A Second Life

The junk out back is a nagging eyesore. It is purposeful though, so what's a girl to do but work the pile one item at a time until everything I've drug home has been been fashioned into some newly reborn piece of furniture or what have you. Mostly a lot of "what have you".

Here's what became of one of one of those junk pile eyesores.

Sweet Deals, Fun Finds, Sentimental Treasures

I had high hopes for a morning of scoring fantastic finds but there wasn't a lot of vintage goodness to be had. One house I went to had a few good items, but everything I asked about was $6. No thank you. I have a self-imposed $5 limit per item. I hardly ever even spend that or go over my limit, unless it's a large item or a rare treasure. I aim for cheap. Somehow, even though the morning felt like a bust, I came home with some sweet deals and fun finds.


A guy who was cleaning out his warehouse workshop talked me into buying these 6 Lenox coffee cups for $1.

No, I didn't need them and I don't have a place for them, and I told him so. But he drove a hard bargain. Plus I figured maybe Cally could use them in her new place. They are simple, soft and delicate without being too formal. The guy said I could have had all the dishes cheaply too, but he had given them to a local consignment store. Somehow he had overlooked these. I should go and see if the consignment store still has them, and if so, how much they want. You never know. Maybe Cally could have the whole set.

While leaving that warehouse I came across some pallets up against the wall awaiting the trash. There were some smallish ones that would fit in my car. Yes! I snagged them and moved on.




I only took two and wish I had taken more. They don't have very many slats. I got these because I need some wider boards. It's a start. I'll add to my collection a little at a time until I have enough to make something.


I headed to a sale in a neighborhood over by the beach and the woman there had this cool cruiser for sale!

What? You don't keep your bike in the house? You would if thievin' varmints were always watching and waiting in your neighborhood like they seem to be in ours, hoping you'll leave it outside on the back porch so they can snatch it. 

A bike was on my search list for Casey. The woman only wanted $10, so I called Casey, woke her up, and she groggily came over to check it out and haul it home. Her back seat is slightly bigger than mine. That's a bonus because it would have been a job to get this in and then back out of my car. I speak from bike-hauling-adventure-experience-past.





Love the look of this bike! It's in need of some oil on the chain and an adjustment to the seat, and it really works a girl's legs to pedal it (which could be the answer to my need for a leg workout), but hey, it's a bike and we got it for $10 and the tires weren't even flat. I know, $10 is over my limit, but it is a bike and people usually ask $25 for bikes around here.

Color Coordination

The best thing was, it was just the look and color we wanted! Yea! (It even works with my living room color scheme. What? Don't you consider living room color coordination when you buy a bike? Silly you.) Of course, there is nowhere to put it, but what's new. So it's been parked in the Florida room. I only brought it over to the living room by the front door for better photo light.


Also got this really cool old tool box at the same garage sale.

 Also scored some nails and anchors. I needed them desperately for the boxes I was making last weekend. I got the tool box and all of the nails and anchors for $1.50. I was thrilled with that! Simple pleasures are the best!


I think this box is absolutely perfect in color and aging.

Stopped in at Goodwill on the way back and picked up this cute little vase for 69 cents.

Dirty Work

Then I dug through and rearranged a zillion white plates trying to score a good set for Cally, but eventually decided they weren't right. (I should have demanded payment for my work. After I was done sorting through them, the plate organization was stellar!)


I talked one of the women there into giving me 50 cents off this coffee pot, though. That's the second time I've gotten Goodwill to give me a price break. Woo! I'll consider that as payment for my work on my knees on their dirty floor going through the dishes. I have three old coffee pots now. I'd like to collect a few more for a fun tablescape I'd like to create.







Then finally, I searched through all the records at Goodwill and scored these with great adulation!

Oh, Christmas joy! 

Records? You ask. Yes! Records. These are some of the very ones I've wanted FOREVER. I spotted them at Goodwill some weeks back but thought they were asking $2.99 a piece, so I hid them (as if) and left. When I told Casey about them, she chided me for not just buying them then and there. She wants them as much as I do. I went back to find them and my heart sank when I thought they were gone. One by one, I started unearthing them here and there with excitement, and then realized that they were only 69 cents each, after all.


Sweet Sounds of Christmas!


These matter so much because they are among those our family listened to while growing up. They ARE the sounds of Christmas to me. Back when records had gone the way of the cassette, at the start of the 80's, when I was getting married and moving out of my childhood home, I made some tapes of my favorite songs from the records... scratches, skips and all. My Kids were then raised on them and know all the songs (with the skips), by these artists, and we have become Christmas carol snobs for these recordings. We don't enjoy listening to very many others. Only these will do. Sadly the tapes have begun breaking, and one was accidentally taped over by Cael and his friend when they were younger. Right in the middle of a Christmas carol, we'd hear Cael and his friend start singing some pop song of the time. It was hilarious. I loved that tape despite how mad I was initially when I discovered they'd taped over my sentimental favorites. After a while, their recording became a sentimental favorite as those young voices changed and that tape became a treasure. Sadly it broke. I was devastated, and every year at Christmas I fear the last ones will break as well.


Recently I was able to purchase a record player for $5 at a yard sale. Now I just need a needle and we'll still be able to experience Christmas in the manner in which we are accustomed, for as long as the records hold out and as long as we can find needles. Hallelujah! We were really getting nervous because we are down to 2 tapes and one of them has John Cougar Mellancamp recorded on one side.


Also got this little lidded jar. It's similar to the one next to it that I got at a sale about a month ago.

Then we went to Target for food and came home with these lanterns that were on clearance. They were the color I wanted, so we went ahead and got them. They started out up here on top of the beast, but have already been moved to one of the aqua end tables with my little yellow bird.





Last but not least, here are my freebie finds from a trash pile

And here's the chair Lynn and Pete dropped off for me to use as I please. (They also left me a broken windsor back chair, from which I took some of the spindles before it went the way of the trash man, and they also left a black light fixture.) I have a plan for this chair, but I'm really starting to enjoy the look of it on the back patio too. Decisions, decisions. Heaven help me!

Okay, I think that's it. Now it's Friday. Time to check out tomorrow's garage sale listings and gear up for the adventure of the hunt all over again. Woo hoo!


Happy "almost the weekend", everyone!


May your treasure hunting bring you sweet deals, fun finds and sentimental treasures this weekend!

I'll be sharing this at:



Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Cowgirl Up @ Cedar Hill Ranch




Manic Monday @ Serendipity & Spice
Sunday Show Off @ Twigg Studios
Show & Tell Saturday @ Be Different Act Normal
Say G'Day @ Natasha in Oz
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous
Fabulous Friday @ Doodles & Stitches
HodgePodge Friday @ It's a Hodgepodge Life