Some of the Mama's Pics from this Winter's Saling

I have been away for far too long but I'm afraid you will have to wait yet another week as I am off in a few for yet another birthday party for my kids to attend. I have uploaded some pics for y'all to see that I haven't been neglecting my saling....just my blogging, regretfully.

1) Today's fabulous finds

2) Today's signed and numbered print of a pelican already matched with a frame from a prior yard sale (paint color yet to be determined) and beside it, a pillow I made with my friend, Marie's, help who I'm sure you'll see her work in town soon as she is so talented!

3) Finds from a few Saturdays ago

4) The jumbo fish on fabric already scooped up and released in my son's room

5) A window I made with the fabric I purchased at a sale from that day

6) My newly minimalized (well...for me) book shelf with homemade chalkboard paint (mix one cup paint with 2 Tablespoons unsanded grout)

7) A Union Jack bench in the kids' bathroom from a purchase many moons ago

8) A super cool 1950's rack bought at the Salvation Army that my daughter has claimed

9) A gorgeous oil painting from a few months ago coupled with a frame from a few months before that. The setting reminds me so much of Samara Costa Rica pictured in #10

10) Said picture of my kids getting surf lesson from the hunky tico, Frank, in Samara

Just in Time for Last Minute Christmas Gifts!!!

Check Northrop's in Southport or Ivy Cottage in Wilmington for these perfect Christmas gifts!!!

Happy Holidays

-The Mama

Drugs For Breakfast, Apple Apps and Local Identity Theft

Good morning Yard Sale Mama readers!!!!! I have been away much too long!! I have been out saling but just haven't been able to fit this in. Feels good to be back! We have soooo much to talk about!!!

I must say I wasn't giddy yesterday when the weatherman said our chance of rain overnight went from 70% to 30% and even that was mostly inland. You know I loves me some yard saling but this girl is exhausted!!!! Between Christmas craziness, a sick kid and studying for the GREs (which I took yesterday and I'm tickled to say I didn't do THAT bad considering I haven't had geometry since 1987!!!), I'm just a little burnt out. I reluctantly checked out the listed sales last night and where there are usually over one hundred there were only 27. Of those, there were only seven in my 'hood but I set my alarm for this morning none-the-less.

My first sale was literally around the corner but the losers decided not to have the sale. My second sale also slept in but at least they were setting up....just starting (with kid's crap) so onto number three even though they had advertised a 7:30 sale.

I got there at 7:02 and they were jammin'! Her prices were a bit much but I did score an old, 1980s (damn, did I really just call that old???) Coleman cooler. I can't decide whether it's for The Mama to use as a porch planter next season or to sell. Might just mark it high and let the gods decide. Hell, it would even be cute for storage in my son's room. Decisions, decisions!!!!

Well, at this point it was only 7:06 and my other sales weren't until eight so I got some gas which just so happens to be next to my favorite coffee shop selling jalapeno egg bagels. I swear they're baking some sort of additive into them because I am completely addicted! They're just so warm and fluffy with just the right kick of Mexican goodness!! Oh....I want another one right now!! Damn you, Bagel Basket and your laced carbs!!!!!

So where was I? Ah, yes. So then it was about 7:18 and I had more time to kill. I figured I'd restructure my sales and drive to the furthest sale first. 7:23........Guess I'll play Hanging With Friends on my phone since their stuff wasn't out yet. I seriously can't get enough of this game. What kills me though is that my 'friends' aren't as addicted as I am so I can't make any moves until they do. I have the maximum amount of open games as it will let me but I still plow through my moves in no time at all. I've recently discovered that the larger the words (even if they are more points), the more likely my 'friends' are of solving them just by having more letters and greater odds of picking the right letters. So, Hellolawra, wherever you are and whoever you might be......I'm on to you and you're going DOWN!!!!

Seriously! What the hell am I even talking about this morning??!!!! Ok, so at 7:35 number four finally started to bring their goods out. Wouldn't you know two freaks pull up and get to their lawn before me and snatch a totally cool wood cabinet (already painted!!!) for $10!!!!! To make it worse, he's a 'professional' saler that I see all the time who always asks people if they have any old yearbooks for sale. I can't for the life of me figure out what he does with them I can only assume he's into identity theft and if I were a better citizen I'd report him. Oh well. After the big bust goes down I'll be sure to let them interview me on the news with a big look of shock and disbelief that someone in our lovely community could do such a thing! I'll go on to say, "You know, I write a blog....called The Yard Sale Mama....theyardsalemama.blogspot.com.....and I am just so saddened by this betrayal from my fellow neighbor!" Next thing you know Matt Lauer is interviewing me and my boyfriend, Mike Wolfe is calling wanting to meet me....... This could really go quite well!!! I might just have to bust out my old Cougar Cubs from 1989. I'm sure Seth Goldberg would understand. Did I mention I did purchase a great old pie case? I think I got swooped up in all the potential fame business!

I should really be on focus meds!! Back to saling... so my number five sale was a bust at first but then some DVDs caught my eye. As I was flipping through I found three of the new shit Star Wars movies that my son LOVES for a buck a piece!!! When I went to pay, the lady asked, "Well did you see these?" and then proceeded to pull out the Star Wars Trilogy STILL IN THE BOX!!!!! Sweet mother of god!!! I just made my son's Christmas complete!!!! I've looked to buy these so many times but individually they're so pricey LET ALONE THE BOX SET!!!! Oh Yard Sale Gods I bow down to you!!!! May you give me everlasting junk!!!

My sixth sale was at my friend's house. She recently sold her wares here when I had my very own yard sale but her stuff was so great I took the risk of rummaging through sloppy seconds in hopes to find that one treasure that slipped through my grasp. Turns out such a treasure didn't exist but if anyone local is reading this you need to get your ass over to Kenwood and buy, buy buy!!! (If you scroll down to prior posts she is who I bought the awesome queen quilt, Christmas tree light bulb garland, Thing 1 hat, two vintage books and vintage ornaments from. Good stuff!!!)

Ok, I've done my good friend/public service announcement for the day now on to my last sale. This one was held at the bowling alley that they have once a month. For some reason I never get excited for it but I've never left empty handed. This time I bought a cool old 'Inner Ear' school sign (that as you can see I've already put up into the kids' school room) and not one but four gigantic old movie projector reels from the old College Road Cinemas!!! They are so insanely cool but I have NO idea what the hell I'm going to do with them. I've always thought it would be cool to a Mollywood theme in my daughter's room and the reels would make a great O's but who knows. Wonder what he thought he was going to do with them??

So! Aren't you glad I'm back? Do you people even read because you like yard saling or just because you like feeling better about yourselves that at least you're less crazy than that rambling yard sale gal. Either way, I'll take it!!! Happy Holidays to ya'll and as always.....thanks for reading!!!!!

May 2012 bring us all nothing but good cheer and great finds!!!! (and may you resell those finds to me at a later yard sale!!!)

**** (The last pic is of the wall shelf from last weekend that's been through shabbitization)

Yard Sale Mama's Yard Sale, Vintage Cake Icer and Today's Booty

Just some pics today, folks. Not feeling so hot. Write a comment if you have any questions.

Santa's Elves have been busy in Northrop's!!!

Sorry I've been slacking on my blogs! My rotten child started basketball and the practices AND games are on Saturdays!!! Oh what we do for our children!!!

Also, if you can, come to my Black Friday II Mega Yard Sale tomorrow at 8.

Yard Sale Santa, Feeding Tubes and Kitchen Bacteria

I don't know who I was kidding when I told myself last night that I wasn't going to go saling this morning! Sure enough, my innate Saturday morning alarm clock went off in my head just in time for the job!!! And what a day I had!!!

Right from the start I scored a huge (brand new with tag!!!) Sponge Bob Square Pants stuffed toy for a buck!! Thank you, Yard Sale Santa! I also got a new (in box) men's shave cream gift set (you didn't just read that, hubby!) It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas 'round here!

My next sale was part deux to a sale from a few weeks ago that was way over priced but this time they got hip to the laws of saling and I bought a fantastic, very old painting of an angel, a great old (-esque) planter, a bird cage and two gigantic wine glasses that I wish I'd had when I was nursing (....What? Dr. said one glass!!!) all for $8!!! AND they served coffee!!! Way to take yard saling up a notch!

Next up I bought a great old blue tool box, four needlepoint hoops (that I KNOW I wanted last year for a Christmas project but hell if I can remember what) and a super cute old Betty Crocker Party Cookbook that if nothing else has the best illustrations to use for decoupaging. They also had a nice end table but since she wanted $150, I had to pass. Really, people????

Next I went to the most fabulous yard sale ever only problem was that someone else had gotten there just before me! And it was none other than the owner of Thrill of the Hunt!!!! Damn her! She got a fantastic old hall tree (you know the tall thing you put beside your front door for hats and umbrellas), a great old pickle jar, several antique tables....and that's just what I saw the whore loading!!!! Well, I did walk out of there with 50 feet of rope but I'm now weary of using it to replace the rope for my tire swing because it's a natural fiber and even if I double it....I just don't know. Even thrifty Yard Sale Mama can spring for the rope that would prevent her kids from needing a feeding tube. Well, there's a lovely thought!!! Between that and the alcohol abuse while nursing, I should nab Mother of the Decade with no problem!

Ok, next up was a church sale where I scored not one but two butter dishes! This is particularly exciting because now I won't have to yell at my husband for using the dish over and over and over. Babe, that's nasty! I also got rubber boots for my hubby which he has been asking for forever (shhhhh.....it's a surprise!), a wooden paper towel holder (dying to be painted) and a whole bag of corn on the cob holders which is great because we had that for dinner last night and we only had five. How the.....?

Wouldn't you know, right around the corner was another impromptu church sale! There I got an old printer's drawer and a bucket of old white porcelain knobs. I have a ton already but for fifty cents??? I had to!

Well, after that I was about to go home but noticed a sale going on in a little shop that closed down. There I got a wonderful old frame, an old watercolor of a farm scene in a great old frame (that I HAVE to keep!!), a painting of chianti on table still life in an equally gorgeous frame and a wooden wall 'thing' that I'll paint and hope to be more creative with my description for resale.

So that's my story! I had one hell of a good day. Can you believe all my new treasures???? Truth be told, though.... I can't stop thinking about that hall tree! I wonder if she has a blog. Bitch is probably all.... 'can you believe my fabulous new hall tree....isn't in wonderful!!!!' Whatever. Might go try to hang myself with my new rope. Watch it snap and I'M the one with the feeding tube! Then you know hubby would NEVER switch out the butter dish! Now you know why he gets rubber boots from a yard sale for Christmas!!

You Know You Need 'Em!!

Everything (but the chicken) now at Northrop's in Southport, NC!!!! The picture isn't the best but come see the vintage doll clothes pictured on top of the blue table

Sears Dress Form

Do I even have to mention that I went back and got the Sears Dress Form for $30?????????





He really didn't stand a chance!!!!!!!

Avoiding Assault, Locked Van Doors and Whore-able Mothers

Let's just say this morning was interesting. Right from the start I decided to adjust my route which always makes for too many decisions to make before 9 a.m. Originally I was going to go to a house sale first but it's really dark at 6:40 in the morning and I decided to avoid needing a rape kit and headed to a builder's parking lot sale instead. It sucked. So much for my purity...off to the house sale I went. It turned out to be two young women having the sale. They were quite friendly too, at first, offering me a cup of coffee even, but once I proposed to pay $10 for a $20 table my offer for java was no longer on the proverbial table (and certainly not on my $10 one!).

My next sale I bought a great silver candelabra (with candles!) and I really debated over a creepy vintage Santa ornament but it came in a bag of other ornaments that weren't so great and I've promised myself that I wouldn't spend more than 50 cents on anymore ornaments unless Mr Rockefeller himself asks me to trim his famous tree, so I had to refuse. Seriously, if Hoarders does a Holiday edition I just better look good for the camera because I'll earn them an Emmy with my amazing (scary large) collection. Ohhhhh.....now I'm really wanting it.....help!!!!!! (Note tremendous pout from The Mama)

OK, moving on. My next sale I bought a great old Avon jar in a really pretty aqua blue for a mere dollar but when I skipped back to my van with my score I went to open the door and............f#*k!!!!! I accidentally locked my doors with the keys in the ignition!!!!! I ran back to the lady having the sale and I told her of my unfortunate foible. She told her husband who got their neighbor who called his son and after no time at all the son arrived with a slimjim. With the six of us surrounding my van we were noticing that the rubber strips around my windows were quite tight. Each testosterone hosting male, eager to help a damsel in distress took a turn at popping the lock with the slimjim but to no avail. Each were conjuring up new plans of ways to open the doors when the wife came back and looked in the window and asked where my keys were. I replied that they were in the ignition. She looked again and pointed out that they were in fact not. We all looked in and scratched our heads and furled our eyebrows but then all of a sudden I did something I hadn't done. I checked my pockets. SURE AS SHIT...THERE THEY WERE!!!!! What a stupid ass I am!!! I'd swear I felt there earlier but with all my bundling for this harsh fall weather (and my own 'natural insulation'...ie fat) I guess I missed them. Everyone got a good laugh. Har har har. Really funny. I have got to stop peroxiding my hair. Some is clearly seeping in and affecting my brain!

Well, then. Where were we? Oh yes....so my next few sales were drive-bys. Why anyone would set up their four items of baby shit in this cold weather is beyond me! (Note angry sigh) Finally I got to a sale that seemed worthy of stepping out of my heated van for. I scored a fantastic Land's End down vest in a fantastic olive green that fits to perfection and only set me back $2!!! I'm just giddy over it!!! I also talked to a fellow yard saler that I see every week and have grown quite fond of and she offered me a job helping her daughter do her senior project for event planning but unfortunately it's for next weekend and I will be in NYC with my two friends and our three daughters (don't hate me dah-lings!) so again I had to refuse. Bummer because I really would have loved to have helped. So much to do....so little time! (I hope you read that in your best Lauren Hutton voice!)

Next up I bought a great wooden plant stand and a chrome serving tray with three glass compartments and three cute forks. I just love props for fine entertaining! (If you knew my cooking you'd agree they're just props. I always say, 'Make it look pretty and they won't know it's bland!' .....Well, that and 'Get 'em good and drunk!') F U, Martha! That works too!

Well, my final sale was a glorious spread of lovely antiques. It was also glorious spread of antique store priced antiques. I so wanted an old Sears dress form for my future fashion designer daughter but he wanted $50 and would only come down to $40 despite my sugary sweet charm. Bastard! He did sell me a nice old pickle jar for a buck but I can't stop thinking about the former. Looks like I'll be hitting 'publish' and driving back there. Well, I guess since I didn't need the rape kit at my earlier sale I should just...... Come on! Sally Field did it for Forest! Dear God! The peroxide is definitely seeping in!!!!!!!

(BTW, the last pic is from last week when I did go saling but did not blog since I was preparing for our Halloween party.)

Northrop's Newest Additions

Get 'em while they're hot at Northrop's Antique Mall in Southport, NC!!!