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    Home » Budget Decor

    I'm A Picker

    Published by Pam Kessler | 651 words. · About 4 minutes to read this article. -

    And no I don't mean nose picker.


    I went to a unique garage sale on Friday at an older house with a rickety old garage. The old man had a bunch of stuff sitting outside the garage, but after I started talking to him a bit and he saw that I was interested in his stuff (he said some people had stopped by and said it was all junk), he invited me into his garage and started showing me other stuff in there that he wanted to get rid of. Stuff that wasn't originally part of the sale! I felt like Mike and Frank from the American Pickers show.

    First thing I spotted was this copper boiler. I've always wanted one of these to throw wood into or keep in my living room for warm, comfy throws or whatever. I just wanted one.

     


    Well, this one didn't have a lid with it, didn't have handles anymore

     


    and was a little "distressed", but I still wanted him. I negotiated the boiler down from $20.00 to $10.00 so he could come home with me.

     


    Then I saw this sort of cool mantle clock.

    Linda at Itsy Bits & Pieces had an ingenious and very cute idea to put a moon face on her old clock, so I had that thought in the back of my mind when I saw this guy.

     


    The wood was a little dry looking, but I thought I could probably bring that back to life. Or if I put a moon face on it, who cares what the wood looks like?

     


    This clock was made by the Hammond Clock Company that produced clocks between 1928 and 1941. Hammond Clock Company was eventually changed to Hammond Instrument Company when they started producing Hammond organs. Remember the Hammond organs from The Price Is Right?

     


    This clock started out being $10.00 when I first asked about it. He quickly reduced it to $5.00 when he saw I wasn't going to be paying $10.00. And then when I asked him if it worked and he plugged it in and it didn't, he lowered the price to $3.00. I thought my husband could probably get it to work since he likes electronic stuff, so I bought it anyhow.

    When I got home I Googled the clock company and found out that a unique feature of their electric clocks were that they were not self starting. If you had a power outage you had to push and twist a button on the clock to restart it and then reset it to the correct time. They thought that was a benefit rather than have the clock start back up with the wrong time when the power came back on.

    So long story short, I tried the trick and it works like a charm.

     


    I got this filthy Fiestaware plate for $2.50.

     


    Yeah, pretty much everything in the garage was dirty. Mike and Frank never complain about a little dirt though.

     


    And it cleaned up just fine except for a small flea bite on the surface of the plate (a flea bite is a tiny raised bump on the pottery that occurred during firing of the piece).


    I bought these Napcoware turkey candle holders at a thrift store earlier in the week for 90 cents each.

    Napcoware made a whole line of matching turkey table items (salt & peppers, soup tureens, napkin holders, etc) in both this colored version and a plane white version.

     


    They are not a matched set. Tom the turkey has a matte finish

     


    and his cousin Tim has a shinier glazed finish.

     


    Tom has warmer fall colors on his face

     


    and Tim has lighter, more pastel colors on his.

     


    Tom's feathers

     


    vs. Tim's feathers.

     


    But all in all, not a bad haul for an October week.

     

    « My Love Affair With Black and White Floors
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cat Nap Inn Primitives

      October 16, 2010 at 5:53 pm

      dangit Pam..I thought you were a nose picker..just kidding..that made me giggle though..you got some wonderful treasures..Can't wait to see what you do with them..;)

    2. Erin@likegrandmas

      October 16, 2010 at 5:49 pm

      WHAT?!?!?!? I can't believe you got all of this at those prices!!! I am so proud of you for going all AP on the old man! Great finds Pam, and too Marian has a remedy to bring wood back, she posted about it earlier this year. Glad you had fun, Love ya!

    3. La

      October 16, 2010 at 4:14 pm

      Looks like you had a lot of great luck. A flea bite wouldn't bother me at all...but the Michigan blue color...I don't know about that. :o) La

    4. Vicki

      October 16, 2010 at 3:55 pm

      These are great finds and I loved reading your detailed description about each item. The boiler is my favorite. I've seen plenty around here but too expensive. The clock looks like a great deal. So glad you researched and were able to get it working.

    5. Debbie

      October 16, 2010 at 3:15 pm

      Hi Pam...you did great! I loved what Linda did to the clock, so it ought to be fun to see what you do:) Glad you had fun picking.....Have a great weekend. Debbie

    6. Debbie@Debbie-Dabble

      October 16, 2010 at 2:13 pm

      OMG!! Hubby and I are addicted to American Pickers and Pawn Stars!! Since we run our church flea market , those shows offer a wealth of info for us that we would other wise have no where else to get.
      Love your treasures and you have to have vision to see past the dirt and grime to be a picker and that you have!!

      Debbie

    7. Linda

      October 16, 2010 at 1:52 pm

      Hi Pam! How fun! It's SO fun to be invited in to pick!! Doesn't happen very often! Great finds and you found a clock!! So nice of you to mention my project! XO Linda

    8. AntiqueChase

      October 16, 2010 at 1:40 pm

      FUN STORIES AND A GREAT POST TO READ.

    9. * French Farmhouse 425 *

      October 16, 2010 at 12:55 pm

      I just watched American Pickers last night!!Love that show~ LOVE your finds too!! Hugs, Rachel 🙂

    10. Susan

      October 16, 2010 at 12:36 pm

      You have a great haul!! I love the boiler and the clock!!

    11. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage

      October 16, 2010 at 10:51 am

      Love your finds!! - Especially that copper tub and the clock!! I just highlighted a party -goer yesterday at my blog that painted a big old copper tub- so charming!! Love how it turned out! Coming by from Debbie's. 🙂

    12. Marbel

      October 16, 2010 at 10:48 am

      Wow! You find the coolest stuff!

    13. High Street Cottage

      October 16, 2010 at 9:26 am

      Hi Pam, hey you found one! I love mine, even put the photo on my header. I did have a hard time deciding on the finish, but am happy with how it turned out. Still mulling over stenciling a name on it. But for now I love it, and it keeps my extra pillows cozy.

    14. NanaDiana

      October 16, 2010 at 9:08 am

      Pam! I love all your finds. I have a copper boiler from our farm and then found a 2nd one at a second hand store for $15. (I think). I gave that one to my daughter-in-law. My own sits on our front porch with seasonal flowers in it...and pine cones with lights hidden during the Winter season.

      You got some great finds! What fun to get invited into that old garage! Hugs- Diana

    15. marty (A Stroll Thru Life)

      October 16, 2010 at 8:40 am

      Such great finds. Love the boiler and the clock. Your turkey S/P are a great find too. Hugs, Marty

    16. Gail @ Faithfulness Farm

      October 16, 2010 at 8:27 am

      I too have always wanted one of those copper boilers...maybe someday! You scored!! I am a huge fan of Mike & Frank.

      Blessings!
      Gail

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