Ivybend

I’m convinced this summer was cursed—at least as far as yard sales goes. But this weekend I did better than I have in almost a month. I scored at the very first sale of the day with two cute little picture frames I have a special use for. Also, I got a CD of the best of Gershwin for a mere 50 cents. (Have been wanting to hear Rhapsody in Blue after rereading Jeanne Ray’s wonderful novel EAT CAKE. That tune has a special place in the book and it just seemed fitting to get the CD.)

But the prize was the hand-painted salt and pepper shakers. I thought they were pretty and at only a dollar, a bargain, too.

We left our comfort zone and traveled a good part across the state because we wanted to go to lunch in one of our favorite Irish pubs (Coleman’s in Syracuse. I had the chicken pub pie. De-lish!). There seemed to be a lot more sales in Syracuse than in my area, so I went to as many as I could. Of course, by the time we got there, most of the sales had been picked over. But I still got some Made In England cork coasters (from Harrod’s no less) with views of London.

I also got a very cute butterfly hairclip for the vast fortune of ten cents, and this lovely little rose bowl—which cost only a quarter, so I can’t say that the prices weren’t right.

But all and all it was yet another disappointing “junking” weekend. Labor Day often means the beginning of the end of yard sale season in this part of the country. 

Bummer.

Finally--roses!

Several years ago, my husband bought me two climbing roses; one yellow, one red. 

Mr. Yellow Rose never did very much, and, sadly, passed away after a valiant two-year struggle to live.  Mr. Red Rose managed to hang in there, but never did very much.

Until this year.

My husband has been threatening to yank out Mr. Red Rose because I'd get one, maybe two blooms a year.  Whereas my heirloom rosebush explodes into bloom in late June and keeps blooming (although not quite as enthusiastically) all summer long.  In contrast, Mr. Red Rose was a real non-performer.

This year looks to be different.  After an attack of aphids, I was afraid I wouldn't get any blooms.  But, Mr. Rose has been diligent and rewarded me with the first rose of the season.  And now there's a second one about to bloom.  Not only that, but there are six more buds forming.

Wow--this is a real rose extravaganza -- or at least compared to years past.

Maybe I should threaten to yank all the non-performers.  That might give them incentive to bloom, too.

Catching Up

Last week the sales were really terrible.  Maybe it's the continual wet weather we've had.  It's been so bad, even my cat Fred has been hiding under an umbrella.

In addition to the flamingo, I did find a couple of other items.  Man, you can't go wrong for a quarter.   (Total expenditure this weekend:  $1.75.  I think I spent at least three times that much in gas.)  I got a couple more nice baskets (no pictures of them) that I'll use at Christmastime.  I like to make up gift baskets with edible treats, DVDs, books, etc. aimed at the victim . . . er, I mean recipient.  They're more fun for me (although not necessiarly less expensive than some other gift), and lots of fun for the person getting it.

 But I did get a couple of things for me.  I love things from the Arts and Crafts movement from the early 20th century.  And one of my favorite places to go for lunch is East Aurora, home of Elbert Hubbart.   (Go for lunch or dinner:  the Globe Hotel serves the very best fish fry in the USA.)  I found this little Roycroft butter pat at my favorite little (church) thrift shop for a quarter.  It was made by the Buffalo Pottery Company and is dated 1925.  It probably came from the Roycroft Inn (which I believe burned in 1938).  I've got a tiny plate hanger I got from Vidler's (a wonderful five and dime still running in East Aurora) and I'll hang it in my office.

The other quarter steal was this wonderful rooster newspaper stand.  I often can't read the newspaper (no cracks about bifocals, please) and thought -- what the heck!  Fold it up, put it on the stand and I'll have it handy (and taking up less space on the breakfast table, too).

As it's a holiday weekend, I expect there'll be less sales.  I sure hope the ones scheduled won't get washed out.

Hope you have a Happy 4th of July!

Mini Spinach Quiches

A while back I mentioned that I bought a mini muffin pan so I could make mini quiches, and I promised the recipe.  Well, here it is.

Mini Spinach Quiches

½ cup butter or margarine, softened

1 package  (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 slices bacon

¼ cup chopped green onion

2 eggs

½ cup half-and-half cream

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and well drained (use your hands to squeeze out the water)

In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and cream cheese.  Add flour; beat until well blended.  Shape into 24 balls.

Preheat oven to 350º degrees. In a skillet, cook the bacon until brown and very crisp; drain. Sautee the onions in the same skillet with the bacon drippings, cook for 5 minutes, or until tender, stirring constantly; drain. Place the onions in a medium bowl. Crumble the bacon into small pieces, and add in with the cooked green onion. Add the eggs to the bacon and onions; beat well. Stir in the cream, salt, nutmeg and the Parmesan cheese. Add in the squeezed spinach; mix well to combine. Divide the mixture into crust-lined cups (do not overfill).

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Makes 24

Another bowl of . . .

Grapes.

Life is just a bowl . . .

Ahh . . . simple summer pleasures -- simple summer fruit.

Weekend Getaway

One of the sales we hit last weekend was at an RV camp.  We liked this little trailer and especially the sign out front, pointing the way to Margaritaville.  (Although, actually, it was pointing West, not South.)

Another great adventure

Junking is always an adventure.  We started the weekend thinking we wouldn't find many sales, but it seems in these trying times people are foregoing an ad and just tacking up YARD SALE signs.

The first thing I found was a Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee cup, saucer and plate.  I may already have the cup and saucer--I collect all kinds of royalty china (think plates, mugs, cups and saucers), but I don't have a sandwich (or is it a dessert?) plate, and the price was right at $2.50.  What's interesting to note is that although it was the Queen's Silver Jubilee (back in 1977), the cup and saucer are rimmed in gold. 

It was a great day for finding roses.  My first acquisition was no doubt a ceramics class project.  It probably went for cheap (a buck) because somewhere along the line the bowl that went with it was broken.  Will I find a bowl to put it in?  Who knows.  This picture is deceiving;  the pitcher stands about 9 inches tall.  For now, I think I'll use it as a vase.

Next up, I got a bone china, pink roses cupt and saucer.  Someone at the co-op (where I used to have a booth), told me that either Loblaws or A&P had a china giveaway during the early 1960s and this cup and saucer (with a number of others) was one of the items.  I've sold a number of these over the years, but this one I'm keeping for me.  And at a buck, it was a bargain. At the same place (where I took pictures of the farm animals) I got a cute little bone china, yellow rose creamer.  I seem to be amassing a lot of bone china, but as long as I can fit it in the china cabinet, I figure I'm good to go.

Next up was this little beauty.  Back in my co-op days, I'd sold a number of similar prints like this, but they were much bigger.  I like the fact this this little beauty is only 4 x 5 inches.  I'm not keen on the frame (which is even more tacky than the picture) so I may have to spend some bucks to find it something better.  But in the meantime, I'm hanging this over my desk (along with the rose print I got a few weeks back).

I took a break from pretty stuff to get some useful stuff, too.  Okay, only one thing was actually useful.  It was a mini muffin pan.  I sometimes make mini quiches, but I only had one pan, which is a pain, because the recipe makes 24.  I saw this for a quarter and decided that it was time to make more mini quiches.  If I get my act together, I'll post the recipe sometime soon.

I love a bargain, and I got these bath salts, honey-almond soap, and a candle (with an old-fashioned Watkins soap label) for 10 cents each.  At that same sale, I got loads of blank note cards (of sheep, teddy bears and lace, fairies, and lots and lots of cats, for $3.50).  No doubt about it.  I won't have to buy note cards for a L-O-N-G time.

All-in-all, a great junking day.

Streets Sales Go Bust!

Thursday I visited a street sale that was a favorite of mine during my "dealer" days.  Back then, I had a day job, and often didn't make the sale until the second day, so I was psyched to hit the trail early. Unfortunately, there was very little trail to hit.Unlike other years, when there'd be up to 100 homes participating, this year there couldn't have been more than 20--if that.  Big Disappointment.

But I did find a few things.  On the utilitarian side, I found a small Tupperware container (since there's just the two of us, these are great for our meager leftovers), an all-in-one grater, an old box of Christmas ornaments, and an ice cream scoop.  (YAWN!)  I was getting pretty desperate when I found a Blue Onion teapot.  It's not exactly a total match to my every day china, but it'll do--and the price was certainly right at $1.50.

I was running out of sales to visit when I came to one where I'd bought stuff before.  I’m a sucker for linens and found six damask napkins for 25 cents each.  Of course, they were stained, but after soaking them for a day in Oxyclean and Dawn, they came out beautiful.  (Yes, there are only 3 pink ones and 1 white one in the picture —the other two (one pink, one white) didn’t require soaking.)  I also soaked an old yellow doily (free from an estate sale in April) and one of stained, crocheted dresser scarf from last weekend.  Both came out beautifully.  I also came away with this pretty little rhinestone Christmas stocking pin for $1. 

At the best (and last) sale of the day, I debated about buying a rather large gold-framed mirror.  I wasn’t sure I had a place to hang it, and I wasn’t sure the husband was going to like it.  But I talked the guy down to from $5 to $3 and in the car it went.  Husband and I agreed that it was either very girly or very tacky.  Until we hung it in one of the guest rooms, we were leaning toward tacky—but it seems to look okay, so I guess it has found a new home.  (Now what do I do with the picture that was hanging there before?)

Along with the mirror, I got these two sweethearts in gold frames.  (I did mention what a sucker I am for pictures and/or mirrors in gold frames, right?)

Friday I only hit one sale that had tons of stuff that was either priced just right (but I didn’t need it) or too much, which was offputting.  I got these two gold-framed pictures for $2 to go along with the ones from Thursday’s sale.  (They were selling silver-plated cutlery in bunches of 5 or 6 for 50 cents each.  Too bad I don’t need silverware!)

It was with much anticipation that I went to the second street sale of the weekend, a one-day only affair on Saturday.  I’d done well at this sale before, and had high hopes.  Alas, the very first sale of the day was the best.  But now that I’m no longer in the “business,” I have to be a lot more selective.  I only bought a 1950s Made In Japan Christmas candleholder.  I have a number of these, but she was cute and only 75 cents.  I wanted to buy a Beefeater Gin bottle (in the shape of a beefeater) for my husband’s bar collection.  He was a beauty, and the price was right, but he was too tall—we have nowhere to put him.  (I wish I’d taken a picture.)

Oddly enough, one home wasn't selling anything except food.  And sure enough, there were people waiting in line at 9:30 for hot dogs and sausages.  (My husband amond them.)  While he ate his hot dog, I came across a guy with a professional popcorn popper selling the stuff for 50 cents a bag.  You got it—I ate it.  And after that, one of the neighbors was selling fried dough dipped in sugar and cinnamon.  (I think that was my best purchase of the sale.)

My second purchase of the day wasn’t something fun, but a mini ironing board that can be set up on a tabletop.  I’d been looking for one for a couple of weeks, and this one fit the bill—especially as it was only $1.  (I used it to iron the damask napkins.)   The only other thing I bought a box of cocktail napkins.  (A month or so ago I bought a cocktail napkin holder—so these will fit in well with it.)

We stopped at another sale along the road which had only toys, kid clothes and a few potted jade plants.  I picked up a bugle jade plant for 50 cents.  It’s not exactly the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen, but I felt sorry for it and figured what the heck.

That was it for the day.  Okay, not quite.  We hit the nursery and dropped more money for the garden.  Now to plant them all.

And how did you spend your weekend?

 

This week's treasures

After the wonderful sales over Memorial Day weekend, this past weekend felt like a bust.  The sales were few and far (and I mean in distance, too) between.  But I did find a few things I like.

I've been seeking the perfect popcorn bowl for quite some time.  I had one, but dropped it.  (That was a sad day.)  Last week's one was okay, but extremely heavy.  (I can see it shattering in the not-too-distant future.)  I found this week's contender at a sale for only a quarter.  At first took, it's not at all pretty.  It's pretty stained, but I liked the look of it.  I image that someone's Aunt Sally used to make mounds of whipped potatoes and serve them to the whole family in this bowl.  But the thing that attracted me was, of course, the rim decoration of little roses, which you can see in this blow-up.  I haven't tested it yet, but will let you know.

For the past few weeks, I've been looking for items for the tiny shelf that I bought a few weeks back.  It's about two inches high, but looks much taller in this cropped photo. I guess it's supposed to be a vase (maybe for forgetmenots?).  I like Made In Japan items, and this was marked Japan, so that sealed the deal.  The nickel price wasn't too hard on the wallet, either.

At the same sale, I found two vegetable bowls for a quarter.  Not a quarter each, two bowls for one quarter.  When I asked the woman about it, she said she was motivated to sell everything.  What didn't sell was going in the trash.  That's my kind of sale!  Of course the clincher was the fact it has (lets say it together) ROSES on it! 

For years I was a big fan of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazine . . . until they changed focus and now it looks like every other decorating magazine on the market.  Not that I have a lot of (or any) ME stuff -- but I saw this little metal cherry basket and thought it was cute, and reminded me of ME.  Don't know what I'm going to do with it yet, but I'll think of something.

At the very last sale I found this little square enamel box.  I guess it was probably used to store food.  It's majorly cute, and I thought I might use it to put odds and ends in -- like loose buttons, etc.  It'll probably end up on a shelf, but it was only a dime and I couldn't leave it behind.  (Okay, do I have SUCKER written on my forehead, or what?)

If you remember, a few weeks ago I bought a wooden shelf.  I knew when I bought it that it was not going to stay natural wood, and that I'd paint it.  So I got out the sand paper and roughed up the surface, and then painted it glossy white.  I let the paint harden for about a week before I hung it, because in the past I haven't waited when I've painted and ruined books, and the paint peeled, etc.  It gave me another couple of weeks to find stuff to put on it, too.  I'm sure it'll evolve over time.

And what treasures did you find this week?