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?

Melrose Victorian Fair 2011

Sunday, the Melrose Chamber of Commerce held it's annual Victorian Fair.

The City of Melrose looks forward to this event every September. This year the fair coincided

with September 11th. Red and blue canopies lined Main Street. More than 10,000

people attended the Fair.

Marcy Holbrook was the emcee for this joyful but also somber event.

The Mayor opened the fair and dedicated it to Ray Rocha, a Melrose

resident who died on 9/11. Ray was working at Cantor Fitzgeraldat the World Trade Center that fateful morning. He was a member of the Melrose High School football team and a 1990 graduate.

A scholarship was created in his name and his parents attended the dedication on Sunday.

Many of the Melrose Dance Schools took center stage during the day.

These Irish step dancers werec wonderful as were all the groups.

A Victorian couple strolled Main Street.

Artisan Marketplace was a special area just for jewelers, photographers,

painters and crafters.

The street became more and more crowded as afternoon approached.

We could not have ordered a more beautiful day.  It was sunny with

mild temperatures.

All the standard fare could be found.  Fried dough, popcorn and cotton candy were plentiful.

My bank sponsored some vintage dancers and while they waited to perform, they had a picnic.

If the dancers had not brought their own refreshments, they could have had a mini lobster roll and cup of chowder from Turner's.

More ladies in Victorian garb.  They made the bonnet the young girl was wearing.

A ballet dancer gets a last minute touchup!

A living statue stopped people in their tracks! How can she stand so still?

I think this is my favorite photo of the day.  Someone had donated a vintage child's fire truck.

The bell did work, I tested it!

And this little angel was part of a group dance.

The police chief found a new friend.  

The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers did two 20 minute sets and they were wonderful.  Their
costumes were simple but perfect for a Victorian Fair.

A tasteful celebration on a somber day. A day of remembrance where the community came together once again.. This time we celebrated all that is good in our American way of life..

Daytrip- York, Maine

On Sunday, my sister and I drove north to York, Maine to visit some friends.  Our friends always rent a cottage across from Nubble Light the last week of August and first week of September.

It was a beautiful day and we spent many hours outside just watching the waves and taking photos.

We of course had our annual group shot taken in front of Nubble Lighthouse.

Don took video and photos. We were happy as long as he didn't turn the cameras on us!

I did a lot of people watching.  This woman had a cool umbrella with daisies all over it.

There were lots of dogs there.

Lovers enjoyed the view.

More dogs walking on the rocks. I am sure they would rather be on the beach.

A lot of people were into hats too.

Could this be the makings of a Christmas Card?

Someone was feeding the gulls so they were hovering all afternoon.

Here's the cottage. I love that deck.  This is the deck where Percy was sitting when my friends arrived at the cottage last year.

And the back of the cottage.  You can see how close it is to the ocean.  Fabulous!

And you can also see how close it is to the lighthouse!

This year we were pleasantly surprised by the renovation of the kitchen.

The cottage looks so much more spacious!

Ooh, I love open shelving.  Everything looked so fresh and clean.

Don't you love the starfish hardware?

The day was ending and I used Don's tripod for this night shot.

I was waiting for the sky to change so I could photograph what I call

Nubble purple  The sky had a bit of pink in it but no Nubble purple.

So disappointing!

I consoled myself with a hot fudge sundae with peppermint stick ice cream from Brown's.  The end to a perfect day!