The Selling of Stuff

As I alluded to in my dresser redo post, I love garage sale-ing, especially when I am on the hunt for Pinterest- inspired materials. More memorable than the great things I've found so far this garage sale season are the memories, stories, and conversations that have started from strangers buying stuff from each other.

I was on the hunt this weekend for lace (tableclothes, runners, doilies, etc.) that I will be using as a stencil to spray paint the top of various pieces of furniture. At a moving sale, I found a very pretty lace runner. As I handed the lady fifty cents, she teared up, telling me to take good care of it because it was croceted by her grandmother. Well, of course I won't be using that one as a stencil!

I was also looking for old records, and after several garage sales I found a whole box for that an older man was selling for three for $1. I only needed one so I can turn into a clock, but after a quick Pinterest search the other two will be melted in the oven, and cut and molded into butterfly shapes for wall art. Yay!

At that same sale I somehow started a conversation with an older man, who I eventually found out worked in construction and had built buildings on my college campus. He had just moved to Oregon from Washington because the job market was slow up there and he had just gotten a big construction job down here. As we talked, we both decided that this discovery was kinda weird. It was fun to talk about it though because I miss my college friends and even the beautiful campus where I live for nine months out of the year a lot. Because I was thinking about my friends after this conversation with a complete stranger, I decided to text them to hear about their summers so far. The way this all worked out is almost unexplainable, but I think the random connections we have with people and the way a friendship can develop from those is really cool.

My favorite find from this weekend were these hand painted tiles from Mexico. They immediately caught my eye, and I bought four. They're so unique, pretty, and I think just a really cool cultural item. It makes me wonder who painted them and under what circumstances. I think I should of bought a few more now, especially because they were being sold for only a quarter a piece. I've decided when I have a bathroom to redo I'm gonna find some more tiles like these and use them as a back splash! For the meantime though, I'm gonna put those little felt pads on the bottom of them to use as coasters!

Well, that was my weekend in a nutshell. Too bad it's already Thursday and another weekend will start tomorrow and then I'll have more to write about. Anyway, have you found anything unique/interesting/memorable at a garage sale that you just had to have? Leave me a comment- I'd love to hear about it!