Auctions and yard sales and thrifts, ohmy

Who would ever have thought that bringing a few colored plates into the house would have started the avalanche that my collecting has become? Once upon a time, I thought the ideal vacation was spent lazing by a pool, or listening to the surf... That's still fun, but it's not always easy to take a trip to the beach. So, I take little mini vacations. For me, it's just as relaxing to spend a couple of hours rummaging through an antique mall or sitting at an old estate auction. The people-watching alone is worth the trip. It's enormous fun, seeing who buys what. The prices some objects command is intriguing. Sometimes, there's even a treasure or two or three that catch my eye to add some excitement to the day.

Sometimes my buys are sentimental. I bought eight Jefferson Cups with the original papers because they reminded me of my godmother, Marjorie. She's been gone several years now, but I can still remember being a tiny little girl and having her special breakfast drink, made from orange juice, bananas, and crushed ice. I think the adults had a slightly different version, but she was making smoothies before there WERE smoothies. She always served them in Jefferson cups, and I can still see those frosty pewter cups full of frosty cold breakfast smoothies.

I'm not actually all that convinced that I like having all the stuff I have. It's more fun finding a deal... Like, last week I went to an estate sale and came home with my SUV stuffed to the top.. I bought a table, a bunch of old glass (some Fostoria, some Heisey, and a pile of Imperial Cape Cod.), as well as a couple of boxes of Christmas ornaments. Who buys Christmas ornaments in February? I do, when there are old Shiny Brites in the box!

Sometimes I luck into Fiesta or a box of old tablecloths... If I'm REALLY lucky, no one else is interested. It doesn't happen often, but just enough to keep me hopeful... Can't ask for more fun than that. Here's a bit of my Cape Cod from last week's sale.