...it's all in how you 'market' yourself!

The weather in Upstate NY has reverted to Brisk and rainy. It's almost kind of a relief after a couple of sunny warm weeks to retreat inside without feeling guilty about not being outside enjoying the beautiful weather! I've been baking some new recipes, spring cleaning and catching up on magazine reading.

^^^^WARNING: I'm climbing up on a Soap Box ^^^^^^^^^^

Is it just me, or are ALL of the magazines centering on 'Going Green'?!? Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm all for it... ~BUT~ I'm tired of all of the 'back-patting' of the Newly Enlightened !! Aren't conserving and recycling ideas that are ingrained and second nature to many of us?! Many of us have been heavily influenced by our 'Depression-Survivor' Grandparents - to be frugal, don't waste, 'clean up our plates' & be thankful for 'hand-me-downs'. So why do 'they' (the newbies) get endowed with the glowing titles of 'Green', 'Earth Friendly', and 'Eco-Savvy' while the rest of us are still 'Cheap, Dumpster Diving - Garbage Pickers' ?? I guess it IS all in how you market yourself.
^^RANT OVER... climbing down off my soap box - thanks for letting me vent ^^^^

No new 'finds' to post. Stopped by quick to SA last night... found a small Vera Bradley bag... Most handbags there are 99¢-$4.99 (the high end reserved for 'Real Leather'!)... "Is this tag right? $24.99 ?!? Maybe that is a good deal to a die-hard V.B. Lover... but that would not be me. I put it back amongst the 'pleather' wannabees from CHINA and went on with my errands.

Hope you all are having a Good Week! This Saturday is a Street Wide sale that is usually good, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some sun!!

...first Flea summary

APRIL 26, 2008 RECAP

• It was a BEAUTIFUL day (sunny, 80+deg) - rain downpoors held off until 5pm!
• About 25-30 flea vendors, 15 craft vendors.
• Got there early enough (7:15AM), so that we got a PRIME spot on the edge of the Pavilion where they were going to be selling Chicken BBQ.
• VERY FEW PEOPLE !! (The lady had done lots of advertising, but there was a Big auction that morning in a nearby town)
• Most of what we sold was to other vendors.
• Sold the bookcase for $18.00. Bird bath didn't sell.
• The big a$@ air conditioner that we just bought a couple of years ago, then last fall replaced with central air... didn't sell. At least we had done a photo/sign on the table and didn't have to lug it in/out of the Blazer!!
• The church that was sponsoring this event had a booth right next to ours, and they were accepting donations for their Rummage sale. At the end of the day, we packed up Three big boxes and they were thrilled with the donation!!
• Didn't set the world on fire... ($53.75.. then take $10. space fee.out of that...)
• We had fun!!

Our spot, before most of the other vendors were there...

NO, that's not me (or any relation) in the pink pants OR red pants - I had our crew stay clear of the photos!!


I did get some Sun, a yummy Chicken BBQ and a fun day of hanging with the 'rents out of it...

...so it was 'All Good' !

...One track mind? ...ME?!?

NOT!

(could this be the reason for my constant list making?!)

So, here's the deal... Flea Market Saturday to get ready for, and a house that I want presentable before the parents come into town Friday night (to help with the Flea Market thing... any excuse to come see their baby girl ;D ).

Thursday after work, I head to the bread thrift store to pick up a couple of bags of 'Pet Bread' (you know, the bagfuls of old/damaged bread they cram into a plastic bag and sell for 75¢!!) for my parents (they have a huge pond stocked with goldfish that they enjoy feeding). Of course, on the way I couldn't just drive by the thrift!!

1910 booklet on CUBA - .25¢

Abingdon donkey planter - .25¢

~AND~

An awesome kid's rhinestone Sweater CLIP!!! YIPPEE!!!

... Then, I took today (Friday) off of work to get last minute things done. Started cleaning the house, but the urge to hit those 4 meesly little sales I had seen advertised in the paper took over!

The first two were beat. All kids stuff - of which I am NOT in the market! ~BUT~ since I was in that end of town, only a block from the sawmill, AND I needed chips/sawdust to put around my berries... it only made sense to go fill a few bags! Right?! Then I had to run home to empty them out of the Blazer (in case I needed the room for purchases at the next sales). ...and I might as well put them right in the garden, rather than taking up space storing them...

Okay, back on track (kinda...). On to the rest of the sales... A few FUN grabs - nothing earth shattering - and I had my 'fix'!

an old foldable wood 'Camp' table ($2), and a plastic Retro table(.50¢)

Cocktail 'recipe' book and shaker/stirrer/freezable cube set - .25¢ ea

Deco Mirror tray, Black golf balls and vintage Christmas (again, .25¢ ea.)

Your guess is as good as mine, but they made me smile...

Okay. Now back to work. ~BUT~ While I was loading stuff into the Blazer for tomorrow, our neighbor, 'The Gardener', stopped over to see if I had any interest in a couple of Gooseberry plants he was thinning out. Well, far be it from me to decline a new species to our landscape!! He left, I proceeded to get back on track. 1/2 hour later he was back with two little plants in DESPERATE need of being put back in the ground! Ok. I know nothing about Gooseberries, so I had to dig out my Garden Bible and do some research... then choose a location... then clear the location... then plant... then water... AND, since I was out there, I should really prune the grapevines before they sprout any further...

It's all good.

(It's about the 'journey', not the 'destination'... right?!)

The house is cleaned.

Things are priced and packed.

AND

I've even 'blogged' about it...

Supplies packed - done.

Blazer packed -done.

Wish me luck folks!!

...here comes the sun...

TWO (YES, TWO!) beautiful, sunny, warm (80+deg!!) days this past weekend......by Sunday afternoon, our Forsythia was at full bloom!!!

I ventured out for a quick 1 1/2 hrs of saling Saturday morning. (Had to get home to work in the yard 8D )!! Hit about eleven sales, and only bought things at three. That's good... right?!!

The train case was $1.00, everything else .25¢

-three junk novels for disposable beach reading this summer

-a set of hors'deuvre (sp??) forks new in box

-mini pottery pot/saucer for a friend who collects the tiny ones

-a sturdy old hammer (somehow, I can never find a hammer when I need one!)

-an OLD bottle of watch oil in original box (resale)

-1923 book on race horses (resale)

-iron 'horse/carriage' name holder thingy (resale)

~And~

one of my favorite finds of the day...

A GREAT old wooden ironing board! I love these! Some people can't get enough picnic baskets, well, these are my weakness ('one' of my weaknesses anyways!). Stripped of their old covers (although this one is a classic, and in good shape!!), a light sanding on rough spots, and several coats of a clear finish...

VOILA!

They make wonderful EXTRA counter space during Christmas cookie baking, food buffets for summer picnics on the porch, FUN for holding 'bar supplies' at those impromptu warm weather Happy Hours.... the possibilities are endless... in fact, maybe this one will go with me this weekend 'as-is' to the 'Flea Market' instead of an extra card table. For the right price, it Could be For Sale!!

Friends always admire them, so they have become one of our standard 'house warming' gifts (in 'finished' condition). So, it is good to have a stash on hand!!

I can't wait to take the cover off and see what kind of condition it is in! Some have great old labels still intact that are 'must' to preserve! One of my favorites has a worn red finish on the metal 'workings', and a big red label with fantastic graphics on the face - that one shall STAY in MY collection!!

Despite the 'time-out' for saling, and the residual effects of a 'Patron' encounter on Saturday night, it was a VERY productive weekend! Our Rasberry bed, Blackberry bed and strawberry patch are weeded, fertilized and waiting to be mulched!

April showers may bring May flowers, but lack of April showers allows for weeding so that May flowers can be seen!!!

Now, just keeping my fingers crossed that this Saturday (first flea 'vendor' excursion) the weather is half as nice!!

...a garbage-picking we go...

...AND WHAT GOOD FINDS SPRING HAS TO OFFER!!

I spotted this on my way home from work the other night, went home, parked the vehicle and 'sprinted' back to check it out!! The rest is history...

Originally, I had figured the shade and brass lamp would be destined for resale. At first 'drive by' I had assumed the shade was made of some kind of shells. Upon closer curbside inspection, I found that the shade is a Nice, old 50's mylar/fiberglass - divided within a leaded framing.

I 'HAD' to try it on an old pottery panther lamp that I've had in the attic....

VOILA'!!

Not a 'perfect' match, but I think this shade has found a new home!!

... bluebird and sea

... GLASS that is!

Woke up Saturday morning, fully intending to spend the morning at an auction. BUT it was rainy, and cold, and I just wasn't into it! Instead I spent some time picking up the house (?!!) and listing a few auctions... By about 10am I had enough of that and went to hit a House Sale. Not much left of interest by the time that I got there, but of course I found a few things!!

• vanity top mirror
• Raggedy Ann stocking stuffer for my friend A who collects Raggedy A/A
• Pumpkin Spice Yankee Candle (used once)
• Retro Abalone napkin holder
• a sweet vintage lavender 1/2 apron
• RED sewing box
• Great metal/wicker shelf

~AND~

My very First L WARD glass bird!! Yippee!! I have read about these on other blogs and kept my eyes open for them... but any that I have found were usually tagged MADE IN CHINA, and I wanted The Real Thing! Well, here he is, with original tag and engraved signature - 1998! Sure, his beak is chipped, but he's still mine!

At the sale nothing was marked, so I was a little skeptical. When I got to the checkout the owner looked at my awkward armful and said "Two for the stand, and... Oh, how about Four altogether... okay?" SOLD.

In the afternoon, the sun was occassionally shining, so DH and I ventured out to a couple of 'Out of Town' estate sales. One wasn't 'too' far (6 miles is close... right?!) from a beach where I can generally score Sea Glass (Sea Glass, and my love of it will have to be a post of it's own!). And we did!

Now, as I sit here typing, I just glanced out the window... and it's snowing! At least the Forsythia that I cut a week ago and brought inside to 'force open' are finally opening !! The bush outside is still stark with barely signs of green. With that, I'll sign off for today ....

...B*E*S*S joins L*I*N*D*A

I hit one quick sale on Friday, and scored.... 'B*E*S*S'!

I found this GREAT sweater clip in the bottom of a bunch of junk jewelry - .50¢ . Of all of the sweater clips I have acquired, this is only the second 'name' that I possess. The other is LINDA. They look quite happy together 8-) .

I also grabbed this 1989 Longaberger Basket for $3.

Saturday's finds shall have to wait until tomorrow...

~STAY TUNED~

...flip that JUNK

DH had his memory jarred Tuesday night as to why he usually skips our 'nightly walk' on Garbage Eve (the night before garbage pick-up in our neighborhood)!! Though I usually ban the word 'Junk' from our vocabulary, in this case it does apply... These pieces just had 'soul', and I thought I could bring them back to life! We don't have any use for them...
~BUT~ (the BIG 'but...')
I AM planning on doing my first ever Flea Market... as a 'vendor' in a few weeks...
... and with
a little elbow grease,
a hammer, some nails and some wood glue,
a steel brush and steel wool pads,
and some paint...

HOW DID I DO??

This is what they looked like by Wednesday evening! The weather was in the 60's on Wednesday, and it just seemed SO GOOD to be outside! They still need a little work, but I am pleased. ~AND~ I used all supplies that I already had in the basement... a $1 can of Rustoleum 'Summer Squash' spray paint from the Dollar Store, and leftover white trim paint from the kitchen. Think they'll sell???

...Spring? ...maybe?

Woke up to a dreary rainy morning, but a 'Clothes Sale' awaited... so I had my butt out of the house by 7:15am! It didn't sound real promising (a fund raiser for a small museum in a nearby town), but when there are no other options... It was better than I expected! Mostly clothes, but they did have some other misc. . Clothes were dirt cheap (tops, scarves & jewelry = 25¢, sweaters = 50¢, dresses, jeans = $1.00). This is a REALLY bad picture, but I grabbed a bunch of goodies including:

• the vintage hard/square suitcase (all of the clothes are draped on it) - $1
• a solid wood 6' tall bookcase - $2 (not pictured!)
• a small tied patchwork baby quilt (bottom left) - 25¢
• the UGLIEST piece of VERA clothing ever seen (Red &Blue button front in top right) - 25¢
• NUMEROUS scarves, New Bass Pro shirt w/ tags, etc...
• Vintage, beaded 'Cleopatra' dress (upper left) - $1.00

By the time I got home there was a strange, bright glow...

THE SUN!!! YIPPEE!

Some goodies from Friday 'JSR'...

A couple of garden tools - $2 ea.

A vintage metal stand - $4 (a little paint... a few plants... a nice sunny corner on the porch...)

A vintage metal 'umbrella' stand (not sure what my sudden attraction to these is!!) - $2

I spent a little while inside doing some work, but decided that the garden was calling me...

...and tomorrow is supposed to be ANOTHER sunny day - maybe that big snow pile in the back yard will be gone by the end of the weekend!!

THINK SPRING!!