Sunday, June 29, 2008

Garage Sale Finds


It was ninety degrees at 8:00AM this morning. I knew it was going to be hot so that meant a quick morning with maximum sales. So I headed to the local high school where they were having 22 plus booths. I found the tin for 25 cents, two 1950"s cookbooks for 50 cents, the cute doll clothes - all for 25 cents, and a piece of material around three yards for 50 cents and they threw in some silk flowers. Hot and cranky people and only 8:45 AM.

I don't know about you but I have found there are four types of sales. The neighborhood sale, the Church or other organization sale, the moving "let's dump it all sale", and the organized sale. Each one has it's own unique treasures. Today was a "let's dump it sale" day. I like to go to neighborhoods that people don't have a lot of disposable income. They tend to spend their money on quality items because they will not be replacing them anytime soon. They also tend to hold on to things hoping to find a use for it or they remember how much they spent on it. These people tend to have the goods I like.

I found three sales on the same street with lots of treasures. The first house I bought my McCoy vase - $3.00. My big purchase so far. Then on down the street where I found still in the box a charming earring tree, metal, with a little birdhouse and blue bird on top - a big 25 cents. Onward to the next house. This place was different. Old surfer dude and wife. He had made fish out of broken surf boards and sold them to restaurants all over the south. They weren't for sale, but he was interesting to talk to and see his shop. I'll post later on him, it was rather amazing.

The surfer dude had a lot of bottles and rusted items. I bought a couple of bottles - I think I have a bottle thing going on - and a rusty old grater and spatula. The spatula had a heart cutout on it. These could be fairy wings in the future. He also had a Bakelite handle button hook and cake icer, a silver soup ladle, and old first aid kit complete with supplies, a cake decorating set - I am thinking polymer clay - and a very heavy fox head ashtray or dish made out of copper or bronze. Then I spied this old wooden cigar box filled with tumbled and polished rocks - $4.50 for the surfer dude. This is my haul for today. Time to go home and have something cold to drink and cool off.

2 comments:

Laurel said...

Hey Elizabeth - looks like you had another fruitful day! I followed your lead and just posted the goodies Mom and I found last weekend on my blog. (yeah, I know, I'm going to be better about it) Can't wait for you to see the great photos I found at Gresham Lake. (www.laurelrupe.blogspot.com)
Can you believe it - I FINALLY found a scrabble set!

simple~needs said...

great finds!!!
kim