A Country Auction

It was hot & humid on Saturday when I arrived at a country auction near where I live.

The auctioneer neglected to mention that the second & third floors of the barn had not been emptied, 

until he started the auction there.  It was accessible only by ladder.  

So, with no chance to preview, Kathy & I crawled up the ladder with about a dozen others.  There were interesting-looking items, but knowing that the only way I'd get stuff to the van was back down that same ladder,my purchases were limited to a few small items:  a partial wasp nest, a couple of feed sacks, a store display piece and a cherry can with unknown contents, (more about that later).  

There were a few people that that wanted the same things that I wanted. (Hate it when that happens!)

The fan and table were on my list but went far beyond what I would have paid. 

This sweet little doll trunk did come home with me.

I was charmed by the rosy paper inside.

The lid was firmly stuck on the aforementioned cherry tin.  Some guy guessed that it was probably filled with deer tails that the farmer had disposed of when he butchered.  It didn't seem all that unlikely!

So I gloved up and got to work on it yesterday.

This lid is the sweetest...perfect for the upcoming show in Door County.  You can imagine my relief when the lid popped off and inside it was packed full...

..of receipts from the 1940s & 50s. 

Love these 'egg tickets'. 

...and other fun stuff!  I also got these pretty hat boxes.

and in the spirit of whimsical summer fun I couldn't resist this little bank.

A few other things came home with me; overall it was a moderately fun but not 'heart-stoppingly good' auction...I'm still waiting for one of those to come along this summer! 

 It's gonna 'bee' a busy week here...I've got to buzz off now.  Have a lovely week!

***Pssst...by the way - I've created a sale section in my etsy shop and the items there have been marked down 30% to make room for new finds...check it out!  

Thank You Mr. Cookie

No, not my latest finds.

I've been feeling overwhelmed by an overabundance of inventory. In three lifetimes I'd never get through all of it. I've been purging. So, in spite of being flat-out exhausted from Kane County this past weekend, this morning I unloaded my show stock, reloaded the van with all of this and took it off to auction.

 By the time I returned home there was no way this girl was going to cook dinner tonight.

"hello, Chopsticks?  Mongolian Beef and Crab Rangoon, please...I'll be right there to pick it up".

I had such a good feeling about this fortune cookie that I took a photo before opening it.

 Sweet!  I've been rewarded for my purging and the cookie has

given it's blessing for my trip to Brimfield next week. "Thanks Mr. Cookie!"

A Saturday Auction

With so many shows this summer, it was fun to have a Saturday off to attend an estate auction.  The offerings were varied.  Two of the photos below show items that I bought; can you guess what they are? (I'll let you know in my next post!)

...and speaking of shows, Kathy and I have decided to share a space at Maxwell Street Flea Market in Cedarburg, Wisconsin this Sunday.  See you there?

Saturday Shopping Fun

ChiPPy! ShaBBy! Sale

Yes, some things are worth getting up early for on a Saturday morning.  I was out the door by 5:30 to shop at the "ChiPPy! ShaBBY!" sale in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.  A line formed well before the 7:00 a.m. opening, and the two gals next to me were up at 3:00 a.m. ,(!), to drive down from Upper Michigan for the event! This chair at the gate gave just a hint of what was to come.

Jeanine's staging was amazing; at every turn was another dreamy vignette.  The place was packed and it was difficult to get many pictures; check Jeanine's blog for more.  I came home with a big old barn key and a large tin vase that I dearly love.

By the time I left, there were cars parked along the road for as far as I could see in both directions.  Congrats to Jeanine, (& crew!), on a great sale. 

Farm Auction

Rushing off from Cedarburg to get to an auction in Franklin, my hopes were high.  When I pulled up it certainly looked promising.  

As it turned out, there was a lot of stuff but little that was of interest to me. Condition was poor on most of the vintage items.  This birdhouse was quite charming; it sold for far more than I was willing to pay.

A few linens, some doll clothes and a couple of carnival canes were the only items I purchased. The most memorable thing about this auction was the fact that the family had been unable to agree on the division of property, thus all items were up for auction and they had to bid on anything that they wanted.  The large crowd was stunned when a common china cabinet sold for $19,000.00, (yes, you read that right!)   Two family members were dueling it out for the right to have it. I always feel a little sad when I see a situation like that.

I hope that your weekend was fun, that your finds were fantastic and that the coming week will be a pleasure for you!

Mother Of Pearl Needlework Tools

One of the finest reference books in my library is An Illustrated History of Needlework Tools, by Gay Ann Rogers. I remember saving up to purchase it, after finding it in the library while researching a Shaker pincushion. The book is now out of print, but copies are available on the secondary marked.

Over the years, I've browsed through the book many times marveling at the intricate artistry of 19th century sewing implements. Photos of fitted boxes, beautifully crafted and filled with complete sets of tools underscore the importance of needlework in 19th century life.

Rogers writes: "The fitted needlework box was carefully made and exquisitely decorated because it was an integral part of the social life of privileged women ...in the first half of the nineteenth century."

"...women often carried their elegantly fitted needlework boxes on visits to one another. The boxes furnished an endless source of conversation and amusement for those in need of something delightful to occupy their time. Implements would be admired as needlework and conversation went on together"

Tools were commonly made of ivory, silver and mother of pearl, combined with steel if the implement called for it. Beauty and function went hand in hand. By late in the 19th century, moderately priced mass produced kits with celluloid handles were available in the United States.

While celluloid sewing tools are easily found, and sterling thimbles and scissors come along regularly, I'd never found any of the mother of pearl tools that I've admired in photos. You can imagine my delight then, when this group came up for auction recently. There were silk winders, spools, pincushions, emeries, a tape measure, scissors and more. Each is a little work of art. (The little carved fish are often called silk winders, but it's likely that they originally were produced as game markers. Victorian ladies saw the potential for a handy place to store a prized bit a silk thread, and used them.)

Had I been wearing a monitor you would have seen my heart rate spike, as I realized that the entire group was being sold together, rather than piece by piece. The chant of the auctioneer was nearly drowned out by the pounding in my ears. Mercifully, the battle was brief and I emerged victorious. If I had been able to purchase nothing else that day, I still would have returned home happy. These items are simply beautiful...don't you agree?

I Saw Her From Across the Room

She had a dirty face and looked as if she'd had a rough life. Her hair was disheveled and she was wearing a bizarre-looking helmet that did nothing for her fine features. Her nose was scarred. I knew I had to bring her home. She would be the perfect girl to model some of my vintage hats.

The auction lasted about four hours. It was a strange mix of traditional, bizarre and just plain junky items. A few things were worth bringing home, but truthfully, if it wasn't for her I'd have just left. Finally she came up, and I was victorious.

She's now had her initial clean-up and I think she looks pretty good in a hat. Getting the gunk off her face without damaging her further proved more challenging than I would have imagined. Finally, a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser did the trick. I touched up her nose with a little makeup and will work on a better fix one day.

Her name still eludes me. She's not whispered it to me and I haven't come up with anything that feels right for her. If you have any suggestions please let me know!