Oakland White Elephant Sale

Every year, the Oakland Museum Women's Group holds a White Elephant Sale. It's huge!  Robin goes to find blankets and toddler toys for the chimps and I usually look for books with good pictures to use in my art.

The ladies who work the sale are dedicated and work all year to process donations for the sale. They become familiar with and even attached to the stock in their departments. They wash and iron all the linens. Don't you love these crazy tea towels?

It's a little crazy and crowded. I couldn't even face the jewelry area because shoppers were three deep around the cases. But one of the ladies told me they had jars of broken jewelry so I bought one. When I got home and broke the seal, it was mostly pins and keychains but some of the things will make good charms.

The ladies in the toy department were espcially nice to me. They dug out all  the orphaned game pieces: dominoes, dice, Monopoly, and chess pieces.

They only charged me $1.50 for all these metal player tokens.

The chess pieces were $1 

And look at all these bright colors, just waiting to be made into something special.

This year, Robin and I went crazy over the dollhouse furnishings.  We both bought bedroom suites. Mine is blue and Robin's is pink. The vanity and dresser have real mirrors. And check out the tiny rocking chair!

Who could resist a tiny treadle sewing machine, a grandfather cock and a stove that really opens!

A tiny wash bowl and  pitcher for a tiny dresser in a tiny bedroom that doesn't have running water.

Tiny pioneers carried this miniature enamel coffee pot and these cups in their tiny covered wagons to use on their itsy bitsy campfires.

 

Scary faces on itty bitty silver mugs. All three could be carried on a dime.

If your dolls need to to mend their clothes, here's some yarn and miniscule scissors that really work.

My prize purchase: a Chinese doll carrying a baby on her back, half off the original price.
I don't know anything about this doll but I fell in love.

And I went back and forth on this metal stove. It was as expensive as everything elsa put together but, in the end I went back and bought it. I'll use it as a prop for my business. It just makes me happy.