Found

At The Oakland Museum's

White Elephant Sale

My first stop was in the Housewares Dept.

 

 where I immediately spied this lotus bowl to add to my growing collection.

 I love its simplicity and the fact that it was made in Italy!

 I've been wanting one of these spray misters ever since I learned from my friend Kathysue that you should mist your orchids for them to thrive.

Each year I always seem to find one special bottle...

This one still had its original cork!

Love the etching above the label.
 

The label is not too bad either.

Of course it is made in France.

Moving on to the Knick Knack Dept., I found this wonderful pair of heavy wooden legs or balustrades with the most wonderful painted blue patina.

They have been re-purposed into candle holders which are perfect for our coastal inspired man cave.

I couldn't pass up this petite laboratory glass vial with its weighted bottom and etched measurements at only .25 cents.

I have a thing for old glass! 

In the Boutique Dept., I found these old brass knockers or door handles and couldn't pass them up for $9.
 

I'll figure something out... it is just a matter of time! 

And then just as my friend and I were leaving, I spied this handbag up high up on a shelf in the Accessories Dept. which was the splurge of the day for me.

Like I said, I can always find myself a treasure at The Oakland Museum's White Elephant Sale!

I'm curious, who has been or is going? 


 

White Elephant Sale

One of the things I always look forward to in the month of January is The Oakland Museum's White Elephant Sale.

I went to the "Preview Sale" yesterday with a dear friend that I haven't seen for awhile.

We had lots to catch up on while waiting in line together.

A lot has happened in her life since I last saw her... first and foremost being the birth of her first child, an adorable baby boy named Isaac. 

Once inside, we got caught up in the frenzy and I forgot to take photos. (Although I did manage to snap a few, mostly in the Art Dept.)

I like to call the White Elephant Sale or WES, "The Harrods of Junk," because it is set up by department and each one is run by a group of volunteers who do things "their way."

It's a bit frustrating because you have to wait in line in each department to pay for the items you wish to purchase before being allowed to look in another department, which makes it a race to find and secure the best stuff!

Fortunately, I don't play that game anymore... and am content to let the treasures find me.

(The one that got away... fortunately the nice young man that found it lives on a boat! Love how treasures seem to find the right homes.)

So in the midst of all the scurrying and racing around, I took my time and perused the goods offered in the various departments, housed under the massive roof of the very large warehouse that is home to The Oakland Museum's White Elephant Sale. 

The dedicated volunteers work there year round taking in and sorting donations, and then at the end of January they hold a " Preview Sale," which costs $20 to attend.

After that, for the entire month of February, you are allowed to shop there on specific days between specific hours if you have a guest pass or bring a donation.

One of the perks of attending the "Preview Sale" is that the admission fee eliminates the 10% premium that you have to pay when shopping during the month of February.

In years past, The Preview Sale, was greatly anticipated as you had the chance to see and buy "the best stuff" first, but unfortunately that is not the case anymore.

When I volunteered in the linen department back in 1999, we weren't allowed to buy anything or even put it on hold until "Volunteer Day" which took place a few days before The Preview Sale.

It was very special as all the volunteers were rewarded with a lovely lunch and day of shopping.

I wish it were still that way... but unfortunately things have changed and now the volunteers  are allowed to buy throughout the year, so even though it is still a highly anticipated event it is very picked over, which is disappointing.

(I took home this Mulholland Bros. bag)

One would be hard pressed to leave without finding something they need or can't live without and I am no exception.

I can still walk around my house and point out the wonderful things I've scored over the years at The Oakland Museum's White Elephant Sale. 

It is always something I look forward to during the long winter months of January and February! 

Men are just Happier People

I forgot how much I loved this post from my 1st year of blogging. Here it is again for those of you who might have missed it.
Enjoy!



NICKNAMES

If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah.

  If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla and Four-Eyes.      

 

EATING OUT

When the bill arrives, Mike Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it's only for $32.50.  None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.

When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

MONEY

A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.

A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.

BATHROOMS

A man has seven items in his bathroom:  toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, shampoo and a towel...

The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337.  A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.

ARGUMENTS

A woman has the last word in any argument.

Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

FUTURE

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.

A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

SUCCESS

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.

A successful woman is the one who can find such a man.

 

MARRIAGE

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.

A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does.

DRESSING UP

A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.

 

A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

NATURAL

Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.

 

 Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

OFFSPRING

Ah, children.  A woman knows all about her children.  She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.

 

A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A married man should forget his mistakes.  There's no use in two people remembering the same thing!

Things to love about JANUARY

Deep Discounts!
  

After receiving this email this morning, I headed straight for the nearest J. Crew store to see what I could find...

Let's just say I didn't leave disappointed.

On the contrary!




 I found just what I was looking for.

 
First up were some new boxer shorts for my hubby.

At 50% off the Final Sale price of $6.99, I picked up what they had left in his size.

Oh, did I mention that when I arrived at the store I was told everything in the sale section was an additional 50% off, not 40%! 

So when I found this gorgeous Thomas Mason for J. Crew dress shirt in my hubby's size, it was a no-brainer at 50% off of $59.
 

I love a man in a blue gingham dress shirt!

I snagged a pair of my son's favorite cords at 50% off $29.

And last but not least, something that I had on my wish list... a new pair of white denim jeans. 
 

The best deal of the day at 50% off of $19.99, regularly priced at $115!

 

I always look forward to getting the best deals and deepest discounts in the month of January.  

Find any great deals this month?


Check out the latest offering at 
Shop La Dolfina!