Dig This Treasure!

Pretty much every Sunday Zach and I go out to breakfast at a place called Thomas’, mostly because I am addicted to their pancakes.  Last week, after breakfast, we decided to stop at a random estate sale nearby.  It was advertised as being 50% off everything, so it was definitely worth a look.

The house was completely full of random treasures, without any real rhyme or reason.  These people collected a little bit of everything, which was great!  

I know Sarah will look at the above photo and ask why I didn’t buy her that little German ornament guy in the middle.  She collects these, but I forget their names.  I didn’t buy this one because he was broken.

Most of the items in the house were unfamiliar to me, and I didn’t have the best reception on my phone to look things up.  Because of the discount pricing though, I took a chance on a few items.  The first was this old puppet, made by Hazelle’s.  I found out later he was called Teto the Clown.

I also found this cool punched tin box.  I don’t know how old it is, but regardless, it’s interesting and pretty.  I decided to try selling it, but knew I was happy to keep it if it got no bids.

I think maybe it’s a mailbox or something!  It mounts to the wall.  And for the record, it did get bids on ebay, so so much for keeping it.  Teto the Clown sold too.

Zach had the best find by far.  A piece of Native American pottery by artist Sally Garcia.  Neither of us knew of her when he found this piece, but after doing some research, it turns out she is rather well-known.  She is credited “as the first pioneer of hand etchings on ceramic pottery.”  Her large pieces sell for hundreds and even thousands of dollars.  The piece Zach bought is pretty tiny, and had its original price sticker on it marked $84.  He ended up paying $15 for it.

We both love this piece so much and will probably keep it forever. Definitely a fave find, so kudos to Zach for eyeing it!

-Erin

Update from Sarah: I’ve never met another person so addicted to mediocre pancakes. Why didn’t you buy those HO cars? 

I’ll admit it. I bought this costume. And I don’t have a baby or a toddler. 

This was a hard one to explain when I got home. 

Erin and I saw this costume at a sale right after she and Zach bought their home. They were in the market for busts, and as soon as we walked in, she spotted a Mozart bust which will probably be featured as a Fave Find one day. Anyway, this was buried amongst some Burger King Alf Puppets that I actually carried around with me for a while. Can you believe I thought they might be valuable? Well, I did. Give me a big, fat break. 

So, Erin is sometimes obsessed with my unborn children, and while we stood contemplating the costume together, she exclaimed, “You need to buy that for your baby!” I reminded her I do not have a baby, but she told me I should buy it for my future baby. I then screwed myself by admitting to her that my mother had made the exact same costume (different fabric and pom-poms) when I was a toddler. Seeing the costume reminded me of some good times, and Erin was starting to really convince me that buying it wasn’t crazy. There was no turning back after that!

Here are some pics of me rocking the costume while gathering some Halloween loot when I was two: 

I wish my mom saved some of her clothes from back then. I’d totally wear that coat now. 

I do have one question, though. My brother is five years older than me. Why did my parents think it was a good idea for him to wear a toddler’s Halloween costume the next year? 

Anyway, when I came home that night, I did have a lot of explaining to do. But it was all worth the look on Adam’s face. 

I realize it seems like I’m obsessed with clowns, since the first edition of Things That Freak Your Husband Out (TTFYHO) was also about them, but I’m really not. 

-Sarah