She Made Me Go Back!

KK and I were planning to go to one rummage sale on Friday, then head ten miles north to the farm that was advertising you-pick tomatoes. After all, we wisely told each other, neither of us needs a single thing, in fact we need to get rid of stuff that we have, yada yada yada. But then I texted her early that morning, “Or we could go to that neighborhood sale where I got the great light fixture a couple of years ago and pick tomatoes another day; I'm good either way.”

Yes, we went to the neighborhood sale!

It quickly became apparent that participation on Friday was low; there were probably quite a few more sales on Saturday. But that was okay. After all neither of us needs a thing etc. And our very first stop was worth going: piles and piles of fifty cent clothing. I haven’t had a dig like that for ages. I spent three bucks and came home with three pairs of jeans, 

two long sleeve t-shirts, 

and a linen jacket from Coldwater Creek in a cheerful floral print. 

Even better, everything fits, and except for the jacket, I don't think any of it has been worn. It all still has that sizing smell. No fancy brands, but who cares?

We cruised for a while longer, then decided to hit the rummage sale on the West side of town, just down the street from the epic estate sale where we bought so much incredible clothing. (I’ll be wearing all that cashmere forever.) The church ladies had moved their annual sale out into their parking lot, and we were all masked and distancing. And so we happily rummaged. Racks of clothing (no thanks, just bought six things), piles of fabric (must…resist…more…fabric…), boxes of picture frames. I flipped through these, smiling over the framed needlepoint with a funny saying about housework. Tempting, but I resisted. I also resisted a curious glass object among the kitchen wares, but happily grabbed the medium-sized saucepan with lid I've been looking for. Each one I've seen for the past few months was over my price-flinch point. At one dollar, this one was meant to be mine. 

Another dollar brought home these two wonderful vintage but unused tea towels.

We grabbed Thai food at the food trucks and went back to my house to eat by the creek. My outdoor table is probably less than ten feet from the water, and the ducks provide a daily aquatic show, augmented by a pair of green herons, kingfishers, geese and more. (In fact, at my birthday dinner not long ago, also held on my deck, KK suddenly exclaimed and pointed – a hawk had just swooped down and grabbed a fish out of the water!) We chatted about the usual this and that, and I said something about the funny framed needlepoint that I kind of wished now I had bought.

“Let’s go back and you can get it,” she said. Nah, I said, I don’t need it…and so we got back into her car and drove back across the river and parked in the exact same spot in their parking lot, and I hurried over to the box of frames, now fearful it would be gone. But the garage sale gods were smiling upon me, it was still there, still sporting its 75₵ price tag. 

I grabbed it, then went to the kitchen wares. The mystery item remained; I showed it to KK who thought it might be a wine aerator. 

I decided if it was cheap enough I'd buy it. Along with this adorable bunny that would make an excellent soap dish (now that all I do is wash my hands multiple times a day). 

The church ladies had no idea about the mystery item and priced it at a quarter, and the cute bunny at fifty cents. Well within my splurge range.

Apparently KK was right, and this is to aerate red wine as you pour it from the bottle. At first I thought not because it did not go in the bottle of pinot noir sitting on my counter, but then I tried it in another wine bottle and it fit. I never knew that the interior diameter of all wine bottle necks was not equal, so for only twenty-five cents I have increased my fund of knowledge.

And that's a bargain any day of the week!

 

To the Bins…and Beyond!

I haven’t been very assiduous about posting, but never fear, the thrifting continues!

The very next day after my last post about all the art I’m finding, I checked Craigslist and saw that the Episcopalian Church’s rummage sale was happening that day. (They start theirs on Thursday, then on Friday afternoon prices go to half, and on Saturday you can stuff a bag for five bucks.) I didn’t find much, I think a scarf and a kitchen doodad, but as I headed for the line to pay, I noticed that they had art propped up behind the tables of their “special” items – nicer things with higher prices. And there was a picture there that caught my eye, colorful windswept trees on a hillside. Sure enough, the handwritten label proclaimed it to be an original, but the price was $20. 

Not a whole lot for an original piece of art, but I had already spent so much in October I was really hesitant. When paid for my other things (a whole dollar!) I asked if they reduced prices at any point and they explained their system. I said I'd try to come back Friday afternoon and see if the picture I wanted was still there. 

One of the two ladies perked up and asked which picture. I pointed and described, and she beamed. It was a piece she had donated. I told her how much I liked it but that I was watching my pennies. She turned to the other lady, whose name tag proclaimed her to be Carol. “Couldn’t we let her have it for half today?” she asked.

Carol pursed her lips and shook her head. “If we do that,” she proclaimed, “we would have to do it for everyone.”

I've heard this line before, and it always annoys me, but I kept smiling. “No you wouldn’t. I'm not going to tell anyone, and I know you wouldn’t either.”

Joyce, the one who donated the picture, smothered a smile. “Maybe we could put it back for her until tomorrow.” Carol shook her head again. “We’ve never done that before.”

“Carol,” I said, still smiling, “why don’t you go take a little walk while Joyce and I talk?”

Carol hemmed and hawed a bit, but before long she turned away, and Joyce and I walked over to the picture. She told me she bought it from a local artist in Hood River and that it’s a cherry orchard (fruit is the big industry up there). She had it framed after she bought it, and she was really hoping that someone would fall in love with it when she donated it. I assured her I was that person, ten dollars quietly changed hands, and off I went. She seemed just as happy that it found the right home as I was to have it. I did a little rearranging and had it hung in my living room within half an hour of arriving home.

This is no amateur piece like some of the others (though I love them too!). 

The artist, Sally Bills Bailey, has apparently won lots of awards for her watercolors and acrylics. I found three of her works online with sales prices in the $1200 to $1800 range – and those are unframed. So I got an amazing bargain, but no one could love it more than I do!

You know how when something lucky happens people will say you should go buy that lottery ticket? Well, I think that’s the perfect time to keep thrifting – you’re far more likely to ‘win’ than with the lottery!

A few days later KK and I made a foray to the Goodwill bins, where I found a couple of beautifully made wooden toys. I knew exactly the person who would love them, my friend Lonna’s brother Jeff collects (among other things) wooden trains and cars etc. Sure enough, he loved them!

And wouldn’t you know, the next time we hit the bins I spotted something else I knew he would love for his Mickey Mouse collection – a vintage Mickey backscratcher.

He has hundreds of Mickey items, but didn’t have a backscratcher. He does now!

In between those two trips to the bins, we happened on a pretty good estate sale over near my old house. (In the really posh part of the neighborhood.) On Friday all I got was this metal bunny; 

it had lost its rod that stuck into the ground, but I like it on the wall.

KK and I went back on Saturday. Way fewer people crowded into the house, and still lots of interesting stuff to see. I walked off with some metal shelving for my garage (too boring to take a picture of, and now it’s full of things like paint cans.) More interesting is the adorable bunny hose holder – the paint is flaking off a bit, but I've got a can of copper metallic spray paint that will make it really spiffy.

My other find was a king size down comforter for five bucks. (Picture a large white poofy thing.) I knew I needed a duvet cover for it (white bed coverings and dogs are not a good combo!) so that was our excuse for the second trip to the bins. Where I found an Eddie Bauer king-size duvet cover in a dark red damask. LOVE! It washed beautifully, and is big enough on my queen size bed to hang down to the dust ruffle. 

Me and the girls are cozy at night, let me tell you!

Getting Artsy

One of the things I'm really enjoying about living alone (or at least as alone as a woman with two dogs and a cat will ever be) is the complete freedom to decorate as I please. No negotiating about where to hang a picture or place a piece of furniture. Zoë and Fannie and Millie never ever say, “Where are you going to put that?”

I think I may be turning my house into a gallery. I keep finding pieces of art that I can't resist, and locating one more spot to accommodate the new acquisition. There was that watercolor from the estate sale a couple of weeks ago, which seemed to open the floodgates. The next time I went garaging, I picked up another original painting…for a dollar. 

I love it; reminds me of the creek I now live on (though my location is nothing like so rural – I'm only about 10 blocks from the state capital!). The next day I went to the Baptist rummage sale, and there was another original oil, this time an autumn scene of a covered bridge. (Did you know we have more than 50 covered bridges in western Oregon?) 

The price was two dollars, so there was no incentive to resist. Hanging next to it was a beautifully stitched and framed crewel embroidery, probably from the 70s. 

I believe it was a Paragon kit called Poppies in Bloom (for some obscure reason…). Whoever stitched it did a beautiful job.

Of course art comes in all formats, and I've always loved folk art. Which certainly describes my newest bunny, who comes from Russia with love. (MY love – I'm crazy about him!) 

When you swing the wooden ball he paddles his boat; it is fabulous. I keep taking him down to play with.

Found an area rug for my living room that was art to my eyes. Thick wool plush, looks like new, twenty bucks. Yes please.

And I stand firm in my belief that well-designed, practical items we use every day are a wonderful form of art. Into which category I put my new paring knife; don’t you love using a good knife? 

In fact, a big part of the enjoyment I get from cooking (and oh yes, I do love the eating part!) is using the terrific kitchen tools I've found on driveways over the years. Excuse me while I go make a note to do a future post on a tour of my favorite kitchen stuff…

Souvenirs

Driving towards downtown on Wednesday morning, I spied it – right in front of the Episcopalian Church.

A sign. One I'd see before.

“Rummage Sale, Thursday Friday Saturday 9 a.m.”

I drove around the block and pulled the car over. Took my phone out. Texted.

“KK. Episcopalians are rummaging tomorrow @ 9!”

She texted back. “Bummer! Have to go to Eugene.” About 10 minutes later she texted again. “I’ll go to Eugene after!”

We’ve both made good finds among the Episcopalians’ cast-offs before. Mine included some $2 cashmere sweaters  that retailed for over $600 at the swanky San Francisco shop that originally sold them. Once something like that happens, Pavlov’s drooling dogs have nothing on you. It's a completely autonomic response. You MUST go to that sale.

And possibly drool.

This year’s finds were more practical than drool-worthy, but practical makes me very happy. A set of all-cotton sheets for the queen-size bed for three bucks? Yes please. (Macy’s house brand, online  price tag near $150.) Two pairs of pricey-brands crop pants for summer? Check. And for a little icing on the practical cake, a long (40” or so) strand of blue glass beads for another two bucks - embellishments for future textile pieces.

On Friday, KK and I took what I call a mini-vacation, which is any trip to an unfamiliar place, even if it’s just one street away from my usual route. She needed to deliver one of her paintings that was accepted into an art show in Corvallis, and there was an estate sale that looked like it might be good in nearby Albany. So I mapped out our trail down there instead of our usual stomping grounds.

I'm happy to report that for once the pictures did not lie, it was a good sale. (I define a good sale as one where the items belonged to someone whose taste matched mine. When that includes adorable vintage wooden toy thingies, bingo!) When we arrived I headed straight for the fireplace in the living room, where the pictures had indicated something I don’t see often.

Smokers.

No, not people hunched over in the rain the statutory 10 feet from a building entrance. Or the contraptions for smoking meat. I mean the German wooden figurines that you mostly see as a Christmas ornament. They come in all shapes and sizes, most often in the form of a man with a pipe. When you burn cone incense inside, the smoke comes out his mouth. I have a few, including Santa and a postman. My favorite in my collection has always been the aproned haus frau holding a bowl of dumplings – and the emerging smoke is the steam from the dumplings.

Sure enough, on the hearth was a lineup of three or four smokers, and unlike any I'd ever seen. I pounced, even though it was a bit of a splurge. The one with the acorns was a no-brainer.

And the elf sitting by his mushroom home? 

When I saw that the smoke comes out of the mushroom’s chimney, AND that he is sitting on a snail, into my bag he went. 

When I got home and inspected my finds, I saw that both were artist-made back in the 90s.

KK found me in the kitchen, where I scored a nice heavy kitchen knife and an Ove glove.

She was holding a little wooden object and asked if I'd seen it. Which I had not, or it would have been in my hands, not hers. I asked if she were buying it. Whew! She had picked it up for me!

Bunnies and chicks! Vintage music box. The tag said ‘as-is’ but who cares. I knew there was a music box inside because of the weight, but it wasn’t until I got it home and was cleaning off the dust that I realized how it is supposed to work. 

See that tallest bunny? ‘Tall’ being a relative term, he’s all of 2½” high. 

Well, he is the key – or at least glued to the key. You turn him to wind the music box, and then he’s supposed to revolve as the Blue Danube plays. Unfortunately he does not want to revolve on his own. But I have gotten other music boxes to play, and I have hopes for this one. I’ll tinker with it when I can take my time over it. Meanwhile, every time I look at the baby chick tucked up into the painted bed I feel myself grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

KK found my other buy as well – the Pinocchio egg cup. 

Though he may well become the Pinocchio candle holder, since I rarely eat a boiled egg. Or he can just around looking cute.

Hmmm, I just realized something. My last maxi-vacation was the trip to Chicago a couple of years ago, when I bought one and only one souvenir (a pair of vintage earrings from a thrift store). But I take a mini-vacation and look at all my souvenirs!

It's probably a good thing I don’t travel very often.