Great finds, Kirk! I especially love that Carnation Box. Very, very cool. You will enjoy that gardening stool, too. I got one just like it for my Mother, several years ago and she LOVES it! She's 90 this Summer, and it allows her to continue gardening, because the handles give her the leverage to get up and down without help.

Oh WOW....your responses are wonderful, and far more than I had even hoped for! I am LOVING this! (Frou, you are definitely my kind of woman. LOL. And you don't sound like a hoarder, just an avid collector.) Bleigh...spray the heck out of that huge cone with Pine Sol. I wouldn't let something like a bit 'Tzu pee slow me down from rescuing it. LOL. Like you, I'd give anything to collect antique furniture. Things like small tables, sideboards, etc. I love it all. Slinkey, you have a lot of interesting collections! I'd love to visit and see them. I like most anything old and vintage. (except Me. LOL) Oak, I have just a couple of Jim Shore's Heartwood Creek pieces. Two rabbits I LOVE, one of the reindeer, the horse, and a birthstone angel. The patchwork designs on his stuff is really neat. WOW, LynneNC, your porcelain doll collection sounds like something special. I see them in antique places and always stop to admire their faces and dresses. Some are so life-like and gorgeous. MaryLee, I'm surprised I didn't get into collecting police things. I just have a few special pieces. If either of my sons had been interested, I'd probably have started a collection in hopes of passing it on to them. Hi and welcome Antique Silver, are you new to us or been a lurker? Its always nice to meet someone who shares our love of Holidays, dishes, and whatever. Had to laugh at Kathleen, and you, saying "dust". I can definitely relate to that. Living in Phoenix, surrounded by desert, sure makes those dust bunnies multiply. LOL. I use to tell a friend that I couldn't get rid of the dust bunnies, so I named them. Harry and Ethel...and the kids. Janet, you are so lucky your DD "wants it all". That is something that worries me with all my stuff. My DD and DDIL would probably want most of my Xmas things, but that's all. I'm afraid they will throw gigantic yard sale with my things. sigh. I keep reminding my DD that some of the horse, rabbit, and dog things are very valuable. (I am trying to set up an album with pictures and info about this stuff, and also who might help them sell it.) None of my family has a clue what is valuable and what isn't. Last year I decided to pare down my dog (Whippet-Greyhound) things. I had around 300 statues, plus art and jewelry. I figured it would be smart to let pieces that I could part with go to other dog folks now. I wanted to cut my collection in half. Didn't quite make that number, but did sell a lot to friends, and on eBay. I am currently offering more for sale this month. I have well over 100 rabbits, amd some I don't really love any more that I should let go. I wish I'd been a LOT more selective when buying them all these years. But its hard for me to pass up bunnies. LOL. My Trail of Painted Pony figurines is around 125, and I have about a dozen I'm ready to sell. I very rarely buy any more of the Ponies or the dog pieces. It has to be very special to add to my collection. Guess I FINALLY reached the point of "enough"! LOL. I am not surprised a lot of us are Christmas Collectors. I realized a year or so ago, that I had so many different Christmas collections going, it was easier to lump them all under one heading. I "collect Christmas". LOL. Those of you trying to deny you 'actually collect'...HA! You can't fool me. And if the old saying about THREE or more being a collection....well we are all in trouble!! LOL. Party, it would be neat if we did exchanges or trades here. I think its so much fun to share things, which is why I love sending little gifts when I can. Over on Garden Junk we do a Secret Santa thing, where one person collects all the names and addresses then pairs them up. Everyone fills one of those Priority boxes you can ship flat rate for $15 and sends to the name drawn for them. The stuff is supposed to be things you have already to pass on, and not spend money on gifts. You'd be amazed at what neat things, and how MUCH stuff, can fill one of those boxes. We've had a ball doing that for several years. One summer we did a gift thing too. I'd love a Secret Santa started here if enough were interested in signing up. Frou, I'll flip you for the title of Queen Quite-a-Lot. hugs, Karen My dustbunnies...Harry and Ethel. (Too many kids to photograph. LOL)

Most basic things already said. My own experience? Some are wonderful and will not only get your adrenalin up and send you home with some things not available anywhere else, but will also give you the chance to see the insides of beautiful old homes in your area. I have bought lovely old mirrors, patio furniture, prints, dishes, and even basic pots & pans at estate sales. These can be put on by the family and friends, or by an antique store or company. And even though some complain about higher prices by a company-run sale, they are usually very well organized, with numbers given out at the door one hour before sale begins and orderly entry. They have change and they have 'docents' in each room to facilitate your purchase, as well as to answer questions. On the flip side, as some Californios already mentioned, anyone can put in an ad and call it an estate sale. If I decide to move and sell a lot of my furniture to cut down on having to move it, I might list it as an estate sale. I see nothing wrong with that. If I go to a sale and I find a great old chair or a dresser or even some yard equipment that the seller doesn't want to take with them, I don't care what they call it. Here's my check/I'll go pull up my truck! But also, they can be way over-priced, ill-run, and a free-for-all that can be frightening, as the lady with the Coach handbag and diamond earrings starts fighting with the lady in the sweats and athletic shoes over the crystal chandelier. People sometimes lose their decency in their lust to get a deal. Come early, wear comfortable clothes, put your money in your pocket (so you don't struggle with your purse or worse--knock something off a table with your purse as someone bumps you) and maybe carry a cloth tote for small items. Keep your sense of humor, be prepared to make a quick decision, have a plan for pick-up if you find something big, and have checks as well as enough cash to do what you need to do. If you find something you want, pick it up. Or pull the tag and take it straight to the cashier so no one else gets that antique lamp while you are wandering around. But do go. Try it. Make your own decision about whether it's fun or infuriating. Red

I'm so glad that you're using what you've bought, and the crocheted bedspread looks just right in your guest room. The blue in the quilt lights up the room; it's perfect in that spot. What an interesting ceiling treatment. I almost always want to see a large rug in a bedroom, but your room is one of the very rare ones where there is such warmth in the colors and patterns of everything in it that it doesn't seem necessary. The bookcase filled with books is wonderful here. Everything is so perfectly balanced in color, pattern and scale. I would love to see the other rooms in your home.