It was a pretty fun junkin' weekend for me. I have so much to share with you! I would've split this into multiple posts, but I have class 2 nights this week, a test one of those nights, work on pricing/packing for a vintage market (info below!), and going to Chicago for a wedding. I don't want to beat around the bush too much, so let's get started...
Thursday I was at work and was messaging back and forth with a
dealer friend of mine and she told me about a sale that another antique store owner was having. She had 2 warehouses full of stuff that didn't fit in her 2 (yes, TWO!) stores. Okay, so I was intrigued! I messaged the owner and set up a time to go up and meet her and look through the warehouses.
Just a few pics of my drive up to Windfall, Indiana, where
White River Mercantile's warehouse is located. It's about an hour a half drive north from my house. But, there's nothing like driving through God's country the whole way. I truly didn't mind.
Just a quick tour through one of the warehouses (they have TWO!). I was here for about 2 hours picking out stuff. I could've gone through 10 more times and found more stuff to buy. In fact, after taking these pictures, I did pick up one more thing (that you can see in the first 2 pictures). Can you guess what it is?
I bet you can guess what it is now that you see this trunk shot. This is everything I brought home. Note: I also stopped at a garage sale on the way that yielded the box of stuff with Shiny Brite boxes on the top and the small box with mason jars sticking out of it. Plus the mystery items in the orange bags. It was fairly late by the time I got home.
Saturday I had plans to attend a few garage sales and an estate sale all before the start of a 10am auction. I managed to do that, with the exception that I was about 45 minutes late to the auction. No big deal, because I hadn't missed anything exciting. I was wandering around the small farm where the auction was held looking at the different things for sale. Then I spotted these...
There were about 30 of these wire locker baskets here. I had been searching and searching for some of these. Every time I came across even one of them, it either wasn't for sale or the seller wanted a crazy price for it. So, when these came up, I got in on the bidding early. There was a lot of interest in them. I was in until $225. They ended up selling for $675 (or about $22.50 a basket)... which was crazy! The guy that bought them wouldn't sell one to anyone, either.
Even though I didn't get my baskets, I did get some other things. Here's what my truck looked like once I got home...
It was a little full. Definitely could have fit a few more boxes of stuff. Also note, I am NOT a great packer. If mom had been with me, the back end of my truck probably would've only looked half full.
So, I bet you're ready to see what I bought, huh?
You know by now that I can't pass up any vintage Christmas (or other holiday) when I see it. Found some at nearly every junkin' spot this weekend.
I went with a metal them for this shelf. I LOVE this spitting sign. I took it to the booth yesterday, but I might take it back out when I go in next...
All of these jars and lids were from the garage sale I hit on my way up to Windfall, Indiana on Thursday. I truly needed zinc lids too. I had just been talking to my mom about it a couple days before. Junkin' karma!
It also wouldn't be a junkin' trip without Pyrex. Got some at the warehouse sale on Thursday and the rest at a garage sale on Saturday.
I never pass up a box of salt and pepper shakers. NEVER! The little monkeys were my favorite. However, I dropped one and it broke. The penguins are a close second. I'm saving the chickens/roosters for my grandma. She collects them. I was also very happy to bring home 2 ironstone sugar jars and the 3 irons stone platters on the bottom shelf.
How do you guys display/package your tintypes?
If you haven't already guessed - this was the item I picked up after I took the photos of the warehouse. The bf dated it to somewhere between 1948-1953. Looking at the countries in Africa are your best bet. After looking at those he had it narrowed down to 1948-1958. Then look at Korea, which was split into North and South until July 1953 (or the end of the Korean War).
Some of the larger pieces that didn't make it inside for a photo op.
Another large Santa head.
I found my last one back in November. The 2 guys that run the antique mall where I have a booth lovingly named the last one "Blowjob Santa." He sold within a week of being displayed in the mall's front window. This one just needs a replacement light/cord.
I have been on the hunt for one of these mid-centry metal record carts for months. I finally got this one at the auction.
Here it is in my living room with all of my record cases and my new vintage-style Crosley record player. If you want a vintage-style record player - buy a Crosley. They look and sound great! This one was a gift from the bf. He knows me well.
So that's it for the finds. I've been pretty happy with all my hauls lately. I have been on a buying spree because we are now only 19 days from the
Woodruff Place Flea Market, which is probably one of, if not the largest, flea/vintage market in Indianapolis every year. I was a vendor last year and totally didn't get a chance to take any pictures or anything. You can read about my experience as a buyer
here and
here. For those of you that will be coming... I will be set up in the same place as last year:
937 Woodruff Place East Dr, Indianapolis, IN 46201 (click for directions).
So yesterday I opted to not go to any auctions or sales. I stayed home and slept in. It felt good. I did make a quick trip up to my booth to bring in a few items and take a few out. The few I took out have been there awhile and will get marked down for Woodruff. When I got home from messing around in the booth, I worked on fixing and sprucing up the pieces of furniture I had bought. 2 pieces I didn't take a picture of, because they're in the repair stage. One is a cool table and the other is a chair that needs a new seat. Let me show you what I did do...
This piece wasn't too bad, but with one quick, all natural fix, it looks 100x better than it did.
I plan to use these guys as display pieces. Again, I applied the same quick fix and these are looking SO much better.
This piece was in the worst condition. Chippy and scratched stained surfaced. Of course, this quick fix is not meant to fix everything... but it is a vast improvement, don't you think?
I couldn't even read the wording on this washboard before I applied the quick fix. Now the soap residue from lots of use is gone and this is ready for display!
So what is this "quick fix" I keep talking about? I'm sure all of you furniture restorers out there already know what it is. My guess is that all of you have the ingredients in your kitchen now...
Stained Wood Furniture Quick Fix:
1 part white vinegar
1 part canola/olive oil
I used 6tsp of each to get through all these pieces AND the bookshelf featured above with all my finds. I wish I had taken a before shot of that... it was in worse shape than the cherry-finished table. I used a cloth rag to wipe on the mixture and rubbed it in really good, especially in the spots where there were lots of flaws. Afterwards I used another clean cloth to wipe of any excess, so the pieces weren't left feeling greasy. The oil really soaked into the wood on some of these pieces, especially the washboard. I believe this is because I didn't have a stained finish.
One last note - you have until 11:55 PM EST tonight to link up to my first Thrifty Things Friday party. Hop on over now and show me what you've got. Next party opens this Friday at 9AM EST.
Have a wonderful week!
Melissa
I'm still linking up with:
Thriftasaurus
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
We Call it Olde
Vintage Thingie Thursday
Share Your Cup Thursday
Junkin Joe
Miss Mustard Seed
