Big Secret - Revealed!

Today we trucked out to the ghetto (I won't say where). The people were super nice, but the clutter was depressing. Too many old men clearing out their toolboxes.

I did indeed laugh out loud at Big Secret. The man selling them had been running a summer-long yard sale due to his lack of employment. He told me he just got a job and was selling everything off for ten cents apiece. He chuckled when I took the picture and said, "Those pantyhose will be all over Twitter." He knew I was up to something snoopy!
I bought this metal Christmas door hanger for a quarter at a less ghetto sale.
At the ten cent sale, I bought a book of Canadian landscape photographs by former astronaut Roberta Bondar, a Swiss mug for Duncan's tea party box, and this little note book from 1956.

This was a freebie from Perkins Diesel. What a classy touch.

It's chock full of info about combine harvesters, etc.

Unfortunately the French-speaking owner of the notebook failed to fill it with torid details of his/her love life. C'est la vie!
Each page had a New Yorker-style humorous sentence. I've never met a Fifinella I didn't like.
It was all worth it in the end, when I discovered this Electrohome fan sitting in a box for $5.00. The seller graciously plugged it in and even gave Duncan the safety lecture. These fans are amazing, but totally unsafe. I've got an old Torcan fan in the basement. They'll look fab together.

It's amazing what a lousy finsky will buy. Below, find some funny old videos to go with my elegant fan.

You Give Me Fever

It was Friday Fever today at Goodwill. Translation: Come in, find a few things for 50% off and line up forever while irritating women with cartloads of blouses debate which ones they should buy at the cash desk while your arms slowly begin ripping out of their sockets from carrying too much crockery. Still, we had fun and I bought a few things.

Oh the anticipation. I could smell the vintage treasures for the home. Too bad that after five minutes of thrifting Duncan says, "Mom, I have to do pee-pee." Thank goodness that he's a boy and that there are lots of big trees right outside the store.
Yet another gaudy seventies fondue kit that I almost bought. One of these days I'll cave in and buy a fondue set. Tragically, I'll end up gaining 200 pounds from excessive cheese eating.
Poor Bill. His life's work reduced to a commemorative plate that has in fact, been reduced.
Some of my happy finds include: Tupperware colander (.50), a seventies floral tin (.75), and this very cool graduated beaker (I believe that's what math-minded people call 'em) for .50.
I dig that the beaker was made in West Germany. "It's West German, so you know it's good." Okay, no more references to Sham Wow.
More pottery for my plants (.75) , Blues Clues Cards for the wee boy (.75), and a sushi mug pour moi (.50).

How cool is this? I can study this mug as I wake myself in the morning. This should enable me to order sushi with greater confidence.

Books for Duncan and my forthcoming Grade 5 class. I'm teaching ancient Mexico, so the Maya book was a lucky find.
Eyewitness books are fantastic. Anytime I see them, I pounce. I also bought these cute animal bookends for Duncan that cost $2.00 with the discount.

Will there be any yard sales worth a hoot tomorrow? One can only hope.

Thanks for dropping into my world,

Erin

Lini Grol and Pyrex Double Feature

Some of you may recall how I purchased a set of beautiful scissor-cut silhouettes recently at a garage sale. When I got home, I Googled the artist's name - Lini Grol - and found my way to White Mountain Publications which distributes numerous books illustrated by Lini. I emailed White Mountain to see if I could get in touch with Lini. They forwarded my email to her, and the next thing I knew, there was an email reply from Lini in my In Box. To cut a long story short, I'll be calling her later today to see if I can visit her next week to look at her work and discuss her art. It's all very exciting stuff. I'm hoping I can write a feature story for The Star. The moral of the story... don't ever let anyone tell you that having an obsession with yard sales and thrift sales is a fruitless enterprise.

Here's a reminder of Lini's work. I'll be ordering several of the books she illustrated.
Yesterday, we celebrated my mother's birthday with a picnic at Port Dalhousie, which is part of the greater St. Catharines area. On the grounds, they have a carousel that is 140 years old. The best part is that it only costs five cents a ride.

The carousel has been lovingly maintained over the years. Paintings of animals circle the top.

Here's a look at the carousel after everyone got off.

The head of Duncan's horse. Feel free to insert your Godfather joke here.

Duncan with daddy-o in the background.

Vintage family serving dish on the left, shiny rummage sale serving dish on the right.

Before we left, I told my mom to be on the lookout for Pyrex at rummage sales. She matter-of-factly told me that she had an old serving dish in the cupboard that was gathering dust. My dad gave it to her for Christmas in 1958 - a year after they wed. It turns out that I bought the exact same one at a rummage sale last fall for $5.00. My mother's dish is a little more worn, but I like that there's a family story attached to it.
Mom's old dish is still in pretty good shape, a fact she attributes to lack of use.
I don't see how this dish could have been used at all. I wonder when they stopped making this pattern. Is it called starburst?

Clean handle and worn handle.

Mom & Dad's Treasure Trove

August 12th - Happy Birthday Mom! I wish you another wonderful year. I'll be seeing you today. Prepare to be hugged - a lot.

My folks torturing Duncan around this time last year on the wee lad's third birthday. Duncan looks like his legs are stuffed inside his shirt.
St. Catharines should be renamed Rose of Sharon. I've never seen so many of these gorgeous trees in one city. My parents have some stunning examples on their property.

The outside spills inside my parent's home. My mom always has a completely different centre piece when we visit. She bought this china floral piece at an estate sale.
Mom has several smaller china floral decorations throughout the house.
My parents both like this glass jug, bought a year or two ago at a garage sale. It's heavy, Czechoslovakian glass.

A brass horse planter. Note the tray of fresh peaches in the background. St. Catharines is in the heart of the fruitbelt. There's always a bounty of fresh fruit inside their home and mountains of fresh veggies from Pop's garden.

This is not from a yard sale. My mother's father, whom I never met, bought this with his first ever pay cheque. I think my mother says it dates back to the late 1800s.
This gorgeous Czechoslovakian glass set seldom gets used. It's been in the family for some time. Apparently, they belonged to my grandmother in Australia. Don't ask me how they made it across the Pacific Ocean without breaking.

Spectacular paint work.

Glass serviette holder that looks sort of Christmasy with the green serviette folded inside.

Gorgeous vase passed down to my mother.

My mother's parents had their honeymoon in Niagara Falls. My grandfather bought this plate for my grandmother as a honeymoon gift when they were there.
A honeymoon gift from my dad's father to my grandmother on their honeymoon. I think it's great that both my parents have these keepsakes.
My parents love Dutch Delftware. They have an impressive collection of pieces inspired by Delft pottery in their kitchen. There may be some real Delft in there too. Many of these pieces came from yard sales or were thrifted.
My dad recently bought this candle holder at a yard sale for $2.00. It is sterling silver. He got to work and polished it up nicely. What were they thinking? I love it.
Very old floral salt and pepper shakers that have been in our family for a long time.
Elf salt and pepper shaker with seventies mushroom candles. These are a bit of fun. I always liked them. The squatting elf looks like he's been into the whiskey.

"Officer, I've only had a couple - I swear!"

Here's one of my favourite bands from my teen years - Concrete Blonde with their own rendition of "Happy Birthday." Sending out warm, happy thoughts to my amazing mom. Love you!

Kingsley's Hibachi

Before the end of the school year, the gentleman who lived across the street from us passed away. Kingsley had gone into hospital with an illness, but developed an infection while there. I kept waiting for him to return home. Sadly, I never got to say goodbye.

Although I did not know him well, I know he lived a very good life. I used to see him pick up his morning paper well past nine in the morning. I imagined him reading the entire paper over cups of tea. Kingsley loved to garden and he was always heading out in his car. Later, I found out that he would walk along the shores of Lake Ontario every evening. He was in his eighties.

When his companion hauled out the trash this week (the first time our neighbourhood has had trash removal in six weeks or so, due to a strike), I discovered this old Hibachi and I found myself debating whether or not I should take it. I really wanted something to remember Kingsley with. I thought it would make an interesting piece for the garden. It seems a little odd now, but I'll try to get a climbing rose to tangle around it next year and it should look pretty in an Edward Gorey kind of way. If it were a Gorey book, he'd call it The Haunted Hibachi. The story would write itself.

Here's the Hibachi peeping behind the foliage in our backyard. It almost looks like a tombstone.
Kingsley's companion said the Hibachi was old and had been sitting out in the yard forever without being used. I'll keep the tradition going.

I also liked Kingsley's cheerful yellow Hoover vacuum, but it had been out in the rain.

When we were driving home from Fabricland, I discovered this Bob the Builder crane amongst a pile of garbage in front of a nearby church. I biked back and picked it up for Duncan. It's missing some parts, but he doesn't care. He's always wanted a crane.
I bought these old wooden pots at the same church two years ago when they had an awesome rummage sale. They cost me .10 each. If you see them up close, they're full of shabby chic charm.