Friday estate sales -- We all got lucky!

Stuff all over the walls.

Friday was a good day for estate sales last week and all three of us found items this time around.  We started with one in Duane's neighborhood.  They had a ton of stuff in a house on the Hillsborough River.  This house seemed to ramble on and on with lots of rooms filled with furniture and a ton of small items.  This  was where I found my treasure of the day -- a Jonathan Adler ceramic fish.  Love it!  Duane found a pretty striped cotton scarf.  A good start. 

Cubbies in the walls filled with stuff.

Lots of small items at the second sale, too.

The second estate sale was in the south part of town and was on it's second day but still had lots of stuff.  They were also willing to deal.  The people who lived there must have liked to entertain because there was a lot of glassware and bar items.  The woman had a large amount of formal dresses and shoes along with a very nice selection of jewelry -- costume and real.  Duane bought a beautiful sterling silver ring.  For anyone interested in sports memorabilia, there was plenty of that, too.  Although the three of us were able to pass on those items.

Sports memorabilia.

  
After the two big estate sales we hit a front porch sale and a few yard sales in Duane's neighborhood on our way back from the south side of town.  Linda got lucky at these sales.  The front porch sale yielded two cool wood cigar boxes and one of the yard sales had a 'still sealed in plastic' DVD of 3 Ozzie and Harriet shows.  A trip back to childhood for Linda!

Of course, we hit the coffee shop for treats and to talk about what we had all been up to during the week.  Next Saturday is the Shop Small Business Saturday and we're really looking forward to that!

Our purchases.

Duane's new sterling silver ring.

A Thrift Store Parking Lot Sale, A Modern Line warehouse sale and yard sales

Saturday morning had a lot going on in Duane's neighborhood.  A terrific thrift shop that I've mentioned numerous times on this blog, Sherry's Yesterdaze, had their fall parking lot sale.  Not only did Sherry have a sale on her items but she also had other people in her parking lot selling their stuff.  She does this twice a year and we rarely miss it.  Duane found a pretty creamer to add to her blue and white Delft collection along with the DVD of the definitive version of Pride and Prejudice AND a decorative box with Frida Kahlo on the front.  Linda snagged a cool and kitschy Florida souvenir tray that it's in mint condition.

Lots of vendors at Sherry' store.

  

Then we headed to the the warehouse clearance sale being held by Sherry's husband David, owner of one of our fave shops, A Modern Line.  David decided to let some of the furniture in his warehouse go for great prices because there's just no way he can get to all of it (restoring, etc.) to sell it in his store.  He had already sold quite a bit when we got there but still had some nice pieces.  There were also a few small items.  Linda scored a great pair of signed French prints.  There was some damage from a fire that destroyed David's previous store but, luckily, not on the actual prints themselves so Linda got a bargain.  All she needs to do is re-frame them.  If I didn't already have a couple of signed prints that my parents bought when we lived in France, Linda and I would have been 'negotiating' over them.




After David's sale, we hit a few neighborhood yard sales.  Duane and Linda both scored books from these sales.  I can't believe that I didn't buy anything.  That's unusual for me even if my purchase(s) are for very small items.  All three of us love the thrill of the hunt, though.

Afterwards, we hit the coffee shop for our usual treats and gabbing.  A fun day.

Linda and Duane's purchases.

A Saturday community yard sale

Typical bungalow found here.

As I've mentioned numerous times on this blog, my friend Duane lives in one of the coolest parts of town.  Old bungalows and small businesses.  Great places to eat and shop.  On Saturday, the neighborhood had a community yard sale.  There was a map online that could be printed with the addresses of the people participating.  Of course, there were many people who didn't bother to pay to be on the map, they just put their signs out and joined in the fun.

We hit a number of houses on different streets and there was a pretty big variety of items available for sale.  A large church centrally located in Seminole Heights was having it's Fall Festival on the same day as the community yard sale.  Awesome baked goods.  I bought two homemade devil's food whoopie pies (one for me and one for George) and Linda bought a loaf of something called Hobo Cake.  They had samples to try and whatever is in that Hobo cake, it's really good.

We all ended up buying some things.  I think Duane found the

Mid-Century Modern here, too.

largest number of items.  Besides the food, I found a cool wood ruler listing all of the English 'rulers' up to Queen Elizabeth II.  It's all metric which will come in handy with some of the knitting/crochet patterns I come across.  Duane came across a really neat looking pitcher in the blue and white common to Delft.  We think the markings say 'Delft' but they're hard to read.  Definitely from across the pond, though.  Duane is going to research it.  She also bought a church cookbook, some mugs that match ones she already has and a really pretty bangle bracelet featuring different types of wood.  Linda bought food and a CD.


As usual, when we were finished we hit the coffee shop for coffee/tea, a treat and a long gab.  We're looking forward to the next few weeks because there's going to be a sale in the parking lot of a great thrift store in Duane's neighborhood.  Then, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, there's the annual shop small business Saturday.  The local businesses have great deals that day along with holiday refreshments for shoppers.  Really looking forward to it!  

Our purchases.

Saturday sales

Linda's table.

Linda, Duane, and I hit a thrift shop sale, an estate sale and a large yard sale Saturday morning.  We wanted to get to the sale at the Friends and Neighbors Thrift Store first so that Linda would have a chance to nab the adorable pale blue wicker table we saw there last Friday.  Happily, she got it at a great price.  It's a nice size table and she plans to use it in her master bedroom.  Linda and I also both bought a DVD each.  I've noticed that this shop has a nice selection of movies at great prices. 

Next, we hit an estate sale that was entering it's second day.  This sale was in an older section of what's referred to as 'Old Carrollwood' and the items were very nice.  There were two LeRoy Neiman signed serigraph prints.  One of the three tenors and the other was of Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong.  All three of us loved the 'Satchmo' print but, alas, it was beyond our budgets.

Neiman 'Satchmo' signed serigraph.

We didn't end up buying anything at this estate sale although we might have found something if we had gotten there on Friday morning when it first began.  A lot of smaller items had been sold.  The last sale we visited was completely by accident.  We happened to notice it as we were driving back to where the three of us met that morning.  Duane and I saw a yard sale in a very large front yard.  Linda made a quick left turn and we were there.  This lady had a lot of cute small stuff.  Mainly new items that she purchases in bulk because she takes items to children in different countries.  She had just returned from the Honduras.  I found several cool items for my nieces when I visit them next week in Virginia.  Linda also bought some new luggage tags and a book. 

Our small purchases.

We were near a large Starbucks -- hurray, we actually had no problem finding a table -- after we hit the estate sale so we were pretty caffeine-ated by the time we hit that yard sale.  The small items for each of my nieces are a finger puppet, a luggage tag for their school backpacks that say 'Hands Off!' and these cute little 'camera' keychains that make a clicking sound and flash a light when you press the button.   From LeRoy Neiman to tiny 'made in China' toys -- as always -- we never know what we'll find.

Estate/yard sales -- you just never know

Linda and I headed out early yesterday morning to three estate and yard sales.  Duane wasn't able to go with us due to family commitments.  I was just sure that the first sale was going to be the jackpot.  It was being held in an older part of town and the only place it was listed was The Flyer.  It's gotten kind of pricey to put an ad in The Flyer -- especially since you can list for free on Craig's List and Gsalr.com.  It was listed as an estate sale, though, so you can imagine our disappointment when Linda and I met at the address only to discover that it was an elderly man just getting rid of some things.  In other words -- a garden variety yard sale.  He had some tables set up in his one car garage and an area next to it.  Linda noticed that the items were kind of pricey although I did hear the man say that everything was half off the sticker price.  Something tells me that he was a flea market vendor and was just getting rid of some stuff.  Neither of us saw anything we wanted at his yard sale.

The next sale was out in a bedroom community called Lutz.  It was an honest to goodness estate sale.  The people having it were selling everything including a lot of nice furniture because they're moving out of state and plan to build a new house when they do.  Although neither of us bought anything, we were relieved that this one was an actual estate sale and not just a yard sale.  The prices were good and the items were nice, too.

The last sale which was held a little further north in Lutz was the one I least expected to be a good one.  It was listed as a yard sale and just said, 'lots of misc.' which can mean anything.  Also, it was located in a mixed area of old industrial type stores and older small houses.  Well, we hit one of the coolest sales I've been to in awhile.  It was a little old house and items were set up on tables in the yard, on the porch and in the house.  It turned out to be the home of a couple who sell at one of the best flea markets around -- the Webster flea market.  I posted here when Linda and I went to the market in Webster last spring.  This couple wants to get out of the business so they held what was basically a mini flea market of cool stuff at their house.  Lots of vintage items.  I bought a garnet necklace and a bag of wood crochet hooks.  Linda found a beautiful vintage Japanese/Nippon coffee/tea cup of the type of porcelain she collects.  We were just sorry that Duane missed this sale.  She loves old stuff.  Apparently there was even more jewelry when they started their sale at 8am so who knows what we missed.  The lady told me that she's going to have another sale in about a month.  We don't want to miss it!

So the least promising looking of the sales from an advertising perspective was, by far, the best one.  As we tell ourselves, you just never know what will be a dud and what will be a find.

We also went to a thrift shop that I had noticed before but had never visited called Friends and Neighbors Thrift Store.  It's located a bit off the main road just before you leave Tampa and enter Lutz.  Nice shop with good stuff and good prices.  I bought a couple of DVDs and Linda fell in love with the prettiest wicker table painted blue.  The owner told us that next Saturday, they're having their parking lot sale and the furniture will be 1/2 price plus anyone in the community is welcome to set up a table and sell stuff for free.  We're going to head back and (fingers crossed!) hope that Linda can snag that table for 1/2 price.

Lastly, we went to a Starbucks that was inside a Super Target.  I'd never been to this but it was in Lutz and Linda knew about it.  It was a nice break after a fun morning.

Our buys.

 

Yard sales and a progress report on Duane's studio

Duane, Linda and I hit assorted yard sales this morning along with the semi-annual parking lot sale held at the vintage shop YesterDaze.  Duane was the lucky one at the parking lot sale.  She bought three pieces of really nice costume jewelry, two cuff bracelets and a necklace, for a pittance.  Then we hit the other sales.  Duane and I both bought numerous items.  I found a trivia game called The British Invasion, a DVD of the movie Donnie Darko and some yarn, needles and hooks to donate to The Humble Stitch.   Besides the jewelry she found at the parking lot sale, Duane purchased a small piece of blue and white Delft pottery, a set of pretty chopsticks, a mat cutter, a book, and some cool looking vintage pic buttons to use in her designs.  Linda was the only one who escaped making a purchase but that was only because nothing popped up that grabbed her. 

Today's haul.

Afterwards, we headed to Starbucks, as usual, for refreshments.  The weather was pretty nice when we started but it had started to become really warm.  Cool drinks all around. 

When we headed back to Duane's house (these sales were all in her neighborhood), she showed us the progress she's made on her home office/art studio.  She's about 80% finished with the office part.  She has a separate building on her property that houses this.  It has electricity so there are lights and air conditioning.  She painted her desk and work table a hot pink gloss.  It took three coats.  She's already hung a number of items on the wall, etc., and now she's getting ready to paint the concrete floor.  The 'studio' section is coming along, too, but there's more work to be done there.  Duane wants to have it set up with her easels and paints so that she can leave things out and go back to them as she pleases.  Linda and I were very impressed by all of the work that's she's done.

Duane's home office.

Duane's Jim Morrison poster.

Linda and I also liked Duane's framed poster of her forever crush, Jim Morrison of The Doors.  I had to include a photo showing the poster.  By the time she finishes, Duane plans to have chairs for company (like Linda and me) so she's been on the lookout for a pair.  She's also planning to hang black beads in the doorway that separates her office from her studio.  I'll post here as her progress on this continues.
 

Small Business Saturday Shopping (& yard sales)

Duane and Linda and I all like shopping at small locally owned businesses.  Not that we don't like department stores or malls but we like to support local merchants.  We decided to shop and eat at only small local places yesterday -- mostly in Duane's neighborhood -- and, yes, that did include a few yard sales, too.  We decided to hit the yard sales first since some of the stores hadn't opened yet.  All three of us found things at the yard sales.  I bought  some DVDs and (my cool scores) an old metal/cardboard matchbox featuring Allegheny Airlines DC-9 VistaJet and a cigarette holder.  Although I don't and never have smoked, I thought

there was something neat about the cigarette holder.  It reminds me of Lucille Ball on "I Love Lucy" whenever she was play-acting as a vamp.  It's part heavy stiff cardboard and part some type of resin.  But it also has advertising on it -- "Furs by Gaylon.  Create Warm Friends.  Ardmore, PA."  I would also never wear fur but this is vintage stuff we're talking about here.  I think it'll look neat inside my living room glass display table with other 'finds' and gifts. I also nabbed a full skein of pretty variegated yarn that I'm going to use for some items for The Humble Stitch Project. 

Duane found a ceramic pitcher, two attachments for her mixer, and some books.  Linda found a movie she wanted so none of us were empty-handed even before we hit the local stores.  We walked through Sherry's YesterDaze shop first.  It's always fun to pop in and see what she has among the tons of items she carries.  Apparently, she had a very busy day the day before, on Black Friday, which was a pleasant surprise.  Linda bought some lovely vintage embroidered handkerchiefs from Sherry.  After doing some window shopping, we hit a new store that we'd never been in before called Cleanse.  It's an apothecary type store and they were serving champagne to their customers.  They also had the sweetest dog, a Shar Pei, who allowed himself to be petted.  We all found things to buy at Cleanse.  Besides handmade soaps and lotions, etc., they also carried really cute Christmas ornaments.  Linda and I both loved the 3-D pinecone ornaments made of wood and each bought one.  Linda also bought a painted wood star ornament and some cleansing items.  Duane purchased some darling make-up items.  This is a store that we'll definitely return to when we shop.

We were all ready for lunch by then so we decided to hit Nicko's Diner.  We sat in the "Elvis" booth and had a great lunch.  Next weekend we plan to go to a huge arts and crafts sale being held in a suburb of Tampa near where Linda lives.  I will, of course, report back here.

   

Family visit, shopping and a floppy sun hat

I decided to give myself a few days off from recording during the latter part of last week since my sister Heidi and her family were here for a short visit.  This meant that other than some reading prep for a new book I'm recording called Shifting Positions by Jennifer Dellerman, I did no recording or editing.  I spent time with my two 'out-of-town' nieces, Bailey - age 5 and her sister, Taylor - age 3 and then went estate/yard selling with my friends Duane and Linda.  We hit three small sales but got lucky.  All three of us bought books at a sale in Duane's neighborhood.  Linda's are pictured.

     
I also snagged a little globe note holder.  (I have a thing for globes and maps.)  Linda was the big winner of the day, though.  She also bought a nice used set of luggage ($10 for the set) AND we went to one of our favorite stores, A Modern Line, so that Linda could pick up the vintage double size headboard that she had refinished by the owner of A Modern Line.  It turned out beautifully.  You can really see the grain of the wood.  Now all Linda has to do is advertise and sell her current guest room bed (along with a desk) and she's one step closer to completely revamping her guest bedroom.

  
In the mean time, we also sent off the package we were readying a couple of posts ago to The Humble Stitch Project.  So now we're starting all over again for the next batch of items.   I did make one other item during this time.  My sister, Carol, and her family are getting ready to go on a Disney cruise so she asked if I could make a floppy yellow sun hat for her 5 year old daughter, Ava.  I looked at a number of patterns, picked one that both Carol and I liked and got to work.  I purchased the pattern from a blog called Crochet Dreamz and it was SO easy to make.  I used a bright lemon yellow yarn and decided to go with all white flowers after finding Mickey Mouse ears buttons at the local Jo-Ann's.  There were quite a few colors in the package of buttons but I decided to stick with primary colors.  I used the smaller buttons in the center of the flowers and decided to add one of the large ones on the back of the brim.  Now Ava can feel stylish and and right at home among the Disney crowd.

To borrow a quote from one of the characters from one of my favorite '80's movies, "Sixteen Candles", it's time to "no more yanky my wanky" (spoken by The Donger) and get back to work.  I recorded and edited today so I'm off to a good start for the week.