I went to one estate sale on Friday. It showed up on Craigslist on Thursday night and had mediocre photos, but the listing mentioned a 90 year accumulation of stuff. I decided to go. I got there 15 minutes early and they had let people in. Luckily, there were only about 6 of us or so rummaging through the house off the bat. It was three floors and not run by a company. Most stuff was not priced so you had to gather and they gave you a price. IT WAS AWESOME. I gathered, and gathered and gathered. This may have been one of my biggest hauls ever...I could not crop the photos like I usually do to not show my back yard. Long post...awesome sale.

So good and such a variety. I was a sucker for the green of this pottery. The Christmas item in the back is an old catalog for holiday cards.

It is page after page of gems like this.
For Tom's newly redone study I got this super old metal tray table that almost has a medical feel to it.
I also got this painting which I think may go to Tom's study too. The wife of the house was a painter. Many of her paintings and supplies were in the attic crawlspace. I think I was one of the first people in that crawlspace and I rummaged through it for a good half hour. So fun.

I was also the first person to the holiday stuff. The boxes were all one price. I would flip open the lid. If it looked good I would add it to my pile. When I got home it was fun to actually look and see what I had bought. Lots of shiny foil garland and big bright colored bells with tails.
There was one box that had an assortment of just awesome holiday. Vintage leis, a bit of Halloween, Valentines day and old crepe paper.


An assortment of old foiled paper party hats.
I bought four boxes of holiday stuff and each one had some good gems inside.


The ceramic tree has old jewels and jewelry attached to it. I will be blinging it up more.
Spun head angels on old garland, foil cones, blue garland....just so much fun stuff and crafting potential.

The tree topper would look awesome on a fourth of July tree. The green dishes underneath are tin. They are made in Hong Kong and have a horse emblem on the back. I think they are pretty nifty.
Foil bells on a mercury glass garland strand.

I rummaged around in the attic and found all these old frames. I like the oval and circle shapes. I REALLY like the one on the bottom that is backed with old cardboard with the casket advertising. I'm going to hang it just like that. The floral on the other side is backed with foil and is a really pretty metallic bouquet.

The most cheerful umbrellas for Oregon's rainy days.

I got a bunch of luscious barkcloth and a few tablecloths.
I got great old pillowcase that have never been used and still have the original price on them.
The most interesting collection of thread spools. I found it like this. It almost looks sculptural to me.

Old metal tins for the kitchen. The person liked to have masking tape labels on lots of stuff as to the contents.


I got two of the gumdrop trees that were mixed in with the holiday stuff. I have never seen one in blue before..usually they are clear plastic.
The paint tubes were just interesting. I grabbed the two trays of office pens/pencils etc and sorted through them when I got home. I found a TOOTH! If you follow along with me on Instagram you saw some of the other little treasures like a tiny green metal hammer.

There was an assortment of saved wrapping paper. One of those families who unwraps a gift and saves the paper. I love this habit and appreciate the thriftiness. It is good for crafting.
Thermoses and old coffee tins. One of the coffee tins I found was old and had NEVER been opened.

There were interesting books and other paper items.

I have a ton of old gardening items. This seed catalog will get tucked in with those.
Some fun paper items to be tucked away for the Fourth of July.

Cutest illustrations ever.

These old ribbed jars are the best green.

I found a bunch of these old glasses from British Columbia. I thought the colors and font were pretty cool.


I love the old shopping bags from Meier and Frank which was sold out a few years ago to Macy's. The aquarium was a fun find. It is my second of this style.

I am in love with the scene on this old vinyl cloth. I think it was originally a flotation/air mattress as it still has a blow stem attached. The fish with their stripes and gingham just make me swoon.

I have been on the hunt for this silly jar for awhile. I've seen it online on other peoples posts or I have seen it in shops with a high price tag. I found it in the workshop. It is in great condition and I am happy.

I found this vinyl asian themed runner. I thought it was a shower curtain when I grabbed it. When I got home and opened it up it is about 10 yards of vinyl with this design. It is clear and really pretty. I'm not sure of the original use. 
I dug for over two hours. It was so fun. I loaded up my car and it was really full. I thought about digging more and am sure I could have found more, but I was spent.
Definitely a doozy of a sale. This one will go down in the record books. So good...so very good.
Just a side note about this sale. The fellow had passed away in his 90s and his son had inherited the house. The house had been closed up for 18 years! It was a neat old house with so much charm and a huge backyard with a little old rock pond. The story behind the sale is also part of what makes estate sale land so special. Different from sale to sale and a slice of so many lives.