svelteSTUFF

...'tray'-dreaming

2012-01-27T18:07:00.004-05:00

'Quickie' stop by the thrift the other day to drop off a couple of bags of donations...

...and to get a 'stuff-fix' in this cold-weather, mid-winter, junkin' drought!

I did LOTS of ...looking and ...hunting and ...digging, but alas the only things that truly captivated me to the point of hauling them away were these three.silly.trays.

They will joint another of my 'I DO NOT COLLECT' collections, that I can't seem to leave behind. Vintage Souvenir trays from States that I have visited.

That was it. Three measly little trays. Retro BBQ. Maine. Arizona. Fifty cents each. The Maine reminiscent of almost yearly visits for the past 20yrs... Arizona ~ J's college alma mater...

For lack of anything else more interesting to post about, I'll give you a glimpse behind our cabinet doors, into our 'non-tray-collection'....

high upon a shelf... but still within easy reach, because a different tray is used almost nightly during the summer months to carry dinner supplies from the kitchen to the porch...

most of the trays are the typical vintage black background of just states that we frequent

occasionally I stumble upon one from an 'extra speshul' journey that I just can't resist!!

(New Orleans, Montreal, Las Vegas)

some locations that you frequent ALL.THE.TIME. you just have to double down on!

Then there are others that I have never been to, and just 'tray'-dream about...

(plus it went BEAUTIFULLY with our Hawaiian porch a couple of summers ago!!!)

...'Don't send me flowers,'

2012-01-17T15:39:00.006-05:00

'Don't send me flowers,...
...just the vase (or planter, or urn, or...) is fine!'While sorting through my pottery the other day, I found myself daydreaming (once again) as to what it would have been like to have lived in the 50's. Oh, come on - don't EVEN try to tell me that the thought has Never crossed YOUR mind!!

Imagine florists having stacks of these catalogs on their shelves...

Haeger, Hull, McCoy, Shawnee, Kenwood...

"Let's see if anybody has anything new or different this Spring..."

"Who has the best prices..."

These were just 'the-run-of-the-mill' containers to deliver flowers in!!!

Why-oh-Why do we get stuck we cheapo flimsy plastic or boring pressed glass vases today??

So, how did I get into this delicious daydream you may ask? Okay... you probably didn't - but I'm going to tell you anyway!

Anybody out there in the market for a beautious Solid Oak, Mission Style entertainment center?

I have finally conceded to a LARGE flat screen, wall mounted TV,

but first things first...

entertainment center must find a new home,

and

do you see what is on top of the ent. ctr.???

green agate.

which is going to get relocated to....

the Computer Room.

The particular shelving unit that I have in mind for it has a Big Ole Mish~Mash on it... misc. Haeger...Bennington...VERA China... inherited Waterford... and my entire Shawnee / Kenwood Pottery collection (yes, I'm a closet Shawnee collector...).

I must CLEAR THE SHELVES!!!

Most of the small, misc. collections are being purged - so to ease my anxiety I'm daydreaming while dusting and sorting to 'go' !! 8o

GOOD BYE SHAWNEE!

GOOD BYE KENWOOD!

it's been a good trip.

(anybody interested in giving them a good home... they are coming to svelteSTUFFj ETSY store SOON!!!!)

...something good on the EBOR horizon??

2012-01-10T08:54:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite parts of this whole 'stuffing adventure', is the journey ...

Part of the journey, is the learning and the research involved. No matter how small, it seems that every day there is some interesting, albeit useless, tidbit of info to be gained!

Recently I had the fun of sorting through a stack of hat boxes for work (I work part-time @ an antique / old-time hardware store!). They were F.U.L.L. of HATS - Christian Dior, Sibley's, Bollman, and the list went on and on...

One box held a couple that were 'new' to me - "MONTALDO's". A bit of quick research found that 'Montaldo was not a designer, but rather a Store in the South - a rather 'Upscale Store', along the lines of Sibley's or B.Forman.

http://www.januarymagazine.com/artcult/crowns.html

...and there you have it - the svelteSTUFF Useless Trivia TidBit of the Day (UTTD)

(if anybody has any other info to add - I would love to hear it!!)

and....

I know that you have been waiting to hear the outcome of the Holt Howard mugs...

well....

I W.A.S. going to be GOOD, and put the PAIR into the ETSY shop, but as I was getting ready to do the photos, I noticed that one had a crack,

so....

Now, the cracked one resides in MY 'orphan' collection!

guess it was 'meant to be' 8-)

(it is looking right at home, don't you think?!!)

Onto a MUCH more serious note...

The jean situation in MY closet has taken a serious turn for the worse in the past couple of weeks. This is the state of T.W.O. of my favorite pairs of jeans.

That leaves me with only ONE good pair of jeans (which I promptly spilled coffee down the front of yesterday...). Keep your fingers crossed - they are washing as I type!!

Oh yes, there are others in the closet - (a bit snug, a bit short, 'mom' jeans...) that will do in a 'pinch' - with the right boots, and the right 'long' sweater, and...

OH, the HORROR!!

RETAIL JEAN SHOPPING!

DOES it get any WORSE?!?!

(anybody out there have any recommendations??? I went out the other day... UGH! Regular 'TALL' jeans are NOT long enough for these 36" inseam legs - I Hate ordering from catalog/online 'cause I want to try on and see how they look!!)

To relieve a bit of the retail jean stress, I did a little Thrift therapy...

no jeans,

but...

VERA 2011 #2 - and HALF PRICE - only .50¢ !!

Oh, there better be some good EBOR coming my way for this jean stress!!!!

...should it stay or should it go?...

2012-01-07T08:21:00.012-05:00

"Darling you gotta let me know

Should I stay or should I go?

If you say that you are mine

I'll be here 'til the end of time

So you got to let know

Should I stay or should I go?

always tease tease tease
Siempre - coqetiando y enganyando

You're happy when I'm on my knees

Me arrodilla y estas feliz
One day is fine, next is black

Un dias bien el otro negro

So if you want me off your back

Al rededar en tu espalda
Well come on and let me know
Me tienes que desir

Should I Stay or should I go?

Me debo ir o que darme

Should I stay or should I go now?

If I go there will be trouble

An' if I stay it will be double

sO come on and let me know
This indecision's bugging me

Esta undecision me molesta

If you don't want me, set me free
Si no me quieres, librame
Exactly who'm I'm supposed to be

Diga me que tengo ser
Don't you know which clothes even fit me??
Saves que robas me querda?
Come on and let me know
Me tienes que desir

Should I cool it or should I blow??

Me debo ir o quedarme?

Should I stay or should I go now??

Yo me frio o lo sophlo?

if I go there will be trouble

i me voi - va ver peligro

And if I stay it will be double

Si me quedo es doble

So you gotta let me know

Me tienes que decir
Should I stay or should I go??
Yo me frio o lo sophlo?"

(FOR THOSE OF YOU TOO YOUNG TO REMEMBER, THESE ARE THE LYRICS FROM A BELOVED SONG BY THE INFAMOUS 'CLASH' ...ahhh, memories...)
**NO, 'I' am not what is in question of going... or 'J'... not to worry 8-)

Just off a WONDERFUL Holiday season of days upon days filled with family and friends!! Now the New Year finds me feeling a bit restless and unsettled... not a way I like to bring in a New Year that is supposed to Welcome fresh new starts. In hopes of uncovering the roots of these feelings I have dove deep into this series of 'Clutter Clearing' books by Don Aslett that I picked up at a sale last summer.

I'm generally not a 'go-to' person to get book or movie reviews from, because my opinions are usually completely the opposite from 'the masses', so take what I have to say with a grain of salt! Halfway through the first book, I am forcing myself to proceed, although so far (HOPING it is going to improve and there is something to gain!!!) the reading for me compares to scraping my fingernails down a chalkboard. Like I said, 'just my opinion'. I must admit the reading has caused me to give pause, take a deeper look at my personal situation and my motives (the book over generalizes). Yes, there are areas in my life that could benefit...
Some of the points that he emphasizes (not 'exact quotes', but pretty close!):

'People spend all their time hunting and gathering when they could be spending their time doing more valuable things'. How many interesting journeys have I taken as a result of a 'treasure hunt'? How many early morning sunrises, beautiful backroads, adventures with J have I experienced that I wouldn't have taken the time for if it wasn't for my 'stuffing ways'?! I guess it depends on what we qualify as 'valuable'.

'It is costing people SO much in time/energy/storage/maintenance, just to 'save some money', when it would actually in the long run be cheaper for them to go out and buy new.' So he is saying that the time people put in at 'real jobs' to make the $$ to buy new is more efficient - where does he take into account the stress of the job/effect on the earth??

'People become slaves to their junk and spend great amounts of time cleaning, maintaining and worrying about their junk' I think that I have probably mentioned this on here before - one of the wisest 'life lessons' ever taught to me by my Mother..."Never stay home to clean". Don't get me wrong, my parent's house was always picked up, clean and presentable - (yeh, if you moved a couch there were probably dust bunnies- but who really cares??), but Mom, given the opportunity to experience Life or enjoy her family / friends would NEVER choose 'maintaining her stuff'!

I'm sure that there are some good ideas to be gained from these books, and damnit - I.WILL.FIND them!! I definitely DO have a few areas in need of some purging... but that is another post ;-) Anybody else read these books and have any opinions?

I have also gone out and hit a few thrifts in hopes that maybe this would calm my restlessness...

A couple of 1966 Holt Howard mugs. Loving on the retro style!! I have a small collection of HH orphan retro mugs that I have been trying to decide if one of these should become of member of (although I KNOW that a pair would sell MUCH better than a single!!)

Hawaii souvenir scarf

1891 Medical book - started reading some of the text - what a RIOT!!!

"Women of pleasure never give to the world sons of genius, or daughters of moral purity." Maybe they give Daughters of genius and sons of moral purity?!

Italian Bocce ball set

The restlessness has Not dispersed.

I have been purging.

I have been engaging the right brain (though I cannot show you photos ((yet)).

I have made NO RETAIL purchases yet for 2012 8-).

Life.Is.GOOD.

Bring it on 2012
VERA 2012#1 .50c

...quick ((GASP)) for air...

2011-12-28T09:14:00.003-05:00

Still running the HOLIDAY MARATHON, but enjoying every minute of it!!
Hosting a 'Holiday Cocktail Party' Friday, and then we shall resume our normal posting activities 8-) !!

A photo to prove that decorations DID get done this year!
VERA 2011 #23 picked up during a 'destress Thrift stop' while out last-minute Christmas Retail Shopping ((argh!!))... colors worked in perfectly with the Xmas scheme in our Dining Room!

Gifties from 'The Crew' during our annual Cookie Baking weekend... 2011 Sweater Clips #17 & #18, and Red Royal Haeger 2011 #14

Sweater Clip 2011#19 picked up while out Xmas Shopping... I spotted a 'New-to-Me' Antique Store that I had never been in before! Right in my own town! How had I missed this? Had to go!

and last, but not least, as this kind of looks like mountains on the horizon...

VERA2011#24.

That makes the final tally for 2011...

SWEATER CLIPS: 19

HAEGER: 14

VERA: 24

not a bad journey at all.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

... it's a start.

2011-12-09T06:04:00.002-05:00

Our 'DOORMAN' is 'decked' and ready for the season... Does that count?tie courtesy of J's vintage stash once worn in high school 8-)

...and my B-day Tri-fecta IS COMPLETE!

2011-12-02T06:42:00.005-05:00

LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN!!!!...I think they would have whether I gave the okay or not ;-)

Sorry... no 'smashing & stunning' decking the halls photos... Yet - but SOON (maybe?!!)

Hope everyone is getting behind in their holiday decorating due to a frantic selling season ~ isn't it WONDERFUL?!!

My parents came to visit Thanksgiving weekend for our annual Thrifted/handmade stocking exchange. Before they left, between my 'stocking' & b-day presents, my 'B-DAY TRI-FECTA' (started with the package received earlier in the week) was complete 8-)...

ROYAL HAEGER 2011 #11

HAEGER 2011#12

HAEGER 2011#13

and a couple of Very Dear sweater clips direct from Mom's jewelry box!! (Yes, she has been holding out on me!) 2011 #15 & #16

Sorry not much to show along the lines of THRIFT FINDS!! I'm starting to jones for a good 'fix' though 8-) !! I keep a ledger of 'purchases' (in blue ink) and 'sales' (in green ink). I guess it is a Good Thing when there are Way.More 'green' entries than 'blue' entries, BUT...

I did have one FIND! Know anything about these little guys?? Made commercially of wood beads with felt hats and heavy cardboard bases. About 3 1/2" tall from bottom of base to tip of hat, diameter of base is 1". They are OLD!! Came in a box, and all that is marked on the box is a stamped number '1-46*'.

...HAPPY 'T-DAY'

2011-11-24T06:08:00.005-05:00

or in my case, HAPPY 'V-DAY'!!!I just received an early 'B-DAY' package in the mail, jam packed full of goodness (THANK YOU!!!), three of which began with the letter 'V'... can you guess what they were?!!

2011 #20

2011 #21

2011 #22

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

...I hold my fellow bloggers completely GUILTY!!

2011-11-20T21:40:00.008-05:00

GLITTER and a HOT GLUE GUN are NOT part of my normal daily arsenal,

but what I like to think of as 'The Blog Bug' struck this weekend!! (You know, all those COOL things you read about on other blogs that just kind of float around in your head and suddenly SURFACE!!) - and The Only way to get rid of 'TBB' is to go with it!!

So, go with it I DID!

(glitters from Studio Stash... I've NEVER glittered before, but always pick them up at bag sales, 'cause somebody is always doing some cool project in Blogland with glitter that I may want to try someday...

A FRIDAY NIGHT spent glittering corks!?

Then SUNDAY spent rifling through the stashes...

wreath forms (picked up at sales, just because other bloggers are doing cool stuff with these!)

...and garlands (picked up at sales for the same reasons!)

...and tons of ornaments ('cause they are in GREAT DEMAND in Blogland)

(...and all of my tons of ornies are stored in stacks of vintage suitcases - of course!)

AND VOILA'

WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A TRIP

TO MICHAELS

A.C. MOORE....

A 'Memory Wreath' for Mom & Dad this year, since they haven't put up a tree in numerous years and Mom has been kinda sentimental lately... I picked up ornies I can remember us having on the tree as kids, and that our grandparents had - plus added a copy of Mom's fav. cookie cutter

My version of a 'seaside' wreath... not done, want to add some seashells.

The Beat and Battered... all of these ornies were 1/2 step from the garbage - faded & scratched & Yuk beyond the point of anyone wanting them... perfect for a PORCH wreath that I don't care about!

A 'nod' to the Vine... for an older friend who adores her Wine and Camels - the animal - NOT Cigarettes!! (this is where glittering up the corks came into play!!)

Now, who could have possibly inspired me to glitter cookie cutters - Heidi? Shara?

...HIBERNATION?

2011-11-19T06:17:00.003-05:00

svelteSTUFF has not gone into 'complete' hibernation... I have just been lacking in anything 'interesting' to post about~ not that this post is an award winner by any standards!! Just wanted to drop by and say 'HI!' Hope everyone in BlogLand is taking time to enjoy Life as the Holiday rush starts to creep in...

Saleing has come to a standstill here in the NE - with weather that can change with the drop of a hat, few want to put all the work into hosting a sale, only to have it snowed out!!

Now, I'm spending my time sifting through my Attic~studio treasures... and MUCH to J's delight, actually spending time parting with 'some' of them!! Just a few.

(saw a clip on one of the Morning Shows that 'faux fur' collars were the fashion trend this season, so HEY!, I think I've got a stash of vintage collars - better get those listed!! We'll see if the timing is right!)

I should REALLY be spending my time getting ready for the HOLIDAYS!!

You know, baking... and cooking...

and cleaning...

and shopping...

and decorating...

(or at least pulling the decoration totes down from the attic!!)

...but a girl has to go find treasures wherever she can!!

...hooking!

2011-11-10T07:43:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I went AWOL from work to roadtrip to my parents house. Spent the morning helping Mom clean the basement, then in the afternoon we started 'THE' hooking project that has been playing in the back of my mind for about a year now.

My Grandmother hooked rugs, and my mother 'used' to hook rugs - the last one that she did was back in the 50's (and yes, I DO have it, in all of it's ultra-moderne design!!!). I really have no interest in this primitive style of 'crafting', BUT, I figure if I'm ever going to learn - or may EVER have any interest - better do it NOW. Soooooooo....

~I have Grandma's shuttle style hook

~been gather 100% wool clothing in FUN colors at Rummage Bag Sales

~Finally was able to purchase a 'BLISS STRIP CUTTER' at a reasonable price

~Located Burlap to use as backing at Tractor Supply Store

~Dad is making us the proper size Stretcher

Let the good times roll!

If you would like to see some BEAUTIFUL examples of Rug Hooking done by a Pro (with proper materials!!) check out Cathy G's site!! http://orangesink.blogspot.com/

...'I bet you make some young strangers happy when we die"

2011-11-04T06:41:00.011-04:00

On 10-27-11, J & I celebrated our 10th anniversary, so we decided to do what we do best... head to the seaside! This is the view of the ocean from our room, and the reflection of our historic hotel off ultra-modern neighboring hotel!This is the view from our hotel window... beach, ocean, and a reflection of our historic hotel off of the ultra-modern neighboring building!
daily beach walks in search of sea glass, this particular trip the tide was low enough that we were able to stroll under the piers...

...it seemed that all too soon we had to leave the glitz-n-glam, blue ocean-n-skies...

LITTLE DID WE KNOW WHAT WE WERE HEADING IN TO!!

IT WAS STILL OCTOBER!
*
*
*

!
!

Yep.

Welcome to Pennsylvania folks!

It took us 1hour to drive 15 miles.

Those trees that had been SOOO Beautiful, and at the Peak of their Fall Colour on our trip down, just couldn't hold the weight of all of their leaves AND the snow!! When they started coming down across the turnpike a little too close for comfort, we decided it was time to find a place to pull-off and stay for the night. Allentown, PA it was!

The next morning the sun was bright and the roads were looking MUCH BETTER!

Since our return, we haven't seen any more snow, but the realization that Winter isn't far off has settled in!

I have taken advantage of every sunny day with what I fear to be a 'last' seaglass trip (top photo is the yield of our Ocean trip, middle photo: FingerLake (Seneca); bottom/right photo: Great Lake (Ontario).

Reinforcing the realization that Winter is lurking in the shadows is the dwindling number of sales in the NE! Holiday Craft / Bazaars peaked this past weekend in our area. A bittersweet farewell to fall. My favorite of these 'Bazaars' excels in the vintage jewelry!! I'm sure that I have raved about these 'Church Ladies' in the past, but I M.U.S.T. do it again! All of the above jewelry came from them. They told me the amount. I'm sure that the ladies that do the pricing used to work at the local 'Five and Dime'. I gave them a five dollar bill. They started to count out my change, and I told them to keep it. They just stared at me with the strangest looks!!?! Then repeated what I owed them. If I had given them the three one dollar bills in my pocket, they still would have owed me change - that is how ridiculously low the prices are!!

They are all quality pieces too!! Trifari, Monet, Sarah Coventry, Genuine Copper, Coro, Lisner,

and....SWEATER CLIP 2011 #11

The other Bazaars of the weekend treated me well also...

SWEATER CLIP 2011 #12 ($1)

and

these two little beauties

that I am rather

fond of...

SWEATER CLIPS 2011 #13 & #14 ($1 ea)

wondering what is so special about them?

The LEAF sweater clip is a signed TRIFARI ~ finding a signed sweater clip is RARE!! I think that I only have about 6-8 of them in my collection!

The other sweater clip has a personalized pendant 'PAULINE'... nobody that I know, just kind of fun!

Now the sales are over for the season, time to get busy with some head-on, 'for-real' SELLING & PURGING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But First, You H.A.V.E. to watch this!!

It's cute.

It gets kinda old after a while, but toward the end there is one line that I 'like' to think sums up all of our old 'STUFF'...

"I bet you make some young strangers happy when we die"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdDrrChPwz0

...'tis the season!

2011-10-26T18:43:00.002-04:00

The gumdrop tree has been decorated...
the pumpkins have been carved & seeds have been roasted...

new recipes have been tried...

(this brownie/pumpkin cheesecake was voted by all a Definite Keeper!!)

now...

BRING ON HALLOWEEN!!!!

...No. It's VERA NEUMANN.

2011-10-19T07:32:00.003-04:00

If you 'ever' had any inclination to know more...more...more..., or just want to look at some 'pretty pictures, this is a wonderful fall afternoon read! So sit back with your favorite cuppa, and enjoy!

http://www.stylelist.com/2011/10/18/vera-neumann_n_1018007.html#s415452 (random VERA photo... 'cause we needed a photo!)

I'm loving the 'VERA PAINTS INDIAN SPIRITS' series (#34 of 39 in the slide show)

I MUST FIND FOR MY COLLECTION!!! Has anybody out there seen it???

...demanding equal air time

2011-10-13T22:10:00.002-04:00

After all of the VERA, and all of the SWEATER CLIPS of the last couple of posts, I can't overlook this simple gem that came my way in a $2 box lot in a Church basement Rummage Sale last weekend.

After I 'ever~so~gently Tore that horrid nasty oversized arrangement from the floral foam that had been ''forever affixed'... and replaced it with something a bit more subtle...

VOILA!HAEGER (ala Retro 70's ) 2011 #10

...~ ~ wiggle ~ ~ wiggle ~ ~ wiggle ~ ~

2011-10-07T05:25:00.007-04:00

F.I.N.A.L.L.Y.!

The Fall RUMMAGE Season is upon us, and I couldn't be HAPPIER!!

'Opening Day' (for me) was yesterday, with another today and tomorrow...

Old Lion Head Door Knocker

a dozen Polands & Indents for 75¢

a couple of heart wreath forms and red garland for making Valentine wreaths ~ .25¢

...but, here's where I start ~~wiggling~~

for TEN PENNIES, I bought this old craft book from the 1950's...

I bought it just on a whim...

just because I like shells, and thought it would be 'fun' to look through.

I have NO DESIRE to do the TEDIOUS work involved in making shell jewelry!

I definitely am not that precise of a person,

nor are my eyes good enough for that!!

Oh, maybe the purchase of this book had a 'wee-bit' to do with this itty-bitty habit I have of bringing home any shell jewelry that I happen to find 'dirt cheap' at sales..... WHY? dunno. Do I collect it? NO!

Do I have a special fondness for it? ...yeh, guess so...

Does it have a special home in a back guest room on a valance for all to see? ...yeh, it does.

Guilty on all charges - BUT I DON'T COLLECT IT!!

and as I was flipping through my 10 cent book, what to my wondering eyes should appear?

An actual section on my Beloved SWEATER GUARDS!!!!

I don't think that I have E.V.E.R. seen 'anything' about sweaterclips /sweater guards in PRINT before!!

Believe it or not, I have always been VERY partial to these 'shell' sweater guards! They have a PROMINENT place of display on one of my bird cages!!

I had always thought that they were mass produced to be sold at tourist 'junk shops' (some I KNOW were, 'cause I have their original tags), but now I wonder if any were 'handmade'??

TOO FUN!!

Want to see just a few of mine??

that turquoise (in the above photo) was one of my very first sweater clips!

(Yes, I will admit, I am this anal and do have ALL of my sweater clips / guards arranged according to styles ~ materials ~ chain types ... It's just me & who I am.)

Adore the one on the far right!

there it is up close - isn't it a BEAUTY?!!

Okay, Okay - I could go on, and on, and on, and on with them - but I think you have seen enough 'pretty pictures' for one day 8-), so I won't bore you any longer! You get the idea - the book was a SWEET Surprise!

Isn't that the FUN of saling - the unknown?! I think that is what keeps me going!! I'm sure that 10 cent book would have ZERO value to almost Anyone else, but to me, it was almost priceless!

CREEPY CLOWN ALERT:

WANTED:

THIS IS ONE THAT I DON'T HAVE, AND I THINK I 'NEED'!!

...count with me...

2011-10-01T10:49:00.003-04:00

Friday looked to be a promising day.

Several garage / estate sales in the paper and I was off to an early start!...ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

FOUR!

Yes, 'FOUR' sales, but NOT a single thing purchased!! Makes for a pretty darn boring blog though, so you are getting some VERA photos in FUN Fall colors - they always make me smile, so maybe they will brighten this drab blog too!!

One last chance to redeem a beat Friday of Saling~ an 'ELKS Rummage' sale that I have done well by in the past...

It was 'slightly' better than the previous sales, but still no 'photos'!! I made two small purchases, but they are both destined to be stocking stuffers for people who read this blog, so....

Hope you enjoyed the VERAs as much as I enjoyed digging through my scarf 'stash'!!

...'VERA ALERT' - does it get much better?

2011-09-27T07:40:00.004-04:00

"Hi S

I was in Auburn today, naturally at the Salvation Army. I found a Vera Xmas tablecloth. It's round and has poinsettias and red stripes on it. A few small stains, but they might come out. It was 5 bucks. I hid it in the back where the comforters are.

If receiving an email like that isn't just about the best way to start your day, then I don't know what is!! Yes, I was down there in a flash. Yes it was still there. Yes it is a Beauty!

VERA 2011 #19

The rest of the Gorgeous 80+ degree first full Fall weekend was spent being productive in the yard and gardens...

cutting, harvesting, pruning, arranging, savoring

drying, and a bit of hoarding

(love my artemesia)

Hope everyone else had as Wonderful of a weekend as I did, and

THANKS L !!!!

...'too much time on my hands'?

2011-09-24T22:20:00.008-04:00

The week I spent walking the shores of NC, gathering shells, I was inspired and I did have ideas brewing...there was 'criteria' to be met if a shell was to make it into the lime green tote...

Today was the perfect Sunny 'Fall' day to implement one of my 'ideas'!

May I introduce...

The Garden 'Conch Totem'

STATS: just under 6' tall, composed of (1) metal rod & approx 35 worn shells.

(The shells were worn in such a way that they just slid onto the rod with no modifications!!)

...and I can just see the look on my 'left-brained' Suit -brother when he see's this, he will just smile at me with 'that look', shake his head (lovingly) and say

"S. You have WAY too much time on your hands."

...do you know what today is?!

2011-09-22T07:52:00.004-04:00

It is almost 'official' ! Tomorrow it WILL be the Fall Equinox,

which means today is 'Autumn Eve' (it is also National Ice Cream Cone Day - not something to be overlooked either!!).

Since I have been on hiatus, and neglecting my Autumn 'decorating duties', mother nature has taken it upon herself. I think that she has done a mighty fine job with this garland, and I am going to have a hard time harvesting these little guys to bring them inside for my Fall Vignettes.

I have tried and tried for years to get 'squash' to grow up a trellis, with no luck. Finally, this year some volunteers from the compost pile took it upon themselves ~ and then some!!

Remember that raised flower bed that I started this summer ?

(http://ssveltestuff.blogspot.com/2011/05/its-true-what-they-say.html)

I planted ONE Nasturtium in amongst all of the other flowers, and it C.O.M.P.L.E.T.E.L.Y. took over everything. She's a beauty though, and her orange flowers look stunning right now, so it's all GOOD!

J's Habanero's are turning lovely shades of orange for the season - but I refuse to have anything to do with the harvesting of those bad babies ~ they are all his!!

A 'small' accomplishment at the beach last week - a 3bag Plarn Pumpkin (about the size of a small orange) with a driftwood stem.

LOOK! LOOK! Sweet Silver Sweater Clip 2011#10 was sitting on my desk at work waiting for me upon my return - they DID MISS ME! they DID MISS ME! 8-)!!

To Celebrate the onset of the Most Wonderful of Seasons, I'm doing something I generally try NOT to do on my blog - and that is advertise our ETSY SHOP (but, it's my blog... so I guess exceptions can be made, right?!). Anyways, I'm trying out their coupon code thing. Starting today, good through October, the code AUTUMNEVE will get you 30% OFF anything in svelteSTUFFj ETSY shop! Spread the word~ the more the merrier 8-)

Don't forget to go have an ice cream cone today!!

...extending the season.

2011-09-20T13:08:00.005-04:00

AUTUMN may be this 'dyed~in~the~wool' NE girl's most favorite time of the year, but letting go of the warm weather is never an easy thing to do!

So... when the college gals started talking 'roadtrip South'... What was I to do?!

We watched The Weather Channel (with fingers crossed that Irene & Maria would cooperate!!),

Packed the GMC Yukon as only 3 females with no 'luggage weight limits' could possibly do,

and headed 13 hours SOUTH...

DESTINATION: Pine Knoll Shore, NC

Oh, DIVINE!

Toes in the warm sand for one.more.week !

Sightseeing along the coast of NC.

Nothing but Beach in the morning, and poolside in the afternoon.

Oh, we did do a 'bit' of educational sightseeing ...

but yeh, it was mostly beach time 8-)!

(and yes, it was mostly deserted!!)

We DID get our exercise, walking a couple of miles each morning during sunrise on the beach - so we weren't completely 'Lazy bums'!!

...even made a friend one morning during our walk

BEAUTIFUL SITES

(not that time mattered much...)

No real thrifting, but came home with LOTS of Seaside treasures!!

A WONDERFUL week, with the best buds a girl could ask for! Back home now to much, Much, MUCH cooler weather - but that's okay, it is definitely feeling like Fall! I'm refreshed and relaxed and ready to enjoy every minute of what the new season brings with it ~ hopefully!.

... I stand corrected!

2011-09-04T10:45:00.007-04:00

This morning's phone call to Mom went something like this...

"HAPPY 79TH BIRTHDAY MOM!!"

...and her reply?

"Susan! I'm ONLY 78!"

(((OOPS!!)))

OH Well, we had a good laugh about it then, and I told her I did it on purpose so that she could say that she was 'ONLY 78' and feel good about it 8-)! Then she thanked me again for 'HER' day on Friday...

What she was referring to was that on Friday I travelled to my hometown for the day (where they still live!), and Mom & I spent the day together doing 'Whatever' we felt like. There was no agenda, other than that I was taking her to lunch for her birthday. I was her chauffeur for the day, anywhere she wanted to go, anything she wanted to do... We DID! Just a girls day together - after all, what can you buy for a Seventy-something's birthday that they 'really NEED'??

I arrived by 8:30am, we had coffee and set out... 'shoe shopping' (she had worn out a pair of sandals this summer and wanted to try to replace them with some end of summer sales!)

Of course she is as much or more of a Garage Sale maven than me!!

First sale netted a NY & Co. watch - WORKING!! - .50¢

(I'm from the 'stoneages' and can't get used to using my cell instead of a watch... what can I say!)

Quite a Few garage sale 'Dud-Stops', and quite a few shoe stores later we did find a pair of sandals that would 'work' until she found 'THE' pair that she REALLY wanted, but enough of Shoes, it was time for LUNCH!!

Couldn't drive right by sales though!!

Brand New In Box Weller Soldering Iron - $5 - do you think this is a sign that I need to get working on my soldering again??
Oh, and there is another sale!!
("But Mom, it is all Baby Furniture!" Mom is a die-hard saler!)
It did yield a GREAT Guess Jean Jacket $5, and two classic V-neck long sleeve Old Navy T's for .25¢ ea ...
' Mother Know's Best'

F.I.N.A.L.L.Y.
Lunch.
Lovely little FOO-FOO, 'Ladies-Who-Lunch' type place.
Very nice.

~BUT~
only lunch, dessert is later!!

Now it's time to go to the Lake (Lake Ontario) sea glass hunting...
You guessed it.
More Sales along the way!
Yes, that is a WHOLE box of kids building blocks just waiting to be painted or created with - and yes Shara, I took the WHOLE FREAKIN BOX FULL!!! - But I also bought some new grape handtowels for Xmas presents and a Sheryl Crow CD (so it's okay - right??)

We walked a 'new to us' private beach... but only two tiny little gems to be had.
Oh well.

We worked up an appetite for our dessert 8-)

Of course on our way... another sale!
A HardRock Washington DC Bear and a Spain Xmas squeaky toy (I'm hoping maybe the two of these will help defray the cost of gas for the 300+ miles I logged during this journey - do ya think? Yeh, probably wishful thinking... ha, ha!!)

One of my fav spots!

HAMLIN BEACH STATE PARK

on the south shores of Lake Ontario

Mom and I got ice cream from the snack bar and ate it while listening to the waves.

(can't you almost hear Don Henley's BOY'S OF SUMMER)

Perfect ending to a WONDERFUL DAY WITH MOM!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

"nobody on the road

nobody on the beach

I feel it in the air

summer's out of reach"

...a DECADE. ...Really?!

2011-09-03T20:15:00.004-04:00

T.E.N. years ago, this Fall, 2 vehicles FULL of my favorite gal-pals gathered to celebrate my upcoming wedding...

In lieu of one of my personally despised 'stuffy sit-down traditional bridal showers', they took me on a wonderful Autumn in the FingerLakes Winery excursion with many 'twists'! It was a Beautiful Day that I shall never forget!

I think of that day, and the many friends that made the day special, often when I'm out in my Herb Garden. Today was one of those days! You see, one special lady gifted me with a few herbies that day -

a couple of which were the perennials TARRAGON and LOVAGE. Hearty, strong herbs that have been the center pieces to my herb bed (above to the right of the stump) for TEN FREAKIN' YEARS NOW!!

The Tarragon grows TALL, and requires pruning often - when left to it's own accord it will completely cover the stump, so it keeps the 'memories fresh' 8-)

THANKS 'C'!

...sometimes, the best things in life are FREE

2011-08-31T05:15:00.003-04:00

or at least in the FREE pile, as was the case last Saturday!

Up early Saturday morning, J and I were on a mission... to visit 'Borders Bookstore' one final time, and hit some sales of a 'Community Wide' Sale enroute.

A beautiful, sunny, cool, morning, yet the 'saling' was pretty much a bust. Few sale. The ones that we did come upon were full of bright colored plastic toys and kids clothes - NOPE. NO USE for them. NOT EVEN STOPPING. Then one caught my eye! Old farm house out on a back road. Close to the road sat an old hardsided suitcase amongst other 'old stuff' - STOP! Upon inspection of the suitcase, it was dusty but pristine inside. It sat amongst a pile of vintage board games, an old heavy metal ceiling light fixtures, strands of old xmas light bulbs... but none of it was priced - then I noticed, I had been gawking at the 'FREE' pile. Sorry folks, but I have a strict policy that I will not take from somebody's free pile without buying from them. So I HAD to find stuff to buy!! On to see what they were selling... Doesn't it figure, Young family w/ kids buys old house - tosses 'junk' they find in attic and sells their Home Interiors ~ Target ~ Little Tyke stuff at the garage sale!! F.I.N.A.L.L.Y. I find a new snow brush for the Blazer and a couple of unopened bottles of Bath & Body Works lotions to buy so that I can snag the freebies!!

My saling urge was quenched.

~ONTO BORDERS BOOKSTORE~

ALL BOOKS are 50% off - DANGER! DANGER!

I behaved 'fairly well', bought mostly Xmas presents, until an announcement came over the PA system that for the next 1/2 hr everything in their Cafe', including fixtures, would be included in the 50% off sale - WoHoo! So, we added to our shopping basket: a case of new recessed lightbulbs for our kitchen($12), a BIG bag of Coffee Espresso Beans ($7), and a fun red post with hooks about 2' tall - no clue what to do with it, but it was only a $1!

Leisurely journey home, stopped by a few markets... made one purchase.

SweaterClip 2011#9 - $1

(Hey, averaging about one a month - not bad!!)

...one of THOSE days.

2011-08-29T06:29:00.001-04:00

STAN

2002 - 2011

...it's in the air!

2011-08-25T12:32:00.002-04:00

I don't know how it is in the rest of the country, but here in the NorthEast, there has been an 'unofficial' shift of seasons! Dipping into the 50s at night and then barely into the 80s during the day. It's not marked on any calendar, but 'pre-Autumn' is upon us. As I drove to work this morning I noticed a certain 'stillness', a serenety and calmness. Yes, the chaos and light-heartedness of SUMMAH had come to an abrupt end. A 'wee-bit' early? Maybe. But, this is my most favoritest time of the year!!
This isn't the 'True-Calendar-Autumn', when the trees are all naked, winds are sub-zero and Old Man Winter is knocking at your door. This is 'pre-Autumn'... when the first shades of gold and amber are appearing in the trees, brisk evenings make a light cardigan a necessity with your capris and all the Farm Market stands are brimming with goodness.SOON those Fall Festivals and Church Bazaars will be popping up all over the place!!

Time to start planning and preparing, hunting and gathering, crafting and divesting...

But first,

today DOES mark a SIGNIFICANT calendar day....

The first day of...

THE NEW YORK STATE FAIR

(a True sign of 'pre Fall'!!)

**NO, THESE ARE NOT VERA, JUST ME 'PLAYING' WITH MY CAMERA... AND USING SOME SHOTS AS FILLER...*

...it's not a REDMAN, but...

2011-08-24T05:02:00.004-04:00

...was that any reason for The Thrift to toss this sweet picnic on top of the dumpster???(and !YES! it was just sitting up on top, I didn't go diving at The Thrift!! It was kinda poised up there like they wanted somebody to grab it...) Look at the patina on those wood handles, the metal hinges on the lid, the little swivel latch - who needs Redman? (Sorry Shara!!)

AND

this may 'NOT' have the usual characteristic 'eyes'

BUT

IT.IS.MINK.

so, I couldn't leave it sitting all alone at the tailgate sale a local church was hosting last weekend. Let me introduce you to Miss 2011 #8 in the Sweater Clip Category....

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

...it just wasn't.my.fault.

2011-08-18T21:55:00.003-04:00

The day started with the best of intentions...

On my way to work, I made a quick stop by one of my favorite thrifts to drop off a few bags of donations. On the way out these two berry bowls with a retro Aqua/Olive floral pattern caught my eye sitting on the edge of a table ~ all by themselves...I had been SO.GOOD!

Straight in and Straight out ((almost))

When I flipped them and saw their lineage (Franciscan Earthenware which I am partial to.), that made up my mind for me, and I took them straight to the counter. At the counter my 'buddy' cashier said "Oh, did you see the rest of this set that we have in the back?"

Not just a 'few' pieces folks.

We're talking plates, and berry bowls, and side plates, and salads, and..., and...

Did I mention it is a really cheap thrift that has really nice bags?

So, I will sort through the 50++ pieces, take out a few for me and the rest will be 'E' bound after some research. Anybody out there familiar with this pattern??

...true fire.

2011-08-16T15:35:00.007-04:00

As a through-and-through SAGITTARIUS, I am true to my FIRE SIGN in my need for adventure! I am feeling a renewed charge of energy as my fellow FIRE SIGN comrades LEO are celebrating their birthdays, and the first signs of Autumn with it's cooler nights and warm days are making their presence known!

During the past couple of weeks, the adventure has included some fun 'saling' along the ways!

(Out saling with Mom, digging through Boxes & Boxes of old tools and Serious JUNK when I started finding stray keys in the bottom - perfect for my jewelry making - soon I had a handful... when I asked the old farmer "How Much?" He just got the most quizzical~baffled~youFool look on his face and said "A Buck?" . As we walked away, I thought my Mom was going to start crying she was laughing SO HARD - "OH S! HIS LOOK! IT WAS JUST PRICELESS!!")

Out to Madison, Ohio with bestest college pal A for a 'traditional' long weekend of wining (as in Winery tasting) and town-wide saling with some of her family that lives there. (Scored these LIA SOPHIA and NAPIER necklaces for .50¢ ea)

(more gems-n-bling for .50¢ ea ... Small and easy to pack!!)

In Ohio we did hit our 'MAJOR SCORE' (ha,ha) at a Church yard sale. I ran over there quick while everyone else was going to grab a table for Dinner/Drinks across the street (they REALLY aren't 'that' into saling!!). After a Quick survey, I only came up with a matte white pottery vase that I thought 'might' be Haeger (it wasn't, so no photo) so I went up to ask how much. I was informed that since it was Fri night they had started their $1 bag sale ~ so the vase would be $1, and so would anything else I could fit in the bag! Well, what was I to do? Yes, they were waiting for me... so, they could just have another drink... right?

Another quick scan with my bag-to-fill yielded...( 7!) brand new Just The Right Shoes (I have yet to see if there is any resale value...), a Harley Davidson Mug and a couple of printer ink cartridges - then I called it quits!

After dinner 'A' and I did stop back over to the sale to do a more 'in depth dig' through the linens. A's brother and nephew recently bought a rental piece of property and they had asked us to keep our eyes open for draperies for it. We hit the jackpot at the Bag Sale!! Matching, lined draperies with hooks for the Huge, main windows... sheers... short frillies for kitchen and bath - all together a GREAT BIG HEAVY GARBAGE bag full!! - we asked the church ladies how much - they were Thrilled that somebody was going to enjoy them - they only wanted $1 (we gave them more!) - SCORE!

'Lil plastic Lobster pin to add to my collection - .25¢

Last Saturday morning the paper advertised an Estate sale starting at 7am. I am an early morning person, but I have come to the conclusion that I am not a diehard 'dealer'. I dearly LOVE my saling, but I am more into it for the adventure, than for the resale. I Don't like the pushing, shoving, Rushing. I like to take my time. Check things out. I tend to enjoy looking at the architectural detail in the homes, daydream about previous owners and admire the flower beds as much as pawing through the silverware drawer. I guess I'm a 'second wave' type (that second flurry of customers that every sale seems to get - those that 'oversleep' the original rush). Yes, you miss a LOT of initial treasures, but when I got to the sale at 7:30, there were still LOTS of gems to be had...

this GREAT garden kneeler/bench $4 - I had been looking to buy one for my Mom from Plow & Hearth and they usually retail for $30 - $40!!

2-Step Stool ($2) for retail display, New retro metal PortaFile w/key for resale and wooden Lazy Susan (I had been in search of one for a future project!)- .25¢

Manual Smith-Corona Typwriter - works like a gem... coming soon to an ETSY store near you

a couple of dress clips to add to my collection, a signed pewter necklace (should it stay or should it go??)

AND!

sweater clip 2011 #7

Now... back to that garden to get some more of those sweet Japanese / Chinese lanterns clipped!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

...25 miles of just 'me'!

2011-08-01T04:13:00.005-04:00

I awoke Saturday to perfect conditions for the annual Rt. 90 50 Mile Garage Sale!

When I stepped off the back porch to load up the vehicle with the essentials for the day (tote bag and ice water), this Angel's Trumpet was there to greet me!

I did a 'solo mission' for the first time in years. J had other plans (sleep?! work in the garden?!!). I was on the road by 7:30am and only lasted until 2pm ~ I must be getting old!

Pickings were rather slim... or my 'mojo' was still off... not quite sure, but an hour in and two towns later I still had not purchased a single item, then I spotted this little bowl on a quarter table. I generally don't purchase basic HAEGER floral utilitarian items much anymore, as our house is already overrun with them, but this glossy pedestal piece 'spoke' to me.

HAEGER 2011 #9

Next town, I stopped at a garage sale and I noticed the lady tending the sale had a bag sitting next to the 'check-out' table... NOT just any bag, but a PLARN BAG!! She had made it to hold her 'bags'.

By early afternoon it was starting to get H.O.T., people were starting to wake up so the roads were starting to get congested, and I said 'Enough'. Not a big haul, but a few fun things. Set of vintage Raggedy Ann/Andy mugs for a future gift (4/$1.), HAEGER #9 & #10, Red Xmas Tree ($1), Sundress ($2), Tub of Wilton Valentine cookie cutters ($1), Bath&Body Works Lotions .25¢ea, 3 Garbage Bags of packing peanuts (all for .25¢). Strictly a 'ME' morning - not a single thing for resale, except the peanuts for packing... but I guess we all need those kind of days occassionally!

The biggest 'ME' purchase of the morning was this HAEGER 2011 #10 Vase. It is not marked HAEGER anywhere on it, so even though I bought it from a dealer, thankfully he had no idea as to the manufacturer of it so I was able to get it for $10! HAEGER isn't worth much normally, but when a dealer sees a name on the bottom of a piece of pottery they automatically think they have 'priceless find' and mark it accordingly! I even gambled on this piece. I thought we had a vase in the same shape, just a different glaze - but I wasn't 100% positive this was a HAEGER...

Until I got home and did my research! 8-)

It is from their 1967 Catalog, #4055 16" ORIENTAL VASE originally retailed for $15.00

GLAZE: ETRUSCAN BLUE ~ The books say that Etruscan is in "Good Supply", so the book value is 'low', but this is the first piece of this glaze to enter our collection, so I am pretty excited!!

Every year I say that I'm not going to bother with this sale another year because it has become too commercialized, but every year the chance at that unidentified piece of HAEGER or digging for that buried sweater clip, lures me out!!

...my very own blue bird!!

2011-07-29T16:06:00.006-04:00

After the daunting day I had last Friday, I didn't venture out for any saling on Saturday!
However, while J and I were out cruising around on Sunday, we were tempted by a benefit FLEA/ANTIQUE MARKET. I think even more amazing is the fact that J actually made a purchase!!

Okay, you can't fully appreciate this until you have the full understanding of how a 'market adventure w/ J & S' generally flows... J truly has no interest in 'stuff', but goes along for S. He has learned through osmosis what S is looking for over the years. Once at a market J & S go their separate ways because S is much.Much.MUCH too SLOW and METICULOUS for J's taste. All he needs is about 30 seconds to survey a booth from a 10' radius to decide if their is a piece of HAEGER there or not, then on to the next booth. S (that's ME) needs lots of time to look through all of that jewelry for sweater clips and scarves for VERA!! J does an entire market in about the time S has done 4 booths, then he goes and hangs out in the food area... and everyone is happy.

Now, you can TRULY appreciate my amazement, when he came and found me at my 2nd booth to go look at something with him ~ that he REALLY LIKED ~ What did I think?

Yes. He done did good!

J wanted these two DUK-IT pedestal metal moderne design ashtrays for our porch.

Nice Job.

I bought nothing. My mojo was still out of whack.

~BUT~

As we were leaving the market we noticed signs for a HUGE garage sale, so we followed them... and followed them... and it was huge. All I found of the slightest interest was this Kokopelli windchime though.

Not exactly 'my thing', but for .50cents, I'm thinking I can cut it apart and use just the Kokopellis for a separate project.

I paid

I was walking out

Then I glanced at another table

and

there it was

just

waiting

for

ME!

...

Could it really be?

I picked it up

It was signed!

1996

The nose wasn't chipped!!

no price

I had to ask.

"How Much?"

"THAT?! Oh, A quarter would be fine!"

Indeed it is a Bluebird of Happiness!

I have several other LEO WARD glass birds that have been gifted to me, but this is only the second that I have ever found at a sale (and the first had a broken beak!). I am VERY EXCITED that another has escaped Arkansas!!

Even with the rainy backdrop (YES IT F.I.N.A.L.L.Y. RAINED TODAY!) I think he fits in nicely with the rest of his L.W. family on the windowsill!

Maybe this is a sign of a Thrift mojo turn~ about? Hope so, because our local 50 mile ROUTE 90 garage sale officially starts in the morning!!!
WISH ME LUCK!!!

I did stop into one sale early and picked up this little gem

2011#6 (Sweaterclip) $1

...HEAT + saling = BAD!!!

2011-07-24T10:02:00.002-04:00

Did you just ever have one of 'those' days?

Friday started out normal enough. Yes, it was HOT. That has just been a given 'EVERYWHERE' lately - hasn't it?! I thought I would hit a couple of early morning sales on my way to work before it got too bad.

The first stop was a family clearing out their father's estate. They weren't dealing with the heat or any of the 'process' and just wanted it all to be GONE... so there were good deals to be had ~if you could avert your nose from the masses of people who hadn't bothered to shower during this heat wave (and NO, an extra layer of cologne DOES.NOT.HELP!). I would have liked to have stayed and dug longer but my nerves were getting frayed. I did grab this cup of eyeglasses ~ 'Dad' must have worn the same style eyeglasses for y-e-a-r-s!!!

I also fell in love with this set of Franciscanware 1950's Atomic Starbust China in Aqua, green and yellow. I'm probably crazy, but that left with me too!

~~Then onto unchartered territorty~~

I had read an ad for another sale, rather 'out of the way' for my route to work, but I was game. It was at a Very Nice looking 'horse farm' ~ big house, wrap around porch, lots of barns. Porch was piled high with 'stuff' - old and newer. As I was browsing, kinda got the feel that there were 3 generations living on the homestead - Mom/Dad (60ish?), Daughter/Hubby (30ish), Gdaughter(3ish). Okay, you know the scenario, you are the only customer so you get chit-chatting with Mom & Daughter ~ weather ~ hoarders tv shows~ yadda ~ yadda.... . They have SO.MUCH.STUFF that I can't possibly take it all in so I ask Mom if there are any scarves anywhere that I am overlooking? She says no, but she has a bunch inside she'd be glad to get rid of, just give her a minute... She came back with this Big rubbermaid tote - takes the top of and hands it to me. I find a step, sit down and start to dig through it. All 80's tacky, Polyester, nasties - I was feeling bad that she had gone to all of that effort to go get this out for me, so I was digging to the bottom, desperately searching for something, anything to buy - guess what I found in the bottom?! VERA? ... NOT!!!! How about packages of vintage, unused condoms! Yeh, that just made my morning complete. Alrighty now. I.will.not.be.buying.anything.out.of.this.tote.! My first thought was "Why would a 60 yr old?", then I realized these scarves were from the 80's and probably the condoms were too, as much as I may hate to admit it, that was 30 years ago and that would put 'Mom' in her 30's... okay... but 'why with the scarves?' OH, I try not to think about that connection!!!!!!!!!!! So, I neatly replaced the scarves back into the tote, and told 'Mom' that they weren't quite what I was looking for, but thanked her for getting them for me. She was fine with that. Good thing! Had 'Mom' given me the SLIGHTEST bit-o-attitude at the fact that she had gone through all that trouble for nothing, I would have whipped one of those little wrapped packets out of the tote in a flash and LOUDLY made some snide comment like "You might want to check the expiration date on these" ~ I'm sure her daughter would have been impressed ;). Anyways, it was just TOO HOT for that whole episode!! I bought NOTHING. I went to work.

~WE HAVE NO A.C. @ WORK ~

THANK GOODNESS the AC works in my vehicle!! After work, I got half way home, then had to sit for 1/2 hr ~stopped~ due to a couple of accidents closing down 'the' road, then I was detoured 1/2 hr off route to try and get home.... Do people forget how to drive in the heat??

One bonus was that the detour DID take me through a small town with a THRIFT store!

Can you believe I bought a scarf?? That I even looked at / touched scarves? The lure of VERAs is just too great! This isn't a VERA - but it is a Burmel - just thinking Fall makes me deal with this heat a little bit better!

Okay, to heal all of the wounds of a REALLY, REALLY, DISTURBING FRIDAY ~ the Thrift Karma tossed a sweet, sweet Sweater Clip my way for only .99¢ (2011#5)

I didn't venture out to any sales on Saturday.

I think I shall wait for this weather to break, and just spend a little time listing in ETSY 8-)!

...'Queen Tag ~ a ~ Long'

2011-07-19T20:29:00.004-04:00

Recently when I told someone we were going up to ME/NH for a long weekend they asked if this was a 'vacation' or a 'tag~a~long trip'... and this had me baffled until they explained the difference. A 'tag~a~long trip' (as they fondly refer to it in their house) is when one of them has to go away for business and the spouse 'tags~a~long' for the roadtrip and to take full advantage of all of the hotel's fringe benefits!!!

Got it! This was DEFINITELY a Tag~a~long trip! J was photographing in NH... and I was lounging by the pool and doing site-seeing in ME 8-) ! ...and nights we were hanging on the PIERS with these little guys!

...and walking the beaches any free time we had

and doing LOTS MORE of this (to hold us over until we get back again!)

We even managed to sneak inside a few THRIFTS, though, even I found it difficult with beautiful weather and sites to be INSIDE!! Now I must do some research to see if this is a MacKenzie Childs piece - paint looks right, mark on bottom looks right ~ but VERY faint....

AND!!!

Royal HAEGER 2011 #8

State Plate for Illinois ~ This is only the 2nd State plate we've found - now we have ME & IL!

...just not a 'pattern' kind of person!

2011-07-13T09:04:00.005-04:00

You would think that a person with a college degree should be able to handle a "SKILL LEVEL: EASY" crochet pattern... wouldn't you??

Well, it's not the case with this girl! I may be trained in reading architectural floorplans and specifications, but put a crochet pattern in front of me and forget it! I have a serious mental block when it comes to crochet patterns, and why I thought it would be different with these 'EASY CROCHET FLOWERS', I'll never know!!

After seeing those 'Plarn-look-alike' flowers the 'other vera' is putting on her bags, I was bound and determined to figure out how to make one though! Soooooo.... The other night, armed with a ball of my orange plarn, crochet hook, and laptop computer (for pattern!) I settled into my favorite chair on the porch, bound and determined I WOULD MAKE FLOWER! (okay... maybe not an identical 'flower', but a flower of some sort would be good!).

Okay, so here is the first attempt. My spirits were still okay at this point. I'll give it another try.

ALRIGHTY NOW.

Attempt #2 (front right) is done.

I'm starting to lose a bit of patience with this.

Less than impressed.

Mosquitoes are biting

This is NOT looking at All like the freakin' one on the computer.

J just came out and gave it some backhanded compliment that I REALLY didn't need.

I think that is enough for day one.

Next evening.

Same set up ~ New roll of plarn... maybe yellow will make a difference.

Oh, and I'm giving up on the pattern ~ I'm winging it

Yep, I think Free-style is more my style.

#3 is still wonked out, but I'm getting closer.

#4!

Now that's what I'm talking about.

Played around some more 'free-stylin' and got some bigger petals.

Fun, but WAY.TOO.TIME.CONSUMING!

Bring on some button lovin'!

The little flower baby originals go together REALLY quick (after the Plarn is made!).

OH the possibilities and Color Combos....

Pins for bags, jackets; hair clips, magnets.... mmmm

I think you'll be seeing lots more of these little ones!!

...the ERRIES of July!

2011-07-11T07:36:00.003-04:00

March may have it's 'IDES', but July has it's 'ERRIES'...

and as any of you that know me at all realize, berries are a PASSION of mine!!! Mulberries! Raspberries! Blackberries! Wild Black Caps! ... Our backyard has them all, and July is Prime Season for stained fingers 8-)

So, my main consumption since the 4th of July has been picking berries... and eating berries... and washing berries... and eating berries... and baking... and eating... and freezing... and eating... and preserving... and, well you get the idea! It is such a short period of time, I just can't get enough of these little darlings!! Each evening after it cools off I go out to pick until dusk, then just sit on the porch and eat until my hearts content - Mmmm it doesn't get much better than nice, fresh raspberries... still warm from the sun 8-). (Yeh, some vanilla ice cream would be nice, but that would involve getting up and going in the house ~ TOO.MUCH.WORK!!). Oh, I have modified a Rhubarb Bar recipe to include Wild BlackCaps that is out of this world!!

TWO of my favorite church rummage sales were held Saturday morning ~ HaPpY DaNcE ~

Texas Ware Confetti Bowl .75¢ in flecks of aqua/brown (did you see in the first photo how wonderfully it is working with my berries?!), 2 Vernon-Ware Tickled Pink berry bowls, and an 8Cup NIB Krona Stainless Steel Measuring Pot w/ Cover $2. ! I think my mind is still in the kitchen and dreaming of those berries - what do you think?

I NEVER buy tablecloths (unless they are VERA!)... but I couldn't resist the BRITE colors and GREAT GRAPHICS of this CALIFORNIA state cloth! It does have one light stain that you can see between S & W on the compass, but it is really light, and other than that it is crisp and Perfect - did I do okay for $1. ??

A paper mache' PAMPLONA MEXICO bracelet in bright cheery colors .50¢ and a box of 9 vintage ornaments. The ornaments were just plain balls that I normally would have passed on, but it was such an odd grouping of colors together - (1) shiny silver, (1) shiny gold, (1) shiny red, (1) turquoise, (3) frosted pink, (1) frosted purple, (1) matte olive green that they had to come home with me. DON'T ASK.

...and a CLASSIC VERA!

2011 #18

$1.00

Now I see the local Market Stands are starting to have baskets of these beautiful little

'ERRIES'...

(another of my favorites!)

*Have you ever put these little beauties in your freezer (whole, but washed & de-stemmed), then on a HOT, STEAMY day popped one in your mouth ~ straight from the freezer ~ whole ?

YUM!!!

...'play days'

2011-07-03T22:54:00.005-04:00

Aren't fellow bloggers the best?!

Last week, spurr of the moment on a Tuesday, one of my best buds from college (A) and I decided to do a 'girls' day' on Thursday - go exploring of some "new-to-us" towns... I sent out an impromptu SOS to Tam of ToLiveToLoveToLaugh ~ who I 'thought' lived in one of those towns, but 'actually' lives an hour away 8(... ! Well, the sweetie that she is, had me in touch with another kind soul (Liz) by Wednesday morning, who P!R!O!M!P!T!L!Y! had an entire days worth of itinerary to me - Thrift shops, bead shops, restaurants, coffee, markets, nature hikes... What a gem! THANKS GIRLS!

The day started with a Perfect weather forecast, and we met on 'old stomping grounds' (familiar to both of us) at a 'halfway town' for coffee and bagels... Before leaving town to set out on our day of adventure we hit a few shoppes and a local thrift (where I picked up a few things -destined as parts of Xmas gifts, so sorry NO PHOTOS!).

~Stops at roadside farm markets~

~Just enjoying the scenery, the day, the chit-chat and the company!~

'Detoured' to another small town with a few small shops I had always wanted to check out. We found a good-sized 'STUFF' shop upstairs to go prowl through!!

Another STUFF shop tucked in on a side street produced a couple of little gems for ME!! (glove clip - $1, Red Atomic Pin - $1).

Back on Main St. one of the shops had a H.U.G.E. selection of that 'other vera' (as in Bradley). I had to take a picture of this bag - I think that she is dipping in on this idea of the 'PLARN look' - though not actually recycling!! Kinda FUN though! Now, I just need to figure out how to actually crochet those flowers 8-) ! (my crochet knowledge is limited to straight lines!!).

~Back on the road to our Final destination~

We made it!

Just in time for Lunch!! I had purchased a CHEAPO certificate off of Restaurant.com, so we knew exactly where we would be 'dining', and it was GREAT! (But, Liz said it would be, so I wasn't worried!)

~All refreshed (Don't Worry! Only one drink each) we went walking and shopping!~

~We found Bling for LOTS of inspiration~

~We thought we were a bit lost for a while in search of BEADS, then realized it was in this great old Ghost painted wharehouse!

~We went in search of a couple of Thrifts on the other side of town - but never found them, (by that time we were both rather tired & hot, so when we didn't find them 'easily'... we didn't try 'too' hard!)

The drive back included Lots more beautiful views and sites... and a quick stop at a new winery - ANYELAS (http://www.anyelasvineyards.com/produce-from-the-garden/) , a farmer's market and then we called it quits for the day!

The rest of our Holiday weekend has also ended up being a 'staycation', with 'play-days' - but I will spare you all of the details... and just leave you with 2/3 of a TRI-FECTA 8-)

HAEGER 2011 #7 - 6 1/2" square Tidbit Dish $2.50

VERA 2011 #17 - square 100% polyester

HAPPY 4TH!!!

...BRITE, Sunshiny Day!

2011-06-27T15:17:00.005-04:00

When a Monday morning starts with Sunshine and your first cactus blossom of the year, it can't be a bad 'week'... right?!!?

As for my weekend... let me sum it up in three photos...

Hit a few sales. My 'mojo' just wasn't ON.

Only ONE purchase for 25cents.

I think my mind was racing with thoughts of other things I 'should' and would 'rather' be doing!

... like arranging multiple bouquets of fresh garden flowers, and gathering the mulberries for baking, and gathering fresh herbs for appetizers, and..., and..., and...

for our Sunday SMITH FAMILY REUNION / DAD'S 80th BIRTHDAY PARTY

((sigh))

This was my first attempt at planning /organizing / hosting an event of this size. THANK GOODNESS the weather cooperated, and with my entire 'immediate' family in attendance it went off smoothly and was a huge success, with cousins coming in from as far away as NC and Minnesota! THANKS everyone!!

NOW, ALL THE PLANNING IS OVER. IT IS TIME TO SIT BACK AND ENJOY SUMMER 8-) IT IS A BRITE! SUN-SHINY! DAY!

**WARNING: When attending a special event, make sure your camera batteries are CHARGED! Or, You TOO will find yourself, on a Sunday morning, out in the middle of no-where, at the mercy of the nearest store, paying TWELVE FREAKIN' DOLLARS for four AA batteries!! ...just sayin... Check your batteries and keep them charged 8-)!

...will this be enough to save her?

2011-06-25T06:12:00.003-04:00

I adore our Tulip Tree!

My parents have always had tons of Tulip trees!

... straight, and perfectly shaped,

...blossom every year on Father's Day,

MANY, MANY years ago, I took one of their babies for my very own...

She is now taller than our three story house...

and rapidly outgrowing our 'city lot'

and Wikipedia says she'll average out at about 100' tall.

She is also HEAVY in Nectar ~ ie: drops sap allover the ground, making a sticky mess & attracting bees!!

To top it off, in the MANY years that we've had her... she's never produced a flower...

So I finally conceded that it would be best to 'do away with her'.

She wasn't in our 'pruning budget' this year.

Guess what she did this year?!

...The.longest.day

2011-06-21T20:31:00.002-04:00

With the coming of the Summer Solstice, equilibrium has almost been regained in my world.

((sigh!))

and hopefully, with it, so shall my regularly-sporatic postings!

HAPPY SUMMER!

...it's true what they say!

2011-05-30T07:00:00.004-04:00

The work really does wait for you!

As 'unglamorous' of a photo as this is, this is the reality of our 'Holiday' weekend... and the payoff of a spending a glorious week and a half away! Back to reality. The reality that next week we are hosting a family garage sale, the flower beds are all in desperate need of attention, the vegetable garden is on a time schedule, etc... and no magical little fairy came and waved her little wand while we were gone.

Despite a time crunch, when I 'should' be cleaning, weeding, and preparing food for guests... I got the 'brilliant' idea ( ignoring the sound advice I'd recently given a good friend advising AGAINST the difficulty in building raised beds) to build a raised bed... Some people will do just about anything to avoid the inevitable tasks at hand.

Basil was bought and planted in preparation for PESTO!!

Just one quick stop at an 'INSIDE' sale... just because J & I really wanted to check out the house - it was an AMAZING old house! I was openly drooling - and that was before J spotted this HAEGER Tall Pitcher Vase - 'antique 1957 - 58 playful, polka dots of green & brown blend' $5 2011 #6

I have been eyeing some of the lovely terra cotta 'head' planters, but just haven't been able to justify the cost for another of my 'whims'.

(http://www.ballarddesigns.com/terra-cotta-lady-planter/outdoor-living/outdoor-planters/13078)

Then, I got the inspiration for this coverless McCoy cookie jar that I haven't had any luck selling on Etsy. I added some chives ( so I can give him 'stylin' haircuts on a regular basis!!), and Voila'!

HAVE A HAPPY DAY!

...WHERE have I been?!!

2011-05-25T09:03:00.004-04:00

J & I 'permanently' left our MOSAIC MARK in seaglass/concrete in Bermuda!

Sorry to disappoint you, but there is no 'JUNK' or 'STUFF' to be found in this blog entry... only 'Fun in the Sun' and an 'OVERLOAD of SEAGLASS', so if you aren't into that, you might as well click ((EXIT)) right now!!

(just as a wave came crashing from behind over the rocks!!)

Mosaiced fence at a local home.

J had read about a 'too good to be true' hidden section of beach in Bermuda where the seaglass was 4" - 6" deep. We didn't believe it, until we saw it!

Our 'home away from home' for a week.

street festival

LOTS of these in the waters!

'GOOD-BYE' too soon.

onto the next portion of our journey

How's this for a complete change in latitude?!!

Yep! A final two days in The Big Apple to round out the journey.

(Yes Andy, I was checking out all of the 'cupcakes'!!)

*
*
*
BUT

*
*
*

I can't leave you with those images,

*
*
*
*

...when these beautiful, serene & warm places are still so close to my heart.

...HAPPY! ...HAPPY! ...HAPPY!

2011-05-13T18:50:00.000-04:00

"Unseasonably Mild"
When the weather station gives this report for Central NY, it is definitely cause for celebration! Every second of it has been maximized!!!!

Street sales are happening again!

(recently found the 3 NEW bottles of 'Happy' at an upscale street Sale for 25¢ ea.)

The trees are finally blossoming!
No 'stellar' finds while 'saling', but small finds ~ like this wreath tote, which is a perfect fit for my ornament heart wreath for $2, made my day 8-) ! (Made J's day too ~ now it will F.I.N.A.L.L.Y. come down off the wall, since it can be packed away safely!!)

J's little tomato & pepper seedlings have found their way into the garden

('grow babies', 'PLEASE GROW')

Evening walks are producing some fun 'curbside pickings'

AND

THE SPRING RUMMAGE SALE SEASON IS UPON US!!!!

Can you say VERA?

This week produced 2011 #10 - 16 (at an avg. of 25¢ ea.!!)

Okay, that last photo was a whole slew of ECHO, PAOLI and other misc. that I just couldn't leave behind... (YES, I KNOW I HAVE a Serious Problem!!)

Just so that you don't think that I have forgone buying anything other than scarves, here are a few of my other recent 'pickings'... PYREX w/lid & stand, copper bucket, feng shui books, hankies, 'that other Vera' purse, (4) Portmeirion Pottery ~ Susan Williams Ellis Cups & Saucers, Oneida seafood forks & Lobster cracker (got to grab them when I can for our summer party!), stray cat salt shaker, Onion River Pottery covered bowl, bakelite bobbin holder. How's that for all over the spectrum?!

...cinco!

2011-05-04T20:13:00.006-04:00

HAPPY CINCO de MAYO !!!**So what if I'm 50% English and 50% German = a pasty white, 6' blonde... I can still celebrate Cinco de Mayo ~ and hold my tequila!!

I think ALL of us have had enough Spring Rain and are ready for any reason for Celebration! (I did gladly pick up this vintage umbrella with a bakelite handle last weekend at a rummage sale for $1 and was pleasantly surprised when I was able to coax it open the full way without it splitting!!)

So just for the day, practice your Spanish...... grab your best buds

... be they 'Don Julio'

or 'Anejo Patron'

and

HAPPY CINCO de MAYO!!

...knock! ...KNOCK!

2011-05-01T08:47:00.003-04:00

HAPPY MAY DAY!

...BERMUDA!

2011-04-28T06:03:00.004-04:00

YEH! The plans are arranged, we're packing our 'shorts', Tees, boarding a big boat and crossing another thing off our 'Bucket List'!I'm putting a PLEA out there to "A.L.L." (ha~ha~ha~ha) of my avid readers...

Anyone have any suggestions for any 'MUST-DOs' on the Island???

J and I when we travel, love to explore off the beaten path ... Eat local seafood on rustic piers while watching the fishing boats bring in their daily haul ... walk for hours on deserted beaches, soaking up the sun while picking up what the tide washes in ... ~ just two Big kids (young at heart!). At the end of the day (or morning... or middle...) relax at a hole in the wall with the natives and throw back a couple (or more) libations 8-)

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY HELP!!!!

...no more 'forcing'

2011-04-26T21:17:00.004-04:00

Remember when...

a mere month ago I was cutting bare 'sticks' to bring inside ? ...now all of the R.A.I.N. and ONE glorious morning in the 70's has produced this!!

... and allowed me to transplant these.

But, alas, 'Here comes the rain again'. Now I am back to work on the computer, again, and not feeling guilty about being inside. Oh well. The few hours in the sun was nice while it lasted!

...can we say 'CREEPY BUNNY'?!

2011-04-24T08:35:00.003-04:00

HAPPY DAY EVERYONE!!

MAY YOU ALL HAVE BREAKFAST/DINNER WITH YOUR FAVORITE BUNNY!...this photo is circa early 70's - the start of my 'artistic' career... winning an EASTER coloring contest, sponsored by GRANT's Five & Dime, - the prize: Breakfast with the Easter Bunny in the Bradford House!!

(I think I really wanted that basket-o-candy!!)

Do you think that I might have actually ate off of some Pyrex just. like. these.????

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!

...the 'PRESTIGE' of 25 copper pennies!

2011-04-19T09:41:00.013-04:00

FINALLY! The 'promised' recap of Recharge Journey...
(I'm sure you have all been sitting on the edge of your seats awaiting this )

Almost any trip involving 'S' & 'J' is bound to involve the seaside... That is just a given. Where there is sand and surf, there is generally seaglass. J had some amazing finds ~ as usual!

Since this was a 'Road Trip', with a limited amount of time - tropical & warm were out of the question!

So, we went for cheap, and used some FREE night promos in Atlantic City that J had earned as a result of our visit in November!

It was a 'bit' warmer this time, and we got to stay in one of the oldest hotels (turquoise) on the boardwalk!

We did TONS of w-a-l-k-i-n-g, and way-too-much-eating, and LOTS of people watching!!

One of the items on our itinerary was to 'return' this old JAMES taffy Barrel bank (pic on left) to it's original home.

We found it last summer at a sale and bought it on a 'whim'.

When we were visiting AC last, we stopped into JAMES TAFFY and discovered that they had lots of old AC memorabilia on display - but none of the original taffy barrels. They sell their taffy in new replicas, and have a large poster board telling the story and showing pictures of the original barrels. J and I KNEW that there could only be two outcomes from this... A) I would either start collecting AC stuff in full-force~or~B) I MUST get rid of that Creepy Clown ASAP!!! J was more than in agreement when I asked his opinion of possibly 'donating' it to the JAMES store if they would accept it. While in AC we did leave the barrel with the Lady working in the James store, who said that she would make sure that it got to 'Frank' the Manager who has been collecting for years ~ it is his collection that is on display. Who knows whatever will become of it, but it's home.

Another stop we 'had' to make was TIFFANY. ...just to pick up the SPRING '11 catalog, to drool! Same old scenario, you go in, looking rather 'weathered' from the wind on the boardwalk, the salespeople 'politely' ask if they can help you, when you say that you are 'just looking' you are immediately written off as 'rif-raf' and left to fend for yourself...

~UNTIL~

As you are just about ready to exit, you push up your sleeve to reveal a HEAVILY tarnished bangle, you ask a salesman standing near the doorway what the best way is to clean it is - with a cloth or a solution - SUDDENLY you have FIVE STAR STATUS in TIFFANY!! 'Doorway Salesman' jumps to attention, takes bangle from you, presents you with a 'complimentary' Tiffany Blue cleaning cloth, takes bangle to back room for thorough cleaning (NO CHARGE!). While you are waiting, A-L-L of the other salespeople are amazingly transformed by your sudden Status, ready to wait on you hand and foot!!

Yes folks. It happened. All J could do was just shake his head in disbelief. As you will recall, that now SHINY and PRESTIGIOUS bracelet cost me a mere 25 copper pennies!! I knew that I was into copper this season.

That was it! That's how 'S got her charge going!'

Now I'm back and ready to go!

I finished a new SPRING 2011 PLARN creation. A new style - smaller, only 12"x12" in my new Fav colorline of Red-Orange-Pink. I think that I may have to come up with some kind of a contest to name this colorway... Peach Melba, Orange Crush, Rainbow Sherbert, Citrus Punch, Tequila Sunrise....
Looking kinda sweet with my Samsonite train case and Vera Bradley accessories - huh?!!

For long-time followers/friends, you've heard stories of my next door neighbor

( 'Jsr' and his girlfriend 'J-20').
I got a call yesterday morning that 'Jsr' had died at age 93
May we all live by his example

...I PAINTED an EGG!!

2011-04-17T06:49:00.010-04:00

S.T.I.L.L. playing catch-up from our time 'recharging' - you know the scenario...

Oh well. I know that the pile of laundry won't go anywhere without me! ...and for now, it can wait ~ more important things to do ~ like saling and egg 'painting'!! Vintage jet black glass beads... only purchase Sat morning from Rummage Sale...

Wednesday I was perusing the ads and found them rather sparse, with the only things sparking my interest being a Rummage Sale Sat. morning and a PYSANKY workshop Sat. afternoon.

After recently viewing some Ukranian decorated eggs, they have really piqued my interest, and for about the last month I have been chanting/pouting "I want to PAINT an EGG!" (though, it's not a method of 'painting' at all!).

The workshop was 3hrs.

A Perfect way to spend a rainy, dreary & windy afternoon

I completed 1 egg.

This egg is FAR FROM PERFECT!

I adore this little egg!

We were sent home with all the tools, wax and 5 packs of special dye - everything to continue on our way to make more eggs... Will I?A friend even loaned me her stash of books for ideas of patterns...

I think that I will just enjoy my little imperfect egg for a while.

...recharging

2011-04-13T16:55:00.005-04:00

Fountain @ Letchworth State Park

If you are anything like me, you wait until your battery light is 'flashing' (camera), you're down to 'one bar' on (on your phone), one more 'straw' will make you snap (real-life) before you take the time to RECHARGE...

'Three Clip Find' @ Thurs night Rummage - Dress Clip $1, Glove Clip $1 and Sweater Clip 2011 #4 .25¢

When I got home from the rare, 'Thursday Night Opening' Rummage Sale, and 'J' suggested that since he had some vacay time to 'use-or-lose', that we should go AWOL for a few days - who was I to argue? It has been a L*O*N*G Winter, and this girl's soul could use a little recharging!!

Friday am we were on the road by 6am for a 2 1/2 hour drive for Breakfast! Not just any old breakfast... this is a right of passage into Spring! 'The Maple Tree Inn' is only open for a couple of months in the Spring while the sap is running. My parents started going there before I was born (and still do). Just tradition. Then a drive through Letchworth Park on the way home...

J thought that I was crazy the first time I dragged him 2.5 hours away for breakfast, but now I think that he enjoys it almost as much as I do!

Of course it is always a challenge as to which route we will be able to take to get there, as the shortest route consists of mostly 'Seasonal use only' dirt roads - luckily this year, those were all open & passable!! However, you have to stay alert for what may be in your path - even on the paved roads!! Aside from the NUMEROUS deer we had to avert, we also had to stop for a HORSE standing in the middle of the road, and we were glad this 'little' guy decided to stay on the shoulder of the road!

The journey is the BEST PART!!

Royal Haeger 1970's Earth Graphic Wrap & Textured Aqua Gold Tweed? (2011 #4 & #5)

The route home always involves LOTS of stops 8-) !!!

4 VERA placemats 2011 #9

VERA Smoke-ring Silk Scarf 2011 #10 ($1)

VERA square, teal scarf 2011 #11 ($1)

...and that is just ONE day of recharging!!! I will share more another day, but now I MUST go unpack. Just a couple of more pictures to show you what was awaiting me in the mail upon return!

These two scarves just absolutely make me !SMILE! They are the epitome of VERA design! Nature! Slightly abstract! Retro Colors! This is what attracted me to VERA originally! I had better be careful though, or I am afraid that a certain person on the West Coast who has a spectacular eye for spotting VERA may be starting to get the 'bug' (or should I say LadyBug??) THANKS LeAnne!!!!!

VERA 2011 #12

VERA 2011 #13

... 'They say...'

2011-04-03T15:44:00.015-04:00

As 'THEY SAY...' "When it rains, it pours" - oh how true it is! (...and I'm not talking that wet stuff from the sky.) The thing that REALLY worries me is if "April showers, bring May flowers" (so to speak), then I may be in REAL trouble!!!

GARDEN/YARD: Shabby Tin Garbage can destined for some plantings in my garden (.50c) and Tacky Coconut Monkey to join the Ranks on our Summer Porch (.50c)

When I left the House Fri. am, I had T.W.O. bags -o- stuff to drop off at the Thrift. I've been doing good on that half of my New Years Resolution!! I had even planned ahead for a Rummage Sale advertised for Saturday! Now as for the 'Purge 211 a Month' portion of my New Year Resolution... I'm still working on it - REALLY I AM!... but I did fall a bit short in March. Oh well. I am going to keep plugging along.

~BACK TO THE GOOD STUFF~

SCARVES / LINENS: Yes. I am a scarf junkie. ECHO. PAOLI. and my belove VERA! (2011 #7 & #8) - .25¢ ea!!

Friday surprised me with TWO unexpected Estate Sales!! One that I stumbled upon on my way to work (Early Bird Gets The Worm) and the other I got to just 1/2hr before they were going to close - after finally making connections w/OODLES to find out the locale of her '7~APRON' Sale - being the last day everything was 50% OFF (Second Mouse Gets The Cheese) - AND Barbara left me some VERA!! THANKS BARBARA!

BLING / SHINY METAL: Gems galore!!!

Between the three sales that I went to Friday and Saturday, I pretty much got my fill of all of my basic 'food groups'... and for once I'm NOT talking VERA~HAEGER~SWEATER CLIPS! I'm speaking a bit broader and more generic... 'GARDEN / YARD'.... 'SCARVES / LINENS' .... 'BLING / SHINY METAL' ... 'POTTERY' ... 'RETRO THREADS' ... 'MISC USEFULS'.

**NOTE: These comprise the majority of 'MY' basic 'food groups' ~ I realize these will vary for each individual (Thank Goodness or Oodles would never share estate sale locations with me!)

Look at this 'COPPER CRAZINESS'!! It's like I was destined to have it, and that 50's confetti bracelet in the middle... 8-)

The jewelry at the Friday morning Estate sale was A-Maze-Ing!! Sat. was their 50% off day. I ended up stopping back Sat. morning, enroute to meeting 'The Crew' (College Girlfriends) for a retail shopping trip at a nearby Outlet Mall!

SOOO MANY of the pieces of 'BLING' I bought with the intention to sell, but I think that I may need to give them a 'little lovin' first! The Rummage Sale Sat am had tableS of jewelry in a DARK corner - 'Everything .25c Each Unless Marked' (basically nothing was marked). It was sooooo dark that you could hardly see though! One of the 'usual gold diggers' (Picker who dives for the jewelry table with his loupe in search of anything that he can sell for the gold or silver value) was there with a flashlight. I was just grabbing anything with an interesting 'shape' (for a quarter, what the heck! I can sort them out at home.). I liked the 'square-ish' lines of this bangle - imagine how excited I was when I discovered the marks on it at home !!! THE first piece of Tiffany that I have ever owned 8-)!

POTTERY: Ben Seibel for Iroquois, McCoy Cookie Jar, USA Cat planter, Bennington studio piece, Handpainted JAPAN and Shawnee

MISC USEFULS: New Rolls of Easter fabric wrap (.25c ea), New Packs of Spring Napkins (.25ea), Box Lot w/ new X-acto knives, Swingline stapler, misc (.50c all)

RETRO THREADS: FUN! Clothes Day... $6.50 total= BC Ethic Retro Atomic print shirt; KaLani Hawaii Shirt; Retro Swim & Sun DeWeese Design Dress; Teddi of California Shirt

I had a hard time finding anything of interest at the outlet mall after all of these 'one of a kind' finds at unbeatable prices!! The shopping company at The Mall was beyond compare though!

...'Tri-fecta' ~ VERA-style!

2011-03-27T09:55:00.005-04:00

Friday and Saturday were definitely all about VERA this week! Oh, I did pick up a couple of other things in my travels - a Scrabble game with wooden tiles, an airline knife, a bent glass Pharmacist tray... but nothing that sent my heart beating like my 'VERA'! I guess the 'reseller' in me just doesn't come close to the 'collector' in me. I think that I am glad that I still have more of a passion for my first 'love'. My first find of the weekend was this large silk square scarf - VERA 2011 #4 (.79¢) Saturday in the mail, through a swap with the generous Ann of Protector of Vintage, I received my FIRST hankie made by VERA!!! Pristine, with sticker still in place ~ Happy mail indeed 8-)!! 2011 #6

Another ~'Happy Dance'~ occurred on Saturday while at a Rummage Sale, when I found this VERA top!! This is only the second VERA blouse that I have found in all of my saling adventures (2011 #5). Now to dispell any myths/questions that may be floating out & about in blogland...

WILL YOU ACTUALLY WEAR THAT? with the right pair of jeans, to the right event ~ yes.

WILL YOU CUT IT UP INTO SCARVES? NO! you will NEVER catch me touching a pair of scissors to a VERA!!!!!

WILL YOU SELL YOUR VERA? again, NO! i personally value VERA for what she represents in the design world and I cherish all of 'my' VERA items ~ so unless I should end up with EXACT duplicates, none will be for sale.

Now I can just dream of finding the elusive size 8-10 VERA dress...

some day.

some day.

some day.

OH! ...and we rec'd our 'book' on Friday from that freebie Picaboo coupon that I mentioned!

VERY NICE.

Highly recommended 8-)!

...right now.

2011-03-22T15:17:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was the First Day of Spring, and rainy......tomorrow we are supposed to get 6" of snow,

but that's okay, 'cause right now I have FLOWERS on my 'sticks'!

...bookworthy?!

2011-03-20T09:44:00.002-04:00

...just a quicky!

Found a GREAT FREEBIE (Well, almost 'free' - you have to pay the $7.99 postage, but I think it is worth it). 8 1/2 x 11 Hardcover book of your photos.

Anyone out there familiar with PICABOO? I wasn't. No, I'm not affiliated in any way, shape or form or paid or held liable or any of the other fine print, yadda, yadda. Just like to pass on a good deal. This does expire on Tuesday 3/22/11, so you have to move... quicker than me, but I DID want to try this one out before I said anything.

J & I worked on it this weekend... their program is pretty easy to use.
Here are all of the details . (make sure to use the FREECC code - NOT 'SPRINGTEN'!!)
We had been kind of interested in these books before, so this was a good way to test the water without a big $$ commitment!

...wiser?

2011-03-19T15:28:00.003-04:00

So... just when I'm beginning to think that I'm getting a 'wee' bit of wisdom with my 'old-age', you know learning from some of my past mistakes... ie:

in the photo of the 'sticks' that I'm trying to force into blossom - the plate underneath isn't just a 'cute' accent of red. I've learned the hard way that when using vintage pottery vases, it is always best to have protection under them, as OFTEN they leak (and leave N.A.S.T.Y. water stains on the wood surfaces they are sitting on!!). Such was the case with this new found Royal Haeger vase... no harm... chalk one up for S... 8-)

The 'stick' buds are just about ready to burst open - not photo worthy yet, but almost - YEH! ... chalk another up for S... 8-)

There were T.H.R.E.E. Sale Ads in the paper for this morning. I was Really excited, after two 60° days in a row I walked out the door this morning without a jacket... there was snow on my blazer! WOULDN'T you think that I would learn?!! Oh well. I DID go to the sales. They were all 'MOVING' sales, so they were all inside. What a bizarre mix! No. 'Bizarre' doesn't even begin to cover it.

The first place was a Lady who was apparently addicted to Holiday decorations - NEW Holiday decorations. I guess if you were into that, you could have gotten a lot of good deals. All I bought were the Lobster crackers for J's annual Clam/Lobster bake and a boxful of peanuts (25¢ ea.).

The next stop was on a 'less than desirable' street... I told J before I left "If I don't return, I'm going INSIDE of a house on WWWW St. - look for me there." It actually ended up being the most interesting sale of the morning - an old warehouse, rehabbed into lofts. Yeh, the stuff this 'Lady-With-The-Way-Too-Much-Perfume' had was Incredible w/ antique store prices, but just getting the chance to see the interior of this place was worth it! I looked around, but left empty handed.

The last on the list... an apt... no signs... no prices... not much of anything... if you see it and you want it make an offer... couldn't quite get out of there fast enough. Oh well, it was just around the corner from the Salv. Army - so I HAD to stop! When I saw the 2 Lobster plates, I knew they HAD to join the crackers!

WOO HOO! My BIG quarter purchase for ME!!!

...OH Happy Day!

2011-03-17T14:37:00.007-04:00

Does it bother me...? that I drove this many miles today (with gas @ $3.59) running errands and hitting F.I.V.E. Thrifts...

~OR~ that all I found of interest that I wanted to buy at those F.I.V.E. Thrifts were gifties for others...

~OR~ that the only other thing that came home with me was a bag of colored 'bags' that my hairdresser had been saving for me for my 'plarn' creations...

None of this bothered me in the slightest, because...
.
.
.
.

The car heat was turned off for the first time in 6 months!
I didn't have to wear a jacket.
I wasn't wearing a turtleneck.
I had the car windows rolled down.
and
I had the music cranked!

...are we there yet?

2011-03-16T08:00:00.004-04:00

As a 'TRUE' born-n-raised NorthEasterner, I KNOW that March is NOT a month to even try to second guess around here! One thing I do know... I can coax some EARLY, Beautiful Bright yellow flowers out of these 'sticks' (ie: Forsythia) , if I grab the branches the minute they begin to swell ( and the snow has melted enough to let me get near the limbs!!) and take them inside!! Right about now any signs of life and color are dearly coveted in these parts!! (Don't believe me about the 'sticks' producing flowers? We'll check back in a couple of days!!)

One of the best parts about cutting the 'sticks', was that I got to try out a Xmas gift from J - a BRAND NEW pair a hand clippers - WONDERFUL!

Almost time to plant seeds!!!!!!

Resin Owl instigated another 'PURGE', and now 'Owl' and all of our other 69ers are in the ETSY shop!!

...MCMLXIX

2011-03-13T20:00:00.004-04:00

No 'real' sales yet... but I did have a few 'FUN!' finds on Friday while hitting the Thrifts 8-)... All you have to do is look at this guy, and you can figure out that Roman Numeral Conversion!! Such a classic, that I couldn't leave him in the Thrift on Friday!! Love that color combination 8-)!

A beautiful double sided April Cornell scarf. Does anybody know if her stuff still sells??

~a couple of 'Birds-n-Blooms' pins for me.

~a couple of those 'other Vera' pieces, just 'cause I'm groovin' on the orange-pink-red color combo lately (will go nicely in my 'Valentine Train Case!)

~and a Pyrex Fridgie with a CAT?! Never seen such a piece before!!

'MEIER SEIDE' (German painted silk) Owl scarf

Okay, so nothing that FILLED the Blazer, but it sure beat sitting home watching the snow melt, then accumulate a.g.a.i.n., then melt, then accumulate a.g.a.i.n. .... Oh well, I really shouldn't complain about our NE weather - the snow & cold are at least predictable, and we are able to plan for them.

Hoping you and yours are safe.

...oh what a weekend!

2011-03-09T07:51:00.004-05:00

NO... I wasn't out 'treasure hunting' this weekend...( ...well, okay, maybe just a 'little', but this turquoise MacKenzie-Childs enamel cup @ $1.00 was the only thing I brought home!!)

The 'Treasures' all came to ME!! Yes. I had a house brimming with friends, food and fun for a long weekend! Throw in a couple of bottles of wine, and 'finally enough snow' (in the words of the small children!) to go sledding - who could ask for more?? ...okay, maybe if that one wine glass hadn't gotten broken...

But 'MORE' there was! They came loaded down with 'gifties' for S - not nearly enough blog space to show them A.L.L., but I must show HAEGER 2010 #3 that they presented me with!

(You'll also see the GREAT sweaterclips - 2010 #2 & #3 that arrived Friday in the mail from the South - I'd MUCH rather have these tossed my way than those Mardi Gras beads any day! THANKS Christine!!)

It was SO MUCH FUN hanging with the kids... they are turning into 'real people'!
...and the cheap 'slave labor' is GREAT! NO, I wasn't the 'meanie', and didn't make them count/sort SCRABBLE tiles for me the entire time they were visiting ~ but that is an 'educational' activity, right?!??

I did teach them the FINE ART of the Easter GumDrop tree, and I think that they rather enjoyed that!

~ ~ Ah... but then it is back to the real world again...~ ~

5C: I tried to do another 'Scarf Fashion Shot' for you, but alas, I just don't have it in me. For what it's worth, the long skinny ones are great as belts... Your best bet for inspiration - Go to the ANTHROPOLOGIE catalogue site on the computer and look at their scarf section - prices are outrageous, and I know that I probably will never buy anything from them (other than that VERA book that I couldn't live without) - but I love pretty pictures 8-)

...AND a quick THRIFT FIX on Tuesday... vintage Laredo,Texas straw Hat - .50¢; vintage square Lampshade $1 (for what - I don't know, but I liked the lines!) and a cool old wood cane for another buck.

...A.D.D. MAXIMUS!

2011-03-01T13:13:00.005-05:00

Why is it that when I want to accomplish THE MOST, I take the longest possible path?? Well, at least I KNOW that I'm not alone!

Let me give you some background... with friends coming for a visit this weekend, I've been trying to do a little early Spring Housekeeping. J has been good and joining in on the 'fun'!
(**Not to worry Mrs M. - I definitely have not been doing anything that didn't 'NEED' to be done even if you weren't coming!!! Not a lot of the 'need' has gotten done either... Oh, and please only pack dark colored socks so that I don't feel so guilty as to the color of the bottom of your feet when you leave... THANK YOU!)

What do I find J doing the other night?
...replacing the top stair tread to our basement stairs! Because...??? OH! It came loose when he was taking stuff down cellar... so the whole thing needed to be replaced, painted, new trim cut, installed, painted, new tread found, bought, installed... It is pretty though! Now the others look REALLY BAD! NO, we ARE NOT GOING TO REPLACE THEM ALL NOW!!
(**and NO Mrs. M. you are NOT allowed to bring this up OR go see it - this is your only siting!!)

But hey, that's okay, like I said - just proves that I'm not the only one who gets side-tracked!

table with VERA 'washable' placemats awaiting the weekend!!

Wondering what's up with these other photos? Well recently I had a question as to how I used all of my VERA findings/vintage scarves. I think she probably wanted me to show more of how I wore them, and while I DO wear Lots of them, I'm not much of a model!! I'd much rather show how I use them around in vignettes and in everyday life as VERA intended 'Art for living'. Plus, since I've got NOTHING along the lines of new thrifted goodness to show, these are good filler!!

Okay 5C here's a vintage scarf shot just for you! I must confess this is an ECHO and not a VERA... I know, the shame... the shame... - but I do love me a good ECHO or PAOLI too!! I will try to show more 'fashion' shots, because WEARING scarves is a lot of FUN!

FEBRUARY REPORT: YEH! I'm still keeping my New Year's Resolution of purging 211 items per month!! It really helps when you have your own personal cheerleaders at your favorite thrift who know of your Resolution, and that part of the resolution is that you can't visit the thrifts without taking a bag for donation. I stopped by last week, bag in hand, and the lady at the desk said "Good Job S! You made it TWO MONTHS!! That's better than most people do on their resolutions!". I guess (depending on how you look at it) even better is that I left with nothing.

VERA as Wall Art in the laundry is always FUN!

O.K. speaking of laundry... fresh linen for the guest room is a calling 8-)
Back to my mission at hand! HAPPY FIRST DAY OF MARCH!

...any port in a storm...

2011-02-25T10:42:00.004-05:00

...or should I say, "Any VERA in a Thrift drought!"VERA 2010#3 ~ .50¢

Good thing this turquoise sheer still had it's tag, still barely dangling on, because even VERA didn't find it 'signature' worthy!!For .50¢ it DID brighten my day, and it is another example to round out my collection of VERA - so I'm NOT COMPLAINING!

...a girl can dream!

2011-02-23T07:07:00.001-05:00

...morning coffee won't quite be the same.

2011-02-17T06:09:00.004-05:00

I can't take credit for this photo!! J was out playing around with his camera the other day, and caught this noisy guy...

A bag is ready and waiting by the door to be taken for donation...

Mission for the morning: one appointment and then off for some Serious, mindless, THRIFT THERAPY!!

Was greeted at work yesterday with the news that one of the friends that I had visited on Friday with Valentine cookies passed away yesterday morning. Carm will be deeply missed at morning coffee.

...do you see what I see?

2011-02-15T14:06:00.004-05:00

Saturday, on our way home from my parents house, we !Finally! found a little shop open that I have been scoping out for Months!! OH, the joy of Fresh Turf!! 2011 Sweaterclip #1

Royal Haeger that J fell in love with because of the lion head 8-) 2011#2 (early Vday gift from him!!)

Do you see what I see in this photo? I took it to our back porch for some natural light, and Lo-n-behold - SHADOWS!! Which can only mean one thing - SUNSHINE!! Yes, Upstate NY actually had some SUNSHINE this afternoon!!! Oh, it was Fabulous...

and not just a few 'shadows', but LOTS of SHADOWS!!! Okay, I'll admit it was only 17°, but who really cares, when you have SUNSHINE in February?!!

..."He requested roses - but we were all sold out."

2011-02-13T16:31:00.003-05:00

Remember the mottled orange/pink train case that I picked up the other day for .50¢? Well, it ends up that it only cost me .34¢!!

While giving it a thorough cleaning this morning, I found a rather hidden 'pocket' that was FULL-O-GOODIES!! Mostly the usual bottom.of.the.purse kinds of things like coins, safety pins, odd buttons, etc...

There was also this TINY little Sterling charm with initials on one side and on the backside it says Christmas 1968...

My FAVORITE find of all...

This card.

Yeh, Phil was a schmuck for waiting until the last minute (after the roses were all sold out!), but 'SCW' must have thought he was pretty special to have hung onto the card! 8-)
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

... last one... PROMISE!

2011-02-13T07:18:00.003-05:00

...until I find some orange / green gumdrops for St. Pats Day - of course!! (Can you imagine how many of these we would go through if we had kids in the house?!?!)

...oh SUGAR! SUGAR!

2011-02-12T06:08:00.007-05:00

Not sure if 'THURSDAY IS BAKING DAY'... but is was at Chateau svelte! LOTS of Pinks and Purples and MY KIND OF GLITTER!

Yesterday I used my 'thrifting hours' to deliver plates (eclectic 'thrifted' ones OF COURSE!!) of VALENTINES to friends / beloveds that I don't see nearly often enough! Was a GOOD MORNING!!

One older friend even greeted me with this 'purse ashtray' that she had set aside 'ages ago!' when she was cleaning out 'cause she knew that I collected them, and she was hoping I would stop by soon'

On my way to a Nursing Home, I spotted a sign that said HUGE SALE with an arrow... well, what was I to do?!? I think that a 'guy' must have made the sign. (not much stuff.)

I did grab this Samsonite train case for .50¢ !! How FUN! is that mottled PINK/ORANGE coloration?! This one is definitely staying with me 8-).

Gotta go... J and I are on a roadtrip to MY parents today to deliver their Valentines and see what other mischief we can get into! Have a GREAT WEEKEND !

...in the mood

2011-02-08T09:07:00.006-05:00

Decorations at our house are sparse for V-day, but they are starting to appear...
My buddy Buddah in his flashy metallic purple & pink glory!
but, many of the 'usual suspects' are showing off their Colors of The Season!

RED! Leo Ward bird, who is glad that he isn't try to get at that snowy birdfeeder ...
I have to get J (I'm tired of the 'DH' designation, and opting for just an initial - until I can come up with something more creative!) to show me how to do a proper photo!!

Tin Man by my Daddy!

...Friday findings

2011-02-06T05:59:00.012-05:00

Friday findings were few and far between, but they were FUN, and that is what counts - right?

(enamel & metal pendant .80¢ - anybody know anything about the signature NEUBERGER?? I'm not having much luck researching. That's okay, 'cause it's a keeper anyway!)
Looking back on my 'REALITY CHECK' post, I hope I didn't give anybody the wrong impression with that blog entry! I just found myself reflecting upon everything that 'I' /'WE' pour into our treasures from start-to-finish, and how absolutely INSANE we must appear to 'Outsiders' who don't 'get' our passion!! Yes, 'We Who Love Vintage Stuff' definitely view the whole process from a completely different perspective - perhaps through rose colored glasses at times...

we add extra hours to our day by getting up early, and have seen beautiful sunrises.
those 'sale signs' have taken us on roads that we may never have explored otherwise, and seen breath taking sights - journeys we have remembered.
we've explored Barns and Homes others can only dream of prowling through!there is adventure around every turn, a complete cast of 'characters' - yes some good and some not so good (shower maybe?!)... but we love them all, and find ourselves worrying, just a bit, when they aren't in their usual spot in line ahead of us at that estate sale.
if it wasn't in our hands, we wouldn't have a reason to research and learn about it - and all of that useless info rattling around in our heads comes in oh-so-handy!!
it really is a 'cheap addiction' compared to lots of them - have you seen the price of football tickets??!
the 'sale' is just kind of a validation of sorts... (oh, and it DOES support our 'habit'!!)

(old tin/bakelite CAMELS I 'Finally!' untangled... will give to a friend who adores Camels $1)

It's the PASSION for STUFF / JUNK ~ you either have it or you don't!

(just for fun skeleton earrings to be part of my next altered art / collage project - $1)

...and if you keep coming back for MY silly ramblings and STUFF FINDS

- you Must have The PASSION for STUFF!

(SWEDEN pewter necklace)

AND...

VERA rectangular SCARF 2010#2 $1.00 !!!!!

Now, go get your GOLD & BLACK on!

...reality check...

2011-02-03T16:21:00.005-05:00

... testing ... testing ... one ... two ... three ... testing...

Yep. This blog is still alive!

There is still life here in CNY - though barely... things are pretty much flat lining here. Even the weather! Though I'm not complaining about the fact that we have been dubbed 'THE BIGGEST LOSERS' over the fact that the storms missed our area, and all we got was a 'usual Winter's day' accumulation of about 3-4" w/ temps in the teens!(pair of coffee mugs by Guy Buffet)
Thrifting for the most part has been pretty non-existent ((yawn)). Estate and Rummage Sales ~ WHAT are those??

OH well, I've been trying to be productive catching up on a couple of years worth of scrapbooking (note 'trying' is the operative word here!!).

I have also been implementing a new 'Project Purge' for the Year 2011. In honor of the year, my goal is to purge '211' items each month. This can be in the form of selling, donating, tossing, consigning - whatever... just OUT OF THE HOUSE!! January was an easy success, let's see if I can continue!! It's kind of a Two-Part Goal that goes hand-in-hand. The second part of the goal, is to have a bag of 'stuff' in the Blazer for donation whenever I go out on a Thrifting adventure. No bag of stuff sorted and ready to go? Then I can't stop yet! (see, it kind of serves two - purposes!) WISH ME LUCK!! So far, so good...(Recent Thrift find - Stetson bowl)

With the lack of 'saling', I've been doing a LOT of de-stashing. This Stetson bowl purchase inspired me to pull out a bunch of plates and china that I've been procrastinating on. Similiar to the motivation that the purchase of the Pyrex was last week! So this week has been a LOT more listing!!

(Mid-Century Yugoslavia Enamel Paella Pans coming soon to an ETSY shop near you!)

With all of the listing I've been doing the last couple of weeks, it's made me take a hard look at selling vintage on e-bay and etsy... A 'Reality Check' of sorts...

weekend~early hours&hours to get the 'good stuff'
#miles~$gas
insane people~crazy work conditions (weather, animal remnants, decay bldg)
clean~research
write-up~photo
store~pack/box~collect $$~ship

ALL of this for how much return on your investment? As a college graduate, I think about how much I used to make an hour, sitting at a cushy desk job with full benefits - and how I MUST be out of my mind now - when I get excited over a $12 ETSY sale! Then, I remember how I used to hate getting up in the morning...

('Sic Kay The Other Mug...' ever hear of these??)

Hoping everyone is safe and warm, and has a BIG MUG of Hot Cocoa with their favorite addition - Peach Schnapps? Bailey's? Mini Marshmallows!?

OH! Almost forgot - did find a few 'goodies' for ME the other day at the Thrift!! Three leather belts (Levi brown, Italy black & No-name sage-green) - I've been in a serious 'belt' mode lately with all of my sweaters - and at .50¢ each for leather I couldn't go wrong! LOVE the great buckle on the Italian!! You can't really see it, but I also grabbed a black wool 'wrap'. It's like a H*U*G*E* fitted sweater~shawl. I have a plum one that I bought at VanHeusen a couple of years ago, and love wearing in the Fall. I found it in the 'scarf' bin for another .50¢!!

...Bucky and Becky.

2011-01-26T09:49:00.002-05:00

I'm really going out on a limb and dating myself here... Does anybody else out there remember 'BUCKY & BECKY'? As in the mascots for W.T. Grant's little Restaurant/Diner/Coffee Counter - 'THE BRADFORD HOUSE'.... ANYBODY? ANYBODY? Made a quick stop into one of the usuals yesterday on my way home from work, and I spotted this stack of Restaurant China... PYREX... .

(Now, don't get me wrong, but THANK the THRIFTING POWERS THAT BE I have NOT been bitten by the 'Pyrex Bug'!!! I DO appreciate it for what it is, and will pick it up at sales when I see it for a good price - but am NOT tempted to keep it!. Living in Central Upstate NY - very close proximity to Corning, there is an abundance of it, and we all grew up in houses where it was used on a daily basis, and everyone knew someone or was related to someone who worked there...).

Upon closer inspection of the plates, I discovered the BRADFORD HOUSE LOGO 8-) . OH, the memories! I used to spend quite a bit of time with my Grandparents when I was little, and on shopping trips, we always made a stop at GRANTS - quite often eating at The Bradford House! Somewhere I have a photo of a Breakfast with the Easter Bunny that I won through a coloring contest sponsored by Bucky & Becky. To eat? ALWAYS the clam strips. Anyways, back to the plates - there were 9 plates - even numbers sell better, I picked out the eight best, put one back on the shelf... but I couldn't leave one lonely plate sitting on the shelf, so they all came home with me. They even inspired me to go dig through my 'stash' and see what other pieces of PYREX I had that I could put on at the same time...

Turns out I had quite a few. ( I WASN'T PLANNING on keeping them - REALLY!! I had just been too lazy, and needed some motivation...) but now those Bradford plates gave me inspiration ('cause I know if they hang around they may cause temptation!). PHEW! They are A.L.L. on ebay now (free listing of 100 items this week- YEH!!), and if they don't sell (shipping is WAY to expensive!!) they ARE getting donated and OUT.OF. HERE.! (one little blue snowflake fridgie without a cover has a small thin chip to the rim - I'm gonna toss it, anybody want it for the cost of s/h?)

These are my only PYREX 'must-haves'... In our family, Mac-n-Cheese just doesn't taste right unless it is made in 'The Large Red Bowl' - and THAT is the only thing that is allowed to be made in that bowl!!

But then there is still the issue of that Ninth Bradford House plate...

...bring on the...

2011-01-14T06:59:00.004-05:00

GUMDROPS!
because we all KNOW, no matter how BAD the thrifting is,

or how BAD the Day in general has been...

a GUMDROP can't help but make you smile for a minute...

(and a GUMDROP TREE, now that's just icing on the cake!!)

...so what's a girl in need of a 'stuff-fix' to do??

2011-01-10T08:11:00.006-05:00

I've shown you the results of a few VERY Lackluster days of thrifting last week, and when my Friday morning 'usuals' only yielded this grapevine wreath, it was barely enough to keep me from 'throwing in the towel'.

Friday night, after work, DH & I had a 'Hot Friday Night on The Town' - ran errands, visited the inlaws (which now includes a stop at the Nursing Home - always a Fri. night treat!), dinner... . Got home and settled in for the evening with warm comfy clothes and slippers. DH was working on a project on the computer. All of a sudden I put my coat and a hat on (still in slippers) - DH looked up "WHERE are you going??" SILLY! Of course he should know the answer to that, dressed the way I was, at that hour of the night... " To the ATTIC!" (aka "fairweather STUDIO".

Oh, EVERYONE should have an 'ATTIC' or a place of retreat when thrifting gets dire, (or when thrifting is Very good for that matter!!). 'MY' attic is 'MY' haven. 'MY' studio. 'MY' storage. DH gets the garage. I get the attic. No, I have not broken down and let DH finish it off and climate control it... YET. It is still in it's unfinished glorious form. Yes it has full insulated wood floors, new windows & new roof; but the rafters are all uninsulated & exposed, yielding it about 15° warmer than the exterior in the Winter, and much warmer than the exterior in the Summer. Spring and Fall are Wonderful though.

I digress, so I was on a mission to the Attic. I had remembered the Grapevine wreath I had purchased that morning. I grabbed a basket and went 'shopping' in my massive stash.

Silver garland - check

'Junk' RED ornaments - check

'Junk' PINK ornaments - check

Hi-temp Hot Glue Gun - check

Lotsa Glue - check

can't feel my fingers anymore, gotta go back downstairs......

So, this snowy weekend was spent 'destashing' - thanks to inspiration from Sonya over at Dime Store Thrift. What do you think - an improvement on the 80's grapevine wreath? I personally prefer it this way!

Oh, I guess I could have spent the weekend doing something productive like cleaning or putting things on ETSY - but isn't this FUN?!!

Hope you are having FUN even if 'the stuff' is eluding you!

"...the council is NOT amused."

2011-01-09T11:03:00.003-05:00

Does anyone remember that famous line from the old Bewitched series, when Samantha would occassionally have to appear before the Witches council? Well, that pretty much sums up 2011, thus far, for me in regards to 'stuff'! The 'weather' didn't hit our area until sometime early this morning, so this past week I was out scouring the thrifts, junk-shops, 2nd hand shops, next-to-news, consignments, and any other 'Port in a Storm' that I could find to fill my need for a GOOD FIX. But, alas, I hit a record (for me!) eleven different stores within a week with VERY UNREMARKABLE results!!!! Here is the loot that I brought home in it's unedited form... (are you ready for the excitement???)

scarf and fleece hat to brighten up the day to day wardrobe

a couple of Retro Geiger tops, coming soon to an Etsy shop near you

a bag full of vintage seam bindings, new & used, priced too good to pass up, can never have enough of this stuff - can you?!

OH - there was ONE SCORE.....

VERA! 2011 #1... a Bunch of Grapes!! (perfect for the FingerLakes where we Love our Wine!)

*Another purchase, but that was SOO NASTY & TACKY, purchased with a direct project in mind - and already partially rehabbed- that it shall wait until the 'after' photos are ready, so you don't think that I have completely lost my mind!

Come on 2011, you can do better than this ~ Right?!

...2010 - The year of the TIGER.

2011-01-05T08:34:00.004-05:00

My Holiday Celebrations 'officially' came to a close on 1-2-11, after a girls' day with my bestest buddy! One of my gifties from her was this 21" tall Royal Haeger Cat in my beloved Mandarin Orange glaze. (2011 #1)The Chinese New Year doesn't begin until 2/3/2011 and is the year of the Rabbit.

2010 was the year of the Tiger, I guess this is an appropriate way to see the old year out 8-) !!

... Verve + Vigor = 2011

2010-12-31T10:26:00.009-05:00

One of my favorite gifts the past couple of months was this vintage COPPER cuff bracelet bestowed upon me by a dear friend for my birthday. No designer markings, but from the moment I tried it on, it won my heart! Don't you just love it when somebody really 'get's' your style?!! Even when YOU may not know it's your style?!
I've never worn COPPER much, or had any interest in it, but I perused the depths of my jewelry boxes to see what I could find that might complement my newfound 'love'...
hmmm.. some NECKLACES
...a heart (an Xmas gift in '79 from 3 little boys I used to babysit), a retro enamel (Home Bureau project of Mom's) and a funky quarter 25¢ Rummage Sale pick-up a couple of summers ago...
...a few PINS
(no clue as to their history!)

...and a couple of pair of clip EARRINGS
by 'Renoir', from my Great Aunt's amazing collection of 'Moderne' jewelry

Wow. I guess I only 'thought' I never had any 'interest' in COPPER jewelry! I think that is one of my favorite parts of thrifting/rummaging/saling ~ when you find that 'special something' that really makes you reflect. Helps you open your eyes and makes you just a little bit more aware of who you are and what your style really is deep down inside. I foresee a LOT of wear out of this cuff in the coming year 8-) !

On a similar note... Have you seen PANTONES color predictions for 2011?? In my previous 'life' I was a commercial Interior Designer, so I'm always curious as to what Pantone has to say. For the coming year it is HONEYSUCKLE. "Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor...". Hey, I am all for 'V' nouns and nothing says Fall like Honeysuckle ~ but take the rest of it for what it's worth! I'm a Sagitarius, so of course I am going to adore this color, and it is in the same color range as my newfound COPPER, so I think I shall jump on the honeysuckle #18-2120 bandwagon!

Okay, enough of that.

We can't leave 2010 without one last Christmas Sweater Clip addition...

Sweater Clip 2010 #38, #39, #40, #41, #42, #43.

The FINAL tally for 2010:

Sweater Clips: 43

HAEGER: 40

VERA: 35

Now I'm trying to decide, do I do another running tally for these same three categories for 2011, or are you sick of hearing about them and seeing them? Should I pick different categories? Should I discontinue it all together? Opinions? Anyone??

Just remember...

Enjoy your journey - wherever it may take you in 2011!

...is it REALLY??!

2010-12-24T10:02:00.005-05:00

This week I have been COMPLETELY disillusioned... Is there a Santa? Is there a Tooth Fairy?
I have continued to look at this set of napkin rings from every direction in hopes of redemption...

They. Are. What. They. Are.

An example of what happens when VERA goes TAIWAN - 'IT AIN'T PRETTY!!' (but it does make you raise your eyebrows and laugh!!)

(VERA 2010 #35)

THE VERY HAPPIEST OF HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE...

MAY YOU ALL FIND SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU SMILE (or at least laugh)!

...((sigh)) all went as planned, and NO BIG BOXES were entered!!

2010-12-16T19:48:00.003-05:00

8am DENTIST
8:30 Drop packages at Post Office
9am Get RX filled at best local pharmacy where the same 3 pharmacists/owners are ALWAYS working, know my name, my prescription, etc... RX is always filled within 4min of drop-off... They are THE BEST (and 1/2 the price of chain pharmacies!!)

OKAY... Time. To. CHRISTMAS. SHOP. Now or never. It is going to happen TODAY! I had a plan. It was a week day. Decent weather. Early Start. Doing this solo. No distractions. I was staying in town. NO MALLS. NO BIG BOX STORES. I had my list.

OOPS! The TrailBlazer had other plans... I was cruising along, everything going according to plan. Making good progress. Then that darn thrift sign... Okay, just a quickie... The second I walked in, what did I spy from across the room? (VERA 2010 #32)

(I think I was particularly atuned to the butterflies because just the night before I had been looking at these pages in my VERA BOOK!!)

That was it. Then I was back on my scheduled rounds. I must say I did a 'kick-butt' job on my shopping today - I actually enjoyed it... didn't 'buy things', just to 'buy things' (do you know what I mean??!). Just a few SPECIALTY things left to pick-up 'out of town' this weekend... ~ ~ ~ Happy Dance ~ ~ ~

Oh, and as a reward for a 'job well done', I did allow the TrailBlazer to veer off course into another thrift on the way home...

VERA 2010 #33

VERA 2010 #34

Hope everyone is finding a little time for some 'stuffing / junking' amidst this hectic holiday season 8-) !!