garage sale heaven

Well, as I mentioned last week, garage sale season is really starting to warm up! I just checked the kitsapsun.com listings, and found at least 30 that are going on right now and this weekend! Using their website is an easy way to check out listings in Kitsap County, and you can click on each one for more details.

To inspire you to get out there and take advantage of the deals, I'll let you in on a few of my finds from last weekends Rotary Annual Garage Sale. I spent a total of $17 and got: a nice solid oak swivel desk chair, an upholstered queen headboard, and an old art book with prints in it. Not bad, right? Well now, of course each of these purchases beg for a little redesigning. The chair, I painted light blue to match the decor of my newly painted office. It looked fine on its own, it just needed an injection of personality.

The headboard is going to be a bigger project than I expected, as the lining on the back was slightly mildewed. I will have to remove all of the soft coverings and invest a little more money on purchasing new foam and padding. This headboard symbolizes both the beauty and the beast of garage sales: the beautiful low price of $5, and the beastly water damage that I did not see upon purchasing. My advice to you: look at the pieces carefully for damage that is either irreparable or too expensive to undertake. That bargain of deal may just not be worth it. In the case of my headboard , I can still salvage the wood frame, which will jump start a project I have been wanting to do for quite some time.

The little art book will be useful in augmenting my stash of pieces for a gallery wall I am planning in the office. I have already marked the pages I intend to rip out and mat in inexpensive frames. They will add some much need depth and breadth to the collection I am going to hang.


There were three other pieces that I thought were deserving of good homes, but would have put me over my $20 limit for the day. All of these pieces had nice lines and were in very solid condition. The desk, while modern, would be a style statement in any home office. The small upholstered chair cries out for a new, fresh fabric and painted legs. The wooden captain's chair would be great in shiny black with a graphic fabric seat cushion. Place it at the head of the dining table, at your desk, or in your bedroom.

Just a few ideas to stimulate your creativity. Keep an open mind when garage sale-ing. Once you get that steal of a deal at home, the possibilities to give it a new life that reflects your decor are virtually endless!