 50,000 square feet!

Meanwhile, garage sale season is only a week or so away.  What treasures will I find this year?