February 2012
47 posts
European Delights
When Erin and I were at the paper ephemera sale on Friday, I left thinking I might be back the next day with Adam. Sure enough, when I showed him some of the pictures, he got really excited. He thought the saw some vintage typewriter that played music when you hit the keys in one of the pictures. I can’t remember what it was called. Anyway, it ended up not being what he was thinking it was,...
Fave Find: Baby Elephants (not real ones)
Ever since I saw this video, I’ve loved finding baby elephant figurines. Elephants are smart, compassionate creatures. And obviously they like having fun. Sounds like me!
Now, I don’t go crazy with these. I like ones from the ’50s and ’60s that look sort of like cute-ified real animals—not gross Pier One elephants. I only buy the extra cute ones.
Except for the one...
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Snow Fakeout & Treasure Scores
So, because the snowpocalypse was a complete and total non-event, Erin and I were able to hit the road on Friday, and we managed to get out at a relatively early hour. The first sale we went to was a big ol’ dud, but we sort of expected that. The best thing was what happened when we walked in the door: An extremely flamboyant man greeted us, and then said to the woman working the sale with...
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Fave Find: Bathroom Cross Stitch!
This was one of the other cool things that I found at the sale where I purchased the red knickknack cabinet. I really love vintage cross stitch, and this one combines that charm with bathroom humor, which, if you know me at all, you know I also love.
Next time you’re in our downstairs bathroom, I hope you glance at that and feel anxious about finishing your business.
-Sarah
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Money Maker: Vintage Plastic Toys/Figures
So two weeks ago, if you remember, Sarah and I didn’t have the greatest of estate sale days…or so we thought at the time. I didn’t buy much that day, but one of the finds was a giant lot of old plastic figures (cowboys, indians, horses, army dudes, random animals, etc).
At the time, I kept kicking myself for how much I paid for these things, which was $25. I felt like I was...
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SNOW? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
The injustice of this is extreme: I love snow storms. I’m seriously obsessed with them. But why does one have to fall on sale day? The sales tomorrow look amazing… LIKE THIS:
Look at that stack of vintage cards!!!
Will we travel through treacherous conditions to find treasures, or will we stay home snuggled in our jammies? Only time will tell.
(Don’t worry, mom(s). If...
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Fave Find: Erica Courtney Designer Earrings
I actually found these earrings at an antique show, not an estate sale, but I’m blogging about them because they turned out to be quite the find. I fell in love with them right before my honeymoon and imagined myself running all over Cape Cod as a newlywed in these earrings. They were priced $115 but I negotiated down to $75.
The earrings are marked Erica Courtney on the back, of whom...
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Fave Find: Antique Red Tchotchke Cabinet
The sale where I obtained this antique cabinet is probably the best estate sale I’ve ever been to. At some point, I’ll write more about my other finds from that sale—it’s one that I actually went back to the next day with Adam, and I think I spent over $200 there. That’s a lot for an estate sale.
Anyway, Erin and I both wanted this cabinet but I prevailed. It cost a...
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Beauty Salon and Cash & Cari Letdown
So, the first house we went to on Friday was in Dearborn, and even though we didn’t find extreme treasures, we found something amazing: A crazy 1960s beauty salon in the basement that was stuck in time! Here’s Erin gettin’ her hair did:
On the right, you’ll notice the reception desk, and then the hair washing station.
Here is Carmen’s 1955 Diploma from the...
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Grey Gardens
Our sales this week were pretty interesting, not really because of our purchases but because of the weird-ass houses we visited.
The second house we visited on our journey was in Bloomfield Hills, and by all appearances, was about to be one of the fanciest (and largest) homes I had ever entered. This was pretty much true, until things got weird.
Turns out that this house was the PLAYHOUSE of...
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Fave Find: Antique Dinner Bell
I don’t know much about this bell except that it is heavy (brass?) and I paid $20 for it. It appears to be German based on the writing. A similar one recently sold on ebay for $89.
-Erin
Update from Sarah: Do you ring this in the evening when you have finished preparing Zach’s five course meal?
Update from Erin: *Six course meal.
TTFYHO: Large Ceramic Irish Setter
In this edition of Things That Freak Your Husband Out, take a look at my new buddy!
Isn’t he a beaut?
Ok, I loved this dog from the moment I saw him in that crowded, dirty sale last Friday. First, I love dogs. Second, this dog looks sort of real—and he’s smiling. Third, he’s a great color. Fourth, he was marked $6—a true bargain.
At first I left him there because...
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Cash & Cari and the Tale of the Fox
So full disclosure, Sarah and I were famous estate sale-ers way before this blog. Back in October we were featured on the “hit” (debatable) HGTV show Cash & Cari. The premise of the show is that treasure broker Cari Cucksley runs estate sales and viewers watch as she sells off goods to weirdos like us.
By chance, Sarah and I rolled up to a sale in which Cash & Cari was...
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Hot (or not) Commodities: Beanie Babies
Sarah and I see Beanie Babies at nearly every sale we attend, and I always give them a good look-through. Here’s the thing though…you know that percentage on anti-bacterial hand soap? 99.999% or whatever? That’s exactly the chance you have of NEVER finding a valuable Beanie Baby.
How do I know? Well, for one thing, this is me:
(Let me say here that if I was a kid now, I...
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