The 69th Annual Hampton County, South Carolina Watermelon Festival!

You know how much the picking sisters love their small town festivals - and this was one of the best! The parade ran through Varnville, SC (near Brunson, Estill, Yemassee and Hampton) and included trucks, cars, golf carts, floats, horses and gocarts. Lots of our favorite kinds of folks marched or rode - Veterans, Boy Scouts, Teachers, Firemen, Marines, Shriners and of course, Ronald McDonald. There were beauty queens and little misses from local to national wearing crowns and sashes all representing watermelon festivals. It was a day of hometown pride and American traditions. Watermelon colors and designs were everywhere and it was HOT, HOT, HOT.

Antique tractors were a hit. Here's a Clemson fan and his tractor!

Silly Shriners are always forgiven their antics for the amazing

charity work that they do!

A Rolls Royce Golf Cart?

Remember Joe Wilson's outburst in Congress?

After the parade lunch and a little picking was in order.

Jeri's favorite two signs of the day:



What Do You Do With All That Stuff? Part 2

     Fair is fair, so here are photos of my home so you can see where more of our vintage pickings live after they are discovered on our picking adventures. None of them

 were expensive, but in addition to being reused instead of discarded they are

 unique and happy reminders of our travels.

Ignore my mess. This is my computer desk with an enamel metal top that used to
be found in lots of kitchens!

This painted rack for 45 RPM records holds my postcard collection.

I have vintage shelves everywhere. The Milkbone  jar was found
on our first highway sale for $1.00.

This screen separates my office from the bedroom. The size was perfect!

I love horses and paint by number paintings so these two are perfect. 

The biggest one was only $1.00!

A lovely shade of aqua on this shelf drew me to it. The bird painting was $.50.

My collection of sea-colored Christmas ornaments.

Small chairs make  great holders for my always expanding book collection.

I have three fixer-upper pets. They are all rescues and make grand companions.

This is Sallie, part Lab, part Rottweiler and 100% sweet.

This is Tiger in his Spanish mood. 

This is Jellie and she has a really  super sense of humor.

What Do You Two Do With All That Stuff?

     We know folks who follow us really want to know where all the stuff we pick ends up! 
     
     Well, there's our Etsy shop and a couple of yard sales and gifts and of course ...
what we keep for ourselves. This week you'll get a chance to see the amazing cottage of one picking sister and her super-creative use of vintage treasures in her home. This is truly reuse and recycle at its very best.

Even the porch is adorned with vintage finds - the mailbox, the plaster bird and the golf pin.

A bamboo tray for a bar and an old map for wall art. Well done!

The Bench Before

No vintage home is complete without a vintage dog. 

This cutie was rescued from a

nearby shelter. Is he cute OR WHAT?

Next week you'll see the other picking sister's home and how she uses

her vintage goodies. Best of all, you'll meet HER vintage pooch!

A Highway Sale in SC Peach Country!

 The Thrill of the Hunt for Vintage Treasure 
Takes The Picking Sisters to Highway 23

A Mosaic Tractor in the Center of Town

  Yep, they're Buffalo.

We guess this is how you know you're "out in the country"?

      The Picking Sisters headed out June 3, 2011 for the annual 

Peach Tree Highway Sale from Modoc to Lexington, SC along Hwy. 23. We shopped by the side of the road in Johnston, SC whose claim to fame is being The Peach Capital of the World. 

From farms and peach orchards to shacks and mansions, we traveled 50 miles of back roads down Main Streets where the train tracks run right through the towns. Silos, water towers and sugarcane fields share the landscape with pecan trees and magnolia blossoms. 

     The joy and surprise of a highway sale is always the way local folks setup on lawns, porches, and parking lots. Some bring their RV's, most have tables, boxes or sell from the back of a truck. Signs are handmade and nothing is ever "what it's marked". Negotiations are friendly and the selection is amazing. 

Yummy fresh peaches!

Need a saddle? A claw foot tub? How about collectible glass, knicknacks, antique tools or  a live chicken? 

These photos from the sale are a glimpse into what you might find!

A sewing machine made into a lamp.

No display? Use a car seat.

Set a spell and have a peach.

Here are some of our favorite signs from this trip. Art is where you find it...

Worms for lunch???

There are stereotypes of the South - mansions and magnolias to name a few. We did see some lovely homes and you could smell the magnolias everywhere. The heat was oppressive, but that's part of the South we love as long as the car is air conditioned and the motel and the restaurants and the convenience stores and...

A rare booth in the shade.

This Main Street had American flags as far as you could see.

Proud to be a farmer.

We were lucky to find this treasure trove of trinkets, geegaws and baubles to load on etsy!