Linens and things

Wow, it's been so long since I attended an estate sale but recently, I received an email from the staff of one of my favorite antique stores.  They were hosting an estate sale in Malden. I marked my calendar, I wasn't going to miss it.

I love attending their estate sales since they are organixed and always well staffed.  I have been to estate sales that have been pure mayhem but Essex Street Antiques does a great job with crowd control.

I bought only linens at this sale.  The photo above is of an oval tablecloth I purchased. The embroidery is so delicate and beautiful.

I am thinking it will look lovely on my table this Summer. It would also be beautiful as the table covering for an afternoon tea event.

I like that it is not overly ornate, The embroidery is simple and I love the ecru backdrop.

The napkins have the simple embroidery too. Perfect! Maybe I will use the set for Easter.

Here's the second tablecloth I purchased. I was told it's from the 50's. I was drawn to this one at first because of the color.

It is a lovely pink color. The blooms are so pretty. It is the perfect tablecloth for Spring.

I like the splash of blue against the pink and the white border. It gives it a fresh look.

My final purchase came in this vintage box.  It was in pristine condition.

It looks like it was never used.  The tag states it was fine linen made in Portugal.

This set contains 4 placemats and napkins.  I absolutely adore the edges of the napkins. I love the elegant look of this set.

As I paid for my purchases, one of the staffers said I had good taste. Or maybe just a good eye!

Trolling Estate and Yard Sales

A forecast of Fall-like temperatures and a rare Saturday off made me decide this morning was a perfect time to go yard saling.  I checked online and set my GPS.  I added a few estate sales in the mix and I was off  to one estate sale and three yard sales in Wakefield and one estate sale and one yard sale in Melrose.

I set up a still life in my side yard to display my finds for you. The hydrangeas have a little story but that's for another post.

The estate sale in Wakefield was pretty good. It started at 9AM and I arrived after 10.  So I think a lot of the really good stuff was gone.  I got the small teapot, tea cup and 2 saucers there. I like to shop estate sales because you can often get a real bargain but they also bother me. I am conflicted.

I was conversing with a woman at the estate sale and I said although I love to go to estate sales I find them unsettling.  Think about it, the occupants of the house have died and throngs of people are walking through their home.Today at the estate sale, people were rifling through drawers and cabinets.  I saw a young man sifting through a woman's closet. I find it kind of creepy. The woman I was speaking to said she thinks of it as giving a second life to the deceased's possessions. I shall try to view it this way.

Here's a closeup of the teacup and one of the saucers.  They don't match but I don't care.

In Melrose, I went to an estate sale, nothing there of interest to me.  And I felt so bad because the granddaughter was there and she was crying.

I then went to a few yard sales in Melrose. At one yard sale, I got three fur pieces.  The first one was a small collar. The inside was satin and it was in excellent condition.

The second piece was a hat.  It's on the small side bur it will fit Vivienne, my dress form perfectly.

Here's the teapot from the estate sale in closeup.

The third piece from the same yard sale.  A fur muff.  If I ever go ice skating again I can use this!

Here's the cool satin lining on the fur collar.  This collar is so elegant.  I think I can probably tack it on to one of my cardigans.

The teacup and saucer don't match as you can see but they look good together.

 This saucer is from the estate sale.  The old keys are from an antique yard sale in Wakefield.

I guess I pretty much covered these chairs with my finds I got them in Melrose at another yard sale. They were a steal. Made by Burrowes, they are in almost pristine condition! They will serve as extra seating and I can also use them as props in photo shoots.  So cute!

Here's a closeup of the seat of the chair. I absolutely love the color of the wood.

I worked up an appetite after all that rummaging.  So I gave my friend Debbi a call and she and one of her friends met me for breakfast at Aroma Cafe in Reading. 

A nice day all around.  How about you? Any interesting weekend plans?

A free Saturday

It's been a long time since I had what I call a free Saturday. You know a Saturday when

you don't have any obligations.  No work, no nursing home obligations, no photo shoots.

I was really excited about it.  The weather forecast looked great too.

I decided to sleep in. Molly decided to sleep in extra long. Before I went out, I opened some of the windows for the kitties to enjoy the warm air and sunshine.

I went to an estate sale in Reading and found a few things.  Afterwards, I went for breakfast at

Aroma Cafe and had my favorite Eggs in the Hearts with fruit and lacy potatoes. I caught up on my reading with a few British magazines.  Love them!

After leaving the estate sale, I spotted a house on the same road with beautiful flowers in front. I especially loved the wisteria hanging from the arbor.  Along this road there are so many lovely homes.

I love wisteria but it doesn't bloom for long, does it?

The flowers were so pretty I had to stop for some photos.

What a nice variety of flowers in this mini garden!

                                          Such delicate blooms with soft colors.

Here's the garden in full view. It does not look that impressive until

you really close in on it.

The wisteria was in full bloom and so gorgeous!

When I got home I unpacked my estate sale finds. I bought 2 teacups, a lacy tablecloth,

and 2 military trunks which are still in my car.

I really don't have many pink teacups so I picked this one up. It was too pretty

to leave on the table at the estate sale.

                    The other one is white with a pink saucer. The two cups make a nice set.

So the end of the world didn't happen and having thoroughly enjoyed my free Saturday, I am looking forward to many more.

Recent Finds

Back in April, my sister and I were dining at Tanner Tavern and our server Angela overheard us speaking about something, antiques, tea, I can't remember. Anyway, Angela mentioned that she had teacups and lots of antique plates that she wanted to get rid of since she wasn't using them. I told her I might be interested. I gave her my blog card and I put my cell phone number on it.

Well, about a week ago Angela called me on my cell and said is this Cafe Chatelaine? I thought it must be a blog reader but how did they get my number? Then she said she was Angela from Tanner Tavern and she wanted to come over and have me look at the items she didn't want anymore.

Here's what I chose. I did pay her but I got a good deal.



I chose this because the pattern was pretty and the teapot was a good size. Most of my teapots are on the small size.




I really liked the green accents and gold trim on these plates. I also got the matching soup tureen. It was slightly damaged.





This teacup was so pretty and the blue was a gorgeous shade.



This little bowl will be perfect for holding jam or curd at tea parties.



Likewise with this one.



Who can't use another silver tray? This one is small and could even be displayed on the wall when not in use.



Another small bowl, perfect for guest soaps.




This platter was a good size. I don't have many platters and they certainly aren't this pretty.




This plate was adorable. I loved the edging on it.



Here's a closeup of the floral pattern.



So I met Angela last weekend and this weekend I went to an estate sale in Winchester. When I entered the home I almost turned around and walked out. The smell of mothballs was overwhelming. I mentioned before I have a bloodhound sense of smell so the odor was actually stinging my nose and gave me an instant headache.

I grabbed this little plate and browsed the rest of the stuff quickly.




I bought six of these hydrangea napkins. They will go with my hydrangea glasses and teapot that I already own.




The last item I bought at the estate sale was this table cover. I put it in the common area of the condo just to spruce it up. My total cost for the estate sale items? $4.00. Not bad, huh?



Another view of the table cover.



And one more view. I didn't have time to wash it so I just sprayed it with my favorite sheet/clothing spray, Beach Days. Now the common area is not only attractive but it smells great!



I added a sunflower to the bistro set too. My sister calls this area, Van Gogh's Cafe.



After shooting all the items, my sister called to tell me there was a rainbow outside. I saw it as it was disappearing but I did manage one shot of the dramatic sky. Love those pink clouds.

I think I scored big in the past two weekends, but, perhaps I need to cool it on the estate sales for a while.

My next project is kitchen curtains. I found the perfect pair and now I just have to order them and have my friend Don put them up. Of course, you all will be the first to see them.