Chasing Trails

The word must have gone out this morning that this was THE day to put out signs for sales that didn’t exist. If I chased one I bet I chased fifteen. It’s true that driving around the OC on a sunny Saturday in a convertible is not much of a hardship, but with gas prices as they are I prefer my driving around to be productive.

The word also went out that if you were having a sale that could be found, it must be mostly baby stuff. Which was great for all the folks who need baby stuff. At one of the sales a young man was putting together some piece of baby equipment (something colorful, not sure what it was) and I figured it was his sale…until I heard him ask what the price was! The woman who actually was in charge of the sale laughed and said, “Are you still putting that together?” Guess he wanted to be sure all the pieces were there—always a good idea even at yard sale prices. I’ve tried to train myself to check inside DVD and CD cases. So annoying to get home and find the case is empty!

Of course I’m always hoping to meet pets at sales, and it was a low key day for that. The only dog I met was this oneand we didn’t get to interact. Objects at ground level get further away the older you get!

I finally managed to spend a little over $19, beginning with 60 cents worth of soap. That should do us for a while. I always love deals that make the 99 cent store look expensive!

Another sale netted these garden stakes that we can write plant names on. Should come in handy for the garden tour, which is coming up at the end of April. If you’re in Southern California that weekend do put it on your calendar—free, self guided tour of a whole bunch of gardens “by real people for real people.” Keep an eye on the tour website for more info.

I also picked up two sheets of Dresden die cutswith nursery tale motifs.

 

I’ve seen pictures of these decoupaged on Easter eggs. I’ll probably put them on eBay soon, but if you’re interested let me know, we can save those eBay fees.

I was headed home when I noticed an obscure sign and followed it, and thought I had found another false trail. But around one more curve I spotted another sign, and I found a sale with a lot of basket making supplies. The mother of the ladies having the sale had been a basket maker; it’s not a skill you run across too often around here. I didn’t pick up any of those supplies, but I did bring home five adorable Beatrix Potter Christmas ornaments.Still in their original packaging. Haven’t decided whether to keep these or resell them. They go for about $20 each at Replacements Ltd., and seem to do well on eBay as well. But dang, they’re cute!

My last stop was close to home, where I scored this chandelier.When we eventually sell this house we will replace the antique light we have in the dining room.

The chandelier came with those little clip on cloth shades and a few replacement bulbs. It wasn’t quite as good a deal as the fifty-cent chandelier that my friend Diane made off with a while back, but still not too bad.

If you haven’t entered for my latest giveaway,  you still have plenty of time! Three people who leave a comment will get to be pre-publication readers of my new novel, In Dogs We Trust, coming out this spring. So if you like to read, jump on in!