Picking at the Peachtree Highway Sale in South Carolina!

 

Last weekend we made our third trip to the Peachtree Highway Sale near Lexington, SC. Peach orchards line the highway and small towns like Monetta, Ward, Johnson, Batesville-Leesburg and Ridge Springs enjoy the extra business.

I recently read an article about the Little Free Libraries and was very excited to see one in Ridge Springs. A place to get and give a free book.

 

 

  It is heartening to see American flags everywhere along the highway.

 

 

 

We had a great lunch at the Jupiter restaurant. They have the largest collection of dinette tables and chairs we had ever seen. It was hard to choose a favorite.

 

It would have nice to have brought home this rusted pergola in front of an abandoned building for my rust-loving picking sister.

 

A water pump, worn red paint and a fun sign on the front door. 

 

 

Crumbling barns and exquisite homes - both familiar sites in rural SC.

 

 

  We didn't even know there WERE funnel cake fingers!

These buildings made nice billboards in their day.

 

Not very high tech, but if you were too hot, this was just the ticket. It was a few chairs set up around a fan. No kidding.

 

The American Pickers would covet this old GE sign.

 

What did we find? Take a look! This radio works!

 

 

These cuties are vintage Christmas ornaments.

 

 Never enough icebox dishes.

 

A FireKing Tony ESSO mug.

 

 

Our favorite pick of the trip was this cowboy bedspread.

 

Here's an assortment of tacky souvenirs we can't resist.

 

 

Then there are the odd, silly and just for fun kitsch treasures. Like tiny plastic babies and teeny ceramic animals

  

 

 

 Green Melmac-like dishes and a pink jewelry/hardware chest.

 

 

Howdy Doody!

 

 

A card of bobbers for fishing and an Easy Money game. 

 

 

 

Lots more fun stuff to put in our etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/pickingsisters soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Picking Sisters Pick Vieques!

WHAT? A trip without picking? Yes, I believe they spell that v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n. W e headed off to the island of Vieques for 4 days of tropical adventure to celebrate our respective 60th birthdays. How was the road at sixty? Nothing short of divine. Never had I been without TV or computer for so long or missed it less.

Vieques is a short flight on a teeny plane from Puerto Rico. See how close I am to the pilot .

Being a horse lover, I was tickled to see them everywhere. They have the run on the island along with roosters and dogs. 

This is a crab "farm". They trap the land crabs and fatten them up before eating.

Primitive? Or efficient!

 Gorgeous flowers and brightly painted homes. Fabulous food. Beautiful and sparsely populated beaches. We snorkeled, swam, kayaked and walked to take in the scenery and the blue-green water of the Caribbean.

The biggest draw for us was the Bio Bay. We joined 16 other double kayaks out into the pitch black water with our guide to see one the world's last bioluminescent bays. The water lights up in a moonstone green everywhere the water is touched by the kayak, the paddle or your hand. When you pull your hand out of the water, it looks as if there are diamonds dripping from it. No photos can capture it, but the memories of a starlit night and watching fish light up the water are worth the dreaded taking off of the shoes for the TSA.

We rode horses on the beach and weaved in and out of hills with stunning views of the mountains and the water. 

Sweet Murphy was a pleasure to ride.

Seeing all of this from horseback was dream-like. I hope to return to the island soon...

Taking Picking Treasures Home
plus Combined etsy shops!

We went on a highway sale yesterday close to home. The Peaches to Beaches sale starts about an hour and a half from Savannah, so up and out in the cold and dark! Jeri would like to share her favorite pick of the for herself and share a few of the treats she uses to decorate her own home sweet home.

SUPER NEWS! The picking sisters are closing one etsy shop and expanding another one. Everything on etsy.com/shop/mysistersbarn is half price! We will be loading tons of new vintage items in the next week or so at etsy.com/shop/pickingsisters. We'll also reduce the items on the pickingsisters shop as we add oodles of new things to the shop.

This is a neon letter I rescued from the outside of our family business. It's fitting that since my grandfather started the business in the 1930's that his Smith Corona typewriter

shares space on my desk.

 My mother would be pleased that I found a way to use her antique brass

planter. There's never a lack of magazines about vintage treasures to fill it.

I'm not sure, but I think these sock monkeys tell jokes when I'm not home. They look

 especially cheerful. Maybe it's the grand rhinestone "Brides Maid" pin the

gal (Hattie) in the middle is wearing.

I bought this oil painting for my $1.00 and under art collection. It was

 marked $1.99 at Goodwill, but it was 75% off.

Now - since it isn't framed, how to hang it?

SOLUTION? Use an old easel!

My house was built in 1943 so it has one of those phone shelves in the hallway.

Since I don't have a landline, this Fisher Price lives there waiting to be added to etsy!

 

I never cease to be delighted with the everyday packaging from the

first half of the the last century. This tin looks great

next to my 1930's Smith Corona.

We were never sure why this flag holder was made the way it was, but it looks great

over the fireplace.

And now my favorite pick of the day for my house - a souvenir from Atlantic City, NJ.

It originally came with an egg timer

so you won't talk over 3 minutes. Maybe to save on Long Distance?

P. S. Here's a sign along the highway yesterday that warmed the

heart (ha!) of my vegetarian heart.

First Picking Tip of 2013!

Lucky us! We headed to Florida for New Year's Eve. Edgewater, Florida is south of Daytona Beach. The beach was lovely, the weather mild and the picking was grand.

We watched fireworks on New Smyrna Beach and courtesy of our hosts rang in 2013 with their homemade Comquat Vodka made from their own kumquats. (My picking sister was calling it "kumquat poison" the next morning.)

The flea market at the Deland Fair Grounds was a great find. We found the most paint by number paintings we'd ever found at ONE location. Check them out - a large lighthouse, a large western desert and a pretty pair of ballerinas.

Here's the whole trove!

Laura surprised me with a treat she'd bought for me. Knowing that I love all things horse and cowboy, she bought me a souvenir from the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum. I LOVE this tiny Trigger.

I bought myself a horse as well - a nag. This kooky little plastic nag came with

the story of how Nagshead, NC for founded!

My favorite pick of the trip? These little Mr. Peanut cups!

That Barbie is one busy girl. She went to medical school - who knew? We love

all the treasures that come in the Dr. Barbie accessories!



Windy Day

      We  made an early trip up the road to Statesboro, GA for the Highway 67 Fall sale. Hurricane Sandy off the east coast made for a dark, cold and windy morning. The weather may have been gray, but the picking was great.

See a few of the treasures we picked!

The picking sister was taken with this red phone. I think now she

 feels like she can pick it up and talk to the President.

I am not much of a cook these days (may I defrost something for you?), but

am always attracted to child-sized kitchen toys. We scored twice today.

Tiny cake anyone?

If you are a picker, you have seen a lot of simply ugly lamps. Beauty must be in

the eye of the purple and mid-century modern-loving beholder. Laura loved

these lamps.

We spent quite a while poring through boxes of a family's

momentos - report cards, photos, college papers, awards and

 gifts from a large Ohio family over the last 100 years. Sorting

through the stash was like reading a detailed history of this family.

We finally made a purchase - each  of us got a beautiful spelling

report card filled with gold stars.

This is the largest dresser set we have ever seen. Can't wait to research it for the

etsy site, www.etsy.com/shop/pickingsisters.

Visit our online shop to see more of the vinatge goodies we have recently added!