Crazy Good or Just Plain Crazy?

Before hitting the flea market on Friday, I stopped by a few estate sales. As usual, I had more luck at the one I just "happened" upon after seeing a sign on a street corner. I found nothing at the Flea Market. Nothing. Nada. I think I was just too hot and distracted. Oh well. On the way home, I hit a junk/antique store I had never been in before and found this . . .

Am I nuts for liking this? I've never seen anything like it, which I must admit was part of the allure. Of course, the Asian influence didn't hurt either, plus the bamboo/glass frame - so unique. It's a needlepoint piece which intrigued me even more. 

I think it would look great as the centerpiece of a room. I love the glass detail because it would allow your wall color to peek through and provide a contrast.

Needlepoint has experienced a resurgence in popularity lately in great part thanks to Jonathan Adler and his quirky and quaint needlepoint pillows that he uses throughout his interiors . . .

I love the homespun quality of needlepoint juxtaposed with modern patterns.

Some other little goodies I found at the aforementioned estate sale include an unframed oil or acrylic painting . . . 

Really like the colors in this one.

a framed piece of painted silk artwork . . . 

and lastly, a small mid-century bench which could use some new upholstery, but I love the shape.

All these pieces will make an appearance in the blogger Tag Sale (unless I decide to keep the stool for my son's room) we're hosting on October 1st. I know I keep teasing this, but I promise we'll be sharing more details soon (like the location and time) once details are hammered out. 

Hope everyone has a Happy Monday!

Source: Jonathan Adler (Google Images)

One of Those Weeks

I try not to complain, but I'm glad the past week is over. It was one of "those" weeks. I was ill most of the week (nothing major, honestly), but the most upsetting thing is that we had to re-home or adopt out one of our beloved dogs. It's a very long story that I won't go into, but suffice it to say that she needed to go live somewhere else so she could live a happy and well-adjusted life. It was a horribly sad and depressing decision to make, but we know we did the best thing for Coco. Thanks to the Chattahoochee Valley Bernese Mountain Dog Club for placing her so quickly. We'll always love you, Coco.

Coco is on the right. Piper is our golden retriever. This is an older photo. Piper is much bigger now.

Also, this big guy finally started Kindergarten on Thursday.  Bittersweet for sure.

His assessment of school so far (he's only been been two half days)? "It's fun, but kind of boring. The teacher just wanted us to be quiet all the time." Sounds about right.

On Friday, I was able to hit a couple of estate sales before picking him up at noon. It raised my spirits a bit. Here's what I found . . . 

This hand-carved decorative wooden wall-hanging with gold-leafed peacocks. It's pretty heavy and very unique, I thought.

This awesome (and massive) hand-glazed ceramic black marbleized lamp. It needs a new shade for updating purposes, but it's in great shape. It was made by the Frederick Cooper Co., which I honestly didn't know much about. They're still around apparently and have been making quality lamps for decades. I'm assuming this one is from the 70's. If you look on 1st Dibs or eBay they are worth quite a bit. 

And lastly, some small accessories that I thought were charming . . . 

A mid-century C. Jere-style brutalist flower sculpture. It's either brass or copper (or some metal that doesn't attract a magnet).

And this small metal, mushroom sculpture. I just thought it was cute.

All these items (and more) will either go in my online shop or the tag sale that a couple of other bloggers and I are having on October 1 . . . more details to come soon, I promise.

Here's to a happy week for everyone!

Shopping Update

Over the weekend, I managed to hit up a few of the estate sales I mentioned in my last post. Unfortunately, none of the featured items made it home with me (not that they were supposed to; you must understand when I find these things I'm often just pointing out pretty stuff not necessarily stuff I need).

Here's what I did bring home . . .

some brass accessories for the booth (or possibly Etsy - just another option I'm considering). These were from the same sale as this sofa . . .

which was in really good shape, actually. It was still there on the second day (which is when I went), so it was half price. Not a bad deal, and I'm still considering it for my basement (if I ever get around to renovating it into the space of my dreams). It might still be available. Hmm.

I also picked up these lovelies at TJ Maxx (it was around the corner from one of the estate sales, how could I resist?) . . .

The cutest beach bag . . .

and this hat and metallic linen espadrille wedges. Can you guess where I'm going soon? I just started reading the book on Thursday and love it!

Regarding the other items I saw at the estate sales, here are some updates:
This desk . . .

was priced at $1,200!! Yes, you read that right. And it was even more gorgeous in person. The sticker on the table read: "T. Frist" (all the items from this sale were from 8 different families/estates). Which I'm assuming meant Thomas Frist. For those of you not from Nashville/Tennessee, the Frists are, ahem, extremely wealthy. So, I think the desk was a little out of my tax bracket.

The next four items were actually part of an auction, not a traditional estate sale, and unfortunately, I had my daughter with me and my mother and son waiting at home for us, so we couldn't really sit through a 3+ hour auction. Bummer. One day, I would love to hit an auction and bid . . . ah, the thrill and emotion (I could conceivably get carried away though).

The marble top was not as pretty in person, but the drawers were beautiful. Overall, it was stunning, though.

Couldn't even find this, and the auction people were assisting others. Oh well.

This was up on a high shelf so I couldn't even get a good look or sit on it.

And this vase was tiny in person. So disappointing!

The other items were from a sale I couldn't make it to. So, not a total bust, but nothing earth-shattering. Oh well. I still love the thrill of the hunt. Have you found any great treasures lately?