Weekend Finds

So this weekend I found myself at two of the best estate sales I think I've ever gone to. I say I found myself as if I had no idea of the Saturday morning routine that got us there. Anyway, I got a bunch of paint by number paintings for only $5. There was one more of a seascape, but I gave that one to my aunt for her beach house. The moose (moose!) one is my favorite because it isn't finished so you can still see some of the numbers. I'm not sure where these are going yet, but I'm sure they'll find their way into the rotating art collection in the house. The moose one will probably get stored until next winter since I'm not sure I'll want to look at snowy scenes in the summer (I don't even want to look at the snowy scenes outside my window right now!)

Yes, that is an incredibly large desk lamp, well floor lamp really, but I thought it was too cool to pass up. I'm pretty sure I saw one of these on one of those all white Scandi-blogs recently. The Aalto-esque three legged stool (though it looks two-legged in this picture) was found a another sale. I'm not sure where he will wind up. I have a feeling some major furniture rearranging is going to be happening in the near future.


And yes, I finally found a pair of matching lamps for my office desk. They are shiny, but slightly pitted brass which I'm totally okay with. I like that they show some age. Please ignore the shade, I just grabbed something to see what size will look best. I'm thinking a natural linen drum shade to tie in with the dining room which is connected to the office. They'll wind up costing more than the lamps themselves. Now I really have to get moving with painting the office!

I did get a few other things, an art deco hand mirror, a necklace and an opalescent glass container (which you can see a bit of in the first picture), but they aren't nearly as cool as these. There was also some gardening done this weekend, but now it's snowing so... well... crap.

Today was a particularly successful yard sale day. We started out on this street around the corner from our house and there were at least six sales on the one street. I got all four of those enamelled cast iron pots at the first sale for only $10! The two orange ones are LeCrueset, the yellow one with the lid is a Belgian brand I've never heard of and the grilling pan is a newish one. Not a bad way to start the day. A few doors down I found the blue anodized dish, which is one of the coolest ones I've ever seen. It has some mineral deposits on it, but I've read that some vinegar and boiling water can get them off. Anyone have success with that? I'll try soaking it tomorrow and let you know how it turns out. The deer and turtle will add to the menagerie of critters I have around the house and that odd looking thing in the back is actually a letterpress of a site plan of a 1950s ranch house. There were other images, but they were technical drawings of god knows what. Of course I was drawn to the architectural one! Don't know what I'm going to do with it, but then again I don't know what to do with half of what I bring home. Oh well.

Random Updates

Random things going on these days:

I finally started watching Mad Men. I know, I'm about three years late. I didn't want to jump in in the middle of the second or third season, I wanted to start from the beginning. I kept checking the library to see if they had it but it was perpetually checked out- all three copies. Finally, I put in a request and got a call a few months later that it was in. We've watched seven episodes so far and I'm completely hooked. LOVE the costumes and sets though I wonder if they are exaggerating the extent of drinking/smoking while pregnant/at work/in the car etc. for effect. Either way, I'm loving the show.

I've also gotten hooked on the Fabulous Beekman Boys. At first the reality show format turned me off a bit, but the show has really grown on me. Plus, their farm is only a half hour away from my parents place upstate, so I recognize a lot of the places they feature on the show.

My mom found us a 100 year old wood storm door to replace the hideous aluminum one on the front of our house. We've been spending way more time getting it ready to hang than I expected. Of course it was an inch too wide so we had to trim it down to fit and since nothing with an old house is straight forward, plumb or level, once we cut it down we discovered that it was a quarter of an inch too small on the top, but just right on the bottom. We fixed that problem, but then discovered that the panel with the glass panes that fits into the door itself, doesn't actually fit. It has been painted so many times that it no longer fits in its opening. We've done a bunch of scraping (by "we" I mean Chris) but there's still more to do. We're going to be borrowing a plane from my dad this weekend to get this thing finished (hopefully). Once we're done getting it to fit, then comes time to paint it.

This is the color we picked to paint it and the front door itself-whenever we get there. When my mom asked me what sort of color I chose, I told her a "vintage-y green, but bold." Her reply? "Well that's a surprise." I guess I'm fairly predictable in some ways. As soon as I have some pictures worth looking at, I'll show them to you all.

Geez Louise!

It's been two whole months since my last post! I've had a bunch going on around here- not like that's anything new, but I guess it's been more than the usual amount. Anyway, I wanted to share some of my yardsaling loot with you. I made out pretty well today.

I thought my score of the day was this cool watercolor painting presumably from the 20s...

but then I found this beauty.

Isn't she sweet! She's a Triumph bicycle from, I'm guessing, the 50s. There isn't a date on the hub like the website says there should be, so I need to do a bit more research to find out.

She's very Eeeenglish, actually. I think every part says "Made in England" on it. She needs some work, the tires are shot and the rear brakes are a bit sticky, but she's in pretty good shape. The only missing part is one of the rubber handle grips.

I guess I have one more project to add to my list!

Yard Sale-ing

"The owls are not what they seem" four glasses for $3, not bad

Some bakelite handled cheese knives (and one fork) for $1

Volumes 2,3, and 4 of Audels Carpenter's and Builders Guide. 1923 edition. Need to find volume 1.

I got a few other things too. A galvanized wash tub, a large enameled tray for boots, a green and yellow wool throw blanket from the 40s, and a jar of homemade current jam. Not bad for one weekend.