We Ran a Marathon...

Well, not a real marathon, but a thrift store marathon! Nine hours and seven stores! It kind of felt like a marathon, the stores were hot, we were sweaty and tired, but we had to push through to the end! I had so much fun yesterday with my BFF, Michelle. We never have time for a girl's day so this was a huge deal. And why spend it at a spa when you can spend it bargain hunting. Michelle and I have known each other going on ten years now. She knows my faults and my quirks and she loves me anyway and I feel the same way about her. She's my partner in crime. My go-to girl and I love her for it. We didn't get a lot of pictures yesterday but here we are in all our sweaty glory at the end of the night. I love this girl.

And if you like scrapbooking, crafting, vintage stuff or just all around being creative follow her on Instagram at vintagewhimsie. She rocks.

It's kind of hard to see here but we filled her entire Sequoia with treasures.

Most BFF's buy each other matching necklaces of bracelets. We bought matching chairs! I'll post a better pick but you can kind of see the orange a bit there in the back. They are awesome and a smoking deal at $10 each!

We loaded up at Valley Thrift. The place was packed but everything was 50% off! Yes, more afghans and vintage coats, please!

This was an amazing deal. Vintage wall art that will hang over our couch. $15 for the pair.

I think this was my find of the day. Chalkware wall art stamped 1958 with the original labels on the back. $1.75 each. They need a little bit of love but we have someone who restores them back to new. 

Once I get the car unloaded today I will get more pictures up tomorrow. We found clothes, Pyrex, and so much more. It was the best day ever, not because of what we found but because I got to spend it with my dear friend.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and relaxing Sunday. I'll be spending it cleaning up my treasures!

-Tricia

Treasures...

Success! We left the house at 5:45 am on Friday morning and headed out to what looked to be an amazing estate sale. Numbers were handed out at 7:00, and we were lucky number 8! There were about four men in line ahead of us and we kept wondering why they were giving Brian the stink eye. I was more concerned about the women, because I knew there was Pyrex to be had. After we received our number Brian needed to "carb up" so we headed to a place he found on Yelp, "The Avocado House" and Brian ate this:

Now he was ready. We got back in line and I'm not even kidding you, when they started letting people in- they were running. I refuse to run- more because I am clumsy than anything else. I headed for the kitchen which was about the size of a small bathroom along with four other ladies. But I'm young and quick, and I had a box with me so I grabbed what I wanted and was out of there. Whew. Then we had time to shop the rest of the sale and boy was I right. There was a ton of great stuff.

I need to get it all cleaned up before I post pictures.

I finally found a typewriter I wanted at a price I would pay. It's not the 1950's Royal in green but it is still pretty cool.

And of course I grabbed this.

Then we finally figured out why the guys were so interested in Brian. They were there for records and Brian had inadvertently worn his "Sun Records" t-shirt...so they assumed he was another collector. Who knew his mission was the vintage swan T.V. lamp I had seen in the photos!

The last night Brian got a Craigslist hit on a Carter Brothers chair. It was back in the car to snap it up before someone else did. Little did we know we were buying it from David Weidman who's artwork graces the walls of Peggy's office on Mad Men. Now that's cool. 

We are off to San Diego today- Brian has to work the San Diego show and I am spending the day thrifting with my BFF. Poor Brian. Wish me luck!

-Tricia

I Just Need a Few More Things...

It's like a sickness I tell you. I think the rooms are finished and then we step back and say...well, it really needs a coffee table. And maybe, a couple of end tables- you know, the stacked ones. And well, we have to replace those candles on the fireplace....and that table needs a lamp....but after that it's done. Yeah, right. 

Problem is, this is our hobby. Brian and I love searching for that next perfect item- for the deal, for the thing shoved under the table that nobody else saw. Instead of date nights, it's early morning estate sales. How lucky am I? I married someone who loves it as much as I do. 

Before we were married we spent our weekends in antique malls, lived in a house built in 1913 with it's original kitchen, filled with our vintage furniture and collectibles. Somehow along the way we lost that. Our house now was filled with model home furniture and just regular stuff from the local furniture stores. A few months ago I realized this was killing my spirit. I felt stifled. I felt like I wasn't enjoying our home, it wasn't a place of refuge, it was suffocating me. 

Why were we living a way I didn't enjoy? We weren't getting any younger, what were we waiting for? And what we like has never changed- vintage modern, Heywood Wakefield, anything 1950's suburbia. So I took the bookshelf that my grandfather built from Davis' playroom, drug it downstairs, and put just a little bit of my Pyrex collection in it. It made me happy just to look at it. It was bright and sunny and put a smile on my face. What's the point in having it if it's stuffed away in boxes somewhere. 

And then Brian "got it." And we decided we would remake our living room and kitchen into what we wanted. And in just a week we are almost done!

This is the table we picked up yesterday. It really opens up the space and makes it so bright in the room.

We are off this morning to another estate sale that might just be a hoarders house. They are handing out numbers at 7:00 and I want to be the first in line. Wish us luck!

-Tricia

My Apologies for the Delay...

in posting today! I know you are all hanging on my every word and anxiously await every 7:00am post! Well, maybe my mom does...but I'm pretty sure she is the only one. It's going to be short and sweet today because the day is half over and I need to get to work and my quiet writing time is between 5:00-6:00am- this middle of the day stuff doesn't seem to work for me.

So yesterday Brian left the house at 5:00am to head up to Venice to check out a couch from Craigslist. It was the one we wanted so he put down a deposit and was planning on renting a truck to go pick it up today. He swung by Long Beach and picked up a new lamp from Craigslist and finally got home at 3:00. After a little bit of research, we find out it's not just $19.95 a day to rent a truck, but also $.59 a mile so our great deal on a couch just doubled in price after we rent the truck. So Brian decides he is going to drive back to Venice at 5:00pm and somehow either shove it in the H2 or strap it on the roof like a Christmas tree. I was so nervous as I could picture the thing flying off in the middle of the freeway somewhere. Luckily, he got in inside the H2 with the lift gate open and he didn't even get carbon monoxide poisoning on the way home!

So here she is in all her beauty...

Even Luck likes it! And yes. he is wearing a diaper. Don't ask.

The lamp Brian picked up looks great next to it.

This lamp was a steal at $40...they usually sell in the $150-$400 range.

So we hit two estate sales this morning and got some awesome deals on some great stuff. I will try to get everything cleaned up today so I can post pictures tomorrow.

See? Short and sweet! Until tomorrow-

-Tricia

So Tell Me...

when does it go from "I get up early" to "I get up in the middle of the night?" I try to at least wait until I see the sun coming up before I get out of bed, but this morning we got up at 4:45 and I am pretty sure that is still considered "nighttime." Today, Brian has a Craigslist lead on a new-to-us couch. The guy wanted to meet before he left for work and with traffic it's going to be quite the drive, so he was on the road by 5:00. 

Sometimes you have to sacrifice sleep when you are hunting down the deals!

Speaking of deals, I figured out why Tuesday is thrift day. Everything is 50% off at the SA on Tuesdays. How much do I love that? There wasn't any Pyrex to be found yesterday, actually Pyrex has been hard to find as of late. But I did score an awesome deal on something I have wanted for a long time but have always refused to pay the dealer price.

Look at this beauty! 

It's a vintage sewing box with the graphics completely intact. I have wanted one for a while and they usually go for about $30-$40 in way worse condition in this one. 

I found it at the SA over by the t.v.'s. Only $5.00. Deal of the day!

 

 There was also an adorable modern style ice bucket that fills the space on our console perfectly. Only $3.00. And yes, we do collect the Chalkware lamps from the 1950's...we call this one "Peter Pantress."

      

I found a tie for my brother. It's the short '40's style that he likes. Only $1.00.

     

Finished the day up with a hounds tooth coat for me. I've wanted a hounds tooth coat forever. I am going to add vintage rhinestone buttons to this one. $10.00 at the GW.

And lastly, just so you know that I do actually use and wear all this stuff. I sported my $5.00 handmade estate sale dress yesterday! I figured it would bring me good luck on the hunt! 

I love pairing vintage clothes with modern items so you don't look like you stepped off of the "Can't Buy Me Love" set.

So what are you up to today? I'll be working this morning and anxiously awaiting Brian's update on the couch! I hope everybody has a great Wednesday- after all it's hump day and I am now just three days away from my south county thrift store adventure with my BFF Michelle! I am just a little bit excited about that!

-Tricia

I Did It.

I made it through Monday. 

The best thing about Tuesday is it's our weekly date to thrift! I am so lucky that Brian loves collecting as much as I do. He is also a Craigslist expert. I can't even count how many great finds he has found us on Craigslist! Monday wasn't as tough as I expected it to be. I worked almost an eleven hour day, but I got so much done. I am still waiting on other people to finish their work and I have a big deadline looming over my head, but I realize that there is nothing I can do about it. So, worry won't solve anything. It'll just slow me down. And clutter my head when I need it to be clear. Brian always says to me "If it was easy, everyone would do it." It's kind of our motto. We repeat it often. So that got me thinking this morning. What are the hardest things I've ever done and what were the most rewarding- was there a link? I think the three hardest things I ever accomplished were:

 1. Giving birth to my daughter. It almost killed me. Literally. The pregnancy wasn't easy. I was hospitalized several times. I was bedridden for months. I had kidney stones. I should have known that was a preview to the delivery which lasted for days. And almost killed me and her. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Is she the greatest thing that ever happen to me? Absolutely. Did I try to do it a second time? No way. We are an only child family, but the joy she brings us was worth every minute. Our life wouldn't be complete without her.

  

2. My marriage to Brian. As anyone knows, marriage is tough. Some days are harder than others. Some days are easy and some days you just want to kill each other. And then life throws you a curve ball. Illness and deaths, financial troubles, business troubles. The way you react to it will make you stronger or break you a part. I'm lucky to be married to my best friend. We've learned over the years to react to situations together rather than tackling them individually. We've worked together for the last thirteen years. It was a learning process. He's the creative art guy. I'm the scientific, numbers person. Totally opposite. We had to learn each others strengths and weaknesses and how we react to them. Now, it's easy. I can't imagine a day when he doesn't sit at the desk five feet away. Some people can't work with their spouse and can't even imagine spending twenty-four hours a day together, every day like we do. I think I'm lucky that I can't imagine it any other way.

 

3. This was a tough one. The first two were easy. I think my third biggest accomplishment was becoming an inventor and U.S. Patent holder. If you would have told me in high school I would some day have a US Patent in my name I would have thought you were crazy. Never in a million years would I have thought this would happened. It was hard. We had many set backs in developing our product. But we never gave up. Nothing worth having comes easy. It's still exciting to look at the patent. It has both our names on it- as it should. Brian worked harder than I did. I had the idea but he had the vision to make the idea work. Like I said he's the creative, art guy. He can make whats in my head look like how I see it. We work well together.

"If it was easy, everyone would do it." 

My motto for the week as I face this deadline. If it goes bad, we'll figure something else out. We always do. Change your perspective. Accept the challenge- whatever it is. So what are your three biggest accomplishments? Think about it today. Embrace them. Delight in them. 

Don't lose perspective.

You might have noticed I changed my blog header. This is me in my element. Perusing a table of Starburst with prices I wouldn't pay. But isn't that pepper grinder adorable?

I was able to score a few handmade clothing items from the estate sales this past weekend. Like, I've said, unfortunately I can't sew, I just don't have the patience, so I am always on the look out for hand made vintage items. These dresses I will pair with a belt, leggings, and boots. I'll post pictures of me wearing them when I do. I plan on wearing one on my thrift store shopping trip to San Diego this Saturday.

This one is perfect for summers in Corona!

 

This is the one I am wearing on Saturday with boots and a belt.

 This one screamed "candy striper" to me and I love it.

 

 I found Davis this adorable shirt and I scored a hand embroidered table runner for Thanksgiving.

 Finally! I have been looking for a vintage Christmas table cloth for the hideous table in our kitchen and I finally found it. Along with a handmade Christmas apron. 

Only six more months until I can use it!     

I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday! Work hard but enjoy the journey. remember "If it was easy, everyone would do it."

-Tricia

Monday Troubles.

I wasn't sure what I was going to write about today. We had a lazy Sunday. House cleaning, t.v. watching, making steaks for dinner and trying out a new recipe- nothing very exciting. So I may digress a little bit today from my normal posts of estate sale finds and home decorating even though I'm sure I can squeeze those in at the end. 

Monday. The most dreaded day of the week for me. For some reason, I always feel like Mondays bring bad news. It's the busiest day of the week for me work wise and it always feels like some problem arises that requires my immediate attention and problem solving skills.

I woke up this morning dreading the rest of the day. I'm up against a big deadline. If it were up to me I would meet the deadline. Unfortunately, there are about three other parties involved and I am waiting on them to do their part. Waiting. Hoping. Keeping fingers crossed. 

Owning your own business has many rewards I can list. However, it also has its own downfalls. You control your own destiny. But its success or failure rests only on your shoulders. If you fail, you don't eat. Your paycheck is completely dependent on your performance. It's not guaranteed. It's not a career for the risk adverse, that's for sure. And when something is out of my control that directly affects me, it's weighing heavily on my mind. 

I'm reading a book on leadership right now. Unfortunately, I am only on the second chapter. Right now I am reading about "optimism." So how can I apply this to my situation. I can change my attitude. Rather than feeling dread, I can feel challenged. Can I make this happen? You bet I can. Will it be hard? Absolutely. Will it take some hard work on my part? Of course, but I can do it. Just by simply changing my attitude I feel better about the situation already. Nothing worth gaining ever comes easy. So say a little prayer for me today. That my heart will be still and my head will be clear. 

I can do this. I will figure it out.

And on a lighter note...I did get some of my other finds cleaned up yesterday.

A new set of snack plates in the teardrop pattern in their original box. I use these for chips and dip at parties. I think this is my 10th or so box- I need to have forty people over to my house to use them all.

 I finally got these cleaned up too. A new Pyrex bowl- not in the greatest condition, but cheap, a new cake stand, and vintage cookie and biscuit cutters.

And just to prove to you I actually use what I buy. I made a cake to sit on the new cake stand.

Being tall has it's advantages. I wouldn't know but Brian spotted these lovelies way up on a top shelf in the garage.

When I took them out of the box to clean them I found out the original packaging was still there including the holiday labels. I will definitely be using those in my scrapbook.

I still have a few more things to clean. Hopefully, I can get that done today.

And in case you are dreading Monday too, this should put a smile on your face.

That's not my dog, but it looks exactly like him. I see a new Halloween costume in Lucky's future.

I am wishing you all a wonderful Monday and a fabulous week. Let's make this day great! 

Wish me luck!

-Tricia

Ah...Sunday Morning.

The most relaxing day of the week, in my opinion. So, how do I convince Brian to drive me back down to Hemet for the estate sale that's 50% off today...but I digress.

Sunday is my favorite day to wake up too. It is usually my day of rest. We normally stay close to home and it's my laundry day which technically isn't resting but it's easy to just switch the loads and have Brian fold them- ha! I attend online church in the morning and cut coupons over mugs of coffee. I'm lucky our church has an amazing media department where you can watch live from your computer. It's the perfect way to start my day.

However, one thing I do struggle with is insomnia. I have a terrible time sleeping. I can't fall asleep and I can't stay asleep. That's one reason I get up at 5:00, I'm already awake. And yes, I've tried all the tricks. The only thing that works is medication- and I don't like taking it as I feel like a zombie the next day. 

My friend sent me this and it sums it up perfectly.

I find it interesting that the more people I talk to and the more I read on Facebook, that this seems like a more common problem, than not. And it's usually a problem for women. Do we try to do too much? Is it impossible to shut our brains off at night because the "to-do" list is still being written in our heads? I don't know and I don't have any answers. Maybe we need a support group that meets around 2:00am. If I solve the problem, you'll be the first to know. Until then, I'm off to grab another coffee.

I know everyone is anxiously awaiting to here if I found Pyrex yesterday. Was that red blob in the photo Pyrex or something else? Well, without further adieu I'd like to introduce you to these beauties.

 

One large RED square Pyrex and three of it's smallest cousins. All in pristine condition. No wear at all. I didn't have anything like these and since my kitchen is red, these are perfect.

They will have a spot of prominence in my Pyrex cupboard which houses just a little bit of my entire collection.

The cabinet they sit in was handmade by my grandfather- it doesn't get any better than that!

I still have more stuff to show you from the Hemet sale, I just haven't cleaned it up yet. I went to two more sales yesterday morning so I have a lot to clean before I can post pics. I did get these few things washed up from the Hemet sale.

I grabbed this little Pyrex bowl in the mushroom pattern. Not what I normally collect but it was a good deal and will look nice at Thanksgiving.

I also found this vintage tin full of embroidery floss that I can use in scrapbooking.

I always look for clothes too. Anything vintage or handmade since I can't sew. I got this sweet little handmade shirt that I think will look adorable with a brown belt and a handmade apron for the kitchen.

Davis spotted this afghan in Haunted Mansion colors- perfect for her room!

So my day will be spent cleaning up what I got yesterday and debating on driving back to Hemet this morning. The laundry can wait, right?  Choices, choices. 

I hope everyone has a blessed and relaxing Sunday!

-Tricia

Estate Sale 101

It's been a while since we have been to an estate sale. Now, it has to be one where I see something in the preview that I really want. Then it's on. Will the item still be there when I arrive? Will the price be too high? Will I beat all the dealers who show up? So much uncertainty. 

So when I saw this picture on Thursday I knew this was the sale for me. 

Was that red Pyrex on the table there? Maybe, maybe not. But I was definitely going to find out. The sale was in Hemet which is about fifty minutes away. So I woke my partners in crime up early and we were on the road. There were also a couple of home decor pieces I was interested in, nothing big so we took my car for the gas mileage. Mistake number one. There is a "Murphy's Law" of thrifting though- the bigger the car, less of a haul." Which means if you are planning on finding a lot and bring the big car, you won't find anything. If you have never been to an estate sale before it can be kind of intimidating. 

Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Get there early. If there is something specific you want, chances are someone else is going to want it to. I try to arrive 15-30 minutes before they open.

2. Line up. There will be a line. First come, first serve. Some sales have a list where once you arrive, you sign in and then you can come back when it opens and they will let people in in that order.

3. Bring your own boxes and bags. There are no shopping carts and you are going to want your hands free so bring your own shopping materials. Newspaper too if you think you might buy something you want wrapped,

4. There may be no negotiating. Especially, one the first day of the sale. Prices are usually firm.

5. Bring cash. It's just easier even though some places may take credit cards. It will tell you if they do in the posting.

6. If there is something big you want to purchase- don't leave it, but ask around for the person with the "SOLD" stickers. They will tag it with your name and you can continue shopping until you are ready to check out.

7. And my personal tip. Be respectful. These items belonged to someone who passed on. Treat the items with respect. Don't paw all over them. If you pick up something, especially clothes, put it back where you found it. Don't make comments about the person's taste. What may seem like junk to you was how they lived. I consider it an honor to purchase items that someone cared about. I'm preserving a little bit of their personal history. Be friendly to the people working the sale. It will get you a lot father than being rude or demanding.

I also like to choose sales that are a bit out of the way. That's why we went all the way to Hemet- not a lot of dealers in that area, especially when there are closer sales at the same time. I also look for sales in mobile homes or trailer parks, usually that's where the good stuff is. 

For sales in your area the best resource is www.estatesales.net

Once we arrived, I knew we were in pretty good shape. We were fifth in line and no dealers to be found. We divided up our jobs- Brian had seen a stereo cabinet in the driveway. His job was to get a sold sticker for it. I was going for the Pyrex and Davis was looking for the lamp. We were ready.

Davis is an awesome thrifter. She's been doing it practically since the day she was born. She has a great eye and loves old things. At the sale she said "Mommy, can you imagine your estate sale, it will be epic. Oh wait nevermind, I'm going to keep it all." That's my girl!

So in order to make a long story less long, I'm just going to let you know, we got everything we came for- and then some. It was a great sale. I didn't even get everything I wanted because the car was full. lesson learned. 

Always bring the big car.

I'm going to focus on the home decor items today. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out if that red blob in the photo was really Pyrex.

So after we packed the car. It looked like this. Only my awesome spatial awareness and packing skills let us fit it all in.

We had to put both seats down, so I had no place to sit. This is me curled up in the back. 

Was it worth it? Absolutely!

Once we got home we spent time cleaning and moving furniture. It looked worse before it got better.

But then it was done. My new favorite spot in the house. I could stare at it all day.

The leaf sculpture was one of the items I went for, the stereo cabinet was what Brian spotted in the driveway. We had the lamp- yes, we collect those too. The dish was mine from thrift and the paint by numbers was from our friend's estate. I think it looks amazing.

Then we decided to take out the ugly television cabinet and replace it with one of our metal credenzas. yes, we collect metal, Steelcase furniture too. Brian had to do a little work on it so we would have holes for the cords. You can drill through metal with a special drill adapter- who knew.

Then we got it all back together and now our modern t.v. sits on our vintage credenza which kind of makes me giggle a bit.

The one other item I went for was this 1960's awesome hanging lamp. It goes in the corner near my hutch. It's beautiful but kind of hard to see in the picture.

Of course, no sale would be complete without Davis finding a vintage hat that looks adorable on her!

It was such an awesome family morning. I'm so lucky I have people to share my passion with who love it as much as I do.

Tomorrow, I'll show you the rest of the items. I'm still getting stuff cleaned up. I know I've been doing a lot of thrifting when my thumbnail is all ragged from picking off price labels.

Lots to do today to get the house back in order. I hope everyone has something fun planned for the weekend!

-Tricia