Blue Boy is a Fake

Looking up the original Blue Boy (and Pinky) from the Huntington Library, we discovered the Blue Boy we have is much more attractive/prettier in the face than the original. Our frame is similar to this one - great success for a total of $4.00. We might even recoup some of that cost when we sell the old frame Blue Boy was originally in.

Blue Boy in His New Frame

Blue Boy looks pretty snazzy in his new gilded frame. He's hanging in the master bedroom right now but will probably end up in the guest bedroom.

Other finds today: The house with all the framed art was a moving sale and all the clothes were free so I got some groovy red pants, t-shirts from places I've never been, a winter jacket (which I needed), a cashmere scarf, and a black poncho - I thought it would come in handy at work when the ac runs too cold. Also got a really cool modern-looking acryllic bowl that looks like crystal, a pressed glass decanter, etc. At another sale, for the first time, I got some dress shoes. They were in almost new condition and from Talbots - they were priced at $2.00 and I successfully bargained them down to a $1.00.

Later, on my own, I found a Tang decanter for David and some vintage books. It was miserably hot and humid today which really takes the fun out of the hunt. We decided to wait until Fall, when it cools down, to have our own garage sale.

Some garage sale excursions end up having themes. One weekend it was chairs, another was cds. This weekend's theme was frames. We bought a total of nine frames at two different garage sales. Prices were from $1 to $2 each. I got a nice series of framed impressionists prints "Artists and Their Visions" that may find a home somewhere; an original water color of mushrooms with a really pretty frame; a relaxing beach scene for my office; Blue Boy; a pretty gold frame; and a framed poster of a ballerina that David thought might be the right size to frame his Paul McCartney poster from the Hard Rock show we went to last April. It was a perfect fit and saved us from getting it custom framed or paying retail at Aaron Brothers. We love the $2.00 solution! Blue Boy was taken out of his wooden frame and put into the gold frame. It had some extra space on the sides, so we cut the ballerina poster with its dark background to fit behind it - - - you can't even tell. I'll post it in the next blog.

Pictures of desk and elephant lamp

Here's a better picture of the new desk, being used as an accent table. The table runner and both lamps came from garage sales. The one on the left has its lamp shade made entirely of wax and it burns like a candle. It came with two wax shades, one was brand new. We use a battery operated votive to get the candle effect without burning it. The elephant lamp on the right is in the office. I thought it was a pricey purchase for $15, but had to have it. Someday I might upgrade the fringe around the bottom. The interior of the lampshade is gold which gives a nice glow when lit.

Friday June 19th Part 2: Cool Desk $40

At my second stop of the morning there were two gorgeous mcmansions having garage sales - which is rare. At the first house I got a Disney Mania CD (which I have played and don't like, so I've listed it for $1.99 on Half.com). I also got an elegant table runner. I had no idea it would end up on my next purchase which I call 'the concierge desk.' You can't tell from the picture because of where we put it, but this table is actually a desk. On the other side are 3 drawers with a semi circle indent so you can sit at it comfortably. We covered that portion with the table runner which is held taught by the two iron pieces (from other garage sales - We found the perfect spot for the lion). The finish reminds me of copper because of the subtle use of green in the carved details. I think it's supposed to simulate a pressed tin or copper design. I thought it would go upstairs by the window, but it hasn't made it there yet.

Friday, June 19th Part I - A Quarter Goes a Long Way

Garage sales off of Glade are usually good ones. Today there were about four within two blocks. At my first stop I was told, "Everything's a quarter." Someone else got to the CDs just before me, but I don't think there was anything too good. I stuck to my new guideline - only buy it if I want it. So, I didn't buy any. What I did get was an old hardback called Garden Flowers that might look nice on the shelf and an old rotary dial telephone that I thought David might like. The 1930s book has a dust jacket and I saw a couple listed online for $3 to $15. For now, it will go on the shelf. As for the telephone, it was in pretty rough condition, we cleaned it up and took this cool picture of it. The handset says it is property of Bell System property - Not for Sale - Western Electric. We think it's from the early '70s based on a sticker we found on the bottom. The feel and sound of dialing it is a nostalgic experience.

Happy Flag Day!

On Friday I didn't find a thing. I made a couple of stops and passed up a couple in David's old neighborhood. On Saturday we went out, but didn't find much. There were a lot of people out, but not many garage sales. Would have been a great weekend for us to have ours, but we're not ready. I ended up only spending a $1.50 for an Italian CD, deck of sealed Vegas playing cards and a 'New Orleans jigger' the size of a rocks glass - it looked a little retro.

Sold two CDs for $13.00 this weekend. Still tire of it, though.

Went to an estate sale today, Sunday, hoping for some interesting things for the yard. I got this table top torch. It's heavy and when filled with citronella should help keep the bugs away.

Million Dollar Home has a Garage Sale

Last week I went to an "estate sale" across the way where they are building the homes that start at $1,000,000 (but that was before the economy tanked). I read online that they had moved from a 10,000 square foot house into a 5,000 sq ft home and had to get rid of the surplus. I got a new backpack designed for lap tops. It's Eddie Bauer - I paid $15 feeling like it was okay to splurge and that a good one at retail would be much more. I also got a pretty table runner, some fancy chop sticks, and a really cool bronze lion statue/candle holder. It's fairly substantial. We still need to find just the right place for it. (Notice how I didn't reveal what I paid? For the record: $30. But isn't that why I was carrying around that hundred dollar bill for weeks?) Sometimes you just have to be willing to pay a little more, is how I justify it to myself.

Million Dollar Home has Garage Sale!

I took David to the Million Dollar home garage sale and he noticed an overstuffed chair right away for $40. He offered $30, she countered for the asking price of $40 and they settled on $35 (what he had wanted to pay in the first place.) It barely fit in the trunk. Luckily we didn't have to drive far. We vacuumed it thoroughly and put it upstairs in the living room. As we were cleaning and inspecting it we noticed how well the pattern of the upholstery had been matched on each side, across the back and the seat cushion - we're pretty sure that's a sign of good quality.

Apathy is Setting in...

I've taken a new approach: Now I am only interested in CDs or DVDs that I am interested in or absolutely sure will sell for a profit on Half or Amazon. I'm drowning in CDs. I unlisted anything priced at $3.00 or less. I had thought we'd take them to half price books but after doing some internet research I think we might do better at our own garage sale. We may still look into CD Warehouse in Addison. DVDs that I know will sell well are: TV show box sets of newer shows (Desperate Housewives did quite well and sold for $12 and $19.90), Wizard of Oz in the yellow box sold for $19, and unusual DVDs like the Salsa Dancing and Learning the Electric Guitar. I'm tired of the trips to the post office and I'm ready to get rid of the surplus. We might have our own garage sale in two weeks, but it sure is getting hot!