Yard Sale List

Oh my, I am SOOOOOOO excited!!  This weekend is our local town’s citywide garage sales!!!!  The nice spring days have been few and far between this year so there haven’t been very many garage sales yet around here.  I am planning to be out bright and early come Thursday morning!!!  (So if you live around here, sleep in that day, mmmkay??  ; )

To get ready for the garage sale season, I usually make a yard sale list.  What is that, you say? 

It is the list of things I am going to look for more deliberately at garage/yard sales this year (or thrifting, though I do less of that). 

I started making a list a couple of years ago because I found myself forgetting that I needed such and such a thing or kids pants in this size, etc. and then I passed them by only to be bitten by garage sale regret later!  Sometimes I put old stand-by’s on the list--such as painting supplies (I have discovered garage sales are a great place to get new paint rollers and brushes), frames, storage bins, kids crafting supplies, and so on.  Mostly, however, I just put things on that I wouldn’t normally scan for or sizes of kids’ clothes so I have a handy reference of what exactly I need.  I haven’t in the past, but this year I am going to keep the list on the car dashboard so I can easily access it. 

To give you even more of an idea, here is a start to my list this year:

BIG frames

boxy baskets

pruning shears

chop/miter saw

bunk bed

chicken nesting boxes

chicken waterer

new boards

white cardstock

large white mugs

nightstand with shelves and drawer, 26” or taller

king sheets in white, gray, or blue

air compresser

 

And the list goes on!  I have found that it is really helpful to write down the dimensions of things you may be looking for, such as the size of window blinds, cabinets, rugs, etc.  It is pretty frustrating to be at a garage sale eyeing an awesome deal and thinking, hmmmm….is that the right size??  Will that fit?  It is even more frustrating if you buy it and then it doesn’t work out…no returns at garage sales!! 

I buy most of my kids’ clothes from garage sales and I this year I plan to do that differently too.  In the past when I go to a garage sale with clothes in the right sizes, in good condition, and at a good price, I would tend to snatch up anything I thought they would wear.  This worked pretty well for boys’ clothes, but I noticed that it didn’t work so well for girl clothes.  Boy clothes all seem to mix and match easily, for the most part.  But with girl clothes it is a different story…you need to have a plan in mind so the random tops and pants you get look good together.  So this year, I am being very specific with my list.  I will still stock up on the random play clothes that I find because she is just going to get them dirty and worn out anyway, but for other clothes I am going to be on the lookout for exactly what is on my list, for example—a black cardigan, size 7.  If I don’t find it, I don’t find it and I will have to supplement either at a thrift or a regular store. 

So, do you make lists for garage saling?  Maybe you’ve got it together and you have a mental list.  : )

Garage Sale-ing in the Northlands

So…garage sales have finally started in this area!  This is the 2nd weekend with warm enough weather and I am so excited to get out there and see what treasures are waiting for me. 
I have one slight problem.  I don’t want to get lots more stuff to move (see this post).  However, I have found that if I don’t go garage saling, I will have to pay waaaay more for kids clothes new or even thrifted when I actually need them.  So I think I need to go garage saling. 
Yep, I’m pretty sure I need to. 
If it happens we have a few more boxes of stuff to move, so be it.  (At least that’s what I’m telling myself now.)  :)
I hit a few sales and found lots of goodies this morning.  Around here, you have to get out right away on Thursday morning to get the best stuff.  Once in a while if I see something I like but it is way overpriced I will go back on a Saturday morning to see if they’ll come down on it.  Then I also have time to think about if I actually should have it.  Usually the answer is no. 
Garage saling with little kids is tricky.  If I take them all out at each garage sale, that means more time spent unbuckling and buckling them into their carseats—and that time can really add up.  Generally I bring a book on CD to play in the car for them and leave the car running while I dash in to the garage sale.  They eventually get tired of this and that is when the snacks come out.  Or I alternate bringing them into a garage sale (or just one of them each time) so they get a little variety.  If a sale has lots of kids toys I bring them all out so they can have a little fun playing (gently!  I hope anyway!) while I shop.  So far this approach has worked pretty well.  However, this is only the 2nd weekend of garage saling for me with three kids, so we’ll see.  I would like this to continue to be fun for everyone and not end up with kids who hate garage saling. 
On to the finds!

Frame is sturdy and 8X10 size--so as many others do, I just remove the art, spray paint the frame, and pop something new in there—all for 1.00!
Four Fire King orange mugs…have no idea if they have any monetary value but I heart their bright and happy colors so they are definitely worth the 25c each I paid for them! 
Milk glass plate and vase—I think 50c each.  Brass bowl 50c. 
 
I’m excited about this plate.  Why?  My sister gave me a condiment tray that used to belong to my late grandmother in this exact same pattern and color…so this also now reminds me of my sweet grandma.  Love!
Ignore the weird hand…I just realized my fingers pressed against the glass look kind of creepy. 
 
I’m a little ambivalent about this plate.  It is cute and the sentiment rings true but we’ll see where it ends up.  I think it was 25c?

I also got this big wad of new fabric.  It was originally from Ikea and is hearts made out of the number 2.  I already have so much fabric but I thought this could make cute graphic pillows or curtains for our daughter’s room as she grows older. 
And now…

Ok.  I realize this is not the best picture of this.  And it isn’t even all screwed together the way it should be.  But…this is a HUGE chandelier.  Are you thinking what I’m thinking??

(Amazing chandelier from Vintage Revivals)

Yep.

So it isn’t as intricate or as big as the chandelier that Mandi found…but I am envisioning it a bright color and hanging somewhere in our new house (that we haven’t found yet).  And it was only $10!!  So excited. 

Those are my fun finds from the past couple of weeks!  I got a lot of kids clothes too but those just aren’t as fun to look at…at least not without kids in them.  :)

My gardens…right now

Since it has been such an early and warm spring (today was around 80 I think!), everything is way ahead in our yard. 
Behold the centaurea, already in bloom on May 3rd:


And the bleeding heart:

Variegated false Solomon’s Seal:

And all my little plants that I winter sowed this year:


It is an exciting time of year!  I ordered some bare-root plants and bulbs for the first time this year and I’m looking forward to those coming up and filling in the bare spots where they are planted.  Every year I plan (and plant) more and more, which of course adds up to more and more work to get the gardens prepared and maintained, but I think gradually I’m getting smarter about it too.  Our local compost site offers free wood chips, which I made use of liberally last year, and that reduced my weeding dramatically last year.  This spring I’ve noticed that they are breaking down beautifully in my beds so I’ve added and will continue to add another layer to those beds that need it.
I think one reason I love gardening is that I can be outside with the kids and be there for them, yet be doing something relaxing and beautifying at the same time.  That isn’t always the case.  :)
And that’s my garden right now.