Estate sales

Happy Friday! We got so much snow last night. It's a winter wonderland outside (wishing I was in the mountains right now so I could go snowboarding.) Going sledding with my daughter is about to commence in thirty minutes, so let me post and run. 

 Yesterday I posted about attending auctions at various auction house's as a great way to acquire amazing pieces for your home. Another great option for finding goodies is estate sales.  I will admit that I generally don't attend estate sales (so I'm no pro), but have been to two in the Hamptons and both were amazing. For both sales, I just got lucky and stumbled across them...truly!

 The first estate sale I went to was Domino Magazine's in Amagansett. I was driving down the road to take my kiddies to play minature golf in Montauk when I spotted the sale. I pulled over and sprinted to see what was in store...I found an amazing headboard (see January post).  

The other sale was at the late artist David Porter's estate in Wainscott. I was driving to the beach when I saw the sign for his estate sale. Again, I pulled over to see if there was anything that would make a nice addition to our home.

Yesterday I showed you a costume rendering from Beverly Sill's estate that I acquired at auction. This costume rendering is by costume designer Kroll. It does not have the same legacy as the one I posted about yesterday, but still I love the dress and the color.  The costume designer, Kroll, was a family friend (as I was told at the estate sale) of the Porter's. The nephew hosting the sale was selling approximately 50 different costume renderings by this designer. I often wonder if I should have bought more and made a whole wall of these lovely images...they are perfect for a little girl's room. This is in our daughter's room, along with the Beverly Sill's one of a kind piece of artwork.  

   

Attending this estate sale wasn't just about hoping to find a gem, it ended up being even better...I got an art education. Now, I pass it along to you. David Porter was an artist who had a residence in the Hamptons. His wife was Marian Porter and her sister, Margaret Oettinger (1897 - 1967) was an artist who studied at Columbia University under the talented George Luks. She did many pieces of artwork that David and Marian Porter had in their home. Margaret Oettinger's work hangs in an art museum in Northeastern Pennsylvania and in many private homes. Below are a few pieces that I purchased. Unfortunately, I don't have them framed yet, but it's on my list of stuff to get done this week.

This painting was done of the view while sitting on the back porch of the family's residence at a lake in Pennsylvania (I can't remember the lake's name right now, but I do have it written down).  Margaret's nephew, John, told me of his fond memories watching his Aunt paint. I gravitated towards this painting because of the water and because of the story behind the piece.  

Another Margaret Oettinger painting of a view from their family's residence in Pennsylvania.

And, this is Margaret Oettinger's.  I like it because it looks inviting to sit down and have a cup of tea.

I'm happy with the two estate sales I've been bumped into along the way. Have you been to estate sales?
Do you have any treasures you'd like to share? Enjoy your weekend!