Thrifting on the road

I didn't go yardsaleing on Saturday morning, something I'll probably regret in cold January when I'm stuck paying inflated thrift store prices to get my junk fix. I did get to do a good amount of junkin' when I went to visit my grandparents a couple of weeks ago and have goodies to show you.

The three blue Ball jars were from an estate sale that we ran into while we were on the way out of town. My mom and I made a spur of the moment decision (involving a U-turn) and I'm glad we did, as we found good stuff. Usually estate sales are overpriced but the small jars were only $2.00 and the large one was $4.00, which I think is a bargain. The estate sale was interesting--the man worked for Kellogg's and had all kinds of cool memorabilia and promotional stuff, most of it priced pretty reasonably. I bet I could have bought some good stuff for resale if I'd had more time & money & knowledge (or a wi-fi connection!) The cherry teacup is a Mary Engelbreit piece and matches a honey pot & set of candlesticks I sold last year. I think it's an unusual pattern because I almost never see it, and I had a buyer email and ask if I had any more to sell. That was purchased at a brand-new church-run thrift store in the town just one over from the one where my grandparents live, so I will definitely be going back. Prices in there were high but it was their first week being open so maybe they'll get a better idea of what's reasonable in the future. The clear glass Ball jar was $1.00 and came from the thrift in my grandparents' town.

With the exception of the Girl Scout cookie cutter (which came from the same estate as the blue glass jars), everything else in this photo came from one estate (but two different sales). This one was an estate sale we happened onto when coming home from the pool Maren was just about in full meltdown-mode so I couldn't shop long. The old-lady beaded necklaces are great! I've already worn the pink one with a brown top. The dog broke one of the vintage ornaments. :( The vintage silk hankie is printed with an image of the Oakland Bay Bridge and will go in my guest room. Not sure what the crocheted thing is--a potholder, maybe? I forgot I was holding it until I got in the car! And I keep buying those darn painted-handle utensils, even though I already have about 3 of this particular tool (an egg beater?) and no good way to display them. Somebody stop me! I just can't leave them behind.


The two vintage felt pennants were from the same estate sale, and will also go in the guest room. I also bought a great big vintage Ball glass jar but that went to my mom as a birthday gift. Wish there had been more! This sale was held in an old shed/barn and it was the kind of place you have to dig. There was neat stuff and great old furniture, but everything was very dirty and would have needed a lot of work. I was there just an hour before they closed the sale on a Monday afternoon but I wish I'd known about it earlier--they said the place had been packed to the rafters on the Friday before. It makes me slightly ill to think of the treasures that must have been in there, since the leftovers were still pretty darn good. The calendar with the cute black terriers was from the same estate sale as the blue jars. The top part is embossed cardboard and it's really quite charming. Not particularly old--the calendar is for 1973--but a really sweet piece of ephemera nonetheless.

The Avon Outlook is a booklet sent to Avon ladies and is dated 1943. It's a hoot! I should scan some pages to show you. It's all about encouraging sales and such and I find the pictures highly entertaining. The Girl Scout catalog is from 1949 and is really fun to look through. There was an official Girl Scout Apron and it's just darling! Another one I where I need to scan and post someday.






And last, another pile of ephemera I bought in a bag at the barn estate sale. Lots of vintage Valentines for my collection (my fave is the one on the right with the astronaut), some neat old flash cards with scalloped edges, and a few random old playing cards with fun pictures. There was a bunch of other random stuff in the bag, including school pictures and report cards for a boy that my mom went to high school with! She took those and is planning on sending them back to him. Yeah, it's a small town. :)

One other thing is a very old carved wood frame from the barn but it's really dirty and it's pretty darn shabby. It has potential but it's going to need some work. I love small town junking! The prices are usually low and you don't have as much competition from other pickers. Good stuff!