"Estate Sale"................. brake, slow down, go around the block, follow the arrow............

This is part of the freedom of summer in the city.................

Being my own boss and having a business that meshes wonderfully with the whimsical, creative side allows me the luxury of detouring midday when I spot an "estate sale" sign.

It has been a busy summer for this decorator, however, I also take time to indulge in one of my favorite pass times...........sleuthing for "finds".................

I have one major rule for myself. I cannot take it home unless I can repurpose it. However, there are occasions when I just take home a "smile" at what I spotted. At other times simply a memory of a serendipity moment with a vendor hearing the story behind an object or tasting their produce. I cannot forget the people who make it possible for me to find whimsy in sometimes an otherwise complicated world.

Here are a few "summer in the city" finds that I repurposed and also some I had to leave behind but gave me a smile to carry on...my way.

I hope you are enjoying your summer and finding the unexpected in your day. Even if it is simply a good laugh.

Follow me:

My first piece of fine furniture was a coffee table I purchased in 1974 from Baltzan Fine Furniture Store in Edmonton. I followed an Estate Sale sign and discovered it was the leftovers of a life well lived and the home of the family who owned this fine store! I took it as a sign that I was meant to find a new home for a print by Ernest Walbourn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Walbourn called, "Where Bluebells Grow", at their happiest when growing in the dappled shade of deciduous trees, also a silver urn and a glorious mirror. I found a lovely poem about "Bluebells" I have included here.

Spring Morning

Where am I going? I don't quite know.
Down to the stream where the king-cups grow-
Up on the hill where the pine-trees blow-
Anywhere, anywhere. I don't know.

Where am I going? The clouds sail by,
Little ones, baby ones, over the sky.
Where am I going? The shadows pass,
Little ones, baby ones, over the grass.

If you were a cloud, and sailed up there,
You'd sail on water as blue as air,
And you'd see me here in the fields and say:
"Doesn't the sky look green today?"

Where am I going? The high rooks call:
"It's awful fun to be born at all."
Where am I going? The ring-doves coo:
"We do have beautiful things to do."

If you were a bird, and lived on high,
You'd lean on the wind when the wind came by,
You'd say to the wind when it took you away:
"That's where I wanted to go today!"

Where am I going? I don't quite know.
What does it matter where people go?
Down to the wood where the blue-bells grow-
Anywhere, anywhere. I don't know.

A country flea market and some very interesting objects.....Footstools that I felt might have escaped the Smithsonian......you have to appreciate the creative spirit behind the creation! Alas, I did not repurpose this one.

Stopped by a vendor whose freshly picked strawberries were the sweetest part of the day! OOH LA LA

A hand crafted turn of the century wooden spoon - perfectly fit with the hand carved wooden bread bowl - the onion is from my father's garden!

Guess what the next picture is of - give up? - it is linoleum from early 1900's. Like bark cloth these designs are showing up in floor coverings once again today...urban modern, mid century modern...terms that describe a resurgence of pre and post war designs.

I am crazy over Blue plates.........or the Staffordshire country scene designs. I also don't mind mixing blue plate designs so it does not limit me to one particular design. When repeated on a table they make a delightful statement. I recently bid at an auction on a box of Blue Willow china. It reminded me of the plates I ate on in the Chinese restaurants as a kid. There was a mix of reproductions - Japan, England, China. The story behind the Blue Willow pattern is fascinating. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_pattern