No more Garage Sales ... breaking the rule and WHY

Well, I did it ... I broke MY rule of "no more garage sales".  

In fact, this is the first garage sale I have been to in a very long time ... not saying I have not been to Estate Sales and Thrift Stores ... just not to family run garage sales. Don't get me wrong, I love these sales, but there are so many and I spend way too much time and money going to them. I am really trying to stop buying so much stuff, and get rid of what I have collected.

BUT ... you know how it is. When I saw this little yellow sign with   SALE    written across it and that deserted looking old house,  I just could not resist checking it out.

I am glad I did. This house belonged to this guy's grandmother and now his mother ... both hoarders. (he said that)

I did not get there until after lunch and the seller said all the antique dealers had been there at 8:00 and bought all the good stuff.  

I knew the house was crammed full as stuff was piled up against the windows. They were only bringing stuff out of the garage. Besides this house, his mother has two more houses and several storage units ... guess what ... all full. 

Nothing was really organized and boxes sitting around to dig through. Yuck ... I needed rubber gloves. 

Anyway ... I did find a few things that might have some value and a few things I just like for myself.  

The prices were GOOD ... 

Three Audubon birds ... hand colored engravings. 

I don't think they are prints. 

I hope they are original engravings. Cost $1.00 each.

They are in narrow gold leaf frames under glass but have  age damage mainly on the backing (mat) paper. 

Not matted, just attached in one spot to the sheet of paper that looks like a mat.

This one is Ivory Billed Woodpecker. 

By research; I was able to identify it, as it is not titled.  

Not my favorite, but may be the most valuable, 

if any are !

 Titled Passenger Pigeon ... 

 Titled Cape Turtle  ... my favorite 

Size of each is 8" x 11"

More research needed before they will be for sale on eBay. 

Now the fun stuff ...

Does this even hint that I love old wooden stuff?

The small dough bowl in the back has aluminum handles attached, which does not look original. Round wooden bowl, once hand painted, it will be sanded down and oiled. 

Small lidded box may have been a shipping box for ammunition. Old Parker super chrome jet black ink bottle and box without the lid. "writes dry with wet ink" ... still has ink in it. Love, love the long  handle wooden paddle ... oiliness on the paddle and part of the handle makes me think it is a butter paddle. Small brush with the softest bristles and really smooth handle. An artist brush?

The dough bowl, about 18" long and 9" wide has notched-out finger grips on the bottom.  

I removed the aluminum handles, treated it with HOWARD Butcher Block Conditioner 

... and it is beautiful.








before and after ... 

The lidded box and the round wooden plate are waiting their turn to be on the AFTER stage.

Butter paddle and brush have already been added to my collections.

Then ... Christmas ornaments ...
 
The unusual bead ornament was likely made in Czechoslovakia? Reminds me of a peacock. Perfect to add to my candle in our bathroom. The gold bell is very thin glass, just needs a hanger top.

Santa, Drummer Boy, Snowman and the Angel are small wax ornaments likely from the 1950's. 
   
The snowman needed a new broom head and the little angel had lost her head, so I took a piece from the angel wing to make the snowman a broom. I already have a set like these, but just had to rescue these from the dirty old box. I still need to clean them up a bit. Wax ornaments are a little rare, because the kids would chew the wax.                      

Remember the old wax lips?  


Sandi at  Barberry Lane Designs
found this beautiful complete set of wax ornaments at an  Antique Market. She has posted some good information about them.

Sandi is a new blogger ... you might want to go show her a big warm welcome.

(photo courtesy of Barberry Lane Designs)

I also bought twenty-two pieces of vintage restaurant ironstone, and a large china platter.  
Most of the pieces were small bread/dessert plates which I use all the time ... 3 little butter pats; plates; 2 little bowls ... and one very large bowl which I sent home with my daughter ... with a loaf of fresh strawberry bread/cake that I had baked for her birthday. She was kind enough to take a picture of it. I think they liked the bread. Almost all gone.

She found the marking on the bottom very interesting. It is dated Nov. 23, 1940 which makes the bowl 75 years old. 
U.S.Q.M.C. ... United States Military Quartermaster Corp.
from Google....The United States Army Quartermaster Corps is a Sustainment, formerly combat service support (CSS), branch of the United States Army. It is also one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being the Transportation Corps and the Ordnance Corps.

I paid  $10.00 for all the ironstone and $10.00 all the other stuff.  

Thanks for your visit. I hope you will stay long enough to say hello.
 Audrey Z.

Linking to:  

Vintage Charm ... Cecilia  @ My Thrift Store Addiction 

Cozy Little House ... Tweak It Tuesday #168

Natural objects and the soft colors ... Fall Mantel

This wonderful old, time-worn wooden dough bowl and my collection of faux pear is one of my favorite decorating pieces.

It takes center stage on our Fall mantel which is littered with bleached leaves that I did a couple years ago. Just picked up fallen leaves, put them in bleach water and watched the magic. 

The canvas wrapped floral of white Fall chrysanthemums set the tone for a natural soft colors.    

On this side is a collection of vintage items that echo the colors in the picture. 

*the vintage rusty harrow hand tool, adds a little rustic charm ... 

*a crock with a rusty color around the bottom and a wire repair around the neck ... perfect reflection of the Fall colors

*the white section of a porch column is a perfect perch for the potter bird, echoing the white of the mums and the warm browns ...

*the large wooden lid from a food storage barrel is a great backdrop with the warm brown color. 

this side ... 
* this old yellow crock picks up a little color from the center of the mum and with a tall branch, adds a little height ...
* white alabaster grape cluster ... like the white in the mums
* old red cast iron pot filled with cinnamon sticks; an apple and white mums pull just a little bit of color from the pear ...

* on the hearth ... my cement little boy garden statue enjoys the large metal pumpkin nestled in a bed of raffia in an aged metal urn ... small black object is an iron fly (match holder)
* the soft green metal piece in the background is a screen guard off a vintage screen door.

 * on the coffee table ... another natural object ...
* the brown and tan alabaster sleeping cat is happy under this grassy cluster in the recycled cement and mortar vase.
 

* this piece was created with leftover cement and mortar (mud) used to make the pan in the shower when we remodel the master bath. I used a glass light fixture shade and poured the left-over cement mixture in ... it only filled about one-third of the shade. Next day or two, when the tile man discarded his black mortar, I grabbed it and because it had started to dry, I had to just pack it in ... hence the cavities. 
I stuck a plastic jar in the opening to make an indention. I let it cure for several days before I broke the glass shade. I cut the top of the plastic bottle off which left a nice plastic-lined well for flowers or a plant. I think it made an interesting vase/object. 

 Enjoying this vignette on my little kitchen table.

* favorite vintage paper mache pumpkin ... acorns from the yard and a few of the bleached leaves makes an interesting arrangement on my stack of pig cutting boards ...

Happy Fall y'all !!!   
Thanks for stopping by ... hope you like our Fall mantel and you will say hello before you leave. 

Audrey Z. 


Linking to: 

Share it Link Party 36




Vintage Charm Link Party #4

Wooden Sewing Thread Spool Christmas Ornaments and things she loves Play Room

My dear friend and neighbor has a room in her house that is really her "Playhouse".

It is a small room located just off the entry and may have been designed for an office or a very small formal living room.

This beautiful, blue-eyed cat is Jasmine ... along with Clyde and Sunshine, they think this is their room. Clyde was under the tree so could not get his picture. Sunshine was out basking in the sun.

Besides being the kindest lady I know, I might say she is pretty talented too.

This is all about recycling, re-purposing and things she loves.

For a few years, she has been making Christmas tree decoration

using the old wooden sewing thread spools. She must have hundreds and still making them.

Very interesting ... recycling ... and creative.

This would be a good craft for kids to stir their imagination.

You can click the pictures to enlarge them.  

Part from a beaded dress............................................................Buttons, beads, ribbon, yarn, chain.

As you will see ... she uses old jewelry, buttons, sewing scraps, laces, ribbon, yarn and just about anything to decorate these old wooden spools. Sometimes she lets the color of the thread shine through and become part of the color.

This tree is loaded with spool ornaments she has made.

As you can see in the background, her room is just full of treasures. I just had to take some pictures to show you. On the floor, on a Christmas rug, is a train that her great grandson loved at Christmas.

She display her costume jewelry just by pinning them to pillows.

Love this green depression glass tall stemmed sugar bowl.

These two dolls were in a doll trunk in the attic of a house her sister bought. She gave them to her.

Very old and in perfect condition. The clothes on the big doll are cashmere and not a hole in them.

 This beautiful, huge, antique, wooden dough bowl belonged to her Father.
She has it filled with dried roses, flowers and butterfly vine seed pods. Little birds in there too.

Yes, these seed pods look just like a butterfly. Some dried brown and some green.
Look closely ... this bloom is the shape of a butterfly. I think the seed is in the middle section.

She has spools and supplies in a box ready to made into beautiful decoration when she has a few minutes.

Such fun to go in someone's Playroom that has so many lovely things and feel her joy as she tells you about everything. 

What is your fun recycling craft?

Linking to:

Knick of Time Tuesday  

Kathe with an E ... You're Gonna Love It Tuesday

Ivy And Elephants What's It Wednesday#106