A positive development

 
I set out Saturday morning with one destination in mind, the monthly flea market on the lawn of an antique store about 10 miles down the road. Sometimes I find things there, sometimes I don't, but it's always a beautiful drive. This week, though, there were a handful of yard sales along the way, at least some of which had been planned to take advantage of flea-market traffic, and my mind swirled with possibilities. What if this idea caught on, and once a month I could just drive down the road and happen upon lots of sales? Wouldn't that be great?

I realized after I took photos and put everything away that I had the wrong setting on my camera, so you'll have to make do with some narrative instead of photos. In front are a corner shelf and a needlepoint scene which some people might find tacky but that I think is charming. In the second row are a folk-art cloth doll, a handmade doll cradle, some green things (more on them in a second), a die-cast truck, a collection of cotton rickrack, a ball-shaped orange juice pitcher, and some old school books. Behind them all are the classic Wilendur rose tablecloth and a wonderful quilt.

 
This is by no means the most valuable thing I found, but I adore it. It was the spotted cow that got me. I also like the chickens (near the cow) and the wash on the line (at left.) These colors don't go in my house at all, so I'll be popping this on Etsy at some point, but in the meantime I can enjoy it.

 
Here are the green things. They came from an unexpectedly excellent yard sale. I don't know what they are, but I was taken with the color and patina (and, it goes without saying, a very low price). I'm guessing they are some kind of spooly yarn-winding kinds of things, but I'm not sure. They could be hat racks, but they don't have a very good center of gravity for hat-holding. Any ideas?

Talking about them makes me feel like whipping out the aprons.

 

Close to home, with no logistical planning required.

More sales and more finds than I had hoped. The excellent yard sale was my first stop, and I had doubts about it as soon as I arrived. The house was absolutely stunning, a beautiful cottage down a wooded drive on a prime piece of lakefront. My experience with such sales is that they have a lot of elegant, way overpriced stuff for sale, and not the old stuff I crave. But it was there I found the quilt, the green things, and this:

 
A wonderful Victorian photo album. I've never bought one before because they're always priced out of my reach. This one was so reasonable that I looked a couple of times at the price tag to make sure I wasn't missing a zero or misplacing a decimal point somewhere.

 
It's chockablock full of great old photos.

 

 
The quilt was a fun find, too. The woman having the sale said she found it in an Adirondack cabin her family purchased more than 30 years ago.

 
This is not a quilt I'd have left behind in a cabin.

 
  
 
There are just four different fabrics in the eight-pointed star, all in that wonderful, clear-blue color that I associate with 1930s fabrics.

 
Same with the sashing fabric. Blue like Adirondack lakes and skies.

 
And the backing fabric!

 
I love this print so much I'm not sure which side of the quilt I like best.

 
An apron for a quilt that makes my heart beat faster.

 An apron for good finds all around.

A four-apron morning. And a pretty good weekend of sales.


 



 
 



 

 

 

Comments

[jenn]

A four apron day! Score! I like the green thing a majigs....will you be putting them on etsy?

[Lori @ My Vintage Whimsy]

Wow. Those are great finds!!

[Gina at Vintage Junk in My Trunk]

Now those are some spectacular finds! Love the album, and the quilt is lovely.

[Renee]

Quilt alone is score enough. The fabric is amazing. I can see that gorgeous wilendur tablecloth as well. Never disappoint in the eyecandy. Smiles...Renee

[Kim]

All of your finds are amazing, but my eye went right to the quilt. It's gorgeous and I so appreciated the close up details.

[Mary]

Wonderful finds.
Bet you could tea stain the sweet needlepoint picture to tone down the colors a bit.

[Carol @ Old Glory Cottage]

I think I want to live in that little needlepoint farming community, and tend those needlepoint chickens! Love everything you found just down the road!

[Celeste]

green things: Maybe hat stands?

[Sarah]

To me those green things are paper towel holders. Does one end screw off? Of course, this could just be because I need a paper towel holder and that is what I would be using them for.

[Shara]

I love it all, but the tablecloth and the the toaster cover (doll) spek to me the most. I collect African American Folk Art, but I don't mention it much because some people just don't "get it". Glad you rescued her.

[HeidiAnn]

I love the doll, too - and everything else!

[Rebecca]

LOVE the rose tablecloth! I believe the green things are hat stands. Could possibly be used for wigs too?

[birdie blue]

that quilt is to-die-for! love the blue.

excellent finds, my friend.

xo
molly

[Into Vintage]

I was thinking hat stands as well for the green things -- maybe for some very symmetrical hats so the stands don't topple over? You are quite the quilt magnet.

[black eyed susans kitchen]

You, without a doubt have the best yardsale mojo!!! I love that quilt and I think those things might be paper towel holders???

[black eyed susans kitchen]

Also...if you decide to sell the quilt, could you let me know??? Thank you....and also thank you for your good thoughts about that nasty hurricane...we were fortunate...others not so much!

[DogsMom]

Impressed with your wonderful sale day. I would even give it 5 aprons. My favorite is the photo album.

I stopped at a sale in a more affluent community because I wanted a closer look at the house. I never get invitations to that neighborhood and sales there are rare. You know how it goes - either prices are low (just to be rid of it) or the other extreme. Unfortunately this time everything was priced as a priceless treasure.
And from the driveway side there wasn't even a good look at the house!

[Lavender Dreams]

When are you going to open your ETSY store back up my friend? I would love to know if that gorgeous quilt will be listed! I love all of the pretty fabrics in the post above this one, too! You find the best stuff! ♥

[HeidiAnn]

I want to know about your Etsy store, too- please.

[Kat Bennett]

Oh, that quilt is gorgeous! How did you come across your magical certain something that nets you all of these wonderful things?? Your posts not only leave me totally envious, but make my whole eye-candy day!