summer in montana

Happy 4th everybody! We packed the car and headed for Montana on Friday, so I've been neglecting my blog for a few days. We're spending the weekend in Bozeman and tomorrow morning we will head up to Fort Benton, a small town situated on the Missouri River where I grew up. A week of summer vacation in Montana is just what I needed—the hypnotic sound of sprinklers in the morning, thunderstorms in the afternoon, and chirping crickets in the evening.

Since we're in Montana for the week, I thought it would be appropriate to share a garage sale find by Kellee, a Modern Thrifter reader from Montana. She managed to score this wood cabinet for $10 at a recent sale in Great Falls. Kellee loves garage sales, but since she's planning to have one of her own this summer, she's promised her husband to only go once a month.

bozeman image by meganpru via flickr

garage sale of the season

Recently, a Modern Thrifter reader sent me a link to be what promises to be the garage sale of the summer. Mark your calendar for Saturday July 17th, and head to the North Seattle/Shoreline area. Here’s are just a few of the items they will be selling:

Funiture:
Hans Bolling teak 2 tier table
Folke Ohlsson upholstered Dux lounge chair
Danish teak side and coffee tables
and more

Household:
Dansk
Le Creuset
Descoware
Copco
and other enamelware and cast iron

Fabric & Clothing:
Marimekko (!!)
Sven Fristedt
Marjatta Metsovaara fabric wall panels
1940's florals, dress fabric yardage, prints & Hawaiian
1950's, florals, prints, dress fabric yardage, atomic barkcloth & childrens prints
1960's & 1970's cool midcentury prints, abstract, dress fabric yardage, nursery & children's fabric

Other:
Vintage kids books
Vintage Games
Vintage linens

The sale starts at 8 a.m. and if the prices are reasonable, I'm assuming this stuff is going to go fast, so get there on time! The craigslist ad didn't have the exact address listed, but it's near the intersection of Greenwood Ave. N. and 145th St.


Thanks again to Marin for sending this my way!

friday finds: salt & pepper shakers!

Tomorrow is my birthday, which means I get spoiled by my wonderful husband and kids, but it also means that my driver's license needs renewing. Before I could do any thrift store shopping this morning, I needed to make a stop into the DMV (woohoo). I was prepared to spend all morning waiting to hear my number be called, but I was pleasantly surprised that the whole process—picture and all—took under ten minutes. Here's a little tip for when it's time for you to renew: go to the Department of Licensing on Aurora and 185th! They are so much better than any of the other locations I've tried.

Because the licensing office was so efficient, I was able to make two stops this morning to do some thrifting. First I stopped into Goodwill. There wasn't much there that I was interested in, but I did find some salt and pepper shakers for $1. They aren't quite as impressive as some of the other ones I've seen on Etsy and other sites, but I'm happy with how clean and simple they look.

Next, I stopped into what may have been the worst advertised church rummage sale I've ever seen. I noticed a sandwich board on my way to drop Alden off at preschool that said "CHURCH 9-3 Friday & Saturday, 8th NE." I assumed they had unintentionally left off the important words "Rummage Sale," otherwise, that would be one long church service. I drove to the church, and I didn't see any other signs, but I parked anyway, and walked around the building looking for the sale. While I was circling the building I saw this sign—on the ground, with some deflated balloons:


Finally, I found a back door with a little flyer and some arrows. The sale was about as good their signs, but I still managed to find a few nice things that were really cheap—a gorgeous wood bowl for $1, a super cute winter hat/scarf combo for Tula, and some other clothing items that I won't bore you with. Between both places I spent a whopping $3.50 this morning.


Send a photo of your most beloved thrift store purchase to modernthrifter@gmail.com, and I'll pick a few to feature each Friday.

saturday events: house tour & flea market

This Saturday Docomomo WEWA, a non-profit organization "dedicated to the Documentation and Conservation of the Modern Movement in Western Washington," is hosting a house tour of architect John Rohrer's 1949 home. The cost is $5 at the door, and no reservations are required. Stop in anytime between 1 and 3pm. I am really hoping to make it to the tour (and really, really hoping they let me take pictures).

Also going on this Saturday is the Meridian Park PTSA flea market. I've never been to this event, so I don't quite know what to expect. It's just down the street from us though, so I'll probably take a quick look around. It is from 9am to 3pm at Meridian Park Elementary.

an antiques roadshow moment

Driving around this weekend I realized that garage sale season is in full swing. There were signs for sales nearly every other block, and of course, I had to check as many out as I had time for. I drove around most of the morning with nothing to show for it but a $1 pair of boots for Tula. I regretfully missed a great deal on some fabulous green chairs at a sale in Wallingford, and I figured the best part of the day was simply walking around in the sunshine.

Later in the afternoon I went back out to go to a certain store in search of a gift for Patrick's 30th birthday, and on my way I decided to stop at one last sale. I'm so glad I did. There were tables and tables piled knick-knacks, toiletries, disheveled doilies, and nearly every other cliche garage sale item you can imagine. Signs stated that everything was 1/2 off the marked price but most items weren't priced. The first thing I found was this cute little plastic deer. I guessed it would be around 25 cents, and I thought it would be a hit with Tula. She loves it, but I inadvertently set it on a nightstand next to my new clock and decided they were a perfect pair. I think she'll be okay with setting it there when she's not playing with it.


I also picked up a beautiful glass pitcher. I'm a sucker for anything white and wood, and I figured it couldn't be more than a dollar. Ready to pay, I asked how much for both items. $1.50. I offered $1.25 because that's the change I had, and got back in the car.

When I got home, I decided to do a little research on the pitcher. I've never really bought anything second-hand that was worthy of a trip to the Antiques Roadshow, but I always hold out a little hope. Thankfully, the pitcher still had a label with the maker's name, which made the google search much easier. I soon found out that it is a 1960 Jacob E. Bang piece produced for Kastrup Holmegaard Glass in Denmark. I can't find an exact price but a similar pitcher (minus the bamboo cane and the label) is going for $140. Not too bad for my little $1 investment!

I still haven't figured out a good place to keep it. I bought it because it's pretty, and I want to put it where I can see it, but with two kids and hardwood floors, my options are a pretty limited.