Estate sale shopping madness

Granny squares! Shiny Brites! Red! I went crazy at this estate sale!

Luray and I have lots of “junk shopping” experience, but Saturday morning was the first time we’d ever gone to an estate sale. It was impossible to miss: it was held at the business right next door to the Sage “Hint of Spring” show.

The property consisted of an enormous leaky barn filled with books and “antiques,” plus the contents of the adjoining house. We didn’t even have enough time to dig through the basement or attic.

I’m sure I wasn’t thinking very clearly after the initial adrenaline rush kicked in, because I bought a huge lot of Christmas ornaments. Yes, those are Shiny Brite boxes. There are quite a few more than I squeezed into the picture. I haven’t taken a good look inside them yet. So much for carefully examining the merchandise!

Be still my heart! I got over a dozen boxes of ornaments. Yes, they’re in kinda shabby condition, but I won’t agonize over crafting with them. Not one bit.

They’ve all been damaged to some degree from being in a damp, dirty environment, but they’ll be perfect for crafting. My priority is to spray the boxes with alcohol to kill the mold. I don’t know of a good way to clean the ornaments without further ruining their finish. Oh, for a sunny day to stick them outside! My sinuses are going crazy just having them in the house.

I also bought three granny square afghans. This one in fall colors is in pretty good shape. It has only one area where the stitching has come undone. It’ll be a quick fix. The other two need more repairs. I’ve never learned how to crochet. I predict a string of YouTube tutorials sometime in my future.

Okay, I’m not a big fan of fall colors, but this afghan was in great shape. Maybe I’ll take it to Pettengill in September.

This one in summer colors is made with thick yarns. It’s huge! It could easily top a twin or double bed. Or two people could snuggle together on the sofa. Hmmmm. We’ll have to try that before the weather gets much warmer.

Aren’t these colors happy? Better yet, both ManRay and I can snuggle under this huge Granny Square afghan.

This spring-colored one is my favorite. It’s crocheted with lighter yarns in softer colors. I’m sad it’s the one in the worst shape. Several chunks are missing, I’m guessing from mice. The holes are way too big for moths, unless it was Mothra, the giant nemesis of Godzilla.

My favorite Granny Square afghan from the pile. I have no idea how I’m going to mend it. Time to learn some new skills!

All three afghans reek of mothballs and mildew even after two washes on my washer’s “gentle” cycle. I wish I could hang them outside on a clothesline in the sun. Not today! The forecast is calling for steady rain.

A small delight: a few tubes of glitter. No idea what I’ll do with them. Yet.

Yeah, they’re probably not THAT old. I bought them anyway. It was the insanity of adrenaline, I think.

I also grabbed a bright red periodical rack from the book barn. It would make a great display for something. Something-I-don’t-know-what, though! ManRay would say “Road & Track” from his 30-year accumulation. I’m thinking vintage plates.

I’m trying to figure out a way to use this by an armchair. So far I’m failing. Maybe it would be smarter to recycle all the magazines!

I also bought a room-sized canvas dropcloth. When I saw it I imagined chopping it up and making it into painted floorcloths, but it’s such an amazing dropcloth I don’t think I can bear to repurpose it. It’s super thick and super heavy and super large. (No picture. Canvas dropcloths aren’t terribly photogenic. You’ll have to use your imagination.) ManRay was not thrilled with it. He thinks it’s a hint! (Maybe it is!)

Nothing was priced, and in retrospect, I probably paid way too much for what I bought. Good thing we didn’t make it to the first day of the sale–who knows what else I would have found to drag home? It was boatloads of fun and we filled Luray’s car to the roof. No kidding! We had to use her car top carrier to squeeze everything in!

So now it’s Luray’s turn for some Show ‘n Tell!