This morning, although the urge to sleep in was strong, I forced myself out of bed and started out in the direction of a church rummage sale in a nearby town. I arrived a couple of minutes before the sale was scheduled to begin, and as is usually the case, I was greeted by a line of people waiting to enter. The sale was well organized, and had clearly been curated so there was no junk to paw through, only nicer things. Of course, the prices reflected that! There was a large section of furniture, and I saw right away that I had not brought nearly enough cash. I had to bypass that room entirely, which is a shame, because I saw a perfect little coffee table that would have completed my sitting room design. Lesson learned! Always take a check, just in case.
In the main room, though, I made up for it. First off, I found this well constructed book holder. I plan to turn it into a cookbook/iPad holder; the drawer will be handy for holding the miscellaneous recipe cards that are always floating around my kitchen.
The cookbook holder idea was inspired by this post over at Elizabeth & Co. that highlighted this breadboard tablet holder. I originally was hoping to find an old breadboard today, and I actually did find a brand new one, but it was too small and not quite the right shape. So when I spotted the book holder for a good price, I decided that although it wouldn't be the same look as the tablet holder, it would actually work better for my kitchen and my cooking habits (I use my iPad and cookbooks equally). I can't wait to dress it up with a couple of coats of paint and put it to work in my kitchen.
Then, I found this beautiful set of red vintage enameled trays. There are four, and the finish is chipping in a couple of corners on one, but otherwise they are lovely. I doubt I will use all four anyway, so I may re-donate the chipped one and keep the others.
I carefully scanned the housewares tables for any of my china or glass patterns, and found this Oxford stoneware pitcher.
The teapot in this photo belonged to my mother. I see this pattern fairly often at antique markets but have never bought another piece because the prices are usually too high to justify. This pitcher was marked only $3 so I snapped it up. It is in perfect condition and cleaned up beautifully.
I also found these two English transferware cups, which I picked up for my friend who collects Johnson Brothers. Although they were unmarked, I thought at first they might be Johnson Brothers. Sadly, a quick google search later, I don't think they actually are, but my friend still likes them, so into a care package they shall go.
There were some great finds in the sale's art section, but again, the prices for most of the items exceeded what I had brought along in cash so I was unable to battle it out for any of the goodies. I did find this frame, which admittedly is not vintage, but will look gorgeous with a family picture we had taken at a Gothic-inspired church a couple of years ago.
And then I found a number of items that I will be using at my daughter's upcoming Pioneer Party. Little baskets, leather pouches, and old-fashioned scoops will be put to use as props or given out as favors. I don't want to give away too many details before the party, but one of my favorite planned features is going to be a country general store, where guests can select and purchase (not for real money, of course!) their own party favors! I have had way too much fun collecting both the props to set the scene and the little trinkets for the children to buy.
And to wrap things up, I found several treasures in the toy section, too. This paper boat-making kit makes tiny boats that really float and was unopened.
And this set of vintage dominoes was only a dollar, so I figured it couldn't be complete, but when I got home and opened it up, every piece was accounted for. And they are very cool! My children can't wait to play with them.
Finally, I picked up a small shoebox filled with vintage around-the-world dolls. Some are ornaments, some are figurines, and some are just the right size for my kids to play with in their dollhouse.
All in all, a great sale on a beautiful spring day! In and out in under two hours, with plenty of time left to enjoy the rest of this gorgeous weekend with family and friends.
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