Welcome to my blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I believe that everyone can have a beautiful home without spending a fortune! One of my favorite things to do is find creative ways to re-purpose things I already have on hand, or have picked up at yard sales and thrift stores. Join me as I share with you some of my favorite ideas for crafting and decorating, as well as travel adventures, and fun things that I pick up on my treasure hunts! Much of my work is influenced by my love all things French, nature, and of course shabby chic! I have gotten so many creative ideas from you very talented bloggers out there, and I hope that I can be an inspiration to you as well!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Let's go Garage Saling!

Hello ladies, hope you have had a great week so far!
Today I am linking up with Debbie Doos, for her Garage Salen Partay!  If you have never visited Debbie, or her Partay, you are in for a treat!  She is a ton of fun, full of energy, and the nicest person!  Each weekend she hosts the best party, where she encourages us to share the goodies that we have found at garage & yard sales, thrift shops, & flea markets & antique shops.  I have had so much fun going to sales each week!  Some weeks are better than others, but today I managed to hit up several good ones.  I've been bringing in lots of stuff into my home since garage sale season began this year, so I am blaming thanking Debbie for junking up my house adding warmth and charm to my house!  (Just joking, Debbie!)

I wanted to show you these gorgeous candlesticks that I picked up a few weeks ago, and had forgotten to blog about.  The look so pretty on our table, and for $3 I thought they were a steal!  They are made of metal, and have the most beautiful little pink flowers, are totally shabilicous, and are so me!  When I bought them, they were really dirty, so I couldn't wait to clean (and sanitize!) them up!  I am always amazed when I go to sales and they haven't even bothered to clean the stuff they are trying to sell!  A few years ago I bought a squirrel baffle (you know, the thing you put under your bird feeder so the squirrels can't get to it), and it was covered in bird poop!  Eeeeew!  I would've been too embarrassed to try & sell something like that!
 My old rule was that for each new thing I brought into the house, at least one (or more!) thing had to leave!  Either donate, trash, or recycle. Well, I hadn't cleared anything out in a few months, and here I am bringing in more & more stuff each week!  (thank you,  Ms. Debbie! ) So today I took two boxes of stuff to the Good Will.  But while I was there, I just had to go in (couldn't resist!).  I found this mirrored sconce for $2.50.  Don't worry, I am going to get rid of the gold and paint it a pretty aquamarine color that I have been using alot lately.


I found this large frame at a garage sale (I am getting rid of the picture) for just $3.00, and I am going to turn it into a chalkboard, like the one I blogged about a few weeks ago. You can read about it here.  I plan on painting it the same color as that one, too.
At the same sale, I picked up all these cute wooden hand crafted toys for only a buck!  They even still have the label on of the man who made them (better than the usual "Made in China"!).  The little airplane has been colored on by some little person, so I will try & sand it off, or else paint it.  But for the price I was pretty excited. My 3 year old nephew will love them all!

For just 24 cents, I got this gorgeous roll of floral wrapping paper (it's a big roll!), a bag of little bells, that will come in handy at Christmas (I love putting them on gifts), and this neat basket for only $1.  I think it's meant to store napkins & silverware, but I am going to use it in my craft area for some much needed organization!

Ok, I got really excited when I found this brand new, never used heated back massager for just $5!  Complete with remote control. How cool is that?!  When we go away in our motor home, my lower back kills me for days after riding for 4 (or more) hours to get to our destination, even though I get up & stretch alot.  So this is going along with us!  Now you can picture me buzzing down the highway in our rv, getting a heated back massage!  "Honey, wake me up when we get there, ok?"

I am especially excited about this last piece that I picked up today for only 2 bucks!  While I try and look for things that I need or use, or can transform for my etsy shop, this met none of that criteria!  I bought it just 'cause I loved it!  It is a sweet little box that looks like a bird's nest.  Beneath the clear domed top is a picture of a bird's nest, and then the most adorable tiny nest with eggs, and flowers.  And if that wasn't cute enough already, open it up to reveal the entire box lined in vintage looking handwritten script!  I adore anything bird or nest related, and this will be perfect in our home!

20 comments:

mizdarlin said...

I love your bird's nest box..and the little airplane, with non-toxic paints... you could keep the child's art going and do a camo paint job..very cute..and little boys seem to love camo..easy to blend in the original 'artwork' too..just a thought..

Sonny G said...

great finds~!! I have one of those back massagers and its wonderful, especially on a cold winter night.

Sonny

Debbiedoos said...

hehehehe....I cracked up at your comment. Well you know I can't be the only one junking up my home...I had to have others follow suit...so I do thank you. I could really use that massage chair....5.00 what a steal. Tell you hubs he can thank me later when he is enjoying it. Cute candle sticks too....I love it all what can I say. Thanks for joining in...Enjoy the weekend!!~

Vintagesouthernlife said...

Great finds. I love the candlesticks and the ornate frame. It will make a great chalkboard.
Annette

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

Great finds, Donna~ I just love the bird nest box!

Debbiedoos said...

Yes Donna those are blue wood chips you see.....I am not on the side of the house where the AC units are...pretty soon I will have to leave the premises to paint lol!!~

Debbiedoos said...

I meant NOW on the side of the house

kim@kimmykats said...

You have some wonderful treasures. Love the bird nest box so unique!. I really must get busy on projects too. Have a great weekend.

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Donna,
OMG!!! Such great finds!! Those candlesticks are to die for!! Love the idea about the chalk board paint! Remember to show us that when it is finished because i really want to see how it turns out. I have to buy me some of that chalk board paint!! Hmmm.......
Debbie

Bonnie@Creative Decorating said...

Just stopping by from debbiedoos! You got some awesome items that can be transformed beautifully!!! Love it!

Diann @ The Thrifty Groove said...

Lots of fun finds! that frame is wonderful!

Have a great weekend!

mrs. c said...

I discovered you from debbiedoos and I must say I am so impressed with what you do! I love the framed chalkboard. I am a crafter as well and my most favorite glue in the world right now is Gorilla Glue! I make hummingbird feeders out of recycled glass containers and can glue buttons on the glass with this wonderful product and it does not SMELL! You can use it outside and it's only about 4 dollars and will glue lots and lots! Just make sure you dab on a tiny amount of water on both surfaces and just a little glue.

mrs. c said...

Tonight is my night to watch t.v. and sit with my laptop and check out new blogs! I am a follower now. I was looking at your Tzaitzki recipe and you said you would like to use Greek yougurt but it was too expensive. If you will get regular yogurt and put it in a coffee-lined strainer over a bowl and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours, it will thicken up just like greek yogurt. The liquid just seeps out. You can even make yogurt cheese, which is almost like cream cheese if you leave it overnight. I add herbs and have a yummy cheese dip.

HollyC said...

Hi Donna...I'm stopping in from Debbie's Garage Salen Partay!! I think you have some wonderful finds! I love the candlesticks, but I can't wait to see the chalkboard! Thanks for sharing.
~Holly

Susan said...

My favorite of your finds is the birds nest box!! I love boxes anyway. This one is gorgeous!

Victoria said...

The little birds nest box is my favorite! That is so unique and precious. All your other treasures are wonderful too:)

Holly Lefevre said...

Great finds! I love the little toys!

Christine said...

You really find the greatest stuff! I too love the little vehicles. Endless posibilities right there. I also LOVE chalkboard paint. My daughter jokes that nothing in my house is safe from it!

Shannon said...

Great great finds! I need to hunt down a great frame for a chalkboard. It's one of those things on my list that I never seem to "splurge" on! You have inspired me! Love your etsy shop too!

Charlotte said...

Great finds! Why would you expect something at a yard sale to be clean? After all it is a yard sale and not Wal-Mart! Sometimes, if you look past the dirt and grime you uncover a treasure.