Target Rich Environments

On the 8th, we had some sprinkly kinds of rain (slim pickin's).  But on the 15th, the sun and light breeze sent the neighborhoods gaga.  I put only 20 miles or so on my car last Saturday, in 50-footbursts, because I couldn't have swung a cat without hitting a yard sale.

The entire extended weekend was beautiful.  On Friday, the Big Lug and I had gone to our watch guy (to pick up, not drop off) and stopped at a favorite (of mine) consignment store and two antique places we haven't been to in years, and even there I found some great pieces so I was starting my hunt with a dent in my allowance.  Then I shopped until almost noon Saturday (when I had to stop for a tutorial).  It was one of those days when I found something fun, or useful, or pretty no matter where I stopped. Look!

Yeah, I know - you don't see any gold!  I spend so much time in my posts with the jewelry I realized that I hardly ever talk about all the other amazing things I find.  So here they are - minus a case of stemware, by the way, since I haven't unpacked it yet (and, in fact, it's still in my trunk).

The milk glass plates are (top to bottom) "Chrysanthemum" and "The Serenade."  Neither are particularly rare, but I never find them for just a couple of dollars each (in antique stores, yet!).  That sheep bank is just cute, and though there's a name inscribed lightly in the base I can't read it so I'm treating it like folk art.  Most of the clothes are for Princess (I find more girl's than boy's - probably because the latter are much harder on fabric things at this young age), but the purses are mostly for me.  Two of them are Vera Bradley, a designer I'd never heard of until I fell in love with one when someone at my thrift shop was in line ahead of me (she is an eBay vendor).  Maybe bright colors are the next step in my "coming out," huh?  The purple faux-alligator is for Head Trip (if she wants it), and the non-Vera bright thing in back (as well as the little jewelry holder purse) is for Princess.

The bomber jacket has one tiny ink stain on the leather (which I can get out) and the pots are Revere (I love the copper bottoms) so I really do shop for practical stuff, honest!  On the impractical side, though ... if you look closely you'll see a bottle and a weird-shaped thing.  The bottle I'm still researching - lavender in color, perfect condition, I can't tell if it's old or new (yard sale find) - but the other thing is just, plain cool.  It's from a loom.  What you see in the middle is the thread spool (with thick, maybe rug, thread still on it) and the outer part is wooden, polished by use, beautiful, and the spool holder.  I just thought is was fascinating, and really, really pretty.

Okay, and there was jewelry, too.  Duh.  Some great service pins (left two are plated, the other four are 14K - one has diamonds!), the things on the left are silver (necklace for my mom-in-law, bracelet to put the charms on, a service pendant with red glass), the ankle bracelet on top is probably tin (for my future belly dancing career), and the pin on the right is English and made of china.  The rest is gold (except maybe the ring - still trying to puzzle that one out).  That chain was marked "10K and SS" on the sales tag (it had been there for two months) but the chain itself said "Italy" and, simply, "10K".  Since I've never seen an Italy sterling chain (even vermeiled) that didn't say 925, I figured it was really white and yellow gold.  It is.  Yay!

Missing, by the way, are the two things I bought for the Lug - an old but beautiful Elgin pocket watch (with chain and fob) and a Gerard Perregaux (plated) wristwatch.  I love buying him presents (even when it takes a chunk from my budget).
I'm not the only one who enjoyed the good weather and full pickings of the weekend (or past one, depending on your coast).  Check out Artsy-Fartsy for a real stunner, and - in what is quickly becoming my favorite laugh for just about any day - the hijinks of a pair of yard sale addicts and closet philosophers (with lots of pictures!) at Yard Sale Bloodbath.

Yeah, my allowance is gone. My back and feet are sore. My car sucked gas like a newborn kitten at its mama's ... you know.  And I haven't even had time to put away (or research) half of what I found.

Sigh.  It was a fabulous weekend.