Yard Work

I love when Springs arrives, but that also means it's time to cut the grass.  The kids and I worked on that this morning.  It always looks so nice when it is freshly cut, and I usually feel good after working outside for awhile.  I found the perfect spot for the small concrete bird bath that I bought last week.  It is in my shade garden behind my 2 vintage blue chairs.  I repainted those chairs with a spa blue last year, and I love how they turned out.  I use a metal white flower stand with an aluminum lazy susan as the top for a small table between the 2 chairs.  On the concrete bird bath I put a small concrete fairy that I found for $2 at the Elkhorn Flea Market last year.  That was one of my favorite finds from last season.  Also in the shade garden is a concrete dragon that I got years ago at a garage sale for $2, and a concrete gnome that I paid $3 for.  There are 2 angel statues that were $1 each, and a metal bird bath.  The hostas are starting to come up and will fill in beautifully.  The white bleeding hearts have bloomed and look wonderful.  They are my favorite color bleeding heart.  I am still looking for a spot for the free concrete square planter that I got last week.  I just have to walk around the yard a few more times to find the perfect spot.

Garage Saleing

I saw a garage sale on Main Street in Cary on the way to taking the kids to their Saturday Pokemon league.  So, I dropped them off, and off I went.  They had a lot of vintage/antique items, but the prices were pretty high.  I found Christmas fabric for $2, a blue flower, made in Japan, pedestal plate for $2 and a cute boy/girl on a seasaw for the garden for $1.  Then, I went to the Sparrows Nest and found a cute straw bag with seashells on it for $2.  2 of the shells had fallen off, but since I have a huge collection of shells, I was able to find 2 and hot glued them on.  It looks really nice.  The bag will be cute to carry books or stuff around when the summer hits. 

I placed the cute boy/girl on a seasaw in a planter in my driveway.  Really cute!

I'm looking forward to 2 rummage sales coming up.  Thursday April 12 is at the Zion Lutheran Church in McHenry at 8am and the other is at the 1st Methodist Church in Crystal Lake on April 19 at 5pm.  More should be coming up soon.

Out and About

Boy! What a busy day.  We started out by going to a garage sale around the corner from our house and didn't find a thing.  I only had a dog jump all over me to play.  We were making a trip to the Burlington Coat Factory at the Gurnee Mills Mall in Gurnee to buy Ethan a suit.  (They really do have the best selection of suits at great prices.)  He was accepted into the Junior National Honor Society and he needed a suit for the ceremony.  We found him (after over 1 hour of trying on almost every suit) a Ralph Lauren suit that was originally $475 marked down to $149.  It was still a little pricey, but it fit him perfectly.  He didn't care about the designer.   He didn't even have a clue who it was until I told him about Ralph Lauren. 

We then made our way to Half Price Books in Highland Park to get rid of 3 boxes of books left over from our garage sale.  We got $25 for them and spent $26 on other books.  We even had a 15% off coupon that we used.  It's a good thing that we only had to pay $1 out of my pocket.  It really is the place to get rid of books etc., and to get paid for them.

So, of course, on the way home we stopped at the Goodwill in Lake Zurich.  I found a really cool bracelet for $3.99, a vintage coin glass pedestal bowl for $3.99, a milk glass vase for $3.99, and Austin found a Sonic GameGear game for $2.99. 

We were so exhausted after being out for over 7 hours.  I had a schedule to keep, and I'm so proud that we only went to the places that were on our list.  I was tempted to shop at Gurnee Mills, but, I'll save that for another day.  When I'm alone!

Garden Stuff Garage Sale

Every year there is a garden stuff garage sale in McHenry.  Well, it was today because I found out that she is moving to South Carolina.  She always has such neat stuff with really good prices.  I found 2 wire rakes for $2 each.  We needed new ones since one fell apart this Spring.  Now the kids can't fight over who gets the better rake.  I also found a concrete small bird bath/planter that was $5.  She took it right out of her garden for me.  I found a Shabby Chic book by Rachel Ashwell for $3 and she gave me, for FREE, a concrete square planter that she used as a pedestal for her pots.  I'll find a place for it.  I'm always looking for "things" to put in my garden.  The other 2 garage sales that I stopped at didn't have anything that I wanted. 

Pottery Finds

I found alot of pottery yesterday in my travels.  It must have been a clean out day for people getting rid of pottery.  I dropped off a bag of clothes at Savers in Crystal Lake and received a $3 off coupon towards a purchase of $10 or more.  You can't use it though with other discounts and since Monday's are 25% off days, I couldn't use it.  I went inside to look around and found alot of stuff.  I found a McCoy green planter for $2.24, a Hull lady planter for $1.49, a duck planter for $5.24, another green planter for $1.49, a yellow crocheted doily for 49 cents, some Pokemon items for $2.24, a small vase made in Japan for $1.49 and 2 vintage pins for $3.74 and $4.49.  All really great buys.  I put the Hull lady planter in "my" room with my other lady planters.  I put the other planters around the house with my other collections.

Later in the day I stopped at the Goodwill in McHenry and found a vintage Frankoma duck planter for $2.99 and a bag of vintage marbles for 99 cents.  I put the duck planter up for auction on Ebay today.  I found some vintage linens and an apron at the Sparrows Nest in McHenry for 75 cents to $1 each.  They need to be soaked in Oxyclean, but the stains are minimal and should come out. 

Now that I have cleaned out the house by doing the garage sale a few days ago and donating all of the items that didn't sell, I'm gearing up for the summer sale season.  It will be fun looking for new items to keep, new collections to begin and items to sell on Ebay.  I'm getting excited for the season to kick in.

Huntley Rec Center Garage Sale Today

Today was the indoor garage sale at the Huntley Rec Center.  The kids and I left at 5:30am to begin setting up starting at 6am.  We were done setting up by 7:30am and the people started to come in.  We saw all of our usual rummage sale friends.  The kids bought a few video games right away and Austin scored a deal with 2 Star Trek toys that the guy wanted $5 for, but sold them to Austin for $2.  He is learning to negotiate!

This was probably the least attended show out of the others that I have done.  People weren't spending much also.  I sold a few of my big items, but the orange hand chair didn't sell.  Everyone loved it, but noone wanted to take it home.  I was left with alot of items and alot to pack up.  Most of the other vendors had the same complaint.  I did get to look around towards the end, but didn't buy anything.  We donated most of the leftovers to the Salvation Army and Sweet Repeats thrift store because they had trucks outside of the sale to collect donations.  We drove other items to the Goodwill which is just down the street.  We will be taking all of the books to Half Price Books this week to get money for the books/dvds/video games that didn't sell.  We always buy books from them.  The selection is amazing for cheaper prices.  We usually go to the one in Highland Park, but I think we will go to the one in Palatine this time so we can stop at the Sparrows Nest Thrift Store on the way.  There are also some Goodwill stores around there that we have never gone to.  Speaking of thrift stores, I was told that if you make a donation to the Savers Thrift Store in Crystal Lake, they will give you a $3 coupon towards future purchases.  I saved a bag of clothes for them. 

I did have a good time otherwise today.  It is great to clean out the house, make some money (I did make a little bit of money) and see friends.  We saw friends all day long.  The kids also had a nice time and worked very hard.  They also made a little bit of money.  Not a bad way to spend the day.  We even had ice cream on the way home from the Dairy Mart in Huntley.  The peanut butter shake is delicious!

3 Days of Sales!

Yesterday, we started out the day by going to the indoor garage sale at Park Place in Crystal Lake.  It was a smaller than usual sale this year and we didn't find anything.  I passed up a really nice bookcase that was only $20, and when I went back to get it, it was sold.  You snooze you lose I guess.  So, we continued on to some garage sales and found a few things.  The boys found 3 Japanese Pokemon card packs still new in the package for $1 each and a Wii nunchuck for $1.  At another sale we found this great rose fabric covered bench for $3.  It was covered in a few coffee stains and black crayon marks all over it.  I used Goop hand cleaner on it (I use Goop on everything from clothes to furniture to remove stains) and then left it outside to dry out and get whatever sun there was.  It looks great and the stains came out.  I have it in my hallway and it gives the hallway a wonderful new look. 

Today, we went to a Church rummage sale at St. Paul's in Crystal Lake.  It is a small Church sale, but we found a few things.  Besides books, the boys found some Pokemon figures for 10 cents each.  I found a nice leaf bowl with gold trim for $1.50, a purse for 50 cents (I use the handles on my felted hand knitted bags), some cute vintage Easter bunnies (the whole lot was 25 cents) and 2 vintage pins for $1 each.  We had fun both days talking to our rummage sale friends that we only see during sales. 

Tomorrow is the big Huntley Indoor Garage sale at the Rec Center from 8-2.  There will be 59 vendors.  I'm all ready for the sale; only need to pack up the car.  I found a few more things to sell.  I'm hoping to sell almost everything so I don't have to pack it back up. 

I started on Austin's quilt last night.  The longest tedious part is cutting out the pieces.  I finished cutting out the pieces and hope to start sewing it soon.  That's the fun part.

Busy Busy Busy

I have had a fun, but busy weekend.  I have been wanting to sew pillows from a great rooster fabric that I found at a rummage sale.  So, I finally got busy and made 2 of them.  I used a different vintage trim on each one, but they both blend in well with the fabric.  I also put a zipper into both of them.  I like to make all of my pillows with zippers.   These are probably 2 of the best ones that I have made.  I am really excited about how they turned out.

We stopped at the Goodwill in Huntley on the way home from Church on Sunday.  We usually like to stop there since it's on our way home.   I found the cutest green duo vase with 22kt gold trim made by the Pearl China and Co. for $3.99.  Later in the day, we went back to the Goodwill in Lake Zurich to return the Skylanders game since the portal didn't work.  Can't play the game without the portal.  Goodwill will give store credit if an electronic item doesn't work and you return it in 10 days.  The store was so crowded and wiped out of stuff, but I did manage to find a cute small white vase with gold trim that was made in China for $1.99.  

The Crystal Lake Part District is holding an indoor garage sale in their building, Park Place, on Thursday starting at 8am.  We'll be there early waiting on line.  We always find something at this sale.  It is small, but fun to shop.

Last Supper Paint by Number

The kids Spring break started today.  What better way to have fun then to go to the Goodwill store in Lake Zurich.  This is my favorite Goodwill store.  We circled the store a few times before we found our treasures.  We spotted the Last Supper paint by number on top of the painting bin.  Ethan loved it and wanted it for his room.  It was $6.99.  (But only $4.98 after the discounts.)   Austin found a joystick for the Genesis video game system for $1.99.  ($1.42 after discounts)  I found a red Japanese box for $1.99 ($1.42 after discounts) and a frog vase for 99 cents (70 cents after discounts)  While we were waiting in line, I spotted a Skylanders video game for the 3DS locked in a glass case.  The Goodwill price was $35.00.  Originally in the store it was $70.  Well, with a Goodwill card and over $20 in purchases, you receive an extra 5% off of each item.  On top of that, I had a 25% off coupon from my birthday.  (Goodwill sends this card out if you are a Goodwill member.  Membership is free.)  So, the Skylanders game was only $24.93.  Ethan was very excited since Austin already got the game at Christmas.  (I bought it at Toys R US when they had buy 1 and get the other at 50% off.) 

The Last Supper painting looks nice hanging over Ethan's bed.  It blends in well with the wooden walls in his room.  I made the quilt on his bed a few years ago.  The colors also blend nicely with the painting. 

I hope we find lots of deals during Spring break.  Half of the fun is just looking.

JoAnne Fabrics Opens in McHenry

The JoAnne Fabrics store opened in McHenry today on Rt 31 where the TJMaxx is.  The first 100 customers each day today thru Saturday get a $10 gift card.  I was 6th in line for my card.  I also had a 50% off coupon that I used towards this really great Vintage Chic book that was $30.  I would never pay that much, but at $15 and using the $10 free gift card, I only paid $5 for it.  Then, I used my gift card that the kids gave me to pay for that $5.  I also got a free tote bag with my purchase.  They were giving away a free tote bag with a $25 purchase calculated before all of the discounts.  Too bad I can't go back the next 2 mornings to get more free $10 gift cards.

Spring Gardening and Thrift Store Finds

I have been gardening almost every day since our weather has been in the high 70's/80's for a while now.  The kids and I raked leaves last weekend and I got my first tick from that.  Caldwell removed it from my back and all is well.  I was out the next day raking some more.  I put some of my outdoor collections around the garden and had to throw out some others since they broke this winter.  I even planted lettuce, kohlrabi and swiss chard in my raised beds.  I bought the kits for the raised beds at Sam's Club 2 years ago and put them together last year.  We had a ton of tomatoes.  It worked out really well.  I put compost in the beds in the fall so I was ready to plant this year when the weather warmed up.  My cousin Barb gave me a cute GARDEN sign that I hooked up to the fence of the raised beds.  I used 2 yard sticks that I got for free from the Jack Franks booth at the 4H fair last summer to be the handles on the chicken wire surrounding the raised beds.  They work great!  The yard is starting to come alive with tulips, hyacinths and other spring flowers.  It is always amazing to see the flowers springing to life.  (Except the deer have already found my daylilies and I had to spray to keep them away.)

We went to the Algonquin Library book sale on Friday night and bought some video games, dvd's and books.  We did have our free cookies and lemonade.  The next sale is July 19-22.

I stopped at the Huntley Goodwill today.  I haven't been there in awhile.  I found 3 pieces of aluminum for $1.99 each, a wonderful Japanese jewelry box for $2.99, 4 dvd's for $1.98 each and a rose print for 99 cents.  It was a good day.  The Sweet Repeats Thrift store and the McHenry Goodwill didn't have anything for me today. 

The McHenry Parks and Rec Garage Sale is this Saturday at MMS.  We will be at the Pokemon State Tournament in Des Plaines and can't go.  But, I'm still finding stuff to sell at the McHenry County Garage Sale on March 31 at the Huntley Rec Center.  I'm in booth 11.  All of the items that don't sell will go to the Goodwill down the road.  It should be a lot of fun.

Vase Collection

I spent some time yesterday rearranging and cleaning up my white vase collection that I have in my sunroom.  I use them, along with clear glass containers and other unique containers, to hold my seashell collection.  Most of my shells are from New Jersey beaches.  (I am a full fledged Jersey girl!)  Some of the shells are also from Myrtle Beach, Cape Hateras and others were gifts.  I love seashells.  Last year when the kids and I were in Atlantic City, we must have collected 20 lbs of shells.  I'm not kidding.  I could hardly carry the bag that they were in.  We were out at the crack of dawn and collected everything that we could find before the beach trucks ran them over and crushed them.  Anyway, back to my collection of vases.  They look nice with the shells and some driftwood.  I have them on a vintage green wicker table that I got at a garage sale about 10 years ago for $5.  I love the look and it matches with the green and white table and chairs that are in my sunroom. 

I also have some of them displayed on a taller white metal rack that I bought at Steelheart in Harvard.  I paid a little more for the shelf, but I loved it. 

I will be adding to my shell collection this summer.  Maybe I'll find some unique ones.  Nothing in the world compares to being on the beach.  I can't wait!

Exploring Downtown Antioch

Ethan had a volleyball tournament in Antioch this morning.  Since there was about 1 1/2 hours before his next game, we went to each brunch.  We found this great diner, The Vault, that was reasonably priced and gave you lots of food.  A few doors down was the Village Thrift Store, and of course, we had to go.  I found a vintage rose pattern tablecloth for $3.99.  The tag said AS IS, but there was nothing wrong with it.  Austin found a Star Wars lightsaber, that worked, for $1.99.  We stopped at a store next door that was higher end stuff, and he had some vintage tablecloths for about $25.00.  The rose tablecloth I got was a steal!  I just soaked it in Oxy Clean and it looks great.  The Village Thrift Store had a lot of stuff packed into it. There was even a section for Retro Clothes.  You do need some time to look through this store.  I'm sorry that we only had about 20 minutes to run through it.  It was a nice find.  

Caring Transitions Estate Sale

This afternoon, I went to a Caring Transitions estate sale in Crystal Lake.  They are having quite a lot of estate sales lately.  There was still a line to get in at 1pm.  The house was packed with stuff.  I found a vintage apron, some vintage pins, a rose pattern oval bowl (to match my rose pattern china) and a wonderful old pottery turtle (made in Japan) for Ethan.  I still like to give the kids an Easter basket with items inside.  This will be perfect for that.  The sale will go on until Sunday when most things will be half price.  Maybe I'll make time to go back.  

My crocus are blooming!  Spring is finally here.  That means that garage sales are right around the corner. 

2nd Rummage Sale and Much More!

Today was the 2nd church rummage sale of the season in Prairie Grove.  I had fun talking with friends at the sale.  There wasn't as much at the sale, but I still managed to find things.  I found some nice Haeger vases.  I think 2 are older ones.  They were $2 each.  I have a nice collection of these cream colored ones, but this is my first mom with child.  I bought a large stack of fabric for $1, some pins and necklace for $1 each, a nice vintage bead purse for $3, 2 hat boxes, and a frog planter (for Austin's frog collection/more to add to his room) for 50 cents.  I was in the parking lot wrapping up the planters with the fabric that I just bought so that they wouldn't break.  I was happy with all of my finds.  I was out in less than a half hour from the sale.  Maybe that's a new record for me.

I stopped at the Carson's Goodwill sale and dropped off some shirts.  I only used one coupon for my Lancome tinted moisturizer and saved $10.  Plus, Lancome has a free gift.  Goodwill will give you a coupon for 25% off or 20% off of cosmetics if you log in how many items you donated on their website.  (Originally by signing up for their email about the sale, I got the same coupon.)  After donating at the store, you get coupons (for the amount of items donated) for 20% to 10% off depending on what you purchase. 

A new Kohl's opened in Woodstock and yesterday was the grand opening.  I stopped in today because I got a $10 off coupon and bought 2 shirts.  I only had to pay $4 for both of them.  Pretty nice deal!  As I said before, it pays to sign up for store emails or rewards cards.  Both are free and the rewards are pretty good.

Yesterday, I stopped at the Goodwill in Rockford on the way to the dentist.  They were pretty cleaned out (which seems to be the case at most resale shops I have been going to recently).  I did find a new hat box.  It's funny how I needed 1 for a gift and then today I find 2 more.  I think I'm set on hat boxes for now.

Now that I found some great vases, I am going to rearrange/clean out my collection of planters/vases.  I bought 2 really great vintage flea market magazines today and I'm itching to rearrange my collections.  I went through my spring/summer clothes yesterday, and have another bag ready for the garage sale in a few weeks.  At least I know what items I need to add to my wardrobe.  (That Kohl's coupon today helped me to replace some worn shirts). 

Next Thursday is the used book sale at the Algonquin Library.  My favorite library sale.  We really do spend a fortune there on books/dvd's and video games.  But, the books are only 25 cents to $1 each, dvd's $2 each, and the video games are from $2 and up.  The prices and quality are good and we get to eat cookies and have lemonade (for free) when we are done.  We also leave with a free pencil.  What a nice way to spend a Friday night.

First Rummage Sale of the Season

Today was the first rummage sale of the season at United Methodist Church in Cary.  It started at 1pm, but us crazy diehards were there at 12 noon and talked until we could go in.  We compared notes on places we shopped in the winter and buys we found.  It was fun to see everyone.  We look forward to this all winter long.

The line wasn't as long as I thought it would be.  It cleared out after about 15 minutes into the sale.  There were alot of "things", but I only spent $4.  As I was walking to the toy area, I spotted the most beautiful milk glass cake plate for $3.  I grabbed it and shoved it into my bag without even looking for cracks.  I checked it before I left and it was in perfect condition.  I also found a vintage Santa ornament for 50 cents, a pin for 25 cents and troll earrings that I will give to my mom as a gag gift.  She collects trolls, so they were perfect and only 4 for 25 cents.  Afterwards, I stopped at the Sparrows Nest in Cary since it was only down the road.  I found a cute rabbit planter for $1 and 2 pins that cost $5 for both.  One was a cute frog and the other was a vintage purple stone pin in a starburst pattern.

Next Thursday is another rummage sale in Prairie Grove that I love to go to.  I'm counting down the days for that one.  Also, next Wednesday starts the Goodwill sale at Carsons.  You get discount coupons for every clothing item that you donate and they can even be used on Cosmetics.  Cosmetics never go on sale so this coupon is very valuable.   Even better, Lancome has their free gift at this time.  It's time to stock up on what you need.  I know that I will be.  You can also go online to the Goodwill site and play a game daily to win a gift card to Goodwill.  More ways to save and have fun while doing it.  So, go and clean out your closets to make room for new things.
 

Snowy Day Estate Sale

Even with 9.3 inches of snow today and getting stuck in my driveway, I managed to get the kids to school on time and to go to an estate sale that sounded really good.  Caring Transitions does alot of estate sales in the area and they were having one in Woodstock today.  (I didn't get to the library sale in Richmond though.)  There wasn't a line today. I guess the snow scared alot of people away.  I found my first vintage Vera tablecloth for $5.  I was so excited.  It has vibrant flowers on it with Vera written large in the corner.  It has some yellow stains, but I soaked it in Oxy Clean and got alot of it out.  Vera linens are very collectible and now I have one to add to my collection.  I won't be selling it at this time.  I also found a really cute snowman tablerunner that was hand embroidered plus an elf ornament.  I have a few animal pins by Gerry and when I found 2 turtle pins ($5 for both) by them,  I couldn't pass them up.  My mother gave me a set of rose dishes that were made in Japan.  A few years ago, I found some replacement and extra pieces on Ebay to go with them.  Today, I was happy to find a covered butter dish that matches the pattern.  I paid a little extra for it ($8), but I had never seen a butter dish in that pattern and didn't want to risk losing it.  

Flea Market Style Magazine is out.  I love this magazine.  Ki is a master at recreating items into something completely different.  I have been looking up sales/flea markets that she lists in the magazine to go to in the summer.  Lots of fun awaits.  I would like to explore more in Wisconsin and Iowa this year.

For a snowy day, I didn't do that badly.  Tomorrow we are off to the Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora.  I have my coupons in my purse already....  

McHenry County Wide Garage Sale March 31 in Huntley

I am all signed up to sell my items at the McHenry County Wide Garage Sale at the Huntley Rec Center on March 31st.  Doors open from 8am-2pm.  This is my fourth year selling at it.  It has changed locations 3 times since then.  I have so much fun with it and boy do I sell things.  Last year, supposedly 2,500 people came through the sale.  It's a lot of work setting up at 6am, but Ethan and Austin have been a great help.  They leave before 10am to go to their Pokemon league and then come back to help me clean up.  Usually, right after the sale, I donate everything.  Sometimes there is a Salvation Army truck waiting for the donations. I think that this year I will drive all of the leftover items to the Goodwill in Huntley since it is only down the road from the sale.  I have lots of boys clothes, size 10 and up, to get rid of.  They usually sell well.  I also have vintage linens and metal trays, household items, "lego" table, adult clothes, toys, books, Christmas, you name it.  The booth size is 8x10 and I manage every year to fit all of my stuff into that small space.  The people in charge of the sale are always amazed that the stuff fits.  I am still cleaning around the house and will probably have more items by then.  I still need to go through my garden pots and stands.  I am hoping to fit a vintage orange hand chair into my van to sell.  I think it will be a good place to try to sell it.   

Speaking of Huntley, Ethan needed a whole new wardrobe since he is growing so quickly, so we went to the outlets in Huntley this past weekend.  The President's Day sales were fabulous.  I also had 20% off coupons for most of the stores we were shopping at, plus, free dollars to spend.  Always sign up for the free store rewards cards.  You will get coupons and money back to spend based on your sales totals.  It is worth it and I have gotten a good deal of free things.  I filled up my whole trunk for less than $100.  I was pretty happy.  JC Penney is another good store to stop in right now.  They have great clearance sales going on from about $4 and up and it is not only winter clothes.  I found some great Liz Claiborne tops for the summer for $4-$6.  I love Liz Claiborne clothes.

Rummage sale season is beginning!!!!!!!  I can't wait.  The first one at the Church on First Street in Cary starts on March 1 and then the following week is the one in Prairie Grove.  Usually they are both on the same day, but since they started at different times I could go to both.  They are 2 of my favorite sales.  I expect that the rummage sales will be crowded this year with a lot of people who have not shopped at them before.
I'll try to take pictures of my finds and the sale if I can. 

April 14th is Gardenfest at McHenry County College put on by the University of Illinois McHenry County Master Gardeners.  It is a great way to welcome Spring and to learn about all things gardening.  The price is right and the lunch (wraps) are delicious.  I will be teaching a class on composting and rain barrels this year.  There are some great vendors at the show.  I hope to see you there.

Oh, I almost forgot.  I found a great wooden shelf the other day by a dumpster.  Of course I had to stop and pick it up.  I will find a use for it.  Keep your eyes open for things that people throw out.  I love free things.

The thrift stores haven't had much the past few weeks.  The kids and I stopped in at the Savers Thrift Store in Crystal Lake on Monday since most items were 50% off.  We did find quite a few Genesis video games and even a brand new, never opened, 3DS game for $5.  The video games were 25% off.  Most of the games cost us about $1.  They love Sonic the Hedgehog and most of the Genesis games were of him.  That was a nice unexpected find for a fabulous price.  You never know what you will find.  The thrill of the find is what makes it fun.

Vintage Linen Pillows

As you all know, I love vintage linens.  Especially embroidered pieces and tablecloths. (Christmas and floral ones)  I buy the tablecloths that have holes in them to make pillows with.  I never cut up linens that are in good condition.  Those are for my collection.  I have even started to make aprons and Christmas stockings. 

I started making pillows quite a few years ago and like to use vintage trim on them whenever possible.  Sometimes the trim looks vintage, but really isn't.  For the most part though, the more vintage the better.  I even make pillows from chenille bedbreads.   When I started making pillows, I entered them in the McHenry County (4H) Fair and won first prize 2 years in a row.  The kids started to call me the pillow queen.  On the picture that I have posted, the middle pillow and the one to the right of it, won the blue ribbons.  I have vintage linen pillows all over the house.  They are fun and easy to make and can be changed with the seasons.    It's another way for me to add to my linen collection.

Thrift Stores Here I Come

I spent some time today visiting some thrift stores.  I went back to the Sparrows Nest in Cary to look at the vintage linens.  Alot had been sold since I was there on Saturday.  I did buy 3 today.  One was pretty with daisies, one was with crochet flowers and the other one had orange beads sewn right in while it was being crocheted.  I really loved all of the pieces.  Others on line were buying doilies too.  They change them seasonally in their homes just as I do.  I think we convinced another lady on line to do that too.  I also bought a flower sign to use outside in my garden.  It will be cute when I find the perfect spot for it in the Spring. 

I also stopped at Savers in Crystal Lake.  Monday is 25% off.  I found some blue material (74 cents and $1.49) to finally begin the quilt I want to make for Austin's room.  I needed some blue material and now that I found it, I have no more excuses to start it.  I also found a great vintage Christmas tablecloth with Santa and his reindeers ($2.99-fabulous price).  Love it!  I splurged a little on a Fenton (signed) milk glass basket with roses all around it.  It was, with the discount, $11.00.  I also found a cute aluminum piece for $1.49.  On Feb 20th, the store will be 50% off.  Guess where I'll be?

New Doilies

I was so happy that there were 2 Estate Sales this weekend in Woodstock.  I was starting to get withdrawals from not going to sales.  I only found a really nice hanky from Japan, a child's Christmas apron and a Christmas runner.  A little disappointing, but still fun to go to.

I was at the Sparrow's Nest in Cary on Saturday where someone had donated a huge collection of vintage doilies, hankies, aprons, towels, embroided pieces and tablecloths.    Talk about joy!  I spent so much time going through each piece, and only bought a few pieces.  I was so proud of myself.  It was very hard to pass up pieces, but I kept telling myself that I just got rid of a lot of similar pieces and had to be choosier.  I would like to go back soon to take another look.  There are a few pieces that I may still purchase if they are still there.  I got a few nice crochet pieces that were unique to my collection.  I also found some hankies that I don't have:  Valentine's Day, Happy Birthday and the state of Wisconsin.  The prices were about average rangeing from $1.25 and up.  Most of the ones I bought were from $1.25 to $6.00.  Just like estate sale prices. 

Here is how I clean them (I was lucky that these recent pieces were in very good clean condition).  I fill the washer up with extremely hot water and put in 5 scoops of Oxyclean.  Then, I let them sit for as long as possible (sometimes overnight).  Be careful with red colors though.  I find that with crochet pieces this works extremely well because it softens up the fibers and they don't rip.  I have great success with this for taking out the yellow stains or at least lightening them up considerably.  Then, I put them in the dryer without fabric softener for at least 30 minutes.  Crochet pieces I usually hang to dry so that they don't shrink.

The kids and I stopped at the Goodwill in Huntley.  Target had donated an amazing amount of new clearance items from clothes to toys and more.  Of course, we bought a Nerf set.  The store was very busy and the employees were bringing out more Target items the whole time.  Definitely worth the trip in the next few days.  Last week they had new Tommy Hilfiger sweaters for $10 and they were gone by today.  I'm sure these Target items won't be around for long. 

I can't wait to see what this weeks sales will be...

Laundry Room Redo

More organizing and purging.  I spent some time organizing and redecorating my laundry area.  I purged my animal planter collection and sold some on Ebay.  I kept my most favorite ones.  I also gave away 4 large plants to my fellow Master Gardeners and the window area where I kept them really brightened up.  I only kept a few plants to put on the window ledge.  I hung up 2 of my favorite farm paintings so that I could see them daily while doing laundry.  I am happy with the result.  The room really brightened up.  It's amazing how some small changes can really make a room look different.  Another example:  I used a metal bread basket in Austin's room to hold his rock collection that was all over his dresser.  You can see each rock and it's easier to move to dust the dresser.  I had the bread basket for years and never really used it.  With all of the organizing and purging that I'm doing, I'm getting more creative with the stuff that I have.

I was at Interiors Anew today and bought the best concrete Santa.  I could hardly lift him, but for $12, he was a steal.  I can't wait for next Christmas to put him on my front porch.  The trick now is to find a place in the garage to store him until then. 

Is Spring Here Yet?

I was shopping at the Goodwill in Huntley today since it was in the 50's and felt like Spring.  It was good to get out of the house; snow is forecast for tomorrow.  Anyway, I found a great birdbath for $3.99.  It still had the Homegoods sticker on it for $14.99.  It is a nice green color with 2 birds on it.  I also found some pink flower fabric.  Awesome!  I put the birdbath on top of a green iron stand that I had bought for $5 at a garage sale last summer.  It looks great together, for now.  A lady that was also shopping at the Goodwill today found an awesome Murano glass basket for 99 cents.  Boy do I love the Goodwill!   

Now is the time to shop at the outlets in Huntley.  Tommy Hilfiger and Bass have a great sale going on. Winter clearance has begun!  I bought a lavendar sweater at Tommy Hilfiger for $15 plus I had a 15% off coupon which brought it down to $12.75.  It was originally $49.99.   I may need to go back this weekend.

Organizing My Vintage Linen Closet

I have spent days organizing my vintage linen closet.  It all started this summer when I organized my fabric collection.  I really paired it down and sold off alot of it.  Next, I worked on vintage tablecloths and sold most of the embroided ones on Ebay.  I was happy with the selling prices.  I had to keep the vintage Christmas tablecloths since they are my favorites.  I also kept my ultimate favorite embroided ones. 

So, I finally decided that I needed to do some organizing with the vintage doilies, aprons and other items I couldn't remember what.  I spent 2 days going through each item and deciding what goes on Ebay, what goes in the garage sale pile and what is thrown away.  I'm happy to say that not many things got thrown away.  Since alot of people use torn crochet or embroidered doilies for other things, I put them together in a bag for my garage sale.  I found quite alot of table napkins and tablecloths that I didn't remember having.  (I sent my mom some items too).  So, the tablecloths went up on Ebay today and the other items will go up in a few days.  I found alot of crochet pot holders that I will be selling.  I am keeping the vintage aprons, for now.  I seem to change my mind every year.  My collecting goes into different directions.  I also went through my yarn stash and cleared that out. 

I am happy with the result!  I am once again organized.  Like items are grouped together.  I am an extremely organized person and I like to know where everything is.  It is so nice to have my vintage linen closet like that again.  Now I can begin to add to it.  I'm on the lookout for more linens.  I found a few at the Savers in Crystal Lake last week.  I have gotten more selective though since I have so many. 

More and More Nutcrackers

I was shopping at the Target in McHenry where they had 90% off of the Christmas items.  I couldn't believe the amount of nutcrackers!  So, I restrained myself and only bought 3 for Austin.  They were originally $12.99, but I got them for $1.29.  How could anyone resist?  I bought him a karate guy, basketball guy and a surfer dude.  He doesn't have any of them.  I will save them for the upcoming holidays like Valentine's Day, Easter and his birthday.  Target was also having a big sale on women's clothes.  I finally found a black wool coat that I have been looking all over for.  It was originally $60.00, but I got it for $29.98.  Not too bad.  This is definitely the time to shop for women's clothes.  They didn't have any good sales for men's clothes yet.  They did have alot of toys on clearance also.  I'll keep checking back.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  I always love to bring in the New Year by doing a major cleaning/organizing in my house.  It took 4 days to organize and clean up Austin's room.  He is a packrat, but I'm proud of what he let go.  His room looks amazing.  I used a Wendell August Forge large aluminum tray to organize his Pokemon cards on top of a small dresser in his room.  It worked perfectly.  I did the same thing in Ethan's room and boy what a difference a tray makes.  Dusting is alot easier now. 

I did buy a white bookcase for $15.00 from the Sparrows Nest in Woodstock before Christmas to hold Austin's growing collection of nutcrackers.  He was getting 20 nutcrackers at Christmas and he needed the room.  Not all of the large ones fit on the bookcase, but we made room on another case and put the larger ones on that and on the windowsill.  I put the plant stand, that we were using for his nutcrackers, in his closet to hold his video game guides and Lego magazines.  The smaller stand that was being used in his closet moved to my bedroom to hold books.  Nothing goes to waste and there is a place for everything.  Ethan's room only took 1 hour to clean up and to organize.  At least he can get to the books now in his bookcase. 

We cleaned up the basement and priced a box full for our annual garage sale.  We even put the duplicate Nintendo 64 games up for auction on Ebay.  I have spent alot of time putting up auctions on Ebay the last few weeks.  I have sold alot of stuff.  That's good incentive to keep cleaning up my house!

I have just started making the thrift store rounds.  People seem to be making alot of donations at them recently.  I found some items and already put them up for auction on Ebay.  It's been fun.