This was a great weekend for auctions! The weather was perfect and the paper was full of auction advertisements!

Saturday morning we started out at a two day estate auction. Super sweet pieces...tons of antiques and primitives...but OH MY! Everyone and their neighbor was there and the prices were out of this world. If I was still a collector of antiques and primitives, I would have been in heaven. But I buy to resell, sooooo.....

.....we took off and drove an hour in the opposite direction to a "smaller" estate auction.

Sometimes it pays to go to the smaller, less "flashy" auctions. The an old farm house and 4-5 old outbuildings packed with "junk." The treasures were endless!

This is the first time in months I have bought this much at one auction. Fortunately, Brian got a new truck this week so we were able to haul it all in one trip! There have been a few times when we had to make 2-3 trips just to get everything home!

In "flea market lingo," these are the "smalls"....

Awesome finds...an old antique cast iron oscillating fan (and it works!), tons of cast iron skillets, glass jars, a Cosco stool, an old antique mirror, a WWI trench shovel, wood levels, old canning jars, lots of antique glassware...just too much to mention.

The downside to auctions like this is the time it takes to clean, repair, and repurpose the pieces you haul home!!! I think I ran my dishwasher 4 times Saturday night and I spent about 5 hours Sunday just hand scrubbing the bigger pieces and seasoning cast iron skillets. I haven't even started on the "repairing and repurposing!"

I did get a few bigger pieces that are going to get nice little makeovers!

First, these darling (yet seriously neglected and abused) iron chairs...

An old oak rocker...I started wiping it down with lacquer thinner before I remembered to take a picture!!! You may remember the old primitive mahogany chair I featured here.This chair is very similar, but it is oak and it is a rocker. Or at least it will be again when I finish with it....

And the prize of the day...I haven't taken a picture of it yet because we put it in the garage and honestly, it is too big and heavy for me to move out by myself so I can get a decent picture. I will definitely take one before I start refinishing it. It is a Drexel Declaration mid-century walnut coffee table...TOTALLY AWESOME!!! (Here is a link to one just like it) If I had space for it, there is no way I would sell it. Unfortunately, it is too big for my living room or den! But it is mid century and walnut...my two favorites!!! And after I refinish it, I have no doubt it will be a show stopper...I just can't wait!

I have a few other little pieces I need to refinish or repurpose. An old wood boat oar I want to paint and add hooks for a little wall hanger, two wood levels I want to repurpose like I did here, an old wood box that needs a little face-lift...and a few other little projects I need to complete.

Last week I got the call I have been waiting for! A larger space in the Tontitown flea market. Perfect spot for the antique, collectable and primitive pieces. So I really need to get everything cleaned and refinished so they will be ready to move in next week! I also have to haul down all the Christmas stuff I have been collecting all year! Seems like I just get everything decorated for fall and it is already time for Christmas...time flies!

Busy weekend...and I am worn out! But I have a full week of work to do and I can't wait to share my new space after I get it staged!!!