A Sentiment

God knew what He was doing when He sent a gentle breeze and brought a lovely butterfly to set my heart at ease. The happiness of your friendship and the gentleness of your words have touched my life in special ways and now I feel assured. Thank you for your loyalty and for reading everyday. I only hope you find things to make a happy day.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Garage Sales....I Love Things That No One Wants.

Here I am trudging down the road with all my finds. Hubby will be so glad to see me. This is me ...when I've just been to a sale. Friday mornings are the best. Watch out for garage sale drivers....they don't watch what they are doing behind the wheel....their eyes are on the prize.




Garage sales will be starting soon in our area. This little town is not as good as my "old" town for the sales. My other town had so many older residents and there would be garage sales, estate sales, and auctions all the time. These older residents had the most wonderful things to sell. I was painting to supplement our income at that time, so it was like part of my job to "hit" the sales on Friday morning. My husband had Friday's off work, so he would go with me. He loved to find old fishing gear, pocket knives, WW ll memorabilia, old books etc. He was my partner in my business at that time. We would drive up to the house and park...walk up the driveway looking at the things on the outside of the garage. He would ask before we left home, "What are we looking for today?" He did more talking to the people than I did. I had an eagle eye for old tinware, coffee pots, tea kettles, saws, old tools and wooden things. I could paint my country scenes on these items and take them to 4 or 5 shops to sell. I painted on anything. He always said, "Don't stand still too long....she'll paint on you." I painted bed pans, canes, flowers on walkers, mailboxes, spools, thimbles, kitchen things, you name it. It turned out to be quite a nice business. I would take these things home... and between the two of us we would sand, prime, paint and then decorate. I have painted hundreds of saws. Hand saws, round saws, two man saws...In our town many a farmer has a saw hanging in their home, with my painting of his farm on a saw. One day I had car trouble, and I stopped to ask for help. I went into the farmer's kitchen and all across the soffet were my saws...probably twenty of them. The farmer's wife gave me a ride home and wouldn't take any money for helping. Christmas came and she had a new saw to hang up.. a gift from me. Now,since I am older, I am no longer selling my painted things. When I remarried, I boxed up everything that I had in the stores and donated it all to a school sale, and a garden club sale.The organizations appreciated it and it made me feel good to do it. I paint now for fun and just things for family and friends. The reason that I love garage sales now is, people throw away things that can be used in the garden. Lots of things can be recycled and used again. You can find sales that have plants that they have started especially for the sale. My neighbor divides her perennials and has a sale every year. It will be coming up soon. Another neighbor sells garden statuary. They sell to big stores and sell some of their things at a reduced price at their home. One of my favorite things to buy now are books. Garden books are a real find. You never know what you will find....that's the fun of it. I can go with $5 in my pocket and come home with a treasure.


Balisha

10 comments:

OhioMom said...

I love garage sales, can't wait for them to start up here. I look for vintage cookbooks and kitchen tools.

I am not surprised that you used to sell your painted objects, you have a great talent.

Laura said...

If I'm driving around on a Thursday or Friday and see a sale, I'll slow down and take a look at what they have. I don't make a point to go, but if my boys are with me and have money in their pockets, we'll stop.

Balisha said...

My kids actually went to garage sales before I did. Their Grandma introduced them to garage saleing. I stopped going, when my husband got sick and didn't start again until last year. Now I just go if they're in the neighborhood.
Thanks for the nice compliment Ohiomom.I don't know how great my talent was, but the people in my old town...liked my "folksy" way of painting.

Judy said...

Bob and I went to garage sales on Friday, too. We rented a booth this month at the Peddlers Mall because he wants to make and sell little tables. I bought some stuff so cheap at the garage sales I would resell it in the booth. We just like fooling with it. Gives us something to do and I like looking for garden stuff, too. My niece gave me a whole stack of gardening magazines, do it yourself books and Southern Livings. Bob and I looked at them for hours!

Balisha said...

Judy,
I'm from the north, but I love Southern Living. When my neighbor moved to Georgia, she wanted me to know what was going on in her area, so sne sent me a subscription to that magazine.I still read it, but I get it at the library.
Have you put his tables on your blog?

Roses and Lilacs said...

Hi Balisha, we have a couple big annual plant sales in this area. I always go even tho the biggest one starts at about 5am. You gotta be there early or nothing is left.

When I finally retire I will go garage sale-ing. I'm looking forward to it.
Marnie

Balisha said...

Hi Marnie,
The Men's Garden Club in Elgin always had their annual sale the weekend of or before Mother's Day. They grew things and divided perennials during the year and had a huge sale.Things were reasonable and were very healthy. I used to go every year. That sale started early and people were lined up on both sides of the street.It was a good money making project for their club.

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Balisha, I have done all of this,
except the painting. Now downscaling once again I just rarely stop at the sales. At my old farm home the rooms were packed full. I have 15 books by my chair I have not openend and have been taking cuttings of my plants to the country. I will always stop for plants!!!. It is fun and like you said - you never know what treasure you might find.

Anonymous said...

Some of my more mature plants were found at garage sales. I love a good sale, and repurposing things for the garden is my favorite of all. :)

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

Balisha...I do the same thing..I look for books. Just came across a sale at one of our local churches and bought 11 books. I was thrilled. Just 1.00 each.
I also have gotten away from painting. I did flowers..and loved it. I have stopped doing lots of thing I used to do. I wonder why that is???
Have you posted some of your art work...I need to go back and look. My memory is going, I swear. What the heck causes that. It worries me..a bit...when I can remember to worry...