Going once, going twice... SOLD!

I've never considered myself to be a gambling lady but our trip to a private back yard auction while in VT had me wondering if all this time I have been wrong... I arrived skeptical and left a believer. I got the fever! 

The day before the big event we previewed rows and rows of furniture, clothing, tableware, and art. I felt certain that the things we liked would go for well outside of our budget but we decided to stay the course and return the next day. I took a seat in the crowd and it wasn't until the auctioneer started his act that I felt the need to get involved. You get someone up on stage yelling things out, a handful of people in the crowd waving their arms, and it is game on.

We started out responsibly - bidding on things we had been interested in the day before. These two chairs (upholstered in the same fabric but slightly different shapes) were our first purchase. Some new fabric, a good re-upholstery job, and one will be perfect in the empty corner of our guest room. At the price we got them for - the second one was just gravy.

Chairs and Ottomans = $90

And then we veered to the more frivolous side of things. This dollhouse had the girls drooling at hello. I myself had been to "The Enchanted Dollhouse" in Greenwich many times and was blown away by the price tags when buying one new. I had a feeling that this old lady - with her strong bone structure and fine details - had a lot of potential. Not to mention she came with 3 boxes of incredible furniture and dollhouse figurines. Each window was dressed with miniature window treatments, chandeliers (that really worked) were hung in each room, one of the walls was hand painted, and others were covered in beautiful wallpaper. We couldn't help it. We wanted her. And we won her.

Dollhouse and Furniture = $300

Such a Sweet Little Bannister

And then John left me to my own devices while he dealt with dollhouse details. Big mistake John. This is when the wheels fell off the tracks. I bought beds. We didn't need them but the price was so low... It felt so good raising that paddle... I had lost all control. Truthfully the person bidding against me was just pissing me off and I wanted to win. It was over before I knew it and we had new beds. And then John returned to rein me in. "You bought what?" he said. "Yeah, beds." I said. "For what room?" he said. "I don't know." I said. It was weird. And then thankfully we got home and realized they actually weren't too tall for the slanted ceiling in the girls' room. By 1 inch. Phew. I think they add a lot to the space. Don't you? 

Bed Frames  = $180

Next up - Barbiepalooza!! This "Lot" was by far the most interesting. There is very little I need to explain except that I can safely say that our daughters have been bitten very badly by the Barbie Bug. This collection is pure retro. The outfits. The perky little boobs. The fluffy blunt-cut bangs. The American Airlines travel bag for Stewardess Barbie. Can I get a what what?!? This win made us all happy. And yes the girls have been playing with them day and night since the auction.

Barbies and Clothes = $80

And then I realized you could get a little funky at a live auction in a back yard in VT. We decided to go rogue at this point and build our own lots. "Building your own lot" entails picking up all sorts of things you are interested in, putting them in one box, and asking the auctioneers to put them up next. I found a big 'ol pile of shoes and started to "pick". I knew God had me at this auction for a reason when I realized they were all my size. Oh, The Ferragamos. 10 PAIRS! I snatched them all and I also threw in 2 pairs of golf shoes, 1 pair of duck boots, 1 pair of snow boots, and 2 pairs of slippers for good measure. John added a big lobster pot because we needed one. And it was there. And the auctioneer thought the combo of shoes and a lobster pot was bizarre. I was glad the crowd got a good laugh out of our lot. 

Shoes and Lobster Pot (not shown) = $85

* Oddly enough it was only after I bid on, won the box of shoes, and went home to inspect them that I realized half the shoes were size 6 and half the shoes were size 6.5. Maybe God wanted to make sure I kept my feet on the ground (pun intended) and didn't get too greedy. I hear ya God and I am grateful for even one pair of these vintage Ferragamos in a size 6.5. Yup. I have issues with shoes. I'm seeking help.

I was feeling pretty confident with my skills by this point in the afternoon - we had literally been there for almost 4 hours. So I figured I would go for the gold. We have wedding china. I adore it. It's expensive. And it keeps getting more expensive each year. That's what happens with inflation. Duh. We have the basics but I fear the serving pieces will never be bought. BUT I found a GORGEOUS set of Limoges china at the auction with an abundance of serving pieces. And it matches (in an un-matchy way) with our set. Yahoo!  

150 Piece Limoges China Set = $160

The last lot was purely just me being slap-happy. I found a parrot here, a few limoges pillboxes there. Two interesting little plates here, and British Beatrix Potter figurines there. All very sweet and somewhat useless at the same time. Ha. That's what you get for taking me to the auction...

Figurines, Pillboxes (not photographed), and Plates = $60

So during our vacation in VT we kind of gambled and dare I say - won? While wandering amongst the goods the girls made friends with the other kids who were also milling about the property. It was a real throw-back to days gone by. No tech gadgets - just a day as a family at a back yard auction. And we left feeling like real winners. Gosh I love VT. Good things happen there. Almost all the time. 

The Girls (Em's in the car), Their New Friends, and Our New Dollhouse

* We drove home with the dollhouse hanging out of the car. It was funny.