Shopping for free

What? No, I am not kidding. Psh, come on, I don't kid about this stuff. Free shopping is serious business.

While visiting Tess last weekend (as I mentioned in my last post), we struck gold at an estate sale that a local parish was holding after Sunday Mass. Estate sales are usually one of the most wonderfullous events known to mankind. This particular estate sale was even better because it was free!! Granted, it was free because it was just the sale's dregs/bottom-of-the-barrel. None the less, we found some gems.

I've often admired wall hangings that are/mimic architectural salvage pieces. But, as it seems to be my lot in decorating, I never seem to find something that I like OR that I can afford. That all changed last weekend when I found these babies:

Not only are these right up my style-alley, they were right up my price-alley, too (i.e. FREE). When no one else wanted them, I was thrilled to pick them up to bring home with me. I mean it when I say "thrilled." I felt like this inside:

GIFSoup

I was equally pumped to

Garage Sale Success!

Living in the midwest has its blessings and challenges. One of the blessings is that we don't live anywhere near the ocean and therefore we are (mostly) spared from the yearly wrath of Hurricane Whoever and All His/Her Friends. But, for all of those who do live on one of the coasts, don't get jealous of us midwesterners just yet. Though you have the scourge of hurricanes and popped collars, at least you don't live in the midwest with Big Bertha The Lake Effect. She is not a very hospitable guest to say the least.

Case in point: Just recently we had ten straight days of rain. It was depressing, it was gross and boring . Yet, what the hardest part for me was that it kept all of the garage sales closed indefinitely. *Le sigh*

Thank goodness all of my (patient) waiting paid off. When the rain finally cleared and when the timing was just right, I found not one but FOUR garage sales all in a row over the weekend. What is even better is that I made off with some sweet stuff while spending only ten dolla's. I think that some of the sellers were more desperate to get rid of stuff than I was desperate to find a good garage sale. They practically paid me to buy what I did. For that, I am quite thankful to them for letting me do them the favor of relieving them of these awesome items.



All of these are gems in themselves. They are nearly priceless too....I paid only $10 for all three together. Okay, that was a corny joke. Moving on. Oh, bee-tee-dubs, that $10 also got me a 6' Christmas tree, but that really isn't worth showing here.