Barn Pickin' Adventure

This past weekend I had more fun than I've had in a very long time!  I ended up sweaty and filthy, covered in cobwebs, and happier than a pig in muck!  I went barn pickin!'

Let me share a little back story.  Some of you may remember my antique theater seats and the humorous story of the skimpy bathrobed old guy who sold them to me.  Well, of course my ears perked up when I saw an ad in the paper that had the phrases "estate sale" and "2 barns to pick through" in the same ad!!  When I looked up the address I was fairly certain it was the same place where I had bought the theater seats.  And if it was indeed the same place, I remember he had a lot of really unique stuff and his barns must be heaven to pick through.

Hubs said he'd like to go too, so we made plans to have everyone up and fed and ready to be there right at 8am when they opened.  We got there at 8:10 and the local dealers were already making their purchases, so I figure they must have shown up early.  Oh well, I wasn't too worried about it.  I just wanted the fun of digging and rummaging, lol!

We took turns holding the baby while we both dug through boxes and poked around under work benches.  It was such fun!  You just never know what treasure might be hidden away.

We spent a half an hour or so looking around and I managed to come up with a pile of stuff.  I bartered a deal and we loaded up and left in search of a couple of other sales.  If I had an actual brick and mortar shop to keep stocked I would have come home with a van full!  There were old pulleys, and plow pieces, an old wooden dolly furniture cart, neat old antique military pictures, and more.  But as it was, I had to limit myself to only the "essentials." :)

By then it was time for the baby's nap and it was drizzling rain so we headed back home and I dropped them off, then I headed for another estate sale that I'd heard about.  Once I was done there I realized I was still itching to dig some more through those barns, and now I had no kiddos along to keep track of.  Hmmmm......should I?

I called up Hubby and asked if he minded if I went back and picked some more all by myself and he didn't, so off I went.  I had so much fun!  And by the time I got back most of what I had spotted the first time around was gone, but that didn't stop me from uncovering a few more treasures that no one else had found.  :D

I think I did the owner's a favor while I was digging.  I kept finding neat things that were buried and I'd set them out so people could see them better.  I noticed they didn't last long once they were in eye sight.  I also found a whole set of vintage Fisher Price toys in garbage bags scattered all around, still in great shape.  How I wished I had the room to store them!  I would have snapped them up for resale.  As it was, I put them all out on display on a shelf so some other lucky person could discover them.

There were 3 different safes tucked in those barns.  One didn't have a door, one the door was open, and the third was locked up tight.  Oh thy mystery of what could be in that safe!!  So enticing!!  I don't know why, but I just love those old heavy duty safes.

So after tons of fun digging and fighting dead bugs and cobwebs, and coming away filthy, here's what I came home with.  I spent a grand total of $55.

A street sign and some license plates for my son's automotive themed room.

A divided wooden crate/shelf thing-a-ma-jig, and an antique wooden mop bucket with wringer.  I'm not sure yet what I'll do with it, but I couldn't pass it up.  I also found 2 really nice old wooden tool boxes with dividers, but since I'm not currently selling vintage in my Etsy shop I let them go.  I'm pretty sure they would have sold in a heartbeat.

One of my most exciting finds was this huge galvanized wash tub.  I have galvanized buckets, and even a smaller version of this wash tub, but I've been wanting one of these huge ones (I bet it's every bit of 2 feet across) ever since my almost 9 year old daughter was a baby and I wanted to do some baby pictures in it.  But every time I've ever come across one of this size it's either priced way too high, or if it's in my price range the bottom was completely rusted out.  I also found a large enamelware wash basin, it's about 14" across, one of the bigger ones I've seen.  I plan to put the little enamelware coffee cup on display in the laundry room once Hubby gets my shelf built.

Another exciting find for me was the hammock pictured there on the left.  We have the perfect spot in our yard for a hammock and I've been wanting one ever since we moved in 2.5 years ago.  The ones I've been pining after are called Nicaraguan hammocks.  They're beautiful and cozy looking, and all the reviews say they're incredibly comfy, but....they're expensive, somewhere around $150. Which is why I had yet to buy one.  So when I found this identical looking one I was mentally jumping up and down!  When I asked about it the lady said she wanted $50 because it was all handmade and they had paid $75 for it in Brazil.  I told her I was thinking more like $10 and we settled on $15.  :D  I cannot wait until the weather cools down and we can get this baby up and put to use!!

Also pictured above is a little Christmas Advent box for my kiddos, and a vintage gas/oil can.  I used to buy a lot of these old cans to resell, but I've stopped buying since I've only been selling shower curtains in the shop.  But what caught my eye about this can was the color, very unusual for this type of can.

And last but not least, I got this sweet and shabby vintage quilt.  The fabric used on it looks like old feedsack material and I just love it.  I brought it home and washed it on a delicate cycle and folded it so the worst parts are hidden and now it's on display in an old Hungarian laundry basket in our front entry way.  When I was putting it into the washer I found this little metal tag on one of the corners.  I don't consider myself an expert on vintage quilts, but I have come across many of them in my day and have bought several and I've never seen one have a tag like this.  Anybody have any info on what it would have been for?

So that was my barn pickin' adventure.  I would much rather dig through a dusty old barn full of bugs and cobwebs than go on a shopping spree to the mall any day.
How about you?  

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Funky Junk Interiors - DIY Salvaged Junk Projects #341

Curiosity Killed the Cat...Or So They Say

A couple of months ago I posted this photo over on Facebook of an old abandoned house in my area.  I told how it sits close to the road and there's no other houses around it and I've been tempted many a time to sneak in and take a peek around.  Last week my ever hungry curiosity was satisfied.

I had taken my kiddos out for a long 4-wheeler ride and our route "just happened" to take us past the house.  I hadn't originally planned on exploring it with two little ones in tow, I didn't have my good camera with me like I had planned, I didn't have on jeans and boots like I knew would be prudent in such a situation, but I decided not to squander the chance so I just went for it anyways.  We braved many a cobweb and fought off several nasty looking banana spiders with a stick.  My daughter was not a happy camper.

I found it interesting that looking under the house I discovered that it was set up on wooden blocks.  Not cement like you typically see with raised homes in Florida, but wooden blocks and wooden beams.   There's no possible way this house could have been sitting level at any time in it's life I would think.

On the edge of the porch, near the overhang, were a couple of strings for hanging laundry, or maybe drying flowers or herbs.  I like to think that's what it was for anyways.  Who knows, maybe it was really the only thing keeping the porch from falling off.  : )

Looking down along the side of the house.

The side door leading to the summer porch.

Lots of windows along the back of the summer porch, and lots of beautiful weathered old wood.  

I hadn't planned on actually risking life and limb by going inside the house and potentially falling through the floor, BUT...when I spied this cupboard through one of the windows I just knew I had to go in and see it up close. 

It was old, and rustic, and red...it was worth a broken leg for a closer look I reasoned.  I blocked out the old adage of "curiosity killed the cat" that was running through my brain.  I told my kids to stay put and not to follow me,  I took a deep breath and tip-toed in.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't wishing I had my Smith & Wesson with me for a little added protection.  There were signs of squatters in the past and I was pretty sure there was probably a snake or two around.  It would have been a tad more comforting than the skinny branch I was holding.  But I forged on despite the lack of firepower.

This view is from the front steps looking straight through the house to the summer porch in the back.  It had this main wide hallway with lots of little rooms coming off of each side.  I stood there just imagining the many cool breezes that must have blown through here.

Most of the rooms looked pretty much the same as this one, small and nondescript.  This was the only one with what I was assuming was a fireplace, though there's no chimney so I'm not exactly sure what it would have been.

I finally found the red cupboard.  I didn't get a very good picture of it seeing as it was dark in there and all I had was my cell phone.  But it was very basic, no shelves on the inside and it was built into the two adjoining walls.  If it had been free-standing I would have been severely tempted to commit theft.  I was pretty sure God has some kind of fine print in the 10 Commandments for situations like these.

In the back of the house I found this cute built in cupboard on the porch.  

And that doorway there on the left led to a pantry.

I couldn't get the door to budge any further so I had to just stick my phone in and hope I could get a good picture.  It was quite dark in there so this grainy shot is the best I could get of the shelves that were obviously built for a large supply of home canned jars of goodness.

Back outside and behind the house I could see a smaller building through the trees, maybe a chicken coop?  Or a storage shed?  I really really wanted to explore it too, but my children were on the verge of mutiny by now and one more colorful spider might have scarred my daughter with nightmares for life.  Maybe someday I can make it back when I'm by myself.  

Well, just me and Mr. Smith & Wesson that is.  

                                                                 

World's Longest Yard Sale (Part 2)

So, I already showed a bit of the sites and experiences from the World's Longest Yard Sale (part 1 can be seen HERE), and now I'll show you what all I brought home.  There were quite a few dealer type places set up with dealer prices, and for the most part I'm too cheap to pay what they're asking.  So, I didn't come home with anything super duper spectacular, but I did find some things for me and some things for the shop.

Total spent - $40.50

Vintage Hanson home scale - $8  (I've thought it over about whether I want to keep this one and sell the other one I bought a couple of months ago, or stick with what I already have and sell this one.  I think I'm leaning towards selling this one.)

Industrial style paper organizer - $1  (I bought this for us to use.  Seems like our desk gets piled up with papers so fast, and I've been wanting one of these to help with that.)

Set of lace edge milk glass dishes - $1 (I see these everywhere and want to put together a set of 4 different sizes to sell)

Striped sugar dish - .50 (I bought a small pitcher very similar to this a couple of weeks ago and I plan to sell them as a set.)

Ball jar - .50 (I liked the square bottom on it, I don't see those as often.)

Glass peanut butter jar - $3 (The lid is painted and I like the sweet shabby look of it, but I can't decide if I want to leave it as is, or try to remove the paint and see what label is underneath.)

Milk glass vase - $1 (I have another vase made by E. O. Brody Co. and I've been looking for other pieces by the same company to pair with it to sell.)

Set of 3 aqua Pyrex dishes - $10 (I did some serious haggling to get these for this price!  Since aqua's not really a color I have in my kitchen these will most likely end up in the shop.)

Vintage Christmas box - .25 (I thought this would look really neat as part of a vignette on a mantel or shelf)

Vintage Santa mug - .25  (I want to find more of these to sell or maybe keep as a collection.  I used to have a collection of these and I displayed them at Christmas one year and then got rid of them.  I could kick myself for that.)

Old clipboard - .25 (Flea Market Style used these to hold artwork and hung them on the wall and I thought that was a neat idea so I've been on the lookout for a few of them)

Industrial style levels - $1 each (for the shop)

Industrial Trouble/Cage Light - $1.50 (shop - I love the label on it, seen below)

Galvanized bucket - $1 (I bought this to keep.  I can't wait to plant something in it!)

Hubby called that last thing a speed wrench - .25 (It reminded me of a wooden toolbox project Donna did here, so I got it to add to my junk stash......just in case ya know.)

Now I just have to get the rest of the price tag sticker off without ruining the label.

Vintage napkins - .25 each (I love these, especially the tri-colored one and I searched and searched every box of linens at that sale hoping to find the match, but no such luck.  Not sure yet if I'm keeping or selling.)

Collection of wooden spools - $3 (I'll separate these out and keep some for my collection, keep some for my crafting stash, and sell the others.)

Vintage train case - .50 (shop)

Old sewing patterns - $3 (keeping, but not for sewing projects)  : )

Basket of vintage wooden clothespins - .25 (keeping some, selling some)

Vintage Kodak projector screen - $1 (I thought this might pair well with the other vintage movie stuff I recently acquired for the shop.)

Remember my goofy picture from Part 1?  : )

It was these glass magnifying paper weights that I got for .50 each.  I'm keeping these.  

(I already had the vintage cards.)

Wooden step ladder - .50 (I'm keeping this as well.  I'm thinking it will make for a cute porch display with plants, or maybe some small pumpkins come Autumn.)

And there ya have it.  Those are my treasures from the World's Longest Yard Sale.   Next weekend is the Lincoln Highway Buy-Way Sales that extend through Ohio all the way across to Iowa.  

What do you think?  Should I hit those too?  : )

                                     

Linking up to:

Wow Us Wednesdays - Savvy Southern Style
Saturday Nite Special - Funky Junk Interiors
Sunny Simple Sunday - Sunny Simple Life

World's Longest Yard Sale (Part 1)

Two days of yard sales and I had my eyes open wide lookin' for the deals!

Haha!  Did I scare you with that picture? 

I was being a goof with a couple of magnifying paper weights I bought.  : )

I was SO excited to be able to go to The World's Longest Yard Sale this year!  I'm very fortunate to live less than an hour from the highway where this took place, so my favorite junkin' buddy and I made plans to go, and then counted down the hours 'til we could take off.

We covered miles and miles of ground during our 2 day jaunt. 

There were so many neat barns to look at.

My kiddos LOVED all the animals we came across.  They tagged along on Thursday, and then I had a sitter lined up to watch them on Friday so we could go out for another whole day without putting them through the wringer again.  They like yard sales, but they were worn slap out by the end of the day.

Aren't these guys just the cutest?

Gorgeous copper tub.

We saw a few signs like this and it always made my heart skip a beat.

What goodies are lurking behind those great big doors?  

Tables of rusty goodness.

So much to feast your eyes upon.

These old ironing boards were priced in the $15-$20 range.  It made me thankful I found mine for $2 last week, plus I like mine a whole lot better.  (You can read about that here.)

There were many gorgeous houses to enjoy.

I love love loved these stadium/auditorium seats!  Wouldn't they look amazing in a home theater?  Maybe not so comfortable, but they'd look good.

A gorgeous old wooden carrying crate.

Beautiful farmland gave our eyes a rest in between sales.

One of the few pulleys I spotted.  I really thought I might see more of these, but I didn't.  Maybe Donna over at Funky Junk Interiors beat me to them all.  : )

Another lovely barn view.

This place was a rust lover's heaven!  It was everywhere you looked!  The right side of the driveway looked like the picture above.

Then the left side looked like this.  It went all the way down and wrapped around the back.

Lots of neat things to look at.

I really liked this colorful vintage chair.  Can't you just picture it sitting right in the middle of a beautifully overgrown little garden spot?  If we didn't have a big move coming up (and thus a limit imposed by Hubby on buying anymore big things) it probably would have come home with me.

I spotted this sign/chalkboard at the last sale we stopped at and really loved it, but I just couldn't afford the $50 price tag.  

SO....after much sweat and feeling gritty and grimy all day, plenty of water and Caramel Frappes, eating through all the food we had brought with us....I declared it the most fun I'd had in a long time!

I'm sure you're wondering what treasures I brought home with me, but you'll just have to wait a bit longer while I work on that post.  I got home from the sales on Friday at 5:30 and had to get the kids ready to go and turn around and leave again for Hubs softball game at 6:00, so I haven't had time to get pictures of everything. 

But I'm workin' on it, so check back soon!

** Update - Part 2 is now ready and can be viewed {HERE}  **

                                             

Linking up to:

Wow Us Wednesdays - Savvy Southern Style
Saturday Nite Special - Funky Junk Interiors
Sunny Simple Sunday - Sunny Simple Life