It's Saturday! Yard Sales!! Yippee!

I awoke this morning and peered out on a clear blue morning and smiled, "It's Saturday!  Not a cloud in the sky! It's cool!"  Rubbing my crusty little 'ole sleepy eyes I thought about all my friends who don't live in a sunny, tropical location.  They will probably not be going to any tag sales in their neighborhood this morning.  "Ahhh, oh well.  They like where they live for some reason." 

Had to slam down my first cup of coffee of the day, check emails and give advice on where to buy a contemporary set of mirrors for a bathroom to someone who works with my hubby.  I know that I am headed out soon in the hunt for treasures, but experience has taught me some important strategies.  The early bird might get the worm, but they will pay top price for it as well.   I'm gonna let those tag sale, garage sale, yard sale, charity fund raising people get a little seasoned this morning.  I know that there will be plenty of goodies left that started the day priced too high.  I gotta wait until they are getting a little anxious about all that stuff they dragged out and don't want to drag back. 

I don't check the newspaper anymore.  I don't drive to far off locations anymore.  I live in a neighborhood filled with people who supply me with amazing free stuff on their bulk trash piles on a regular basis. So imagine the yard sales. Imagine a neighborhood filled with people who are blessed to have so much that they discard great stuff on a regular basis.  Okay.  I will quit bragging.  Believe me, living with these folks is not easy task.  I know they have seen me picking off their trash piles and they think I am the weirdest neighbor ever.  I see bulk trash piles and yard sales as my way of contributing to a 'recycle' program.  I am 'keeping the local dumps from needless waste!' 

So off I go.....go-cup of coffee in hand, my camera and my wallet.  The first sign I see has the address of one of the wealthiest streets in my little town.  "NO WAY!"  I scream out loud, almost passing the turn and swinging back around, running over the grass on the corner.  You see.....there is NEVER a yard sale on that street!  There is never a bulk trash pile either. (Except for the occasional discards from a lawn person.)  I don't know what these people do with their discards....probably Goodwill comes and takes it away.....  I drive down the street in the direction of the cars parked like someone is having a huge party.  I huge party alright, and I have been invited!!  My heart starts to race in anticipation.  I KNOW that there is going to be something here for me.  I know it. 

The sale is mainly children's and babies things.  Heart sinks.  "Okay. Get it together.  You felt it.  It is going to be there.  Get out of the car and go look."  (I actually say this stuff out loud in the car to myself.)  So glad that I got out of my car.......TADA!

"You are kidding me right?!"  I ponder in my quiet thoughts so not to tip off any of the hoards of people shopping and not noticing this amazing comforter.  It looks like it was never used.-- Okay. So, I am in the middle of a master bedroom redo.  This picture above will give you a little sneak peek into the direction the project is taking.  Story and photographs at some point. -- I ask how much to the guy with the large mustashe, wearing a safari hat.  He says, "30 dollars."  I have already calculated that I have saved hundreds of dollars.  But, it's a yard sale.....I must dicker.  I say, "Will you take 20?"  He tells me that he has to ask his mother (a cute little 80-something looking grandma sitting right over there helping her grand daughter sell lemonade and cookies.) He tells me that she said the comforter was too heavy for her to make the bed everyday.  I wonder why she just didn't return the thing.  She never used it.  Two seconds go by, "Deal."  At this point, two woman come over to accost me because, as they put it, "I was going to give her full price!"  "Oh well lady, I got it and you didn't," I think to myself. (Yard Sale Rule: Never engage in word wars with other shoppers.) The safari-hat-wearing guy assures me that the comforter is mine.  Oh!  Did I mention that somewhere in this he included matching shams and a dust ruffle?! 

I'm shaking.....I have to calm myself down.  If I get the money out of my wallet, my shaky hands will surely tip him off that I believe I just stole something. (Another Yard Sale Rule:  Never let them see your excitement.)  I say, "I'm gonna look around a little more, K?"  Breathe, Lesley, breathe.  I look over at the lemonade stand and think, "Well, I must give grandma and her little blond, soon-to-be-bombshell of a grand daughter a little business.  After all, they just bestowed on me such a treasure."   Walking over I notice they are selling a glass of lemonade and a baggy with two chocolate chip cookies for 50 cents.  They tell me all about the fun they had baking together and the little girl informs me that her 'Meemaw" sure does know how to spill things in the kitchen!  I give them a dollar and told them to keep the change because, after all, the lemonade sign reads: "Proceeds to benefit children who lost their homes in the Japan earthquake disaster."  So nice to see people teaching their little people to take care of others.

So I pay the mustashe-laden guy for the cover and a few other things I picked up and move on.  There were other sales, I was sure of it.  Well.....there were two other sales.  I found a few little treasures, including a little wicker wine rack for 50 cents at a tag sale benefiting our local Humane's Society.  Ahh....giving back never felt so good!  All in all, the morning was a productive one.  I will feature some of my finds on another day.....new projects to follow!  Happy Saturday everyone!!!

Some pics of my little treasures:

The afghan in the foreground....2 bucks!  Never used.  Hand-made.  What's not to like?! ......Also....

Wicker soon-to-be-wine or towel-rack.  Still thinking on this one.....50 cents!  Another pic:

Humane Society Tag Sale.  I got the wicker piece pictured before at this sale along with a little silver ladle and a Cracker Barrel-style over sized checkers set. 

 -End-

I Wanna Conquer the World!

I DO want to conquer the world!  But, hey, a few projects will do for now....

I have this uncanny knack of taking on the world, getting overwhelmed and retreating back into my little cocoon having done nothing.  I have a sneaking suspicion that it could be a 'woman' thing.  Ya know?.....taking on too much?  Crumbling at the daunting task of it all?  I mean, come on.....can we possibly brush our teeth twice a day, floss, keep our legs perfectly-shaven, avoid all blemishes on our face, keep our homes pristine clean, raise amazingly perfect children, kill it in our careers, slay it in the kitchen every night and be the most amazing wife ever created on this earth every damn day of our lives?!!  (Let's not even address the weight and fitness issues here.)  Well.....the answer is obvious.  So why do we strive for just that?  Why do we push ourselves to such levels?  Where is the time in that equation to actually be productive on worthwhile projects and enjoy the process along with way? 

So, with that....I will admit, I haven't shaved my legs in two days (nothing that a pair of jeans won't cover), I am probably going to call for pizza tonight and my house....well.....no one's coming over, so a little mess here and there will have to wait.  I have a 1940's Secretary's desk to re-finish.   Posted here are the "before" pictures. 

This is a Secretary's Desk built in the 1940's that has been in my possession since I set up my first apartment after college.  It belonged to my paternal grandmother, Deedee. I have distinct memories of it in her home during my childhood years.  I can almost smell Deedee's Crisco-topped, Southern biscuits baking.  I can also hear her telling me some tall tale about this desk.  Yep....tall tales existed on that side of my family.....typical Southerners.  Always stretching the truth to fit their colorful stories.  If I recall correctly, and I believe I have an excellent memory, she said that this piece came into her family when she was young and was made in the late 1800's.  "Wow!"  I thought,  "Must be worth something!"  It wasn't until this past month, yep that long down the road, that I decided to investigate the value of this little charmer.  I thought I had a real treasure here. 

Ahhh........snagged!  If she were still alive, she would be well over 100 years old.  She almost "made it onto Willard Scott's segment" as she use to put it.  (I will assume here that you know all about Willard Scott and the Today Show.  If not, do a Google search and figure it out.)  Anyway, she isn't here and I cannot call her on her bull. So, I must move on hoping that she knows I caught her and her rosy pink little lipstick in another fib!

On with the project.....    I am going to paint this desk.  Yes, that's right.  Paint it.  I have some ideas on what I want to do and I will update you as the process continues.   Before all you "but I love that flame mahogany wood" defenders speak, let me remind you.  I own this little gem of a desk....it is in my home and is way way too dark for my tastes.  Color....oh, color.....what do you have in store for this little girl.

More images below.

A little detail shot.  Yes, Karla, that is your little "curly" pitcher right there, along with a Jack Troy cup.  I think I want to do something here with color that helps my pottery collection pop!

I think I want to leave some of the original wood untouched..  So I will remove these drawer pulls and keep them the same.  If you look at the top part of this image above, you will see evidence left from my long lost Sushi.  Sushi was the most wonderful Silver Point Siamese Cat.  I had to adopt her to a new home a few years back because my son's allergies to cats had reached epic proportions.  I miss her, but it is time to do something about the damage that she inflicted on this piece of furniture.  Stay tuned.  Oh, and.......go brush those teeth! Sheesh!

What Am I Getting Myself Into?!

"You're starting a blog? Why?!! Who would ever read it?"  Sharing ideas with my teenagers always results in raw, honest reactions.  I have raised them to be strong people with the ability to speak the truth, or at least their truth. 

Here I find myself, with 46 years behind me.  Six years ago, I returned to college to pursue a second degree. A degree that was denied me the first go around by my well-meaning parents who thought a business, teaching, or advertising degree made me more employable.  I picked the latter.  I had a lot to prove to myself.  A huge lists of "I'm forty now, I have to finally do something for me. No regrets."  Funny thing is.....after toiling over my BFA in Studio Art and coming out with an impressive 4.0, I still didn't really know what that was....."Doing something for myself."  The only part of that I understood was that when my rapidly growing children went off to college and I became an "Empty Nester,"  I needed to "have a life!"  I had observed my own mother fumbling around after we left and never really finding her footing.  She passed young, 59, and never really ever overcame our leaving.  That wasn't going to be me!  (Nail biting here.)

So, I graduated into the worst economy of my lifetime, wounded by the over-arching critical comments of a professor and facing an election of a President in a tough time for our country.  Art career could wait. Right??  Was it that I needed to simmer a little?  Was it that old adage, the fearful artist?  Was it that I got too much of a head start on MY "life" with my kids still living under my roof?  Issues raising teenagers have been huge distractors.  Or was it the tool in which I allowed myself to be distracted?  Until now, I have not truly pursued my career. 

Okay.....back on subject.  I have always had this love....no obsession....no addiction (For those who get this, there is a difference.)  for vintage finds, shabby chic, french country, mid-century goodies and the like.  I see the opportunity in what others might see as discard-able.  Yes, I know.....how do you make all that work?  When I was much younger, I had a designer tell me that if I love something, buy it and somehow it will "work."  I repeat that often to the hazy gazes of those who stand in my house seemingly wondering why I have put such a crazy collections of stuff together.  I am still sorting through whether it always works.

I have been trash picking off of bulk piles in my neighborhood, haunting tag sales and strolling collectible stores and fixing up what I find for years.  I was doing this before Rachel ever came out with her books and coined the phrase "Shabby Chic.".....  "Shabby Chic!!!!  Shabby Chic!!??  You mean someone out there has validated my obsessions??"  I was excited.  I thought, "I'm not the only crazy out there!.....Maybe, I'm not crazy?"   I use to dream of the day that I could have a business connected in someway to that concept.  But, something was missing.....or was it? 

Did I need a certifiable college degree in art to achieve this?  Probably not, but I thought so.  "What the heck," I said, "I'm going back to college." Made the split second decision in less than an hour and drove to the university.  By lunch I was registered for classes that started the following week.  It was, for me, the best four years of my adult life.  I grew.  My kids grew in size, but more importantly, they grew in independence.  They learned how to fend for themselves and it made them stronger.  For example, they had to learn to make their own breakfasts because Mom was over in her chair studying for that Baroque Art exam.  Now, they are both pretty good in the kitchen.

Six years later, I am writing the first entry to my first blog.  I am not quite sure where this is going to take me, but I am hoping that it will be the catalyst that I have been looking for to push me on down the road toward that "life" that I know I need to develop.  My initial plans for this blog are to merge my art with my love of design, decorating and collections.  I am about to embark on a total re-do of my master bedroom and bath and I will use this blog to document the steps along the way. 

I named the blog "The Homeless Finch" because I own 4 pairs of a variety of finches and they occupy a small aviary in my studio.  They keep me company and entertain and sing to me every day.  Why homeless?  It denotes my need to rescue all that is homeless, whether it is the funny little treasures I find, purchase and fix or the creatures and people along the way whom I try and bring into my home and my life in a quest to help fix them.  Nothing is lost. Nothing should be homeless.  Everything is renewable.  At 46, I am going to renew myself too.