Thursday, September 1

from montezuma to homer

my parents came to visit a few weeks ago because they wanted to visit their oldest daughter they'd heard about a 50 mile garage sale held annually in the finger lakes region. a 50 mile stretch from montezuma to homer, new york! they said it was a practice one for another one that crosses state lines across the mississippi.

i was pretty excited about the idea. in the last few years, i've really come to enjoy seeing what other people have treasured and now consider trash. (:

we did a little bit of yard sale-ing around my neighborhood friday and stumbled upon a church rummage sale. and ohmygoodness were we starting out right! rows of tables lined with tons of stuff... and the deal of the day was to get a plastic bag, fit as much in as you can, and pay $2. here's what i came away with for $2!:


after that success, we were ready to do some serious damage in the finger lakes on saturday. an early start, a little bit of a drive, some starbucks and we took part in our first miles-long garage sale! i went with a budget and a list of things i was hoping to find, including burlap, vintage frames, wooden crates and ceramic animals. i came away with nearly everything on my list:



i got these scraps of fabric for free! can't wait to use them on some yarn wreaths!
these guys are just waiting to be spray painted! ;)

there was so much to take in, and some folks had some really amazing finds. if you were in the market for a vintage motorcycle, you would have had plenty to choose from! [i'd love to have gotten one for my stud, but my budget was a bit too small for that!]





and then there were the things that made you go... huh?!




but my favorite find of the day was something that wasn't on my list. and i was so excited when i saw that the prompt for this week's inspiration workshop was vintage. i fell in love with this piece of luggage the moment i saw it. it was marked make offer. i'm so terrible at that; luckily my mom is a pro! well, $7 later i came home with a piece of vintage hartmann luggage.

i love the leather and the pattern inside. it's in such good condition, too. and i think it's so fun that it has someone's name in it!


the whole day was, in a word, crazy. there were literally miles upon miles of homes, churches, etc. selling all kinds of things. what seemed like hundreds of cars moved in packs [herds?] along a road that had a very small shoulder on either side. oh, and restrooms? practically non-existent. we had to travel for about 45 mins and get off the yard sale road just to find a porta-potty! where we also saw this:


um, ew. however, from time to time, the road would open up, and we'd catch a glimpse of lake conesus.

with my success in finds and the gorgeous views, i'd say if this was a warm up for a cross country adventure,  i can't wait for summer 2012! [are you in, mom and dad? (: ]

Gussy Sews Inspiration Workshop!

13 comments:

  1. i *love* the burlap!!

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  2. oh.MY!!! i pray i am on your list of people to invite to tag along on the next 50 mile-long yard sale!!!

    ~ kristen :)

    (again, too lazy to sign in)

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  3. So jealous! These pics are amazing! You have a great eye! Great finds! :)

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  4. Amazing finds! I would love to go to that someday!

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  5. Oh...picture frames AND owls. I'm officially jealous. You racked up on awesomeness!

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  6. wow love your finds! i'm jealous, i wish i could go to this!

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  7. LOVE this post!! Those were some great finds!

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  8. I haven't been to a yard sale or even a flea market in forever, but now I'm seriously thinking I need to start finding ones to go to! let me know next time you go hit some up!!!!

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  9. I love vintage frames!
    And I have never seen a Redneck Wineglass before...too funny!
    Fabulous inspiration.
    Have a wonderful weekend!
    Shelly xo

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  10. Oh my goodness - what great finds!! I have been to the one that stretches to Mississippi and I definitely needed more time to spend there. I love that little blue and white vase.

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  11. now you tell me! and ohh, that suitcase!

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  12. I just love a great flea market, auction or thrift store. These finds are great. I just got some owl book ends. Those ones that you are going to spray paint should come out so cute!

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  13. That's it! I'll have to come over on a long holiday with empty suitcases! We don't find bargains like those here in the U.K.

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