Two Days, Too Busy

50°f10°C, clear and chilly! Thursday night got down to 48 here, but much colder in the eastern higher mountains. They had frost, I heard.

Boy, has it been a busy few days. Thursday we restocked our booths. Then Friday was Ripley on Sale, the annual town-wide yard sale event in our county seat (and the town which I often refer to as "our" town, since it's closest to us). We try to get into town early for this every year, because there are deals to be found,  especially for us resellers.

One church especially has some awesome stuff for sale every year,so I wanted to be sure to be there when they opened. We were there by 7:30am, an hour when I am usually still in my nightgown. But this year, the planners decided that the events around the courthouse should start at 11am for some reason, and the church went along with that. So there we were, with 30 or so other disappointed shoppers, and no coffee even!

But there were many other sales, so after breakfast at the local Tudor's we set out to shop. 

A very small part of our haul:

I loved this box! I wonder what explosives were in it? Marked Dupont on the other side.

A green crackle glass hurricane shade could be Blenko Glass, and the plate with a stylized island design is Wedgwood.  Owls are always popular, as are dogs, and I liked this funny poodle. A glass starfish votive and a glass cheese dome round out this box of oddities.

Best find of the day was this Hoosier-style cabinet, for $75. We loaded it up and took it straight to our Ravenswood booth because it was in such good shape all I had to do was clean it up a bit, and Larry adjusted the catches so all the doors now close properly. It even still has the built-in flour sifter. I marked it $225 and I think it will sell pretty quickly at that price, but who knows. People have been holding back on purchases over $50 this year.

In order to get this into a booth, we had a bit of rearranging to do, but everything fit in the end, and looks pretty good.

Then we were on the road for the 2-hour drive to Huntington to pick up two more cabinets, and at long last, some Black Krim tomato plants. I have looked for them at greenhouse after greenhouse, and at 2 farmers' markets, with no luck. These are our favorites, and hands down the best tasting tomato I have ever eaten. So when we were at the salt festival last week and talked with a guy selling plants there who said he had some Black Krims at his greenhouse in Huntington,  I knew we had to go. To make the trip worthwhile, I hunted up two cabinets on Facebook Marketplace.

This one needs to be repainted, and the top attached. I have a thing for porcelain top tables and cabinets, can you tell? They are so sensible!

Then this one, which was a bit of a disappointment. The seller didn't disclose some serious damage to the bottom until we were already on the way. Larry decided he could repair it,  and the seller gave us a good discount, so it came home with us. At $40, even with the time and effort to fix and paint it, we can still make a decent profit.

On the way home we stopped again at the church sale. It was pretty cleaned out, but this old drop-leaf table was sitting forlornly outside, with a "$3 or best offer" sign. It really appealed to me, even though it's going to take much sanding to clean it up. But solid oak, and ... well, just look at how sweet it is. I happily handed over my $3, and bought myself a load of work. (Sorry for the bad photos; it was almost dark when I took them.)

I was plumb tuckered when we got home, as I had had a terrible night's sleep, so it was an early night.

Then this morning we took off for the Vandalia Gathering, a celebration of old-time music and dance, held every year at the State Capitol Complex in Charleston. The event had little publicity this year and was cut way back due to loss of funding, like so many other events. Still, the musicians and dancers turned out in force, and it was just a beautiful day to be there, wandering the grounds, listening to music, and meeting up with many of our musician friends. This post is long enough so I will save those photos for another day.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

What a Load

34 this morning and cloudy.

We certainly made our trip to Columbus count! Take a look at the load in our van.

What you see here is the side of a dressing  table, the end of a sofa table and the underside of a small chair, along with a tobacco basket (not old) and a sled.

We stopped at the decor warehouse too and bought garden twirled, new trencher bowls, some window arches and other things that sell well here. Then at an antique mall picked up two barstools. Also buried in here is a nice old blanket chest, an older wood frame armchair, and a pretty French provincial side chair, a barrel end table and another small end table along with some boxes of smalls and a gorgeous brass and glass lamp.

I am working today so unloading and pricing has to wait until tomorrow.  What fun that will be!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Junkin'

51 when we got up--late--this morning, cloudy but now the sun is peeping through from time to time.

I slept in til 9 this morning, even though I intended to get up early.  Ah me, good intentions. Yesterday's road trip to Columbus, Ohio with a friend was great fun but apparently I was more tired than I thought I'd be.

We had a good time and found some good stuff. Hers is still in my van, and mine is now inside to be sorted and priced. Some of it is new, reproduction items that look like old stuff. I mix some of this into my booths for those looking for decor, and it sells pretty well. I've also been adding more silk flowers and wreaths. I'm not one to have a lot of silk arrangements in my house, if I have any, but they do sell, so I try to keep some in the booth. They add some color and accent too. 

So not many antiques this trip but a lot of good merchandise that I hope will appeal to our customers. I haven't nearly unpacked everything but here's a little of what I found. My friend's stuff is still in my van, to be unloaded at the mall tomorrow.

Here's a look at some of my finds:

Not much in the way of vintage glass and pottery but a few things: a nice Anchor Hocking tall ruby vase, crystal biscuit jar, Franciscan ivy salad plates, a pretty Johnson Brothers plate with a wall hanger attached, pink Hazel Atlas bowl, a Virgin Mary statue, silverplate butter dishes and a small pitcher and bowl. New items were the wood trencher bowl, graniteware butter dish, coffee pot, canisters and pitcher, and galvanized colander. 

The little wheelbarrow is a decor item, which will look nice in someone's garden or decorations.

Wood organizer for a desk. 

Lots of silk flowers and wreaths, and a small 3-gun rack. Some people use these to display fishing poles.

A nice, if newer, table that I'll be painting white, with a glaze to accent the carving.

Best find was this Radio Town and Country wagon. Larry gave it was facelift with Feed'n'Wax.

This was a fun find--metal wall art made to look like old film reels.

Now on to pricing, and then I need to tackle those pineapples. The turkeys are roasting--one in the oven and one in a roaster--so I'll be canning them later today too. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

A Week in the Life

56 this morning, with a light drizzle occasionally and overcast. Supposed to clear up later on.

The week never slowed down, and right now I am glad it is Sunday and we can take a slower pace for a day or two. 

Tuesday, as I last posted, the roofers came. Wednesday I was back at the antique mall, helping to clear out my new booth and beginning the process of moving in. I mixed in some training while I was there too, trying to absorb as much as I can before I work a full day on my own. This was how the booth looked after that day. As you can see, we'd just barely got started, really. 

We spent Thursday at home, working in the gardens, finishing up some pieces to take to the booth, and catching up on housework and laundry. It was a perfect evening for the firepit, and that's how we ended the day. You see the broken flowerpot by the firepit? That's what happens when the dogs get too rambunctious, wanting to be the one to be closest to us.

Friday was back at the mall. I got there in time to learn the opening procedures and Larry arrived a little while later. Then it was back to work on the booth, with a few breaks to work behind the desk, once while the owner went out to lunch which left me on my own for an hour. I only had to call her once! Credit card sales still intimidate me. This is how things looked when we left. Making progress.

This is the table I finished on Thursday. Sofa tables have been a hot item lately.

The green recliner is already sold, I think, to a neighbor. It was a great find.

The shelves are still a little sparse, but coming along.

And this is the project Larry finished. He had to do some repair to the frame, but it's now sturdy and almost good as new.

Our display window. I'll have fun setting this up each month.

We spent Friday evening at the firepit again, a perfect end to the day.

Yesterday we were in Ohio, near Columbus, picking up some furniture and cruising yard sales. The van was full by the time we stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at Shade Winery, which is not far from the Ohio River. We both had their house salad with grilled chicken. The salad was enormous and delicious, and so was their Chardonnay. I bought a bottle to bring home. 

We stopped again on the way home to visit with Leah, the antique mall owner. She was in town with her camper at a music event where her husband's band was playing. It was nice to sit there, not far from the river, and chat. Across a small field from us was an older home, and we had to laugh at seeing a Black Lab come out an open window onto the roof of a lower addition to the house. He was such a good boy that when the owners, who were outside, called to him to go back inside, he would---only to pop out again a few minutes later. That black thing on the addition roof is the dog, not the best photo I'm afraid.

And then, of all things, behind the same house, a huge hog suddenly appeared in the doorway of a small garage. When we realized that there was nothing to stop the hog from walking right out into the street, Larry ran across and called to the owners, who were quick to hurry the hog back inside. Apparently they are planning to breed her, and have a place out in the country where they have other hogs. Why this one is a town girl remains a mystery.

We left before it got too late, and came home. We'd only been home a few minutes when we heard a car coming down our driveway. It turned out to be some neighbors we hadn't seen in weeks, so we had a great visit as the evening waned to darkness. Then it was inside to read a while and just unwind before bed.

Today we're having a slow start. Sometimes I have to remember that we're both almost 70! It seems like we should be slowing down some but it's not happening yet. But right now it's 11 am as I write and we've just finished breakfast and having coffee. I am determined to do as little as possible until noon. Then I'll be out to the garden. It's time to get some seeds and plants in the ground.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Sourcing in Ohio

38 yesterday morning, a mite chilly. I think there was frost on top of the van, but nowhere else. 48 this morning, and a cloudy/sunny day. Nice enough to open the door a while.

Yesterday we took off to Ohio to pick up some things for our booths. It was a beautiful morning; I almost didn't want to leave. The ridge was just stunning.

Redbuds and dogwood are in the height of their bloom right now.

Seems like we can't keep ahead of the furniture sales, a good problem to have but it means we have to take time to find new stock. After several hours on the computer Thursday and Friday, I came up with 2 chests of drawers, a table with six chairs, 4 chrome and metal chairs to go with a mid-century modern cracked-ice table we have, and an old lawnmower. 

So that's 10 chairs--and it turned out to actually be 11 since there was an extra. The table and 7 chairs were free, and who can turn their back on that? They all need a little gluing, and all will need painting, but it will be a beautiful set again in the end.

The chests of drawers, which you can't see in the photos except for the top of one antique oak one painted green, had to be stacked one on top of the other to get all this in the van. The other chest is a 1930-1940 waterfall style. 

When we got to the place to pick up the last chest, I really didn't think we'd get it in without leaving some chairs behind, which I didn't want to do. We unloaded everything on the sidewalk of a pretty rundown area of row houses in a city, and began trying to fit it all back in. Two young men showed up and offered to help. Now, they were rough-looking, in wife-beater shirts, tattoos, cigarettes, and the kid of skin that made you wonder if they were on drugs--that dingy, rough look, if you've seen it you know what I mean.

But those two guys were amazing. While half the neighborhood and a few dogs turned out to watch, they stacked the chests on top of each other and worked everything else in like a jigsaw puzzle. In 15 minutes it was all back in the van with hardly an inch to spare. I offered them twenty dollars for their help, which at first they refused, but finally took. It was probably the best entertainment the neighborhood had had in a while---and certainly the best for us. 

Which got me to thinking about appearances. Were they druggies? Another young man had been there with them at first, dressed in a dark blue suit and white shirt. As he left, they hugged, and he said, "In two weeks I'll be getting out. I'll come back by then." I wondered if he was in drug rehab perhaps? And our helpers were actually living in a halfway house? Or was this something else altogether. Two girls there also had that druggie look, one we've sadly become familiar with in the past few years. So were they all users? Or recovering? Or did they just have the look?

And in the end, did it matter? They were all as nice as could be, funny and pleasant, no bad language flying around and so willing to take on this challenge. Even if they were users, they were good people. I was glad to have met them all, and we smiled and laughed for a long time after leaving there. 

One other experience of our trip happened when we were on the way to pick up the first chest of drawers. The gps was unclear about where we should turn and we ended up going the wrong way, and up a very steep, narrow little street one lane wide. Halfway up, a Model A car was blocking the road. The driver, an elderly guy, hurried to get out of the way, but of course Larry had to stop and talk to him anyway. 

The car was newly restored all original, and still had new-car tags on it. The driver was happy to tell Larry all about it. Another encounter that had us driving away with smiles on our faces. Had we made that wrong turn just to see and meet this man and his car? Apparently so. 

It was a long, full day. The van is still full so I need to get to work figuring out where to put all these finds until we can get to work on them. I'm still smiling though, remembering our good day junkin'.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Junkin'

Yesterday was poetry day, and today was junkin' day. Both activities I enjoy immensely.

As for the daily weather report: Yesterday was rain, rain, rain. Today--more of the same. We started the day at 35 degrees and it didn't warm up much. The rain let up here and there so we didn't get soaked while we were out, at least.

We had a pickup to do today, so we made a day of it, stopping at our favorite places to see what might be had. Turned out there was a lot!

Teapots, a teacup from Japan, a sweet little ceramic basket,teapot photo frames, and a perfume bottle with mismatched stopper (but still sweet).

And here, a vintage brooch and two pieces of early American Pattern Glass which I shall have to identify. A goblet and a celery vase--but who made them and when?

Sweet homemade doilies and two small lidded crocks here, along with a metal candle lantern.

This lot says "farmhouse decor" to me. I am working on adding more items in my booths that fit this popular decorating theme, so these are a good start.

This salt glaze crock bowl is quite old, and in excellent condition. The cloth is a folded-up hanging pocket thing---three pockets to hold soaps, washcloths, memos, you name it. It's handmade and quilted in the Log Cabin pattern.

White porcelain soup kettle and a white porcelain tray.

Love the message on this tray!

And in the "mid-century decor" corner, some tumblers in racks, Pyrex lids, and a tray thingie I couldn't figure out. Turns out it's a brownie pan! I thought it was for making bars of soap. Ah me. I won't be keeping that one.

Yellow Hall China ball pitcher--I love these and have about a dozen but I already have this color so into the booths it will go.

 Musical Nativity and a cute little bassinet planter.

So I say I found two spaceships today--the space-age looking Nativity (I swear, it looks like the Holy Family and friends are about to be launched on a new adventure!) and this cool mid-century blender. Both work. This, as regular reader know, is not my style, but I can appreciate its uniqueness.

One of the day's best finds--a handmade quilt. Each square was made with fill and backing complete, then stitched together. It's not an expert job, but still pretty.

 Two of these things will sell for enough to pay for all of it, I think. Care to guess which two?

 After all this running around today, we came home hungry. I cut this recipe out of Woman's day magazine last week, so I gave it a try tonight. Delicious! Eggs, tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garnished with parsley and grated cheese. The cheese was my addition, not in the recipe, but it tasted great. I highly recommend this dish. It was easy to make, and so tasty.

If you click on this picture you might be able to read the recipe.

So that was my day. After getting home and unpacking and making dinner, I was done in and ready to sit back and watch a movie. I hope you had a great day too.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.