HAPPY NATIONAL GARAGE SALE DAY!

The Craigslist ads promised much today. One announced “YARD SALE OF THE GODS!” I clicked on it, only to discover that you had to make an appointment to see the gods’ yard sale stuff. Definitely not a religion I'm interested in! There was the “Big Ass Sale” promising tools, tools, tools. And the “Yard sale/Knife sale” ad that says “We have over a hundred new knives and swords sitting on tables on our front lawn. Come check it out.” Complete with pictures of the knives, which look pretty darned evil to me. One ad is headlined MOVING SALE, FREE/OBO. Ummm, if you tell me something is free, that’s the best offer you’ll be getting from me! I like the simple enthusiasm of “Yard Sale like you wouldn’t believe!” Another offered “free hugs with purchase” which I found more than a little off-putting. But the one that gets my vote for being most to the point reads “BUY STUFF 8/8.”

Okay. We did that. Marcia came along again today and provided me with a real belly laugh. She was clearing out the back seat of her convertible so I could put something there that I had bought. Opened her trunk to put in the stuff from the back seat. Found a bag with several paperback books she had finished. So she grabbed them and took them to the lady having the sale and gave them to her to sell. I was cracking up. First time I have ever seen a random customer leave stuff to sell! Sure hope someone bought them, because as she called to us as we left, “Hey, I'm supposed to have less stuff when I finish this thing, not more!”

M also had a great doggie moment. As soon as she reached this one sale she spotted a cute little dog, which she picked up. It immediately went to town licking her face and ear, wiggling and wagging all the while. When I walked up, Marcia was giggling and the two guys who own the dog were laughing and telling her she was going to get a bath now.

Marcia must taste really good…isn’t this a satisfied look on Chisu’s face?
Didn’t get a very good pic of their other dog…
…whose name is Moomoo, “Because he looks like a cow.” But hey, he’s a Jack Russell terrier mix. How could I possibly expect him to hold still for a photo op?

Besides having awfully cute dogs, these guys get a big gold star for their signs. Large, clear, good arrows, and at every single corner where a turn was needed, they had a visible sign. It's too bad there’s no money to be made as a Garage Sale Sign Consultant, because I would be perfect for that job!

I spent $9 today for this loot:

After a couple of dud sales, we hit a really nice one where a young mom and her daughter were still arranging their wares on the drive. First thing I found was some peach colored ribbon.
I've been wanting to try making lavender wands and I'm hoping this ribbon will work, though it might be too wide. But it was only a quarter, so worth trying out. When I was taking its picture I discovered it's the kind with wired edges.

This fun lamp was an even better price…free! I was looking at the torn paper cover and thinking I could redo it, and she said just take it.
From the same sale came my big splurge of the morning (and since I only spent nine bucks in all you know I am speaking relatively)…
Isn’t this a great little vintage table? M and I were standing there gazing at it, both of us saying how much we liked it, both of us saying But I Have No Room For More Furniture. The lady told us her dad had had it forever (anyone have an idea on its age? I think it has a Twenties/Thirties look) and that he’d put something wet on it and warped the top.
So she went over to his house and took it away from him. How much, I finally asked. She didn’t know. She had said the same thing when M asked about a pitcher, and her little girl promptly chimed in, “Mom, it's three dollars.” So now, when the mom didn’t know what price to put on the table, M said, “I know who to ask.” She looked at the 8 year old, who said, “Five dollars.” So I anteed up a fiver and now I have a new project.

I picked it up to put in the car, which is when I discovered it is made of very solid wood. Sucker weighs a ton. While I was hefting it into the back seat my friend Linda showed up on her yard sale rounds. She knows what my husband always says when I bring home anything larger than the proverbial breadbox, so she said it for him: “Where are you going to put it?” So that will be my second project—first I fix (Marcia says she has some clamps I can borrow to unwarp it) and paint it, then I figure out where it goes. Wish me luck—on both parts!

Speaking of paint, I scored a couple of cans of black spray paint. I keep reading on other people’s blogs about the wonderful things they’ve done with this stuff. Now I can play too.
Bought two unopened packs of photo paper. Two hundred sheets ought to hold us for a while!
This little Halloween decoration will be a door prize for a children’s librarian. A fun thing to keep on the desk in October.


And I think these little clips are a hoot. Not sure what I'll use them for beyond having a line of tiny Greek dancers on my desk.

Though it turns out they’re pretty strong!
Hey, I understand that today is National Garage Sale Day. Hope everyone celebrated in an appropriate manner by getting up early and shopping on some driveways!