Hot Town = Cool Finds

Our attempt to escape the hot summer days in Florida failed today. Since it was so incredibly hot (it was hotter in Pulaski than in Lakeland) we decided to hit up some stores and soak up some a/c. We started out at a consignment shop right outside downtown Pulaski. There was a ton of cool stuff throughout multiple rooms and two floors of this awesome old house. Through the volume of beautiful items, the one thing caught my eye immediately was this set of red bowls. I thought I knew what they were thanks to an episode of the Nate Berksus Show, and after turning them over I was happy to see that I was right. In the corner of this consignment shop was a collection of vintage Fiestaware. Despite the fact that these bowls were my favorite color, I knew that they worth something. After looking around the rest of the shop, contemplating a purchase, I decided to get the bowls. The lady running the shop was surprised that I got the four remaining bowls at ~$15 a bowl and apparently pleased enough that she gave me 10 % off. Later I did a search online and found out that these bowls  are at least 50 years old and could be as old as 85 years. Red is also more rare than other colors because it was discontinued during the war. While it was surprising that these bowls were in such good condition for being so old, the more surprising thing was that each bowl can sell for $75 a bowl. I'm not going to sell these guys since I like them so much, but I was shocked to find out they were worth so much! I've gone to so many yard sales and shops like this and I think this is the first time I've found anything of monetary value.

This was our big find of the day but we did come across a lot of other cool things. We stopped to get lunch at Arby's and in the parking lot we found this

In case you couldn't guess, There is a large Amish community in the Pulaski area. I thought this was really cute  especially with the buckets for the horses.

After lunch, we headed down into Syracuse where we went to Christmas Tree Shops, where we picked up some inexpensive curtain rods, and then went over to T.J.Maxx where we intended to get a cutting board but came out with a couple of cooking books and a couple of light weight shirts for Nate. We did find some other cool things while we were there. Check this stuff out.

I really love this chair. It was really comfortable and beautiful (Nate even thought it was comfortable). Unfortunately, at $200, it is a little too pricey for us. Plus it would never fit in our car in its current condition :).

This bench would be a perfect replacement for the bulky table we currently have in our living room. I think it is a simple enough design that I could make a similar version for less than its $90 price tag.

This might be another cool DIY project. It is rolled up magazine pages attached to a picture frame.

Nate really like the idea this one. He liked it even more once we realized it said "SHELL" instead of "SHOLL". I think that is the reason it was marked down and the reason we didn't pick it up.

Our last stop was Lowe's. Here I picked up some ring clips for my curtains and while Nate scoped out electrical supplies for his sister's house, I checked out the ceiling fan department.

Mamma Fan

Baby Fan

I really thought this little fan was cool. I think a pair of them would look awesome over a counter in a kitchen. I also like the bigger version but it doesn't have the cuteness factor of the little one.

We headed back up to Pulaski after Lowe's with our new ideas, purchases and managing to survive the heat of the day. I don't know if it was the heat, the shopping or staying up way to late, but we were tired! Unfortunately, it is still hot out and sleep is evading us. I hope your night is much cooler and you are getting the sleep that we are not!