Dime Store Chic

Around the Dump

Hello, My Friends!~~~

Near our vacation home, there is a "dump where you drop off your trash and recyclables. The dump is manned by a county employee who has befriended some "dump cats." Here is one big fellow...

 

 

And here is another pretty boy hanging out between two of the drive-up dumpsters...

 

I had to use the zoom feature on the camera because these kitties would rather not be petted.

Also at the dump is new shed where folks can drop off items that they think others may use rather than put them in the dumpsters. I think this is a good idea. Thought you may like to see this little shed too...

At least this makes dumster diving less hazardous.~~~Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!~~~XXOO, Beth

Estate Sale Adventures: Oddly Familiar

Hello, My Friends!~~~

I visited two estate sales in my town of Falls Church this morning. I brought a new tool with me to make these posts come alive a little more for you. I recently purchased a very compact Canon camera, one that is quite small and fits in my pocket. I thought a few stealthy photos might enhance these posts, or not, you decide.

That in mind I couldn't get any stealthy interior shots at the first house I visited as one of the ladies running the sale seemed to pop up in every room I wandered in to. This woman spent most of her energy announcing to everyone in the basement (did I tell you I always visit the basement first?) that "anything you find without a price you MUST bring it to me for pricing." Got it. I found a few things without prices including a big stack of padded envelopes (I love buying mailing supplies at estate sales, much cheaper than on-line or office supply stores).

Everything I picked up, with the exception of the envelopes, this woman oohed and aahed saying "these are OLD and COLLECTIBLE." WTF? It is an estate sale after all! It is a major pet peeve of mine when folks running an estate sale declare that something is collectible and old using an air of misguided reverence more appropriately reserved when admiring a Faberge egg or Van Gogh painting, NOT the pile of tattered school books from the 60's nestled in the bottom of my bag. Of course this woman's exclamations were followed by declaring that they were worth $7 each--for used torn workbooks???? I politely declined. However, I did score a nice array of Christmas goodies for use in future projects which she didn't seem to think were worth much and gave me a good price. When I paid for the envelopes and Christmas, the lady taking money asked: "You're not done shopping are you?" I really wanted to say "Hell yeah, I am because that fool in the basement is charging stupid prices for most things" But I did not, instead I thanked her and left.

I did manage to get you a photo of the house, a lovely rambler on a sweet side street:

The next sale held a few treasures and not many people in the house. Here is the house:

The lady running the sale is one of my favorite people to shop from and even if her sale that day didn't hold too much I wanted, I stil try to buy something from her because I like her so much.

Since the house was quite empty of shoppers I managed to get a couple of stalthy shots for you.

This was on the second floor. I adore the dormer window which gives a sweet nook on the interior. I found nothing I wanted in thsi room, I just thought it was nice and thought you may like a peek.

I love love love the green and black tile in this bathroom. The pots and pans for sale in there was a new one. I'd never seen pots and pans for sale in a bathroom before.

As I mentioned before there weren't any people in the house. I found out that they were on the carport.

There was lots of goods on the carport and as I wandered around the tables some of the goods looked oddly familiar. They had come from previous estate sales this company had hosted. Whatever. I found a few things and visted with the lady running the sale for a little while before heading home.

I do like my wee camera and hopefully I can get more stealthy photos for you at futire sales. And hopefully I won't be using the word "stealthy" too much. Take care, my friends!~~~XXOO, Beth

Those Well-Loved Baby Shoes!

Hello, My Friends!~~

Last week I hit a wonderful estate sale with vintage Christmas fabulousness and I also got a nice batch of very vintage (at least 70 years old) baby shoes!

I re-purposed these well-loved shoes into Christmas tree ornaments!

Kitsch and bright!

Gnomes and 'shrooms!

Wooden German and Japanese fun!

 

And more holiday kitsch!

I have just listed these baby shoe ornaments and MUCH MORE in Beth's Bagz! If you have a minute, please take a peek at these one-of-a-kind creations to make your holiday season a little merrier. Thank you!~~~XXOO, Beth

Estate Sale Adventures: Vintage Christmas Crafting

Hello, My Friends!~~

On Friday I headed over to McLean/Langley (near the CIA headquarters) to an estate sale in an adorable cottage tucked away in a sweet neighborhood. One of the big bonuses of going to estate sales is finding places I didn't know existed. This neighborhood was one of those hidden gems, but I am pretty sure these small houses in this affluent zip code easily sell for $800,000.

Anyhoo, I was about 35 in line but when the folks running the sale opened the door, they let every one in! I love that! I immediatley scurried for the basement when my Spideysense told me the vintage holiday goodies were hiding out. I was not disappointed.

Take a peek at the fabulous vintage Christmas craft goodies I found:

As I was sortning through these sweet dime store holiday goodies I was so happy and grateful at my luck in finding what I truly needed to make more Christmas creations!

So many delightful bints n' pieces! I can't wait to get started!

I did find lots of goodies for you and have freshly listed them in Dime Store Chic!

I found out that this sweet vintage cottage was going to be torn down soon to make room for a mcmansion. There are other similar cottages on the same little street. I just don't get it. The integrity of a street scape, to me, is just was important as the buildings on it. I know so many don't want to rennovate and I get that, but I have such a soft place in my heart for old houses. I guess that's because I live in one.

Well, let me toss out some virtual good karma to you all in the hopes you will find wonderful treasures at your next estate sale adventure!~~~XXOO, Beth

 

Estate Sale Adventures: Miss Number One

Hello, My Friends!~~

I hit several estate sales this week beginning on Thursday. I went to a sale in this lovely house in Annandale, VA.

I arrived over an hour early. There were two ladies waiting in their cars. I asked about numbers and one of the women said they hadn't started any. I offered to make numbers and she said OK. I made 1-18 and when I went over to the lady in her car to give her number 1, she quickly and aggressively told me: "I am number one!" "Well, of course you are," I replied, giving her number 1. I mean, really, do we have to get that hyper? Later I found out from a lady I had met at previous sales that Miss Number One is very aggressive and known for stepping on people's toes and shoving. Good grief! It's just stuff, people! Well, as the rain began, the sale opened and I stepped back to let Miss Number One push on in. The sale was advertised as 60 years of accumluation but they had blocked off the second floor. The basement was open so that was good. I went there first, because I truly believe that's where the best stuff is. I did find some very nice goodies, which are now in Dime Store Chic for you, including a bunch of lovely vintage crochet pieces I found in a box marked "great-grand's crochet"!

I do not know how to crochet, and I appreciate such vintage intricate pieces.

On Friday, I didn't see any estate sales listed that tempted me. I usually avoid sales that advertise fine furnishings, and show photos that indicate the house is a recently built mcmansion or condo. There are usually so many sales here in the Washington, DC area that I can be a little picky. But later on Friday I stumbled upon an ad for a sale close to my home. I got there about an hour after the sale started and walked on in. Not too much to get me excited, but I did score an interesting assortment of goods, one of which I put on ebay as it just didn't seem to fit the vibe of Dime Store Chic.

A pristine 1977 Star Wars twin bed sheet. It was a dollar and I thought someone might like it. Sometimes I step out of my comfort zone and go by my gut and wallet.

OK, Saturday was the fill-the-back-of-my-Subaru bonanza! I began at 6:45 and headed to a sale in Falls Church that was advertised only on Craigslist as having "tons of holiday cheer". The photos looked promising and I arrived an hour before the posted start time. A lady was hauling stuff out into the yard which made this "estate sale" technically a "yard sale". The ad did NOT say "no early birds." I got out of my car thinking that maybe I could shop, but she firmly told me they open at 8. Fine. I got back in the car, and called Suzy and gave her a blow by blow on the lady's activities. The coversation went a little like this:

ME: OK, well, there are bushes in the front yard by the street and I can't see anything she has.

SUZY: Is anyone else waiting to shop?

ME: No, but if anyone shows up, I'm bolting out of this car, because I am number one! (Sound familiar, folks?)

SUZY: Well, hang up if anyone else shows up.

ME: I will...dang, I wish this lady would open her yard. My money is as good now as it will be at 8 a.m. What time is it?

SUZY: Seven twenty-five.

ME: Dang!

SUZY: Are you in your car?

ME: Yes...I--oh, here comes someone in a Fiat 500. She's parking behind me. Gotta go!

SUZY: Bye, call me later. (at least I think that's what she said, as I tossed my phone across the car seat, and I may have disconnected the call with Suzy.)

I found out that the lady in the Fiat 500 was a friend of the lady who was setting up and had come to help. And the lady reminded me again that they started at 8. I told her I would just wait on the curb and enjoy the lovely morning. In five minutes she took pity on me and told me to come on over. And wow! In ten minutes I snagged a huge amount of vintage Christmas, and the lady told me I could load the holiday cheer in my car and come back for more. I did just that. I snagged many boxes of gorgeous ornaments for Suzy to use in her stunning wreaths. No one else showed up while I shopped until the end. So cool!

To cover the cost of what I bought to use in future projects I put a few things from that fabulous haul on ebay, including this adorable set of Italian houses:

So cute! And they come with a working strand of lights!

I headed some miles away to Annandale to an inside/out estate sale advertised at 9. I got there at 8:25. There were tables of goods and bright orange tape strung across the front yard and along the side like some skinny plastic Berlin Wall. There was even a board of posted rules at the foot of the driveway. This bossy burlap covered board told us: 1) no children, 2) nothing under a dollar, 3) prices firm, and <my favorite> 4) we reserve the right to ask you to leave. Wow! This must be one heck of an inside/out estate sale if they expect miscreants and bullies!

There was a woman wearing a tiny baseball hat, her arms crossed tightly acorss her chest, standing at the foot of the driveway. I strolled up to her and she quickly turned to tell me: "This this the beginning of the line, and I am number one!"

Holy Deja Vu, Batman!

Then she elaborated by telling me that receently she was number one at an estate sale and was shoved down to the ground by another woman. She was bloody and someone stepped on her fingers. (I secretly wish I had been at that sale if it cause people to riot and stampede for the treasures inside.) That scenario was why she fiercely protected her position in line. I promised her that I would not trample her (winking) much. She winced obviously not getting my joke. I took a step back giving her more space hopefully proving I wasn't a maniac. So we waited and I was entertained by the combination of the frantic family setting up the sale and Miss Number One telling everyine who came up to the sale that she was at the beginning of the line.

Finally, the orange plastic tape came down and Miss Number One bolted across the yard as if her tiny baseball cap was on fire. Ignoring her I walked, a little briskly in another direction, to a table with some goods I had been eyeing while waiting. I scored this:

I have seen these Eames cards go for crazy prices on ebay, so I listed mine with a crazy stupid high (based on previous sales of the same item) Buy It Now price (and a more reasonable opening bid) to see if anyone would want these cool cards that badly.

I also found some lovely patterns that are on etsy. How cute are these?

Designer fashions for your little "Sally Draper" from London and Italy!

Well, this post is long enough and I'll close. I hope you liked a little peek into some of the things I encounter finding cool goodies for you. I wouldn't have it any other way. Makes life, and waiting in line, interesting! Thanks for visiting my estate sale adventure!~~~XXOO, Beth

A Little Boo

Hello, My Friends!~~~

You may or may not know that wreaths are great for all year round! I love wreaths to celebrate all sorts of holidays and occasions.

Here are two I made for Halloween and are newly listed in Beth's Bagz...

A sassy black kitty!

Of a smiling Jack-o-Lantern!

Cheers and have a lovely weekend!~~~XXOO, Beth

What Made Those 20's Roar

Hello, My Friends!~~~

Lately we got an offer for free HBO for three months. That also included getting the on-demand HBO. I browsed the offerings remembering that some friends had highly recommended "Boardwalk Empire." The first two seasons were availble on-demand and I decided to give it a try. Now, when I am crafting I like to have the TV on and usually I leave it on reality shows becuase they are better for background "noise" and the occassional place to rest my eyes. And they are such a guilty pleasure. "Hoarders" anyone? Or "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo?"

Well, with 24 episodes of "Boardwalk Empire" ahead of me, I thought that if I liked it, it would be plently of "noise" while I crafted. Weeks worth, in fact. I didn't know much about the show other than it starred Steve Buscemi and Kelly MacDonald, both actors I remember from various Cohen Brothers films ("Fargo" and "No Country For Old Men"). I even thought the "boardwalk" in the title was in Coney Island. I quickly learned it was in Atlantic City, New Jersey and that the show took place in 1920 and 1921. And there is lots of shooting, beating, stabbing and sex, sometimes at the same time. Crazy stuff, and if the show holds any truth to the temper of the 1920's, I know why it was referred to as the "Roaring 20's."

My grandparents were teenagers in 1920 and three of them lived in the Virginia countryside, a far cry from the more boisterous 1920 Atlantic City. One of my grandparents grew up in Brooklyn, NY and hung around Coney Island in the 20's before going off to dental school in Virginia. I wondered if my country Virginia grandparents ever "roared" in the early 20's like the folks in "Boardwalk Empire." Being that they were Baptists, I highly doubt it, or if they did it was kept to a very dull "roar".

As episode after episode of this acclaimed show unfolded, I found myself so very interested in the history of this time and how the writers masterfully wove it in with the stories of the individual characters. Zeitgeist, "spirit of the age", as seen through the eyes of the "Boardwalk Empire" characters. Prohibition being the main driving force that gave rise to the gangster and organized crime--and did the government really think they could outlaw such a thing back then? It was repealed in December of 1933, the month and year my mother was born. If there was no Prohibition, there would be no "Boardwalk Empire". But I also found Women's Suffrage interesting as well and how women of all of America got the right to vote in August of 1920. Both of my grandmothers, teenagers during the time women were allowed to vote, once told me that they never voted. Being an "I am woman, hear me roar" 1970's teenager, I couldn't believe that was true, but now looking back I realize they were raised with the feeling that women were second-class citizens and that voting was a "man's game".

Another thing I adore about "BOardwalk Empire" are the sets, built and matte background combined. I would love to walk around in them, to breathe the sea air, feel the soles of my shoes on the planks of the boardwalk, and chew on sweet taffy. I know I could go to Atlantic City and do this now, but to see how this seaside city was back then would be wonderful. Of course, I could do without the violence, the smoking, the racism, and having to wear a dress all of the time (I am strictly a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal).

Well, I hope I have not bored you with my praise of this show that has been out for two years, but one I just discovered. I guess because I work with vintage things that I appreciate such a show based on a historical time, for the same reason I adore "Mad Men" and "Downton Abbey." Instead of taking weeks to watch all 24 episodes of seasons 1 and 2 of "Boardwalk Empire" as I had originally planned, I became obssessed with the story lines and took about four days to see all of both seasons. I crafted a whole lot during that time, which is a good thing considering the Williamsburg holiday craft show I will be participating in is less than 3 months away.

So, now that I have seen all HBO has to offer me now with "Boardwalk Empire" until the new season starts on Sept. 16th. I hope I don't go into withdrawals. I wonder now what to have on while I craft (and I don't watch TV unless I'm doing something else). "Game of Thrones" is available on-demand, all of seasons 1 and 2, and I have heard it is quite good although I'm not a big fan of fantasy TV, but I will give it a try. The fact the Peter Dinklage is in it is a huge draw for me as I really like him after seeing him in "The Station Agent".

So, if you watch TV while you create, what do you watch? Please comment and tell me. I'd love to know that I'm not the only one :)~~~~XXOO, Beth