A Picker's Christmas Tree

Our Christmas Tree:

• 5 ft tall lime green tree with lights & lime green stand - $5
• 45  pastel stars - $3
• 6 boxes of vintage German clip on pink birds - $5
• Golf & tennis ball and golf shoe ornaments (with all of the pastels I have to take care of my Husband) - $5
• Pearl strands - thrown in with the pastel stars - FREE

         Grand total- $18 and
         darn cute as well!

Merry Christmas to All

Christmas falls on a Saturday this year, a weekend off from what I call "saling". I am enjoying my family and friends and am thankful for our time together! I have one question, are any of the gifts under your tree a find from an estate sale or thrift shop? Tomorrow I will post pictures of  my finds turned gifts... Would love to see yours as well, feel free to send me pics and where you found them!     HoHoHo

Junior League Junker



Me during my Junior League days back in
the early 90's. (note the rather large earrings)

 I started picking when I joined the Junior League!  I know you are thinking white gloves and tea, but no, that is where I discovered junking!  My very first volunteer placement was a local women's shelter thrift store. I help sort donations and helped shelter clients "shop" for items they needed.  The store was in an upscale area and I was amazed at the treasure trove that showed up through the back door. Need I say more?  A hobby turned into a passion turned into a business.

Basket may not be a great find, but it is an OK find!

There are great finds, good finds, OK finds, and not so great finds!
My American Indian(hopefully Pima or Papago tribe)basket is just an OK find.

I took it to a new friend who has been trading in Native American art since I was 2 years of age(ie quite a good while!) He said the basket is an "interpretive representation of an American Indian piece not made anywhere near the US sometime within the last 10 years".  It was probably made in northern Africa or the Philippines. Exactly what I did not want to hear.

The good news is the basket is well made, in good condition and does have a decorative value of between $50-$75. I will take it to a friend's consignment shop or my antique space to sell. I anticipate making a couple of dollars all the while having an enjoyable learning experience.

I emailed a thank you to my new "expert" and hope to have something of real intertest to show him soon.

Today's Find

I found this American  Indian basket yesterday at Salvation Army of all places. It is a whopping 19inches high and about the same wide. I think, well let's say hope it is from the Papago or Pima tribes. I do not know alot about these so I am going to call in an expert!  I paid $25.00 and am hoping this is a great find! I will report back. Thanks for stopping by, Tracy

BEFORE AND AFTER

BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES OF A GREAT FIND
(note, I left out a before picture of myself, be thankful)
I found these great pair of lamps at an estate sale for $25 each. They even had decent shades and finials, a rarity in itself.  I repainted the bases a deep brown and hauled them over to one of my favorite mid century home furnishing showrooms!  The lamps are priced at $850, voila!

Treasure hunting tip: While at estates sales always check the garage and patio. It is in the "dusty areas" that you can find unrealized treasures at lower prices than inside the house. All it takes is some vision and a little preserverance.  Happy hunting.