Hunting & Gathering We Go, tra la

Vintage Suitcase from The Village Merchants Store on Division

It'll be garage sale season soon, so just as a practice run, I've been doing a bit of Hunting & Gathering. I stop at the Goodwill in Salem which is just down the street from where I teach a PSU class for the Extended Campus Program. This has been a fruitful source of bargains, both sartorial and artistic. Today I went to the SE Art Walk. The most wonderful item I acquired was a pair of earrings. I stopped by Cheryl Cook's booth at Portico, where she gave me lovely earrings that she had made for me for my birthday last June. I hadn't been able to attend the annual gathering of four Birthday Girls where we exchange gifts, so she still had these. Thank you, Cheryl, for the wonderful treat!

I was just going to photograph the earrings for this post, but my camera battery ran out--later, you'll see them. I also stopped at the nearby Village Merchants second hand store, one of my favorites. I'd almost gotten out of there with nary a purchase, when I spied the above suitcase outside the store. I love old suitcases. This one was in great shape with a gorgeous pink lining with little pockets. The price was right, so now the suitcase is in the studio holding my hand made books.

Closeup of side pockets

Etsy is also a dangerous place for me to browse. I am thrilled, however, with my new shoes that I got from an etsy seller. Back in my youth in the 60's I wore a size 5 1/2 AAAA, so you can imagine that I had a terrible time finding shoes to fit me. There were so many adorable styles then that I had to do without.

Now that I wear a 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 B, I can find lots of shoes, but still love the 60's styles the most. My new shoes below had never been worn and came in their original box. The original label was on them telling me that they sold for 10.00 back in the day. Allowing for inflation, I got a good deal. They fit, and I love them! I got them from BabyHaHa, so check out her etsy shop.

Little black shoes, little black shoes...

These babies came home with me today. They are
Saks Fifth Ave. and seem hardly worn. They called to
me from the window of a vintage clothing store on Division.

A little bit of art, now...

Medici Princess Bride
Encaustic on Wood Panel
10" x 10"