Angels and a Whorehouse Bed

I went to an estate sale at this house yesterday. Judging from the outside, I had a sense of what kind of stuff I might find, but it was so much more than I bargained for.

I would have paid anything for this, but it was sunk in concrete and wouldn't budge. Believe me, I tried. Let's go inside, shall we?

Glittery gold "art" was everywhere.

and angels...

lots of lots angels.

But this was the piece de resistance. A red tufted velvet headboard, suited for a princess. Or a hooker. Next post: The stuff I brought home.

Thank you, Sherry!

So the other day, while I was working at the shop, the phone rang. When I answered it, I heard the words we all live to hear, "Hi, my name is Sherry and my sister and I are cleaning out our Aunt Ethel's house...." All I heard after that was "Blah, blah, furniture..blah blah...dishes, old records...blah blah...donate to Goodwill..." I tried to stay calm, but it was impossible. I unwittingly shouted out: "NO!" I took a breath and said, "I'll be there as soon as I close the shop!" Here's (some of) what I got...

Royal typewriter from the 1940's,

wood boxes, garden tools, a floral print, chartreuse lamp, 1940's aluminium cooler, a hopper and...ahem, concrete.

Orange Damask drapes, a green trunk stuffed with linens, ancient copper heater and pink floral bin,

Galvanized buckets (2 of several) Pendleton wool blanket, and a mocha brown 1950's daybed,

2 sweet canvas topped seats,

and a box full (one of 4) of kitchen goodies. My favorites are the hard boiled egg slicer and the turkey lacing pins. I shoved a large wad of cash in Sherry's hand and drove off into the night.

I would show you the rest of the stash, but A) it's all piled in a friend's garage in SE Portland and B) that would just be boasting.

My New Favorite Thing

Look what arrived on the porch the other day...
A fabulous huge metal expandable stand thing-a-ma-jig!

My friend Laurie posted about finding one here. I pestered her with questions like..."Can I buy it?" "Can I trade you something for it?" "Can I do your laundry for the next 12 months in exchange for that object?" She said no.

But lucky for me, one of Laurie's readers had one in her attic. One thing led to another, emails were exchanged and a few days later...It's mine all mine. (Thanks, Elizabeth!)

And look at those metal prongs! I'll keep it handy for the next time I need a weapon.

P.S. The plates are antique Limoges china that I found at a high school rummage...$2 for 4 of them. But that's a story for another day.

Recent Finds That Thrill Me

I recently posted on my Facebook page that after a marathon cleaning and sorting of my "inventory", I was never going to buy anything again. Ever. The responses I got from my dearest friends were along the lines of "LOL", "Liar, liar, pants on fire!" and "I think Pam is delusional!" Anyway, here is some of the stuff I uncovered...

Fab 1970's floral painting that reminds me of Tahiti, even though I have never been there.

Sweet floral bookends.

Ditto, but with a Lily of the Valley thing going on.

Swimming swans table top.

Hooooooo is the most handsome concrete owl in the world?

Which one do you like best? Please advise!

Bye Bye Bambi!

Remember this handsome fella?

I dug him out of a forest of vinca in a backyard in SE Portland. Since then, he's been the reigning king of the shop. I'm here to report that he has found a new home.

Yesterday, his new owner put him lovingly in the back of a Subaru. He looks like he's trying to see through the window...Don'tcha think? Happy trails, Bambi!

Satin Ribbon, Floral Prints and 2 Smelly Brides

Remember this sale? I went back today to see if there were any leftovers. It was 1/2 price day and I was hoping to score a cheap boatload. There was a boatload for sure, but even at half price, most of it wasn't cheap enough for me. I did bring home the following...

Spools of of satin ribbon...one of which is a glorious 2 tone.

Vintage florals ~ these 2 are my favorites.

And these 2 brides. I don't normally go for dolls...high creepy factor. But these were old and wearing satin gowns, for Pete's sake. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that they smell, and not in a good way. It's more than musty...it's more like cat spray, if you get my meaning. Girls, any suggestions on how to get the stench out?

Fabulous stuff I saw on NE 73rd Street

As I turned the corner onto NE 73rd Street today, I spotted this car, just sitting there, looking stunning. The shape! The color! The adorable brake lights!

Further down the street, I saw this guy checking out this exercise bike which someone had left on the street. While I was frantically digging in my purse for my camera, he moved the bike closer to his car. Judging by the pile on top of his car, he had been "shopping" the neighborhood. Please note: garden hose, American flag and heaven only knows what's under the blue tarp. I think you can guess what happened next.

Up the bike went...right on top his other treasures. No rope, no bungee cord in sight; just sheer confidence that it would all stay there on the way home. Compared to this guy, I'm a total amateur.

Dig Girls, Dig!

We were at the beach over the weekend and naturally, I made my regular stop at Cart'M. The place was packed!

There were lovely items in the home decor department.

I spotted a bin crammed full of craft stuff. On the surface, it didn't look very promising...cheesy 1980's needlework kits and the like.

But look what I found when I dug to the bottom with both hands...

A large stash of vintage Aunt Martha's iron-on transfers, all in unused, pristine condition.
Hip Hip Hooray for Cart'M!

Next post: Scenes from the Cart'M art show

She Really Did Save Everything

Here's some of the Christmas stuff I got at the "Little Lady" sale. There's more, but I didn't want to...um...gloat.

Holiday store display, 2 friends, and the winking Santa is part of a large roll of wrappping paper.

Festive vintage gift tags.

More wrapping paper that made me all weak in the knees.

And a fabulous Dennison package of Christmas seals...Sweet!

The 'They Weren't Kidding' Sale - Part I

The photos on last weekend's estate sale posting told the whole story...costume jewelry, garden concrete, vintage clothes, piles of dishes and fabric. But the thing that really got me was this line:
"This little lady saved everything." Here's part I of what I bought:

Barkcloth covered boudoir chair

Green Naugahyde covered desk chair (I have its twin in our den.)

Tins and flowers and a toleware tray. Oh! And the best dotty glass I have ever laid eyes on.

A squat glass vintage candy jar..."Candy Treats 3 pounds"

A box stuffed with vintage wrapping paper and super cute stickers. Well, except for the creepy clown one.

And a boxful of cards for every occasion. Looks like Jesus needed a little catnap.

Next post: Part II ~ The Christmas stuff

What one girl will do to get her hands on a concrete deer

As is my habit on Friday mornings, yesterday started with a trip to an estate sale.

This photo was one of several posted about an estate sale that promised "40 years of Christmas", which really got my attention. However, once Gail and I got there, I discovered that it should have been adverised as "40 years of Christmas garbage". But never mind. I headed into the yard and started to get an uncanny feeling that someone was looking at me. I spotted something by the back fence and as I got closer, I saw that my instincts were right. There was a deer looking at me. A concrete deer, my favorite kind.

See him there, lying in the Vinca behind the gigantic TV antenna? I didn't care that he only had one (broken) antler. It was love at first sight. The gal running the sale was glad to see him go for a song. So I dug him out, borrowed a dolly and rolled all 95 pounds of him across the lawn.

When we got to the Dodge, 2 guys were standing by the van. They asked how we planned to get the deer into the car. We batted our eyelashes and said something along the lines of "we thought you handsome gentlemen were waiting to help us"...

Garry, on the right, did most of the heavy lifting and got Bambi into the car. Jim offered moral support. Gail was the official photographer.

Straight to the shop we went. There he is in all his glory, holding a little Easter bunny on his lap. Isn't he wonderful?

Iron Horse Tour - Part II

Let's head back to the Iron Horse, shall we? Cozy goodness... A festive arrangement of golf clubs... Yee Haw! Love this little pea green chest... Cock-a-doodle-doo... Blue Ball jars and more... Random pile of delicious linens... What would you like to get your hands on? Iron Horse 210 NW Congress St. Bend, OR 97701