Magpie Ethel

Estate Sale Friday - Had to Flip A Coin

Friday found me hitting two dismal, dismal estate sales before I had to head down to Corvallis to pick up Ben from his freshman year of college at OSU. Having him home for the summer will be a nice treat.

Saturday I was determined to find a decent sale.  There were two sales that looked promising.  Sale "A" started at 10 a.m. and there was no list just a line and was advertised as a digger sale.  Sale "B" started at 9 a.m., but the list had gone out the previous day, so I had no idea how many names had been written on it. It was the second phase of a sale but they had opened up new areas of the house and removed items from attic space.  The first phase (which was Farm Chicks weekend, I heard was pretty good).

I decided to flip a coin...sale B was the winner.

Thank goodness it was.

Vintage Christmas, reindeer heads, spun santa heads, mushrooms, bells and glass garland.

Brightly colored Easter rabbits, a good sized stack of Christmas reflectors and a bunch of Easter chicks.

A book on making crepe paper flowers and FORTY reindeer in original packaging!

Pink tinsel, a rose covered box and holiday floral picks.

Tiny baby cradles, an adorable rubber elephant and flocked bells.

2 Meyer decals in a larger size.

A bunch of packs of tarnished tinsel tape, cardboard ribbon spools and what is that peeking out from the bottom corner of the photo?

An assortment of animal spun heads!

Vintage cardboard bells.

Gold foil leaves, pink Christmas balls and gold decorating bursts.

I am going to be having some crafting fun. This flip of the coin sure paid off for me!

p.s. I spent two hours at this sale and decided to run by sale "A" on the way home just to check it out. It was all newer stuff (plus half a room of stuffed animals) and other undesirable items. So glad the day turned out the way it did!

Happy Day!

Farm Chicks Finds

I found a few things at Farm Chicks.  I am spoiled by my estate sales, so I don't always purchase a bunch.

I did find some fun stuff tho.

I am going to hang this enamel soap container in my bathroom.  It will pop against my turquoise wall.

I am loving this kite string spool with the chippy pink paint.  I am thinking it may make some sort of neat rack to hang something on.

I did a happy dance when I found this beauty of a bathing cap!

I also bought a bunch of galvanized containers. I am redoing my backyard and getting rid of the terra cotta pots.  That project will be another post.

This is the one item I wish I could have found a spot for. It was a great chippy metal white bench that would circle a tree.  It was in two pieces that you could use separately, but I just could not mentally find a spot where it would live (plus it was a higher price tag at $430).

Fun finds.  Fun shopping, Fun Weekend.

Farm Chicks Love

This was my fifth year to visit this event with my mom.  Once again it did not disappoint.

We stood out in line waiting to get in...I don't mind waiting and that is part of the event for me.  Everyone in line is excited and chatty and you meet fun people.  I met my blogging buddy Kim from Camp Whimsy a few years ago while waiting in line.  This year there was a junking celebrity chatting with the people next to me in line.  Recognize Ki Nassaeur from Junk Revolution?  The line got much longer before the gates opened.

The thing that makes this show so exciting is that everywhere you look there is eye candy.  The displays and goods for sale are truly amazing and well put together.

How about this vintage car that was for sale?

This is what made is so unusual (not unusual because I was in it, but because it was a cozy bench tricked out vintage style).

This umbrella was similar to the one that I scored the other day for $2 at an estate sale.

These were real chickens in the chicken wire skirt of this mannequin.

The back wall of this booth had big black and white pictures of cows enlarged to decorate it with. The metal green and red structure was an old jungle gym that was really nifty (but unable to fit in my Subaru).

Instant strawberry collection.

You have all seen these gems before on my blog.

I loved this wedding cake made from recycled parts.  I saw a lucky buyer walking around with it later in the day.

Thank you Serena for another wonderful Farm Chicks show. I will definitely be back next year with my mom.

The display at the entrance to the show definitely summed it all up for me.

Same time, same place...2012.

Collection Challenge #56 - Vintage Science

Shelley challenged me to show my collection of vintage toys.  As toys are a rather broad category, I decided to break it up and today am posting on vintage science toys.

My son Ben is a science guy and his room reflects that interest.  I collect vintage science kits to display in his room.

This tin science box is in really bad shape.  The back is rusted out and the top discolored, but this pair of boys just makes it worthy of saving.

A science kit for the budding mineralogist.

Complete with rock samples to study.

I got this empty box at an estate sale because of the topic and graphics.  I would have loved to have seen the game that originally came with it...the tag-line reads "An electric question and answer game".

This is my favorite science kit that decorates Ben's room. The box is wood and it is still full of most of the items that it came with originally.  It hangs on the wall in Ben's bedroom.

I love this curly headed kid.

I'll be rounding out Shelley's toy challenge periodically with some more toy categories. If you have an idea for a future collection challenge, leave me a comment and finish the sentence "Show me your collection of ____." I will see what I can dig up.

 

Let Me Introduce The Queen

Here in Portland, Oregon we have a yearly event called the Rose Festival. We are in the midst of it right now, so this post is quite timely.

It has been happening for 104 years here in the Rose City and is a huge community event and has many diverse activities. There is a Queen of Rosaria chosen each year from a court made up of local high school girls. The Queen represents Portland and the Rose Festival for one year at appearances throughout the country and abroad. The Queen and her court also ride in the  Grand Floral Parade. (my kids and I always used to camp out and watch the parade when they were younger).

In 1950 the Queen came from Cleveland High School which is where my kids go (went) to high school.  I was organizing the PTA closet a couple of years ago and came across a huge framed photo of the queen that ruled Rosaria that year. Her name is Dorothy and she has an awesome smile.

I thought about her for two years. When I went to tidy up the PTA closet recently, she was still sitting there in the dark. I asked the principal if she could come live at my house.

She can't stay with me permanently, but I did get permission to copy her and I can then have my own queen.

Did I tell you she was huge.

I am wearing a tiara to celebrate her arrival in my house. I have a perfectly royal spot for her to hang as well. So happy after all these years that she has found a place to shine with that cheery smile.

Welcome to my house Queen Dorothy!

One Of My Favorite Events

I am driving to Spokane this weekend with my mom for one of my favorite events of the year.

I love the Farm Chicks show and this is the fifth year that I have gone.  I will be posting about it when I return...hoping for lots of goodies and eye candy and a meal or two at my favorite spot Chaps.

Yippee!

A Daily Smile

When I find things like this, they just make me smile.

An old handmade card.  The flowers are cut out of old wallpaper scraps.  Found at local antique mall. Simple and sweet...for mother.

The inside message is what made me smile. "To pin on your kitchen curtains".

S - M - I - L - E and Happy Day!