Garage Sale Glory

It was a fun weekend for garage saleing, and I found some pretty cool stuff. It was REALLY hot on Friday morning, but with the lemonade stands to keep me going, I made it through without any major calamities. Here are some of my finds:

 Disney Road Signs - 25 cents each

These will look super cute in the garage. These are actually from Disneyland, and I LOVE finding souvenirs from the actual park (for a lot cheaper, too). Mickey never fails to make me smile.

Books - 25 cents each, plus some freebies

You'll notice that I even picked up some HARD COVER books from the Harry Potter and Twilight series. What a find! These are great for my classroom. I also found two books written by my friend's mom, Lynn Austin. She's such a talented writer, and I highly recommend reading her books (harmless plug). Not sure if she would be happy that her "babies" were in a garage sale, but in a way, I think the person who sold them simply wanted to share the joy with others. That goal was surely accomplished! Did anyone notice the free bookmark? I guess it was a "free with purchase" item. Haha.

Assorted Bins and Baskets - $1.00 for all

Originally, I only wanted to buy the green bin. When the lady told me that it was $1.00, I put it back, because I thought I could get it for 50 cents (I know...I'm THAT petty). She must have saw the sadness in my eyes, because she proceeded to throw every bucket, basket, and bin she owned into the deal - including a cute pink fabric box. SWEET! Obviously, I gladly took them. You can never have too many bins for organizing, and that's the truth, my friends. How else do you think I store and organize my garage sale finds?

Rolling Desk Chair - $3.00

I was in the market for a desk chair for my new basement craft area. Although I saw FOUR throughout my Friday garage saleing trip, none of them met my price expectations. Eventually, I found this beauty (originally marked $5.00) and paid $3.00 for it. Take off the dog hair with a lint brush, and I'm good to go! Haha. Hey, the world's an imperfect place.

Assorted Scrapbook Paper - $1.00 for all

Bag of Magnet Strips - 50 cents

Chipboard Album - 25 cents

Rubber Stamps - 25 cents 

Bag of fabric flowers - 25 cents

Stack of blank white books - $1.00

SIX packs of iron-on black letters - 50 cents

I simply can't pass up cheap craft supplies. I just can't. Can you see how cute those rubber stamps are? I picked up two with vintage cars on them, one with an old antique fan on it (think of the possibilities here), and one that fits perfectly with my blog as it reads "When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade." I must say, I adore the feeling of organizing my craft supplies into their appropriate containers. The nerd in me loves to organize, and that nerd especially loves to organize craft bins.

Wooden Frames - 20 cents each

1980's (ish) Cabbage Patch Kids Stationary (NEW) - 25 cents

Vintage-looking Harrod's Candy Tin - 25 cents

Door Knob Decoration - $1.00

Tie-Out Chain (for Jake) - 50 cents

I just love the door knob decoration for my key room. If you've been to my house, you know what I'm talking about. I might paint it, though. I have to think about it for a little longer. Although my husband begged me not to buy any more stationary, I couldn't pass up the Cabbage Patch Kids paper pad. It brought me back to my childhood! It's not often that someone can achieve that level of nostalgia for a mere quarter. I have a stationary addiction, and it isn't pretty. The tie-out chain is also a great example of perseverance. Last year, I bought the stake for Jake (the kind you screw into the ground) and knew I would be able to find a tie-out eventually. It took me a while, but I found it! I'm so glad I didn't give-in to temptation and buy one from the store. YAY!

Ballparks Book - 25 cents

Hockey Pennant - 50 cents

To distract my husband from the fact that I bought (more) stationary, I picked up a few presents for him. He is a big baseball fan and loves his new book, complete with beautiful, color panoramic photos of America's ballparks. It's a pretty huge book, so I'm sure it wasn't cheap. He also likes his new pennant, since he is a BIG NERD when it comes to vintage sports logos (or current ones, for that matter). Just add it to the list of the silly reasons why I adore him.

"Create Your Own Story Book" Set (NEW) - $1.00

Redken Box Set (NEW) - $1.00

Glitter Eyeliner Set (NEW) - 25 cents

I get so darn pumped-up when I find things that are brand spanking new. This time, I even found new DESIGNER items. Cheap shampoo for this girl? PUH-LEESE! I am moving on up to some Redken. I'm pretty sure this set would sell for around $30 in stores. I also love the story book set. I haven't decided if I'm going to give it to a lucky child or keep all of the pieces for myself (it comes with a TON of craft stuff - glitter, sequins, markers, ribbon, stickers, etc.). The glitter eyeliner will likely go to a student at school who wins a game or something like that. If there's one thing I know - freshman girls like glitter. And eyeliner. Therefore, I deduced that they also enjoy glitter eyeliner, although this hypothesis hasn't been researched fully.

 

Yankee Candle Tarts - $1.00 for 5

Wrapping Paper (NEW) - 25 cents

Luau Decoration (NEW) - 25 cents

Gift Bags - 10 cents each

Another thing I never pass up is gift wrapping items. I still can't comprehend why someone would sell gift bags. You ALWAYS need gift bags! Don't these people give away gifts? The darn things cost a ton in the store. Silly people. I've gotten Yankee tarts cheaper before, but they included some of my favorite scents, so I caved. They sell for $2 in stores so I guess I can't complain. Funny story, though - - when I was shopping at the sale and saw the Yankee tarts, one had a price sticker right over the scent name. It said "Gar [sticker] Cucumber." My stupid self thought, "Oh, garlic cucumber. Interesting combination. I guess I'll give it a whirl." After removing the sticker, it turns out it's "Garden Cucumber." That's a lot more normal. Not sure how popular of a scent Garlic Cucumber would be. Strangely, I'd buy it.

Baby Pool (for Jake) - $1.00

So, I bought my puppy, Jake, a baby pool last week for almost $15 from the store. I was devastated! I looked all summer to find one at a garage sale and never did. I was forced to give in. Then, out of nowhere, AFTER I had already bought the expensive store pool, I found this gem, complete with happy snorkeling penguins and their jolly pelican friends. I was very happy to return the original pool to the store. Problem solved. My little pup gets too hot in this summer weather, and one of his favorite things in life is water. Sometimes, he even "swims" in his water bowl. It's so bad, yet cute.

At this point in my garage sale journey, I headed down the back roads and into the country. It was refreshing -  driving along, listening to Blake Shelton's new CD, enjoying a beautiful American afternoon. Gotta love the simple things.

 Door Hinges - FREE

On my way, I found these gems in someone's garbage pile. They were throwing out some old doors, and left a little box next to them. I had a feeling there were going to be some cool parts inside, and by golly, there were!

 

"Go Duster" (NEW) - $1.00

"Mighty Mend-It" (NEW) - 50 cents

I am always fascinated by the "As Seen on TV" products. Those marketing people are pure genius. I mean, who else can make everyone in America yearn to become the proud owner of a "Snuggie?" A robe plus blanket in ONE comfortable invention? Sign me up! I just had to pick up these TV products. They seem pretty life-altering, but I'll have to let you know. Much to my surprise, the "Mighty Mend-It" also came with a bag of free gems! SCORE!

The last stop of the day was where I hit the JACKPOT. If you know me, you know that I love all things Disney. If you know me even better, you know that at Christmastime, I have a Disney tree (with all Disney ornaments on it). Therefore, you can possibly understand how excited I was to find a bunch of pristine, in-the-box, Hallmark Disney ornaments for sale. Pure joy.

 

Vintage Donald Hallmark Ornament - $2.00

Santa Mickey Hallmark Ornament - $2.00

Patriotic Mickey Hallmark Ornament - $2.00

Shopping Minnie and Mickey Hallmark Ornaments - $2.00

Eeyore Hallmark Ornament - $2.00

Minnie Mailbox Hallmark Ornament - $2.00

Tinkerbell Hallmark Ornament - $2.00

Sleeping Beauty (Aurora) Hallmark Ornament - $2.00

Little Mermaid (Ariel) Hallmark Ornament - $2.00

Snow White Hallmark Ornament - $2.00

Cinderella's Carriage Hallmark Ornament - $2.00

Mickey and Minnie Ice Skating Hallmark Ornament - $2.00

Mickey and Minnie Soda Shoppe Hallmark Ornament - $2.00

Vintage Pluto Hallmark Ornament - $2.00

Although I spent more than I usually do at garage sales, it was SO worth it. Not only are these older boxed ornaments harder to find now, but they sell for somewhere between $12 and $20. I was so, so happy to find them and give them a new place on my Disney Christmas tree. When I got them home, I looked at them all for a good hour. I know that's not normal, but I don't care. I love them so much. I think the Ariel one is my favorite. I mean, come on now, she's sitting in an oyster for crying out loud.

Having a feeling of utter joy and ready to call it quits, I drove past a lemonade stand with little girls waving their arms frantically through the air, hoping desperately for a customer. Of course, I stopped. This lemonade stand had many options! Obviously, they were professionals. I was offered regular, pink, or blue lemonade. I chose blue, and it was really yummy. Happy kids. Happy garage saler. Happy day.

Life is good today.

Take Time for Lemonade,

Kris