A Busy Weekend!

Usually by Thursday afternoon, I'm winding down for the week, getting ready for a few days off and catching up on household chores, and maybe hitting a sale or two. This week, after work on Thursday, I was busy helping my cousin prepare for a baby shower for her soon to be grand-twins.

We made up cookies in a jar with pink M&M's for the giveaway gifts for the attenders, and we got a good start on getting everything set up for Saturday. We worked alongside her other son's girlfriend and my Aunt-the shower was at my Aunt's house. It was a long, hot sweaty day, but very fun to accomplish so much and with such great company.

On Friday, bright and early, Auntie and I and another friend from work set off for Michigan's Yard Sale Trail. It's over an hour to where we start the trail so we met at our usual place at 7:15. Even though I was tired and worn out from the day before, I don't think I slept much the night before because I was so excited!!

We spent the day chatting, shopping, walking, driving and walking, and walking, and walking!! It was so hot, and so muggy, it was pretty miserable when we were out of the car for long periods of time. At one point, early on the trail, there was a rogue downpour. I was worried that it might keep raining and ruin the day, but it quickly blew over and we didn't miss a beat in our quest for treasures.

We visited several of the same places from last year, and several new places this year. This sale has a lot more sales that are closer together than the Heritage Trail Sale, so we were in and out of the car a lot more than last Friday. For a first-timer, our co-worker/friend did very well! She was a real trooper, and she even said she had fun and would do it again-sometime.

It's always an interesting trip and an interesting time to people watch.I think I was able to see a lot of things I might not have seen had I been driving this year. The first fun thing I saw was a very old, restored fire engine-the kind without the cab for the driver-it was all open, and it was beautiful-right down to the great dane dalmatian sitting in the back!!

I saw several yard art displays with row boats, and some with lighthouses. I thought it would have been cooler since we were right on the water for most of the trail, but the heat and humidity was stronger than any breeze. At one point on the trail we even saw a freighter that was almost as close as the freighters were when we were camping in the U.P..

We stopped at so many sales, that I lost track of how many! There seemed to be a lot more sales with clothes and kid stuff this year, as compared to years past. Some of my favorite sellers were back selling again, and some weren't. I was happy to see a sale at an elderly gentleman's house, but he seemed very sad this year, and he had at least triple the amount of stuff for sale this year, as compared to years past. I wonder if he recently closed his antique shop or booth.

At one of the big grassy field sales where vendors rent space, our friend found a glass dish that she liked, but she wasn't sure it was worth the price the dealer was asking. She collects vaseline glass and she wasn't sure if it was real, so she asked me to give her my opinion. As soon as we walked up to the table, they seller was right there. I started feeling the seam marks and the cut glass part of the dish to feel for chips and roughness to the glass. He was standing as close to us as he possibly could.

I wasn't convinced that it was true vaseline glass, and his anxious/nervous watching us like a hawk didn't help convince me. She really liked it and asked if he could take any less. He said he forgot what he paid for it and what he was asking for it, so he picked it up and looked at the bottom and saw that he had it priced at $35. He said he could go as low as $25, and I quickly asked if he'd take $20. He hesitated at first but said OK. I looked at my friend, but she seemed unsure if she really wanted it, so I asked her if she wanted it, or if she wanted to think about it.

She told him that we had just started shopping that sale (at that field), and that she was going to think about it as she walked around and she'd come back. Immediately, he yelled, "NOPE! It's back at 35!" Needless to say, we walked away, and she didn't go back It was really odd to have him get so angry so quickly and not be willing to let her think about it. All of the other sellers we encountered were either willing to deal or they politely declined, none of them were nasty about it or offended by people making offers.

Thank goodness the other sellers weren't like him! Since it was an exception and not the norm, we continued on to Port Sanilac where we turned and headed for home. I was the first one back to the car and decided to program the GPS for "home" while I wanted for the other two to join me. I was SHOCKED to see that we weren't going to get home until after 7pm!! I totally lost track of time, and had no idea that it was so late!!!

I got home around 7:30, and got right to work on blueberry french toast casseroles and punch for the shower the next day. It made a long day even longer, but everything went together quickly and without any issues-thank goodness!!

Saturday started bright and early at my Aunt's house. My cousin was baking chorizo rings (scrambled eggs, chorizo and cheese in a crescent roll ring) in the basement oven and I was baking blueberry french toast casserole in the upstairs kitchen. I felt bad for heating up the house with the ovens on such a hot and muggy day, but there was no getting around it-the brunch menu been planned long before the weather turned hot.

It was a nice shower and I think the mama and daddy to be were blessed with the love and gifts that came their way that day. All of the food was delicious! My other two cousins brought quiches, muffins and danishes and a wonderful fruit salad. I'll have to remember what we served because it was a great brunch menu!

Sunday was back to normal...back to taking care of my family and home. Time for grocery shopping and laundry! This week will be nice because although the week is busy, there is nothing planned for the weekend-whew!

Here are some pics from my busy weekend...

First stop on the trail...

A swampy, gross ditch that our friend almost fell into when she was getting back into the car-good thing the sign post was there to stop her fall!

Rusty yard art!

I found a space saver...it broke my heart to see the DWD!

See the freighter??

One of many driveways along the trail

Beautiful blue water!

A mirror I picked up for another coworker

 Window art

A whole garage and driveway filled with vintage kitchen eye candy!! Look at all of the original packaging!!! Some items were originally 29 cents!!

I LOVE vintage gas pumps!!

A field full of vendors

I've been to this barn sale for a few years now, and I never remembered seeing the hub caps on the ceiling until this year!

I bought this Michigan plate for $1-now I just need to get going on my project!

Super bright vintage yellow tablecloth!!!

I had two of these plates from my MIL and I picked up a third just in time to use it for the shower on Saturday-and I found another Christmas tablecloth too for $1.

Public service announcement...if you order a baby shower gift from Target online and pay for gift wrapping, you may just end up with a cheap, smelly, awful drawstring bag instead of wrapping paper!!

I had to make a mad dash to the store to get baby appropriate wrapping.

I picked these little shades up for my mom to use for her wine bottle night lights.

On Saturday, when I was looking in my Aunt's cupboards, I was pleasantly surprised to find these beauties!

I'm sure my Uncle thought I'd lost my mind when I started taking pics of their bowls!! My Aunt couldn't believe people actually collect these patterns. She got these for wedding presents and she uses them every day-good thing she LOVES to wash dishes and they've never been in a dishwasher!!

Baby Shower decor

It was a fun, but busy weekend! At the end of last week, several coworkers were showing interest in possibly joining us on the trail next year...maybe we'll have to have a caravan next August of treasure seekers!!! :)

Are They Real?

I'm a relatively new collector of Jadite/Jadeite. I kind of admired it from afar for many years. When I say "kind of", what I mean is, I saw it, thought it looked nice, but I was so busy looking for Fiesta, Pyrex or other vintage kitchenware that I didn't really give it much of a second look. Until...I found some plates at a perpetual garage sale one day. They were marked Fire King and they were mint! Most importantly, they were super cheap (my favorite price)!

Slowly, but surely, I started noticing it at garage sales and started picking up pieces here and there. I even picked up some repro pieces at the Giant Peach in Georgia. I had done a little research prior to that trip, so even though they weren't marked "new" or "repro", I was sure that they were, and I was fine with it -I bought them because I liked them.

So, fast forward a few years, to Friday. The very first stop for us on the US 12 sale, the Rentschler Farm Sale in Saline. There were several vendors all set up on the Historic Farm grounds. I walked up to a dealer and on his table he had 4 shakers that looked new, but the lids looked old-ish. He had $5 each on the shakers. I picked a couple up and looked them over, and quickly decided to buy them. I also picked up a little white shaker for $1.

All day Friday I was wondering if they were new or old. I wondered if he put old lids on new shakers. I remembered all of the other things on his tables and how they seemed to be priced high for yard sale prices, and yet these shakers were priced super low. I remembered him saying to me, "You're getting a great deal on those."  Auntie and I even spoke of it a couple of times in the car while we were traveling from sale to sale.

I tried to do some research online when I got home, but I got home at dinner time and very close to the time that Mr got home, so we spent some time talking and catching up on our day, and before I knew it, it was time to turn in, so I didn't make much progress in solving my mystery.

Saturday, after my usual weekend household chores, I decided to revisit those shakers and try to figure it out once and for all. I put them in my cabinet with my other Jadite pieces, both fake and real. I love them, so they aren't going anywhere,

Here is what I noticed about my shakers:
1. They are in excellent condition-no chips, cracks or discoloration on any of them.
2. The lids look to be older style.
3. They are very heavy.
4. They aren't the same color as my "real" jadite.
5. They aren't the same color as my "fake" jadite.
6. They are unmarked.
7. The lids on the salt and pepper shakers are the same, but they don't match the other two.
8. The lids on the sugar and flour shakers are the same, but they don't match the other two.
9. The font matches the font on my fake salt container.
10. They don't have an arch on the sides.
11. Online image searches show these shakers as vintage McKee and also as Jeanette.
12. Online image searches also show they could be reproductions from Rosso.

I have spent several hours searching and searching for some that look like mine. I don't care if they are repros, I just wanted to know for sure. I think I finally have my answer. I found a dealer on Ruby Lane with the same shakers, not as good of shape as mine, but the same shakers down to the last detail.

In her bio, the dealer says she has been a collector for over 5 decades. The shakers she has listed are from her personal collection, and she's had them for decades. I know people can say anything they want to say, and just because they say it, doesn't make it true. I did a little snooping into Ruby Lane's policies and found that they are pretty strict for sellers. Every shop is pre-screened, and if there is a dispute on an item, Ruby Lane closes the shop until it is resolved. If it doesn't get resolved, the shop can never reopen. Plus this seller sell exclusively on Ruby Lane.

They guarantee authenticity...if their seller says it's authentic, it's authentic. They claim that they hold their sellers accountable to be honest in their descriptions and their dealings. This particular seller has been a seller since 2008 with over 1000 sales, and no issues.

So, unless someone can prove to me otherwise...I'm believing they are vintage Shakers that I just happened to luck my way into owning for $20...b u t...I still have this nagging feeling they are repros...ugh!!!

Here are my shakers...

Too much flash...otherwise you'd see the round indention in the bottom.

Doesn't match the old

Even though the flash makes it look like it matches the repro salt cellar, it doesn't in person.

Color comparison with repros.

The other shaker I got at the same sale.

...and then there were two!

I found another delphite Pyrex bowl online and it just arrived the other day...I was surprised at the difference in the color!

Now the big question is...do I try to find two lighter bowls, or two darker bowls...or do I just find the 402 in whatever I can find it in and keep it a mix match set?? What would you do??

180+ Miles of Michigan Garage Sales!!

This morning, Auntie and I took off on an adventure, south and West of where we live. We traveled the US12 Heritage Trail Sale. We started in Saline and worked our way up and down driveways all the way to Coldwater. It was a TON of fun!

We had beautiful weather-bright blue sky, big puffy clouds and under 80 degrees! Even with spotty service, my Google Fit app showed almost 2 hours of walking (Auntie's Iphone app showed almost double, because she had service everywhere we went).

This route had a lot of distance between the sales. We drove considerable amounts of miles without seeing anything, but when we did, we usually saw a few clustered together. For the most part, we stayed on US 12. We did venture off a few times, but never very far. Clinton seemed to have the largest concentration of sales.

Next Friday, Auntie and I (and a co worker) are leaving even earlier and will be traveling the Michigan Yard Sale Trail (around the thumb of the mitten-starting in Algonac). I can't wait for that trip!!

I didn't take many pictures today...unless you count the ones where I thought I turned my camera off on my phone, but didn't and it was taking pictures as I was walking...of the grass, the road, my shoes...does anyone else do this? Or am I the only one??


Purple is still my favorite color...I should have bought this, it was only $20.

These reminded me of my grandma-she had these in her get-away place in Detour, on the St. Mary's River.

This was one of the bigger sales along the route. It looked promising from the road. It had lots of stuff, but not the vintagey stuff that we were looking for.

This was a fun, unique wind chime-I wouldn't mind making one!

 We saw lots of really cool old houses, unfortunately, I only got a picture of one. Look at that sky!!!

Have you ever seen a tin can man? They were selling these for $10 each. I think I could make one for a lot less, if I can find an old metal coffee can.

 Saw this at Coldwater Antiques...what is it with me and cabinets?? I'm almost addicted to them as much as I am to bowls!!

This was also at Coldwater Antiques...some days...

Mr. has been buying these old steel file cabinets up all summer and he keeps them in his barn to hold tools. He usually only spends $5 each on them. Today I found one and it was a great deal...too bad the drawers wouldn't open more than an inch or two. It was in pretty rough shape.

These are my finds from the trail today...all of the shakers came from a vendor at the Rentschler Farm sale, the Pyrex came from a church sale and the table cloth, believe it or not ($2) came from an antique mall...because it has spots and a small fray on an edge that is a few inches long. I also picked up a Huey Lewis and the News record for my youngest son -it just didn't make it in the loot shoot.

I picked up the tablecloth and kept wandering around the mall, and when I walked past that booth again, I noticed they had placed another tablecloth in the empty place, The replacement cloth was $23. I'm wondering if the first cloth was just the chum-to get me to bite and then they were hoping to reel me in with the more expensive one. It didn't work. I've never spent that much on a tablecloth, and I don't plan to either.

It was a FUN day, filled with LOTS of blabbing, LOTS of laughing, LOTS of walking LOTS of driving and GREAT TIMES!!!  I can't wait for next Friday's adventure!!

Have a GREAT weekend!!!

Another GPS Bites the Dust!

Yesterday, after a nice catch-up lunch with a friend that I haven't seen for a few months, I set off to see what I could see. I found a few sales in an area that I've never hunted in before and decided to go for it. All of my guys were working and no one was expecting me to be anywhere, so why not!?!

One sale advertised that a vintage Pyrex collector was down-sizing,and it was worth the drive...I did make the drive, because I talked myself out of going to a different sale a few weeks back where there were tons of Pyrex because I thought I'd be too late in the door, and wouldn't find anything good. Since not going, I've reminded myself that you have to go to find it, so I decided to go. This drive was only about 25 -30 minutes-so NBD if everything was already gone.

What I found was DWD and only a few pieces in colors that I don't collect. I mapped out a few other sales in the general area, so it wasn't a total loss. I really love the Yard Sale Treasure Map App. It makes finding sales and getting to them a lot easier than the old pencil and paper way that I used to do when I first started shopping on driveways-if you have service on your phone.

While I was out, my GPS started acting funny, so I pulled out my phone to double check it. Sometimes my GPS would be sending me to the right and my phone would send me to the left!! Most people ask why I even still use a GPS...the answer is simple, my phone doesn't always have good coverage and I really don't want to end up in an area that I know nothing about and not be able to find my way out-or home. Basically, T-mobile has coverage anywhere that I'm not (at least it seems that way to me.).

I visited a few sales and then decided to hit some malls and shops that I haven't been to in a while. I also stopped at The Birdcage Antique shop since it was on the way to the other two. I was just there recently, but since I was driving right by, I had to stop!

I kept going and visited the mall where I used to have my booth. I pulled in the parking lot around 3:00-ish and there were only 4 cars (workers cars) in the whole lot!! I thought maybe they were closed for something special or a power outage, or something, but their OPEN sign was on, so I went in.

As I was walking in, I recognized a couple of dealers who pulled up to park. It was really weird how quiet it was! I only saw two workers the whole time I was there, one behind the counter, and one who was walking the floor. I pretty much had the whole place to myself for at least 20-30 minutes. Then a few people came in, and by the time I left there were 8 cars in the parking lot.

It used to be my favorite mall in the area because it had tons of character and variety with great displays, and great treasures at great prices. Now, not so much. Most of my favorite dealers have left, and what's left is the same stuff, repeated in booth after booth. I lost count of how many booths are filled with industrial, shabby, french country-type stuff. Most of it doesn't even look old-just new stuff made to look old! I miss all the vintage and mid-century dealers that were there when it first opened. The stuff that's in there now, is not my taste, so when I have free time to hunt for treasures, I don't plan to use my valuable time to go there, I'll be heading to places that I know will have what I'm looking for, or at least the potential to have things like that. I wonder if there are any others who feel the same? Or, could I be the only one?!?

There's another place not too far away, and I've only ever found something to buy once or twice in all the years that it's been open, I keep stopping... hoping, but no luck there either. They too seem to have a lot of the same things. Not so much industrial things, just common stuff that you see in every mall.

When I got home I still had some time on my hands, so I did a couple of searches to see if there was going to be anything interesting for today. I found an ad for the outdoor Flea Market at Collette's. I've been to the indoor flea market several times, but never the outdoor one. So Mr and I headed out on an adventure this morning-starting at Collette's.

Fortunately, for us, I know how to get there because my GPS screen went white and stopped directing us. It did this right after our trip east, but after plugging it in to my laptop and updating it, it has worked fine. I could have it search for and find points of interest, but it couldn't direct me to them. I could push the button to go home, but it couldn't process the request and actually direct me to home-or anywhere for that matter.

The flea market was fun to visit, I'd say there were maybe 25 dealers set up (not the 70 dealers that the CL ad boasted). It was a gorgeous day to be out and we got there pretty early and we were pleasantly surprised that the mall was open that early too. I've seen some of my favorite sellers move on from that mall as well, but they seem to keep a pretty good variety of things throughout all of the booths so it is never the same old same old when you go in, Sure, there are some booths that have the same stuff month after month-you have that in any reselling place, but there are enough booths that keep things fresh and stocked with new stuff that it truly is a treasure hunt-one that I look forward to everytime I visit!

If this had been my first time visiting, I think it might have been my last. The cashier was so not friendly! She even asked me if I wanted my bowl wrapped...uh...yes please! who wouldn't want it wrapped? She loosely wadded a piece of newspaper around most of the bowl and dumped it inside of the the hatbox I bought-none to carefully either!

Since  I'm somewhat of a "regular", I know that their other cashiers are not like this. Usually, they are very friendly, and even chat with me as they total up my purchases, taking care to treat my treasures carefully and gently. I'm sorry she wasn't happy to be there or doing what she was doing at that particular time...I hope it was just a one-time thing, and not the new normal for them.

Mr wanted to find a coin shop, so we ended up old downtown Davison. What a sleepy,quaint, charming, lovely place!! I walked a couple of blocks to a jewelry/antique shop while he browsed for coins. The two ladies in the shop I went to were so friendly, it felt like I knew them before I met them!

Once we were on the road again, I decided to stop at another little place that I've visited a few times. I pulled in the parking lot, asked Mr the usual, "are you coming or staying?" and opened my door to get out. He said he was staying...and asked if I was really planning to hunt for treasures in a roofing place!!! OOPS!!! I didn't read the signs that were ALL OVER, I just saw the building, recognized it and pulled in. Embarrassment quickly turned to bummed out, that another shop is now gone-one less place to hunt for treasures!!

We did manage to find a few other places to stop and then an early lunch at Starlight Coney Island. They were PAACKED! It was a new to us place, and we weren't disappointed. Even though they were super busy, the food was fresh, fast, hot and very good!! The server was very attentive, even though she had several tables. I would most definitely go back.

While we were eating, there was a guy standing in the parking of a gas station next door. He had long, curly-ish hair and his beard was just as long. He was just standing in one spot, seeming to be arguing with himself. He was talking, pointing and gesturing with his hand, like he was talking to someone, but no one was around. He was there the whole time we were at the restaurant and still there after we went down the road to another little shop, then came back to head home. No one seemed concerned, it didn't seem angry, he didn't seem to have any weapons. He just stood there talking away. I wondered if we should call the police to try to get him some help. I also wondered if he could have been a pastor, practicing his sermon-hoping a passerby would ask questions...he seemed peaceful, not angry. I'm sure the gas station attendant saw him, and if they were worried, I'm sure they would have called for help-right!?!? What would you have done??

We're  home now, despite a non-working GPS, enjoying a lovely breeze through the windows in our sun room. Even though some not so great things happened along the way, it turned out to be a great day overall.

Here are my finds for the past couple of days and fun things that I saw along the way...


This came in the mail. It was an online purchase that was cheap enough it could have been and ITW piece-YAY!!

Got this for an upcoming shower I'm helping with. They want to do games, so here are some ideas!

I saw these and I'm wondering if my idea of making one like this but 4+ feet tall with a piece of a license plate for each county (83 counties in the whole state) is too over the top...should I downsize and go with something smaller like this?? I like the big pieces of the plates, but it seems too small.

I love these mirror and chalkboards.

This little table is so sweet! Too bad I don't know anyone with littles who could enjoy this!

These! Brought me right back to my grandparents vacation home on the St. Mary's River in Detour, Mi.. Oh how I wish for one more look at all the vintage lovelys that got sold with that place!!! I still remember the pink kitchen sinks and the turquoise tub, toilet and bathroom sink, and all of the funky retro dishes and kitchenware my grandma had in there.

I had to snap a pic of these for my friend Suzy ;)

Clever idea...buttons!!

Not yardsticks, just colored wood strips.

I fell in love with this too!

These were pretty cool to see all hung out like this.

1950's kiddie shopping cart.

Here's the menu from the diner-it even looks fun!

Looking forward to trying a coney next time!

 Stopped at this little shop. The sign said "OPEN", but the door was locked. As I started to walk away, a gentleman opened the door and said c'mon in, we just keep the door locked until someone comes up because they recently got robbed. He was super friendly, and made suggestions of other shops for me to visit when he found out he didn't have what I was looking for. I have to admit, the comment about being recently robbed and keeping the door locked didn't spark an interest of spending a lot of time there. Good thing it's a super small shop! I'd go back again, just because the guy was really nice.

I finally found my hanky box!! Almost a garage sale price too!!

I got these at Collette's...see why I was not happy with the "do you want it wrapped?" question? It's not every day you find these, especially at good prices! My first delphite-YAY!!

This is the vintage hatbox. It has a small crack in the top. It was cheap enough that I can overlook the crack. No, I'm not starting a hat collection...I was thinking vintage ornaments...storage and then at Christmas time, take the lid off and display them! I hope it turns out like I have pictured in my head!!

First attempt at rock painting...not the greatest, but could have been worse. I think it will look great in my flower bed. Looking forward to painting more of the U.P. rocks as soon as I can find something that I can paint a thinner line with!

 I picked these up for another project that I have in mind...I'll need to stay home once in a while to do some of these projects! ;)

The next two Fridays are treasure hunting Fridays...I'm sure there will be more adventures to share! Hope you have a great finish to your weekend!!! BTW--my youngest is passing along his GPS so I won't have to buy a new one-YAY!!! Do I just have bad luck, or do I burn them out by using them so much?? This is the 4th one now that's died on me...over several years, but still...