Saturday, September 24, 2011

Poor Meteorology, Zanax and Padded Cells

What a morning! Damn weatherman said there was going to be an 80% chance of rain this morning so I almost.....almost......opted to sleep in and call it a loss. Luckily, right before bed, I decided to set the alarm anyway and make my call in the a.m. and what a stupendous decision that was!!!!

My first sale I didn't realize until I was almost there that I had just been to the week before and bought nothing. Since I was a block away I figured I would give it a go anyway. Low and behold they had a bunch more stuff and I got a great old milk jug in a great old rusty green! I think I'll be swapping out my great old rusty brown one!!

Next on my list was at the old Armory. I resisted going because they charge a buck to get in and that infuriates me but reluctantly I went. Oh......my.......god!!!! The line to get in had to be two hundred people deep! I almost turned around because I didn't want the sloppy seconds of the entire town! I mean....what would be left? The answer was PLENTY!!!!! Now granted it was the kind of sale that I really should be prescribed zanax for but since I made it out without a breakdown let me tell you the treasures I found...!!! (I'm so giddy!!!!) First off I scored a Scrabble game (it gets better) then I bought a wooden letter holder that's in the shape of an old telephone (can't wait to paint it!) then I bought a glazed clay swordfish (will sell in a heartbeat!) then I bought an ugly painting (but the frame is divine!) then I bought an amazing old wooden birdcage (that everyone was admiring as I was walking around) and lastly I bought a vintage cocktail shaker (the real deal too...not the Pottery Barn replica!)!!!! Hellooooooo Score City!!!! I just added in my head my profit of just this sale and after the $13.25 that I spent, I should make $126.75!! And that's for maybe an hour's worth of work all together!! Oh wait....I spent a buck to get in.....make that $125.75. Still kills me!!! Let it go, Chrissy! Let it go!

Ok, so next I went to a sale where the people had to think I was on something. I walked up like I was going to rob them. I was just so cracked out from the Armory that I was still in crazy person mode. I only scored a vintage Canada tea towel (which is fabulous!) and I know they were happy to see me leave!

By my fourth sale I was slightly more pulled together. I bought a great large old galvanized metal handmade tool box and a vintage french fry cutter (with none other than a red handle!!). I was debating getting an old ashtray with a rifle for the handle that I thought I could chuck the ashtray and paint......and......maybe a candy dish........and..........but I didn't. I think I made the right call.

From there I went to another fantastic sale in the backyard of a great old house downtown where I truly wanted everything but I refrained and was sensible and only bought an A&W mug (my boy loves root beer!), two lobster glasses (to add to the two other ones I bought at the beginning of the summer), a great petite double boiler enamelware pot with a red rim (to go with my ever growing collection!), seventeen vintage postcards (to go with yet another ever growing collection) and a kick ass parlour table that painted will be off the charts!! It has so many ridges and turns that it was made for shabbitization!!! I'm in the money!!!

Well, after that I had completely run out of time and was forced to head home. I was just one block from my house and wouldn't you know it.....a yard sale! I got a wooden bench/plant stand and an old beveled mirror with my very last dollars!!! What an morning!!!! I could never sleep again if they could all be like this!!! Simply perfection! Well....all but the part where I almost....almost needed the padded room. Then again I could decorate the shit out of a padded room! All that white! I could go anywhere with that bank canvas. I think it would have to be 1950's postmodern. Yes! Chrome would look amazing in an insane asylum, don't ya think? (Be careful. If you answer....you're coming with me!!)

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Catamarans, Hurricanes and a Small Favor


























































As you can see, although you have not heard from me in a month, I have been quite busy. I've been through two hurricanes, a catamaran trip through the BVIs and STILL have managed to acquire some moth ridden treasures!































The pics (from bottom to top) are of the Coral Dreams catamaran that I boarded with hubby and some new friends to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary in the British Virgin Islands, next is an old kitchen cabinet that I'm seeing as a bench (but sometimes not seeing and thinking,'what the hell did I buy?') which I scored from a thrift store, pics of a chair (from the same thrift store) which I will pair with some old fabric from a previous yard sale and some green paint that I think will compliment it perfectly that I also used on this frame ('after' pics to come) and the last three pics are from yesterday's saling adventures. Sorry this is the first I'm getting to chat with ya'll but a tee ball scrimmage and THREE birthday parties later.....you know how it is........quit yer bitchin!


SO!!! Turns out the weatherman was wrong again. Yesterday morning had a 70% chance of rain but since I so wanted to sleep in.....it didn't. Two of my first three sales were cancelled due to rain (ha!) and the other one just stunk! So there I was at 7 am with no other sales on my list until 8am. Luckily I was equipped with my fancy new iPhone and I was able to find a sale I had previously discarded due to proximity. It also stunk but I did purchase two pairs of pants for my growing baby boy for 50 cents. It wasn't much but it picked up my spirits just enough to keep saling!


With a skip in my step, I arrived early to an 8 o'clock sale and wouldn't you know.....I struck yard sale gold! First, I scored on old Coke crate then four rare, old bottles (man, I love these!)!! The bottles are by Brownie; "Taste The Difference," Bubble Up; "Pure Pleasure...a kiss of lemon and lime," TruAde (no claim to fame but labeled "Not Carbonated") and finally Sun Crest which lets the pop connoisseur know that, "This Bottle Designed for YOUR Convenience Clearly Revealing its Refreshing Contents.....Know What You Drink." I'm not sure what that even means but such a mystery makes this bottle one of my new favorites!! At the same sale, I also bought an ugly wooden tray (to shabbitize), thirty white vintage porcelain knobs and get this.......for my hideous kitchen cabinet..........not one but two sets of rusty old casters to choose from for it's base!!!!!!! I ask the Yard Sale Gods and they givith!!!!!! I am not worthy!!! My vision of that monstrosity is really shaping up!!! A salvaged 1950's kitchen cabinet on the floor is ugly but a 1950's kitchen cabinet on wheels......now that's art!!!!


So, high from that sale, I moved on to the next only to score a beautiful vintage table cloth with a chicken border in a fab hue of red, two vintage hand towels made by Georges Briard (highly collectible) and last but not least (insert drum roll....) TWO big boxes of vintage Christmas ornaments with their original boxes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Please say the following in your best Billy Mays voice....) but wait.......there's more! I bought them for $2!!!!!!!!!!!! There has to be fifty of them!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you, God and of course baby Jesus for being born so I could love vintage Christmas so much!!! To think I wanted to sleep in that morning!!!!


Well, after that I was on my way home but stumbled on a freestyle and bought a colorful kids book from 1967 on Things to Make and Do. I was so excited because it would be perfect to decoupage something with!!!! Luckily, I looked away from my new gem long enough to notice a woman looking at some jeans and a glimmer of dreamy oak caught my eye. Sure enough underneath all of that denim was a stunning old teacher's desk! It's truly beyond beautiful!!! And only $20!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a perfect end to a great day back!!! Well....getting it in the van with the rest of my finds was less than perfect especially since I was now officially late to take my boy to tee ball but blah, blah, blah! It's home and my son didn't even notice our less than punctual arrival to the field! Jeez Louise, life is good!!! I could sure go for a nice refreshing bottle of non carbonated TruAde right about now! Oh well, maybe next week!


I hope you enjoyed today's installment of TYSM. Now I need a favor from you (yes, YOU!) I'm applying for the master's program at UNCW in creative nonfiction and I need your comments. Feel free to tell me I suck but I probably won't summit that. In fact, why don't you go ahead and embellish just a tad and I'll just happen to erase this little paragraph like it never even happened. Last year four hundred applied but only eight got in. Help a girl out, won't you???? I can't huff paint forever!!!!!!!!