Tuesday's Treasures

It's been a bit since I had a good day "treasure hunting". Mainly because I haven't been looking much. Truth be told, I got so discouraged with how little I was getting done during soccer season that I almost hung it all up. In fact, I've been doing some serious praying about whether or not I was to keep my booth.  I'm realizing today that I don't think I can give it up, though. I love treasure hunting and finding diamonds in the rough to give a makeover to. Second to raising kids, it's been one of the most rewarding things I've done in a long time.

I went out today just to get some cold weather veggies for the garden, but wouldn't you know that seed store just happened to be right around the corner from one of my favorite haunts?! So, of course I had to peek in and see if any treasures were to be had.

Guess what? I found some goodn's! Then I proceeded to nearly break my back trying to get them out of the car when I got home. I don't wait on help very well! Honestly, I continue to be amazed that God protects me from my own stupidity like he does. If his love was based on intelligence or goodness, I'd be a lost cause:)

Anyhoo, wanna see what I found?

This beauty immediately grabbed me and screamed, "Take me home!" Of course, I had to oblige. I mean, look at the curves on her!

Isn't this demilune table gorgeous?! I gotta admit...I'm tempted to keep it and put it in my foyer.
At least until I can find a Sheraton style buffet. It would fit perfectly!

Someone had started to redo this piece and has already done the hard work for me. All the sanding except for removing that black mystery glob has been done! Wha-hoo!

How great is the hidden drawer?!

Next, I saw this ANCIENT old sewing table sitting there looking so sad, I felt sorry for her. Truth be told, I broke one of my own "rules" by buying her...in a way. I never buy something I'm not sure I can salvage and she's pretty far gone....but she has a redeeming quality. See those legs? Those  are gorgeous and even if I can't salvage the top part, the legs could be reused as a table base. They are actually quite modern looking if you look at the geometric quality of them! That piece is what nearly broke my back. I just about dropped her as I tried to slide her out of the car. Those legs are cast iron and heavy as lead!

I honestly don't know if this wood cabinet top is salvageable until I try. It'll be a bit like putting a puzzle back together (if all the pieces are there!).

Look at those awesome cast iron legs! Tell me they wouldn't look fantastic on a table.

The cabinet was empty, but the pulleys all work like they were freshly oiled and cleaned. Amazing!

This side piece snapped when I nearly dropped it. It made me a little sick,
but the main reason I bought this was for the legs. Besides, it was better for that to snap than my back! Ugh!

The other items were smaller, but one was particulary exciting. I found a small box of Johnson Brothers Ironstone! I dug through it and managed to find four bowls that were in good shape (a little crazing), the rest were plates that had a big cracks (sigh...). But, I did get four bowls to take to the booth, as well as a stack of very old books to tie with twine and sell.

Honestly, until I started reading all you other bloggers out there, I didn't know anything about ironstone.

I still don't know much other than I love it's simplicity and I've started my own little collection. 

Last, but not least, I found this Pottery Barn ginormous pin board (39"x60") for myself. Actually, for the boys. They've needed somewhere to display their art and this will work perfectly in the hallway outside their bedrooms. They keep wanting to tape it to my walls (!!!!) so I was thrilled to get this for....(ready?)...only $2! Can you believe that? I looked it up on-line and I think it would retail for around $150-$250. There wasn't a price on it, so I ask one of the guys there. He went to the back to find out. When he came back out and told me, I stared and asked if he was sure...like an idiot! (Take it and run!) He confirmed and I immediately told him to put it in my stash. I still can't believe that price.

I managed to put that mark on it when trying to get that sewing table out of the car.  It should come off though.

My day so far in a nutshell. Now I gotta go clean up/organize our garage (aka my workshop/storage room) to make room for the new pieces before hubby gets home and is completely overwhelmed by my mess out there! Nothing gets my blood flowing like a good day of treasure hunting:)

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Auctions and Latest Find

I've gotten a lot of questions about where in the world do I find these pieces at such crazy prices?! They come from everywhere, really. I have my thrift stores I hit up on a near weekly basis (sometimes more than once if I'm close by), pieces are given to me, hole in the wall "antique" shops where they are just basically selling stuff they got for free somehow (so not much markup) and the best place...AUCTIONS!

You can find really good stuff at thrift stores, but I've found that if you're patient and willing to go sit at an estate auction you can find some incredible deals. You can go online to AuctionZip.com or EstateSales.net and find auctions in your area. The ticket is finding one with some really good pieces that need just a little love, a bad auctioneer (one who starts bidding low on EVERYTHING), and preferably not a ton of people to compete with. I got lucky was blessed to get the deal I did on that buffet at my very first auction! The Estatesales.net site even has a page of info about estate sales and how they work! Great info. Internet estate auctions - like Caring Transitions  and ShopGoodwill.com are awesome as well. Then there's always Craiglist.com, and I've found stuff on there. Be careful though. Use common sense. I personally am very wary of buying stuff this way. Just too risky for me personally as a general rule.

Now, I'm no pro at this yet (will be one day), but what I've found is most people don't have a lot of vision. I saw a quote I just loved the other day:

People tend to want the pieces that need little to no work. If you're willing to put in some elbow grease, there are deals to be had! Most of the people bidding are not interested in redoing stuff themselves. Many are just buying to resell as-is in traditional antique stores/booths or to dealers. I'm constantly picking up pieces that I work on as I can fit it in. I have only shared a tiny bit of my "stockpile before and afters". More to come!

When you are out looking for a piece, know your limits. If you are able to paint, but don't have access to repair equipment or the want to learn, don't get a piece that is not structurally sound or sturdy. Also know your product and what signifies good quality. For instance, be able to recognize wood species, solid versus MDF and veneers, dovetailed drawers versus stapled or nailed, plywood versus particle board backs, etc. Do some research on what you're looking for so when you find it, you don't do what I recently did, and walk away not sure if you can make enough of a profit because the price is not INSANELY low. If you wait to research and then come back, it'll be gone. Trust me:)

If there is one tip I can pass along that you probably won't find anywhere it's this: talk to people at the auctions. They are full of info you may never find out if you don't talk to someone who's been around. At my first one, I had a lady tell me to NEVER make the first bid. Wait for a little while to see where it's heading dollar-wise. Sometimes people get caught up in the excitement and buy things they really don't want, so don't get it going if you really want that piece. Wait until the last minute to throw in your bid if the price is right. It also helps to not over-dress. You may not get the old-timers to talk as much if they are worried you're looking down your nose at them. Casual dress make everyone relax more and open up. Just a good rule of thumb - Looking like a million may actually cost you because people expect you can and should pay more. I like to dress up as much as the next person, but there's a time a place - this ain't it (usually). Look nice, but not dressy - jeans and a nice t-shirt are great.

Lastly, I have an operating strategy. Want to know what it is? I try to remember to get up every morning and start my day off with some time in prayer and Bible study. I hand it all over and say, "Lord, this is what I believe you want me to do with this time in my life and the gifts you've given me. So, I trust you'll bring the pieces along as I need them. I'm not going to beat myself up over missed items or sit around worrying about how to find a  new piece. When the time is right, please show me the next step and help me always to remember who arranged for that "piece" and I to meet at just the right time." Know what? He just keeps on putting them right in front of me. I just marvel at how the timing always just falls into place. As that old hymn goes, "One day at a time, Sweet Jesus, that's all I'm asking of you!"

Want to see what I found today that I thought was really neat? It's not furniture. It's an accessory:



1931 desk globe (to the best of my knowledge - had to do some research)

I love globes. I don't know why, but it's fascinating to me to study how the world has changed over the years. This one had tons of stuff on it to study...like no separated Korea, totally different layout of Africa, no nation of Israel, etc.

Tomorrow I'm sharing my oldest son's room and his mural. Can't wait! Talk about a labor of love?!

Miss Bee