A Rainy Thursday Morning in Brogue, PA

It was such a rainy, gray morning, perfect to stay in the house and tackle Mount Laundry that had piled high on my family room couch...but there was an ad on Craigs List for a garage sale, rain or shine, in Brogue, which is just a mere 18 miles away. Can you guess which activity won out?

Lucky for me, I convinced Linda that this would be worthwhile trip and by 7:30AM we were making our way in her van to the wilds of Eastern York County. We did find the sale, which was being hosted by a very nice lady and her granddaughter, and we did find a few things. Linda got a big, oblong, rusted tin basin that would be great as a planter.

I can't decide which of my purchases I liked the best. I found a desk lamp and alarm clock from the 70's that was never used and still has the instruction book, very minimalist looking. But I also really like a pair of tin lidded canisters - big ones - that have an Amish design, probably 70's too. They'll both be on my etsy site in about an hour.

Now, for the strangest thing of the day, found at another Salvation Army store...who wants to curl up with the cute and cuddly teddy bear made of sharp sea shells?



OK, now to fold and put away Mount Laundry, but tomorrow morning...

Multi-tasking Wednesday

Whenever possible I try to combine a trip to a thrift shop with a trip required to fulfill my domestic duties, this saves time, saves gas...win, win.

Today it was a blond and a brunette in a Suburban as my friend Beth and I headed to York to run some errands - Sam's Club for supplies for Will's Boy Scout camping trip this weekend and ant killer from Lowes (the excitement in my life never ends!).

I talked Beth into a stop at the thrift store and she agreed, which was very nice of her because she has less than no interest in poking around old stuff, but she was a trooper and even carried a train case for me while I loaded a basket with ceramics.

As I was putting three Homco Christmas angles in my basket, which were my favorite find for the day (they are in my etsy shop if you'd like to see them), Beth spotted the freakiest find of the day...the three wise men made of coke bottles, a gold sparkly ornament for the head and felt coats. The sight stopped us in our tracks and she took a picture with her her phone so I could start what will be a regular feature here..."The Strangest Thing I Saw Today..."

And so I begin...

Since July I have been focused on hunting down lost and forgotten treasure in the south-eastern Pennsylvania countryside, and to that end, I have found myself in some of the most beautiful - and sometimes not so much - places I've ever seen.

Just last Friday I set out bright and early, this time without Linda, with a cup of coffee, the classified ads, a list I'd printed off Craigslist of local garage sales with a great block of music from XPN playing on the radio. I was in heaven.

My first stop was a gorgeous old barn, it looked very promising, but I left empty handed. They had some really nice things, just all way too expensive for me. My second stop was a dilapidated trailer with a few broken windows that was literally busting at the seams with what, at first glance, looked like just a bunch of crap. But in the end, I did find a couple really nice things, like an antique shadow box I sold just a few days later.

I have learned that you really can't judge what you will find somewhere just by looking at the house. The most promising looking places turn out to be duds, while another that you wouldn't even think to stop, yields a few worthwhile finds.

You just never know when you set out for the day where you'll end up and what you'll find, and that is truly the fun of it all.