Estate Sale Lovelies, or "Aunt Edna's Stuff"

What I just love about estate sales run by ordinary people is that they typically wanna get rid of stuff.

They wouldn't mind making a tidy profit, but mostly, they need to clear a house out.

This is especially true in the summer, as the day gets hotter and people keep haggling on prices. If you're lucky you'll hit the sweet moment when sellers start mumbling to themselves, "Let's just get this over with and get Aunt Edna's crap outta here!"

A 40-something guy was supervising his mom's sale so she could move out of state, and he practically shoved these in my hot little hands after I mentioned longingly that I liked old ceramics. He dumped her plants out of them, right in front of her! They are McCoy, of course, and were only $3 each!! Granted, the yellow pot has wear and a chip, but I don't care!

This sweet little floral oil painting, well executed, called out to me from another estate sale. The frame was filthy, so I'm slowly and painstakingly cleaning it.

This glowing green vase is Murano! How do I know that? Other than the telltale specks that show it was pieced together, it still sports the original label written in Italian! Brava, bella!

But the best estate artifact? I cherish this oil painting the most, because my late grandmother (the original junker) painted it.