Saturday, February 12, 2011

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 oneIMG_0074and 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.IMG_0081 That should do us for a while. I always love deals that make the 99 cent store look expensive!

Another sale netted these garden stakesIMG_0093 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 cutsIMG_0086with nursery tale motifs.

IMG_0088 IMG_0087 

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.IMG_0082Still 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.IMG_0075When we eventually sell this house we will replace the antique light we have in the dining room.

IMG_0107The 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!

13 comments:

  1. Can't wait for our garage sale season to start, most likely begging of April...still bloody cold and tons of snow here.

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  2. Never left the house today. Seems that yard sales are still pretty scarce around here this time of year. Love your finds and those cut outs are way cute! hugs, Linda

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  4. No matter what you got, it was such a beautiful day to be out garaging. My best buy was four clipart disks for $1. hope they work! got to find some parts of Yorba Linda I never knew were there.
    let me know when you come up with a price for those cutouts...they are really darling!
    oh,if I only could do upholstery, there were two really beautiful wing back chairs with lovely carved wood legs for only $10 each. It was the tail end of an estate sale and they really wanted to clean stuff out. Alas, too dainty for my family..

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  5. The introduction 'the only dog I met was this one' and then a pic of just a nose poking out from under a fence made me laugh out loud. Thanks for that. xx

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  6. Dog story, yes! "Please...may I have some more?"

    Pick me! Pick me!

    I am a writer/dog lover--can you tell?

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  7. Totally gorgeous! My Mom collects Beatrix Potter stuff, so I'm hard-wired to drool over those, but the chandelier runs a close second! Nice to meet a fellow thrifty sister. I just added your link to our site; come on over and say howdy!
    All best (and Happy Valentine's!)
    Nicole
    Thrift Store Confidential
    http://www.thriftstoreconfidential.com

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  8. I have been to one estate sale and to the Goodwill(where I found the sweetest mother fox and fox kit ceramic) and two local church thrift stores recently...waiting for spring to bring on the yard sales here in Kansas too....:)
    Good luck on your up coming book...sounds like a fun one!

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  9. I am a Tuesday Thrift Store girl. Just found you on the Monday Thrift hop. Come on by and follow me too. Check out my barrel horse I found last week.

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  10. To fabriquefantastique -- I am begging of April too! That has to be the most apt typo I have seen in a long time.

    Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and say how much I enjoy the vicarious thrill of the hunt and of the deal by reading your blog. Looking forward to yard sale season in the cold & snowy NE, when we're no longer begging of April.

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  11. Wow! Just found your blog. I love garage sales "gsaling" as we call it. Can't wait for the warmer weather...love the hunt! Only thing better than cheap is free!! I would love to win your book! Janis
    GrandMommyBlessings@blogspot.com

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  12. I am totally with you on checking the DVD cases. I actually pointed out to a guy at a sale once that there was no DVD in the case that he was trying to sell and was basically told "So, your point." I also get strange looks at sales because I take the DVD's out to make sure they're not scratched horribly.

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I really love your comments. Thanks for coming along on my thrifty adventures!

 
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