Junk in the Trunk

Hey all you junkers out there....this one's for you! 

I know you're out there.  You tell me all the time when I bump into you that you've been anxious for this time of year to arrive.  You've patiently endured through a mild, but junk-less winter just like we have but alas....
The moment you've all been waiting for.....GARAGE SALE SEASON!!!!  ( Can I get an "Amen")?

This past weekend, my partner in crime (hubby) and I hit the streets. "Gas-a-chinos" in hand, high hopes in our hearts, and money in our pockets-we hit 'em hard.

Like an expectant mother giving birth, we knew we would eventually be rewarded for our efforts, but it was laborious (pun intended) for the first hour.  We misread our newspaper map, couldn't program the ipad gps, forgot to stop at the bank, and were already getting off to a late start. (Were we a little rusty at this already? I wondered).  I wanted to throw in the towel before we even hit our first sale, but -ever- the -optimist- hubby made me power through.  "It will be worth it", he said.

And worth it, it was. Here's our score for the day:

Oh, how I love my new longer, wider mini van with the 'stow-n-go" seats!

Our first stop was a neighborhood sale on the southside of Holland. You know we've been at this gig long enough when we've hit areas of town annually now and can tell you the type of decor the residents have at each house in the neighborhood.

I knew one was going to have some cool antiques but they were going to be slightly overpriced. I was right. They had four vintage old school wooden folding chairs but at $8/each I wasn't sure they'd sell unpainted and I didn't have the time or energy to motivate myself to paint them with the starting price of $32 (plus paint and labor) for the set. 

Another sale we hit in that 'hood was a living estate sale where I made off with these two retro floral patterned chairs.  The price was right and even if I don't reupholster them, some quirky junker (like myself) will find a spot for them.
They're mine for now.

In that same block of houses, sat a precious old man in the middle of his driveway that was scattered with junk...odds and end tools, plastic toys, old gas cans, etc.  Most of the junk was set on top of some square wooden crates.  I thought he was using the crates as tables, but turns out he was selling those as well.  I bought 7. 
I think I'll sell them to a future client as bookshelves.  Saw that idea on Pinterest and it rocked.

That was about all we found in that part of town, so off to the north side we ventured.  We weren't too disappointed with our treasures, but weren't amped up like we usually are after hitting several sales in a row, so we decide to make a detour to watch my youngest niece play soccer. After resting and chatting with my sis, I was charged up once again to tackle a few more sales.  It was nearing noon at this point, and any good garage sale-r knows that it can be slim pickin's in the afternoon, especially after many of the sales had already been opened a day or two before but on we went.

Walking up the drive, I almost feared for my life...the house and landscaping were beautiful but the driveway, house and interior was a helter-skelter mess. What good can come from this?

Wellllllll, as I tell my girls all the time, "Never judge a book by it's cover".  After cautiously digging through a few unorganized totes and bags, I discovered random, trendy items that were unused and fairly new. Here's a sampling:

I'm already stashing away lots of potential tag sale treasures and was excited to find wreath forms and some Christmas/Winter related items. We spent about an hour there unearthing some dusty, but interesting finds.  I also found two adorable tv trays (folding trays on legs) that need to be given some TLC but they were brand new.  I'll post those soon.
After germ -blasting our hands with anti-bacterial, and slamming a Diet Coke, we were off to the last sale of the day.  We didn't know how much umph we had left in us and both of us were getting hungry for lunch, but we headed down a two track road and ended up at an executive style home in the woods that was having a moving sale.  Everything was immaculate and priced modestly compared to the original price of the items, I'm sure.
Here's what we found there.

 And a special treat for my two girls at home that day:

They've been obsessed with mani's and pedi's lately.  This will be a fun Saturday morning treat for them while Dad and I are off junking.

All in all, our first day "back on the job" was a great success. I've already brought some of the items to my booth at Not So Shabby. The other items made their way up the attic steps and will be coming out to play on a rainy day.  Looking forward to a spring/summer filled with great weather, great finds, great prices and great company.

On that note...a shout out to my better half today in honor of our 18th anniversary yesterday.  I don't know of many other men who would love nothing better than to hit the road on a Saturday morning with a demanding wife who has made a job for herself sifting through other people's junk. He gets his hands dirty right along with me and never complains.  He always has the map clearly marked, cold Diet Cokes in the cooler, and an enthusiastic attitude.

"God blessed the broken road that lead me straight to you". Thanks for loving me in spite of the 'junk in my trunk'.