A small village perched on top of a mountain in remote AZ doesn't sound like estate sale paradise, but it has been pleasantly surprising to me. I've purchased treasures up here that have traveled from most of the continents--nothing from Antarctica yet--but one never knows.
I particularly like estate sales because I'm fond of old decorative items that are rich with history. Books, paintings, souvenirs from travels, handmade linens, fads from past eras, jewelry, furnishings--its all out there just waiting to connect with a new owner.
AZ, like Florida, attracts retirees by the bezillions from all over America and beyond. These retirees move in with all their earthly goods and seemingly enjoy life to the fullest in places like Sun City, Sun City Grand, etc.etc. Alas, upon passing, not many survivors want the work and expense of moving any of the earthly goods back to frigid New York, Chicago or Michigan. Estate sales are a constant in the Valley of the Sun.
Throughout the sixteen years we've lived in Yarnell, a few local industrious types have "cleaned up" Sun City estate sales and added to their incomes by hosting semi-annual yard sales. I count them as friends--good friends.
The decorative items in my craft room/guest room are locally purchased from faraway places. The masks were made in Mexico from metal shortening cans, now a dead art, as plastic has been the packing material of choice for decades.
The Aztec painting was done by an artist in Colorado; I won the Aztec calendar pendant hanging beside in a "white elephant" game at a staff Christmas party. Cost--one dollar.
The side chairs were $3.00 each in desperate need of repair. Light sanding, ebony wood stain and leopard upholstery fabric transformed them.
The big cat painting has sparked a bit of conversation. I thought it was an ocelot, friends said definitely a leopard. Doesn't matter, it was a bargain for $5.00 and the colors are great with our Wild Horse brown wall paint.
The grey elephant side table, origin unknown, was $15.00. My mom saw me admire it and gifted me with it on one of our estate sale quests.
The African painting is worth a laugh--and the colors are good. When David asked which way to hang it I said I thought it was abstract, any which way. Didn't take our daughter, N.C., two seconds of observation to point out that it did matter. The bird is still standing on its head..
I paid a dollar or so for this one.
The decor in this room differs from the rest of the house in that most of our decorative items are Asian, many acquired from residing two years in South Korea. Many, however, were purchased right here in Yarnell at estate sales, of course.
FROM THE KNOTHOLE: Hey, it's me, up here. Psst. Today, I am the advice guy. Is your social life in the doldrums? Come to Yarnell where the quintessential social venue is the yard sale. So, go ahead, get crazy. Take in several yard sales in a day. Or, up the excitement a notch or two and hit an estate sale, too. Meet exhilarating people. Make new friends. Buy and sell priceless items. Yup, it's all right here, folks. Join the frenzy. Meet. Buy. Sell. And tomorrow? Well, do it all over again. The experience is endless. You won't want to miss a moment. And if you see Badboulderlady, please tell her to come home. I miss her. And let her know I just returned from Antarctica with a cage full of emperor penguins. Penguins, anyone?
a parting shot from bbman: math is hard. barbie
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