Yard sale and thrift store recent finds

2 vintage but rusty sad irons that I found in an antique/thrift store, in nearby Buzzard's Bay.The sad irons need to be sanded and then blackened. I love old sad irons and they make for wonderful door stops.
 my newly purchased sad irons resting on top of a lovely crocheted scarf that are on my Princess sewing machine cover. I paid 50 cents for the scarf and $5.00 each for the sad irons. The irons had been marked $10, so I was very happy with my finds.

Have you ever stopped when out driving when you saw items at the curb with a free sign? Most times I just slow down and look, but if something catches my eye, then I will stop and get out to take a look.
Earlier this fall, a neighbor up the street had a huge pile of items by the curb with a free sign and I stopped to check out some chairs that were there. The chairs weren't any good, but poking thru the boxes I found a cute chicken cookie jar, a wire chicken container (I picked those up for Steven and Robin) and a bag of aluminum cookie cutter (which I kept for myself). I love the old aluminum cookie cutters and in the bag I found that all but 2 of the cookie cutters were one's I didn't already have.I already had some of the diamond and club shapes. Yeah!!!
  In the bag were...4 rabbits, lion, Scottie dog, camel, 2 horses, club and diamond shape, and what I thought was a baker. I posted pictures on Facebook and a friend wrote to tell me it was a troll and not a baker, and she had never seen another one before I posted mine. She had only seen the one that her mother passed along to her.  I had never seen the troll and when I did a Google search I couldn't believe what people were asking for this cookie cutter.
 click on website...aluminum troll cookie cutter set
decorating booklet that was part of the set.
 
I found it interesting that the Wrigley's chewing gum company offered this cookie cutter decorating set.
In the bag with the cookie cutters I found the troll cookie cutter and the aluminum decorating tube and tips that had been part of the kit, but no booklet.
 my aluminum cookie cutters, biscuit cutter and old aluminum decorating tube. Some have wooden knobs for handles.

On the way home from Buzzard's Bay, on route 28, I decided to stop at the Salvation Army store. I don't usually find anything there, but what the heck, I was going right by. I had been looking for a few months to find 4 used maple kitchen chairs, in good condition that could be used with a drop leaf table that I gave my son. The table is 60 inches round when both drop leaves are up, and with the extra leaf in,  it becomes a 72 inch table. The chairs that came with the set were big captain chairs and took up too much space. I poked around in the store and I came across the chairs in the photo below for $14.99 each. I inspected the 4 chairs and all of them were solid and in good shape and better still..I liked them. I took the price tags from the chairs and headed to the register to check out. I was so glad that I decided to stop.
  
On the way home I stopped at Steven and Robin's to see if she liked/wanted the chairs..she loved them. The chairs just need a good cleaning and polishing. The chairs look good in the old farmhouse where my dad was born.

When out and about last week, I stopped at a local charity thrift shop and when I was in one of the dark trailer storage bodies I found an old Domestic treadle sewing machine that had a $100 price tag on it. I had to move some things around  and take items off of the machine to get a better look at the machine. Wish I had been able to get a better look to find the serial number of this machine to find out when it was made.
While I was looking at the machine one of the workers came over and told me he could give me a very good price..so I asked what that would be...$40.oo. This machine had a fiddle base, coffin top, and is a vibrating shuttle Domestic. I didn't buy it..no room for another treadle. Below are a few photos that I took with my phone..sorry they are dark, but the lighting in the trailer wasn't good. The wheel turned, it needed a new belt and the table needed lots of TLC.
coffin top Domestic vibrating shuttle treadle sewing machine

attachments in one of the drawers with a few long bobbins
lovely legs and treadle , 4 drawers
Fiddle base machine with long bobbin on bobbin winder. Click on the photos to enlarge them for a closer look.

Below are some random photos that I've taken recently.

I saw several noisy crows the other day in a grass median strip near Michael's craft store. The crows were busy pecking and tossing hunks of grass. The crows would cock their heads to the side, listening. I guess they were looking for grubs to eat. The crows were moving and tossing the dried grass pieces so fast I was lucky to get a photo, which by the way I took thru the windshield of my car while I watching them.
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Sassafras tree fall foliage near the cranberry bogs.


Oh, and if I didn't already have enough cats...here are 2 photos of a most lovable, stray, male that I have been feeding outside for months. I've named him Smokey. This afternoon I put a dose of Frontline on him. I am seriously thinking about taking him to be neutered at the vets and keep him. I feel bad as he cries to come inside the house. I believe at one time he belonged to someone and he was dropped off somewhere nearby.  Smokey is around the yard most of the day and then heads towards the wood at dusk. I'd love to find a nice home for this good boy, but in the long run...what's one more cat. (LOL)



4 of my 6 rescued kitties
bird watching looking out through the screen window in the bedroom. As I was leaving the house I saw the kitties looking out. I stopped the car, rolled down my window, and took a photo. Aren't they cute? They love bird watching.
Elaine