Estate sale findings

Navy Blue Lap/Crib Quilt - Check out the turquoise hounds tooth squares!

I have been incredibly slow to start my garage/estate sale perusing this year. Normally my husband and I start making lists of items that we are looking for in January. There have been times where we have gone to sales all year long but that is rare. Then around February or March, sales start up. But this year, our list was small. I even passed up on some large community sales. I also have a few other theories about my apathy towards the estate sales this year. Having been to more sales over the years than you could count, I have seen it all. So it takes a fabulous sale to really get me excited. Plus with the stress from work, I have not felt up to competing with grabby dealers (some of them can be downright vicious!).
However, this weekend I roused myself enough to go to a few sales - one in particular waterfront sale grabbed my attention. It really wasn't the weekend for cruising sales since it was the Fourth. With family and community events, pickings for sales are usually pretty slim. The waterfront sale didn't steering me wrong though. I found both practical and beautiful things. There were plenty of items for the serious collector (not me). And instead of going by my list, I just went with what my heart like - my painterly eye. Here's what I came up with!

At the top of the page, is the navy quilt that I scored for $5. Probably a crib quilt, the blanket appears to be handmade with pull through yarn on some of the squares. I love the mix of different blue patterns. And the backing is in a gorgeous soft navy flannel. It will make a great lap quilt.
The next quilt is a machine made, commercial quilt by Arch Quilts. It appears to be made in the 90's because of the mix of pastels and has the corner tag. It's not an extremely collectable quilt but I didn't pay very much for it and I love the mix of colors. There were no rips or tears. I took it home, washed it, and hung it out on the line.

Limoges Shell - It has two lovely ways to display it! 

Then, there are my last few items. One is a bit valuable. It took a dent out of my wallet. But it has some flaws, a chip and two odd flaws that may have been there since it's inception. But at a distance, it very hard to see them. Often when you see an item of such awesomeness, you just have to overlook the small details. And when dealing with vintage items, it is hard and next to impossible to find something that has not danced with the ding, dent, and crack devil. As you can see, by my photo, the white Limoges shell is absolutely stunning. I put a few objects next to it so you could get a sense of it's immense size. It was in the basement, not horribly dirty but still with a layer of grime. It had been placed on the fireplace seat and had probably been newly chipped while the sellers handled it. The chip has no dirt. I waited for it to go on clearance prices and so felt better that I didn't pay the hideous original tag price that they were asking for it. The piece inspired me so much! From both sides, the artistic detail are provocative, natural, and sensual. It just cried out to be a focal point in my dining room.

The second item is the rich turquoise vase that you see next to the Limoges shell. It was a whopping two dollars with a repair on the base. Unmarked and very basic, it is near worthless. But I love the color. Picture this vase with a huge bouquet of peonies. Or some summer pink roses! And the tall fluted shape reminds me of art deco pottery.
So what was my grand total? $38.