Happy Happy New Year!

I can't believe that 2013 is almost here.  This year has gone by so quickly. 

I bought Charizard Pokemon fabric this summer at a garage sale for $4.  (Pokemon material is hard to find.)  Anyway, the boys wanted me to make them a quilt.  I do love to quilt so I was up for the challenge.  I used fabric that was bought at garage sales since I have a large amount of great fabric.  I made a simple quilt so that the Charizard figures would stand out.  I hand sewed POKEMON on one edge and then hand sewed 2 letters per side (sort of) to make the word POKEMON.  It came out really neat.  I wanted it to be done before the new year and it is! 

I have soooooo many other projects that I want to start, but this was an important one for me.  I didn't want to have too many unfinished projects laying around.  I finished a knitted scarf the other day and when I washed it to felt it, it didn't come out the way I wanted it to.  So, it's back to the beginning again.  I will use the scarf for pieces on other projects.  That happens sometimes when you felt.  Things don't always wash the way you want it to.

Wishing everyone a very happy healthy New Year with lots of paths to junkentreasure!

Merry Christmas

I made this pinecone tree years ago and still have it.  I keep it with my Christmas treasures and love to bring it out every year.  Sometimes, like this year, I have to reglue a pinecone.  I have it on my kitchen table so we share all of our meals and homework with it.  It reminds me of when I was a new homeowner and watching my money.  I collected little pinecones until I knew what I would do with them.  (I still collect pinecones and have them contained in a vintage metal tub in front of my fireplace.)  This is what became of some of those pinecones.

Merry Christmas!

Music Boxes

I stopped in at Interiors Anew on the Woodstock Square.  It's always nice going in there.  You never know what treasure awaits.  With Christmas being only a few days away, I was hoping to find some charming holiday item. 

As soon as I walked in, I spotted a small table with wind up music boxes (only the shell of the music boxes).  Each one played a Christmas song.  I bought the three that played "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" for $3 each.  I will keep one and put the other two into Ethan and Austin's Christmas stockings.  They still had music boxes that played "Deck the Halls."

I think that they are wonderful now; just the way that they are.  I'm not going to put them into anything.  I remembered that I had found a frame with vintage looking sheet music with "The 12 Days of Christmas" on it.  So, I grouped them together with some gold glass pieces that I had.  It had just the right effect that I was hoping for.   A little touch of yesterday.

Cookies and Buttons

Cookies and buttons.  Some combination huh?

I spent this morning baking chocolate chip peanut butter cookies (I found a really great recipe to try.)  I had been looking forward to this all week.  So, in between eating and eating the cookies (I needed to make sure that they tasted good for others), I went through a tin of buttons that my mother had sent to me.  She found them at a garage sale for $1.  So many of them were vintage.  They were also pretty dirty so I wiped off each and every one of them.  I didn't really mind since I was waiting for batches of cookies to get done. 

The buttons were so wonderful.  I separated them into piles of what I would be using soon.  (I added them to my red suitcase button collection.)  I am trying to finish up on a scarf that I am knitting.  It will have flowers on it and I'm going to use the buttons for the center of the flowers.  I have my idea in my mind.  I just hope that it comes out the way I am planning.  But, sometimes I love what happens instead.   It's the surprise ending that comes out better than I could have planned.

I'll be making peanut butter blossom (kisses) cookies this weekend.  Notice the theme of peanut butter.  I love peanut butter! 

Happy baking!

Look at this Vase!

What a wonderful vase!  I was at the Goodwill in Huntley today and found this great vase for 99 cents.  I just couldn't pass it up.  It goes so well with my other larger ones on the windowsill in my office/guest room. 

You have to check out www.holidaywithmatthewmead.com to see the wonderful pictures that he posted of the sale he had recently.  He is also having a contest for a great cake stand and jelly jars.  You will be inspired to create.  I know that I am.  He created groupings for displays that go together so well that you will be looking throughout your own treasures to do the same. 

It was nice today to take a break from all of my organizing and purging.  It started to snow periodically throughout the day.  A white Christmas would be so nice.  Now I can focus on baking and enjoying the joy and peace of Christmas.

May you have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

Creating and More Creating

I have been busy, busy, busy organizing and purging my collections.  I just finished going through all of my vintage tablecloths, hand towels and needlepoint treasures.  I have a pile that I am going to part with.  That leaves room in my closet to begin collecting again when the sales start.

I had been collecting pretty plates and items that would make a fun project.  (I used a clear glass candlestick, a milk glass drinking cup and a gold gilded ashtray.  Each item cost me between 25-50 cents.  Each cake plate cost about 75 cents to $1 to make.)  I wanted to make pedestal cake plates.  I made a few the other day.  The glue that was recommended didn't work as well as I had wanted it to, so I had a lot of redos.  But finally, they stuck.  I'm happy with the results.  They will make nice presents.

Last year, I made a few Christmas stockings with vintage tablecloths that had holes in them.  (Remember, never cut up perfectly good vintage tablecloths.  Only the ones that have holes in them or have other major problems.)   I also used vintage ribbons that I had been saving.  I gave some of those stockings out as gifts this year filled with goodies. 

And Even More Jewelry

Boy, did I have a busy weekend with Holiday parties and family activities.  But there was still time in the schedule to go back to the estate sale on Grove Street in Crystal Lake on Sunday.  She sold a lot, which was great for her, and she put out the rest of the vintage costume jewelry which was good for me.  My cousin Barb had spent the weekend with us and she also found some great jewelry buys. 

I ended up buying 9 pins and 2 bracelets for $18.  What a great deal!  I found a few rhinestone pins and was very pleased to see that one was marked Weiss on the back.  That was a very good deal!  I only have a few Weiss pins in my collection so I was so very excitied.  Those deals and finds don't come along every day.

I hope that there are more good sales this week.

Sooooooo Much Jewelry

Another fun day going to estate sales.  The one in Crystal Lake on Grove Street was great!  She will be adding more stuff on Saturday and Sunday.  I bought a lot of vintage pins and bracelets for $3 each.  I can't resist vintage jewelry.  I also can't resist elf or santa vintage items so I bought 2 elfs for $2 each and 1 santa for $1.  I also got a vintage Mrs. Claus ornament for free.  Another of my finds was a working roulette ash tray from Las Vegas for $1.  It is so cool.  I'm not sure what I will do with that yet.  It was just to cool to pass up and for the right price.  I'm going to try to make it back this weekend to see what other treasures she has.

I also went to 2 estate sales in Woodstock. 1 was on North St in the new townhomes.  What a magnificient place it was.  Sometimes it is more fun to look at the building and structure than to shop the sale.  I did find some PC games for the boys for $2 each and even a brand new, never opened DVD of King Kong.  Everyone needs a King Kong DVD.  The other estate sale was on the corner of Raffle Road and Banford.  I didn't find anything there.

The estate sales this past week have been fun and I've found some really nice treasures.  I was glad that most of the sales had lots of vintage items.  Too many of the sales recently didn't have many vintage items.  I hope there are more sales like these in the next few weeks. 

Estate Sales Treasures

I went to 2 estate sales today.  One in McHenry and one in Crystal Lake.  I had the best time at the one in McHenry.  Not to mention that I found some treasures there.  The garage was opened first and I found 2 wonderful turtle cookie jars.  One had a chip inside so I got them for $10 each.  I thought that Ethan might want them for his turtle collection and I was right!  If he didn't want them, I was going to give them to my mother for her cookie jar collection.  See how collectors can cross over into other categories.

Inside the house were other treasures waiting for me to purchase.  I found 3 hankies for $2 each (1of The 3 Little Pigs, 1 of a child and ducks and 1 of hearts), more turtles from $1-$5, a wastebasket that is hand painted for $3, a vintage orange pin for $4, 2 Christmas vintage ornaments for 50 cents each and an aluminum cup that collapses for $2.  I don't see them anymore and this one had a note inside that it belonged to someone in the army.  Kind of fun to find that note.

This was a fun sale and a large house so all of us on line got to go in right away.  No waiting this morning. 

At the estate sale in Crystal Lake, I found a children's book on the 3 Musketeers for $2.  Nothing else.

Tomorrow are a few more sales.  I'm happy that sales are still going on because there may not be that many soon.  At least I have had more time to go through my own collections and to rearrange and purge.  It's been fun.

My Work Space

I spent a few hours today posting auctions on Ebay of vintage Christmas tablecloths from my collection.  It is definitely time to give them to another home.  So, I thought it might be a good idea to show a picture of where I spent most of my time.  My desk is really a vintage dressing table.  I took off the mirror and stored it.  The desk is the perfect size for the space plus it looks vintage.

I have a wonderful seashell "topiary" on my desk next to a picture of a seagull from Atlantic City New Jersey.  I love the ocean and it makes my day to look at these day in and day out.  I use a vintage flower frog to hold my pen.  On the other side is a head lamp that I bought years ago at the Volo Antique Mall.  I also use an aluminum box to hold notes.  On top of the bookcase, which is filled with gardening/knitting/craft/quilting/antique books, I have a vintage floral painting that blends well with the vase next to it.  I also made a wreath out of vintage hankies years ago and I love how it looks.  There is also a pink milk glass bowl and white milk glass pitcher on top. 

I love being surrounded by things that I love.  I like for things to be neat and organized and I'm also a homebody that likes routines, so this area is my comfort zone.  Recently I added some vintage cow farm toys to the shelves.  They were a true find. 

Christmas Tree

We put up our tree this weekend.  It is always decorated in white lights (which is the part I have a hard time doing).  Nothing like having Neil Diamond's Christmas songs playing in the background while decorating the tree.  It really was a lot of fun and the kids love fighting over who gets which ornament to hang.

I tried taking pictures in all kinds of light, but the pictures didn't come out like I wanted.  I'm posting one of them, but it doesn't do the tree justice.  It is very wide and full.  This year we used vintage ornaments, whether really vintage or just vintage looking but new.  I also hung a lot of the crafty ornaments that I have. 

It was a good time to sort through my ornaments and set up a discard pile for my garage sale.  I managed to clean up quite a bit so that I have room for all of the new ornaments that I bought this year.  I'm doing the same thing with the vintage Christmas tablecloths that I have.  I'm going to be selling some of them on my Ebay site:  milena2000.  It always feel like I'm losing something from myself when I get rid of things from my vintage collection.  I know that I need to pair down regularly, but it still feels hard.  Matthew Mead (see his blog and website:  www.holidaywithmatthewmead.com) is doing the same this weekend.  Too bad I don't live in New Hampshire because I would be adding to my collection instead of cleansing it.

Potting Bench Shelf

I rearranged Austin's room for what I hope is the last time for awhile.  When I was growing up, my mom would rearrange our bedrooms about every month.  My brothers and I loved it!  It was like having a new house.  It was a surprise for us when we got home from school.  So I guess I do that on a smaller scale for the same reason.  I used the potting bench for Austin's nutcrackers and it fit well into the space I wanted it to go into.  I then had to rearrange his other shelves.  He liked the changes. 
Hopefully there will be enough room for the nutcrackers he is getting for Christmas or I'll have to figure out yet another room change.

Vintage Tablecloths

I love vintage tablecloths.  All kinds.  I have a very large collection and I am trying to be choosier when buying them.  Today I was just happy to find so many of them for $6 each.  I haven't been finding them lately so I bought 5 today at 3 different estate sales.  I went to estate sales in McHenry, Crystal Lake and Woodstock.  I also found a vintage hand embroidered Christmas tablecloth for $4, a wooden box for $3, a glass rooster for $1, a frog figure for $3, a tin plate for 25 cents, a glass candle holder for 50 cents (to create a cake stand with), a pin for $4, a lady head vase for $8 (for my collection and I didn't have one like it), and lots of doilies for 25 cents each.  It was definitely a me day!

I'm soaking a few of the tablecloths at a time.  I was surprised that they were all in good condition.  No holes and only a few stains. 

Once again, I'm redoing Austin's room.  I am putting a child's size potting table in his room for his nutcracker collection.  He used that table when he was little and I just stored it in the garage for later.  Well, later is now and I think it will work.  His nutcracker collection is growing too quickly to display.  He told me today that when he gets older and buys a house, he'll make one room just for his nutcracker collection.  I can see it now......

Looking for Treasures

Since today was pretty nice outside, I just had to go looking for treasures.  I started at the Carriage House Antiques and Other Good Stuff in Crystal Lake.  They will be having their Holiday open house starting on Dec 6 at 3pm through Sun Dec 9.  Their open house is always fun and they have treats to sample and raffles.  I love this shop.  They always have such cool, just priced right treasures.  I found a New York hankie (I have been shopping for a New Jersey or New York hankie and was sooooo happy to find one for $4).  I also found a vintage Santa ball ornament for $3 and a troll for my mom for $1.  Another thing to add to her Christmas box. 

I went across the street to a newly opened antique store, Crystal Lake Antiques.  I found another hankie, but of Paris France for $3. 

I just didn't feel like heading home yet, so I took a detour into Ridgefield.  The shops held their Holiday open house Thanksgiving weekend, but I couldn't make it.  They still have lots of Christmas items, which was mainly what I was looking for today.  I found a vintage Santa bell ornament for $2. 

I can't wait to put all of these "new" to me vintage ornaments on my trees.  Not only was I shopping today, but I was also pricing Christmas items that I have.  It's always fun for me to see what my items are worth.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I always knew that some of them were real "treasures."

Christmas Tree Ornaments

Kohl's had some good clothing deals on Black Friday.  I just had to go since I had a $5 off coupon plus a 15% off coupon.  I finally found the black cowboy boots that I have wanted and only for $20.  They are the shorter ones, but I like them anyway.  So, for every $50 you spent, Kohl's gave a $15 coupon to spend this week.  Of course it was burning a hole in my pocket, so I went and found the cutest Christmas tree decorations. 

All of the ornaments were on sale and I only paid around $3.50 for each one.  The Christmas tree ornament and the snowman snow globe look vintage.  The snow globe was around $4.50.  I couldn't find an Ethan ornament, but I did find an Austin one.  Since Ethan collects turtle figures, I found him a turtle ornament.  I love adding ornaments to my collection every year.  I am going to weed out the ornaments this weekend when we get the tree and start to decorate it.   I like to use a lot of vintage looking ornaments, but also add in some craft ones and others that just catch my eye.  There is no specific pattern to my tree.  Only what I love. 

Overall, I only spent $5.23 for 5 ornaments.  (I bought 2 of the trees.  I couldn't resist).  I would like to find an Ethan ornament and will try to get to another Kohl's this week.

Santa, Elf and Angels Collection

I love spending time in my Winter Wonderland reading or just sitting with a cup of coffee.  I always run out of room to display my Christmas collections so I have to choose what to put out every year.  I use the bookshelves in the living room to display a lot of my Santas, elfs and angels.  It's fun to look at.  I usually find a few that I don't have over the course of a garage sale season. 

In the next few weeks I will be going through my Christmas collection to make it better organized and to weed out those that I don't want anymore.  My pile for a garage sale is growing daily.  I'm going to run out of room to store things that I will be selling in the spring. 

I'm looking forward to adding to my Christmas collection.  I can't wait for garage sale season to begin!

Christmas Wonderland

I host Thanksgiving every year, but I'm always thinking ahead to the day after when I begin decorating for Christmas.  After the Thanksgiving dishes are put away, I begin putting away the decorations in anticipation of bringing out the Christmas decorations.

I spent about 5 hours today putting up my Christmas Wonderland.  I found a few items that I no longer want and will be putting them up on Ebay.  I love looking through my collection because it seems like new each time I go through it.  I have so many amazing items, but my favorites are my Santa and elf collections.  I also bought quite a few vintage ornaments this year and put them on my tinsel/aluminum trees.  I have a theme for each of the 3 trees I have.  Santa/vintage glass ornaments and vintage figures tree.  Our real tree that we'll probably get next weekend will be covered with craftier more modern ornaments and ones that the kids have made.  Each figure/ornament in my collection brings me happy memories.  I love this time of year!

We went to the lighting of the Woodstock square tonight and I walked through Seasons by Peg.  You have to go through that store.  Her decorations are amazing.  It was too crowded tonight so I'll have to go back sometime this week to really enjoy it. 

May the holidays be merry and bright for you!
  

Shelf Redo

I took advantage of the warm sunny day this week and spray painted white the black wrought iron stand that I bought for $12 at an estate sale last month.  I used Rustoleum Glossy white.  I like how that color shines.  The stand came out nicely with only a small patch of white on the grass. 

I put it into Austin's room to hold some of his Pokemon cards/tins that were lying all over his room.  It looks nice right next to his desk.  He has a lot more room on it to hold more Pokemon as he gets it.  I moved the white iron stand that was originally in that space to the other side of his room to hold his every growing collection of nutcrackers.  I had to rearrange them off of his windowsill since he is getting more for Christmas.  At least it looks cleaner in his room right now. 

I also had a chance to rearrange the bookshelf holding his nutcrackers and have more room now to add to it.   It's fun to rearrange a room, even if it's not that much.  The room always looks so new when you do that.  He was happy with how I added to his room.  He couldn't believe how much more space he has now.  Just a little bit of organizing goes a long way.

Speaking of organizing, I have been working on adding to my garage sale pile.  I rearranged some milk glass in my bathrooms for a new look.  I have a nice collection of milk glass and just want to use it more often.  No sense in keeping it hidden.

Yesterday, Ethan and I went to the Goodwill and Savers in Lake Zurich.  I had never been at the Savers there.  They just opened in October.  I found 2 really nice bracelets.  One was handmade for $2.99 and the other was a vintage Coro for $5.99.  We found a few books and at Goodwill the loose leaf wide ruled packages of paper were 10 for $1.00.  We go through so much for school that I couldn't pass up this offer.

Cheese Trip to Monroe Wisconsin

We do a yearly family trip to Monroe Wisconsin to get cheese.  It is usually in November and for the most part we have been lucky with the weather.  A few times it was snowing on our trip, but today it was mild for awhile before the rain started.

Our first stop is at the Maple Leaf Cheese Store on the way into Monroe.  Then, it's off to Alp and Dell in Monroe.  What a great place!  They remodeled the store and it seems bigger with more selections.  They always have a clearance bin that we check out first.  There are also samples to try.  It is funny how we only go once a year (sometimes more often) and they remember us.  Today they were so surprised at how big the boys got.  We buy a lot of cheese and freeze it.  It does last us for the year.  The only cheese we found out that doesn't freeze well is cheddar.  It crumbles when thawed. 

Next, is our stop at Swiss Colony which is just down the street.  We stocked up on cakes.  How can you not when most were $2?  They freeze well and are good even 1 year later.  Caldwell found a great pair of black suede shoes for $30 on clearance.  They also have the Seventh Avenue outlet attached to the store. 

We always stop for lunch at Baumgarteners on the square.  It is a fun place to get more cheese to eat and you can even have one of the staff throw a $1 bill to stick on the ceiling.  They donate the money every 2 years to charity.  They said that this summer they had about $8500 to donate to 2 local charities.  The kids love watching them try to get the money to stick on the ceiling.  We usually walk around the square (not much is open on a Sunday), but today since it was raining, we just left. 

We were early enough to stop at a favorite antique/junking store, Van's Antiques.  It is not far from the town of Walworth.  He is only open from April to Nov and next weekend is his last weekend for the season.  He is only open Friday to Sunday.  I didn't know that he was closing next weekend, so I was glad that we made the trip today.  I found another metal lawn chair for $12.  Everything was 20% off.  Caldwell found a fishing rod holder for about $10 and I found a great bracelet for $2.60 that just needs to have the clasp fixed.  He is a nice guy and always answers the many questions that the kids have.  He also remembered us today and couldn't believe how big the boys were.  This was the third metal lawn chair that I have bought from him.  I have also bought a dresser and many other items. His prices are really good and he always has a nice selection.  I never leave empty handed.  I'll be looking forward to April when he reopens for the season.

I look forward to our yearly trip up to Monroe.  It is a great town and there are lots of stops to make on the way.  It is our way of beginning the holiday season.

Last Rummage Sale?

I went to the last rummage sale (I think) of the season at St Pauls Church in Crystal Lake.  I had a chance to follow up with my fellow rummage sale friends.  I found, or my friends at the sale found, 3 brand new purse handles for 50 cents each, a turtle for 50 cents for Ethan's collection, a necklace for $2, 2 hand embroidered pillowcases for 50 cents and about 100 Christmas cards for $1.  I have to write out my Christmas cards this week so it was perfect timing.  I always send out my cards, with the kids pictures, right after Thanksgiving.  I enjoy spending some quiet time writing out the cards and writing a short note to loved ones. 

The kids and I went to the Algonquin library book sale and I bought all of their knitting books and a few gardening books.  I'm having fun going through them.  Even better that they cost between 50 cents to $1 each.   The boys found some video games and DVD's.  I found an organic gardening book by Elliot Coleman for 50 cents.  I was so excited because at the recent Master Gardener Conference, we were selling the book for $24.95.

Check out my page on 2013 listings for flea markets, book sales and other sales that I love to go to.  I will be updating it as I get the dates.

Mistletoe Magic

I love going to Mistletoe Magic at Grace Lutheran Church in Woodstock!  It officially kicks off the Christmas season for me.  They always play Christmas music to get you in the mood.  I bought a lot of jewelry this year.  Pins, earrings, rings and necklaces.  The table was pretty cleaned off in about 1/2 hour.  Some I will keep for myself, some I will use on my felted bags and some I will give as gifts.  They only cost between $1-$3 each.  It was quite a bargain.  I love adding to my costume jewelry collection.  I have begun weeding through my collection to give away pieces I no longer like to wear.  It's good to purge every so often.  I always get in the purging mood around the holidays.  So, I do a little every day. 

Ethan and Austin and their friend Mark let me shop by myself for awhile and then joined me when it came time to buy the cookies.  We bought some bacon chocolate chip cookies which they ate in the car and I had to go back inside to get more.  We always look forward to the cookies that you buy for $8 per pound.  You get to pick your own assortment.  This year we liked how everything looked so we bought 2 pounds.  Each of those cookies is delicious!  We also bought some chocolate chip toffee sea salt cookies and some peanut butter cup cookies.  We have to savor them until next year.  Mistletoe Magic is the first Saturday of November.

Friday is the rummage sale at St. Pauls Church on Woodstock Street in Crystal Lake.  They are 1 week later than usual but I'll be there.  This will probably be the last rummage sale of this year.  (Boo hoo). 

Home for the Holidays

Every year the Floral Department at McHenry County College puts on a Home for the Holidays show.  Last night was the night.  The students and instructors made floral arrangements for Thanksgiving/Fall and Christmastime.  It cost $10 to attend and your name is entered in raffles that they do throughout the 2 hours.  I won a beautiful "transition" piece.  I was so excited.  I also bid on a Christmas arrangement in the silent auction and won it for $5.  The silent auction is a nice way to get beautiful floral arrangements, either live flowers or artificial, for a small price.  It was a nice time spent with some friends that I knew from the McHenry Garden Club. 

The McHenry Garden Club has their Floral Extravaganza at McHenry West High School on Nov 29.  Doors open at 6pm, but the event starts at 7pm.  There is a cost to attend.  This is another good way to get beautiful arrangements made on stage from local nurseries/florist shops.  Your entry ticket is entered into a raffle for a chance to win the arrangements made on stage.  There are also tickets to buy for themed baskets.  The baskets are wonderful to win also. 

Tomorrow is Mistletoe Magic at Grace Lutheran Church in Woodstock starting at 9am.  My favorite craft/bake sale event of the season.  You can buy cookies by the pound made by parishoners, buy knitted/crafted items, other baked goods and vintage items/jewelry.  I always find lots of things for reasonable prices.  Make sure to attend this event.  The money raised is divided up between charities.

The Algonquin Library holiday book sale is on Nov 8-11.  There is a cost to attend on the 8th, but the other nights are free.  This is one of my must go to book sales.  I anticipate each one that they have.

A Few More Sales

I was so happy to see that there were a few sales on Friday.  I don't want the season to end.  Winter is hard enough without garage sales.

I found a few things to keep me happy.  At a sale in Lake in the Hills, I found a vintage Christmas tablecloth for $1 and a vintage pinecone santa for $5.  I already have some in my collection, but he was a little different.  At an estate sale in Woodstock, I found a great milk glass pedestal bowl for $4.  I rearranged some things in my living room and am getting rid of a collection of wooden fruit.  It was time for a change.  Maybe in the spring I'll have a mini estate/garage sale.

I hope to get to some of the projects that I have been putting to the side soon.  I guess that is what winter is for.

2 Fun Sales

Today was the rummage sale at the First Congregational Church on Pierson Street in Crystal Lake.  I never saw so many people on line.  I was toward the back since I had to stop and talk to everyone that I knew.  I was disappointed in this sale.  I only found a Transformer toy for $1, a book for $1 and a yellow miniature vase for 25 cents. 

After that, I stopped at a Willow Gate estate sale in Crystal Lake.  The house was loaded.  Especially with retro clothing.  I was there for over 1 hour and found a couple of nice things.  I found a large painted vase for $12 (I always wanted one), a wrought iron stand for $12, a hand embroidered shawl for $3, a patent leather blue purse for $4 and a pearl collar for $6.  I had never seen so much clothing.  It was spread out throught the house in every closet available.  It was fun going through these things and imagining what fun she must have had. 

There are some other estate sales tomorrow plus a few garage sales.  Saturday and Sunday is the Craft fair at Crystal Lake South High School.  I like this sale and look forward to it every year.  There is a $2 admission fee.

Silver Santa

I had fun shopping at the Sparrows Nest in Cary.  As soon as I walked into the store, I spotted the silver glitter Santa.  I loved it!  As you all know, I collect Santa's and he was super.  Plus, he was only $1.50.  I also found a really nice beige patterned jacket for me for $1 and a whole lot of Star Wars toys for the boys.  I even found a Luke helmet.  They were thrilled.

2 Church rummage sales on Thursday this week.  How great is that!  The Congregational Church on Pierson Street in Crystal Lake is at 9am and the Methodist Church on Crystal Lake Street in Crystal Lake is at 5pm.  What a fun day that will be.

Autumn Drive

Oops, I forgot to take pictures at Autumn Drive today.  My cousin Barb and I were having so much fun plus it was really raining at times, that I didn't even think about pictures.  We spent about 1 hour at Lois's barn and bought a lot of fun jewelry.  Barb even bought bracelets for Christmas presents and finished shopping for her coworkers.  (A few things for herself, of course, too).  I found some cute bracelets for $5 each, a pin with matching earrings for $5, a large pearl ring for $1 and a great Amethyst sterling silver ring for $22.  (I splurged because I loved it!)  The one bracelet is marked Coro.  Even better.  When we were leaving the barn, the rain was really coming down.  We then made our way down the road to the farm stand and I bought 9 acorn squash (my favorite) for 50 cents each and Barb bought 2 pumpkins for $3.  We were walking around using our umbrellas.  It was a lot of fun.

We stopped at the Redeemer Lutheran Church on Dean Street in Woodstock for a rummage sale.  I only found a bag for its handle for $1.  It was a funky blue color.  Really unique.  We also stopped at an estate sale in McHenry and didn't buy anything.

It was a fun day even with the crazy weather.  Autumn Drive is this weekend also and the weather is supposed to be great.  Enjoy!

I Love Christmas Pins!

I love collecting Christmas pins.  I stopped at the Sparrows Nest in McHenry yesterday and found a few cute pins that I'll use on my felted purses or on gifts.  They were only $1.25 each.  I had also stopped at an Estate Sale in Crystal Lake and found a few things for stocking stuffers.  But boy were they expensive for most items. 

I saw in the paper that there is an estate sale in McHenry tomorrow on Green Street that sounds really good.  I'll try to get to it.  But first, I'll be at the Autumn Drive in Woodstock with my Cousin Barb.  I go every year.  It is usually cold and rainy.  I don't mind the cold, but the rain is another thing.  So, here's hoping for a cold day without rain.  See you there!

Fort Wayne, Indiana

We were in Fort Wayne Indiana over the weekend for the Regional Pokemon Championships.  I spent most of my time inside the Convention Center, but managed to sneak away for an hour.  I went to the Goodwill and didn't know that it was 50% off that day.  The store was swamped.  They even had a police officer inside.  Anyway, I found a vintage lucite hinged bracelet with starfish and shells inside of it for $1.50 (was $3) and a vintage silvertone pin for $1 (it was $2). It was worth waiting on line for these items.  The lady in front of me was nice enough to let me go before her since I only had 2 items. 

I wish I could have seen more of the city.  Maybe next time.

Oct 25th at 5pm is the Methodist Church rummage sale in Crystal Lake on Crystal Lake Street.  This has always been a larger sale except for the past few times.  Hopefully it will be big this time. 

Sparrows Nest in McHenry, Palatine and Cary will open their Christmas Shop on Tuesday, Oct 16th.  Woodstock opens the week later.  They will be closed on Mondays before the sale to get the store ready.

It's Like Christmas!

2 fun sales today.  I went to an estate sale in McHenry and found some cute inexpensive items.  She had quite a few chipped/broken items, but I managed to find some good things.  Every year the kids play at their piano recital and I give them a musical piano as a gift.  Those pianos are hard to come by.  So, when I find them, I stock up. I found 3 today priced from 25 cents to $3.  I had to keep winding and playing with the larger one, but it works!  I think I'm set for at least 3 years now.  But, if I find more, I'm buying them.  I found a made in Brazil vase for $1, a tin for 50 cents to use for gifts, 2 dishes for 50 cents each to create my cake stands (I haven't found time yet to make them but at least I have some supplies), a paperweight for 10 cents and a "drum" for $3.  I had fun at this sale.

The afternoon took me to the church rummage sale in Huntley on Main/Church St.  There wasn't as much at this one either.  The latest rummage sales haven't had many items to choose from so what they did have was priced higher than usual.  I did find the most items in the Holiday room.  It was like Christmas in October.  I found 4 trolls for $1 each for my mom.  She collects them, so I'll give them to her at Christmastime.  I also found 2 vintage elfs (I collect elfs) for $4 each, 6 vintage people ornaments that were in a bag for $1 and are quite valuable and 3 crocheted doilies for $2.50 total.  I always love buying Christmas ornaments all year round.  Christmas is my favorite holiday and you can't start buying for it too early.  I keep my eyes open all year round for gifts and for decorations/ornaments. 

Garage sales are becoming fewer but there should still be a few rummage sales up into the first week of November, or at least I hope so.

The Perfect Handle

I have been waiting to find the perfect purse handle to complete a felted red purse.   I have finally found that handle at a recent rummage sale.  I decided to stitch some white wool flowers on the bag and I like how it looks.  Now I am working on a blue felted bag and am waiting for it to dry before attaching the handle.

Cider Festival

We attended the Cider Festival in Union on Sunday.  It was the perfect day for being outside.  There didn't seem to be the usual crowd, but we didn't get there until after 1pm.  Our first stop, as usual, was to the white elephant sale.  I managed to find a gardening book for $1 and some crochet needles for 25 cents to 50 cents.  I tried to crochet once, but couldn't seem to figure it out.  Since then, I have become pretty good at knitting, but still feel that I'm missing something by not crocheting.  So, I'm taking a class this month.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this time I'll figure it out.  Austin found a joke book that he read to us while we were shopping around.  He had us laughing.  Ethan only wanted a jug of apple cider and Caldwell found a few dvd's for 50 cents each.  We spent time in the museum and walking around talking to people we knew.  We had a nice time.  Next year's date is October 6th.

Thursday is a rummage sale in Huntley at the church on Main St.  It starts at 12 noon.  This is another of my favorite sales.

I have mentioned before that I am a Master Gardener, but I probably didn't mention that I work on a community garden in Harvard once a week during the growing season.  All of the food harvested goes to the food pantry in Harvard.  The last few weeks we have had an overabundance of tomatoes that some were taken to the food pantry in Marengo.  Anyway, the garden was put to rest today for the season and a total of 8815 lbs of produce was harvested this year.  It is a new record for us.  It is so much fun to work along side of the other Master Gardeners and volunteers that come out to help.  I learn so much each week and the feeling of doing something good for others is very strong.  I look forward to next year when we will start over again. 

Treasures in Woodstock

I had fun looking for treasures in Woodstock.  I stopped at the VFW in Woodstock for their Soup to Nuts sale and found a vintage orange/goldtone bracelet with matching earrings for $1.50.  I didn't know until I got home that they were signed, Coro.  Good name for jewelry.  I was excited!  I also bought 3 books for 50 cents (total, not each). 

Today was the inexpensive day to treasure hunt.  I love those hunts.  I went to the estate sale on Blakely Street and only found a vintage tin for $1.  I like to use those to put gifts in.  The sale was being run by a few people, 2 of which were Bonnie and Alan Cornue.  (Alan used to be the mayor of Woodstock)  I hadn't seen them in years so it was nice to catch up.

There was also an estate sale on Dane Street.  I stopped in and had fun looking at their cute things.  I found a vintage plant book for $1, a head vase for $2, and a pin for $1.   At the last estate sale, I found some fabric for $1 each and 2 doilies for 50 cents each.  See, it really was the inexpensive treasure hunting day.  I had lots of fun.

Garage sale season is winding down.  I always dread this time of year when the sales are few and far between.  I will have to get my fix from the thrift stores in the area until Spring.

One Good Garage Sale

On the way to taking Austin to school, we stopped at the Zion Lutheran Rummage sale in McHenry.  They didn't have that much to look through.  I did manage to find 4 doilies for 50 cents each and 3 Debbie Macomber books for 25 cents each.  I really like her books and couldn't believe that I didn't have those.  I saw some of my rummage sale friends and one brought me some stuffed cabbage and blueberry cake.  We were talking about stuffed cabbage last week and I told her that I only eat it once a year when I see my mom and that I missed it.  She was so sweet to bring me some that she made.  Delicious!

I dropped Austin off at school and went on to the Methodist Church rummage sale in McHenry.  They had a few more things, but still not the usual amount.  I found 2 purses to use the handles for my felted bags for $1 each.  I was going to buy more, but they wanted $2 a bag.  I only pay up to $1 for each since I find them so frequently.  I also found 6 embroidered napkins for 25 cents each and a matching tablecloth for $1, and a chicken wire basket for 50 cents.

I stopped at a garage sale in McHenry and found a treasure load for the boys.  The couple must have older boys since the toys were older.  I found a box full of transformer toys for $3.  He had it closed and when I peeked inside I couldn't believe it.  Austin had seen one of the toys at the Saylorsburg flea market in PA this summer and wanted it so badly, but the man was asking $35.  Even though it was only half of the toy, we are a step closer to finding the whole thing.  I believe that it came in sets to build a full transformer.  I also found 2 bags full of Digimon/Yugioh and Pokemon miniature figures for $4, a bag full of Gameboy games that I will sell on Ebay, wonderful Pokemon fabric for $2 each (the fabric is hard to come by.)  The boys want me to make a quilt for them.  That's a good winter project.  I found a PSP game for $1 and a tin full of buttons for me (I needed something too) for $1.  I went through all of them and I'll be using some for future projects.

That was a good sale.  The boys were so excited when they came home and saw the kitchen table full.  I spent most of the afternoon going through Hot Wheels cars that I'm going to sell soon on Ebay.  I needed to use a magnifying glass to see the dates and names on the bottom.  (I must be getting old). 

There are some garage/estate sales in Woodstock tomorrow.  The VFW in Woodstock is having their Soups to Nuts rummage sale also.  I'll try to get to them.

Fun Filled Weekend!

Well, today was the last Elkhorn Flea Market for the season and I was on my own.  (Caldwell took the boys to a Pokemon tournament.)  It was so weird to go by myself.  It was a beautiful day.  A little chilly in the early morning, but it warmed up nicely by 10am.  The flea market was filled with people.  It was kind of hard to pull around my wagon without bumping into anyone.  I found a few things:  a Louis Vutton handbag for $10 in great condition, a milk glass vase for $4, a bracelet for $5 and a doily for $2.  It was so nice to see all of the booths decorated for the fall with pumpkins and fall items.  I had a great time.  The leaf colors were fabulous in Wisconsin.  That was worth the trip.

I made it to the Loyola Resurrection Center Fest also today.  I walked around for a while and had some food to eat.  There was: salad, squash soup, homemade bread, zucchini, chicken, chocolate chip cookie and a drink.  All for free.  (Donations were accepted).  It was a beautiful day to be out on their property.  Lots of families were there since there were activities for the kids also. 

I also visited Savers today in Crystal Lake.  I finally used my $3 off coupon.  (Everytime you donate a bag of items, they give you a $3 off coupon for future purchases.)  They have opened up another Savers in Lake Zurich on S. Rand Rd.  That will be a future trip so that I can stop at the Goodwill also.  I found a mask for 99 cents for the boy plus some other items for them, a pin for $4 and a bracelet for $4.  What a fun day I have had!

Yesterday, we visited my cousin Barb and went to Half Price Books in Highland Park.  I took some books/magazines/video games that we didn't want and got $8 for them.  I love that place!  It's a good way to make some money while cleaning out.  Of course, we found some books to buy and I used my 15% off coupon along with the money voucher for the books that we sold to them.  I only ended up spending $5.

I'm already looking forward to this weeks sales.

 

Great Boots!

Today was a fun day treasure hunting.  I went to the Ringwood Church rummage sale and found a small bag of Lego pieces for 10 cents and a Christmas apron for 25 cents.  The most fun though was talking to friends.  It is always nice to see them and to catch up with their lives.

I went to a lot of sales in McHenry.  At one estate sale, I found Ethan tons of old Xbox magazines and some video game manuals.  I didn't spend a lot, maybe $4 for his whole lot.  I found a nice Christmas apron for 50 cents.  Today was the day for aprons.  One reason why I like to go to estate sales is to peak into the lives of the people who are having the sale.  Except for today.  The person having the sale today lost her 21 year old son to drugs.  It broke my heart to look through his stuff.  I didn't know what to say.  I kept thinking of my own kids.  It was probably the saddest sale I have been to. 

The Caring Transitions estate sale on Illinois Street in Crystal Lake was fun.  I found some brand new boots for $10 each.  I had to buy both, black and tan.  I also found new Naturalizer white sandals for $8.  It was my day to get new shoes for my wardrobe.  I also found a crystal stand (for free) that I will use in my garden.  I bought about 7 vintage hankies for $1 each.  They were of kids, flowers, hearts, Mickey Mouse, Florida and Texas.  Some really nice ones.  They had a basket full.  Another woman and I were talking and going through the basket.  We liked different ones so we weren't fighting each other.  It was fun!

I stopped at the Carriage House in Crystal Lake for their Anniversary sale.  It is always fun to shop there.  This weekend they even have more refreshments than usual.  It is a definite stop while in Crystal Lake.  It is next to the Health food store in the downtown area.  A new antiques shop opened across the street from them, but I didn't have a chance to stop in.  I'll save that for the next time that I am in the area.

Sunday is the last Elkhorn Flea Market in Elkhorn Wisconsin for the season.   Also the Resurrection Center in Woodstock is having their event.  It is nice to see the place, eat some good food and buy some produce grown in their garden.  You have to RSVP to this event.  I don't know if it is still open to register.  I went last year and had a nice time. 

The Historical Museum in Union is having their fall festival on Oct 7.  We love going to this event.  They have a rummage sale in the barn a block away and I always find some great things.  It is worth the trip.  The kids like to do the cake walk.  I don't think we have won (maybe 1 time), but that doesn't stop them from trying it.  Maybe you can win a cake to enjoy with your dinner!

Guess What I Found?

I was garage saleing in McHenry today and guess what I found for 50 cents?  A seashell heart shaped box.  I guess since Summer is over everyone is getting rid of their summertime memories.  Better for me.  I stopped at a sale on Cherry Valley Road in Bull Valley and found 2 benches for $2 each and a cement duck for 50 cents.  In Crystal Lake there were 5 houses on the same block having sales and I found a vintage made in Japan planter for $1.75.  (It is really cute).  I also found a lot of Simpsons comic books for 10 cents each and an embroidered doily for 25 cents.  I put the benches in my backyard since the boys are always complaining that they have nowhere to sit after they have run around for a while.

Tomorrow is a church rummage sale in Ringwood and a Caring Transitions estate sale in Crystal Lake.  Should be fun!  There are also a lot of garage sales listed in the newspaper.

On Sunday, the boys and I went up to Kenosha to Outpost Gaming for a Pokemon Tournament.  Ethan won 3rd place and was given a special tounament card and 3 packs of cards as his prize.  He was so excited and can't wait to add it to his gaming blog.  The store will be adding all of the winners to their website. 

 

Estate Sale Treasures

I went to the Caring Transitions estate sale on Woodstock Street in Crystal Lake today.  I only had to wait for about 15 minutes.  At 1pm, it was still busy.  Lots of people on line to get in.  I had been to a garage sale at this house in the summer. 

The house was full of stuff.  Really nice antiques and tons of other stuff.  We all got a kick out of the Life magazines filling up the basement.  I was in the dining room when I glanced into the kitchen and saw a beautiful large aluminum platter.  I immediately knew it was made by Wendall August Forge even before I looked at the back.  The edges were thick and the quality was really nice.  I paid $16 for it, but it was worth it.  I also found a vintage hankie of the seashore for $4, 3 Christmas ornaments for $2-$3, a stone sculpture for Austin for $2, an embroidered tablecloth for $3 and a Christmas present for Caldwell that I can't show or tell about incase he reads this page.  The sale goes on tomorrow also from 9-3.

The Zion Lutheran Church in McHenry will start their rummage sale on Oct 4 at 8am. 

Treasure Hunting in the Rain

I stopped at the Mount Hope Church rummage sale today and didn't find anything.  It happens sometimes.  I did see some friends though.

I then went to some garage sales in McHenry first.  It was raining the whole time I was garage saleing, but I was glad to see that the sales were still open.  I found 2 seashell glass plates, a ring and a vintage santa tree ornament for a total of $2.  At another sale, I found the boys a Pikachu Nintendo 64 game for $2.  So, next it was to the Caring Transitions estate sale in Crystal Lake where I found 2 seashell boxes, priced $2 and $3, to add to my collection.  They were in great condition.  No broken shells.  I had some more luck in Woodstock at sales.  At one sale I found an apron and 2 vintage Vera Christmas towels for 25 cents each.  At another sale I found 2 pins, 1silver Monet wreath pin for $3 and 1 Elizabeth Morrey pin with matching earrings for $1.  I didn't know who she was so I looked her up on Ebay.  These are vintage pieces.  Exciting to find!  At this sale I also found, a nutcracker in the original box for 50 cents for Austin's collection and a Westmoreland milk glass piece for $3. 

Tomorrow I'm hoping to get to the Caring Transitions estate sale on W. Woodstock Street in Crystal Lake.  It sounds good.

Fabric Heaven

I went to the St. Joseph's Church rummage sale in Richmond today.  I had never been to that one!  Imagine.  A rummage sale that was new to me.  How exciting.  I found a few things.  A rooster fabric swatch for 25 cents, lots of doilies for 25 cents to $1 and a Chuck Norris t'shirt for the boys for $1. 

I stopped at a garage sale in Crystal Lake and found lots of fabric.  She is a quilter and she was selling fabric pieces from 25 cents to $1.  I bought a lot of nice colors and patterns.  I now need to figure out how to fit all of that into my recently reworked fabric closet.  I cleaned it up in the summer and I don't think I have any room left again.  (Oh well). 

On the way to pick up Austin from school, I stopped at a farm sale.  I found a metal shoe rack for $3 to put ALL of Caldwell's shoes on that are lying on the floor in the basement.  Maybe now I won't trip going down the steps.  It also looks neater.

There are 2 Caring Transitions estate sales this weekend.  1 on Fri/Sat and 1 on Sat/Sun.  Both are in Crystal Lake.  Also, there is the Mount Hope Church Rummage sale in Johnsburg tomorrow.

Next Sunday is the last Elkhorn Flea Market for the season.  Don't miss it!

More Fun Things

Yesterday I went to the Sparrows Nest in Cary while Austin was at Pokemon.  I found a white seat bench that I thought would be great to use in the basement to hold Austin's growing collection of Star Wars items.  It was $25 and had just been brought in the day before.  (Austin has the exact same bench in blue in his bedroom that I bought at Interiors Anew before he was born).  I used my 25% off card (I can never hold on to discount cards for long) so I saved over $6.  I was happy with the price.  The Star Wars items fit nicely into it.  Good thing because today we stopped at the Goodwill in Huntley and found a small bag of Star Wars figures for 99 cents.  The basement now has most everything contained and looks very nice.   Not as cluttered as it used to look. 

I took the kids to the Woodstock Harvestfest today.  It was nice to see some friends and the kids made a rope the old fashioned way.  The weather was beautiful.  A perfect way to spend the afternoon.

The newest issue of Flea Market Style magazine is out.  There was an article on the Ugly fun crafts from the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's.  Some of those items are in my collection.  I have 2 boxes made from greeting cards.  I have one for Valentine's Day and one for Christmas.  I love them!  The funny thing is that seashell boxes were also included.  I love seashell boxes and have just started to collect them.  They remind me of my Jersey shore childhood and I just think that they are so lovely.  I have 6 so far and 2 other items with seashells on them.  So, I sent a picture to the magazine to show them how lovely mine are.  They responded with a nice note about how they were excited to see my collection and how happy they were that I have fun collecting them.  It's so nice to have others like what you like.  I am always on the lookout for seashell items.  You never know where they will be found.

Ethan has started his own blog to review video games and everything related to video games.  He is having a blast working on it and has plunged head on into it.  It is:  games4forall.  Take a look at it or pass it along to someone who loves video games.  He has already had some readers and didn't even announce it yet to even his friends.  I'm so excited for him since (so far anyway) he wants to be video game designer as his future profession.  More power to him!

There are a few church rummage sales this week.  One is in Richmond and one is in Johnsburg.  Should be fun!

Knitting....

I only had a chance to go to a few garage/estate sales today.  Every year, the Master Gardeners have a disease tour at one of our homes to learn more about trees and their problems.  So, today was the day.  It is a great learning experience and also a good way to see everyone.  Our monthly meeting followed.  I always come away feeling good about what I learned and look forward to the next year.  I had the disease tour at my house a few years ago.  The next class of Master Gardeners begins in January.  It is held every other year.  So, there is still time to get on the list if you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener.  Just contact Brenda at the Extension Office on McConnell Road in Woodstock at the Farm Bureau building.  At the meetings we always eat.  That is another fun part of getting together.  We all try to bring something and usually it is made from produce from our gardens.  I made pumpkin cupcakes from a recipe that I found in the October issue of Better Homes and Gardens.  They turned out really yummy.  I will be making them again.  I used canned pumpkin and usually stock up on it for future use. 

After the meeting, I headed out to a sale in Woodstock.  I found a circular knitting needle for 50 cents, another set of knitting needles for $1 and some vintage pink buttons for 50 cents.  Then, I was off to Crystal Lake.  I found 3 knitting books for $4.  They are mostly on felting.  Later in the afternoon, I stopped at the Sparrows Nest in McHenry and found a set of size 50 knitting needles for $1.50, a knight adult size halloween costume for $10, and 3 vintage drinking glasses for $1.50 each (2 of Illinois and 1 of Wisconsin).  They also had glasses from the Wisconsin Dells, Florida, Hawaii and a few other states.  I used my 10% off coupon and saved $2.10.  I also have a saver card that gets stamped each time I spend $20.  I finally filled the last spot today and will save 25% on my next purchase.  I will use that when I find a lot of stuff. 

I sold more video games for the kids this week and got paid instantly.  The people that buy video games pay quicker than any other buyer that I have dealt with.  I have a few more to put up this week along with some other items.

The last Elkhorn Flea Market is on Sept 30.  I love that one because it has a lot of fall/autumn items and Christmas stuff.  I'm sad that the season is coming to an end.  That is my favorite flea market and I will have to wait until May when it starts again.  It's a good thing that the church rummage sale season is beginning.

 

Faith Community Rummage Sale

Today was the Faith Community Church rummage sale in Prairie Grove.  Their Spring sale will be March 7 and 8. 

It was pretty cloudy today, but that didn't stop the treasure seekers.  I found some nice things.  Not as much stuff as usual though.  I found an aluminum tray for $2, planters for $1 each, a turquoise purse for the handles for $1, 2 brand new short sleeved shirts from Kohls for $1 each, 3 pins for $1 each, a glass piece for $2 that I am going to use in the garden (I have a few ideas) and a mask for Ethan for 50 cents.  (Ethan collects masks.) 

I stopped at a few garage sales and didn't find anything until my last stop.  I found a cute turtle/frog/rabbit/bird garden ornament for $2.  Ethan likes turtles and Austin likes frogs so I thought it would be nice for the garden.

I circled a few garage sales in Crystal Lake for tomorrow so I hope I find a few treasures. 

The Woodstock Harvest Festival on the square is on Sunday Sept 16.  It is a nice way to spend the day. 

Last Mukwonago Flea Market for 2012

We went to the last Mukwonago flea market for 2012 today.  It had rained last night and the grounds were wet.  We were there by 8:15am  and most vendors were just setting up.  The kids found some Simpson books and a few vintage toys.  All I walked away with were vegetables.  But, they were cheap!  There were a lot of newer items today and I'm more interested in the vintage stuff.  Still, the weather was crisp and the deep fried cheese curds were excellent.  It was a fun way to spend most of the day.

I spent a few hours yesterday cleaning my living room (downstairs area) and put up my fall decorations.  I love decorating for the change in seasons.  I still have a few more ideas to put together.  Fall cleaning has begun in my home.

Thursday is a church rummage sale in Prairie Grove on 176 starting at 9am.  This is one of my most favorite sales.  Hope to see you there!

Rooster in the Garden

This is probably not the best picture, but I took it anyway.  This area garden has been hit hard this year by the drought conditions.  I have been adding plants slowly to fill in the area.  I usually leave the spent plants standing until the Spring.  It looks really nice when the plants are covered in snow.  I put my metal rooster in this garden and it really looks nice.  I need to visit the garden centers in the next few weeks to buy discounted perennials.  I usually do most of my planting in the Fall anyway. 

Happy Trails!

Austin didn't have school today, so we set out early to have fun.  First we did some errands and then stopped at Starbucks to refuel.  Our favorite place!

We stopped at a sale in Woodstock and found a nice small cedar box with an Indian on the top for $4 and it had Cape May New Jersey on it.  Since I am a Jersey girl, I had to buy it to use as a Christmas present.  We then headed to Hebron for a church rummage sale.  We love that church sale on Main St.  Last year I found a jewelry armoire for $3.  This year, we found a vintage Atari with around 20 games in the original plastic case for $5.  They didn't have it priced, so they asked me to make an offer.  We have been looking for an Atari forever.  What an exciting find.  I hope we can figure out how to plug it in and that it works.  I also found 2 garden books for 50 cents each and some fabric for $1 for all.  That was a fun sale and I saw Ann, one of my rummage sale friends.

We detoured back to Woodstock where I found a hand made metal rooster for $5.  It will be great once I figure out where to put it in my garden.  We did all of these things while on the way to Edwards Apple Orchard.  We love Edwards and it opened last Friday for the season.  We had our cup of apple cider and donut.  This year we also had vanilla ice cream.  We stopped in the barn and bought some jam and more donuts while sampling some of their tasting treats.  Austin and I couldn't find our way out of the maze.  It took us longer than usual.  We must be getting old.

On the way home, we stopped at Twigs and Things in Capron. It is a cute antiques plus other things store.  We didn't find anything, but I would stop in to look again.  They had a nice assortment of things.  We also stopped at Twin Farms between Harvard and Chemung for vegetables.  Our car smelled like cantaloupe on the way home.  I bought 2 stems of sunflowers for $1 and have them on my kitchen table.  They look nice in a vintage white enamel pitcher. 

We were tired once we got home 6 hours later, but we had a nice day.  I love Fall and all that it brings.  This was a nice way of bringing it in.   

It Only Takes A Few Good Sales

There were only a few sales today.  Probably because of the upcoming Labor Day weekend.  I started out in McHenry and stopped at 1 sale.  I found a black iron plant trellis for $1.50 and a brand new pair of Macy's Studio Works orange flowered sandals for $3.  She had lots of brand new shoes, but that was the only pair that fit me.  Next, I was off to Crystal Lake.  I found a doily for 50 cents at the first sale.  At the second sale I found an aluminum flower plate for 50 cents and a lady plate for 50 cents.  At the third sale I found the kids some video games and a game guide for a total of $2.75.  On the way back, I saw a sign for an estate sale.  As it turns out, this lady holds a sale every year and she must have had at least 20 tables plus items all over her yard.  My friend Chris, who is an antique dealer, was already shopping and had her car full.  I still managed to find some things and the lady running the sale gave me a good deal.  I found 3 vintage drinking glasses for $5 (they were the exact ones that I found at an estate sale a few months ago.  Now I have 5 of them).  I also found a vintage tablecloth in perfect condition for $5, a necklace for 25 cents and she threw in a pin for free, a vintage Zoro book for $1, a vintage Pac Man drinking glass for $2, a bag of vintage Christmas ornaments for 75 cents (all because there was a blue Santa in it and I don't have a blue Santa), an aluminum coaster set by Continental for $5, a vintage Japanese fan for $1, and a vintage pink Christmas ball ornament for $1.  I could barely carry it all.  It was a fun sale to find by chance.  Sometimes the best sales are the ones you just come upon.

Speaking of coming upon a sale, my neighbor threw out an almost new snow shovel and a new gas can.  So, of course, I pulled over and took them.  We can always use a snow shovel.  Hopefully not that often this winter.
I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to sell some items on Ebay.  I sold a few video games for the kids today and they made some good money.  They were happy with their earnings.  I put up some more so I hope that they do as well as today.  It's a great way to clean out the house!

Basement Organizing Day

I warned Austin all week that we would be organizing the basement, mostly his things, on Saturday.  Well, today is the day!   I did go to an estate sale in Woodstock and came home empty handed.  Then, on the way to Pokemon, we stopped at 2 garage sales and went away empty handed.  It's ok though.  I really needed to focus on organizing the basement and pulling items to sell on Ebay.

We worked for over 2 hours and we managed to combine 2 bins into 1.  That was my goal.  I have a huge container full of toys for the next garage sale.  At this rate, I'll need to have another sale in October.  I designated one corner of the basement to bins of toys that we are keeping.  My basement is lacking in storage space so I make due wherever I can.  At least his Legos and Bionicles look neater and more contained.  (He still has so much though).  All of the loose toys are also in bins and there is more floor space for them to get around.  I'm happy with our finished look.  I have a few vintage toys that I am going to sell on Ebay.  They weren't the kids favorite toys so I'm not keeping them any longer.  I'm hoping to put them up for auction tonight. 

Thursday and Friday Treasures

I spent most of the mornings of Thursday and Friday garage saleing.  Thursday was pretty slow picking, but there were lots of sales in Crystal Lake.  I found a nice green painted tray for 10 cents.  Who could pass that up?  I have always wanted one and this was the ladies great aunt's.  What a deal!  I went to the Sparrows Nest in McHenry also and found a blue/white doilie for 50 cents and an aluminum server with the original glass inserts for $4.  Another good deal!

My first stop on Friday morning was for a sale that I found on the way to taking Austin to school.  It was only down the street from me so I also had a chance to meet my neighbors.  I found a great blue milk glass bowl for $2, an aluminum tray for $1 and a Japanese tin for $1.  I like to put presents in the tins.  It is so much nicer than in just a paper bag.  It is like giving 2 gifts in 1.  I did go to both estate sales listed in the paper on Friday.  One was a Caring Transitions sale in Crystal Lake and the other was a sale in Woodstock.  Both left me empty handed.  That happens sometimes.  There were also a few sales in Ridgefield that I stopped at.  I found some fabric at one for 50 cents to $1 each and vintage hankies for 25 cents.  I spent a whole $3.50 at that one.

I have been spending time putting the vintage video games up for auction on Ebay.  I hope the kids make big money! 

Stuff, Stuff, Stuff

We actually got up and left the house at 7:15 this morning to get to the St John's Church Rummage sale in Johnsburg.  Since it was their first one, we thought that we would find good stuff.  I didn't know where to enter the sale, but all of my rummage sale friends were on line so we just followed them.  It is always so much fun talking to them before a sale.  It makes the time go by.

They had lots of stuff and we found a few things.  Ethan found a book of Pokemon/Yugioh cards for $2 and Austin found 2 older Transformer toys for $1 for one and $2 for the other and 2 Nutcrackers for $3 each.  I found 2 miniature vases for $1 each, a covered dish for 75 cents, a cameo pin for 50 cents and 3 purses (for their handles) for $1 each.  We were happy with our finds.  We were in a hurry to get to a garage sale that listed Pokemon items in McHenry and Ethan had to get to soccer practice by 10am in Woodstock.

The garage sale did have Pokemon items, but most were very expensive.  We did find a few bargains though and brought home a bag full of older Pokemon video games.  We went through all of our video game duplicates this afternoon and we found quite a few to sell on Ebay.  Hopefully the kids will make some good money.

It was a very busy day for us.  I found a spot for the leaf trellis that I bought this week.  I put it behind a green chair stand that is in the garden and it is very subtle.  I like the look.  I'm too tired to work on anything else tonight, but I have a lot of ideas for when the kids are back in school. 

Some Friday Treasures

Austin and I went back to the neighborhood sale in Woodstock today.  My friend Chris wasn't open yesterday, but she was today.  Boy did she have the stuff to sell.  We must have been there for 45 minutes looking and looking.  She kept putting out stuff and we kept looking.  I found a great black iron plant stand for $3, a blue vase for $2, a milk glass basket for $2, a single green depression glass candle holder for $1 that I'm going to use in a craft idea that I have, a Dorothy Wizard of Oz plate for $1 that I'm also going to use in a craft idea and a craft holding bin for $10 that I'm going to put Austin's Legos and Bionicle pieces in.  It should work out fine and I'll post a picture of it when I'm finished and organized.  Austin found a Godzilla book written in Japanese for 50 cents and a free Spongebob beach ball.  We had lots of fun looking. 

We stopped at Joyful Harvest Church rummage sale in Johnsburg this afternoon and found a few pins for 50 cents and $1 to use on my felted bags and a purse for $1 to cut the handle off to also use with my felted bags.  It was late in the afternoon and pretty picked over.  They still had lots left though.

Hopefull tomorrow we can get to the St Johns Church rummage sale in McHenry and the kids sale in Cary.  I don't know if we'll have the time, but I'm sure doing to try.

Rainy Thursday

Boy did it rain this morning.  We were all set to go out treasure hunting until the sky turned black and the rain fell for hours.  It stopped close to 10am and we set out to see who was open.  We went to a subdivision sale in Woodstock.   At the first house, I found a leaf trellis for $1 and a black cast iron water pump with stand for $5.  I was happy!  At the next house I found a box of hundreds of cut up vintage fabric pieces for quilting for $2 and 2 handbags for $4 each.  The one bag is covered in multi colored sequins and labeled Lord and Taylor.  The original price tag is still attached.  The other bag belonged to the woman's mother and was crocheted for her.  It is truly wonderful.  We stopped at the other houses that were open, but didn't find anything else.  Tomorrow we will try again since it is supposed to be a great day.

There is a church rummage sale tomorrow at Joyful Harvest Church in Johnsburg and one in Harvard.  On Saturday, there is a kids garage sale in Cary at Lions Park from 9-12.  Happy hunting!

Lovin' Elkhart Lake Wisconsin

We spent 3 days at Elkhart Lake Wisconsin.  I love that town!  It has so much to offer and to see.  We stayed at the Osthoff Resort (sometimes the rooms are pricey), but you get a campfire smores night on Saturday on the beach (for free). 

We spent Saturday morning at the Farmers Market where we bought cheap but delicious vegetables.  A container of sun gold cherry tomatoes for $1 and a bunch of carrots for $1, muffins for $1.50, the most delicious chocolate scones for $3 each and homemade pecan brittle for $4.  We had a great time.  I also bought a vintage pink stone pin.  They have crafts and antiques mixed in the market.  We bought a Subway lunch and enjoyed it with our vegetables purchase.  It made for a great lunch.

We also explored the great stores that are in the area.  I didn't find any treasures this year, but they had some great items that were tempting the other shoppers. 

We decided to explore the town of Plymouth that is only about 7 miles from Elkhart Lake.  The town has artist painted murals on a lot of the buildings downtown.  The shop owners were so nice.  I especially liked a store called A Vintage Shop on East Mill St.  They have a vast collection of vintage clothing, hats, purses, shoes, jewelry, linens, barkcloth, bakelite, glassware and art pottery from 1850-1980.  It was amazing and a little overwhelming.  You do need some time to shop there.  But, it is a must stop if you are in the area.  The other store I really liked is on the corner of Mill St when you enter town.  (I think it is Fibbers McGee-I forgot to write down the name).   Anyway, it is a nice town to visit.

I always look forward to visiting Elkhart Lake.  Until next year...

Thursday and Friday Rummage Sales

Yes, I did pay the $5 entrance fee to the Elizabeth Ann Seton church rummage sale on Thursday that was from 5-7 that night.  A lot of other people did the same.  I understand that some of my other rummage salers didn't.  A $5 entry fee hits hard when there are more than one in the party.  I only had Austin with me and I only offered to pay for me.

We did find a few things.  I found a doll planter for $1, the 2 latest Janet Evanovich books for $2 each (I love her!) plus some Marvel comic books for 50 cents each, a turtle for $2 for Ethan's every growing turtle collection, a glass jar to hold my nail polish for 50 cents, a cat paperweight for 50 cents, a white wicker toy chest for $12 and a Chuck Norris picture for $1 (Ethan and his friends are obsessed with Chuck Norris so I thought this was a must).  I cleaned out Ethan's Pokemon plus a few other plush figures and put them in the wicker chest.  At least that area of his room is more contained and in order.

On to Friday and the Calvary Church Rummage sale in Crystal Lake on Route 31.  It was to start at 10am but they let us in at 9:30.  They must have felt sorry for us that we were waiting and talking for awhile.  Anyway, we found stuff as usual.  I found a milk glass bowl for $1, another glass jar to hold things for $2, a shell heart shaped box for $2, a vintage rose flowered bowl for $1, a Bill Clinton watch for $1, some Nes video games for 50 cents each and a frame to hold the Chuck Norris picture.  It was fun seeing my rummage sale friends and comparing purchases.

Ann's church rummage sale in Prairie Grove is on Sept 13 at 9am.  Hers is one of my favorite sales.

The Elkhorn Flea Market in Elkhorn Wisconsin is this Sunday.  I can't be there, but I will be treasure hunting in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin.  They have a great farmers market/flea market and some great antique/junk stores.  Should be lots of fun!

My Garage Sale

Well, we finally had our garage sale yesterday.  I had it all set up early (for those early birds) and had my first customer before 7am.  He bought the hand chair that I wanted to get rid of so badly.  I was happy to see it go.  After him though, the customers were few and far between.  We didn't have that many people at the sale.  I was very disappointed.  I did sell some big pieces and other small stuff, so at least we made some money and cleared out some space in the house. 

After the sale, I packed it all up and we took almost everything to the Sparrows Nest in McHenry.  It doesn't pay to hold on to anything that didn't sell since I wanted to get rid of it anyway.  Now my house is clean and almost uncluttered.  I already have a few projects in mind that I need to do.

Blue Ribbons at the Fair

The McHenry County 4H Fair has begun.  It is running from Wed Aug 1 to Sun Aug 5.  All of us have won a few blue ribbons this year.  Even with the few vegetables that we managed to grow, we won a few ribbons.  Ethan won a blue ribbon also on his abstract painting and Austin won a blue ribbon for his Lego creation and his nutcracker collection.   I was thrilled to win a blue ribbon for my felted purse.  There are some beautiful quilts on display this year.

In between getting ready for the fair, I have finished setting up for my garage sale tomorrow.  I don't have as much as past years, but there are still a lot of nice things that need a new home.  The sale will be from 8-2 on Friday. 

I'm glad to have gotten the coffee table out of the basement and I have put the new table and chairs that we bought in Pennsylvania in its place.  It looks great!  It changes the look of the basement.

I Had a Great Time!

Some garage saleing days are more fun than others.  Today was one of those days.  The kids and I went to the Shepherd of the Hills church rummage sale and found some nice things.  I found a needlepoint doily for $3, a Japanese miniature vase for 50 cents, a $2 nutcracker for Austin (he informed me that was his 86th), a pin for $1, a milk glass covered dish chicken for $1, 2 miniature glass paper weights for 50 cents each,  and the kids found a box full of a Nintendo Nes/games, a gameboy with games and a psp carrying case all for $10. 

We then went on to some garage sales and found some video games for $2 each.  In Woodstock, we hit some sales on S. Madison Street and found some nice things.  I found a Pam Duthrie garden book for $1 (she was the keynote speaker for the Master Gardener conference at MCC a few years ago and her books were $50 each), a metal stamp stand for $1 that I will use to hold pictures, and a Statue of Liberty plate for $1. 

Woodstock is having sidewalk sales that will continue on Saturday, so we walked around the square to see what we could find.  At my favorite store, Interiors Anew, I found a wonderful intricately carved coffee table for $38.  I loved it and decided to buy it without knowing exactly where I would put it.  Once I got it home, I put it into the guest room and it looks great.  Seasons by Peg also had some good deals and the upstairs room is 75% off. 

I redecorated the guest room by adding the coffee table that I just bought with a wrought iron stand that I spray painted white yesterday.  I had gotten it at a garage sale a while ago for $3 and finally had time to work on it.  It looks nice holding the metal stamp stand, McCoy planter and scale that I use to weigh my Ebay items up for auction.

Saturday and Sunday is the Gallery in the Garden in Woodstock where artists sell their goods in a garden setting.  It is a really nice event.   Since the weekend is supposed to have nice weather, it will be a perfect setting.  On August 9, Calvary Baptist Church on Rt 31 in Crystal Lake will have their rummage sale.  This is a nice large sale that we love to shop. 

Thursday Sales

Well, we decided to postpone our garage sale until next Friday.  (weather permitting).  The weathermen called for rain today and it only rained in the early morning and not the rest of the day.  It is a good thing that we postponed having our sale because I went through Austin's clothes again and filled up a garbage bag plus 1 winter coat, 2 snowsuits and 1 rain suit.  More to sell!

So instead, we went to a few sales and I found a McCoy pinecone planter for $2.  It has 2 small chips on the edges, but it is really nice anyway.  I found this at the McHenry County Defenders sale at the Algonquin Township office on Rt 14.  The boys found a lot of Pokemon toys 3 for 25 cents.  At another sale, Austin found a bag full of Donkey Kong figures for $3.  I had never seen them before. 

Tomorrow is the Shepherd of the Hills rummage sale in McHenry.  Elizabeth Ann Seton church rummage sale in Crystal Lake on McHenry Ave is Aug 8. 

Mukwonago Flea Market

We all went to the Mukwonago Flea Market today.  What a beautiful day it was!  Not too hot, but sunny.  There weren't a lot of vendors there, but of course, we found some things.  Or I should say, the kids found things.  Austin is taking an archery class, so he found a bow and Ethan negotiated the price down to $10.  The boys also found some books/magazines for $1, a Simpson comic book for $5 (Austin talked this one down) and I found a piece of fabric with chickens on it for 50 cents.  We ate way too many deep fried cheese curds, but enjoyed every minute of it.  You can't go to this flea market without getting them from C.O.W.  They are the best.

The boys just had to try a deep fried twinkie and deep fried oreo cookies.  I think we had our share of deep fried foods to last a lifetime.  There are 2 more flea markets in Mukwonago this season.  I'm sure we'll go to them.

Shepherd of the Hills Church on Green Street in McHenry is having a rummage sale on Friday at 8:30.  I have never been there for a rummage sale, so I'm looking forward to going there.  I am still planning on having my garage sale on Thursday, but I'm keeping a close look at the weather forecast and may have to postpone it until August.  I hope not because I'm ready to get rid of lots of things.

Friday Hunting

It is so nice to be back at home garage saleing in my area.  The kids and I hit some sales today.  Only found some things at one of the sales, but what fun that was.  I found doilies for $1 each, an old made in Japan miniature vase for $2, and an Arthur Armour casserole dish for $4.  I spotted the lid and when I picked it up and saw his hallmark I was thrilled.  It wasn't on the correct bottom so when I asked about it, the man said that he couldn't find it.  I looked around and found some more aluminum pieces that he was selling and spotted it with the wrong lid.  I solved the mystery for him and he gave it to me for $4.  That's 2 Arthur Armour pieces in a few days.  I hope I'm on a roll.    I spent most of the day soaking my doilies and tablecloths that I purchased recently.  I really got some nice ones.  More items have been added to my garage sale box.  I didn't think I had anything to sell until I really started looking at what I had.  The box is really full at this point and I still have things to go through.

The kids and I went to the Algonquin library sale and bought a bag full of books, dvd's and a video game.  Only spent $32 this time.  Their next sale is Nov 8-11.  We also had our free cookies and lemonade.  Always a nice way to end the sale.

Saturday is a kids sale on the square in Woodstock while the Farmer's Market is going on.  We usually find things there as it is a sale run by kids and only kids stuff is sold.

Saturday and Sunday is the Mukwonago Wisconsin flea market.  We really like this flea market.  We will be going on Sunday.  Can't wait to get the deep fried cheese curds.

Back Again

This has been a summer of travel.  The kids and I just got back from a trip to New Jersey and Pennsylvania to visit my parents.  My brother, who has the Ebay store, took us garage saleing/estate saleing on Friday.  It was fun to see how different estage sales are by him.  The people shopping were like vultures.  Clothes were thrown all over the place.  It was hard to look around.  I only managed to find a vintage white hinged bracelet for $1.  I didn't find much at the garage sales either, but it was fun spending time with him.  One of his finds was a vintage iron hand pump.  As he was bringing it to the truck, I noticed a huge yellow jacket nest inside of it.  Needless to say, it took us awhile to get it out with a hose and water and just pumping it.  It was kind of comical. 

He also took us to a thrift store, Unique.  I found some vintage Howdy Doody hankies for 69 cents.  The Goodwill turned up a blue milk glass compote for $3.99.  My mom gave me a huge bin full of stuff.  Mostly milk glass and aluminum pieces.  It was fun looking at them, but harder to find a place to put them once I got home.  My collection has outgrown my places to put them.

The kids and I went to the Saylorsburg flea market 2 times, separate weekends.  I found an aluminum ice bucket with ships on it for $3, a milk glass bowl for $1 (a woman had picked it up and after she found out it was $1, she put it down.  I then grabbed it), fabric for $1 each and the best item, a card table with leather top and 4 chairs for $30.  All of it folds down.  Good thing since I needed to fit it into my trunk with everything else that I was bringing back.  After I have a garage sale, I will take a picture of it in my basement.    Ethan negotiated the price.  He has become great at negotiating.  The man wanted $35 and said that he originally had it priced at $45.  Ethan offered him $30 and waited.  The man finally threw his hands into the air and said, "Fine, $30."  I was proud of him and of both boys for carrying the chairs to the car.  I also found some doilies for $6 that were hand embroidered by her mother.

My parents went with us treasure hunting in the Poconos and stopped at a few local sales in parking lots.  I found a vintage ceramic Santa for 10 cents, and 2 vintage tablecloths for $2 each.  We also went to the Blakeslee flea market that is on Saturday and Sunday and held inside and outside.  I found an aluminum tray by Arthur Armour for $20.  I splurged because his stuff is hard to find.  Funny how I found another piece by him last year in New Jersey at Unique.  This tray is great because it is golden and has the world map on it. 

We stopped by the Salvation Army on 940 and I found a milk glass chicken for $2.99 and a milk glass spoon rest for $2.99 and a knittin book for 89 cents.  They remodeled the store and it was easier to shop and much neater.  There was a lot more stuff then in the past.  We had always wanted to go to the used book store on 940 and finally did.  Their prices were 65% off and I found a 3 books for a total of $5. 

We had a lot of fun, but it is good to be home after traveling for about half of the summer.  I spent the day cleaning and putting away things and adding to my garage sale pile.  Even though I still need to find places to display my new items, I'll be going treasure hunting tomorrow.  There are a lot of sales listed in the paper and the Algonquin library is having their book sale.  Can't miss it!

Loose Ends

I spent today and the past week finishing up projects and just cleaning up/organizing around the house.  I finished another knitted felted purse in off white.  I had made a brown one and didn't like how it turned out, so I used that one to cut out flowers to use on the off white bag.  I love how it turned out!  I used 2 vintage buttons on the flowers and as usual, used a handle from a bag I bought at a rummage sale.    I have a red one to finish also, but, I don't have a handle for it.  Guess I have to go to more sales to find the right color.

The shells I found in Florida are finally put away.  I found a clear vase that I put away in the basement to hold the coral.  It now sits on the green wicker table with the other shells.  I reorganized the shell collection and it looks good.  The rest of the large shells are sitting on my fireplace mantle until Fall. 

We stopped in at Savers in Crystal Lake today, but didn't find any treasures.  I'm hoping that there are some garage sales tomorrow.  Austin and I finished going through the toys in the basement and have a box ready for a garage sale.  I'm selling my candle making supplies this time.  I haven't made any candles in a long time and don't think I will be needing the supplies.  I have 2 large slabs of wax to sell also.  I'm hoping to have the sale either July 26 or 27.  I'm not sure yet if I'll have a one or two day sale.  I still have a lot of stuff to go through.

A Stop at Interiors Anew

After seeing Madagascar 3 at the movies in Woodstock, we walked around the corner to Interiors Anew.  I haven't been there for over 1 month.  The store was packed with so much stuff at really good prices.  I hope I didn't miss too much.  I went through the store a few times to make sure that I saw everything.

I bought a flower shaped basket for $4, an aluminum miniature pitcher for $3 and a covered container for $4 to hold all of the coral pieces that I brought back from Florida.  It is a good idea to go to the store at least once a week since the items come and go really quickly.  I almost always find something that I can't live without.  If you go on a Tuesday or Saturday, the farmer's market is going on.  It makes for a nice day trip.   

I spent some time this morning going through my clothes.  I would like to have a garage sale in August and want to get a head start.  I now have a few bags of clothes and some furniture to sell and will definitely have a lot more in the next month.

Thrift Store Treasures Plus Ice Cream

We made a stop at the Goodwill in Huntley today and found some nice items.  The past few times we left empty handed.  Not today.  I found a pink flower with gold trim painted pitcher for $4.99, 2 carnival glass bowls for $1.99 each and the kids found some card game for 99 cents for each pack/action figure.  Then we stopped at Sweet Repeats and I found a cute apron for $4, 4 yards of Raggedy Ann and Andy fabric for $4, a duck planter for $1 and a Donald Duck hankie for 50 cents.

Since the kids were such good sports, we bought ice cream at the Dairy Mart.  They have the best cookie dough "blizzard like" ice cream (say the kids) and I love their peanut butter milk shake.  The place always has a crowd. 

Elkhorn Flea Market

It was another beautiful day at the Elkhorn Flea Market.  Last year it rained for every one.  So far this year it has been sunny and warm for both.  It is fun to just walk around eating a donut and looking at all of the treasures for sale.  We did buy our share of food, as usual.  Ethan always gets a pickle on the stick for $1 for his breakfast at 7:30am.  The cheaper donuts are at the booth under the grand stand.  The donuts are only $1. 

I only spent $1 on a nice pink vase with gold trim and leaves on the sides.  Austin bought a dragon piece for $3 and a Digimon action figure for $3.  We didn't buy anything else today.  I did price some items that I have at home.  I always like to see what my things are worth.  Austin bought a Wolverine telephone at the last flea market for $5.  Today he saw the same thing for $18.  As we were walking away, the guy went down to $10.  Sometimes you don't even need to bargain.  The dealers will bargain for you.  Austin was excited that he got a good deal.

I'm so glad that the boys are learning the value of the dollar and how much they are willing to spend for an item.  The best part is that they are getting to be really good negotiators. 

Woodstock Garage Sales

We had a blast today!  There were a lot of sales in Woodstock that we went to.  We had stopped at one on Lily Pond Road and found so many things.  I found a milk glass pedestal cake plate for $2, fabric for 50 cents each, new in the package Bayblade toys for the kids at $1 each, brand new t'shirts for the boys of video games that they play for $2 each and a Dolce and Gabbana handbag brand new for $2.  I was so excited about the handbag.  It is brown patent leather.  What a find!

I found a glass covered container at another sale for $2 and I put my seashells into it.  I found a lot of shells when I was in Florida and needed another container for them.  Ethan found a handmade wooden turtle for 50 cents to add to his turtle collection.  I also found a vintage Christmas hankie and a Felix the Cat hankie for 50 cents each.  The kids found a Pokemon plush for 50 cents.  Sometimes you have to go to a lot of sales before you find something good.  In the afternoon, we went to some sales in Crystal Lake, but didn't find anything.  That's how it is.

I'm happy with my finds today.  Sunday I will be at the Elkhorn Flea market having more fun.    

St. Mary's/Montini Rummage Sale Today

We had so much fun!  We saw many friends and even made a few new ones.  We did the whole sale in 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Probably a new record.  Each classroom was filled with stuff.  Austin found some Bionicle things for $1 each and a Star Wars toy for $1.  Ethan found some computer games for $1 each and a Nintendo DS game for $1.  I found some needlepoint doilies for 50 cents to $1 and a needlepoint tablecloth for $3, a vintage Santa for 50 cents, decorative trim for $1.50, a book on gnomes for 50 cents and a really nice jacket for $2.  (Even though the kids didn't think the jacket was that great.  I did!)  Before the sale, we had stopped at a garage sale across the street.  We bought a whole box of Pokemon cards (hundreds) for $8, a Nerf gun and bags of bullets for $8, and a vintage light up plastic very large Santa for $4 that will go to my mom.    We had lots of fun even though we bought less than previous years.  You never know what you will find.

We stopped at quite a few sales on the way home.  Austin found another Nerf gun with bullets for $4.  (Notice his obsession with Nerf guns).  Since the Nerf guns are so expensive, this is the way to buy them.  Two of the garage sales were at the homes of people we know either from other sales or from Pokemon.  It is such a small world.  Running into people I know makes the day so much more fun. 

I still have to look in the paper for tomorrow's garage sales to map out our hunt.  I love garage sale days.  Sunday is the Elkhorn Wisconsin Flea Market at the Fairgrounds.  I always look forward to those flea markets.  They don't have one in July and then resume in August and September.

Thrift Store Stops

We took a few detours on our way home from Mount Prospect today.  We stopped at the Goodwill, but only Ethan found a computer game for $3.  Then, we stopped at the Sparrows Nest in Palatine on Route 14.  That is the only Sparrows Nest that I hadn't been to yet.  It is a nice store with a great selection.  Unfortunately, I didn't find anything there either.  Next to Barrington.  I hadn't been to the House of Hope (Rt 59 right off of the downtown) in a while.  Blue tickets were 1/2 off.  I found 2 items, but without blue tags.  I found a seashell box for $6 and an Everlast bamboo aluminum round tray for $4.  Austin found a Nerf gun for 50 cents.  I was happy that our treasure hunt turned up something.  Our last stop was at CatchaPenny in downtown Barrington.  It is around the corner from the House of Hope.  Everything was half off.  But, nothing for us.

We had fun exploring a few new thrift stores.  You never know what you will find.  I can't wait for tomorrow and the St. Mary/Montini rummage sale on Route 31 in McHenry.  We each have our bags ready!