Friday, May 20, 2011

Junk and Disorderly Part 2


I noticed around town last week a few signs saying there was a garage sale on my street on Saturday.  Now all seasoned garage salers know, that if you are serious you need to get there by at least 7am to get a look at the best vintage stuff, even if the sign suggests it starts at 8am.  I mean you are competing against the dealers and they really know their stuff.  So not wanting to be too pushy I did a drive by of the neighbour's.  I know....... pretty naughty when it was only 5 doors away but I didn't want to be too pushy.  They were pretty savvy neighbours too, cause they had all their sale items inside the garage with the door shut and this time the sale did not start 'til precisely 8am.
To get home from my drive by, I drove around the block, which takes all of 2 minutes flat, but during that time, I decided hey, I've got stacks of stuff I want to move, chuck out.  My laundry is a large room under the house and it is full of stuff that until now I have been unable to part with. It is stopping me from doing that laundry make over I so desperately need to do. So why don't we have a garage sale too.  The kids are always bugging me that they want one and I say to them that you need to advertise and organise and we will one day.  But I thought, I could put out the kiddos' black board, which may appeal to any passing garage salers coming by from the neighbours. Lets just suck it and see!!!
The way my son recalls it, I walked in to the bedroom at 7.02am and said " Get up everyone we're having a garage sale". Especially you Mr Beach House, as I need you to help me move some furniture out into the yard". Beach House Brat number one was beside himself with excitement. He rummaged through his toy shelves and boxes. It's amazing what he was prepared to throw out, when there was a dollar in it.

My first coup was the sale of this little art deco games table.  The table top swings and opens to double the size.  It had the original green felt underlay.  I didn't get a photo of that bit, as it all happened so fast.  This dealer swooped it up and I had to ask her if I could photograph the table as she was walking off.  That's why it's on the road.  I didn't really want to part with it, but it was jamming up the laundry and there was no room for it in my living room. It's only a thing and I bought it for $5, three years ago, so nothing to lose really.  I remember lightly sanding it and putting some varnish on it to bring out the wood grain.  I said I wanted $40 for it and to my shock she said, "I'll take it!"  I then said "I should have said $100."  But she said she wouldn't have paid that.  So here's hoping it goes to a good home.
Next was this lovely little vintage desk.  I picked this up on the side of the road and intended to repurpose it for one of the Beach House Brats bedroom makeovers.  It didn't sell, which I am not unhappy about as I do love it. It reminds me of my school days.  I mean I'm not that old but we had a laminate version, which was the same shape, with the swinging top.
Now it's funny who you meet when you are hanging out in your garden for several hours on a Saturday morning.  There has been an old war veteran living across the road for many years.  He has kept pretty much to himself but we had met.  He fell over in his garden once and I happened to be sitting in my kitchen talking on the phone and saw the whole thing.  I rushed over to help him up as he seemed stuck and couldn't get up.  He was so frail that I was able to lift him up quite easily.  I hadn't seen him around for a while and then the next thing, some friends of his were cleaning out his house.  They were chucking out beautiful pieces like this art deco glass cabinet into the skip, as his house needed to be cleaned out so he can generate a rental income to pay for the nursing home he is living in.  Seems real sad that you fight for your country and it comes to this.  A life time of treasures chucked into a skip.  Anyway, I said to the people doing the chuck out, that they were welcome to sell his stuff at my garage sale, so what was a little sale became a big one.
This man was single with no children and all his pieces were purchased mid last century.  I just loved this 1960's outdoor setting.



We also sold some of his vintage mirrors.  It's a real sad story, but at least he got some $$$ for his beautiful possessions, which were to be thrown out anyway.

Then we go back to my humble pieces.  I think every self respecting beach house needs some deck chairs.  I had purchased this to recover in beachy stripes but discovered it is more affordable and a whole lot less hassle to purchase one new. The ethics of that aren't great I know, but there you have it. As you can see the recovering never happened either, as I have a dinged up old adirondack on the back deck these days. You can see that on my home tour here, if you missed it.  And there's that breakfast tray that I featured in my master bedroom makeover, my most popular post ever, which you can see here.
The anodised soda fountain is very collectable and I saw one in a charity shop for $50 last Friday on my thrifting day out.  Read more about that here.  Funnily enough no one even picked it up, so it's still in da house.  I bought the white milk can for $5 at a car boot sale recently.  I'm happy that one didn't sell either as I'm getting the paintbrush out this weekend to give a few pieces the white treatment and I think it will do nicely on one of those.
I wonder what other surprises I'll spring on the family this weekend.  Perhaps a trip to the moon and back.

Have a great weekend gals.  Beach House of the Week up next.
Best Carolyn
Today I am linked up at
French Country CottagePhotobucketRemodelaholic
Blue Creek HomeFurniture Feature Fridays





16 comments :

  1. Very charming funny post. Thanks for sharing it with us. I look forward to your posts.

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  2. Chuckle! Cute, Carolyn ...

    Have a beautiful eve ...
    TTFN ~
    Marydon

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  3. yeah for garage sales! One of the best inventions around. Thanks for linking to VIF.
    xo Debra

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  4. garage sales are great aren't they! did your post take a while to show up today.. mine isn't showing up : (
    cheryl x

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  5. Hi Carolyn, I love your old school desk and that would look great in your son's room. My son has one a little like it and i love the worn vintage look of it. You have some good stuff there that didn't sell. The milk can is fantastic and would make a great statement piece and that old navy deck chair would look good with some numbers stencilled on it in white paint and hung on the wall in the house. Just a suggestion. Have a great weekend! leahxx

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  6. Hi Carolyn, Love a garage sale, in fact wish I could of come to yours, love that little table. Have a great weekend x

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  7. If I had been at your garage sale, that desk would have made its way to my house for sure!

    How lovely of you to add your neighbor's goods to your sale and even more lovely of you to write about his service to your country.

    btw, I LOVE the name of this post — Junk and Disorderly, that is SO funny.

    Have a wonderful weekend, looks like you're having some nice weather for it!

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  8. LOL - Carolyn I want to be junk and disorderly with you along!
    xo Cathy

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  9. What a great sale! I never find that kind of fabulous stuff when I go to garage sales. Way to go with coordinating it at the last minute and thanks for sharing it with us this week at Inspiration Friday! :-)
    Vanessa

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  10. LOVE those garage sales!! :) Thanks for linking up at the Sassy Sites Free For All party! When you get a chance, come back by and see what we've done for the American Crafter's competition... and maybe vote for us too! *wink*

    xoxo!
    Marni @ Sassy Sites!

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  11. What a poignant story about your neighbor- I'm glad you were able to help him by selling his things. I am readying for my own vintage occasional sale next week. I began purging my decorating accessories and furniture in Jan. and am busy pricing things. What a ton of work- especially since I am hauling it to a friend's store. Whew!
    Visiting from Vanessa's.
    ~ Sue

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  12. What a great garage sale~ and how wonderful you could help out your neighbor too. Thank you for sharing this at Feathered Nest Friday ~ have a great weekend!

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  13. Carolyn,
    Wonderful garage sale. Hope all is well with your neighbor. Thanks for linking this up!
    Sherry

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  14. Great treasures Carolyn and that was so wonderful of you to help out your neighbor. :) Glad you were able to sell some things and of course find new spots for others. :)
    XO

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  15. I am afraid my family would have just laughed and drove to the nearest Waffle House to spend the morning if I tried that!!!! I love garage sales - going to and having them - our crazy HOA won't allow them in this neighborhood!! Thanks for linking to my party!
    Rhonda

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  16. What a great post to introduce me to your blog.
    You are very fortunate to have willing kids, even if they were money motivated. My son would say I could have the sale and he'd be willing to split the profit.

    Sad about your neighbor but nice timing. I hope he was happy to get some extra cash. I also hope you get nice new neighbors.

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