gratitude

with Mother's Day just around the corner, what else could i be grateful for today other than, my own mother?

that's her there- circa 1985. isn't she pretty? i love her outfit in this photo too- pretty sure that was a pink skirt with an awesome blazer that had pastel vertical stripes.

my mom is an amazing lady. after my parents divorced when i was 7, she basically raised me largely by herself. she worked several jobs, but things were tight, so we would hit the estate sales, yard sales, and thrift stores frequently. my mom taught me how to spot a valuable antique in a pile of junk, and how to bargain for a better price. by the time i was 12 we would divide and conquer at estate sales- splitting up and searching for all the good stuff. i loved those Saturday mornings spent driving around town, newspaper in hand, looking for good sales, digging through boxes, and discovering new treasures!

i think kids who grow up around antiques, vintage, and thrifted items either grow to love it or hate it. i love it (obviously), and i owe much of that to my mama. she taught me the value of things with a history all their own, and that saving useful or beautiful items from being discarded is more rewarding than buying something brand new.

i am the person i am today thanks to my mom and i hope i can do her proud when i become a mom myself in the future!

what about your mom (or other mother figure) are you grateful for? how did she influence you? i'd love to hear- just leave a comment below!

this and that

i'm a little dumbstruck that it's tuesday- i feel like it was just thursday! maybe i had too much fun this weekend, or maybe it's just that it was such a very busy weekend, but it really flew by!

here's a bit of what i've been up to (well, the instagram version at least)...

stopped by Twede's Cafe, aka the Double R Diner (of Twin Peaks fame), on the rainy side of the pass

dry road at last

Yakima, here i come

i always plan to get a photo of this sign, but never have until this trip

the lee's have chicks! 

melissa and i headed out to Selah for an estate sale- pretty!

a little stop for refreshments between sales and thrifting 

melissa kind of looked like a super hero!

a cape buffalo

i found these unusual frogs- one for me and one for the shop!

another photo i've always meant to capture- i love this old fruit stand building. isn't it amazing? the colors!

found these mugs on my way home- perfect sentiments for a day with the bestie

at a rest stop outside Yakima

see you later Yakima!

sunset on the Cascades

always happy to be home after driving the pass at night (my least favorite drive)

lots of good finds

Yakima=Fiesta Foods run=mexican for dinner the day after!

refreshing margaritas on a sunny saturday!

carne asada tacos!

this weekend marked the 50th anniversary of the Century 21 Expo (aka the World's Fair) in Seattle. that means the Space Needle is 50 years old! they've even got it all decked out in the original colors currently!

some close ups of the goods

fun cameras!

cute thermoses, awesome flashlights, and more

last but not least, i finally found enough affordable milk glass dishes (mostly Fire King), to swap out our green Brusche dishes for the milk glass! i'm still looking for some more dinner and salad plates, and a few more larger bowls, but other than that- we've got a whole (mismatched) 'set'! so excited!

sunday was filled with church, lunch with a friend, running errands, and making dinner for and visiting with our friends who just had their second baby. he's a little cutie- as babies tend to be!   

whew! no wonder i was so tired this morning! what have you been up to?

today's the day! the bestie and i get to hit some estate sales together! it's been a very, very long time since we've done that and i am so excited!

since we'll be on the road all day (heading out to the first sale at 6:30am) i thought i'd try something a little different for this week's finds to fancy post- we're going live!

kind of love those early morning drives in the truck- it can be so beautiful out there! 

all day long i'll be snapping instagram shots of what we're gathering and you can follow along three different ways:

one. instagram. if you're an instagram user- follow me! my username is danaerolyn. if you don't have an iphone or aren't an instagram user, you can still follow via my instagrid.

two/three. twitter/facebook. i'll be sharing today's shots on both the gather and hunt facebook page and twitter account. if you don't already 'like' the g&h facebook page- i'd love for you to click that little button today! i've also been having a lot of fun interacting with readers over on twitter, so feel free to 'follow' me as well!

now if you don't really do the social media thing- no worries- i'll post all the photos here later!

okay, ready? let's head out on the hunt! see you on the road!

ha ha- a very flattering shot of me!

oh, and as always- i want to see your finds! email them to me at danae{at}gatherandhuntvintage{dot}com so i can share them here on a future friday!

UPDATE: for those who weren't following along on Friday, here's the whole collection of instagram photos from our day out on the hunt...

this jeep was parked across the street from me while i waited for the first sale- i had to snap a photo

it was a very rainy friday

follow the signs

my trusty bean boots are great for rainy days waiting in lines

Effi, Melissa's littlest one, came along for the adventure- she was such a trooper! 

had to make a pit stop for coffee between sales (my cup sleeve is handmade by Laura Bucci)

some fun things Melissa found at the first sale

love this great trunk with awesome travel labels

royal typewriter, in a tweed case

i've driven by this old (non-functioning) gas station a hundred times, so i figured i should finally take a photo!

cool boxes

early 60's Vera Neumann tablecloth

we grabbed lunch at oddfellows before moving into the non-vintage phase of our shopping

milk glass vases

trio of lovely blue mason jars (the one in the front is an extra old one)

pretty design on these match boxes

instant pocket knife collection- that one in the back is humongous! 

i can never resist a tiny bottle

today's Finds to Fancy comes to us from my dear friend Katie. Katie is my go-to estate sale buddy in Seattle. we always have a great time together: she doesn't mind getting up super early; she has a good eye for treasures; and she doesn't tire out too quickly so we can hit every good sale listed! the thing i enjoy most about going to sales with Katie though is that she loves to ponder who the people were who owned the items we're purchasing. she has a true appreciation for the personal history that we're granted a peek into while we wander the home of a stranger and go through the things they owned. to me, that's the amazing thing about estate sales- i get to become a part of another's story when i give their things a new life with me or my customers. i love that Katie appreciates that too!

here's her find:

Katie writes:


'I try to tag along with Danae to estate sales whenever I get a free weekend. This particular weekend I received a text the night before saying “ there’s only one good sale tomorrow, but it’s a really good one!” and so I knew I had to be up and at ‘em whenever Danae was ready to jet! Oddly, at sales I gravitate toward textiles & plants (yes, you are able to buy plants at estate sales) & old photographs. When I saw the old View-Master box, and then opened it to discover the View-Master plus nine additional reels tucked inside, I figured, I must at least grab it and get the details from Danae at check out. The biggest surprise came when I started incorporating my new finds into my home. I flipped through some black & white photographs, letting the stories of those spotted in the pictures drift in my head. Next I took a seat on the couch, and pulled out the View Master, one by one going through the slides. I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of the slides (slide #174 of Monument Valley & #226 Mesa Verde National Park) happened to be the destinations of a very special road trip I hope to take this upcoming summer! So I continued to let my mind wander. I wondered if perhaps some of the people in the b & w photographs may have taken a similar trip? Did their souls feel the very same calling that mine is? Regardless, the slides spoke to me, and I think they were saying ‘go for it, you won’t regret it’!'

thanks for sharing your find with us Katie!

have a find you fancy? i'd love to share it! send your submission to danae{at}gatherandhuntvintage{dot}com. please keep email attachments to less than 1MB. 

happy hunting this weekend!