All three of us have been to a ridiculous amount of garage sales. It’s not unusual for us to go to twenty in a day, forty in a week. Garage sales are where we find some of our best treasures at the cheapest prices, meet fun and quirky people, and get our daily amounts of vitamin D after a long cold winter. While there is a fair amount of luck involved, we have things down to a fine art that increases our chances of finding quality vintage items.

These signs are our favorite things to see on a Saturday morning!

1. Prepare before. There’s not a week during the season when Tammy doesn’t shoot us an email of a sale she’s found on Craigslist. I’m signed up for so many tag sales I can’t remember, and we also rely on the good ol’ newspaper. Before we set out on Saturday, we frantically text/email back and forth to decide the best plan of action. We print maps for citywide sales (a favorite), write down addresses and decide a meeting time.

Found at a city-wide a few weeks ago. We almost fainted at the sight of this—until we realized the crystals you use to decorate them weren’t included. Drat!

2. Narrow down your search. On Thursdays and Fridays I look for toddler things, on Saturday I’m out for vintage blood. There are certain clues we look for in finding the good sales. Here’s a roundup of our favorite tactics.

• Sale listing: The best sales aren’t the ones that scream “ANTIQUES!” a million times. No, the best ones are sales that discretely whisper “antiques” so only a few people catch on. Look for listings that mention whole-house sales, estate sales, retirement sales, and items that imply grandparents downsizing.

• Neighborhood sales: Some neighborhoods offer a bounty of vintage treasures. Look for older neighborhoods. If you’re in a small town, the local library and Main Street typically have better vintage sales. Sure, there are some great pockets of sales in newer developments, but it will be a lot harder to find them. Our favorites are developments built in the 1900s through 1960s. Sometimes you even get lucky and hit sales of the original home owners.

• Individual sales: Not going to lie, we’ve all looked on the County Assessor’s website to see what age the house is and clues about the person who lives there. If checking saves a half hour of driving time it’s worth it. I’m telling you, we’re hardcore.

• Citywide sales: YES. Jackpot. In our area, there are these glorious events called city-wide sales. All the garage sales in a small town are organized to be on one day. These are great because there are so many sales starting at different times, all the bargain hunters are dispersed across an entire city rather than a few sales.

Because I’m inappropriate at times and this post is getting a little dry.

3. Decide on a plan of action. So you’ve prepped the day before and know where you want to go. Now what?

• Start early. If we said we walked out of our house around 10am, we’d be lying. Yes, you can find things at this time. No, you probably won’t find the best things at this time. We’ve already been there. Maybe twice. Typically sales start in our region at about 8am, so we’re at our location at 7am and sometimes earlier. Be nice and ask if it’s ok to browse earlier than their startup time, most times we get in, and be appreciative of their kindness.

• Pack for a full morning. If you’re planning a long day of garagin’, bring a big vehicle with packing supplies. And remember, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Some of us (me mainly) get a bit snarky when we haven’t had enough to eat.

• Make a list. Have a list either written down or committed to memory of things you need to find. This isn’t so necessary, but I have dimensions of picture frames I need to find, lamps that need shades, and some volumes of Ford Times that are eluding me (more on that later). Having everything fresh in your mind is a good idea.

• Bring money. As Tammy’s grandma says, “Have a pocket full of change!” Don’t bring a $100 bill and expect change, rather, bring ones and fives.

We’ll delve into some finer points of garage-saling soon and will cover in detail a day of us going garagin’. This post would be unwieldy if we covered everything. Are there some general questions you have but don’t see answers to so far? Let us know! In the meantime, enjoy this midcentury house we found while driving around to sales.

So darn cute.

Immediately my head began filling with ideas about how I could change around my living room to accommodate this gorgeous beast. I knew that most of my current furniture would have to go—I’ve talked my parents into rehoming the sofa should I someday find a home with copious sofa requirements—but I would need a few things to replace it. Number one (and technically two) on my list—a matching pair of upholstered side chairs. And, of course, what were the first things I spotted in a tag sale listing this past weekend? You guessed it, chairs.

Right there in the photos for the sale were the perfect pair. With them weighing heavily on my mind, the Snag team lined up at the house a little over an hour before the sale was to begin. We had seen the photos and guessed everything we were after would be in the basement and had stopped by earlier to peak through the windows and located the basement door. We were set to conquer. An hour later I was rushing down the basements steps where I found them—for just $4 each!

They’re similar to the chair in my New Year’s Finds List (seriously, what’s going to be left for me to find this year?). I love the curvy upholstered forms resting on wooden frames—it’s the perfect balance of hard and soft. They feel more substantial than a wooden arm chair, but not heavy like a big easy chair. I don’t believe these are designer pieces, probably Kroehler or the like, but the maker’s tags have all been removed.

I wouldn’t exactly say these were severely underpriced. They’re in much worse shape than these pictures can convey. They’re musty, the upholstery is stained and the rubber strapping that supports the seats has all but disintegrated. I don’t think this is the original fabric, either. But I still love the shape and I will have them rebuilt and reupholstered to go with the rest of my new living room furniture.

Seat belts? A GM tag confirms someone has replaced the strapping with old seat belts

While it is fun to reimagine old furniture with new upholstery, finding the right fabric—without cashing in a retirement account—can be a pickle. Not so long ago Angela and I used to frequent a fabric store specializing in end-runs of high-end fabrics. The shop closed and we lament those lost bargains. I was lucky enough to find an olive green tweed for the sofa on clearance at a local fabric store. For these chairs, I’m looking for something with a little heavier texture. Right now I’m thinking something similar to this classic woven fabric from Knoll Textile. It’s not terribly expensive to begin with, but I’ll still search for some remnants from a reseller.

Sonnet in Tornado by Knoll Textile

So, that’s two areas of the room anyway. The last frontier is the area currently occupied by my 1950s purple armchair. I’ve been toying with the idea of replacing it for awhile and a few weeks ago I stumbled upon this suitable predecessor at a thrift store for about $30.

This Flexsteel chair is a little saggy and way too gold at the moment, but it has great bones. It’s comfy and takes about a third less floor space than my current chair, which will be critical when that behemoth couch starts gobbling up square footage in my living room. I’m a little unsure what I want to cover this with. I had hoped to use the fabric from the couch, but sadly I fear it is too worn. I like the idea of an orange chair though, so perhaps this archival fabric from Knoll Textile will do the trick.

Cato in Orange by Knoll Textile

We’ll see, the fabric samples are coming in the mail tomorrow. I’d love to know your thoughts on the matter. Any suggestions? The whole process is exciting and exhausting at the same time. But, in the end, there are worse problems one could have than trying to figure out which amazing fabric to put on four amazing pieces of furniture. I’ll keep you posted on the progress of each piece as well as the entire room.

Here is a picture of the front door of the house.

The house to my surprise was still full of items. On the way to the basement I was greeted by this wonderful light! Chills.

The lighting at the top of the basement stairs.

What was going to be in this basement? Well, lots—just not much for us. We did pick up a few small things but my favorite finds where in with a bunch of wrapping paper—three rolls of vintage wallpaper. I paid $0.30 for all of them.

The shiny gold foil with mushrooms is my favorite…

This really wild pattern…

And this crazy fruit pattern. Could you imagine this on your kitchen walls? Not me!

We found more than I was expecting and the workers were extremely friendly, making it fun for my son. They told me that the owner of the house had told them if there were children interested in things to just let them have it. Well my son walked around the house with a big smile on his face. I don’t expect for things to be given to my son but I told them thank you for making it such a great experience for him.

After we checked out I walked by this old statue in the front yard and decided to go back and ask if it was for sale. The lady said she hadn’t thought about selling it, but guessed she could sell it for $10.00. She insisted I would have a hard time lifting it and made me go out and lift it before I gave her the money for it. I do agree, it was crazy heavy, but if I want something, of course I will be able to lift it. She told me it had been sitting in that spot for at least thirty years. Now she’s looking adorable in my mother’s flowers.

She is covered with moss and chipped paint. Perfect!

It is always fun to go exploring!

So I was looking at my Bartons tin (I posted about it here), and wondering what I was going to do with it. It couldn’t just take up real estate on my desk and not serve a purpose. That’s when I realized instead of having all of my office supplies shoved in a drawer in the closet I could make this tin über functional.

The only supplies you’ll need are some scraps of matboard or other heavy material, an X-acto knife or utility knife, and a tin.

First, cut two pieces to the diameter and height of your tin. Then, cut two thin slits halfway up the the middle that are roughly the thickness of your matboard. With a little bit of trimming they will fit together like this:

Then pop it in to your tin:

And fill it with whatever nonsense you want.

My fairly-organized soul is quenched, and I get to keep this tin on my desk and know it’s serving a functional purpose. Mission accomplished in under five minutes.

This Adrian Pearsall monster couch! Oh how long I’ve searched for thee. This is identical to a sofa that I let slip through my hands years ago and I’ve been kicking myself for the better part of a decade. I shared that debacle with you back in this post. But timing is everything. I wasn’t educated or prepared the first go around—this time I was all over it.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when you’re searching for something, cast a wide net and let people know what you like. It was my mom who found the Craigslist posting that led me to this beauty. I found the posting in my inbox around 5 pm and texted the number to inquire how much they were asking. They texted back, “$60.” I texted back, “SOLD!” But there was one caveat—the couch was over an hour away and it had to be picked up that night or it would be sold to other interested buyers in the morning. I began making frantic calls to secure a vehicle big enough to haul this nine foot behemoth and to find some temporary storage (thanks Angela!) until I could make space for it in my garage. Thank goodness for great friends. Two hours later I was on my way in a borrowed van.

It turns out the seller had been given the couch by a local doctor she worked for. She had looked it up online, but honestly she couldn’t understand why anybody would want it. But to each their own—and I now own this fabulous couch. I was amazed at the condition. The wood is nearly flawless and, with the exception of one hole in the seat cushion, the upholstery is in great shape too. While I like the upholstery and could probably learn to live with the hole, I’ll probably opt to have it reupholstered. The foam is encased in some kind of crinkling plastic sleeve that sounds like a waterproof children’s mattress and the rubber strapping beneath the seat has given way and been replaced with plywood strips and a crude wooden box placed under the seat. It is also missing the original matching throw pillows along the back which I plan to replace. But, I am hoping there is enough salvageable fabric from the sofa to recover a chair that I’ve been hunting for fabric for.

The shape of this low sofa is SO COOL. I can’t get over it. The massive walnut apron, the dainty legs with castors, the ridiculously skinny drawers—it is all so quintessentially mid-century. In my New Year’s find list post I said I loved my current sofa, but I might change my mind for the right piece. This is it. Totally worth changing my whole living room for—a new master plan for the room is currently coming together. Stay tuned for the before and after.

As I unloaded the couch, a thought did spring to mind: how would I possibly get this in my house? My living room is on a second floor, accessible only by a staircase with a 90 degree turn. Normal sized furniture is a challenge, much less a nine foot long couch. As I contemplated ways of hoisting it through the living room window, another option presented itself. From the back, I noticed the couch is built on a welded steel frame. Fortunately the seat and wood pieces can all be removed from the frame, allowing it to be disassembled and carried upstairs in pieces. Score.

Saved by screws! The couch comes apart

Although no markings are left on the sofa, it is fortunately a documented Adrian Pearsall design. Many, many pieces are incorrectly attributed to him, and in reality many are knock-offs of his designs for Craft Associates.

The original Craft Associates catalog page, via adrianpearsall.com

So, I honestly don’t know what’s left on my find list. But I won’t worry about it. As always, you find what you’re looking for when you aren’t looking specifically for it. The key is simply to keep looking at everything, always.

A few weeks back Austin and I had a morning filled with garage sales. Out of all of the sales, the first one was where we bought the most. The sale was in an old building but somehow I ended up in the garage where things had not yet been dragged out or priced for the sale and I hauled out this bunch of rusty junk. These pieces definitely have rust, giving them a look of age and charm. Every time I picked up an item I was given a $1.00 price. Score! How could I put it back? The stack of wire baskets was $1.00 for all! I was excited to find that two of them were old locker baskets.

I bought most of these items with a friend in mind, but I plan on keeping the Jack’s BBQ bucket. I love the graphics and I love the story. It was used in the garage I snagged it from. The original owner of the property had run a BBQ joint right out of his garage years ago. The large walk-in freezer is still in the back of the garage. The current owner had grown up next door and could remember Jack being up all night preparing the meat. He remembered as a child waking up early in the mornings to the smell of the cooking barbeque coming from this garage.

Aren’t the two handles just adorable?

The best part of going to garage sales is the crazy things you find. It’s definitely an adventure each time you walk up to one. Now to figure out what to do with all this rusty junk.

Yes, it is a chess set and yes, it is complete…and amazing.

Having these all out at one time turned my fingers into butter and I kept thinking one was going to shatter!

I can’t even tell you how detailed these little ceramic pieces are. They are so unique, and all the pieces are there and almost in mint condition (only one rook has a chip). They’re not designer pieces, but I love them all the same.

I’ve been trying to think what to do with them, and was leaning heavily towards selling them. Why? Because they’re hidden in a box, we don’t use them,and I can’t think of a nice way to display 32 tiny statues. Any ideas? Plus, I didn’t think there was a midcentury chess board that would match. At least I didn’t think so, until I was mindlessly perusing Pinterest this afternoon.

According to an auction website (found here), this is a Lane checker board storage ottoman. Now I have something new to look for. Sadly, the one on the site had already sold for $99, but hopefully there is another one out there…and in the Iowa area!

I couldn’t believe it was hanging there with all those terrible Cosby sweaters for only $1.50. Better yet, when the cashier saw it she noticed it had a stain so she discounted it 50%. Awesome.

The stains, holes and random darned spots don’t bother me in the least. It’s old, authentic and it has the battle scars to prove it. I don’t often come across these in any sort of salvageable shape. This one is in good shape and the patches are in excellent condition. I love the chevrons on the shoulder. Judging from the large patch, I believe this is from East High School in Des Moines, Iowa.

I have other letters and patches, including another from East as well as one for golf and one for basketball, possibly from Dowling High School. I always thought it would be cool to frame these. I think I’d like to do the same for the sweater. I’m super excited about the idea of putting this thing in a shadow box made from an antique picture frame. I’ll post the results when I get around to this project…some day.

My collection could easily number into the thirties, but who’s counting? Definitely not me. I do display many of them, but they are all packed away because of our move. Since moving a month ago, I have added the three below to my collection.

So why do I keep buying them? Maybe because I have a thermos problem. Angela supports my addiction and surprised me with the tall blue one. The other two I found at a garage sale for only $0.25 each.

I love that some of the thermoses have the date manufactured printed on them.

I have become pretty picky when it comes to buying them. So here are a few tips I can share for picking the good ones. Always open them and check for rust and bad odors. Thermoses are often vacuum sealed, keeping the liquid in and at your desired temperature, but this also traps in unwanted smells that can be super hard to get out. I actually did not open one until I got home and found it to be full of thirty year old liquid of some kind. Sick! Thermoses can be taken apart and cleaned, but it can be labor intensive. I have given up on a few and tossed them out when they are just too far gone. Probably my best tip is to pick them up and shake them. If you hear a rattling sound, there is probably rust between the metal or plastic outside and the insert. Not good.  A little rust, a few scratches or some dents is fine and only add to its old charm. Finally, remember to leave the lids off so the thermos is open to the air after you wash them up, otherwise they won’t dry out.

That was the previous owner’s shower curtain. I swear!

Yes, we bought the house with this business going on full force. Paint splattered floor, cornflower blue wainscoting, and 90s floral border. I wish you could see the sink; there were scallops to hold the soap. Score.

As with most things in our house, once you start tearing things out you discover a rat’s nest of problems. So, we opted for minimal deconstruction. We did rip out the wainscoting as there were about fifteen wall anchors randomly dispersed through it, but it was a nice nod to the history of our house so we reinstalled new boards.

Yes, we have a window in our shower. There was a shower curtain inside the shower curtain to protect it, but we since replaced the whole thing with a rod used for claw foot tubs and bought two shower curtains. Problem solved. Keep that in mind if you ever run in to the same problem.

So demo started…

There was a step in between when I went crazy one weekend and painted everything because I couldn’t stand that blue.

Don’t worry detail-oriented ones: I went at those touchups with the tiniest paintbrush before we could call things done.

…And probably three months later everything was finished. We are such sticklers for detail that everything takes forever. Ahhh. Much better. New sink, new floor, new paint, and things started to look amazing.

You might remember me searching for some bathroom appropriate vessels in this post to hold things in our open shelving. And there’s the hot rollers Tammy got me for Christmas! Some days I take everything out of these blasted shelves and rearrange them, because I just can’t get them to look right. Probably in a month everything will look different!

Another shot of the mirror I’d like to one day replace with a nicer one when I finally find it.

These frames have all been purchased at different times and I’ve been waiting until I had quite a grouping to put them on the wall. It’s the first thing you see when you walk into the small space and by far my favorite detail.

And lastly, here’s a closeup of my favorite frame, purchased from my favorite dealer. It makes me happy every time I see it.