Estate Sale Finds
Last weekend we swung by a George Estate Sale. It was in Chelmsford which is a little bit of a ways but it was a great sale. I wish we had gotten there earlier.
I had to wrestle with some ladies upstairs for vintage Christmas ornaments but I managed one pack:
And a great little purse:
I also got 2 great baskets. One picnic basket and one laundry basket.
I’ve been looking for a picnic basket so I can make this cute end table:
And I bought books! I have a serious love of etiquette books. I have a large collection and I hit the etiquette book jackpot at this sale.
This one is my favorite:
But I got a whole ton!
I even got this awesome small book on men’s etiquette.
You can still buy it on Amazon.
The copyright date is 1897 but I’m pretty sure that it’s not a first edition. It’s in too good of shape though I suppose it is possible. I need to do some more research to accurately date it.
It’s also free on Project Guttenburg Here. If you’ve never heard of Project Guttenburg, I recommend you check it out. It’s how I read most of my favorite books. It’s books that are out of copyright available online. It’s a great resource.
I also got this great little book from GE.
There’s also a memo inside from the president saying that this book was for all of the employees. It’s very cute. I’m thinking it needs to be framed ASAP. I love it.
If that wasn’t enough junk, I also got a handful of national geographic magazines from the 30s and 40s for the back cover ads. Some great coke ads. I figure I’ll cut out all the ads and toss the rest. Those books are a dime a dozen.
This one’s my favorite but thee christmas ones will be cute framed for Christmas.
There were also a bunch of national geographic maps. Only a few really cool ones but I figure I’ll photograph and add them to the sell on etsy pile. I’d really like to get back into that especially for “envelope” items that are easy to pack and mail. I’ve got a neat 40s era southwestern US, a neat greater NYC region, a beautiful DC Metro one and a really cool UK one. Let me know if you’re interested. I can send more pics!
It was a fun sale. George is the best. I try to go to all his sales. We’re buddies. In fact, just the other day we were walking to get dinner in Arlington Center when we hear a “HEY” as George makes a right hand turn. He must have been in the area and recognized us on the street. You may think, well yeah, he probably doesn’t have many regulars but let me tell you, that’s not the case at all. Everyone who’s anyone in the re-sale estate sale community north of Boston raves about George. Except maybe black haired lady who is a competing estate sale lady but she’s mean.
Here’s his website: georgecoestatesales.com. If you’re in the greater Boston area and looking for someone to do an estate sale, you can’t do better than George. He’s honest to a fault and the sales are a family endeavor with both his wife and daughter working the registers. He even hires his teenage daughter’s friends to help be car loaders and general security. Definitely the kind of operation I’d support and not just cause I want to buy your cool stuff 🙂
P.S. George, I want you to get the estate sale for this house:50 Wendell Rd, Newton MA
Awesome!
Projects for Another Day: Throw Pillows
I’ve never been one to buy throw pillows.
Why buy when half a yard of fabric and you can make them!
These are some of my favorites that I think would be pretty easy to DIY.
1) Beaded Patch
This pillow from Joss and Main a while ago is elegant and sparkly. Any Number of Patches would do the trick to take a plain pillow and jazz it up.
2. Beaded Fabric
This is another pillow from Joss and Main.
Again, just a pillow cover with a square of beautiful fabric. This would be a great thing to make with an old dress with beautiful beading. Even a Wedding Dress momento.
Here are some fabrics that could work as well.
3. Embroidered Throw Pillows
This is right up my alley. I really like embroidery. I find it very relaxing. I’m totally going to make these. Just sketch out a design and copy it onto 2 squares of fabric to make a pair of pillows.
These are from an old One Kings Lane sale. I really like the greens on linen.
4. YoYo pillows
These are a little more country than I sometimes go but I think in pinks and purples in the Girls room upstairs, it could be really cute. Also, I just really like yoyos.
5. Cat Pillows.
These were a victorian thing. They would have these cat-shaped pillows. There have been reproductions for a while. My grandma had one, my mom had one, and I’m determined to have one myself.
I was thinking that it might be neat to take a picture of Vector and print him on a pillow. What do you think? Creepy or Cute? I guess if you have to ask…
There are all sorts of variations on the classic tabby cat pillow. This is one of my favorites.
Arm Chairs in the Kitchen
I’ve got a vision. Actually, Vector had the vision but I translated. And he’s a cat..what does he care if I take credit for his ideas! So, I had this idea to put a comfy chair in my kitchen. I do own beautiful Bar Stools and have placed them at the dining table, but a nice and comfy chair in the kitchen isn’t a bad idea. A place to rest while the cookies are baking or a place to curl up with a book while watching the comings and goings of the kitchen.
I put this chair at the foot of the stairs.
Vector loves sitting there. LOVES IT!
I put the freshly washed pink blanket on the chair to go upstairs and he liked it even more. It’s right on top of the heater vent and is a nice cozy corner. I’ve decided I need a nice comfy arm chair at that very spot. I’d like something small like this little chair I reupholstered.
Here’s a before and after:
I would use this chair but it is white and I’m a little attached to it. I may just suck it up and use it but in an ideal world, I think the spot needs a vintage or retro pink pattern.
Here are some other chairs I was looking at. It’s really hard to find comfy chairs in the smaller proportions that the space needs.
What do you think? Should I use the white chair or keep looking? I’ve already given it one coat of scotch guard. Maybe I’ll give it a second coat and stop worrying.
Sarah
Cutting Holes in Plaster and Lath
We also went to work getting the electrical box holes made. Our technique was to start with a tile bit on the roto-zip.
We used that to cut through the plaster in a controlled fashion. I’ve seen that you can use a utility knife and plan on dulling the blade with each cut but since we have the roto-zip, we used that. The roto-zip makes a HUGE mess so the shop-vac attachment is a must even in our dirty dusty house.
After the plaster is removed from the opening, we changed out the bit for a multi-purpose wood bit.
For the low-voltage work (ethernet, cable, and phone) the backless low-voltage boxes will work. However, we are having insulation blown in and the backless boxes are just going to fill with insulation and make a big mess so we opted to use plastic boxes.
I’ve still got a bunch more boxes to do but this is a well-compartmentalized project that I can do between helping Stefan with the “heavy lifting” on some of the bigger projects. I am determined not to just be a tool girl but at the same time I have a hard time controlling some of the tools so projects like these outlet boxes are great for me. They allow me to get stuff done independently of any heavy machinery.
That’s the short version of how to cut a nice hole in plaster and lath. Do you have any preferred plaster cutting tools or does the term plaster and lath just make you ever more thankful for your nice drywall walls?
Sarah
