Snippets

One of the best things that happens at busy neighborhood sales like the one Judy and I went to on Saturday is the overheard-snippet-of-conversation. You’re walking along to the next sale, and the two people walking in the other direction are in earnest conversation, and you get just one sentence as you pass by. My favorite: “And so that’s how we ended up at the fish camp.”

Struck me as funny, so I repeated it to Judy as we got to her car. She was puzzled about what fish camp could be. “I can just see all the fishes around the campfire in the evening, singing Kumbaya,” she said. “Or making little fishy lanyards in the craft hut.” By now I was laughing so hard I couldn’t climb into her Subaru. People gave us sidelong glances as they hurried by. Judy kept going with the fish camp description, then ended, “But I guess they’ll be leaving their fishing poles at home, don’t you think?”

It was a big weekend, two full days of garaging. With KK on Friday, Judy on Saturday. Found fun stuff. The first thrill was picking up this cool raincoat to try on, and it fit.

The thrill wasn’t so much that it fit, or even that it was one dollar. (Okay, yes, I was thrilled at that.) But the real kicker was that this evidently dates from the oversized-clothing Eighties, because it's a size 8. Trust me when I tell you there is nothing else that is a size 8 in my closet, including my shoes.

Nice socks from a free box are always welcome,

as were these other free box items – a wonderful fabric panel that may become a cross-back apron,

(here, let Millie give you a sense of its size)

and an adorable drawstring bag of Japanese fabrics. 

Why they were banished to the free box I'll never know, nor why no one had taken them before we arrived. Supposed to be mine!

I've been having fun playing around making fabric necklaces, and possibly even more fun picking up bits and pieces to embellish them with. Earrings and beads, for pennies. I'm sure these will spark some designs.

This necklace was so tangled that I think the lady sold it for 50¢ just so she wouldn’t have to deal with the snarl.

It's so oddly designed that it's not much better after teasing out the chain knots, but I plan to take it apart so no matter.

Possibly my favorite piece to play with was this little bead coin purse.

Handmade in China to sell in Canada.

It wasn’t too hard to take apart into two sections and then wash it.

Stay tuned for their transformation in some future post!

One of a Kind

So there I am, sorting through a box of vintage linens. Hand towels, pillowcases, small tablecloths. You know the kind of box I'm talking about. I pick up a piece of pink linen, probably from the Fifties but still clean and starched and pressed. Obviously something that was never used (as is often the case with vintage linens).

I turn it over to see if it's decorated, expecting embroidery or pulled threads. This is what I see.

“Um, Bob,” I say to my friend on the other side of the table looking at books, “does this look like, um, boxing bunnies to you?”

He chuckles, as does the guy next to him. “Yup, boxing bunnies,” he agrees.

Oh. My. God. Boxing bunny rabbits appliqued with great skill 

on pink linen, with embroidered details.

Including red eyes.

And a boxing ring.

I am stunned.

This is why we go out week after week, isn’t it? Because somewhere out there in a box on a driveway are inexplicable hand towels.

A minute later, the guy who was on the other side of the table near Bob sidles up beside me.

“Say, is that part of a set? Are there any more boxing bunnies?” he wants to know.

I grin. “Sorry, there’s only one.”

Hot Fun

I was awfully glad for that church rummage sale on Thursday, since their air conditioning was working and mine was not (hottest week of the year, of course). The dentist’s office where I had to go after the sale was also air conditioned but I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much. Plus they took a LOT more money away from me than the church did, and my new filling isn’t nearly as interesting as my rummaging finds. 

The very first thing that went into my bag was pretty amazing, especially for $4: a 100% silk duvet cover.

Hand painted – see how the motifs go over the seams?

Bought two of these throw rugs for a quarter each. Zoë likes them.

Almost all the clothing was fifty cents, so I brought home a couple of linen shirts, some cashmere and merino for winter crafting, and a wonderful hand-spun, hand-woven silk scarf.

Cute earrings, another fifty cents.

Ditto the spring-green china bunny,

who now resides among the petunias.

Of course I had to bring home some yarn. Chatted with another gray haired lady with a lovely English accent over the yarn table about how neither of us can resist adding to our stash.

Friday morning saw KK and me out early (Judy was traveling); everyone wanted to beat the heat. Including this fellow, who ambled up to the bird feed in my front yard as I was waiting for KK. I wish my lens had been good enough to show the birdseed stuck to his nose!

Along with sales in my neighborhood, it was the annual tract-wide sale at one of the retirement places; we probably hit 25 sales there. (Can I admit we were pooped out by 11? An excellent time of day for pizza!) We had fun at the place with the party supplies.

Heck, we had fun all morning! I picked up a couple of fabulous vintage (50s, I think) felt & feather birds (the flamingo might be a gift…if I can convince myself to part with him!), 

a pair of mini tube cake pans,

a 25¢ bracelet to part out (I have an idea for those chunky Lucite beads), 

and a bunch o’ cheap entertainment.

I’ve always wanted one of these ‘pin art’ toys, and this one was a dime. I call this “Self Portrait in Orange Plastic.”

One sale had a bunch of kitchen stuff that the lady was selling for a friend. No one had any idea what this silicone thingie was for.

Our best guess was a funnel. It was a quarter. I bought it mainly so I could figure it out. The hubster took one look at it and declared it was for brewing coffee. (He’s something of a coffee geek. That’s where his mind runs.) I kept looking online and finally found it. We were all wrong! It's a lemon squeezer,

and you store the leftover half in it.

Another 25¢ mystery…solved!