It's Rummage Sale Season!

I love spring for many reasons, but chief among them is that yard sales and rummage sales start and continue through the summer.  I love a good deal and I love pawing through other peoples' junk, so naturally I am in heaven.

Today I took the day off because it's my birthday, and I was happy to learn that a church within walking distance was having the first day of their rummage sale today.  It started at 11am and I was there--and it was so worth it.  I restricted myself to spending the cash in my wallet--about $5.60.  I ended up spending $5.50, and here's what I got:

In price order:

1. $2: a handmade crewel-work hanging of flowers in a lovely frame.
2. $1: A reusable bag with owls on one side and a pelican on the other.  These are great for toting around craft projects of any kind!
3. $0.50: a vintage book for identifying common weeds, for Meg.
4. $0.50: a baby name book.  I love names and I love having those books around for short stories and other writing exercises.
5. $0.50 ea.: two handmade round doilies.  These are truly lovely, about six inches across and edged with little blue flowers.
6. $0.50: a vintage ceramic holy water receptacle with the Virgin Mary on it.  I enjoy vintage Catholic art and figurines.  I used to collect them heavily, but now I just pick up neat pieces when I see them.  We have lots of Catholic art in the house, and aside from weirding Meg out a bit, it also confuses people who know that we are a Jew and an agnostic WASP.

One thing that I love/hate about rummage sales, thrift shops, and yard sales is all the vintage linens and crafts.  Sure, I love to find them for such cheap prices, but at the same time it hurts my heart that something that was created with such love ends up sold for pennies with a bunch of other junk that no one wants.  I love vintage linens both because I love the look and I love having them around the house, but also because I want to honour these beautiful works and the (usually) women who made them.

On that note: if anyone reading this has any vintage linens or crafts that they are considering donating or selling at a yard sale or something, SEND THEM TO ME.  Seriously.  I will pay for shipping.  And I will love it to bits.  This is especially true if you are related to me and the item is something that one of my distant relatives owned or made.  Don't just give this stuff away or sell it for cheap!  I will take it.  Stained, torn, holey--I don't care.  Or at the very least sell it for what it's worth--the right buyer will pay lots for a charming vintage craft.

Ultimately, it was $5.50 extraordinarily well spent, and I look forward to posting more rummage sale finds throughout the spring and summer.