September 28, 2009

Bay Head Bargains

This weekend I went on the Kitchens by the Sea house tour in the upscale seaside community of Bay Head, NJ. We got to sample the food of ten local restaurants and caterers in some of the nicest kitchens my sandy toes have ever stepped in. I wasn't really supposed to take pictures of the homes but I did so here's a little bit of an idea of how nice this town is -- this is one family's backyard:


That would be the Atlantic Ocean.

Are you as jealous as I am?

Each house had tables decorated by local designers and florists, and this one was done by my friends James and Spence:




They showed these ladies who lunch that a festive table can be had on every(wo)man's budget. A combination of yard sales, Target, Home Goods, the hardware store (for a painter's dropcloth to drape over the table, and plumbing parts used as napkin rings) and a floral arrangement supplemented with flowers picked from the home owner's backyard kept the entire tablescape at under $200.

Speaking of budget...Anyone who's familiar with the area knows that "Bay Head" and "bargains" really never appear in the same sentence together. But I stumbled onto a church bazaar while we were in the town, and the rest is thrifting history.

And guess what? Even though I was late to the party, I arrived ten minutes before the "stuff-everything-in-a-bag" for $3 started. And you know how much I love that. (Click here, and here, and here for some of my earlier stuff-it-in-a-bag conquests.)

Game on.

Unfortunately, the salt air must work wonders because the Jersey Shore elderly are limber and quickly beat me to a lot of quality crap stuff while I was deciding if I wanted to play the game.

I didn't fill my bag (!) but I did get some interesting things:


The scarf is one of two, but the other found a home immediately on my friend Karen's neck. One of the church ladies knitted them for the sale, and I'm just sad I didn't scoop them all up! (See aforementioned limber elderly.) They would have been great little holiday gifts.

The black striped fabric is three perfect yards of thick cotton, and the blue and white ticking (hard to see) is two, half-yard pieces.

This sweet little easel will be a great perch for vintage postcards, or a slate announcing the evening's meal (which may just be "Pizza from Asbury Pie" but at least it will look classy):


And this set of six silverplated footed bowls really rock my socks...


...especially since I scored a new Cuisinart Ice Cream maker for $10 at Trinity Church in Asbury Park the week prior. I think I smell an autumn ice cream social!

The large vase was grabbed as I headed for the door:


I figured Spence could help me do something fabulous with it! (No pressure, Spence...)

20 comments:

j.cro said...

Ice cream social!! Please, please, please invite meeeeeeeee.

Also, don't be so jealous of those people's back yard. One hurricane and they're toast. You wouldn't want that for your house, would you?

Jean Martha said...

I have never been to a "stuff the bag" thingee. Please, Yoda. Lead the way...

Laura @ the shorehouse. said...

I guess I shouldn't be jealous at their lack of protection from Mother Nature...but I am somehow, if just a little. :-)

It is difficult to know when/where the "stuff the bag thingee" will happen, but my conquests have all occurred in the final hours of day two of two-day church and/or ladies auxiliary rummage sale/bazaars. After the Bay Head boom boom, I may make it my goal in life to track down all of the ones in upscale towns!

dee said...

Oh, this brings me back...wow...8 years! My friends and I had a beach house in Bay Head back in the day.

Laura @ the shorehouse. said...

Oooo...you're a lucky Little Bee. :-) We had a friend that lived there for years so we always had a place to stay. When she told us she was selling, we were like, "are you SURE?"

Julia @ Hooked on Houses said...

How fun! I love that you snuck some photos anyway. I hate when they don't let us take pictures at home tours--it nearly kills me not to and I'm always tempted to sneak a few. Maybe I'll take you with me next time. I'll distract anyone who's around while you snap the pics.

s. pearce feldman said...

great finds - i'm over the moon for those gorgeous footed bowls!

Laura @ Shoot-Scoop said...

FANTASTIC finds girlfriend. :-)

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Great deals, Laura! You are the queen of the thrifty hunters!

Checking in because I missed you and managed to score a lap top from a friend for the night. Hopefully mine will be fixed by next week so I can blog again!!!

XO,

Sheila :-)

modernemama said...

Why weren't my BH friends at home last weekend? So jealous...

Mika said...

Great finds! And that backyard is totally drool worthy. It would be so fun to go through house tours of places people live. We have a parade of homes in our state, but it's usually new homes with designers galore. Still fun, but not as interesting as DIY design. :)

Beach House Living said...

Wonderful fabric and silver finds. Oil cloth makes great floor cloths...stencil if desired or turn into tab top drapes inside or out.

Maya @ Completely Coastal said...

Now this sounds like a great event! And I love that sweet little easel!!

Anonymous said...

You and your deals! Man!
And oh, my word...I need James to come decorate my house and Spence to fill every room with flowers. WOW!!!!

heidi said...

Hello Atlantic Ocean!!! Would LOVE to live right there! Hurrican, Schmurricane.
*sigh*

preppyplayer said...

Love Bayhead and Mantoloking. Aren't kitchen tours the best? Inspirational and somehow depressing ( due to the amazing kitchens I may never have) at the same time!

Sarah { abeachcottage } said...

oooh this is my kinda thing! errrrm how much do you think I woulda liked to come with you...any room for a girl from Down Under sometime ;-)

xo

Sue said...

Don't you just hate people that get to live right on the ocean...and glad to see you such a fan of stuff that bag for a buck...Me and daughter are big stuffers....and when you talk about the elderly...remember Miss that me and your own mother fall into that catagory!!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

WOW! What a location! I can only imagine what those houses cost.

I never, never, have luck at thrifty sales ..I went into a church thrift shop in Greenwich Village this weekend, thinking I was finally going to get a wonderful bargain I could buy and show on my blog Well, I practically gagged as I ran out of that place as fast as I could...translate old smelly clothes and crumbling dirty junk. Eww!

I just don't have the karma like you do Laura!

prashant said...
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