Who knew I've been trendy for years?

Okay, I lied in the subject line. I've never been trendy ... until now, I guess.  Why?  

I've been going to yard, garage, estate and rummage sales for years. I always assumed it was because I was cheap. Now it turns out I'm "thrifting."

I admit it. Before I had a booth in an antiques arcade, I rarely went to such sales, but when you need stock and have a weekly rent to pay, you visit these sales and thrift shops.  Since then, I begrudge paying retail. And since I'm into recycling, etc., I like the idea that things aren't ending up in landfills when they can be used and/or repurposed.

It was only a week or so ago when I was looking at decluttering videos on YouTube that I learned about thrifting.  I've subscribed to a few of those channels.  My favorite is Thrift Diving (by Serena Appiah -- she's funny, knowledgeable, and knows how to use power tools!).

Another one I like (because of her Thursay Thrift Store Hauls) is Robin Johnson's Happy At Home channel.  She likes white rooms, which aren't my favorite, but she has lots of great tips for repurposing items.

I like shabby chic (but not too chippy when it comes to paint.  For one, they might have lead paint, and for another ... some things look like there was a reason they were discarded in the first place.

I'm a sucker for teacups, china (particularly square plates and brown transferware), and doilies, but lots of other things tickle my fancy.

Yard sale season starts in a couple of weeks for now. I've signed up to get a weekly email announcement that tells me where all the sales are within a five mile radius of my house.

Do you go thrifting?

Hurry Yard Sale Season

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

This time last year, Mr. L and I were snowbirds for the first (and possibly last) time.  Of course, the current weather (with temps as low as the 30s) in Clearwater, would have made it rather unpleasant.  When you have cats, rental possibilities aren't that frequent and we were STUCK with a terrible rental house.  (The world's most uncomfortable beds, a house surrounded by millions of LIZARDS, and nightly kitchen visits from palmetto bugs, who usually died overnight -- but not always. That was the house from hell.)

Paid $2 for these three cocktail shakers for Mr. L's collection.

Good things?  HGTV. Publix. The Cricketer English Pub. And thrift shops and yard sales. There were scores of thrift stores near where we lived, and we visited every one. And then eagerly searched the online listing for sales in our area.  We learned Clearwater pretty quick driving around town looking for sales.

Our first weekend there, we went to five yard sales and a rummage sale.  IN JANUARY.  Now that's one part of the Florida lifestyle I could get used to in a hurry. We won't see a yard sale here until at least mid- to late April. *Sigh*

A prize from my holiday FB event.

No doubt about it, I'm a collector of many different items, but I also subscribe to the "catch and release" program. When I had a booth in an antiques arcade, I would buy stuff, live with it for a while, and then sell it. Now ... I mostly give stuff away.

I especially collect teacups and occasionally give them to readers via events on my Facebook. I should give away more of them, but have you seen the weather?  I haven't taken my car out of the garage since before Christmas. I probably won't need gas until at least March. But getting to the PO this time of year is proving to be a problem.

A rummage sale find.

Another problem I have with all this stuff is storing it so I can actually see it. I'd be giving it away. Wayfair had a great sale on storage cabinets back on Black Friday and I thought I had ordered one. But apparently I didn't finish all the steps.  Say goodbye to that cabinet.  They don't stock it anymore. It was perfect for a spot in my basement. Haven't found anything the right size since. Right now most of the teacups and plates are carefully wrapped in paper and sitting in boxes. I don't have x-ray vision, so to find everything, I need to haul them all out and unwrap them. Kind of messy. I need to come up with a new system.

I love cookbooks and last summer I bought more than 24 of them. I sorted through them the other day and today those that didn't make the cut (for one reason or another)  are going to the Friends of the Library bookshop. (When I left Florida, I left another 10-15 of them at my favorite thrift shop so that someone else could enjoy them.) They cost as little as a quarter and as much as a dollar and gave me many hours of pleasure.

If you'd like to see some of my yard sale treasures, you can find them on one of my Pinterest boards.  This one is called (funny enough) "My Yards Sale Finds."

For now, I'm going to start dreaming about the upcoming yard sale season. Maybe I'll write a short story about going to yard sales so I can live vicariously through a character.

What do you look for at yard sales?

My favorite Saturday thing

Heading out on my weekly treasure hunt. What's on your agenda today?

Junking with my pal

Last Wednesday my friend, Amy, and I went to the Ronald McDonald House sale here in my town. Holy smoke! Can you say CHAOS!!! It was 120,000 square feet of STUFF. If I had a bigger house, I would have spent a FORTUNE. As it is, I spent less than $10--but I was there for the thrill of the hunt.  Amy's a mom with two young boys, so it was inevitable that she wanted to spend a LOT of time in the toy section, while I was more interested in home furnishings. (Like I have any more room in my house to put them.) We wandered away from one another, but since we both had phones, knew we would eventually find each other again.

We walked into the HUGE room and were impressed with how all the (vastly overpriced--since 90% of what was there was donated by average people like you and me) merchandise was arranged.  We walked in to a pretty big Christmas section. Wow!  There were things I would have bought had I not already had similar items (like a dozen or so Made-In-Japan Christmas figurines of which I already have at least 200). So it was this little Christmas book that caught my attention and I scooped it up. It's two years older than me (and I'm not admitting how old THAT is).

This little Christmas book is chock full of wonderful little hints on how to have a great holiday. I saw it and fell in love with it. I'm going to save and savor it after Thanksgiving. Don't worry. I won't lose it. I keep all my holiday books in one spot and reread them (or at least look at the pictures) every holiday season.

I hoped to find that cabinet for my laundry room, but the only thing that came close to what I wanted already had a sold tag on it.  So I wandered into the first china section. I could have stood there for an hour or more just admiring the china and glassware. I saw this little beauty and snatched it up. I don' t know if it is a "real" Chintz cup, but it was pretty enough for me. It has a hairline crack on the inside, so they gave it to me for half off. Since I'll probably only display it, the crack doesn't bother me a bit.

Next up was the stationery department. Wow.  I bought one thing, and it's the only thing I didn't take a photo of: a very LARGE roll of brown paper for wrapping parcels. In the future, I will use it when I send out prizes to members of Lorraine's Perpetual Tea Party Page on Facebook!  (Want to join? Click this link.)

Across from the stationery was the main (with the more common) china section. HOLY COW -- did they have teacups. Probably 30 or 40 beautiful bone china teacups. I already have 40 or 50 teacups, and since they weren't chintz or even pseudo-chintz, I had to pass them by. But the regular plates were reasonably priced (what I'd pay at a yard sale).

My first purchase was a square plate. I collect square plates. I have about 50-60 of them on the wall going down to my finished basement. They're from all over the place/world. I don't know why I started collecting them, I just did. (Do you have a collection like that?)

Of course, I was drawn to the very small selection of Syracuse China. I'm a sucker for Syracuse China (which is no longer in business, along with Buffalo China). I have quite a few pieces. This is a sandwich or cake plate. I have two bigger plates in this pattern (in blue) so it immediately caught my eye. There were other pieces I could have bought, but quite frankly I'm running out of room. But there's always room for just one more dish, isn't there?

That was it for the Ronald McDonald House sale, but that's not all I bought this week.

On Tuesday, I took Mr. L to the Holloway House in Bloomfield, NY to celebrate his birthday (which was actually last month, but they weren't open for the season at that time). We had a wonderful meal (actually it was their turkey dinner -- which they serve for Thanksgiving. Whoa! Delish!) I love the charm of his historical restaurant, which was built in the early 1800s.  What I also love is their Syracuse china (pattern = Colonial). Isn't it adorable? I looked up the pattern on Replacements Ltd. and I might just have to buy a small plate just so I can enjoy looking at it at home.

Nearby is an antiques co-op. Of course, not everything in such a co-op is an antique, so it was also full of wonderful collectibles. And I had talked myself out of more than a dozen items until I was about to walk out the door, and that's when I saw this (see below).

One of my favorite cookbook authors, Susan Branch, collects what she calls Beatrix Potter "people." The characters from the Beatrix Potter books. (I believe her first piece was Jamima Puddle-Duck.) When I saw "Lady Mouse Made a Curtsy" was (dated 1980 and) marked for less than $5, I snatched it right up. (In real life, I DESPISE mice. Anyone who has had them poop on their silverware would feel the same way.) I looked online and saw the same figurine going for $10+. so I think I got a great deal. Despite the fact she's a mouse, she's very cute. She will live in one of my china cabinets.

So that's my "junking" for the week.  Well, maybe not.  There's still Saturday to go!

What treasures have you found while junking?

There's some of me in everything I write

One of the fun things about writing is you can incorporate tiny pieces of your life into your stories.

There was a time when I hated to shop. (Yeah, sounds weird now.) Of course, I still hate to shop for certain things. (Like clothes. No matter what I buy, I always look like a barrel. Yeah, hate clothes shopping.) One of the reason I became a vendor at an antiques and crafts arcade was because I loved to shop there. I was furnishing our home and they had the best stuff! That's about the time I also started to go junking (which sounds a lot cooler than saying I went to yard sales).

You can get all kinds of GOOD stuff at yard sales.  I was recently in Florida, and they have yard sales ALL YEAR LONG! (Imagine that!!!!!) Mr. L collects cocktail shakers. I found these three shakers for $2 -- TWO BUCKS!!! (Love that the left and middle one are etched. I figure the one on the left is from the 1950s; the other two are much newer, but were unique enough that he wanted to add them to his collection.)

But (as usual) I digress.

I'm working on my second Life on Victoria Square story (A companion series to go with The Victoria Square Mysteries) featuring a minor character who has shown up in a couple of the Victoria Square Mysteries. We're talking a walk-on character who never even had a line of dialogue. But she stuck in my mind and I knew she had a story to tell ... I just didn't know what it was until this week, that is. She didn't even have a name. They just referred to her as "the woman who never pays more than a buck for anything." And what's her claim to fame?  A rose made of crepe paper. I'm having fun describing all the treasures she's picked up while shopping at Artisans Alley and I hope my readers will enjoy getting to know her, too.

The first Life on Victoria Square story goes on sale on today. It's called CARVING OUT A PATH, and features Ray Davenport, the cranky police detective who clashed with Katie in the first three novels.

A young shoplifter not only swipes a couple of hand-carved figurines from Ray Davenport, owner of Victoria Square’s Wood U gift shop, but barrels into and injures Katie Bonner, manager of Artisans Alley. Upon his escape, the police are called, but before the ink is dry on the report, the boy’s grandmother drags the would-be thief back to return the purloined items. She’s got an agenda and great expectations. Can Ray come through in a pinch?


Kindle US | Kindle Worldwide | iBooks | Nook | Kobo

I have plans to write about all the merchants on Victoria Square.

(P.S. So happy my cover designer could add three of my Dad's carvings to the cover.  Aren't the Santas adorable?  At the end of the story, I added the Story BEHIND the Story to tell readers about those carvings.)

I hope you'll give Ray (and later Iris) a chance!

Adding real life to my writing

One of the fun things about writing is you can incorporate tiny pieces of your life into your stories.

There was a time when I hated to shop. (Yeah, sounds weird now.) Of course, I still hate to shop for certain things. (Like clothes. No matter what I buy, I always look like a barrel. Yeah, hate clothes shopping.) One of the reason I became a vendor at an antiques and crafts arcade was because I loved to shop there. I was furnishing our home and they had the best stuff! That's about the time I also started to go junking (which sounds a lot cooler than saying I went to yard sales).

You can get all kinds of GOOD stuff at yard sales.  I was recently in Florida, and they have yard sales ALL YEAR LONG! (Imagine that!!!!!) Mr. L collects cocktail shakers. I found these three shakers for $2 -- TWO BUCKS!!! (Love that the left and middle one are etched. I figure the one on the left is from the 1950s; the other two are much newer, but were unique enough that he wanted to add them to his collection.)

But (as usual) I digress.

I'm working on my second Life on Victoria Square story (A companion series to go with The Victoria Square Mysteries) featuring a minor character who has shown up in a couple of the Victoria Square Mysteries. We're talking a walk-on character who never even had a line of dialogue. But she stuck in my mind and I knew she had a story to tell ... I just didn't know what it was until this week, that is. She didn't even have a name. They just referred to her as "the woman who never pays more than a buck for anything." And what's her claim to fame?  A rose made of crepe paper. I'm having fun describing all the treasures she's picked up while shopping at Artisans Alley and I hope my readers will enjoy getting to know her, too.

The first Life on Victoria Square story goes on sale on Tuesday. It's called CARVING OUT A PATH, and features Ray Davenport, the cranky police detective who clashed with Katie in the first three novels.

A young shoplifter not only swipes a couple of hand-carved figurines from Ray Davenport, owner of Victoria Square’s Wood U gift shop, but barrels into and injures Katie Bonner, manager of Artisans Alley. Upon his escape, the police are called, but before the ink is dry on the report, the boy’s grandmother drags the would-be thief back to return the purloined items. She’s got an agenda and great expectations. Can Ray come through in a pinch?


Kindle US | Kindle Worldwide | iBooks | Nook | Kobo

I have plans to write about all the merchants on Victoria Square.

(P.S. So happy my cover designer could add three of my Dad's carvings to the cover.  Aren't the Santas adorable?  At the end of the story, I added the Story BEHIND the Story to tell readers about those carvings.)

I hope you'll give Ray (and later Karen) a chance!

A few of my treasures

One of the things I enjoy most about the summer and early fall is going junking on a Saturday morning with Mr. L. Since he's a mapmaker, he knows where he's going, and I just look at the scenery between our jaunts to yard sales and thrift stores.

Now that it's winter, it's the thrift stores that have me coming back. The truth is, I don't enjoy going to thrift stores as much as yard sales because their prices are a lot higher (which is understandable; they've got overhead). But this time of year, it's either thrift stores or NOTHING.

I have a few favorites, and even though times are lean (because A) I'm cheap, and B) do I really need more stuff?), I only buy stuff I think I will actually use or can find a good home for. Take this pretty cup. That was a find. It'snot bone china (which is what I collect), but I'm pretty sure I can find a home for this Made In Japan cup, which I estimate to be 50+ years old and with no chips. The doily was a dime--A DIME!  The store must have really wanted to get rid of them. There was a whole basket of them for a dime each.

Of course, I have a doily problem. I look at all the work that went into them, and can't bear to leave them behind, especially if I think nobody will love them. This creates a problem when you have tubs and tubs of doilies. It's come to the point where I'm going to have to do something about them. Maybe open an Etsy store? But that takes a lot of time. Time I could be writing (or otherwise known as gainfully employed). I'm going to pull a Scarlett O'Hara and "think about it another day."

What I got on another foray was a tiny jewelry box for a buck that's covered with sweet angels. Isn't it adorable?

The top opens, and it's got a little drawer.  The truth is, I really don't need a new-to-me jewelry box ... at least at home, but I thought it might look cute at our family's summer cottage. I have a jewelry box there (a yard sale find), but it's not nearly as cute and ... who says they have to live in the same room?

Here's another shot of it open with a few of my favorite pieces of jewelry.

When entering a shop, I'm often asked ... what are you looking for?  I'm first drawn to dishes, not that I buy many. But I recently acquired a brown transferware bowl (which I was too lazy to photograph). I love brown transferware, and it's not as common (or at least that's my experience) as one might think. I'm also drawn to jewelry ... bracelets in particular. I must have acquired 20 bracelets in the past few years. They don't take up a lot of room, and that's one reason why I like them.

So, what is it you're looking for when the "thrill of the hunt" overtakes you?

Fill a bag with fun!

This summer has been a bust when it comes to junking. Sometimes we only find one or two yard sales. : (

Things didn't look hopeful when Mr. L announced there was only one sale; a bag sale at the local fire hall.  They were weeding out the accumulated donations (and boy, where there a LOT of them) for their upcoming auction. The bag sale items were in boxes laid out on benches--maybe 100 or more boxes, and a couple of tables worth of stuff. Inside their rec hall was "the good stuff."  The local grocery store donated a huge stack of paper bags, and it was every woman for herself!

Unlike most bag sales (which are usually a buck or two to fill a bag), this one had a tier system. $5 for the first hour, $4 for the next, and so on and so on. Five seemed a bit steep, but it didn't take me long to find some pretty cool stuff. Okay, I got some things like junky earrings (who ever heard of smores earrings?) that came with a pierced earring holder, a beautiful handmade Christmas tree skirt (who in their right mind would part with that?), and some jigsaw puzzles, but they weren't the prizes.

First up, I found a couple of Haeger swan vases. Aren't they cute? I already have a couple of swan vases with the same kind of silky glaze, so when I saw these, I knew I had to have them. Like many of the items in the sale, these were donated by an antiques dealer and still had the price on them: $15.



I'm always on the lookout for bone china teacups to give as prizes on my Facebook group page (Lorraine's Perpetual Tea Party -- you can join if you'd like!) I was lucky and found three beauties.
This first one still had the dealers tag on it for $18. It's marked Hammersly, part of the Spode group. I love the shape of the cup. I don't think I have one like that--but I do have a lot of cups with roses on them, so this will be part of my catch-and-release program for one of my lucky readers.



This one is Royal Darwood and features the flowers associated with the Canadian Provinces. What you can see on the left side of the cup is the Prairie Crocus from Manitoba and in the center is the Prarie Lily from Saskatchewan.



This one is Royal Vale made by Ridgway Potteries Ltd.



Then I came to the animal section ... I am an absolute SUCKER for animal figurines. (Really, I have to fight it.) Here's a donkey who got separated from his manger. (He's about ten times bigger in this picture than in real life.)



I saw this little guy and grabbed it fast. It's not for me, but my neighbor, Ian, who is 7 years old. He's nutso-bananas for seals. He knows a lot more about seals than anybody else I know and he wants to be a marine biologist. I think he's going to make it, too. He's a wonderful little boy who is very generous with his hugs.



My mother-in-law had three ducks that looked like this (only nicer). When she went into the nursing home, my sister in law got them (as she should have), But now I have a duck that will remind me of my MIL. (Mr. L, too -- because those ducks were around since he was a kid.)



Look at this gorgeous glass compote. Honestly, do I EVER use anything like this? Not usually, but -- when I went to the public market, I bought bananas. Guess  where they will end up? Yes! in this compote with a mountain of Redi wip on the top. (I've got too much on my plate to make homemade whipped cream.)  I appreciate glassware a lot more since I read about Susan Branch's collection. (Someone gave her a banana holder as a wedding gift, and that got her started.)



This hand-painted sugar and creamer has a German company on the bottom. Will have to get our my magnifying glass so I can read the name and research them. They're not bone china, but they are pretty.



I got three of these ... ornamental thingys. I have no idea where they're going (yet), probably over a door, but I'll figure it out eventually.  They're not old, as they're made of resin, but they look old.



And that was it. (Who could have thought you could GET this much stuff in a paper shopping bag?) As I paid the fireman, he said, "Now wasn't that worth $5?" I had to admit, he was right. Then he said, "Why not come back later?"  I figured no way -- I mean, I'd already been through all the boxes, right?

Wrong.  Mr. L took me to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants just down the road and on the way home, we stopped at the fire hall once again. By then (about 4 hours later) the boxes really had been emptied, and because the stuff had all been just shoved in, a lot of pretty things (some of them quite old) had been broken. But ... I still managed to find some more treasures.

I saw this Made In Japan couple the first time through and figured somebody would scoop them up. Nope. I looked carefully to make sure they hadn't been broken, and miraculously, they were still in pristine condition--not even a chip on them. They're going to live in my office at our cottage. Just think of how much joy they will have perpetually dancing away the hours while I work on my books and look out at the water when my muse deserts me.



This little etched glass is the sole survivor from a liqueur set. I don't think you could get more than a couple of tiny sips out of it. It stands about 2 inches high. I've tried to imagine my characters drinking out of it -- Angelica could pull it off, as could Katie or Kathy. (Anissa would NOT have the patience.)




 I found another cup and saucer, but it's not bone china: it's ironstone. But as one of my FB friends said, she isn't a cup snob and I can't think of anybody who wouldn't want to drink tea out of this pretty cup.



There's no hallmark on the back of this sandwich plate, but I could see myself eating a piece of the zucchini bread I made (and froze) last week on it. What would you serve from it?



And because Mr. L and I are eating a lot of fresh salad (growing my own lettuce and herbs this summer), and it seems like we use less dishes so the dishwasher isn't running as often. So having another salad bowl would be handy. It's not old, but it is pretty. We already used it and made a BIG salad. Yum!



To fill up the bag, I tossed in all the lonely doilies, linen napkins, and hand-embroidered dresser scarfs that nobody wanted.  I can't bear to think of the work that went into them being tossed away. It's a very sad thing that very few people today value the work that goes into hand-crafted items. That's why I still have a garage filled with things my Mum and Dad made because I can't sell them for pennies on the dollar.

Look at the sweet daffodil someone embroidered. And even more impressive is the lace/crochet/tatting (?) surround.


So that was my junking for the week (and probably the best of the year). I hope you liked the pictures. What do you look for when you junk?

Junking: Cheap Entertainment

It was raining cats and dogs on Saturday morning (but I didn't step in a poodle) and after crossing our fingers and venturing out into the gray morning, the few yard sales we saw in the paper weren't open. Mr. L and I were going to lunch and hoped we find one or two on the way back. The skies cleared and the puddles dried up and we made it to three yard sales.



I saw this adorable trivet. Didn't every girl who was ever a scout sing those words? I must admit, though, it was the two adorable kitties that really sold me on the piece. Now to find a place to hang it.



Wow--this picture is actually MUCH bigger than the actual item itself, which measures about three inches high. It's marked CATALINA on the bottom and I know it will look adorable somewhere in my family's cottage.



My next "big" item was this book, Kitchen Junk. The major drawback about buying a used book is that it won't be pristine. This one must have been stored in a damp area.  Can you say musty?  Still, I had an enjoyable hour looking at all the pictures (and there are a lot) and once I let it sit in a bag with some ground coffee for a week or two, the stink will be gone.  You can find it on Amazon by clicking this link.

I also came away with a couple of DVDS:

We already watched The Lake House, which was your basic chick flick. Not bad; a few plot holes big enough to drive a car through, and through most of the movie Sandra Bullock wore that horrible hairdo that looked like she'd attacked it herself with a pair of blunt scissors.  Yes, I know that was a fad a few years back, but let's hope it's not one worth repeating. We usually only watch movies on the weekends, so we'll save Cocoon and Cocoon Returns for next weekend. They'll go into the catch an release program (I'll find them a home by giving them away or letting my neighbor have them for her next yard sale.)

Lastly, I got these...



The little black poodle is adorable, but the little brown doggy appears to have suffered some painful Beanie Baby abuse (thanks to his missing nose and the poorly done sutures to mend the hole in his face). But, as these doggies are destined to be cat toys for Mr. L's cat, Chester, who likes to drag them around while howling, and then deposit his "kill" at our feet, I'm sure he won't even notice.

And what was the cost of this loot?  A mere $6.70. Not a bad afternoon's entertainment.  Oh, and we got to see Mr. and Mrs. Duck swimming in a little pond, but I left my phone behind so no pictures of that.

Did you get anything while junking this weekend?

A junking I will go!

One of my favorite summer activities is heading out for yard sales on Saturday mornings.Today is the BIG sale in Lyons, NY. It's one neighborhood and I try not to miss it. Okay, the last couple of years it hasn't been as good, but they still sell Zweigle's hot dogs (for Mr. L -- and he eats it at 9 am), fried dough (that's for me!), and I get such great stuff. (Like bracelets, pictures, and books.)

Yesterday, I stopped at a sale and bought these beauties. Aren't they adorable?

They're only 6 inches tall. I haven't decided where they'll go yet, but I will find the perfect spot for them ... eventually. Since I no longer have a booth in an antiques co-op, I only buy what I fall in love with.

What do YOU look for at yard sales?

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

For most people, the most wonderful time of the year is the holiday season.  Okay, I love it, too, but my second favorite season is Yard Sale season, which in these parts is from May until early October.

Weeee! What a lot of fun it is to go on a treasure hunt.

Last weekend was the BIG Browncroft bi-annual sale. I haven't been to it in many years and felt the need to treat myself. Of course, the last time I went, I was still a vender in an antiques arcade, so I was shopping for bargains I could turn around to resell. These days, I have to be a lot more discerning.

In the old days, I could buy what I wanted, live with it for a while, and then sell it on a kind of catch-and-release basis.  Today, I had better have a specific purpose in mind. Okay, I'm still buying pretty teacups and square plates, but I'm also being practical.

I needed a new egg timer. I keep one in my office to remind me to let the cats in on a cold day. (Or to remind me to get off my duff and go do my exercise or GET OFF THE INTERNET.)  I found a super-duper one that not only goes for an hour (on the right side), but has a 20-hour timer on the left.  Well, I HAD to have that!  (And for the bargain price of only $2.)

I have NEVER seen my (good) china pattern at a yard sale before, so when I saw the Royal Albert Silver Maple sugar bowl (again for the bargain price of only $2), I bought it in a heartbeat. I asked the woman collecting the money if she had any more pieces and she said her daughter "got it at a yard sale."  (Obviously another catch-and-release item.)  Of course, I already have a  Royal Albert Silver Maple sugar bowl and oddly enough, I don't take sugar in my tea, so it doesn't get a lot of use.  But hey, I might one day, right?

The square plate is from Germany. It's just pretty.

The little elephant has a broken tusk. (He's showing his "good" side in the picture at right.) The person at that sale wanted 50 cents. I said, "But he's wounded."  Okay, then a quarter.  (Hey, I'm into saving elephants, whether they are alive, or tiny orphans like that little guy.  I have a whole herd of wounded orphaned elephants. I love them.  (Somebody has to.)

The pansy picture under glass with copper tape holding it together is a Christmas tree ornament. I'm a sucker for pansies, so ...

I also bought a couple of bangles.  Hey, bling is quite fine. I particularly love the one of the left with all the little hearts and the tiny rhinestones.  The woman selling them said she was doing a whole-house purge and was selling a big box of jewelery for 50 cents each.  I wish I'd taken more time to go through it. She had some really nice "chunky" necklaces, too.

And I bought my very first painting. It's an original watercolor (I just love watercolors). I'm in the process of  redecorating my enclosed porch, and I'm doing it in BEACH style, so this picture should work out nicely.  I also bought a rug for the porch, and a heater for my office.

In all I spent $26.  Not a bad haul for my first yard sale foray of the year.

What do you look for when you go to yard sales?

A yard sale treasure

As many of you know, I'm a die-hard yard sale person.  I love them!  And I've found all kinds of nifty stuff at them over the years.

Many years ago, my mother bought me a lap desk.  It had little Styrofoam beads in it's cushioned underbelly and it was kind of small.  I must confess, I never used it much because it was just too tiny.  It looked a bit like the one pictured on the right.

Last summer I saw a "lap desk" that was quite a bit bigger.  Someone had obviously taken a tole painting class and had used it for a project.  Not the best roses I've ever seen, but I bought it as a working tool, not a thing of beauty.  But  what a beauty it has turned out to be.

I have a distinct lack of working/flat surfaces in my office, so this lap desk comes in handy.  I can sit in my computer chair and stick stamps on postcards, or labels on envelopes.  I can take it into the living room and use it when I watch TV. (As you can see by the picture, I'm getting packages of bookmarks ready to go out to booksellers.)

Best of all, it cost me a buck.

Amazon has several that are sort of like this, and I'm tempted to buy one, just so I can have it stashed in another part of the house or at the cottage.

Or maybe I'll get lucky at another yard sale.

What little thing has made life in your home office easier?
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My weapon of choice . . .

No sooner have I turned in one book (yesterday), when it's time to start the next.

Right now, I only know what several of the subplots will be. (That's because I'm writing an arc for the characters that won't be finalized until at least book #9.)

Still, I need to turn in a synopsis this week.  YIKES!

As of now I don't know who is killed, with what, or why.  Some day that will all be clear, but in the meantime . . .

Over the summer I purchased an old telephone similar to the one I describe in the Booktown Mysteries.  You may remember that I blogged about it back in August. (And you can read about it here.)
 
A couple of weeks ago, I went to a big community sale and found the following solid brass letter openers.  I knew I had to have them, and I knew one of them would eventually find its way into one of my books (and one of my characters).



Now the problem is ... which one do I use for this next book?

Anybody got any strong feelings one way or another?
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