If the Shoe Fits…

The last instruction I gave myself as I dressed on Friday morning was, “Remember, you do NOT need any more shoes. You have plenty.” I purposefully wore shoes that tie, since they are harder to take off to try on some bargain on a driveway. (And also because we were going to the annual Salem Art Fair after garaging, so I’d be walking quite a bit.)

I am sure it is no surprise that at the very first sale, just down the street from my house, I found some shoes.

They weren’t my only find of the day. There were also bunnies. Practical bunnies – a soap dispenser bunny and a vintage Debbie Dean bunny mug.

 At the same sale I was smitten by these adorable salt & pepper shakers. 

Don’t know why, but for only a buck I had to have them. Maybe it's their small size, not quite as tall as the bunny mug. Anyway, it was love at first sight. I have no regrets.

Another sale yielded a fifty cent piece of heavy cotton fabric in a large scale paisley. About 2 yards long by 2 feet wide.  Good for something, one of these days. 

And another fifty cents bought this hand painted House of Hatten “December Sky Spirit” ornament, ostensibly from Pueblo mythology. I can always use a benign spirit about the house.

But the shoes…yes, they were the big splurge. Sort of. Because I found not just one pair, or two, or…okay, I bought FIVE pairs of shoes!

Two pairs of Danskos, one still in the box, both look like they were worn maybe once. They retail for around $125 a pair. And two pairs of Keens, same excellent condition, same original price range. And a pair of short boots, which were probably originally around a hundred bucks. So about $600 worth of quality footwear, all in my size.

For a total of five bucks. That’s right, they were a dollar a pair.

Admit it. You would have bought them all too!

The Thing with Feathers

I've been thinking about hope, and all kinds of things that are inherently hopeful. Like planting things, especially seeds but really anything you stick in the ground so that it can grow. Don’t you think planting a tree is one of the most hopeful things a person can do? My grandfather planted this one about 70 years ago. 

Yes, that little house is where I spent my first six years. The small window on the back is by a stairway where I would sit and watch trains go over a trestle a few blocks away.

I splurged a bit on Friday on another piece of hope. A bicycle! I think bikes definitely fall into the hopeful category. Will you really take those rides that you are imagining?

I haven’t owned a bike for several years but recently decided I should get one again. Bikes were such a symbol of freedom when we were growing up. We would jump on our bikes and be gone for hours, and no one fretted as long as we were home by dinnertime. When I test-drove this one I was a little wobbly at first, but riding a bike is truly one of those skills you learn for a lifetime.

I love this one. It's definitely an old lady bike! It's designed so that you can put your feet on the ground when you stop, and the seat is way more comfy than the hard leather one on my old ten speed. 

And it has a wicker basket – perfect. I can hardly wait to ride it to the library, but I have to get a lock first. Something we didn’t worry about as kids!

Of course thrifting itself is an act of hope. We happened upon a large neighborhood sale on Friday and had a blast roaming the streets and finding bargains. Besides the bike, I came home with a pair of Ecco shoes for a dollar (that brand seems to retail around $150) 

and a cute pair of socks to go with them. 

Fifty cents purchased a never-been-opened switchplate cover. 

The seller told me she had bought it when her grandson was born, and he’s now ten years old, so she figures this is never going to be put up in his room! Now it's finally fulfilling its destiny in my kitchen.

I was really surprised to find this beaded dragonfly coin purse for fifty cents. It's just like one I found last August and made into a necklace.

The most exciting thing I found was actually free. I can't believe some dealer didn’t spot it. A Sixties Lightolier chandelier designed by Gaetano Sciolari. 

The lady told me when they took it down (why?? It’s gorgeous!!) the wire got cut a bit short, but hey, wire can be spliced or replaced. From the layer of dirt on the light bulbs I'd say this has been sitting around in a garage for years getting in the way…waiting for me!

There are a few of these for sale on antiques sites and Etsy, with prices ranging from $1420 to $1850.  Zowie! I can hardly wait to get it installed, 

replacing this puppy, which I'm sure any number of people would like…but I don’t.

This is probably the best free thing I've ever picked up at a sale. I hope the sales you find are just as good to you!