Estate Sales

Estate Sales are the ultimate in recycling. I've told my nearest and dearest that should anything happen to me, put it all back on the market. I love the idea of my things finding new owners who will appreciate, love, and use ...for example....the 36 Vietnamese plastic place mats I decided that I could not live without.

I'm in Washington DC for a wedding weekend and plan to check out the local sales. DC is wonderful hunting ground because diplomats and expats who lived interesting lives and did good shopping while out on post come back here to settle. Items to search for: fur coats (at least around here, every woman seems to die with one), silver (sterling, dahling, not plate), crystal, lace and linens. I once found 7 beautiful damask napkins for $7 at a sale in DC. My most hilarious experience when estate sale browsing was watching a woman barter over an opened jar of peanut butter. It sold for $.25.

Here's one listing I found that looks promising:

D.C., Maryland, and Virginia Estate Sales

ARLINGTON, VA 22202-1512 S 23rd Rd Sat 7/31 & Sun 8/1 9am-6pm Large estate 50+ yrs. Up-scale Arl. Ridge neighborhood. Unusual items from world travels, vintage, high fidelity sound equip, furn, art, books, collectibles, tools, antiques, silver, jwlry, too much to list. Dir. Jeff. Davis Hwy, (Crystal City), turn on 23rd St to top of hill, L Nash R on 23rd Rd.
**Update: Bought these two iron trivets for $6 each. A trivet protects your table from heat damage when serving a hot dish. Super cute and super affordable.