Sunday, May 8, 2011

Yard Sale Mania

The intent this weekend was to stay home. Every single weekend in April was consumed by events, shows, and such.  I booked the month heavily so I could not do any shows in May,  just work toward the Gift show in July and The Vintage Marketplace in June.
Needless to say, I was tired.
Having barely even seen my Man this past month, 
we enjoyed sitting in bed on Saturday Morning with our coffee & laptops, 
listening to the birds on the garden.
When he says, let's go hit some Yard Sales.
It was nearly 8 am already.  Should we bother? 
Having not done any yard sale shopping in a couple months, aw what the heck.
Rob, Emily and I threw on some clothes, baseball caps and rushed out the door.

Maybe it was "Mother's Day  Luck"...or maybe the yard sale Gods 
were looking favorably upon me this day.  
I rarely have the luck we had Saturday.

There were dozens of yard sales withing 3 miles of my home, we barely had to drive.
First we find an old warehouse cart, you know...the ones Restoration Hardware is selling for
over $1,000 bucks.  I wanted one last year so bad at one of my shows...the dealer wanted $500 for it and I just couldn't justify it.


Well, my friends, this baby was $100. Rob tried to offer $80 and then $90 but the guy knew 
what he had and better even yet, I got the history of this piece.  We stood there talking to he and his wife for over 1/2 hour about the cool vintage stuff he had in his garage and side yard.
Cool people, great personalities.

 Made by the Michigan Truck Company...lettering is faded but legible.

The couple owns a 2nd Home in New Orleans. 
After hurricane Katrina, they went down to check out their home.
He traded this cart and another for some Power tools from a woodworker in the 9th ward.  
This cart was under water for a spell until the cleanup got under way. 
It then traveled with the family all the way up and across the United States
and he has been using it for a lumber cart.

At one of our next sales, we found this antique dresser.  The lady was asking $200 for it.
We loved it, but decided to pass on it and swing by later in the day.
If it was still there, we were going to offer half that price.



Well, later that day when we returned it was still there and she accepted our offer.
Seriously, this piece is HEAVY.  Mahogany and birds eye maple in the drawers.
The carving is amazing.



After doing some research in the web, I found some history on this piece.
Click the link for the amazing history on this company,
which was started after the Civil War and still is in business today.


I found that all of their pieces are stamped somewhere behind a drawer with dates and who made/finished the piece.  Guess what?  This dresser was made in 1902.
Seriously...this is so cool!
I am a NERD!   I LOVE OLD STUFF!!!



Next sale was run by two ladies who were selling a bunch of their parents antique gardening collectibles.  Bug sprayers with glass jars screwed on the end.  Some SUPER old gardening tools, books and whatnot.  We grabbed three OLD wooden ladders to convert into shelves at the Trade Show
and this really cool crate.


I found some other cool small stuff, but these pieces I wanted to share with you!
By the time we got home it was after 1 in the afternoon.
Lucky me...Rob paid for ALL of my treasures...
Happy Mother's Day to me!!!

How fun to have a guy who loves to go junking with you
AND gives it to you as a gift!!!

XO,
Lisa



9 comments:

  1. great finds lisa! if you want anymore old wooden ladders just let me know. my husband would find them on the road and pick them up.nick and i will be moving soon and they will probably end up in a dumpster,so just let me know.

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  2. WOW! You really scored some awesome finds! That antique dresser is so beautiful!

    I never find good yard sales like that in AZ...once in a blue moon, I find vintage treasures at the Estate Sales in Sun City...

    -pamela :)

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  3. I love the new look of your blog! The items you found are amazing! Love the dresser - especially the back with the individual worker's stamp/date- along with the history. Can't wait to see more :)

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  4. What a great number of scores!! And that's for posting prices....that's the only way I can learn. Your blog looks wicked cool!!!
    oxox

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  5. Wow!! Lisa, how lucky are you??? What great finds!
    I love the dresser. What lovely Mother's Day gifts. p.s. Hi Emily!!
    XO
    Eloise

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  6. Oh Lisa! What an awesome Mother's Day! Love the cart, but I have to say my favorite thing is the stamping on the back of the dresser. How cool is that? Those workers' hands creating that beautiful piece and hand stamping each phase. Too cool.
    Looking forward to seeing you at The Oaks. Will Em be coming along?
    Blessings,
    Missy

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  7. Thanks Ladies! Hope you all had a great Mother's Day too! Miss Em will be with me at the Oaks...Hugs! Lisa

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