Finders Keepers.....A Garage Sale Tale

If there is someone responsible for the yard sale diva skills I have acquired over the last year, it would be my sister Shanda.  Last year I had the good fortune of spending a considerable amount of time with her in North Carolina and in Spring she introduced me to the fine art of the yard sale.  Before then, I was a novice at this at best. Of course I didn't know that at the time, but I was.

Shan, as I affectionately call her, woke me up at 6:30 on Saturday mornings and we would hit the road.  The object there was to get "first dibs" on the merchandise before they were picked over.  It worked.  Most weekends we hit the jackpot.  We found brand new designer clothes, bags, house wares, decor items, vintage jewelry and the list goes on.  Shan even found a beautiful Louis Vuitton bag in mint condition for less than $30.00.  Every Saturday was totally different from the one prior, but, that was part of the intrigue of it all. The experience was very "Forest Gump like" in the sense that we really never knew what we were gonna get.

Would you believe I got this painting for $5.00.

Its an original 4 ft by 3 ft .oil painting on canvas signed and dated by the artist.  Am still pinching myself.

I got these on my second yard sale expedition.  

I really like the frames and though these are prints the 

subject matter is one of my favorites.

Repurposed flowers and an interesting little ceramic box I found. 

 I immediately knew where I would display it in my home. 

Before long, my sister and I were hooked. Just amount every saturday we were off, and if we missed a day we looked forward to the next weekend.... Our husbands didn't mind so much since we were spending significantly less than shopping at the mall.  And, it was soooooooo much fun.  We laughed, bargained shopped and of course as most sisters do, argued about who saw what first.  At the end of the day though, when were totally exhausted, and hungry, we returned home with our great finds, jubilant and really satisfied.


These are some of the precious memories I have of last year.  And you know what?  I have beautiful momentos to help me keep those memories alive.  Now how awesome is that!

Shan and I literally found this mirror, a neighbor was throwing it away.

 It was brown and scruffy looking so I painted it black. The rest is

decor history!

I absolutely love collecting vintage art, photography and prints, especially if they are in sets.

I don't remember the price of these but they were very reasonable.

Now these were pieces my sister bought but actually gave to me because I 

liked them so much. The combination of  the frosted glass and the black and white photography with the simple frame is very modern and makes a very striking addition to a space.

TIP:  If you go to a yard sale and find great picture frames you like, but decide to pass on it because you hate the Art work inside, buy it anyway! Quality frames could be pricey so buy the frames and give the Artwork away to someone who likes it or donate it to a thrift store. 

Finally my little angels.  I really enjoy painting and collecting angel memorabilia so I was really happy to find these.  They are perfect for display and they make me smile every time I look at them.