Treasure Trove

Last weekend I went out treasure hunting, as I've been known to do. I have a running list of things I'm looking for, and then there's the thrill of discovery that comes, because well, you just never know what you might unearth while digging through boxes and piles or sorting through the items buried within the sundry stockpile of belongings laid out like dirty laundry for all who dare to rummage around in it.

To score good junk, you have to be willing to get your hands and clothes dirty and willing to let your backseat get familiar with someone else's discards (the backseat of the car, people!) I came home a mess last weekend, but I sure had a blast.

It's amazing too, all the things I didn't know I needed, but which I obviously do, because they came home with me.


For over a year, I've been hunting for a croquet set. Mind you, I have yet to score one, but, look here... I did find this wonderfully classic horseshoe set for $6.

$6 is over my limit, but I was at a consignment store, in their mancave section, and these were probably the cheapest thing in the whole store. I decided they were worth overspending for because it was a "pay it or forget it" kinda thing. I figured I'll not likely come across a set like this again.

Would you consider these worthy of a $6 price tag? I had no clue if that was a good price, but I really liked them. So, I guess that's what matters. They are heavy and fantastically chipped up. The turquoise is especially fabulous. They are practical as well as beautiful. Everyone needs a set of horseshoes for their backyard get togethers, right?

Grungy Wonder
One of the first garage sales I came to last weekend, was, I kid you not, a spread of grungy wonder. A guy had bought this house with all sorts of stuff left in it by the previous owner. I drove up to the driveway and my eyes went wide. I got that panicky feeling inside, the one that makes you want to jump out of the car while it's still moving before anyone else gets a chance to score something you should've had. I did manage to stop without running over my own feet or even screeching to a halt. I got the car into park, and while presenting a deceptively calm front, sauntered up so as not to give away the fact that someone with a measure of junk insanity was coming their way. I knew right away my other sales would have to wait. There were tables and boxes of pure junk, much that I did not need, but the kind where you know you should take your time and touch and move each item, because you never knowing what you might uncover. (I kick myself for not taking a picture of the spread. It was just a fun sight. Everyone who came up commented about how long it must have taken to set it all out.) So fun to look through.

The man doing the selling was friendly and talkative and helped me search for things I might want. He occasionally brought me my Dunkin Donut coffee cup that I kept setting down while hunting but forgot while I began rummaging in other areas.

I asked about some rusty wire baskets all stacked up under this huge dilapidated workbench and asked how much he wanted for them. He said $0.25/piece. What!? I kept my faux cool, the one that belies the level of excitement within. There were 8 of them and each was full of wood scraps I really didn't think I needed.

Wire baskets were on my list, but not white rusty ones. Did I want them? For a quarter each, I figured I could decide later if they'd work for anything I might want to do. I stacked them up and left them on hold while I continued to look. At one point someone came near them and I had to choke back the desire to yell out "those are mine!" like some of the outwardly crazed yard salers I've come into contact with in days not so long past. I took a deep breath, watched and waited... Truth be told, no one else in their right mind was likely to want them... but my inner reaction when I thought they were threatened told me that I had made the right choice to buy them. You always know how much you really want something as soon as you think someone else wants it. It all becomes VERY clear.

The guy told me I could have the wood too (he wanted all that stuff outta there!) but I didn't really think I wanted to cart all that home and have to store it. He said I could always use it for longburning firewood if nothing else..."just take it!" he begged.

DONE! I have since realized there are several projects for which I can use some of these pieces. The fact that some were already cut into circles was a huge bonus (I don't currently have those capabilities, so the work was already done for me! Hallelujah!) and are going to come in really handy for something I got from a wonderful blog this week. (I hope to start on that project this weekend!) I'm so glad I didn't dump them all out and leave them behind in my quest not to hoard! I would have been kicking myself for sure. Sometimes you have to take stuff when you have the opportunity, because it's a one shot deal. I hate coulda, shoulda, woulda regrets. If you are a project person and think you might someday use it and it's basically free, go ahead and take it. You can throw it out when you get home if you decide later you don't need it.

I also found these great huge swivel casters (they were on my list!), two paint brushes (from my list!) and old lidded jars (on my list!). How great is that. I was all done shopping and ready to leave when I went back to find my wayward coffee cup and spotted this:

 Cue the fanfare!

$3.00

I could not believe it. I have been looking everywhere for one of these wagons, and there it was, pretty as a picture (an old, rusty and faded picture, but pretty nonetheless). I figured the guy would let it go reasonably. To think I'd almost missed it. It had a piece of wood attached to it with a hose guard on that. Apparently the original owner used the wagon to cart his hose and stuff around the yard. I managed to talk the guy into selling it below my limit, for $3, and one of the young guys there was kind enough to go get some tools and remove the wood thingy for me so I could get it into my car. It took everything within me to act non-chalant about it, but I drove away and whooped it up after I rounded the corner. I intend to either plant flowers in it or use it to haul things around my own yard. Charm...on wheels!

It's been out in the weather already and seen better days, so it's not like I'm gonna ruin it by leaving it out. However, do you suppose I should try to rid it of some of the rust and then repaint and seal it to see if I can stop the decay? Is that even possible? Even if I leave it as is (I kinda like the look), wouldn't it help to polyurethane it or something to keep it from getting worse in the rain? Would that work? If you know, leave me your thoughts. I'd appreciate it.

And look at these...

At another yard sale, I found the cutest little black rubber boots ever! Based on the high prices of things at this yard sale, I didn't even bother asking about them and left. Still, I knew they would be perfect for my nephew, Micah, and couldn't stop thinking about them. So I went back and was able to get them for $1! This picture does not adequately convey their absolute adorability. I can just picture him out in his yard helping his mom and dad in their garden while wearing these! Meanwhile they are keeping my pink boots company by the front door.

These were on my list for a project I want to do sometime. At the same place, I got a bunch of old yard sticks and rulers in a handy home sewn fabric holder for $1. I just never got around to taking a picture of them. This week I discovered some things I may be doing with those in the near future. Woo hoo. Glad to have them.

Cool, junky, rusty, chippy boxes will always come home with me if they are but $1. Call me a sucker or a hoarder, I don't care. Look below at the cool removable box inside.


I got the fish hooks as a bonus! The fishing line was $0.25.


Love this little special latched compartment.

Don't know yet what I'll do with this, but I've needed watchfaces before and didn't have any. Now I'll have one on hand. Love the simple number style. Reminds me of watches my mom wore back in the day. It cost me 50 cents.

And then there was the Completely FREE Stuff....

This heavy wood stool was free at a yard sale I went to. Fine by me. It's now being used outside as a plant stand between the two metal patio chairs I repainted. Someday I'll probably paint it.


Snagged another small pallet that would fit in my car. I'm now considering making a patio deck out of pallets. See those patio stones underneath it. I long to be rid of them. They are unttractive and the weeds are always having to be pulled. I saw someone create a deck from pallets in a blog somewhere that I'll have to go back and find. I happened to be on the way to the store when I spotted this one in a place that always has pallets. There was a wonderful long one with all the wood slats butting right up next to each other. I was going to stop for it on my way home, because it would have made a great bench seat, but it was gone within the half hour before I got back. Ugh! When will I learn!

Also picked up a full length mirror from someone's trash. I didn't get a shot of it, but it's something Casey's been wanting for a long time. Done!

And last but not least... do you remember the little off white china cups with the gold trim I got for $1. See them HERE. I went to see if the matching dishes were at the consignement store the guy I bought them from told me he'd taken them to. Long story short, they were there! They had been brought in back in January of 2011. The bad news is they were originally marked $150.00 for what was left of the set, which wasn't a whole lot. They had been marked down to $120.00 three months later, never to be marked down again. The woman said she would go down to $75, and even though they'd been there a year and a half AND she said no one ever buys china, she would not take my offer of $20.00. Cally and I had agreed that we only wanted them if we could get them for $20.00. So I bought the horseshoes above and went on to Goodwill where I spotted these:

Since I was looking for simple white dishes for Cally's new place, these caught my eye. It's a full set of Royal Kent China from Poland (6 place settings - 8 cups and saucers) and all of this was $40.00. Seeing as sets that are only a third this size (everyday dishes at Target) are over $60, I figured this was a better deal, and pretty on top of it. There was way more to this set than what was left of the expensive set at the consignment store. There is also a large pitcher just to the right outside of the picture. It's missing the lid, but is really pretty. These place settings include bread plates and there is also a salt and pepper. In addition to the gold edging, there is a slightly raised pattern around the edges of the plates and bowls. Simple yet, pretty. I'm thrilled with it despite a couple of chips and the fact that some of the gold on the dinner plates has worn off. If anyone knows of a paint product that can be used to touch these up, please let me know in the comments!



It was a great day of treasure hunting... wouldn't you say?

Meanwhile, does anyone know of any flea markets or events between Florida and Birmingham, Alabama, going through Georgia somewhere between August 1st and the 6th or 7th? Even if you know some great thrift stores or whatnot, that would be great too. Please let me know!

I hope you have a junky weekend!

Visit these great parties:

Live, Laugh, Linky @ Live, Laugh, Rowe
Time Travel Thursday @ The Brambleberry Cottage
Share Your Cup @ Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
Wow us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday @ Primp
Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims
Link Party @ Very Merry Vintage Style
Cowgirl Up @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Knick of Time Tuesday @ Knick of Time
Tuesday's Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Terrific Tuesdays @ Adventures of a DIY Mom
Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home
Tuesday To Do @ The Blackberry Vine
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple
Metamorphosis Monday @ BNOTP
Make it Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House
Sunday's Best @ My 1929 Charmer
Thrifty Treasures @ Southern Hospitality
Cure for the Common Monday @ Lines Across
Inspire Me Monday @ Create with Joy
Sunday Show off @ Twigg Studios
Nifty Thrifty Sunday @ Nifty Thrifty Things
The Sunday Stop @ Joy 2 Journey
Mop it up Mondays @ I Should be Mopping the Floor
Get Schooled Saturday @ Too Much Time
Saturday Show & Tell @ Cherrios & Lattes
Vintage Inspiration @ Common Ground
Potpourri Friday @ 2805
Inspiration Friday @ At the Picket Fence
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous
Simple & Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme
Tickled Pink @ 504 Main