How Funny..

Look what is up for sale at our local antique auction house.....not that I will be bidding on it. I laughed though when I saw it since I had recently done the post.

Auction Treasure!

I TRY very hard not to buy stuff at the auction... unless I know specifically where I can use it in the house we are going to build. We already have a lot of lovely furniture that belonged to my parents and grand parents that I have inherited. With that said, this is the latest thing I purchased at an antique auction!

It is a huge 12 x 17' wool hand knotted oriental rug. It is used and needs to be lightly cleaned .. but it is really really beautiful!

It has just a touch of red... and I believe it will go nicely with my Mothers 2 wing backed chairs (currently in storage) .. and all to be used in the library / study.When I purchased this rug and measured it, I had to call our architect to tell him to increase the size of the study by a few feet... just to the rug will fit! The original purchase ticket was still on the back of the run and it said .... $10,000.00

Want to know what I paid for it?



Are you ready?



Are you sure?



Hold on to your seat....



I paid $250.00 for it!

Last Week At The Auction...

Honestly.. I should just post about this subject on a weekly basis. I LOVE going to antique auctions! Don said that soon I will have enough 'stock' to open up my own store! The reality is that I am shopping, not just for small collectables, but for the house we want to build.

Sadly, I do not have a picture of a table I purchsed. It is a beautiful victorian table that you would put in the entry foyer!

I really wanted this set of benches... but someone else wanted them a bit more than I did!

If you look at our Christmas pictures, you can see a small part of a very large collection (Thanks to my Grandmother!!) of hand painted bone china. This serving dish will fit right in with that collection.

..and I had to have this antique metal frame. My great great grandparents wedding picture is in a frame just like this one.. but my brother has it displayed at his home. No hurt feelings though.. because now I can just get a copy of the picture and put it in this one!

Auction Finds

I have purchased some really beautiful antiques over the past year and wanted to share them with you.
This is one of my favorites. It is a beautiful carved game table. The top turns and opens to double the size and has a green felt top. I LOVE to do puzzles and this table just called to me. Don't tell the auctioneer, but I would have paid double the price for this find!

I loved this antique globe. It is as elegant as it is useful.

This is a piano stool with metal tipped legs. 3 others were sold that night, but for some reason this one was lost in the auction items and did not go up for bid until very late that evening. It was not only the most beautiful one, but went for the lowest price!

These elegant andirons are lovely to look at, but after I purchased them, upon further inspection found them to NOT be antiques. No matter. They will look nice in a fireplace and they were reasonable in price.

I am currently collecting barrister book cases. Here are 2 of the 3 we now have. I want to have them permanently affixed into the library of the house we want to build... so I am still looking for a few more.

I love antiques. Not only are they unique, well made and over the top elegant, but if you are in the right place at the right time, you can buy them for a song. I have several more and will share them soon.

Thank You God!!!

Do you know how much God loves you? Here is a story that just proves how He cares about what we think is pretty insignificant!~!~!

About 2 weeks ago, I was laying down in our bedroom on the floor, playing with KC. KC lives inside with us most of the time because he has some minor back issues. This is my boy KC:







Anyway, while I was playing with him, I smelled this musty dirty smell and I immediately said, "KC! What did you roll in? You need a bath!" I leaned down to smell the back of his neck and realized that the smell was not coming from KC, but rather our carpet!!!

Oh the dread!!! I vacuum often, spot clean as needed and even use carpet deodorizer on a regular basis since we do have inside animals, but I never imagined that our carpet could still smell so musty!!!

Fast forward a week:
While I was shopping at Walmart, I made my way over to the appliance area just so I could check out the carpet cleaners. I love my Bissell vacuum, so I knew what I wanted...and there is was; a Pro-heat Bissell carpet cleaner:









A friend of mine has one of these and swears by it..(and her house is ALWAYS cleaner than mine!!) Looking closer, I saw that the exact machine that I wanted had a price tag of $250.00. OUCH! I thought.. I could buy it. I had the money. I could charge it too...but something told me.. that little inside voice.. that sense of NO... Do you know what I am talking about? I just knew that I knew NOT to buy it. Honestly, I felt a bit disappointed too.. but I left the store without the carpet cleaner.

If you read my blog on a regular basis, you know that I love to go to a local auction house. Well - only 4 days later, this very auction had a special Tuesday auction because she had so many estates backed up for her usual Saturday nights. Tuesday auctions are usually not as fun as the Saturday night ones. Typically, Tuesday auctions are for house hold items.. rarely are there any antiques and fewer people show up for these auctions. BUT - with that said, the items she has on this night also typically go for a lot less than they would on Saturday nights too. ....and guess what she had in this auction??? snicker snicker... God is just soooo good!!! Yep - I am now the owner of a brand new Bissell Pro-heat carpet cleaner for .... are you ready????



$60.00 BUCKS!!!

OK - I Have a Confession....

I think I am SERIOUSLY addicted to a local auction house! But - in my defence..I have been able to purchase things like this used child's Western Saddle (for my Grand Kids) for $20.00...


















..and this brand new Breyer horse in the box for $15.00..



















..and this lovely framed antique print for $60.00

















My daughter's have also benefited - Joy recently purchased a spotless beige colored sofa for $50.00 (was willing to bid up to $180.00) and a beautiful solid wood coffee table with cabinet doors for $70 (was willing to bid up to $200.00)

Emily and Daren just bought a huge house since they are transferring to Miss. (Daren is in the Air Force) They sold most of their furniture when they sold their last house and were in need of a large sofa.. They found a slightly used sectional. It has 7 or 8 pieces. One piece has a double fold out bed and 2 pieces are recliners. Are you ready for what they paid for it.... $20 bucks... TWENTY BUCKS...

I have also purchased many small silver items, Royal Copenhagen Soup/Pasta set $40.00, outdoor Iron table with glass top $20.00, set of 9 etched antique glasses $25.00..and the list just goes on and on..

Honestly.. I think I have been using this auction as my RETAIL THERAPY!

A Childhood Dream Toy...

When I was a child, my Mother used to get her hair done in a beauty shop that was located just a couple of stores down from one of the most upscale toy stores in the city of Houston. They carried many European made toys that were usually crafted of wood and leather...far superior to the normal plastic toys most children had. One thing this store specialized in though were toy horses... in many forms. Oh the envy I had for children who found such a toy (horse related!) under their Christmas tree. Well, although my parents were not poor, they were modest in their spending. That combined with the fact that my Father wished above all else that I did not have such a severe case of horse fever..meant that I would never get such a toy....

fast forward to now...

Through all of the confusion of what is going on with my Father and my husband... I have been able to treat myself to a local auction a couple times a month. Not one ounce of space for the stunning furniture that passes through this auction house, usually leaves me buying trinkets.. trivial things for fun.

Well, earlier this month, I was literally possessed when I walked in and saw this!



The moment I laid my eyes on it, all of those old childhood feelings flooded my head and my heart... I was on a mission. There was just NO WAY I was coming home without this toy barn. It is exquisitely hand crafted... a mere model of equine perfection!!!! I am not ashamed to admit that I have played with it all by myself.

Auction Find!

I LOVE to go to antique auctions! In fact - as you may already know, if you scroll down to the next post, these sterling silver cream and sugar bowls are my January Give Away on the Riding Aside blog and were purchased at such an auction!

I see stunning pieces of furniture - amazingly crafted and lovingly kept in pristine condition... Oh how I want to buy them! But - my small home will not accommodate any more furniture, so I stick with small pieces like this..

..and this..

...and this.

Well every so often, I also like to buy something for my husband. After all, he is so good about not complaining when I bring in more "old stuff" as he calls it! Well, last week I found some old coin collector books - you know the kind that has the small circle where you press the coin into it. He likes stuff like that and this set was all pennies, so I knew it would go cheap. The reason I found it interesting was because there were 4 steel pennies like this one. I believe that they were only minted in 1943.

He was really excited when I gave the books to him....but he was even more excited when upon closer inspection, one of the books had a page of these!Indian head pennies going all the way back to 1889!

Another Auction Find!

When I was recovering from my surgery I could not take riding lessons..and I spent my lesson money at the auction house! Well, here is one of the last things I bought. I love stained glass...but only this type and real antique stained glass. I am not fond of the more modern pieces.

Back at the Auction..

I am getting adicted to going to a local auction. It is fun to see the variation of what items go for what amounts of $$..and how that can vary from week to week. This week there were only about half the amount of the usual crowd..so great deals were at hand. Are you ready??? I spent a total of $58.00 and this is what I came home with:

Four beautiful Bovaria china double handled cups and saucers.

This was an amazing find for me. My Grandmother used to have a set of these and I wish I had hers...but second best was finding these. Let me explain...When I was young, I used to go to my Grandmother's house and help her make these amazing tea sandwiches. She was a member of the Eastern Star and when they had tea's, they always requested her sandwiches. She would cut the bread with flower shaped cookie cutters and then cut a circle out in the center of the flower. In that center she would cut olives or red pimento with these tiny cutters. The sandwiches were a work of art in themselves!

This sterling silver, mother of pearl and peridot pendant..

..also can be worn as a pin.

This etched vase has a sterling silver base!

A Night Out.

Last Friday evening Joy came to pick me up and we went to see the new release, The Time Traveler's Wife. I enjoyed it very much..but IMHO I thought the commercial about the movie gave too much away. Next we went to Joy's house where she made me dinner and then I spent the night with her. We had so much fun and it was SOOOOOO nice to get out!

The next day on our way home we stopped at a couple of my favorite thrift shops and picked up some great bargains. To top off another great day, we went to an auction with my friend Debbie and her husband where I bought this: An antique Cameo pin.

..and this..a ladies Mother of Pearl sterling pen and letter opener in the original box.

..and these! These bowls match the hand painted set of plates my Grandmother collected.