Showing posts sorted by date for query yard sale 101. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query yard sale 101. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Halla – loo – yer, hallalooyer! We’re wrapping this room up. Thanks for all of the suggestions and thoughts on the curtain post.
I really thought we would go with the blush from Target and I was dreading adding something to the bottom and I even tried ordering some blush ones from H&M Home that Jodi R recommended on Facebook but then they were out of stock so I took that as a sign. We put up the BH&G ones from Walmart and she loved them, I loved them, they were the right length so they stayed. Didn’t even iron them! May is such a crazy month with 3 boys in baseball, end of the year performances, concerts, recitals, parties and I honestly wanted to cry adding one more thing to my list -- so I didn’t.
I don’t think the pictures do them justice, and we needed some pattern in there. The lamps used to be in our master bedroom in Virginia and we spray painted them gold. The black framed print is from Hobby Lobby (only $6!!) and the flowers are from a local place called Taipan.
The dresser was also in our master in VA but we gave it a new coat of white spray paint.
This was a fun way to display some of her favorite Instagram photos – we found the bulletin board for $5 at the thrift store and then we had them printed at Persnickety Prints. It was the first time we had used them and I loved the kind of paper they used – perfect for display, it was $15 for all of these pics. Then we just hung them with jute twine and tiny clothespins.
I ordered this print from Minted forever ago because I loved it so much – it’s serene and restful and the hint of pink was perfect for her room. It’s called Mornings Away by Emily Jeffords and then we framed it in an Ikea Ribba frame spray painted gold.
The bed is from Amazon and we only paid $152 with Prime in March – right now it doesn’t look like Amazon is selling it, but watch and it may come back at a great price? Info on the board & batten on the wall is here. The chandelier is from my Grandma’s house ♥
The lamps on the dresser are from a yard sale in Texas FOREVER ago, $5 for both. The frames and greenery are from Ross and local stores.
The white & gold pillows are actually from Walmart for $13 each. The white coverlet is from a thrift store for $5 – I was going to use it as a display blanket in a cute basket but it was in such great shape we washed it and used it on her bed. The blush comforter at the foot of the bed came in a set from Ross – only $29.99. Here is a pic:
The bar cart is a crazy random find at Target – it was an after Christmas clearance find for 90% off! $13!! I checked a few more stores for my sister that wanted one but no luck.
The framed quotes by the bar cart are in Ikea and TJ Maxx frames, just printed out at Costco. The top one was from Etsy for $1.50 and I used some floral wrapping paper from TJ Maxx to wrap the mat.
That’s it! I returned all of the curtain choices that we didn’t use and this makeover ended up being easily under $300 since we had the mattress, chandelier, and dresser -- I think I linked up to everything as we went along – let me know if you have any questions! Thanks for stopping by ~ I’m adding it to the home tour tab.
I promised we’d talk about price and what we did in the kitchen, so here we go!
I loved the open-ness of the kitchen right into the family room. The cabinets were in great shape and had some nice features, they were just orange oak. Painting was the least expensive route. Do you remember how I got some quotes to have a professional paint it? They came in for around $2500, so with our budget right now we decided to DIY.
Here are the price breakdowns:
Cabinet hardware: Martha Stewart Bedford Dowel Cabinet Pull and Martha Stewart Bedford Canopy Pull. Total: $200 We spray painted the hinges with a brushed nickel. Who cares about hinges? I guess I don’t.
Now, you could save a lot of money on pulls for your cabinets by purchasing them on Ebay, but I LOVED these and figured since we were painting ourselves, I was totally justified in the hardware…right??
That sweet topiary was a fun surprise from my friend, Robyn! The paint and primer for the cabinets was about $100 ~ the tutorial for painting kitchen cabinets can be found by clicking here.
You can read more about the kitchen shelf here with the beadboard wallpaper backing. The containers are from Target, but I scored one at a yard sale. The silver platter was a wedding gift, the plates and crock are also old Target purchases. Total: $22
We kept the sink, and you can read more about the faucet here. $100
The milk glass and white glassware are mostly from Goodwill (that white pitcher is from Target), total about $20.
DIY schoolhouse light here $35
Curtain fabric info here about $15
the baskets were from my cut up coffee table turned bench! (free), the dishwasher was a crazy deal last year, a kitchen aid marked down from $1589 to $589 (remember?)
That fridge came with us from Texas, so I’m not including it. I would love a different style, but we’re waiting on that one. The microwave ($149) and stove ($598) were black Friday deals last year.
The green chair at the desk was about $15, the diy roman shades were about $20
The subway tile is the good old .24 cent tile in store at Home Depot – $20 total. I don’t think you can get more bang for your buck if you need a classic update in your kitchen or bath. The tutorial for the subway tile backsplash can be found here.
The corbels are from Home Depot, $8 each = $24 they are hot glued on there….shhhhhhh.
Glass in cabinet doors (see tutorial here) $18
Penny tile cabinet back -- click here for tutorial $150
I saw the idea for this in PB magazine and pinned it, then copied it. The hooks are from summer garden clearance at Lowes $3 each = $6
The pitcher is from TJ Maxx $9, and the lantern is from Real Deals in Missoula, Montana when I was there visiting. $20
The table refinish -- click here for the full tutorial was about $50, the chairs from Craigslist were $100, the diy drum lights were $120 – tutorial here.
We kept the laminate counters, because we’re trying to meet some financial goals and new solid surface isn’t in the budget right now. But at least they are nice and neutral.
Neither are hardwood floors…but, someday? I hope. The previous owners put brand, spanking new linoleum in right before we saw the house for the first time. I saw the bill for it on the counter (I ain’t nosy) and they paid $2800. Gulp. Of course I think of what that could have gone towards flooring wise, but can’t really change that now, can I? It’s not bad at all though.
And there you have it.
TOTAL: $2397 for EVERYTHING including the appliances we purchased. It feels like a new kitchen! I love that we would have paid a painter more than that just to paint the cabinets. Awesome.
So…NOW it feels good, now that the work is all over, but I’m not gonna lie, it’s not a fun process.
Let’s look at the before one more time:
and the after:
I know I probably missed something~let me know if you have ???
this is 3 posts from last year combined into one. Yard sale season is in full swing and I thought it would be a perfect time to re-post. Plus…I’m having company this weekend. :) Be prepared for the longest post in blog history..
Yard Sale 101: Before the Sale
Yard Sale, Garage Sale. Potato, pot-ah-to It's all the same, right?

Where do I begin?
First of all, you have to go. I hear lots of, "I never find good things at yard sales." And I find myself just wanting to say, "because you never go, or when you do, it's on the way home from something at 2 p.m. when everything is gone!" It takes a little planning and effort.
Remember how I told you that I had grounded myself from yard sales until my bathroom was finished?
Yeah, well I jumped ship on Saturday morning.
It had been a long, hard week with my husband gone a lot and the only "me" time I was going to be able to sneak in was Sat morning before 9 a.m. I also had some birthday money from my grandma burning a hole in my pocket. What's a girl to do?
Yeah, well I jumped ship on Saturday morning.
It had been a long, hard week with my husband gone a lot and the only "me" time I was going to be able to sneak in was Sat morning before 9 a.m. I also had some birthday money from my grandma burning a hole in my pocket. What's a girl to do?
There weren't too many sales since the wind was blowing like crazy. I went to three and managed to find this over the door hanger, bird cage (do you see the potential on this one??), and mirror for $3 total.

Not a bad morning, but not the best. I was on my way home when I saw a sign for a feeder sale (what am I talking about? see my yard sale 101 posts here) just a few blocks from my house. Of course I stopped, and they had some of the best stuff! I couldn't believe it.
I started my pile and just kept adding and adding:
white Pottery Barn dishes, an lamp with great potential, a frame, a candle holder, a wreath, a cute yellow tin, a wooden wall hanging thing with a drawer, and a bunch of Swiffer refills. And, do you see the beauty they're sitting on?
white Pottery Barn dishes, an lamp with great potential, a frame, a candle holder, a wreath, a cute yellow tin, a wooden wall hanging thing with a drawer, and a bunch of Swiffer refills. And, do you see the beauty they're sitting on?



The husband (gotta love the husbands) said,
"how about $35 for everything? We really want everything gone since we had it yesterday too."
Me: "You had it yesterday and you still have all this left?? What did you have yesterday?"
Him: "Oh, we sold a lot~some furniture, lots of fabric, curtains, some old doors, lots of decorative stuff. We're getting ready to move and just don't want to pack a lot."
Him: "Oh, we sold a lot~some furniture, lots of fabric, curtains, some old doors, lots of decorative stuff. We're getting ready to move and just don't want to pack a lot."
Me: gulp. (why did I even ask and why didn't I go on Friday?? Blasted bathroom.)
I asked him to hold it all for me while I ran home and measured really quickly. We don't have the space in my girls' room right now, but I knew I couldn't pass up such a great piece of furniture and I had an idea of where it could go. Ran home, measured, did a little dance of joy that it was a perfect fit, grabbed some more cash, and ran back and handed over the $35. Another lady had pulled up and cleaned them out of everything I didn't get.
I can't wait to get my hands on all of it, but I am going to work on the bathroom now. For reals.
* if you buy new things, you have to get rid of some of the old *
Unless you have a bare house and are starting from scratch. But, I have a sneaking suspicion that most of you {like me} have too much stuff already. If you start bringing home a bunch of treasures and add to your home without replacing items, pretty soon your house is going to look like an indoor yard sale. Get rid of things you may not love and replace them with things you do.
Unless you have a bare house and are starting from scratch. But, I have a sneaking suspicion that most of you {like me} have too much stuff already. If you start bringing home a bunch of treasures and add to your home without replacing items, pretty soon your house is going to look like an indoor yard sale. Get rid of things you may not love and replace them with things you do.
Remember these quotes from this post? Use them as a guideline in this area:

-Peter Walsh

Awesome advice.
* ground yourself once in awhile *
If you get too many treasures that need makeovers, or things are piling up and you haven't gotten around to the "getting rid of" part, you need to put yourself in a yard sale/thrift store/flea market time out. I'm doing it to myself this weekend. No more treasures for this girl until her bathroom is finished.
And some random things I thought of...
* bringing kids along *

I actually think it's a great idea to bring your kids to yard sales once or twice a year to show what bang you can get for your buck and to help teach the value of a dollar. My mom and grandma loved to go and that's where my love started, because I could see what great things you could get for so much less. The kids will be in heaven, but the problem with this is what we talked about above. All the treasures they find will start accumulating in their rooms. If you do have to take kids, you can make it work, it just takes a little more planning, creativity, and lots of snacks.
* feeder sales *
this is what I call the sales that don't advertise, but "feed" off the people who did advertise whose sales you're on the way to.
Always stop at them. There can't be earlybirds, because no one knows about them. They're not trying to make up the money they spent in advertising in the paper, so they may be priced better. They don't know if they'll have much traffic because they didn't advertise, so they often just want it gone. I have had some awesome finds from sales I just happen upon.
*a few things you may want to keep in your car that will help you out*
*measurements if you're looking for a specific big item
* a tape measure to use at the sale see if it will fit in the space and in your vehicle
* a list of the sizes and items you are looking for for upcoming seasons for your kids
*a city map in case you get lost
*blankets to protect furniture when you haul it off.
*snacks and drinks for you! I love me a Snickers Almond.
That wraps it up for this week! I've had a ton of fun doing it and I have loved, loved your comments and tips as well. I'm thinking we need to do a 101 course on having a yard sale in April. What do you think??
Tomorrow, I'm taking Kimba's challenge and turning my computer off and keeping it off the whole day. Yikes! I'm a bit nervous to see just how addicted I am. Join us!

I'm planning on getting lots done. So, I'll see you back here next week~have a great weekend!
I'm planning on getting lots done. So, I'll see you back here next week~have a great weekend!

The hardest part is getting there, so here are a few tips for at the sale:
* pick it up *
* if you see something that you like, or even think you like, pick it up. You can always think about it and set it down later. You'll be kicking yourself if you don't and see someone else pick it up and then it will make you like it even more. :) If it's a big item, start asking questions about it and then if you want it, tell them you'll take it and it's yours! (yes, you still have to pay) If you want to discuss it with your husband first, let them know you think you want it, you just have to make a phone call first.
* piles *

*If your arms are getting full, ask the people running the sale if you can make a pile by them. That way, they know it's yours and by the yard sale "rules", no one can take stuff from your pile. I hate it when I see something I love and pick it up and someone says, "oh, that's my pile." But, you have to be nice and play by the yard sale rules. Piles are sacred.
* it never hurts to ask... *
pic source
If they're asking $10, ask if they'll take $7.
If it's $1, ask if they'll take .50
If it's $5, ask if they'll take $3.
What's the worst they can say?
No?
Then you decide if you want it at that price or not.
If you have more than a couple of items, add it all up in your head and then take off what you think sounds fair and then ask. Don't low-ball though. You don't ask for a pile of amazing stuff that adds up to $10 for one dollar. That's bad yard sale etiquette.
If you have more than a couple of items, add it all up in your head and then take off what you think sounds fair and then ask. Don't low-ball though. You don't ask for a pile of amazing stuff that adds up to $10 for one dollar. That's bad yard sale etiquette.
Sometimes, people just have great prices and you don't feel like you need to ask for less.

Another trick for this one: I've found it helps if I have the cash in hand when I ask. So, if it's $10, I'll pull out a five and two ones and say, will you take $7 for it? For some reason, when the money is right there, they seem much more willing to take it.
A funny story with this one: when I was with my sister-in-law Kristine we were at the end of our yard sale trail and out of money. There was something she really wanted though, so we went and searched through the car for some loose change, and we came up with .42 or something. She went up like a little kid and showed him all the loose change and said, will you take .42 for it? He just took pity on her and just gave it to her. Oh, the good yard sale memories.
* what's up with the department store prices? *
You'll come across sales that are just so high priced it's crazy. You can feel them out to see if they're willing to come down, but most of the time, I just move on to the next one and don't waste my time.
*price points*
speaking of prices, I have "price points" set in my head of what I want to spend for certain items. For example, I try not to spend more than 50 cents a piece for kids clothes, unless they are coats, dresses, nice shoes, or very nice name brand items. The more you go, the more you'll have little price points in your head for what you're willing to pay for items.
*exchange phone numbers*
if there is something that's priced too high and they won't come down, or an item I need to go home and measure to see if it will work, I ask for their phone number and then I can call them back and say, "I want it~can you hold it for 10 minutes until I get there?" Or, you can call in the afternoon to see if they still have it. Most people are much more willing to go down in price if it's the end of the day and it's still there.
*drive bys and not buying anything are ok*
Sometimes you can tell it's just not your kind of sale when you drive by and you just move on to the next one. If you do walk up and nothing catches your eye, just say, "thanks" or "have a good day" and be on your way.
*if you're looking for a specific item, ask.*
many times, people will ask if you're looking for anything in particular. If you are, tell them. This last fall when I was on the hunt for maternity clothes, I asked and a lady brought out 2 whole boxes she forgot.
Oh, and one more little thing:
*always ask the husband what the price is...*
A lot of times, they have no idea what their wives paid for it and they just want it out of there. They usually give you the best deals. ;)
Tomorrow, we'll wrap up our little Yard Sale 101 Series with "after the sale" and some miscellaneous tips that I forgot. I'd love to hear any other tips you have!
Pretty Organizer is hosting a Toile Party today! I have to admit, I didn't even know what toile was until my sister-in-law decorated her daughter's room in it about 5 years ago. Once I saw it, I recognized what it was, I just didn't know it had a name (pronounced twahl).
It's beautifully classic though and I have a few touches I wanted to share...
here is a pillow I found at a yard sale that I have in a wooden box on my fireplace hearth or on my sofa, depending on my mood.

The next one is in our bedroom: it's a glass (maybe crystal?? how do I tell?) door knob from our very first apartment after we were married and is from the early 1900;s It had broken off of the door and when they replaced it with an ugly, new brass one I kept it. It brings back so many memories.
Anyway...I had been wanting to display it somehow, so here is what I came up with:

I found a scrap of black and white toile fabric, a little letter "S" from Hobby Lobby painted black and a frame from a yard sale that I also spray painted black. I had to cut a little hole through the fabric and hot glue the knob to the backboard of the frame so it would stay. My inspiration for the hanging "S" came from Blue Castle ~I loved hers. So much that I may even paint my "S" red to stand out a little more~what do you think?
There are my little touches of toile~there is a whole party of it going on over at Pretty Organized Palace~go join the fun!
**** Edited to Add: ****
Wait! Something about that "S" was really bothering me~too shiny, too much black, too something. So, I tried red spray paint. It still didn't fit. So I started wiping the red off, which took off some black as well, and I actually loved the old, weathered look it gave it. It seemed to fit the door knob. So, here is the makeover of the makeover.
Tomorrow we'll continue our Yard Sale 101~we'll talk about "at the sale." Until then... happy Tuesday!

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