The estate sale in Pittsfield was a good one. I found some stuff to buy that wasn’t TOO bulky, as my storage space is bursting at the seams. In addition, there were lots of fun items that I didn’t buy, which I thought would be great for the blog. The best example: The vintage glider above. It’s “mill finish” aluminum (I guess?)… the chair hangs off a bar connected to those V’s on the end… and there’s a reversible cover. It was $20. A great price, I thought — I’ve never seen one like this before. But, I did not buy it, because I don’t have a spot for it. Here was its original habitat:
A covered porch behind the garage overlooking a backyard pool!
I liked the light by the pool, too. Groovy, baby.
Even though the house was a 1930’s-era duplex (I’m guessing….), the interior had been redone in the 1970s.
I fooled around with the image above, on my photo program. Gave it a little more black light glo.
I bought this light — I haven’t taken the top off yet to check the maker, but I’m guessing Virden or Moe. Don’t know what the DH will say. Perhaps I will serve him a Tequila Sunrise before I lay the 1970s Case de Torquemado swag light on him.
I bought some other little stuff, too — some of the pictures are in the gallery below. What are you finding in your travels this weekend?
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I think I need to take a road trip to your neck of the woods, Pam. Inspired by your post, I got up early and toured around my neighbourhood looking for what we call “garage sales” in Canada, but saw nothing but junk and children’s toys. I didn’t even stop the car once! lol
Hey, if the DH doesn’t approve, I’ll take that swag off your hands!! LOVE the glider and the fact that it was undercover is ultra-good and $20? OMG cheap.
haha, Denise – I see from your blog that you are having your own garage sale this weekend — clean out, then start loading up again??? 🙂
The coffepot, a Chemex- is headquartered in Pittsfield.
I order the coffee filters from them. You can even get replacement parts. I love it. I have two, now.
I’ve ordered the filters, too. In the past, I saw a round cork ball with leather strap on ebay that looks very cool as a lid…should have bought it.
I replaced my leather tie with a leather shoelace……total cost $2.
I’d seen your adorable Czech cat pitcher before and there’s one up on eBay right this very minute. He/she could be the score of the day.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Czech-Small-Cat-Pitcher-/280083256903?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4136435647
The black wrought iron light fixture is similar to the one my mom put in our dining room when they built their house in ’69/’70. She even left the little metal tag hanging on it that said “Made in Italy”, IIRC. 🙂
After today’s shopping, my Love/Hate relationship with white ruffled sheer Priscilla curtains is back on…..
3 mint-y 82″ pairs in nylon Marquisette wth picot-ed edge: three bucks.
Already washed with ammonia (gets the gray out) and I have re-stitched all the seams. They should last another 40 years.
Unless another tornado strikes Springfield.
White ruffled sheer pricilla curtains. I grew up with those on every window in our dining room. When we buy my Mom’s house this fall I’ll be putting up brand new white ruffled sheer pricillas. Then the search will be on for a set of “four seasons” wall hangings and I’ll be in nostalgia heaven.
One year, my brothers and I bought my parents a set of four seasons wall hangings. Unfortunately they were sold in a yard sale years ago. I’ve thought about them recently and keep hoping I’ll find them at an estate sale. The thrill of the hunt.
Four Seasons wall hangings? I just bought 3 seasons (missing winter) at a Lion’s Club rummage sale a couple weeks ago. Can’t remember what I paid, maybe $3.00 each. They are oblong. If I can figure out how to add a picture, I will
Good luck finding them!
Ellis Curtains of Massachusetts were just about the last to make them.
I found some “ok” ones on e-bay…skimpy ruffles and had to reduce them from FIVE inches to three. Still not right.
These new “old” ones are perfect. I like to iron the ruffle flat, as I think they look better.
My mother has a pair of cafe curtains from the 50’s that are made of a “sheer” type of fabric, though not as fine as current sheers. Could this be “marquisette”? I would love to have them replicated in a wider size to fit my kitchen window. They are white with three rows of ruffle on the bottom. The edges are surged(?) with a shiny, turquoise thread – which I was told “no one” does that any more – perfect with my turquoise/yellow/stainless decor.
Marquisette is a stiffer sheer fabric and woven with a tiny noticable grid pattern.
Closer to organdie than current polyester sheer fabric.
If yours is coarser, it could be fiberglass.
A picot-ed edge looks like a zig-zag stitch-with a point. They stopped this edge in the early 80’s…I was told that the machinery that created it- by removing several lengthwise threads, zigzag stitching each remaining side, and cutting between, was well over 100 years old and just not replacable. (I called the company)
Thanks for your feedback!
I don’t recall noticing a grid pattern. If I recall correctly, they are a “looser” weave than modern sheers and have a silky feel/look to them…maybe rayon? The turqouise accent look almost like piping or beading, but is actually stiched on to both sides of the edges as if it was also a hemming.
If I can get mom to dig them out, I’ll see how well they photograph. They are sooo vintage and I have not seen anything on the market like them.
Love the dining room light. Would look great over my breakfast nook. We inherited two swag lamps in our 59 ranch…I thought at first they were both ugly…But they have grown on me. I am keeping one for sure. The other is now in storage pending a new place for it. We didnt do an estate sale today, we did some antiqueing…I found a nice 1959 Oldsmobile advertisement I will frame and hang and a super cute blue kitchen apron. Collecting kitchen aprons I have decided is another new passion of mine…Love the finds! Thanks for sharing!
Mine is the pic of the pink globe-shaped thingy. I grabbed it at an estate sale because I thought it was an egg cooker. When I got home, I realized it only has the little cap opening at the top,and is marked “Use air setting only”. It also has lines marked Large, Medium, and Small Load, so I’m thinking it must be for the clothes dryer??? I’ve never seen anything like this, but I’m sure someone will know.
I’ve just hit two estate sales this week, and came back with tons of goodies. I’m planning on a photo shoot and post to my blog, but I’ll try to come back here with something special 🙂
The pink globe thing is for use in the dryer. If clothes have remained in the dryer after drying and become wrinkled, you’d add some water to the “dryer ball”, toss it in with the wrinkled clothes, and let it run through a cycle.
My mom had one — she might even still have it. I know she had a pink dryer at one time. Maybe they came together.
Hey David, thanks! That’s what I was suspecting, so thanks for the confirmation. Since I am *always* leaving the clothes in the dryer too long, I think I’ll put it to use!
Going through those pix of the estate sale was almost like meeting some old friends, sorry to hear they had passed on. All those beautiful things! I love the glass cookware, looks like it still has the labels on it. Corning?
The Peach Lustre is Fire King, so pretty.
It was still there when I went back at 1:30 Sunday, 1/2 hr before the sale ended….
*LOVE* the “space age” sofa!!!!! I’ve never seen anything like it before. Looks straight out of “Logan’s Run”!
Ha! I was just thinking about Logan’s Run! Added it to my Netflix list 🙂
I love all of it. Garage & estate sales here in Calif central valley are awful, junk, clothes and kids stuff. I have to go to the hospice thrif stores to find anything good. You all are so lucky!
We didn’t get to go out thrifting this past weekend, but we did record a new podcast about our all time best thrifting finds! It got me in the mood to head out this Saturday for a marathon thrift day. By the way, that space age sofa is amazing!
Hi Pam, the wife and I live in an apartment complex that was built (according to public records) sometime around 1969 or 1970. Two of our kitchen cabinet doors (above the stove) have Jewel Lite plexi panels in them (it’s pretty neat looking, I’ll send a pic sometime if you’d like). They’re identical to the green plexi with the circles.