When I was a young girl, my Grandma Donna would take me "garage sale-ing" as it was called back then. Now the trendy word is "thrifting" or if you are fancy, "antiquing". It's all the same really. You browse people's old stuff and try to find anything you may want or need for cheap.
My Grandma! She was a real pro, she was! Her knack for buying crap was something to be revered. Truly. After witnessing a few deals go down, I became accustom to her system and could do nothing but stand back and let the magic happen. Mostly she would buy loads of paper back romance novels. That was her favorite. Her father didn't believe girls needed educations when she was small so she wasn't sent to school. She taught herself to read when she was a teenager after her younger brothers started bringing their school books home. And read she could. I would wager her talents were of a speed reader if I were a betting woman. She poured through anything with words.
Her garage sale trick was to pick up the items she really wanted. The thing she couldn't leave that yard without. She would pretend it didn't mean that much to her and living without it would be, well, easy to do. She made the proprietor seem like she was doing them a favor by buying the item. Then she would pick up a few 5 or 10 cent things here and there.
Then the magic would happen. Sometimes so fast that if you weren't really paying attention, you wouldn't notice what just happened. She would toss her wares down while doing a little circle motion with her finger and keeping her head down as if looking at her wallet. Then only lifting her eyes (and sometimes one eyebrow) would say: "25 cents for all this." as if she was telling them, not asking. And do you know what?? The people selling their stuff would always and I mean always agree. Sometimes without even taking a second to think about what all my grandmother had laid out in front of them. Most often not even realizing that that one thing. The one thing she really wanted. Was like 10 bucks.
Grandma Donna would throw down her quarter, collect her treasures and high tale her curlers out of that garage as fast as she could. It was amazing I tell you. Amazing!
I must admit I posses some of that garage sale/thrifting DNA. Walking into an old building housing somebody's old stuff makes my heart skip a beat. I love the hunt of treasures and the thrill of a good deal. It is so much fun!
Found Raggedy Ann and Andy at Value Village. Actually hand painted. I have an old book from childhood. A birthday party is lurking around these two I can feel it.
This pair had to come home with me since we live with the Adventures of Franklin and Mavis.
Found this adorable charm at an antique barn. I plan on giving it to Miss Divine for her birthday.
And this lovely shell box will be what I give her new trinkets to her in.
My most favorite find to date. An adorable chair perfect for a little girl's room. Swoon!!
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