Estate Sale Finds

Estate sales are such interesting events.  I've been to three so far, all quite different from each other. 

The first one I ever went to was probably the best.  I was leaving a girlfriend's house and saw the sign and just made a random, split-second decision to pull on in.  I drove up to what was a very large, extremely nice home.  It belonged to a top-level executive from Lowes.  He and his family were being transferred to Seattle and I guess they just decided to sell everything in their home rather than move it cross-country.  They had a ton of antiques in their home ... plus it was just fun seeing the interior of this gorgeous house!

This past weekend there was an estate sale at a home right around the corner from me.  I went over with a girlfriend and got some really nice finds.  These two botanical prints just had to come home with me.  I just love them.  They were marked $5/ea.

I also found this bag of pastel vintage Christmas ornaments, marked $3.  I'm a sucker for vintage glass ornaments.

Check out these outdoor placemats!  Oh my goodness.  Not for the faint of heart, but how could I resist these awesome orchids?!  They were marked $4 and there are eight placemats.
 

Plus, they look perfect out on our screened porch!
 

I didn't even try to bargain since we were there fairly early in the morning (10am), but the lady offered all of those items to me for $10.

Later on in the day, I ended up returning to the sale since there was a lamp I couldn't stop thinking about, and by that time (around 3), they were telling everyone who entered the house that everything was half off.  So, while the best selection tends to go early, if you are looking to score some deals, you can often do so at the end of a sale!  The lamp was gone, but I did end up getting two huge house plants for $5 each -- the type that would typically be $20-30 each at a nursery.

If you are looking for an estate sale close to your home, here is an awesome place to start: http://www.estatesales.net/

You can see when they are occuring in your area, and many times they will post photos of what will be up for sale.  That's how you can tell if it's worth your while to check it out.

Are you an estate sale shopper?  I want to hear about your best find!

***

PS: I'm seriously loving the comments on yesterday's post ... great advice for brides-to-be.

Don't forget to enter the Bellevue Newport $50 shop credit giveaway!