Garage Sale Finds

I've never been big on Garage Sales. It's not that I am against them per se but I just don't think about them. I even drive by the signs on the week-ends and think, ah, another time. But often another time just doesn't come. So years go by without me attending a single sale. About a week ago, however, my really good friend Colleen, presented me with a really neat present. It was a vintage tapestry purse and the minute I saw it, I was enamored with it.

"Where did you get it?" were the first words came out of my mouth as I instantly made plans to use the purse at an upcoming event.
"At a garage sale,"came the answer.
Of course, where else does every other wonderful treasure come from - at least the ones with the great price to match.
Well, on Saturday morning, I met some ladies for a Stampin' Up party and lo and behold, the parking lot of the complex was set up as one big Garage Sale. When one of the ladies suggested we take a few minutes to look through the wares, I decided to go along.




Sure enough, within about 5 minutes, my eyes landed on the one thing that I would go home with. Do you know what it is?

It is a Russian Samovar. 

I had researched the history of this unique item a few years ago when I saw one in a tea shoppe. Essentially, it is a vessel for boiling water to make tea. In North America, we use electric kettles or boil water on top of the stove to make tea but the Russians are way more elaborate. They make a strong tea in a small pot that sits on top of the Samovar while plain water boils in the urn below. When they want a cup of tea, they simply pour a bit of the strong brew from the pot into a cup and then place the cup under the spigot of the urn to fill it with hot water. Thus, you have a hot cup of tea.
When I first discovered what they were, thought that I would like to buy one but the new electric Samovars had to be shipped from overseas and there was nothing online for less than $200 plus the cost of the shipping. I just filed the info in the back of my mind and didn't pursue it. Last year, when I dropped one of my kids off for a playdate, the mom asked me to come in for a minute and the first thing I spotted in her living room was a Samovar on her mantle. She was quite surprised that I knew what it was because she had brought it with her when she emigrated from Russia.
Back to Saturday's garage sale. I asked the lady selling it if it worked. She wasn't sure as it belonged to her brother and she was just selling it for him. She told me we couldn't test it out as it had a European plug on the end of the cord.

She also told me her brother had brought it with him from Russia. Needless to say, I bought it. Whether I try it out or not or ever use it doesn't matter. It's a really great find and one that I wasn't even actively looking for.