Midwestern Treasure Troves: Estate Sales Recently

You never really know what you’re going to find at an estate sale. For instance, last week, we stumbled across this priceless gem:

Look closer…

closer…

Ahhh piquant lemon lime flavor, how could we resist you for that long 16 years? Finally, for a mere $2.00 (I didn’t even know Gatorade expired), you can be ours! We’ll just conveniently ignore the ominous game expired looming at us.

In particular at estate sales, I always like to see the weeeeeird stuff people collect. Three weeks ago, the woman collected cow totems and the man was obsessed with trains. This past week, I couldn’t escape bowling mementos (prizes, pins, pens, jerseys) only to find out the couple had owned a bowling alley. My roommate loves to go to collect cardinal ornaments (I had no idea people had so many things with cardinals on them. Now that I’ve noticed, they can’t be unseen! Seriously, go check your house). And of course, I’m always on a mission to locate the hats (with varying success). So here’s the haul of the past two weeks:

  Estate Sale One
Niles, Michigan

Bird picture: 1.50/ Carpet Bag: 20.00/ Scarf: 5.00/ Globe Tin: 1.50/ 2 pairs of antique earrings 1.50 each

This one was fairly blase’ no great stories here. Leigha and I were on a mission for headscarves, and as you can see, I found everything else. I styled the headscarf and carpet bag here.

Estate Sale 2
Elkhart, Indiana

Needlepoint of my future house: 7.00/ Sailing shirt: 1.00/ Legit fur stole: 7.50

Next stop- Russian Aristocracy

Texture Combo.

I stayed relatively calm throughout this venture, but J raided the place. I’ve never gone to an estate sale with anyone who walked away with more than I bought, but in J’s defense, at times, it was like walking through an Urban Outfitters giveaway. Like these smashing new swim trunks:

Panda-licious

PreFontaine Meets Brooks Brothers: A Real American Tradition

California, here he comes.

J also managed to snag several tomes on the (alleged) conspiracy that was the Clinton presidency and a 1950s guide to a Successful Sex Life in Marriage (approved by the American Medical Association, New York Daily, and Catholics of America- all for two dollars!). But the greatest find of the day was probably this little guy:

Upon seeing him, Joe immediately said, “Herbert?” And with his reluctant grin, Herbert returned Js gaze.

This sassy little strigiform is making me seriously reconsider my views on love at first sight. He’s so bold, yet demure! Suffice it to say, he and J have already moved in together. May you be so lucky in love on your next adventure! Happy Friday!

 

Trend on the Horizon: Carpetbags

As exams grow ever nearer, I am regressing to all my favorite books and movies out of fear… but it’s hard not to celebrate when

On December 10th (just in time for Christmas y’all!) Mary Poppins will be released on Blue-Ray (and combo pack and digital HD) for the first time! And I’m wondering if she will usher in a new bag trend:

CARPETBAGS

Seriously, is it just me or am I starting to see needlepoint, jacquard, carpet-esk material everywhere? First it was these:

For some reason all the men in my dreams are named Mr. Stubbs or Mr. Wootton.. probably because I can’t have themmmmm *sob*

Then Zara gave us this: (my pictures are from ebay and if you dare buy this out from under me… I will eat too much pizza crying and there will be no more fashion)

Mary Poppins, needlepoint shoes, Zara jacket? Coincidence you say. But you can’t argue with AGE!

If you have not seen the blog Advanced Style please leave now and go enlighten yourself (but come back now ya’ hear!). Really, it’s the most beautiful and charming collection of pictures taken by Ari Seth Cohen. There are only two stipulations: they subjects are all elderly people and  they all have fantastic or quirky or dynamic or intriguing style. So, as I was staring my future in the face the other evening: 

This is Ari Seth Cohen’s photo!

That might not be quite a carpet bag… but it’s definitely in the carpet bag family… making it a welcome mat bag? They very next post you can’t deny.

This photo is property of Ari Seth Cohen.

This lovely lady even has her own vintage purse store WITH carpetbags here.

So what do you think? Are carpet bags the next big thing or did they go out with Reconstruction? Let me know what you think, and in the mean time have a jolly holiday!!

Disney came out with copy a few years ago. Notice they don’t show you the bottom of the bag…

In case, you want to get in on them now, they are going for relatively little on Ebay… in the range of 20 to 50 for the cheaper ones.

Fashion: ?

Funky: 7

Fancy: 2

Function: 5