Turns out, this past weekend was a really good one for garage saling. There were multiple city-wide and neighborhood sales to choose from, including one of my favorites, MacGrove.
But first, my friend Sue gave me a heads up text about a sale that was just a few blocks from her house. I popped over there quick on Friday morning and found some great furniture!
I purchased it all in the morning, but had to make two trips back later with Mr. Q and the van to pick it all up.
I was lucky to have his help because they were all fairly heavy pieces. Even that cane back chair is surprisingly heavy!
The hutch was not only heavy, it was also cumbersome because of its size.
That’s going to be a fun one to paint up though.
Believe it or not, the dresser was the lightest of the three pieces.
Possibly because it doesn’t have a top.
Apparently it originally had a marble top, but it broke at some point and was discarded. I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to do for a replacement top, but I think I can come up with something.
But seriously, that wood is gorgeous. I am definitely not planning to paint this piece, although it’s possible it will end up with a painted top of some kind. We’ll see.
I did purchase just a couple of smaller items at this sale as well.
Those will both become painting projects at some point down the road.
On Saturday my sister and I went to the MacGrove neighborhood sale in St. Paul. I did not have high hopes for this one because it had started on Friday. Oftentimes all of the good stuff goes on day one. But I did come home with a few goodies.
There was definitely a garden theme to this haul, but several of the items fit into the ‘heavy stuff’ theme I already had going from the previous day as well, starting with those chairs.
They are made out of wrought iron and are much heavier than they look.
And these garden edgers are also heavy wrought iron.
The plant behind them is a Japanese iris. I’ve gotten quite a few of the plants in my garden from garage sales. You always know that when a gardener has excess plants to get rid of, that means they must do well in our particular zone.
In keeping with my garage sale weight lifting plan, one of the last sales we went to had a fantastic pricing strategy. Anything that you could pick up with just one hand was $2.
As it happened, they had quite a few things that I could pick up with just one hand, like this watering can.
And this copper boiler.
It conveniently already has holes drilled into the bottom so it can easily be turned into a planter. The one I have on the side of the carriage house is starting to rust out quite a bit …
so I think I’ll just keep this one waiting in the wings as a replacement.
I also grabbed a bunch of old oars that were pretty easy to pick up with one hand.
Last up from the MacGrove sales is the garden obelisk.
I have a few of these in my garden, all of which have come from garage sales. This one felt ‘expensive’ by garage sale standards at $20, but I know they are quite a bit more new. It’s a nice, quality iron and not a cheap knockoff version.
All in all, I definitely think I got my workout in lifting all of these heavy (and some not so heavy) items. Also, I’m just realizing now that nothing really stands out for me as the ‘find of the day’, so maybe I’ll let you guys pick. Which of these items would you call ‘find of the day’? Leave a comment and let me know.
q is for quandie 
I love the chairs-they would be my find of the day. It would have been the dresser if it wasn’t missing the top-I have never found one with those decorative pieces attache at the top. I’m sure Ken will have a solution for the missing top.
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I bet you’re right! I’m going to consult with Ken later today to see if he had any ideas for me.
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It’s a tie for me between that beautiful cane chair and the copper boiler! I think you had a great successful day! Looking forward to see what you do with all this great stuff.
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Both good choices Sheri 😉
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I don’t know about “find-of-the-day,” but the two wrought iron chairs held the most appeal for me. They are so versatile in that they could be used indoors or outside. They could be used together or separately and could be placed in almost any room of the house including the bathroom. A seat pad could be made from any fabric including indoor/outdoor fabric and they could be painted or used as is. Obviously they are meant for seating, but placed on a porch holding a large fern that spills over the seat would be quite lovely as would using them in a similar way in a flower garden to add height/layering to the area.
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All fabulous ideas! Thanks Tricia 🙂
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Oh My!! I love “all” your finds ♡
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Thanks Diane 🙂
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What a fun, great day you had! I am love with those wrought iron chairs…are you going to keep them? If not, I might have to talk to you about taking them off your hands…😉 I can’t wait to see what you do with everything!
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They’re yours Patty!
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My vote for find of the day: the sale with the “fantastic pricing strategy. Anything that you could pick up with just one hand was $2.” What fun!
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LOL, right?! That was a fun sale for sure.
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The copper boiler for $2? Incredible I would have been smiling from ear to ear… not to mention the $2 watering can. Those two items are tops for me, simple pleasures😊
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Even my sister was amazed that I got those two items for only $2 each!
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Wow-what a great haul of treasures! I would have to say the dresser is my pick of the day. It may be worthy of a new piece of granite for the top. You came home with some great stuff.
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Yes, you might be right about that. I may have to find out what kind of remnant I could get and how much that would cost.
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I’m loving the garden obelisk, but at $20, I’d really want to think about it. In the end, I would have purchased it!
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That was exactly how it went for me too. I had to really think about it for a minute, but then my sister reminded me that I’d been looking at new ones recently and they were all nearly $100. So $20 was a bargain 😉
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I love everything you got at the garage sales! I, of course, love Victorian furniture so I have to go with the topless dresser, but everything is fab!
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The wood on that dresser is so pretty, and the finish is in perfect condition. I only hope I can do it justice with a good top!
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It would make a lovely vanity in a bath or powder room! East Lake I think.. I once had a dresser with the same pulls.
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A successful shopping trip for sure. So many great finds. My top choice for find of the day would be the cane back chair. What a beauty and looks to be in very good condition. 2nd choice is the topless dresser. Can’t wait to see how that ends up. Such a pretty piece. Have fun and I know you will make each find into a priceless treasure.
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That chair is in great condition. I have tentative plans to just slipcover the cushion, but we’ll see how it goes.
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Can’t wait to see what you do with the hutch and dresser. The front of the dresser is fabulous!
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Yes, that dresser is gorgeous. I hope I can do it justice!
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I would say the dresser. I agree the wood is gorgeous. I love a little challenge. I’m excited to see what you come up with for the top.
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My picks would be the obelisk and the garden edgers, and of course love the dresser and the watering can!
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I definitely sense you are a gardener Joyce!
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Wow, you found some amazing garage sales! I’m jealous! I don’t know that I can pick any one item as the find of the day as I think everything you bought is great! Can’t wait to see how these turn out!
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That’s kind of what I thought too Cheryl, each item was a cool find so it was hard to pick just one!
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I collect and paint old Paddles and Oars so that would be my favorite find for sure. Maybe we could trade? I have some things you might be interested in?
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Absolutely! Assuming you are a local. I really didn’t have a plan for those oars, I just had to pick them up at only $2 each!
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I am local just about two blocks away😀 I am a retired gal now so have a bit more time on my hands, so around quite a bit. I have several shelves of different things some old tool boxes and wood crates so we could probably work out a trade. What times work for you? Daytime and early afternoons usually work good for me.
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Check your email inbox Karen, I’ve sent you an email 🙂
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Can’t wait to see how you work your magic on each piece.
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Stay tuned Valerie!
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Everything is fabulous but I’m loving the cane backed chair. Not sure what you will do with that to improve it.
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I’m thinking slipcover, but we’ll see …
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The topless dresser. I can envision it with a matte black top and the natural wood buffed up. Or maybe a copper wrapped top.
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Ooooo, copper wrapped. Wouldn’t that be cool? Thanks for sharing that idea 🙂
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What awesome finds! You have the best garage sales up there! So jealous!
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Well, not always. I’ve been to some really bad sales in my day. But when there are over 100 sales to choose from in one local area, it’s a lot easier to find a few good things!
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The dresser for me.
Have you seen this product? It’s new to me but I’m not all that experienced in this stuff. Looks pretty cool for the right use…..
https://graceinmyspace.com/the-secret-to-creating-a-realistic-faux-wood-finish-2023/#how-do-you-make-a-painted-surface-look-like-stained-wood
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I have not seen that product, it does look like it could be interesting!
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I love the dresser and the chair. I say they tie for find of the day!
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See, that’s why I couldn’t pick just one myself 😉
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what a haul! Wow love them all that was a good day
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Definitely a good day!
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Hello, I did a search on my metal chairs and found your blog. Are you willing to part with your chairs? I have 3 but have a family of 6. Thank you. Karla
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Sorry Karla, those chairs are long gone. I sold them shortly after posting about them last summer. Best of luck in your search.
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