You just never know what you’re going to find at a garage sale.
Last week my friend opK and I went up to the Chisago city-wide sales. That’s Chisago with an ‘s’ in the middle, not Chicago with a ‘c’. Chicago is the 3rd largest city in the U.S. with a population of 2.7 million people. Chisago has a population of 5,788 people and is located just under 40 miles north of us. Definitely not large, and I’m not even sure I would call it a city, it’s more of a town.
There were only a little over a dozen garage sales participating, but we also found a few random renegade sales to stop at. I call them ‘renegades’ because they are held by proprietors that didn’t bother to officially sign up for the city-wide sales, but are still having a sale during the event.
I didn’t come home with much, but it was still a fun day. The weather was gorgeous, the people were nice, and I brought home a handful of goodies starting with this swan planter.
As you may have noticed, I have a little bit of a non-collection of matte white pottery.
I’m no expert at identifying this stuff unless it is clearly marked with McCoy, Haeger or some other manufacturer’s name. The swan has a USA marking, but no manufacturer’s name.
But I did a little googling and I believe that this is a piece of Hull pottery, and is barely worth anything more than the $8 that I paid for it. Still, I’ll add the swan into my little non-collection for now.
Next up is this pair of wooden bobbins.
These were a mere $1.50 each, and I like to use them to hold ribbon.
I also picked up a handful of copper plant i.d. tags.
I’m not at all sure what the fate of these will be, but they were only $1 for all so I grabbed them. I like adding these to a gifted floral arrangement with a message on them (like ‘thank you’ or some such), I also like using them simply as a photo prop. But I also like using this style of plant tag for its intended purpose, as I did in my herb garden (although those weren’t copper).
Another fun find in Chisago was this vintage first aid kit.
It’s in rough shape, but I think I can freshen it up and add a protective clear coat. I’m not sure what to do about the contents though.
I’m leaning towards tossing them because I think they are kind of gross. Although I’d keep the little First Aid Guide booklet. I’m sure there are some purists out there who believe in keeping these sorts of things intact, but I’m not one of them.
I plan to sell it, and I think it will have more of a market if it’s actually functional rather than just decorative. A future owner could fill it with fresh first aid supplies and keep it on their boat, or in their camper van, or on a shelf in the bathroom where it could be both decorative and functional.
What do you think?
I’ve been saving my find of the day for last, although if you’ve been paying attention there have been little glimpses of it in the background of my photos.
Yep! I bought a genuine fake Matisse at a garage sale.
The woman selling this told us that her mother was an art teacher, and one of her students painted this. Art students often practice by copying a master’s work.
It is very clearly marked on the back, so it’s not as though this was any sort of attempt at forgery or anything.
So no, I didn’t actually find a real Matisse at a garage sale. Instead, I now own a genuine Al Teeter.
The original Matisse is called The Green Stripe … or The Green Line … I’ve seen both names online. It is a portrait of Matisse’s wife. Here it is …
I definitely don’t know enough about art to judge whether or not Al did a good job of copying this painting. Although it does seem as though Al’s made his ‘green stripe’ a bit more obvious than the original Matisse.
In addition, his brush strokes aren’t quite as bold, and some of his colors are a bit off.
Nonetheless, I kind of love the Al Teeter.
Once again, I’m debating. Do I keep the Al Teeter? Or do I sell it? I haven’t made up my mind just yet. What do you think?
Leave a comment and let me know.
q is for quandie 
I think you keep it, you love it and will always enjoy it😀
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True! I just have to find the right spot for it.
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I also have a non-collection of matte white/cream pottery and recently added a swan! The swan and one other piece are more textured, but I love that look too. Great finds! I would love to go garage saling with you! I say keep the Al Teeter…it’s a rare one of a kind 😊.
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LOL, true. No one else can say that they have an Al Teeter!
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Great finds! Now I know what to do with my wooden spools. The ribbon looks really pretty on them. The copper plant tags are amazing and what a steal! Somebody will love the vintage first aid kit with fresh supplies. As a former ER nurse I always kept a big tub of supplies because I was usually the “first responder” for neighborhood boo-boos. We have moved out to the country so I’m not called in to duty any more but a vintage kit would fun to have and display. The Al Teeter has a nice frame. If you like Al’s masterpiece then you should keep it because a re-sale seems pretty unlikely🫣IMO.
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I’m definitely not the one that people would come to for first aid. I can’t really handle the sight of a wound! As for the Al Teeter, I may try to sell it. If it doesn’t sell, I can always then decide to keep it!
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Great finds. Love your idea for the wooden spools. I have a couple and now I know what to do with them. As a nurse, I say throw away the contents of that first aid kit. Can’t wait to see it freshened up. You must have better garage sales up there than here in Missouri. I never seem to find much. You must have a better eye than I do!
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I think I will take your advice on those old first aid supplies Nancy! As for the sales, I don’t know that we have better ones up here. I think I just go to enough of them that eventually I find a handful of fun finds!
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I really love those wooden spools. And the swan is pretty cool. The first aid kit is a good find – whoever owned must have been pretty lucky to not have used many of the supply. If they are all sealed, wouldn’t they be ok to use?
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Ewwww, I’m going to go with no on that 😉
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Hi, on the Teeter…perhaps he did research on the pigments originally used..as oils yellow over a century–and his interpretation might be accurate to the original when done in the early 1900’s. If this copy was done in acrylics, that would also alter the finish product…I think it is striking and I love an entire wall of home painted portraits…super find…keep!
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Hmmm. Good points Sandra! And I agree, it is striking. I’d love to have a wall collage of painted portraits … I may have to consider another non-collection 😉
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I also vote to discard the contents of the first aid kit (except for the booklet). Freshened up, the kit will be a neat to have for a car, camping, etc. I always get a kick out of your non-collections! Love the swan, the wooden spools, and the plant labels. Not really a fan of the picture so I vote to sell it. Garage sales are like a box of chocolates – never know what you’ll find!
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Yep, you never know! And I know the painting is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I do rather like it 🙂
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I love the swan, great find. I also love the painting but I’d ditch the frame. It’s too much of a distraction.
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Well hello Linda! I hope you are doing well 🙂
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Y’all found some great items and of course I will be wondering what you will do with them!
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Stay tuned 😉
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