You Can't Make This Stuff Up: The Weird and Wonderful of Thrifty Finds

Sometimes we do indeed bring home the oddest strays.

We stopped at my brother's on Saturday night, on our way home from the beach house.  He and his wife have sold their Long Island home and are packing the camels and heading their caravan off across the desert, aiming for North Carolina.

Their new house is smaller than the house they are leaving, and that's why every once in awhile
I get a call from him:  "Hey, Cassy, you want the . . . .?" and I nearly always say, "Yes."

The latest thing -- an old oak office arm chair that our Mom painted
about 40 years ago, for the original Southold beach cottage.

She painted it glossy yellow.

Really yellow.

School Bus-Yield Sign-Crime Scene Tape-Screaming Yellow Zonkers Yellow.

This is the woman who, back in the early 60s, painted the walls in our tiny summer bungalow kitchen in a tasteful pale creamy yellow, thereby lulling my father into a false sense of security.  She then painted the 1910-era table and chairs in brilliant deep watermelon pink and green, and slathered the pink on the old round-top refrigerator too, just for good measure.

Mama was not shy about color.

Sadly, the chair's paint is showing its age.

There's a big chip on the back and scads of little bitty chips elsewhere.

My brother Lindy thinks I will strip this chair and restore it to its oakly dignity.  He is delusional.

I think it needs a new and gnarly paint job, don't you?  Color ideas?

It's going to live at our desk, where I blog if I'm not using the laptop.

The chair is perfect -- comfy, and it makes me smile.

Odd things do make me smile. Like the next two thrifting finds . . . a pair of -- ummm -- lamps.

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When we were out at the beach house back in May and attended a flea market at the Museum Houses in Cutchogue, I snagged two table lamps.

I say "snagged," as if I had competition for them.  I did not.

I think even the seller was surprised that I took them.

They are . . . interesting.

Because they are so big and tall, I had to leave them at the beach house till this past weekend,

as I couldn't fit them in the car back in May -- not with 5 people and Dion!

These babes are tall.  36-inches to the tops of the harps.

There are two lamps, but I only photographed one of them.  They are identical, and both in perfect shape.

Loaded with painted, gilded, and molded detail.

 Help me out here, folks.  What the heck are these?  They are not new, that's for sure.

Former oil lamps?  Buffet lamps?  Rococo?  What would you call them?

I haven't decided the fates of these old gals.

They may end up on either side of the high 4-post bed in the pink guest room,

where they are tall enough to shed light on a book being read in bed.

Or, they'll get listed on eBay and I'll leave them to their fates.

They do have a certain quirky charm.  Well, I think so, anyway.

The rest of my family is of another mind.

And on Saturday, Annie and I discovered that Eastern Long Islanders are intrepid yard salers and will follow the tiniest, least legible "Yard Sale Today" signs to the most out of the way places to find their bargains.  We followed signs for miles, only to come upon a house in the middle of nowhere, with 18 cars parked up and down the one-lane road.  Amazing.

At one house sale I bought this:

A 20-year old Fitz and Floyd bowl.

It's about 8 inches wide, about 3 inches deep.  Nice size.

I think it has a neat, woodsy, log-cabin-in-the-Adirondacks sort of look to it.

At another house sale, I found 5 old lamps, porcelain, of odd old designs and shapes and colors and I was sorely tempted, but my daughter Anne wisely shot me with an elephant tranquilizer gun and dragged me away.  A narrow escape indeed.

 . . . sigh . . . . 

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So, Tuesday's Blog Parties -- about thrifting

and finding and sharing those finds;

just click on the highlighted words to visit and be charmed!

Tam at The Gypsy's Corner hosts Three Or More Tuesday.

At House Of Grace, it's time for Bonnie's Twice Owned Tuesday.

And at Coastal Charm blog, Linda hosts Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays.

Have a lovely Tuesday!  I'm trying to get used to being all by my lonesome during the day.  Howard leaves in the morning at about 8:45 for the new job at Fox Business Network, and most nights will get home about 13 hours later.  I got so spoiled during his 5 months out of work!  -- Cass