Today I join the world of blogging...

Monday, June 10, 2013

For my first blog post I thought that I would write about my fabulous finds at the garage sales that I attended this past weekend. A small community nearby was advertising a town-wide garage sale. 

The previous weekend I had attended another, larger, annual town-wide sale where I usually find lots of amazing deals on things I just have to have. But that one had actually ended up being not as wonderful as recent years and I had left disappointed, with the van far from overflowing with anticipated goodies.

After purging my closet and dresser drawers last month and donating bags of things to the local thrift store, I have been on the search for clothing, footwear and accessories this season. And, as always, I am seeking vintage camera lenses, props to use in my photography, photo frames, and vintage books and toys from my childhood. Since the last sale was a bit of a bust, I had high hopes for this next one.

On arrival just after 7 a.m. Saturday, we drove through the lovely, scenic streets and past beautiful homes, with nary a garage sale in sight. Finally we spotted one sign, followed it in, and found an empty driveway and no one around. Eventually we came upon a small side street with one sale that had a couple of tables set up.

Another woman was just leaving, empty-handed. I walked up to the first table and to my delight there were quite a few pieces of jewelry. Rings, earrings, and necklaces were nicely arranged in a ring tray or in small baggies. As I reached for the first ring to catch my eye, the woman seller said, "Everything on that table is three for one dollar."

Three for one dollar? A glance at the table noted a small sign that verified that price. I held up the pretty silver ring with the purple stone. It was clearly sterling silver. "Even this one?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes. I just want to get rid of them. Whatever doesn't sell is going to the thrift store. There are even some sterling silver pieces."

I could not believe my good fortune! I tried on the ring, then reached for other smaller ones that I hoped might be toe rings. Yes! I love wearing toe rings in the summer; I find them so pretty and feminine. There were four of them and all were sterling silver. A couple could use a bit of a polish with silver cleaner, but I don't mind the extra bit of effort at that price.

Then I moved on to the necklaces and earrings. It did not take long for my hands to get full. The woman kindly gave me a small bag so my hands would be free. I marvelled at what wonderful condition most of the pieces were in. Some of the earrings were set in sterling silver. Some of the pieces were Avon, and I wondered whether she had sold the products at one time, or was just a fan like me.

We chatted a bit as I browsed and filled my little bag. She was such a nice lady! Friendly, warm and genuine. I only took the pieces that really appealed to me and resisted the temptation to just take 'everything' since it was so inexpensive. After The Purge, I decided that I will only buy, wear and keep things that I really like and think look nice on me. 

My style of jewelry is big and chunky. At 5'10", with a large frame, tiny delicate pieces just get lost on me. But I feel I can carry off the larger statement pieces that I love.

At the end of the table was a box of nail polishes, most of those Avon as well. And, it appeared, never even used. I already have a myriad of nail polishes, but could not resist picking up four in colours that I do not currently have.

As I shopped...enjoying that I was the only one at that sale for the time being and therefore not feeling that I had to rush before someone else snatched up 'my' stuff...she asked whether or not I had a dog. As it happens, I have three. A German Shepherd and two Shih Tzus. She mentioned that she had a bag of veterinary quality dog food that she was selling for $3. That is about one tenth of its price at the vet's office.

She explained that her dog had died recently. Since my Shepherd, Skylar, has allergies, I told her that I'd take the food as well, and offered my condolences for her loss. As a lover of all things fur-bearing, and the owner of three cats in addition to the three dogs, I know how our animals touch our lives and hold a place in our hearts and how their passing leaves a void.

I had not thought to count how many items I was picking up as I filled the bag, so once I was done shopping I started to take them out in groups of three. Once I got to $7 worth, she said $10 would be fine for everything, including the dog food. There were still quite a few pieces of jewelry left uncounted. 

I happily paid the price, we bid one another a good day and I wished her success on her sale, then I took my treasures back to the van. Once there, my husband pointed out the large Everlast exercise ball that I had overlooked while fixated on the jewelry. My daughter had mentioned she might like one. So I hopped back out and paid the $1 for that.

The next sale that we came across was at a beautiful property with a small brook running from beside the house down the length of the driveway. A well-established perennial garden greeted me. There was only one item that I wanted here, but it is an amazing piece. 

For $2 I bought a handmade, vintage snakeskin purse with leather interior. It is the size of a clutch, with a thin braided strap. I should say here that I would not buy something new made from snakeskin or fur (but I do eat meat and use leather products so I'm not taking any moral high ground, just stating my personal choices).

Not that you can get new products made out of snakeskin here in Canada, they are illegal to import now. I feel differently about vintage items, however. The 'damage', as it were, is long done. It was a different time and people's attitudes, and our laws, were different. 

Rather than simply throw such pieces in the trash, I have no issues with someone wearing their grandmother's fur, for example. I think that such items have a nostalgia about them that appeals to me. They are a link to our past, and for me they also serve as a reminder of how times change.

There was one more sale in this lovely small town that I was again thrilled to come across. As soon as I got out of the van, I spotted the turquoise purse that I had been keeping my eyes open for for some time. The shimmery blue colour was perfect. Closer inspection showed it to be a Guess brand purse, to my consternation. 

Past experience had shown that anything 'name brand' would usually have an asking price far above what I was comfortable paying for a second hand item from a garage sale. I picked it up anyways, along with a lovely seafoam green purse.

Then I spotted the shoes. Happily, they were my size. One pair caught my eye first. A pair of brown strappy heels from Le Chateau. The original price sticker of $99.99 was still on the bottom, and obviously they had seen no wear as there were no scuff marks on the soles whatsoever. 

I was skeptical as to what the asking price might be, but gathered them up as well along with a pair of pink canvas wedges. The final addition to my armload was a pair of charcoal grey dress pants from Suzy Shier.

Ready to be met with disappointment, I asked the seller how much she wanted for everything. I figured the Guess purse alone would be out of my price range. When she said, "Ten dollars for everything," I just stared at her. 

When she amended, "Oh, just give me eight dollars," with a wave of her hand, I could have done a happy dance right then and there. The money was out of my wallet and in her hands before you could say 'I love garage sales!'.

There were a couple more sales, but nothing that tempted me, so we headed back home to hit a few sales there. My only find was a black Club Monaco ribbed turtleneck, until the final one at a church just outside of our town. I always have high hopes for church garage sales. They usually have great prices and lots of clothes. 

I could not even find the clothes at first. But I did spot a box of dinnerware that warranted a second look. The colours and pattern were quite pretty, and they felt well made. I flipped over a mug to read that they were Pfalzgraff. I knew from the name that they would be of good quality, and would retail for more than your average stoneware set. They were marked $5 for the box. 

I do not haggle at church sales. My husband paid for them and took them back to the van. Looking them up on the internet later, I would find that they retail here in Canada for $80 for a four piece place setting for four. I had six complete sets, with a seventh mug and bowl, and eight luncheon and dinner plates. The pattern is called 'Sefton Park'.

I eventually found the meager offering of clothes. Either someone had gotten there way ahead of me, or there hadn't been many to begin with. A pair of black, lightweight dress pants, a short-sleeved, pale pink blouse, and a red v-neck cardigan set me back thirty cents in total.

I had thought my garage saling adventures were over for the day, but a bit later while coming home from the grocery store, we stopped at one last sale where I bought one toe ring and four other rings, for $5.

I thought that the day's success story would make a good first post for my new blog. I have begun taking photos of the pieces that I bought and will post the first of them today, with more to follow in the next day or so. 

Oh, and in keeping with the vein of my blog, while I did use my Canon 50D DSLR camera (which happens to be pre-owned), the lens I used to take the photos is a vintage, Russian made, manual focus lens. I picked up my Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 M42 lens for $20 a few years ago at a local flea market. It even had an old Zenit camera attached to it. 

To get some of the close-ups, I used extension tubes, bought from ebay for $10. I like to be frugal when it comes to my photography as well, and using old lenses appeals to that nostalgic side I had mentioned earlier.

I have no idea whether this blog, or my treasures, or the ways I find to be thrifty in my everyday life, will be of interest to anyone but me, lol. But I have had fun starting it up and enjoyed sharing. And I look forward to continuing to do so.

Nifty, thrifty and (almost) fifty,

Cathy