Barn Sale

Those two words just get my picking fingers going and my heart fills with the thrill of the hunt!

So many great large items I had to pass by for things I could easily ship.

It was a good day at the barn sale!

There is a barn sale every October a few streets over from me. The owner owns the antique shop in town and whatever is left over from auctions and estate sales that she doesn't want to sell in her shop, she sells at the barn sale.

There is a large metal barrel, a metal bucket, a gorgeous basket, milking stool
hand painted enamel coffee pot, a chamber pot, enamel bowl, red transferware
creamer, baby shoes, syrup jar, wooden drawer, horse brass and an old
pig cutting board

It may not all be antique shop worthy, but it is all fabulous vintage stuff to me!

On the wicker chair is a Santa peg doll, a Santa shadow dancer by the artist Young, a red
transferware creamer, a silhouette picture, baby shoes and a wooden drawer.

Before we go any further, I have a confession to make.

Isn't she cute with her eyelashes?

This sale has been so good in years past that I just had to skip the first part of my Ladies' bible study at my church to be one of the first ones there at 9 a.m. I did debate about this over and over with myself but in the end I decided this was a once a year BUSINESS  thing so I had to indulge....I mean do my duty to my shop!

Love the patterns on these pretty pieces.

I planned it all out. I am a multitasker so it wasn't hard to do.

I already have one of each of these so this may
become a "one for me, one for you (my shop)"!

 I was going to get there at 9:00 on the dot and be gone in 20 minutes.....which includes finding fabulous things, going around twice (which I HAVE to do) and paying. I would still make it to the second half of bible study. Aside from the wonderful spiritual insight I was to gain, I had to go because I was to pick up a gift, drop off a check and I had signed up to bake goodies for the ladies. Thinking ahead, I had dropped those off the night before. I HAD to make this work!

I love how the hand painted bright orange and yellow sunflowers give
this enamel coffee pot a whimsical look.

I arrived at 8:50 a.m. and there were others there already. Great! I was 10 minutes ahead of schedule. I had to bypass all the fabulous vintage chairs, chests, trunks and other large objects (not shippable for me) outside to get to the goods. As soon as I entered the barn itself I started picking and gathering and stock piling. I actually had to start a pile by the checkout so that I could go back for more.

How could I pass up a chamber pot? It has cobalt blue trim. The
bowl is pretty beat up but it is enamelware so I couldn't pass it up.

At 9:20 I was out of there! On the way to church I realized my phone had died. I did not feel comfortable going 20 minutes away from home without anyone being able to get in touch with me. I do still have a kid in school. I turned around and went home to get my charger. Once on my way again, isn't there a train ready to cross the tracks?! Bad timing!

A close up of the Santas. I used to collect Santas. I am being very
brave listing these to sell!

I made it to bible study in pretty good time though. I was blessed with a lot of spiritual insight, picked up the gift, dropped off the check and all my baked goods (I made the pumpkin bread from my last post, here) were almost all gone!

This is called a horse brass and it is so unique. I used to make necklaces
out of these. It is a solid brass medal that horse owners would hang on their
horses' neck to identify them. They were made with many different symbols
according to what the horse owner wanted.

Totally worth the effort, don't you think?

I love the wooden items I got. The stool is so small and cute!

My heart skipped two beats that day...one for the wicker basket and one for
the berry basket. It is quite large and may be too big to ship.....
hmmm, I may have to keep it!

Now I need to clean, primp, photograph, research, and list all my fabulous finds in my Etsy shop. I may have to keep a few things for myself......but don't I always?!


Oh yeah, I am definitely keeping this, found at a garage sale I just happened to be going by on my way home from getting cider and donuts....

He is from the 1950's and so nostalgic to me. He already has a few cracks and is very fragile. Because I just don't want to take a chance trying to ship him, I have to keep him for myself. He will probably hang right where he is at holiday time or maybe in an upstairs window.

Quite an adventurous day and the weather was absolutely divine. A perfect Fall day!

AnnMarie xoxo

I am linking up with these great blog parties:

Amaze Me Monday
Masterpiece Monday
Make It Monday
Make It Pretty Monday
Show and Share
Treasure Box Tuesday
Anything Goes - You're Gonna Love It Tuesday
Let's Talk Vintage (a new party!)
Vintage Inspiration Party
What's It Wednesday
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Share Your Cup Thursday
Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends

Obsessed with Baskets

I am obsessed with baskets lately.

Picnic baskets in particular.

And old tool boxes, chippy chairs and enamelware. Old rusty stuff and teapots. Garden tools and dolls....and....

Oh yeah, this post is supposed to be about my obsession with baskets! Typical wicker picnic baskets, pie baskets, large picnic baskets, and woven picnic baskets. Oh, did I mention that they are all vintage baskets? What other kind are there?!

I just can't seem to resist the aged, honey color of woven wicker made into a basket. I was out picking at a street long garage sale event, trying NOT to buy anymore picnic baskets when I spied the gorgeous one above. It is a bicycle basket with openings on each side to hold a thermos and a wooden compartment in the middle for other picnic goodies. The gentleman at the garage sale said it was made at the Webster Basket Company in Webster, New York where his Aunt had worked. My research came up with a phone directory listing for the company when it was on Donovan Park that dates back to the 1930's! Not sure of the age for this basket but it is quite unique and quite old.

At the same street long sale I found this wooden berry basket. Simple and primitive, it looks hand made.

This orchard fruit basket brings back memories of the 1900's farmhouse that I lived in when my girls were little. The house was built along Lake Ontario in an apple orchard next to an orchard lane with a row of poplar trees. These baskets were always filled with apples for sale in the apple farm store across the street. I thought nothing of them then, but now, 25 years later, they are vintage and collectible!

This large basket with a lid found at a local barn sale, is another orchard basket I could not resist. The stamps on the top indicate that this was a basket for cucumbers. The top makes a great wall hanging as a base for anything you can think of to attach to it, perhaps the base for a wreath.

This great basket is more like a suitcase which could be used as a picnic basket.

I chose to fill it with different items from my shop for a unique vignette on my dining room bench during the holidays.

I also love market baskets. Large, painted white and crackled and chippy painted market baskets.....

Primitive grapevine baskets, also painted and chipped away over the years....

And unique, different baskets made from unique, different materials. Like this denim fabric basket woven between a sturdy metal frame with a twisted wicker edge and handles.

Then there are the really unique ones, like this floral funeral basket. It was left at our house when we bought it. These large baskets complete with a metal insert date back to the early 1900's and have a Victorian flair. They were filled with floral arrangements and set on the floor around the casket. Perhaps it was left here by the original owners who may have had a funeral service in our home, which was the custom then. My house was built in 1870 so this basket holds a little piece of history....

I started with a great basket and so I will end with one. This basket is a 3 tier basket great for holding sewing or knitting, craft storage and even a light picnic lunch.

It was a favorite of the previous owners' and she was reluctant to give it up. It dates back to the 1940's and is quite unique. It has three compartments, two that are removable, and a lid for the top one.

These are all available in my Etsy shop NaNa's Things. There are 28 baskets of all kinds listed there. There's a widget on my sidebar that will take you directly to my shop.

I bet you will have your eye out for baskets next time you go thrifting!

AnnMarie xoxo


I am linking up with these great blog parties:

Share Your Cup Thursday
Thursday Favorite Things
Sincerely Paula's No Rules Weekend Blog Party
The Blog Hobnob Link Up
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Home and Garden Thursday
Feathered Nest Friday
Show and Share Party
Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party
Masterpiece Monday
Etsy Cottage Style
Amaze Me Monday
Knick of Time Tuesday
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday
A Little R and R