Shop Dixi Dress & More Estate Sale Leftovers

Sometime last night it hit me that I forgot to upload one of the photos from my estate sale haul. I don't know how this one could have slipped by me since I love both these swimsuits so much, but somehow, amongst that big pile of vintage I collected, I completely forgot about this photo. The blue one is in spectacular condition, and the white one only has a problem in the breast area. There's not any damage to it at all, it's just that both breast cups have collapsed creating a deformed shape for the boobs. You can't really tell when it's on because there's so many gathers around the breasts, but I was still trying to figure out how to fix that problem. Any ideas?

Also, I got a lot of questions about estate sales yesterday. A lot of you from out of the country were asking if these sales were just an American thing or if they had them in your town too, but unfortunately I have no idea! I've heard from a lot of Americans that they don't have them in there towns either, so maybe it's just a southern thing. Basically estate sales are held when older people either move or die. I know it sounds awful, and it's for that reason that my boyfriend hates going with me (he doesn't feel right rummaging through other peoples lifetime collections of stuff). I did a pretty thorough post about them a while back, and I think it helped a lot of people understand how they work. If you guys don't have them in other countries, I can't understand why not! People move and die everyday leaving material things behind. There's no sense in keeping that stuff around or throwing it away. If I lived in a town that didn't have them, I would see about starting up a company that hosts the sales, but that's probably just the entrepreneur in me.

I know I should be doing a post about the Pirelli Calender right now, but I've got three sets of outfit photos that I can't wait any longer to show you! I should have never designated such a strict schedule for posting the calendar because, of course, that just makes me not want to do it.

I've been itching to show off this Shop Dixi dress ever since I got it on my doorstep a couple weeks ago, but I've been holding off until my Cynthia Vincent platforms came in the mail. I'm glad I did because I like the two together. I love the girlishness of the ribbons all over the dress, and the fact that the collar is detachable. Shop Dixi is feeding my collar addiction right now, and they didn't even know it!

Dress: c/o Shop Dixi

Vintage Hat: Thrift $3
Purse: Thrift $6
Cynthia Vincent Shoes: Ebay

I wish I could tell you how much I spent on the shoes, but I'm too embarrassed to mention it. I missed them when they were on the Target racks and had to suffer with the wretched Ebay price tags.

Also, one last bit here before I go, I've been featured by not one but two awesome friends as 'Blogger of the Month'. Thank you so much Annie & Amanda! To check out the interviews just visit Time Enough for Drums & The Upside of Wonder.

Estate Sale Jackpot

I haven't been going to many estate sales in the past few weeks because I stopped receiving email notices about when/where they're being held. I wasn't sure why the emails had stopped because I knew for a fact that the sales were still going on. When my friend Hannah asked me to go to Fridays sale with her she showed me the email to prove that the notices were still going out, I couldn't figure out why I had been taken off the list! After a little digging around in my email I fount the culprit to be my 'spam' button. I guess once upon a time in a hurried rush to get rid of all that junk that fills up my mailbox I accidentally spammed one of my favorite pieces of mail! I can't believe I haven't been checking my spam folder anyway. So much stuff can easily get lost there, and I'd never even know it. I've learned my lesson and started checking it now though.

I'm glad Hannah showed me the email because it ended up being a killer estate sale where I found lots of goodies for the store and for me! I hardly think you need my commentary on these items, but I'm still gonna tell you why I love everything.

A girl can never have too many purses, especially vintage ones.

A bird print shirt from the 40's; I'm secretly happy it has stains on it so I have a good excuse to keep it.

I'm a collar feen these days.

A pretty, stained dress that I'm certain is also from the 40's. I'm going to have to work some oxyclean magic on this one so it can get to the shop.

An Albert Nipon polka dot shirt from the 70's which is my prize for the day. I love it so much. I love the navy ruffle blouse too, but it's a little big for me.

My other prize from the sale that I almost put back but am so thankful that I didn't. I'm pretty certain that it's also from the 40's. I'm in love with the sheer material and the layer of peach fabric that lies beneath the brown. It kind of made me think of Avalonne.

Some very, very old boot covers. I'll probably list these in the shop too because they're too small for my ankles! But just so you know, I would totally wear these over my shoes if they fit.

Vintage shoes that aren't a size 5! They fit me too (size 8), but I still might slip them to the shop.


Finally, something that didn't come from the sale but instead as a gift from Amber for helping her out with her hat business. She spotted it at a thrift store and bought it for me. :) Sweetie pie.


Do y'all like seeing my purchases? I'll try to do this more if it's something you all are interested in seeing.

4 tips on estate sales & my latest finds

Today I thought I'd show you what an estate sale adventure is like from start to finish. I know a lot of you are unsure when and where the sales are held in your town and what exactly to look for once you get there so today I'm offering some tips that should help you become more familiar with how exactly estate sales work.

1st up and most important you need to find out what companies (or people) are holding estate sales regularly in your area. In my town that includes Roy Dudley Estate Sales, Sales By Nancy, Sales By Anna, and Estate Sales By Katherine. It's almost a guarantee that at least one of these people will be hosting an estate sale each weekend, all you gotta do is find out where their sales are. Start by looking in the classified ads under yard sales and garage sales, and after a few weeks the names will become more familiar. Once you've started visiting the sales you should keep your eyes open for any sort of business card, these will aide you in finding out how to join their email list. Now that your on the mailing list you should receive an email anytime a sale is happening.

Here's an example of the latest email I've received:

Estate Sale by Katherine

The Estate of Virgina Sadler

5108 Crest

Pine Bluff, AR

January 21, 22 & 23

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

MasterCard, VISA & Discover Accepted!

Lovely home completely packed! Sale includes several very nice bedroom suits, very nice mahogany blanket chest with Queen Anne legs, antique sectional lawyers bookcase by Globe-Wernicke and several other nice bookcases, mahogany china cabinet, large oak sideboard, oak china cabinet, George Steck upright piano, corner cabinet, mission style harvest dining room table and chairs, large functional server, Eastlake dresser, wonderful chandelier, several nice arm chairs including needlepoint chair, secretary/china cabinet, several end tables, coffee table, sofa, loveseat, recliners, grandfather clock, outside pole clock, advertising clock, several other antique shelf clocks, mirrors, lamps, pocket watches, pocket knife collection, old cameras and projectors, antique medical bags with antique surgical instruments and old medicine and old physicians call lists, old toys including old Monopoly game and board, Geronimo in box, Custer and Johnny West with accessories, antique toy Singer sewing machine, Uncle Sams Dime Register bank, Hot Wheels, coins including Indian Head, stamps, J.C. Higgins Model 583 .16 12 guage, Winchester Model 550-1 .22 with scope, confederate money, old wooden boxes, old dolls, old medicine bottles, antique powder horn, old Indian wool rug, 1940's Arsenal badge, Yamaha PF 2000 keyboard, Yamaha PSR - 180 keyboard, lots of sheetmusic and music books, 2 nice desks, lots and lots of nice china and glassware including a 99 piece china service and a 51 piece china service, lots and lots of stemware and crystal, pressed and cut glass, sterling and plate, Bavarian china, several nice German vases, several nice oriental accent pieces, Fostoria, punch bowl, Niloak swirl 10" vase and Niloak swirl bowl, depression glass, Nippon, Kewpie dolls, lots and lots of lovely linens including quilts, vintage table linens, bed and bath, lots of costume jewelry, 14k jewelry, lots of ladies clothing sizes 10 - 14, some petite, vintage lingerie and evening bags, old steamer strunk, sewing machine, old buttons, some craft items, cross stitch books, lots of books, old books, cook books, old childrens books including Raggedy Ann and Andy and Little Colonel series, TV's, VCR, Stereo, turntable, speakers, computer, printer, doll houses and doll house furniture, old eyeglasses, picture frames, old pennants, boy scout items, posters, old sword in scabbard, musical bell collection by Lennox and Steiff, lots of Christmas items, Shirley Temple pitcher, model planes, old paper items, old military leggings, KITCHEN IS PACKED ----- small appliances, Pyrex, pots, pans, dishes, flatware, utensils, refrigerator, washer and dryer, GARAGE IS PACKED ----- Homelite LR 4400 8 HP generator, ladders, wheelbarrow, Kawasaki GD 700 A generator, yard tools, hand tools, metal shelves, work table, Craftsman 6.75 lawnmower, battery charger, shop fans, lots of shop items, leaf blowers, metal buildings, patio set, concrete statues, benches, vices, old records, old iron tea cart and much, much more!

Directions: From LR - South on 530 to Pine Bluff, take old Warren Road exit (exit 41), turn right on old Warren road. Take next immediate left on Bobo, then right on Crest. Follow signs.

You see how exciting these emails can be! They actually help to determine wether the sale is worth your time or not.

2nd on the list is figuring out which day to go. Generally the sales run from Thursday to Sunday, but sometimes they end on Saturday's. On the first day they're packed and things are sorta expensive (for an estate sale), but by the second day prices have dropped to 20% off and by the last day they're usually down to 50%, the hosts just need the stuff to go. Sometimes it's a tough decision. On one hand you want to see all the incredible first day stuff, and on the other you want all the amazing deals, so I guess it just depends on how curious you are!

3rd is knowing what to look for once you get there. When I get to a sale I'm usually pretty excited. With so many rooms and tables set up it seems overwhelming at first, you just have to break things up into sections. I start by going to the room with the clothes! I see if there are any vintage pieces (be sure to check for stains or holes!), and then I head to the other rooms. I pretty much do one lap around the whole place to make sure there isn't something really exquisite lying around, and then I make a second trip. On my second trip I go real slow making sure to look at dresser tops, floors, beds... anywhere where things are sitting; you never know what you could find if you take your time and look real good. I look for clothes, hats, collars, belts, camera equipment, pillows, blankets, sheets, posters, frames and photos before finishing up with the costume jewelry. There's usually a ton of jewelry baggied up in plastic tubs which is why I save it for last. I sit down and sort through each tub individually looking for cameos, charms, necklaces, and rings, and lately I've been looking for more broaches to pin on my headbands.

4th and final, you pay and leave with all your found treasures. To show an example of things you could find and the prices that your looking at, here's just a few things I picked up from the sale in the email.

I actually purchased a couple dresses too, but for the most part this is everything I got. My total before the 20% discount was nearly $80 and after was $63. I know some of that camera equipment is worth more than $63 alone, so I'm satisfied with what I spent for this sale, and I know I couldn't have found any of it at a retail store.

I hope this advice can help you make the most of the estate sales in your town!