June 2013

JUNE 2013

I cannot go a weekend without going to garage sales!

 If I didn't go I would miss out on all this STUFF!!! 

I was just wishing for a book display like this!! Then I found this one for $5. I can't wait to set it up in my daughter's room. For her 6th birthday in August we are redoing her room. So I am hiding this book organizer until then. I realized I can actually unscrew the dowels and remove the fabric and wash it! 

Globe $5

8 Qt pot was $10 but offered $5 - YES

books $.50 each

Parcheesi, QuadOminos and 2 Scrabble games = $1 each 

silver candle stick $.50 

expandable ruler $.50

Disney picture frame $2

Captain figure $3 (This is a gift for someone who this reminds me of)

LRC (Left/Right/Center) dice game $2 My girls really like this game!

This was a great day. So happy with all the clothes and goodies! 

This large frame is ADORABLE! It fits a photo size 24 x 16. 

$15

I love it! I can't decide where to put it. Maybe in my daughter's bedroom for her birthday 

OR 

in the playroom with a photo of BOTH girls. 

The circle frame $5 was from the same sale - a photographer selling her business. She said she usually sells that large frame for $300 to her clients! 

My iPhone car charger just broke and I needed a new one. This new one was $5

Flip Video Ultra series camera (new/never used) and HP Photosmart A516 photo printer were marked $10 each but I got both for $15 total. 

The photo printer is going to my dad for Father's Day. The Flip Video is going to my daughter for her birthday. 

All the clothes were $.50 - $2 each. 

I found the pink Pottery Barn lamp at Salvation Army. It was marked $6.99 and lamps were 25% off that day. Total = $5.25 We tested it before we bought it. It works! This is going in my daughter's birthday bedroom makeover.

We found this Loft Bed on Craigslist for her bedroom!
I can't wait for August to set it up!!

I hope to find more goodies this summer for her bedroom! 

First Garage Sale of the Season

I went to my first garage sale of the season!! The weather has been warmer than normal and the season has started earlier this year. Usually it hits around May! I went to my first sale in April! It seems like forever that I have been to a garage sale when its really been about 6 months! 

But now that they are here I am getting ready! Spring cleaning and organizing. Making space for my new treasures! We have taken at least 4 car loads to Salvation Army this Spring so far! I have spent a lot of time sorting and storing everything away in bins in the basement. I need more bins and more time to put EVERYTHING I own away! But, so far, I have a total of 54 bins in my basement. And I need more!! I want it ALL tucked away so I know right where it is when I need it. 

My bins are labeled:
Lightbulbs
Books
Bubble Wrap
Easter (2 bins)
Valentines
Halloween (3 bins)
Snowpants, Hats, Gloves
Ice Skates
Winter Boots
Craft Supplies
Sheets
Wedding (from 10 years ago! I should look through there one of these days - should be interesting)
College
Picture frames (3 bins)
Photos (4 bins. I have both of my grandmas photos because I should be scanning them and putting photo books together!)
Tote Bags
Beach Towels
Old toys from when I was little (2 bins)
Christmas (18 bins. yep 18)
Girl Clothes size 7 & up (2 bins for my oldest daughter for school next year)
and I have 7 bins marked JUNK because I need to SORT the contents out! I just have a hard time letting stuff go. I am getting better! Can you believe it? I guess I am border line "hoarder". But NOW I am committing to USING everything I own or getting rid of it! It feels good!
OK I am still working on it! But it feels good to be moving in the right direction!

This is what I purchased at my one and only garage sale so far this year! It was a great sale! I was her first customer! She had gorgeous BRAND NEW items! 

2012 is going to be a GREAT year of garage sales! 

New Queen bedspread $6. New SUPER SOFT cream throw $6. New Full size blanket $6. Pillows $2 each. 2 brand new roman shades $2 each. Total $26

Design Turnpike

I am so in love with License Plate Art. I am determined to select the right piece of art work this year and hang it in my dining room. What a talent this is to turn rusty letters and numbers into fun designs!

source: unknown

source: www.bhg.com/decorating/do-it-yourself

source: unknown

source: www.DesignTurnpike.com

I have fallen in love with this company called Design Turnpike. They create MASTERPIECES from their collection of license plates. They are based in Michigan and ship their products EVERYWHERE!

They make all kinds of maps, mugs, mousepads, necklaces, phone cases, stamps, postcards, keychains, shirts and CUSTOM art work! I am seriously impressed! 

You can find Design Turnpike on Zazzle, Facebook, Etsy, Pinterest, Blogspot, and Twitter @DesignTurnpike

I am such a big fan!

Right now they are having a Pinterest contest. Here are the details...

Pin It to Win the Print! Someone who pins or repins this image will win a matted and framed print of one of their signature pieces—a large license plate map of the USA. Contest runs through March 31st, 2012. 

I just love this colorful map of the USA. All 50 states made out of each states' plate. 

Here is the collection of license plates I saw for sale at the world's longest yard sale last August in Tennessee.

Here are the plates I bought.

I haven't decided what to do with mine yet.

Christmas Morning

Our happy girls on Christmas Day 2011! 

The girls were THRILLED with the "treasures" they found under the tree!

That is ALL she asked for was a Belle doll.

She absolutely LOVES Frosty the Snowman.

And this is the result of going to garage sales every weekend of the summer! 

The perfect gifts just jumped right out at me!

It was another wonderful "Garage Sale Christmas"!

I cannot WAIT for garage sale season to start this year!! 

Garage Sale Christmas

Only a few days before Christmas! I need to get all the presents wrapped!! I have sorted all my garage sale treasures and this is what I have from shopping all summer!  DVDs, books, games, dresses, Barbie car, Wizard of Oz movie with ruby slippers, Belle doll. I cannot wait for Christmas morning!
Right now I have this all spread out over the bed in the guest room aka "grandma's room". I just cover this all up with the comforter and it is hidden away. So I need to get it wrapped before grandma comes to stay for Christmas.

I love the Minnie Mouse dress with ears and dozens of Littlest Pet Shop cuties!

oh yes! Fraggle Rock DVD! 

All of this was $40 !

When I come home from each garage sale trip I just stash the gifts in a suitcase in the basement. I just keep adding to it and then in December I get to sort it all out!! Then I buy 2 new rolls of wrapping paper each year. One roll for each daughter. I wrap all their gifts in their own wrapping paper.  I just tell them which paper is theirs and then they know which presents are theirs under the tree. I don't have to make out tags. They love it! OK so I buy 3 rolls of wrapping paper because Santa gets his own. 

I was looking through my photos from last year's Garage Sale Christmas. This system of using the bed to sort it all out and covering it with a blanket works so well for me! I wouldn't want to leave it all out on the floor - I feel like they could just open the door and SURPRISE! And I don't want to put it all away each day because I am only able to wrap a little at a time.

LAST year there was a giant surprise from Santa.

I heard that Mrs. Claus got this inflatable igloo from a garage sale for $5 !! The girls played with this all winter. Good to know there are great garage sales at the North Pole. Thank you Santa! 

my sweeties

December 25, 2010

:-)

Before and After - Kitchen Chairs

How many chairs have I bought this year??? Quite a few, but THESE are perfect, I just had to have them! Adorable in my kitchen. I loved the turquoise but I wanted to change the cushion fabric.

Before

 Woohoo! I bought 2 chairs for $5 each at a garage sale and I paid about $7 for all of the fabric from JoAnns.

After

I am partying over at Thrifty Decor Chick's - Before and After party! 

Getting ready for Christmas

So sorry I have been away from my blog for awhile. Garage sale season has slowed down around here BUT I am back to my blog and I cannot wait to share what I am doing with all my garage sale treasures from this year!

It's the end of November and we are preparing to decorate for Christmas!! All summer I scooped up a ton of Christmas decorations at garage sales and packed them away. Now it feels like Christmas day for me to open up all the boxes of new decor. I am ready to fill up our house! I picked up this gorgeous, ivory, antique vase for $4. And I found these lovely, red flowers at Michaels!

This is our family wall in our dining room. It makes me happy every time I see it. 

It's the little things

I just love this. This little Hallmark sign was $1 at a garage sale in Ohio this weekend! Saw a church rummage sale on the way to the Country Living Fair in Columbus, Ohio! 

I think I can give this sign a good cleaning and hang it up to read every day!

What do we have here?

Is this a fabulous yard sale?

What could it be?

These last 2 weeks have been BUSY!
This is what I bought in the last 2 weekends of garage sales (since we have returned from the 127 sale). 

I kept all of this in my car and just kept adding to it until I was able to pull it out and sort it all. And today was the lucky day!

School clothes. Puzzles. Snow cone machine $3. 

White bench $7 that I want to paint and use for my dining room table! 

Pink snow pants $1. wooden Pepsi crate $5. 

Michigan license plate 50¢. Gumball machine $1. 

White tablecloth $1. Red polka dot rain boots $1. 

Close to My Heart stamp sets $1 each. Brand New - Pottery Barn red bean bag cover $10. 

3 adorable Halloween plates. Snowman cookie jar $1. 

2 Brand New -Pottery Barn pillow shams $5 each. 2 comforters $6 total. 

Bella Dancerella Cheerleader DVD and mat 75¢. Magnet fun game $1.

DVD movies $1 each. 2 different houses were selling their DVD collections for $1 each. 

I bought all 3 Pirates of the Caribbean DVDs for $3 total. The retail sticker showed $24.95 each. 

Cars. Shrek 1 and 2. Finding Nemo. No Strings Attached. (I think that was just released this year)

All of this was in my SUV! 

All of THIS + PLUS this bike! 

This Trek bicycle was $30. The sweet girl who used to love this beautiful pink ride was so excited to have that $30 in her hands. She told me "it even comes with the bell". So cute!
I have to hide this in the basement and save this for my daughter's birthday.

I have never seen this vintage game before. NUMBLE

It's like Scrabble but the tiles have numbers instead of letters!

They were selling 2 sets of this game. One set has never been opened!

I love these Pottery Barn school picture frames! 

There is an opening for each school year. Kindergarten through 8th grade. 

Perfect timing. I have one 1st grader and one in preschool. 

These frames were $8 each.

Whew...now my car is cleared out and I can start all over this weekend!

Happy Treasure Hunting!

Our Highway 127 longest yard sale experience

We drove about 600 miles from Michigan to Crossville, TN. What a perfect vacation spot for us. We have family in the area and of course we planned our vacation around the 127 sale!

It is overwhelming how many tents, booths and vendors there are!  

The traffic on 127 in Crossville is pretty heavy. And they still managed to MOVE A HOUSE down the highway through all that traffic! 

moving a house down Highway 127

One of my favorite parts of this sale is the amount of old, unique things you can find. I never find stuff this old at garage sales back home.

cash register and Coca Cola cooler

double bicycle

a coffin? $695

unique collections...

jars

license plates

handmade signs

The area around the Cumberland Mtn General Store in Clarkrange, TN is a sight to see! So many booths here! 

We saw the filming of HGTV's Endless Yard Sale Challenge with Cari Cucksey and Kim Myles.

Which will air on HGTV on October 16, 2011.

Cari Cucksey & Kim Myles 

One of my favorite treats were the fried pies.
apple, cherry, blueberry, peach

Fried Pies Sold Here!

and the deep fried Oreos

My Treasures...

vintage toys

Laundry sign & Pepsi crate

photos & mini bowling pins

license plates, mermaid, giant skeleton key

canister set

We shopped the sale Wed, Thur and Fri. We drove as north as Clarkrange, TN and south almost to Pikeville, TN. 

Parking is insane. Cars park along the side of the road. Some parking lots will charge a couple dollars for parking. Sometimes we would see a sale we wanted to go to but there was NO WHERE to pull over.

I think almost every seller was willing to negotiate on prices. Maybe it is just expected. Expected that buyers are going to ask for a better price and expected that the seller wants to get rid of their JUNK.

Sometimes if you just TOUCH an item the seller would say - "I can do better on that price."

The whole experience is unique. You see it all. I was called "honey" and "ma'am" more times in those few days... There was a nice, polite, charming way about the people we met.

and of course we had a little vacation for the kids too...

cooled off in the pool

played mini golf

 spotted Elvis in Nashville (about 1.5 hrs from Crossville)

stopped by the Antique Archaeology store in Nashville - from the American Pickers show

Can't wait to do it again next year! 

Did you go? What did you find? Want to meet us there next year?

There is a group on Facebook to catch all the official details...

https://www.facebook.com/127Sale