Christmas at the Auction

I got two boxes of Christmas goodies at the auction. Most of the items have a vintage flair. Wanna see?

This photo is deceptive, the ornament is actually the size of a quarter!

I think this Santa was made by one of the kids in school. The red fabric reminds me of the old red long-johns.

These three pins probably aren't too old, but the colors are great!

And this guy makes me think of one of the 7 Dwarfs instead of an elf. Not sure I would put fire over his head...especially with my track record!

I've never seen Christmas combs before. Funny, the girl in the ad picture doesn't have one in her hair!

If I was sure it wasn't dry-rotted, I would so wear this one!

The wind chimes are stamped 1974...or is it 76? Still cute!

Where can I find this kind of pipe cleaner?

This cute little deer with the shag carpet style grass is adorable.

All you need is some greenery and poinsettias to poke in the back.

This cute tin plate must have come with a fruitcake on top.


And once you eat all the fruitcake, you have the recipe to make your own next year!

My favorite Christmas purchase are these beautiful Christmas cards. I'll be surprised if I can make myself send them out next year!

I have some very smart readers! I'll be posting the winner of my What the Heck is This? quiz tomorrow. If you haven't entered yet, you still have time!

What the Heck is This?

Last night, I got my auction fix. I haven't been to one since before Christmas! I was starting to suffer from delirium tremens. I hadn't planned to stay long until I arrived and saw the tables and tables of goodies with my name on them. (Plus, Chris, from I'm Not Old, I'm Vintage told me I would be a weenie if I didn't drive the hour to this auction when she was traveling 3 hours and staying overnight to get to hers!)

The next couple of posts will show you some of the goodies that came home with me. As you check them out, keep in mind I spent more on gas than I did on my goodies! It was the best $25 I ever spent. Plus, I made a couple of new red-neck, junk-loving, mouth-running friends!

Today, I have a quiz for you. Check out the photos below and see if you can guess what this little apparatus is. Make your guess and send it to me. I will make a pile of those who guess correct, get one of my fellas to pull a name from a hat, and I'll send you some goodies from my basement stash...and maybe one or two from the pile I brought home last night!

View of apparatus standing on the table

View of apparatus laying on the table

Looking down on apparatus.

Those of you who guess correctly will be listed with links to your blog after the winner is drawn. Make sure I have a way to get in touch with you...preferably, an e-mail address. If you don't have a clue, give me your most creative guess!

Have fun!

Witchy Woman

Last night, I went to my buddy's auction. Janet is a wonderful auctioneer. When she is in pursuit of a bid, she sings the numbers. She and her husband, Ronnie, take turns auctioning. Between items, they bicker and play which earned them the title of MY FAVORITE AUCTION. Last night was Janet's 49th birthday. Woohoo! Happy Birthday!




These auctions are always fun, but last night, the witch in me came out. From time to time, a woman, we'll call her Number Seven, shows up at Janet's Auctions and bids on nearly everything in the building. Number Seven must have unlimited funds because I have only managed to outbid her once...well twice, now.




Last night, I went to the auction because Janet had a beautiful pile of vintage pillowcases that I wanted to make into dresses for little girls. I planned to bid up to $22 for these. There were a couple of McCoy planters, a homemade ladder and a vanity that I wouldn't mind having either. A couple of the planters came up first. Ronnie was on his countdown and Number Seven was the only one bidding. I think she had a $2 bid for a beautiful pink McCoy planter. This just made me mad. I would pay up to $18 for that. My Number Forty went into the air and Number Seven wound up paying $19.




When my desired box of pillowcases came up for bid, I was ready. I started the bidding at $5. To my disgust, I saw Number Seven nod her head. I bid $7. She raised her hand. I bid $9. She raised her hand and held it there. This jumped all over me! My broom appeared out of no where and the witch was on a rampage! My $22 bid came and went. I just couldn't put my hand down. $30 came and went. At $35, I was ready to swat Number Seven with that broom I was flying around on. When the bidding reached $40, Tony's broom (from all the way back in Wake Forest) smacked me in the back of my head, and I reluctantly put my hand down.




I pouted and fumed. Before long, other bidders were commiserating with me. They had missed out on a bed or a table or a china cabinet or some glassware. We discussed syphoning the gas out of her car before the next auction or sending her a bogus flier with the wrong address or paying a guy to stand outside and tell her the house is already full and the Fire Marshall won't let anyone else in.




Since there was nothing else I could do, I set out to run Number Seven up on any item I even remotely liked (just in case she stopped bidding). This worked well until an old metal swing set came up. The bidding started at $25. Number Seven bid $30. Nobody else raised their hand. My Number Forty shot up. Number Seven sat still. What the heck? Come on! Somebody put your hand in the air! "Sold for $35 to Number Forty!" Well, shit! What am I going to do with that big-ass swing? And how in the heck am I going to get it home?

This swing and a box of wood shelves shaped like bows are the only two things I got. The box slipped right into the front seat. The swing was a different story. I backed my truck up to the loading dock and drug the swing set across the room to the big overhead door. Then, I stood there staring at the two trying to figure out how to introduce them. A man came over and asked if I needed help. Never one to turn down muscle, I said yes. I jumped in the back of my truck and he undid the swing from the bars and passed it to me. Next came the bars. Since they wouldn't lay down or come apart, all I could do was push one end up to the cab of the truck, grab a couple of ratchet straps and bungee cords and tie a bunch of huge knots.

I vowed not to take any turns too quick so it wouldn't tip out sideways and not to go over 60 miles per hour in case the knots came loose. If the swing set were to blow out, I would not stop to retrieve it! I said a prayer for any cars traveling behind me, called home to tell them I was on the way and hit the road. An hour later, I pulled into my driveway with all parts still attached to the truck. Tony and Rick came out to see my treasure. Both wanted to know what I planned to do with that ugly swing.

Well....Tune in tomorrow for the rest of the story!