Tag: Collecting

Collecting

100 Mile Kan-Okla Garage Sale

Big Red Barn Blog

We went on our last road trip, garage sale of 2022 last Friday. The Kan-Okla 100 Mile Garage Sale. We started in Coffeyville, Kansas, and ended in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. We got a car load of great items, made some new friends, went to some towns we had never been to before, and enjoyed a beautiful day! We took the traditional selfie in Coffeyville and hit the road early Friday morning.

Starting the Day in Coffeyville, Kansas

This sale was very organized and sales were fairly easy to find. We did not leave the road too much searching out garage sales. There were several large flea market type sales, out in the middle of a pasture. Although these are fun and enjoyable, you are less likely to find a great buy there. The best buys of the day were at a “HUGE” garage sale in someone’s backyard just north of Dewey, Oklahoma. We bough a lot of glassware, Fire King Charm, depression glass, Pyrex, 1950s style cocktail shakers, Forest Green Fire King, a Tom’s Peanut Jar, Halloween decor, flatware, and lots more!

Caney, Kansas, to Dewey, Oklahoma

We found the coolest little antique shop in Dewey, Oklahoma. She had things in her shop that we had not seen in years. She had some fabulous costume jewelry, Weiss, Florenza, Eisenberg, Trifari and more. Lots of old jars, Frankoma, crock bowls, linens, pottery, primitives, kitchen gadgets, and more. It was one of the best antique browsing experiences of my life. It’s in downtown Dewey, Oklahoma. On the south side of the street. You really can’t miss it! If you’re ever passing through Dewey, it’s a MUST stop!

Antiques in Dewey Oklahoma

Now for some garage sale pointers. If you are a part of something like this or even are having your own sale, if you do not mark ANYTHING, a lot of people are not going to ask you about a price! My advice is to at least mark a few things so people can get an idea of your pricing scheme. After about two hours of solid garage sales, people are getting tired of asking you how much something costs. They will probably just skip your booth and go on to the next one!

Also, accurate signage matters. When you are going to a long garage sale event, there are many, many choices. If your sign is sloppy, falling over, or gives me NO idea of where your sale is, I’m probably not coming!

We made great buys along the road and our car started filling up a bit after about four or five hours. We brought boxes, crates, and paper to wrap and safely get things home this time.

Somewhere South of Dewey

This was a great day. We bought some very rare pieces of cast iron, fabulous costume jewelry, oil fence signs, tins, hard to find glassware, old jars, tin toys, insulators, and more. Consider checking out one of these sales next year. Oklahoma has a few now and it’s a great opportunity to visit small towns across the state!

Stay tuned for news of the next Big Red Barn Sale! Announcement in the next couple of days!!

Jackie

Collecting

Antique Alley – Hwy 11

Big Red Barn Blog

This week, we are in Alabama at the Hwy 11 Antique Alley. It’s a lot like the World’s Longest Garage Sale, but MUCH less hot! It’s held annually the weekend after Mother’s Day and runs from Meridian, Mississippi, to Bristol, Virginia, on Hwy 11. Our first day, we began in Ft. Payne, Alabama, and started south on Hwy 11.

Alabama is beautiful. The morning was crisp, and a little foggy! Once you reach Hwy 11, you’re on the route. It’s very obvious. There are many, many stops with LOTS of vendors set up ready to sell. There’s a little bit of everything from genuine antiques and primitives to toys and new items. Once again, took a morning selfie when we were still very enthusiastic!

This is definitely more of a hunt for items. There are many, many overpriced items. We were shocked by what people were asking for some of the things we were interested in!! But, if you’re diligent and keep hunting, you will find some treasures.

This is a beautiful part of our country. We enjoyed the countryside, old, historic homes, and road side oddities!

It’s always a lot of fun to pick other parts of the country to see what’s different. Cast iron was EXTREMELY expensive the first day. We found a few great pieces, but mostly a lot of items too rich for our blood. We bought some great porcelain hanging lamps, probably the buy of the day and Longaberger baskets, for some reason there are a lot of these in Alabama. We also bought a few smaller porcelain signs. And, a really cool metal Christmas tree to hold cards or photos.

Ft. Payne, Alabama

Day two, we started in Ft. Payne again. We headed north and found some great buys. We finally found some reasonable cast iron to clean and sell, old egg baskets, and Coke trays. We found a lot of old, blue canning jars with the lids.

As you can see, sales are easy to find and generally easy to access. Husband found some great barbecue!

We finished the day in Georgia. We were really tired, but probably hit 50 sales. Made some great buys. Definitely filled the back of the van over two days. Met great people and had some great food!

The highs are obvious! This is a great sale! It’s EASY to follow the route and find sales. No mapping needed once you reach Hwy 11! Prices are all over the place – high to low. If you’re diligent, you will find some great stuff. A few things were less great – some people did not open until pretty late and some prices were really high.

We’ll definitely come again! Happy hunting!!

Jackie

Collecting, Crafting, Decorating

Recycle/Upcycle at the BIG RED BARN

Big Red Barn Blog

We had a great sale at the Big Red Barn this weekend. Hope you were able to make it out! I had a lot of great discussions with the buyers and lots of suggestions for upcycling/recycling items we sell in the barn. We get many, many artisans and craftspersons at our sale who are looking for items to make everything from robots to bird feeders. I’d like to share a few ideas with you.

This was one of my favorite ideas. This clever crafter, takes large round doilies and wraps them around different pumpkins at Halloween/Fall. Easy! She will just tie up the top for great holiday decor. I liked the idea of using the different colors of doilies. You could also experiment with the tie for different looks – ribbon, twine, fabric, etc.

Another idea was using the multitude of miscellaneous glassware pieces you can find at garage sales to make bird feeders. You could use milk glass, depression glass, etc. It’s a great use for pieces with a tiny chip, imperfection, or cloudiness. I liked the idea of using the square dishes or even the divided dishes. You could assemble them with a base, or not, and place them in your garden.

I also find literally, hundreds of punch cups at sales for practically nothing. Everyone is trying to get rid of them. I would suggest using old punch cups for a single serve at a party. They are perfect to hold desserts, snacks, salads, etc. They’re a perfect grab and go for your party and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Finally, the frames and trophy tops. People bought the frames to use for projects from simple painting to embellishment. The trophy tops were used as pegs to make hangers on a board. I thought this would be cute for a kids room. You get tons of trophies with no future life.

Thanks to everyone for the great ideas. More will be shared soon. Happy hunting!!

Jackie

Collecting

Rolling Pins – King of the Kitchen

Big Red Barn Blog

Throughout history, rolling pins have been the king of the kitchen. An early kitchen tool, these were essential for early kitchen baking and cooking. I have been collecting rolling pins for about ten years. Don’t really know how it happened, but I love when I find an unusual one at an auction or garage sale.

Early pins were carved from one piece of wood. The rolling handles came along much later, at the end of the 19th century. Of course, they are used to roll out bread, noodles, pie crust, and more. They are still manufactured today. And, they experienced a resurgence during the pandemic when home cooking and baking was more popular.

Some of the favorites!

The top rolling pin is the biggest one I have. It’s huge. It was probably used in an industrial restaurant or baking establishment. The middle, glass rolling pin has wooden handles. Although you see glass rolling pins a lot, I have never seen one with wooden handles that unscrew. Warm water was placed inside the rolling pin to assist with smooth rolling. I bought the yellow handle one at a garage sale. Although it’s pretty plain, I had never seen one with yellow handles.

The top pin in this group was carved in one piece. I thought the bore holes added a lot of character to this treasure. I bought the Kelvinator at an auction about ten years ago. Kelvinator was an American appliance company selling from the early 1900s. This looks 1940s to me. I had never seen one like this before. I’m sure it was a give away with a new refrigerator or appliance. Who knows, this might have been what started the collection! The last rolling pin was probably used for smaller cookies or pie crusts. I just liked the color and the look.

Although rolling pins are easy to find, one that is unusual is generally more of a treasure hunt. After ten years, I only have twenty or so. It’s still a lot of fun!

Happy hunting! Jackie