Dig This Treasure!

Sarah and I didn’t sale last Friday because there was supposed to be a snowpocalypse.  It snowed some, but the worst part was really how icy the roads seemed to be.  Anyway, I hit a sale on Saturday to make up for our loss.  The sale was right nearby and looked to have LOTS of cute things.

And, turns out, it did!

The problem was that everything was so expensive!  The tiered serving thing above was $30!  All of those cookie jars and vintage pitchers were $20+.

When I saw this old wicker baby scale for $50, I started to get annoyed.  That is a really neat item, but no one is going to pay $50 for it at an estate sale.  In fact, I didn’t see anyone at this sale buying much of anything, which is sad because there were a lot of nice things.

When I got in the basement there was this adorable, retro stove.

It’s too bad this thing was so heavy or else I probably would have considered buying it.  

I did find some old greeting cards for Sarah, and ending up making a deal on the whole lot for $20.  There were some really cute cards in here, all from the 40s, 50s, and 60s, so I feel like it was a good deal.

And amazingly, I found a vintage laundry cart.  I just cleaned up our basement laundry area and was telling Zach that I wanted some sort of vintage laundry holder/basket thing.  This little wheely guy was just the thing I needed!

Right now he is holding all of our clean socks:

I also found this tiered, wire fruit basket thing.  It reminds me of an old-timey supermarket or a 1950s kitchen item.  I’m also using this in our laundry area, although I haven’t figured out what to put in it yet.

I got both my laundry items for $10.  

-Erin

Over Labor Day weekend, I went to Canada with my family.  We’ve been making this annual trek since I was in elementary school, and our visit centers on two huge antique markets in Sarnia.  

Before I reveal my finds from the trip, I have to say that I LOVE Canada.  I love its fries slathered in vinegar, I love how nervous Timmy gets at the customs booth, I love Coffee Crisp candy bars, and I love Duty Free shops.  Canada is the best, and so are its antique markets.

Our first stop was Dale’s Antiques, a cluster of little booths and barns open every Sunday.

I spotted this scale in one of the barns and of course loved it.  It was huge and expensive though.

I did, however, buy a smaller kitchen scale for my collection.  This one was pretty rusted up, but it’s much older than my other scales and really unique.  I paid $20 for it, which is more than I usually spend on scales.  I kept telling myself that this was Canadian money though, and thus not really real.

I also found an old cookie jar that was in excellent shape.  I knew that I could resell it easily since it was classically “retro” and because it was a cat.  I paid $15 and ended up selling it on ebay for $38.  The jar is made by American Bisque which is pretty collectible among cookie jar people.

A helpful hint here is that American Bisque jars are often airbrushed, and the bottoms have raised wedge-like pieces:

After Dale’s, we visited a couple of small, independent antique shops, and then headed to a flea market called The Pinery.  The Pinery is great because you can buy beef jerky, dog bones, and antiques all in the same place–while drinking an ice cold beer.  I did all of these things.  

My best find was probably this old cast iron still bank.  I thought this was a soldier, but it turns out he is actually a boy scout.  He was made prior to 1934 by AC Williams Co.  I paid $25 for him, but auction listings online value him anywhere from $150-$295!  My little guy has a piece missing out of one leg, but I don’t plan to sell him anyway.  Right now he has a home on one of our collectible shelves.

Cute huh?  He has a little backpack that you can drop coins in.  

I’ll end with some treasures I didn’t buy.  I am seriously kicking myself over passing on these.  I have no explanation of what these felt banners mean or what they were used for, but they sure are hilarious.

“Hold It Baby It’s Too Divine”

“No-No Lady Don’t Do That!”

“Cool Me Off, I’m Steaming”

Lines from 50 Shades of Grey? Who knows.

-Erin