Dime Store Chic

Estate Sale Adventures: huge vs. HUGE!

Hello, My Friends!~~

I hit two estate sales on Thursday and what a difference! The first sale was closest to my home and the advertisement proclaimed that this was a "Huge" sale and "our largest sale of the year!" Before those of us waiting in line were allowed in the home, we were told "nothing in the basement". Really? How can this your largest sale of the year? That is unless previous sales were teeny tiny. The house had lots of furniture and all of the "smalls" were banished to a table in the kitchen and in the garage. One of the customers asked the man running the sale if the garage items were from previous sales, and the man ignored his question. Apparently this estate sale company is infamous for hauling goods from previous sales to current "new" sales. After cruising through the house in three minutes I found one item. Sigh...well on to the next sale which advertised that you need to "bring boxes and bags" and "stay awhile" in their sale.

The sale was pretty far from where the first pitiful NOT "huge" sale was, but I made it about five minutes after the sale opened and walked right in. I knew from the outside of the house, that this was going to be a good sale. You know how your "Spidey sense" just kicks in like that? Here is the front of the house and you decide.

Overgrown vegetation in a old Arlington, VA neighborhood. I can just tell this sale is going to require digging and for me to "stay awhile"!

A Persian rug in the moss-covered driveway? You just KNOW this house is going to be filled with treasure!

A fallen handmade Greek god or angel points the way to the front door. That closed the deal! I knew the sale was going to awesome! I skidded up the moss-covered steps and into the front door.

I was rewared with a small but packed house from top to bottom, attic to basement. Since the ad was only on Craigslist, the crowd wasn't a crowd at all. I brought in 3 bags and began filling them. But as cool as the stuff in the old house was, I kept wondering if there was vintage Christmas, which I need, as I saw none in the basement. I headed for the attic and scaned the space but didn't see any Christmas at all.

And what are those dudes looking for or at? After they walked out of the attic, I found some unopened boxes tucked up against the wall and went for them and banged the top of my head on the slanty ceiling. Undeterred and a little concussed, I opened the boxes and was rewarded with lots and lots of vintage Christmas all destined for future creations for my etsy shop and the December craft show in Williamsburg. No one was around so I didn't feel too guilty about taking it all. I mean I did get a bump on my head for my trouble so doesn't that mean I had dibs anyway?

Here are the steps from the atiic to the kitchen. Dig that zebra skin hanging over an antique piece of iron fence railing!

The basement was a fun place to be, but there were some dudes camped out in one section which housed a lot of books effectively blocking anyone from browsing. I avoided them and searched around finding this interesting mixed media piece:

The lady who once lived here was a decorator and she had an artistic eye which was evident in the many varied things in her home. I stepped outside from the basement and this backayrd greeted me.

A jungle of huge boxwoods and trees gone wild. I turned around and captured the back of the house which I learned is going to be torn down.

A pity that someone couldn't rennovate this old house, but property values in Arlington are crazy high and folks do love their McMansions around here.

Well, there you have it. You can't belive all advertising for estate sales. The one that promised a HUGE sale was in fact nothing close to huge. And the sale that promised that you will need bags and to stay awhile rang so very true. If there are more than one sale at the same time (or close to the same time) in your area, do your best to read between the lines of the advertisement. Or you can see if you can find a picture of the house on one of the many on-line street map sites out there. That may tell you more than an estate sale company's ad. Some estate sale companys however are VERY candid with their ads. Case in point, see this portion of an ad for a sale this weekend in Alexandria, VA:

 Enter at your own risk! 

Very smelly!  Animal urine and mess everywhere.  Bring a mask and gloves.  This sale is not for Sissies.

I did not go to this sale. I am not a sissy, but my guess was that pretty much anything I found in this house would have the smell with it. That I could not bear, no way.~~Happy hunting, my friends!~~~XXOO, Beth

The Vintage Home Market: Off the Hook!

Hello, My Friends!~~

I am finally recovered enough from this past weekend at The Vintage Home Market in Richmond, VA to post a lot of photos and to tell you how off the hook wonderful the show was for us! And oh my goodness, Tony and Marc of Feathernesters, staged the absolutely cutest show ever!

Here is the ticket booth they made from a salvaged Mexican bar, can you imagine! And Marc told me he spent two weeks making the myriad of fabric banners which he and Tony strung all throughout the show space.

The plain space at the Richmond Raceway Complex was magically transformed into a vintage wonderland!

See?

Talk about your suggestive messages! Isn't this huge vintage shop sign wonderful?

Now, here's the booth Suzy and I staged at the very front corner--a great space!

Our booth was huge and we brought LOTS of vintage goodies and handmade goods!

Suzy even brought some beautiful painted furniture from her home, which sold quickly!

This is half of our booth!

And this is the other half!

Like I said we had a HUGE booth!

We had decorated bins with items marked one to three dollars, like the dime stores (with a little inflation on the prices from this long past days). So fun! Folks seemed to enjoy digging and finding treasures!

Oh, and here is the outside of the building which isn't much, and I didn't capture it after Tony and Marc decorated the outside, but you get the idea that this area is mainly for NASCAR events.

Tony and Marc gave an award for the best looking booth. Suzy and I actually went for the most stuff in a booth award but that wasn't awarded. Here is the booth that won best looking booth...

How cute is this? A store within a store! The name of the booth is: Gypsy Doo Dah Day and Leila and her husband are the clver fabricators of this charming space.

So by Sunday afternoon, Suzy and I packed up the few remaining goods and headed to our homes.

This car Suzy brought and the poodles sold too!~~Tony and Marc are planning on having another Vintage Home Market in November. This past weekend was thier first event and what a wonderful beginning!~~~I know Suzy and I are VERY happy!~~~XXOO, Beth

The Vintage Home Market: Boxes and Boxes

Hello, My Friends!~~

Boxes and boxes! Preparing for The Vintage Home Market requires lots of boxes!

Boxes packed full of goods both handmade and vintage.

Boxes decorated with vintage wallpaper, maps, and music for corraling the myriad amount of small goodies we are bringing to the show--there are TONS of fun vintage things for a dollar or two each!

Boxes for storage, display and for sale!

 

And boxes in the form of plastic bins, which you can barely see beneath the larger vintage goodness ready for the show!

If you are in the Richmond, VA area this weekend please visit Suzy and me at the Dime Store Chic booth at The Vintage Home Market!

Thanks and see you next week after the show!~~~XXOO, Beth

Getting Ready For The Vintage Home Market AND 50% OFF Sale in Dime Store Chic on Etsy!

Hello, My Friends!~~

With the threat of a tropical storm creeping up the southeast coast, I am staying very close to home getting ready for The Vintage Home Market sale next weekend in Richmond!

The fabulous creators of this wonderful show will soon be offering a $1.00 OFF admission coupon from the $5 admission price on The Vintage Home Market facebook page. Please keep checking for this nifty savings!

As for my preparations, it begins with stuffing our dining room full and then making sure everything is priced and packed snugly away. Here is the grouping of fun vintage goodies that has taken over our dining room:

Such an assortment of vintage FUN!

Suzy and I will bring vintage goods for your home and for your crafting! Oh, and we will certainly bring our made from vintage textile and holiday creations!

We will have fresh to market goods, recent finds from estate sales and other great vintage sources!

I found what has got to be the largest carnival prize chalkware floorvase I've ever seen! Dig those twining roses!

Here is the sign I made for our booth. Please look for it if you come see us in Richmond, VA on June 15-16 for The Vintage Home Market!

Now, for all of you who cannot make the journey, I am hosting a special sale in my Dime Store Chic etsy shop from now until June 14th. Please enter the code (in all caps) JUNE50 at check out for 50% off your entire purchase before shipping! You MUST enter the coupon code to get your discount, I can't do it on your behalf. AND Dime Store Chic now takes your credit card!

Thanks SO much for stopping by and Have a Great Day!~~~XXOO, Beth

Lucky Me!

Hello, My Friends!~~

I don't know if you have been floowing Linda over my My Vintage Soul, this lucky lady lives in an area of upstate New York where they have periodic big trash pick ups. Linda trolls the curbside cast offs in her hood and finds so many fabukous vintage treasures. Recently Linda so very generously hosted a give away of some of her found treasures. And I was the lucky commentor who won this delightful vintage bounty!

What a generous lady Linda is!

The craft booklets are a complete favorite! Oh wait--I LOVE everything!

Trim, heart pans, the largest heart cookie cutter I have ever seen, adorable prayers coloring book, deer, and so much more!

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The sweetest wrapping paper, boots, plastic flowers~~~SO many craft possibilities!

Thank you SO much, Linda!~~~XXOO, Beth

New Patriotic Wreaths and an Announcement

Hello, My Friends!~~~

Lately I have been aiming my attention in several directions: crafting, finding and listing goods on Dime Store Chic, and preparing for the June 15-16 The Vintage Home Market!

Last night I listed two new patriotic wreaths in Beth's Bagz!

Such fun!

And I have been gathering, pricing, and packing LOTS and LOTS of vintage and handmade fresh-to-market goods getting ready for The Vintage Home Market! I'll show youw some sneak peek photos soon! But if you are anywhere near Richmond, VA on June 15-16 you MUST go to the Richmond Raceway Complex (site of the former State Fairgrounds) and stop by the Dime Store Chic booth! Suzy and I are bringing LOTS (and that is an understatement) of vintage goods for your home and for your crafting fun AND we are bringing our handmade goods too! We haven't taken Dime Store Chic on the road since Art & Soul several years ago, and were invited by the wonderful organizers who saw our booth in Williamsburg, VA last December to attend The Vintage Home Market. We are quite excited! Admission is only $5.00 and the site is indoors and air conditioned!

Would love to see you there!~~XXOO, Beth