estate sale finds // 05.28.2011



suffice it to say, the little bedroom community i call home (established in 1974) is not the best place for finding vintage wares or furniture; however, every once in awhile, you stumble upon greatness.

this past weekend, my mom and i hit up a nearby nature preserve for a bike ride and decided to stop at a local estate sale on the way home. and what did i find? not the buffet i was thinking about investing in, but an eight-piece dining set from the late 1940s/early 1950s.

after a few minutes deliberation (and a quick call to my brother to see if he could store the set until i move in the fall), i had a mid-century table, six chairs, and a buffet. the set isn't in pristine condition, but it was a great deal and it's definitely workable.

the table and the buffet both have burl wood detailing and the buffet has really interesting acrylic and metal handles. the chairs were recovered in the 1970s, so i cannot wait to remove the gold and green velvet (though i kind of love it) to see the original fabric underneath.

also at the estate sale?

this amazing dresser and headboard set. i'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but i didn't even think about these (i didn't even look at the price!) because i already have a dresser, though definitely not as classy as these.

i'm getting excited about autumn and new places!

pickin'

one of my plans for the long weekend included a tentative trip to kaufman, texas, to pick, à la american pickers.

the tentative plans were firmed up late last night and i am so happy they did; it was the perfect little memorial day adventure.



the property was dotted with sheds and buildings full of hidden treasures (and wasps -- so many wasps!)



the first building we explored was called the museum and it really lived up to its name. most of our finds came from inside.



the other buildings and their surrounding yards were just as full of everything you could ever imagine...



old carnival rides.



more carnival rides.



appliances.



radios.



cash registers.



fans.



product memorabilia.



record players.



and tons of random crazy and cool finds. it was a bit overwhelming, actually. even i gave up trying to snap pictures of everything after awhile!

so, what made it home with me?



this amazing accordion. i am in love with it big time.



a much-desired tin dollhouse. i've been kicking myself for passing up a similar dollhouse a few months ago. it just needs a little elbow grease and then it'll be a perfect conversation piece.



a beautiful paint by number.



i'm going to use this old bicycle basket as a magazine holder.



an old globe, a pink clock, and three vintage cameras. the owner wasn't ready to part with the mannequin head just yet, but how awesome is she?



this initial didn't make it home with me, either. this time.



the sweetest guy ever? yes, for sure. he was so friendly and knew so much about all of his treasures. a total sweetheart.



i am a hot, sweaty, smelly, sunburned mess, but it was definitely a great experience and i can't wait to go back. maybe in the fall next time, though...

did you have any adventures this weekend?

megs

p.s. there's still time to enter the giveaway if you haven't already! 

plans

hellooo three-day weekend! i don't know about you, but i am eagerly awaiting six o'clock, for then i shall be free from work for a glorious 72 hours. here is what i plan on doing:

(source)

biking. a morning bike ride with my mom at arbor hills nature preserve is on the schedule and i'm actually quite excited to get up (very early) to do this.


(source)

reading. keith and i started a vintage book club, for which we've decided to read older books and classics. the first selection is the perennial classic to kill a mockingbird by harper lee. i haven't read this since ninth grade and i'm really enjoying it. and let's be honest, i'm actually picking up on its beautifully crafted symbolism and themes this time around, too. and i've decided that if i ever have a son, his name shall be atticus.

(source)

knitting. i realized the other night that i haven't cast on a single stitch in more than a year. this is crazy and must be remedied!

(source)

hunting for treasure. there's a small chance that i'll be driving almost two hours to pick, à la american pickers. if this actually pans out, i will be one happy girl. we have family friends whose 90-year-old grandfather owns acres and acres of sheds and barns filled (filled!) with stuff. i can only image what treasure there is to be found.

(source)

shopping. if you like mid-century anything, you should check out mid2mod. besides being an extremely informative source for mid-century designers, furniture, gardening, etc., on the internet, there's a physical mid2mod store in downtown dallas. this weekend they're having a great memorial day sale and i'm totally drooling over this buffet. the piece is reasonably priced to begin with, so i can't wait to see what type of discount is being offered. maybe it's time i purchased my first investment piece? ha, that sounds so odd and grown-up to me.

and in between all of this? i plan on doing absolutely nothing. what are your plans?

the library // warts and all

(source)

as a rule, anybody who walks up the reference desk clutching the book body drama, and who then states, "wait, let me find the page," is going to have an interesting story.

case in point?

a middle age woman approached the desk with the book in question and, after finding the page she was looking for, whispered, "can you get me a book on genital warts?"

this request, though not an everyday occurrence, is hardly the most embarrassing question that's ever been shyly whispered to me. i quickly located a few books on sexually transmitted diseases and walked the patron to the correct section.

as i was skimming the index of one of the books, the worst possible thing that could happen happened: she. kept. talking.

now, there's nothing i enjoy more than a few minutes of idle chatting with customers as we locate titles (really, i do), but when you get somebody with a deeply personal request sequestered in the stacks, the odds of them sharing their life story are astronomically high. it's a phenomenon that deserves scholarly study, i tell you.

in the space of sixty seconds, i learned the following:

1) the patron contracted genital warts from her husband
2) at the time, she was pregnant
3) the, um, transmission was the worst anniversary gift she'd ever gotten ("secondhand to boot!" as her husband had been cheating on her)
4) the husband is now an ex-husband
5) she has had invasive surgery to fix the issue
6) the surgery did not work, apparently, because she's having another major outbreak
7) the patron does not know how this is possible as she hasn't had sex since 1999

i'm pretty sure i'm still blushing.

33 (a giveaway!)

i can pinpoint the exact day that 33 became my favorite number. i was a sophomore in high school and my sister and her boyfriend (now my brother-in-law) took me to a local college haunt to have pizza. a few doors down from the flying tomato in denton, texas, was a CD warehouse. i purchased my first copy (of many copies) of mellon collie and the infinite sadness that day and i listened to thirty three on repeat for hours. i loved it (still love it) and the number stuck.

sooo... i'm particularly happy to have 33 followers! of course, i would be just as happy to have 3 followers because, after many failed attempts at keeping up a blog, i finally feel as if i'm sharing the real me and i just wanted to say thank you so very much for reading my words, looking at my silly pictures, and visiting my small corner of the internet.

to show my appreciation, i'm having a 33 giveaway featuring one of my very favorite vintage finds!

up for grabs in this giveaway is a set of three vintage 1960s nesting paisley suitcases.

with summer vacation just around the corner, it's the perfect time of year for acquiring new kitschy luggage, yes? the three cases fit inside each other and have working zippers, clasps, and locks (key included).

the cases are a bright mix of teal, navy blue, purple, green, and mustard and each has a front diagonal zippered pocket. these are perfect for road trips, craft storage, or display and to give a bit of perspective, the largest of the three suitcases measures 17"x11"x4".

there *just might* be a few more surprises stashed inside the cases (a nice mix of handcrafted, vintage, and modern), so be sure to enter the giveaway! all you have to do is leave a comment below by may 31st. i'll use a random number generator to choose a winner on wednesday, june 1st. overseas? no problem - i'll ship internationally for this. and please don't forget to provide an e-mail address to contact you if you win!

good luck and thank you, thank you, thank you again!

my hipstamatic day // 05.20.11-05.23.11

i apologize for the photo dump that's about to take place (and why does it have to be photo dump? it just sounds bad). it's been a pretty great few days and i managed to catch snippets with my favorite app (that i definitely use way too much), so here's what's been happening in my little corner of the world:

rain. so much rain. but sometimes?

rainbows.

thrifting. i love the colors and design of this old sewing machine.

antiquing. kind of like thrifting, except i don't usually buy anything in antique stores because i'd rather have the thrill of finding something in the 'wild' (and for much cheaper).

loving old vinyl floors in antique and thrift stores.

finding a new best burger ever. square burger, you and your sweet potato french fries with garlic aioli are amazing.

finding new sushi joints (with absolutely ginormous bento boxes. good grief).

this piece reminds me of a terrarium.

remembering just how good mediterranean sea salt & caramel gelato is.

also good? pistachio almond gelato.

hanging out with super cool friends in dallas...

and getting to hear super cool music. the black angels, i think i can safely say, are my favorite band to see live. they're amazing.

laughing at animals who join you for dinner on the patio...

and trying to calm a dog who is terrified of thunder (again, so much rain).

enjoying the pretty colors of nature...

and begrudgingly wanting to learn a little bit about them.

and finally? (most importantly?) really loving essie nail polish.

what have you been up to?