I love yard sales!!

I LOVE yard sales. LOVE them. It’s probably one of my favorite things to do . I get all excited and my heart starts racing when I pull up to one and see kids clothes, kids toys or furniture.

I also love my iPhone. It has an app that was made just for me. It’s called the yard sale app and it links up with craigslist and plots all the yard sales on a map. Then it knows my location and tells me all of the sales around me.  Since we are at the end of yard sale season I didn’t expect to find anything good when I looked this past weekend. Sometimes you don’t need a bunch of yard sales, you just need that one GOOD one.

Well I found my one good one. A home daycare and preschool that was closing and selling off everything. They started at 9 am and I was there at 9:01.

By the time I left I had a huge pile of stuff and a lot of it was free. I walked away with only spending $20 and am kicking myself now for not buying more stuff (like puzzles and educational things)

It was like Christmas in our house when I got home. I even considered putting some of it away until Christmas since some of the items were on the Christmas list to get him (table and chairs and a trike). Hey, he is 2. He isn’t going to know or care if it’s used! I won’t be able to get away with it for much longer. I did end up letting him have it all. He skipped his nap 2 days in a row after getting the toys. He never skips his nap. Excitement maybe??

Now I think all he will get from us for Christmas is clothes, which he needs!

Here are the items I scored

Table and 2 chairs- FREE! The lady said there was come missing screws and it was wobbly. Matt added the new screws and I tightened it up and it’s perfect!!! These tables are easily $100. I know since it was on Cohen’s Christmas list. He loves the table. He plays with his toys and eats snacks. 

The 2 big soft cars. One police and one fire truck. We just pulled the other one he has, a school bus, down from the closet that morning. In the past he hasn’t cared to much for it but this morning he did. This was an exciting find. $2 each.

All the toys on the table were FREE. They are baby toys and will be put up for baby brother.

 

Tools. He is getting a tool set for his birthday from Grandma and these will add to it. $.75 for all

I don’t even know what to call this but we have blocks that also have these little dots and they stack on top of each other. Cohen enjoys it. $4

Another baby toy although Cohen enjoys playing with it. The Roll-a-Round balls fit it and we have a lot of those plus it came with a box of them. $2

The magna doodle $1

The trike.  It’s the kind that folds down. $4

This little race car track which has been his favorite $3

Enjoying his table

A few weeks ago while shopping for his birthday décor at Goodwill I came across this pirate ship water table, new in box and everything still packages. I scanned the bar code with my phone and saw it retailed for $89.99. I paid $20. This will be a birthday/Christmas gift even though he won’t be able to use it for at least another 6-8 months

Is it too early to start nesting???

I have got some major nesting going on over here! I am ready to give me entire house an over haul.

First, I want board and batten in my entry way and up the stair way and into the upstairs landing. I think it NEEDS to happen. It will make the area so much better. I also want to paint the toe kick part of the stairs and the wood piece that attaches them all to the wall. I am thinking something like this would be perfect.

Here is what it looks like currently… Actually the stair photos are from when we moved in so those are old but they definitely need to be freshened up.  The board and batten and all the white paint just make everything seem so clean.

I pretty much just want my entire house to be board and batten. Matt should be starting the board and batten in the baby room this weekend. I told him he might as well not even put his stuff away cause I want it through out the entire house! I think if he gets in his groove he can become a pro and knock a room out every weekend.  I want it in the bathrooms, our bedroom, the craft room and the living room! I think I have issues. And another thing… I want it all done now!! He asked me if I was going to help him and I said, “Yes” then he looks at my stomach and says, “HOW??!!” I am fully capable of painting and with board and batten I think it’s half the battle. It needs probably 5 coats of just white paint on even inch of wood. But the end result is amazing. The board and batten gives such a custom look to a room and it will up our value. Plus, if he wants to live here for a long time he is going to have to turn this into my dream home! So far he is doing a good job.  I am beginning to think I need to learn how to do board and batten that way I won’t have to wait around and nag on him the whole time.

Ok on to the next project. I want to paint my front door black. All I need to do is go get the paint but I am worried with the weather being cold that it’s not the right time. It won’t adhere correctly if it’s cold outside and the door is freezing (since it’s metal and all) But it’s something I want to do every time I look at it.

Here are some crafts I have done this past week.

I found this frame at a yard sale for $1. I spray painted it black and then duct taped burlap fabric (that I got at a thrift store for $.60) around the cardbaord. I then traced and painted a big L on it and hung it on the empty wall in our living room. Total cost for this project, $1.60.

At the same yard sale I got this huge frame and print. The lady gave it to me free since she said the print needed some TLC. I didn’t care about the print, I wanted the frame. I planned on redoing it but I have never re-done one that had a fabric boarder. It was pretty simple after I dissembled it, spray painted and then nailed it back together.

The fabric was still in good shape and matched the rest of my stuff, burlap! It looks so good now.

I had planned the put the frame above our bed but decided to do something else with it.

Another thing that has been bugging me was my photo wall. Every since we moved and I did it, it has been bugging me. So I redid it.

De-cluttered it really. I think it looks better but Matt prefers it the other way. Can you see the new frame?? It’s now the center point on the wall.

 

and lastly, my panty. It’s been on my todo list for months. I just never know how to get it quite organized the way I want. So I spend an evening covering old diaper boxes in some fabric I had. It was simple really, I basically just wrapped the boxes like I would wrap a regular box and instead of taping on the sides, I taped everything to the bottom oh and not just with normal tape, but DUCT tape. We have become great friends lately. The insides do not look that pretty but  who cares?? They sit high on a shelf and are filed with things that only get used every once in a while, like plastic cutlery, cookie cutters and candles.

Now, I really need some my book shelves in the living room to hold the toys that are on the shelves. I really hate seeing kids toys out. I think they should all be hidden away in little compartments. If I can figured out how to fabric a box so it can withstand a beating and it not require a lot of time and effort, that would be great! I have more projects to post but this is about all I have in me for now.

Thrift store finds for the week

I have been slacking with the thrift store updates lately.

I have found a few good ones in my new town and a few in the town up above us.

Yesterday while out at lunch with the family, I visited one of my favorite ones.  They always have 50% off everything days. Yesterday I scored Cohen some clothes for next season. All the clothes are either Old Navy, Gap or Green Dog (Macy’s) and in EXCELLENT condition. I didn’t pay over $1 for anything.

He got 2 rain coats, 2 sweaters, including one for the holidays, 2 button down shirts and i pair of jammies. If I had more time I know I could have found so much more. This is all I could do in the 5 minutes I had.

The fire tuck jacket is borderline goofy for me but it looks better in person and it’s reversible.

I also scored this adorable pier 1 imports stick pony for just $1 at a yard sale!! SO cute in his cowboy room!

More deals

Some of my finds over the past few days

This Corona bucket was spray painted red and will go in Cohen’s room…maybe hold some small toys?? $1… I over paid. I should have paid $.50

 

This red pillow was found at a yard sale.  I painted the “C” on it today in black paint. This will sit on Cohen’s window seat in the new house. We  have changed the plans and Cohen will now be getting the room that was going to be ours and we are now taking the master bedroom back.

Pillow $.25

This photo frame looked like it belonged in a cowboy room. The inside is leather. I got this frame, the 2 lanterns I posted about yesterday, a plate and a big mason jar for $5.  Breaking it down, this frame was about $.50

I got allll this thick brown canvas fabric. Not sure what  I will so with it, but it was only $2.00. Once I got it home I realized it smelled horrible of moth balls. YUCK. After a bath in vinegar and water and an all day dry in the sun, it smells much better. I am not sure how many yards are here but it is half the length of my back yard. Maybe 10 yards??

Today at the Thrift Store I got frames.  These 2 frames had great potential.  My plan was the spray paint them black and put fabric on the mats. After I upholsterd the mats I started thinking that  maybe the color was so bad?? It looked like past of the coastal theme we are going to try and go with and the greenish blue color matched the blue in our bedspread… so the frames my be complete or they may be painted black in weeks to come. Stay tuned.

Frames $2.00 each

   

These frames never stood a chance. They were painted within 5 minutes of being home. They will be added to my photo wall at some point.

The round frames were $1.00 each and the bottom one was $2.00

Weekend finds

Man, I scored in garage selling.

My mom and I decided Friday night that we would head out pretty early Saturday morning to go garage selling. Then when I went to bed at 2 am I couldn't sleep all night because I kept thinking about the deals I would find. When I did fall asleep, I actually dreamed of going to a huge garage sale and being late and everyone else got all the good stuff… then around 530 am, I woke up and decided it was time to just get up. No use is trying to sleep when all I can think about is furniture for the new house, decorating and saving money!!

Man, I really hit the jackpot today. I got some pretty cool stuff.

I got this 10 drawer, 20 knob dresser…its about 5 ft 10 inches tall. It is AWESOME!!!! When I saw it, I couldn't get out my money out fast enough. I just love it! I am going to get new knobs for it. The drawers won't hold to many clothes.. maybe 2-3 shirts, folded very flat… so I think it might be my scrapbook storage…or maybe I'll put it in one of the guest rooms…

Here the dresser is just hours after I got it home… it is getting a face lift with new white paint. I couldn't decided between black or white, so I went with white. Depending on which room it goes it, it may be painted again..black. We also chopped off the legs which took off a good foot. Now I can see into the top drawer…if I get on my tip toes.

THEN… I got these 2 antique twin metal beds. I have one in a full size, but it doesn't have this kind of detail. The lady who sold them to me, for 50$ for both!!!!!, gave me the background history on them.

They used to belong to Tahoe Tavern, a hotel that was opened in Lake Tahoe in 1901. The beds were then bought by this lady in the 1960's right before the hotel was closed down.

These historic beds now belong to me and I can assure you I will NOT be getting rid of them. In fact, I will most likely leave them to my grandchildren in my will. I might even be buried with them. Does that show you how much I love them? My grandma had the same style bed in her house when we recently cleaned it out. My mom called it first and since I didn't have any room for it in my house, I didn't argue it too much. But now that I will have a HUGE home, I have a place for these 2 pretty little things!! Which means I have lots of room for all my guests who come and visit! (wink wink) I am sooo happy I found these.

Here I am lying in my new bed! It's pretty roomy.

At the same place we got the dresser, which was a huge church, they had a massive auditorium with LOTS of tables full of useless crap stuff I needed! At the door they gave us a garbage bag and said it doesn't matter how much we put in it, the whole bag is only 5$...So I stuffed my bag to the point I could barley carry it. Some stuff I got… a candle holder, a photo frame, 4 curtain panels made out of a muslin type fabric, a box of Nun Christmas cards, 2 Christmas ornaments, a knitted blanket for Niquie...she loves them, a doilies (on top of the curtains in photo...it's not a yellow spot) 7 gold plate chargers, a huge pear looking gourd (which I will use as decor throughout the year and then part of a centerpiece during the fall) a little glass container with a cute top and an old green pitcher and bowl.

Then, at another place I found this brand new crock pot! For $5


And this cute black plate holder that is will display my new collection of white plates nicely!

I called it a day after that. I felt accomplished.

Look at this cute plaque on a stand my mom got me when she and my dad and sister went to Eureka. I love it.

The rest of the weekend was spent doing house hold stuff to get it ready to rent. The weeks are flying by so fast… I wish we knew of an exact date we were moving… it would really help me to be prepared and not go wacko at the last minute…