The Man Who Thinks He Can
Two Saturdays ago, Sarah and I ventured out to two sales that looked kind of alright. The first one turned out to be just plain weird.
(I cannot GET OVER how weird this cross stitch is.)
I’m not sure what the deal was with these people. They seemed kind of churchy. I think Sarah mentioned that the man of the house was a principal or something. Anyway, they didn’t really have much for us to buy. I kind of wanted this spaceship pinata, but it was stained:
I also don’t really like outer space. Anyway, I didn’t buy anything here, although I am sure Sarah did. I’ll let her indulge you.
As for the second sale, it was much better. There was definitely stuff to buy. The problem was, we couldn’t really get to any of it. IT WAS SO CROWDED. They seriously let like my entire high school graduating class into this house. It was insane. I couldn’t move at all.
The other issue was that there was a staff of people working this sale hell bent on rearranging and organizing things as this hoard of people was trying to shop. So you’d finally get a chance to look at a shelf of things, and suddenly a worker bee grandma would step in front of you to tidy up the porcelain figurines.
Sarah was in heaven because there were tons of books and paper items. Note the sunglasses AGAIN on her head. Seriously, if Sarah had a dollar for every photo she did NOT have sunglasses on her head, she would be broke.
I bought one thing at this sale. A tiny trinket box featuring a sheepdog. It is in my trinket box collection now.
-Erin
Update from Sarah: Out of all the weird pictures we took of that first sale, I cannot believe Erin left this one out.
Why didn’t one of us buy this to save as a white elephant gift?!
Also, Erin spotted this guy and said it looked like something I would want. Turns out I already own that exact dude, so her Sarah-dar is totally on point.
Anyway, this sale was a major bust but I did buy that awesome folder full of notes, as well as the following:
What you’re looking at there, friends, is a JUKEBOX TISSUE HOLDER. Fits in with my existing collection of plastic canvas needlepoint goods. AND I didn’t realize this until this past weekend but there’s a built-in button on the back that plays a little tune when you press it! Stellar craftsmanship.
At the second sale, I felt incredibly overwhelmed. There was some cool stuff, but… it’s all relative. The sales lately have truly been BAD, both because of the contents but also because there aren’t that many, so everyone who goes saleing ends up at the same 5 sales and has to elbow their way around. I got really excited when we got into the attic of the house, because there were boxes and boxes of paper.
But it ended up being a bunch of high school drama club stuff, which I’m not into. It was a real letdown.
Because she’s a good friend, Erin gave me this envelope of negatives.
I also found some photographs and books, but nothing worth writing home about. The real highlight of the day came when we ate Mexican food with a bunch of babies.
That is a picture of me holding Everett, while he gazes lovingly at this girlfriend, Emily. She’s the daughter of our friend Jen who did our Cash & Cari dirty work last month. No sunglasses on my dome in that shot! Erin does owe me a dollar after all. Also, look how big that baby is now!
Little Boxes on the Hillside
I visited the Faberge exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts a few weeks ago, and it was there I had a revelation. With my Herend porcelain collection growing so slowly, why am I not starting a NEW collection of adorable miniature boxes?! I’ve always liked little things, and the little thing/storage box combo is even better. Plus, there are so many trinket boxes in the world, that they will be MUCH easier to collect than high-priced ceramics.
Before I talk about my new collection though, let me say that if you have a chance to see the Faberge exhibit, then do it. Go like right now. It is so good.
The House of Faberge is obviously the master of gorgeous little things. I would probably cut off my right arm to own a piece of it. I first became obsessed with Faberge after an episode of Antiques Roadshow, when some lady bought a piece of Faberge at auction for $15,000. It turned out to be fake.
You can watch the video of this lady on the show here. Such a bummer.
Luckily for me, I am not investing thousands into my new collection. So far, I’ve spent about $20. My first find was this little rabbit box, which I found at an estate sale last year for $3.
This box is metal (maybe brass) with enamel over top (kind of like Faberge on a way cheaper scale). You can’t tell here but the top is not flat. Areas are raised to make the rabbit more 3D.
I love this box so much, and I figured there must be more out there like it. There is no maker’s mark on the box, so I went through a slew of ebay searches (and hundreds of results) until I found this:
I won him for a mere $10.
There are two more of these guys on ebay now, but I haven’t bid yet.
If anyone has a clue who makes these, or leads on where I can find more, PLEASE let me know.
I should also mention that collecting little boxes runs in my family, so I am basically bred to be good at it. My Aunt Cathy (Timmy’s sister) has an enormous collection of trinket boxes. She sent me photos of her two favorites:
I actually bought her this one above, so she probably said it was her favorite just to woo me.
This second box she got from Timmy. And I am saying RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW that I want this willed to me. That box is the cutest of all time. That little bro looks like he is wearing high heels (like a boss).
Aunt Cathy also collects other little things, in true Faberge spirit. Here is her collection of miniature chairs:
I KNOW RIGHT?!?! Incredible.
I’ll be sure to update you all on my box collection, so please don’t worry.
-Erin