Ahh, spring in Wisconsin and time to enjoy all those lovely colors! Yellow, purple, gold, pink, a beautiful sight for sure. Oh, no, I don’t mean the daffodils, tulips and violets, although they are wonderful as well. I mean Yard Sale Signs.

We wait all winter for these signs and the chance to ‘hunt’ for our antiques and collectibles. It is exciting, even though some folks do not know the basics. First and foremost, the sign must be large enough to view when you are going 35 miles per hour, perhaps rushing to get the last minute groceries for lunch or drop a kid at school. You need to make a mental note of exactly where the sale is in case you don’t have the time to make a quick U-turn. For example, some people use a deep pink construction paper and then light pink writing, absolutely impossible to decipher.

Or they put the word “RUMMAGE” in large lettering and the location in teeny-tiny writing! And it really helps to put an arrow in the correct direction so you actually know where to turn. But I digress.

Ever since my sister, Vicki, was 9 or 10 years old, she wanted to stop at every sale she saw or heard about. She liked Barbie dolls, Beatles records, and horse figures. But her real ‘addiction’ was rhinestones – pins, necklaces, bracelets, anything that twinkled.

I must say a lot of my desire to be the “Sparkly Grandma” came from her. She rarely paid more than 50 cents for any item (admittedly this was many years back), and even at a tender age was not afraid to negotiate. I was several years older than her but would stand back and watch her go! She was never aggressive, just a little girl explaining she had limited funds, her allowance to be exact and an occasional $5 gift for a birthday.

The sellers understood her situation and would do the best they could. She was definitely not one of those ‘darn old dealers’ and they knew she would treasure the item, so they often knocked the price in half and I do recall a few times that they would just give it to her and say “Enjoy!” She’d smile sweetly and thank them and then give me a little look that said “see, I can do it better than you.”

This continued on through her teen years, while I was starting my family and would not be able to go as often as she could. She’d call excitedly and say “you’ll never believe what I found today, you’ve got to stop over.” And I’d make the trip and view her gorgeous Weiss rhinestone pin or a Miriam Haskell necklace. I was buying Gerber baby food and Zweibach cookies and diapers and there was not much expendable income. I never begrudged her the thrill of the hunt, well, maybe a little. Of course, the tables turned later when she was having her kids and I was back in the work-force.

At one point in her too-short life, they ran a successful business. She would go to antique stores, high-priced auctions, estate sales and the like and bring back fantastic items to decorate her home. It was a virtual showcase! Antique carousel horse in the corner of her living room, German dolls in 1890s baby beds, vintage draperies, curios filled with elegant glassware. And, of course, The Jewelry Room! She actually had a small room, probably once a sewing room, filled with cabinets, display cases and even framed pieces of ‘bling.’ Guests would just stare in awe of the incredible pieces she had.

I was with her on numerous occasions when she would approach a lady in a store, or restaurant and rave about their pin or necklace. She’d comment that she had noticed its loveliness, even across the room. They would always smile and say they appreciated her comments, often telling a little story about its origin. Some were purchased, others a gift from a loved one, or a piece passed on through the family. Both Vicki and the ‘adorned’ would leave with a smile. I learned from her and often compliment people on their jewelry!

They ended up selling the business, and with it many of the treasures she had gathered through the years. Then they moved out of the area. Sadly, we’d only see each other once every 8 weeks or so. We’d be so glad to get together, that is until the flea market gates opened, or the estate sale started. Then we’d go our separate ways, meeting back to compare notes in an hour or two. But it was our bond and one we shared until she became too sick from cancer to participate. She would often call and ask what was new and I knew she was wondering what had I found at recent sales. I would go to see her and she would become very animated when I displayed a piece of jewelry I found or told her of a cottage print I had added to my collection. She never begrudged me my treasure-hunting and actually enjoyed hearing about it, even though she knew she could not participate.

One of my favorite memories of her was a trip we took to Florida, about a year before she died. Her energy level was low, she’d lost all of her hair, but she would wear a large Eisenberg pin on her turban, a necklace just filled with charms, and earrings that would dangle to her shoulders. Now it was her turn to receive compliments. We’d stop in a restaurant or store and people would ‘levitate’ toward her, often commenting on her jewels. She’d smile and tell them a little story about finding it when she was only 10 years old and even remembering the paltry amount she’d paid for it. She’d been adding to the ‘charm necklace’, which had over 150 pieces, for 20 years and it was quite a sight. Somehow she would recall the origin of each one! She could not have been happier, it just made her day!

Vicki passed away but memories of her shopping expertise and desire to shine, even in a dark time, have stayed with me and always will. While to many, costume jewelry is just ‘foo-foo’ and not necessary, it was part of her very being and I carry on the tradition to this day. She was a ’shining example’ of a true collector who let nothing stand in her way of the hunt! So go forth and sparkle!

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 2nd, 2008 at 3:52 am and is filed under collecting fyi, flea market finds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.