Bargains and Beauty at the First Annual Bellevue Neighborhood Yard Sale

It might just have been the birth of an annual tradition!

I'm talking about the First Annual Bellevue Neighborhood Yard Sale, here in the Pittsburgh, PA region.

Much like the Regent Square neighborhood sale, Bellevue promised the joy and anticipation of serendipitous secondhand. But where Regent Square is a fairly condensed area, and the sale has been going on for several years in a row, Bellevue's participating Victorian homes were spread out over the northern slopes, making for some fascinating items and a lot of really good exercise.

I was hoping for some shots with condensed yard saling activity in them, but topography just wouldn't permit! One of my favorite locations had tons of fabric remnants... virtually anything you might need, right down to a disassembled, hand-embroidered vintage quilt with squares just waiting to be pieced together once more.

I didn't buy anything there, as my sewing skills don't in any way equal my ambition, but I really enjoyed walking around, seeing the homes and the various items for sale, and thinking about how these things might find new owners who would truly appreciate them.

My buddy Scoobie did find an antique level, as a future Christmas present for her dad...

From a distance, it may not look like much, but this old tool still has a few tricks up its sleeve... or, from the looks of the metal plaque embedded deeply into it-- its toga.
Initials and a maiden (Columbia? Liberty?) tell a tale of days where detail mattered. I think Scoobie's dad is going to be thrilled. He collects old tools and cherishes them for both their form and function.

I also had a blast taking photos of local architecture, flora and fauna. This stained glass window, in what I believe is a chrysanthemum pattern, caught the eye...
The shingles need work, but the window continues to brighten the way.

I also loved these hydrangeas, where many different colors inhabited just one bush...
Some on their way out, some are still shouting of summer days!

And a butterfly bush drew in some friendly swallowtails who didn't mind posing for a brief fashion shoot...

I flapped on out of there myself feeling relaxed, entertained and glad for such a beautiful day. Here's looking forward to next year.

Treasure Box Wednesday: Shellfish and Not Sho Shellfish

If you put your ear to this shell, you can hear it say how cheap it was. "Baaaargain...." it whispers. "Baaaaaargain."

And this weekend certainly was good for those. In addition to several pieces of Pyrex shared with you earlier this week in the Pyrexia post (click here for that one), I found one gift for someone, and a number of goodies for me, too.

But first, let me say, on a sunny summer day, when everyone else was tanning themselves at the community pool, or riding down The Three Rivers in a boat, what was this pasty red-head doing? I was hitting the thrift stores and taking the road less travelled!

Why, if thrifting were like driving on the Autobahn, this weekend's shopping would have been Varvegneugen. The aisles were clear, and something happened which has never happened in this history of my going to the Red White and Blue on Route 51-- I got a parking space out front! (Normally I have to drive down an alley, over a bridge, and up an incline just to find a spot.) It was amazing.

But enough of that. On to the good stuff! So let's talk gifts. How about another dolly for my family friend?

This little gal reminds me of the character Mary from "A Secret Garden." And I'm thinking if I can find a nice copy of that book, and some flower seeds, it would make a really nice gift basket.

Speaking of books, there were a couple of those, as well. My shopping buddy on this adventure, Scoobie, well, she's a book-a-holic. Virtually any thrift, and she comes away with a stack of good reads. And this time, she found two for me, too, that thoughtful gal did! One from my friend P.G. Wodehouse, and one by Alice Hoffman.


Also uncovered was this great stack of eight old sandwich plates, and 2 platters, all in a thistle-purple color.


These seem to be from around the early 1900s (judging by their style, similar to the whiteware calendar and portrait plates I collect.) But I had no idea they made ones like this as dinnerware. So this was a fun find.

And speaking of fun, I came across one more World War II souvenir pillowcover. Another from the U.S. Army, devoted to "Sister." This one I think will work nicely in to my red-and-green living room.


And lastly, I'd wanted to share with you this cute little vintage bear planter. I don't know that he's necessarily of value -- other than to me, because I thought he was charming...


It was one of those things I just knew I'd feel bad about if I left it there in the store. And at a couple of bucks, the price really was right.

So, that's what was inside the Treasure Box. I found a couple of other things, but they are Top Secret at the moment, because they're going into a basket for an online friend who reads the blog. I promise I'll come clean on that later, though. I just don't want to ruin the surprise.

Click here if you missed out on the mania o' Pyrex from Sunday.

And, for everyone else-- thrift happy!