Linda Vista + Afton

Tucked away in that ritzy 'hood west of the Rosebowl was this cool little abode that belonged to even cooler people. The husband was a military man and his wife was a prolific ceramist. This was the only picture I took because the rest of the time I was in animal mode.

Besides delicious textiles, legit military surplus galore, and super cool "this and thats", there were over 500 pieces of handmade pottery for sale, going at a dollar an inch.

Folks, it was unreal. The house was this cool kinda sorta split level but the flow was really nice, or would have been without 50 other people. Right by the pool was the neatest quirky gas fired kiln with a really cool extra tall chimney design. While I was checking out I overheard bids going for the thing. I hope it wound up with someone cool. Then a few steps up from that was her ceramics studio and my brother and I were in heaven. I snagged a bunch of her small works. I love tiny vessels. Then there was more to be had in their garage where I found some great French paper sheets, and where Minh found some great duffel a and side packs in terrific condition. All from 1944... What...

So unbelievable.

This was the line AFTER sixty of us already gone in.

Sean had some major scores, and one of them is this picture of him looking like a two year old with a beard.

This. Is the haul, minus the duffels and bags. 

Unexpected Treasure

The Lincoln sale had one BIG surprise.

Minh was wearing his Pahrumph, NV fireworks shirt and struck up a conversation with a guy who asked him about the show. We told him we like going out to Nevada to do it because there's no fun hands-on way to celebrate the 4th in California. He says he likes to put on his own shows which I interpret as him buying some illegal stuff and doing it out in an unincorporated part of town.

WRONG!

The dude (who is AWESOME) works for a pro pyrotechnics company here in L.A. and wanted to know if I was interested in being a pyrotechnician. Um, lemme think about it heck yes! So he gave me his name and number and it looks like Minh and I will be going to a BBQ/yearly safety meeting next month! If we're into it we help with a show that night in Cerritos and if we help load the truck we get credit toward the 8 shows we need under our belt to be certified!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

You just never know!

Lincoln + Glenoaks

Today we cruised over to Burbank for a pre-sale and that can only mean one thing: Kim Hutchinson. I'd take a bullet for this woman. She's LOVELY and always gives me a crazy low price on whatever I'm getting. We've only been to a few of hers before but she's remembered us since the second one and always gives us a nice wave. Friendliest seller by far.

Other than being nice she totally rules because even though it's a pre-sale her prices aren't jacked up. Some stuff is firm which I totally get but the little things we like we get for next to nothing.

This house made me smile. It seemed like a pretty austere, but really happy place. It was very neat and everything had a place, even before Kim had to set up you could tell. No weird smalls and the furniture and carpets were spotless. And we know they had a cat (only because there was kitty litter and food in the garage) so that's no easy feat. Good solid German Protestants.

I think the biggest luxuries in the house were music and books. These were my kind of people. They had a petite organ, TONS of LPs and a BEAUTIFUL collection of old German Bibles with illustration and leather covers. There was a small memoir with a suede cover too. They were all delicate but in pretty great condition. Some of them immaculate. Boy, I really hope they go to a good home.

I felt a kinship with the owners and wanted to steward at least one of their books, and since everything else was so cheap I bought a 1906 Sunday School Hymnal. It has songs and also some beautiful readings and prayers inside. I'll have fun reading it over.

The kitchen was sparse. They only had what the really needed it seems and one thing I've been looking for is a flat grater. SCORE! Now I can make my zucchini pasta and cauliflower rice with ease, and It doesn't take up a grip of space.

From the back porch, the garage didn't look too promising, but there's a rule that made us go in and it paid off. NEVER overlook the garage. Dudes sometimes squirrel away things only they like, like cool old filler paper and slate baseball stat clip boards! Score!

So we get up to in line with the goods. She takes a quick look and says, "You guys are so funny you always get paper and the weirdest things (giggling)...six bucks."

Love. Her.

Palm + Sewahnee

I went into this sale knowing it would suck.

Second-days are the worst. Everything good is gone and most of what's left is either more expensive than anyone in their right mind is willing to pay, or else it's stained, cracked, common, rusted through, or simply void of any redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Most of the time.

The one silver lining about second day sales is that they're willing to wheel and deal a little more. Second days are probably the best days to go through linens. Sure the crazy good stuff might be gone, but handblocked textiles and cute kitchen towels are still up for grabs. Like TODAY!

I got some cotton kitchen towels from India with a nice red contrast-stitch going around the perimeter for 50 cents yessir. . . and a sweet textile finished-edge sample sheet from the 50's with handblocked tang dynasty horses smiling. The print's really bold, has fantastic coloring, is in excellent shape with not discolorations or holes, and it still has the sample tag attached. It's one of those things you see and sigh, "They just don't make them like this anymore. . ." for cheap cheap cheap!

Mini heartbreak of the day: an intact vintage floursack, soft and thick, with lovely red striping. . . and moth holes. Boo. They sell throw pillows made of vintage floursacks at the Rose Bowl Swap Meet for $70+ and I've wanted to find one ever since. I looked over the bag hoping the holes were relegated to one half of the bag or the other but alas... little dudes took bites all over.

This is where it's really important to exercise self control: when the quest for an ideal blinds you from looking at something objectively. You have to hold it in your hands and say even though this bears a slight resemblance to something I want (real bad!), this ISN'T IT.

"No Ashley, you can't bleach that stain out, or cover it with something cute, or only turn it sideways, or find the other half later on ebay, or upcycle. YOU DON'T HAVE THE TIME."

Having the Platonic Ideal in your head all the time puts you in danger of buying a total piece of junk. And becoming a hoarder.

Silverwood + Wildwood

I don't like missing Eagle Rock sales. They're always worth the drive especially if you're early which I wasn't. In fact I was really late to this one...


But the view was nice!


The guy who used to live here was a toy prototype maker. He had LOTS of specialized tools and precision instruments, clothes, glass and kitchenware (full cupboards which sometimes makes me sad because that means it was sudden), the usual world traveler tchotchkes (incense burners, pottery that fits in suitcases, carved this and that), and more books on sexual dysfunction than I knew what to do with. Poor dude.

Walking through, I stopped in my tracks when I saw a doe-eyed girl holding a steel base, rough wood-topped table. I did an immediate about-face, scanned the back yard again and scored the second one for the house.



I like.

One of the things I liked best about the living room was a tangled piece of driftwood hanging from a chain near the fireplace. I had a tumbleweed I found on the train tracks hanging in my studio for a year, but couldn't bring it because it'd take up a fifth of the living room.

He had a soft spot for natural carved and a GRIP of geodes, but alas... As respectful and cheery as I intend be I had a split-second urge to hip-check this tiny woman who snagged the last one. Estate sales can make people very...human.

One tip that came in handy today was a looking for items without price tags. Usually on tagged items usually they've done their homework and you end up paying about as much as you would on ebay. NOT the goal! And for my searching I was rewarded with a free-ish can opener (after finagling open tomatoes with vintage bottle openers left over from the wedding this was something to celebrate) and some other things I'll post to the shop this week :)