If you caught on through Instagram (follow me at DreamGreenDIY), one of my favorite article assignments to date was recently published in Central Virginia Home mag. I was asked to head out around town, hit as many yard sales as I could and tell the tale of my adventure. You don’t have to ask me twice!
Click over to read the full article here (scroll to mid page and click the link beside the photo of my redone terrarium).
But now that the original piece is in print and out for all to see, I thought I’d give you guys a little more behind-the-scenes action on exactly what I bought and where it ended up.
So this was my haul from the day…
We got the following:
- a giant unfinished wooden frame with cardboard insert
- a framed painting of the Aviary (the place where John and I said our “I dos”)
- an old green bottle
- midcentury glass pitcher
- brass desk lamp
- nasty, dusty fish bowl
- two pyrex dishes with lid
- a small brass dish
- porcelain Asian dish
- Moroccan-style dish
All for the grand total of…Wait for it…$50!! Okay, that doesn’t actually sound like that good of a deal, but that’s because the framed painting of the Aviary came home with me for a whopping $30. Not bad when you consider it’s a framed painting, plus it was actually my last purchase of the day when I ditched the yard sales for a more high-priced antique store (check the actual article for the full story). So that means all the rest – the lamp, the frame, the pyrex, all of that gorgeous glass-ware – cost me something like $18 bucks! Gotta love yard sales.
So where are these pieces now?
Well you know what happened to the old unfinished frame – It has since been transformed into a shiny, gold, chalkboard-ed piece of art above our china cabinet.
As you can see in the above photo, a large amount of the glassware and dishes also stayed atop the cabinet – I loved how the green bottle played off the brass in the little dish and the gold tones in the newly-painted frame. The midcentury pitcher, a last-minute addition to my arm-load at a random tag sale we happened upon, is paired up with my Crate and Barrel pitcher for display. It was recently put to use during John’s birthday party.
You may also remember what happened to that gross looking glass fish bowl. It has since been scrubbed, disinfected and dried to go from this…
…to this. (read up on the full details here)
Even the tiny little bowl that came with it got a facelift with new greenery, and now lives on our entryway table.
As for the small Asian dish, that ended up in our studio/guest room on the fresh new coral side table. I think it brings just enough pattern to the solid colored surface.
The pyrex, another favorite purchase of the day at only $2, is nestled into a corner of the china cabinet. I can’t wait to fill it with something tasty – The fitted glass top gives it great portability. I was so drawn to the orange, yellow and gray colors, which are the perfect addition to the retro vibe of our home.
Before setting out for the yard sales, I had been keeping my eye out for a new desk lamp. Actually, I probably shouldn’t even say “a new lamp” since I didn’t have one to speak of. When I happened upon this big beautiful brass lamp, complete with adjustable arm and a great vintage study vibe (for $4), I snatched it up without hesitation. Pairing it with the brass Moroccan dish seemed only fitting.
Although not TECHNICALLY a yard sale find (or even what one might classify “budget-friendly”), the $30 painting of the building where we partied our wedding reception away is certainly the most SENTIMENTAL purchase. I had dragged my sister along for this day of deal hunting, and she was actually the one who found the painting. I was off wondering amongst the old books and records when she walked up behind me and very nonchalantly said “Look what I found.” I gasped, turning a couple people’s heads, and proceeded to clutch onto the painting while wrapping my arms around my sister. I somehow got a hushed “Thank youuuuuuuuu” out, as though it was a long-lost piece I had been searching ages for. I guess I was just so excited to find a beautiful reminder of our wedding day.
All-in-all, I would say the yard saling adventure was a resounding success. My need for brass accessories, glassware and framed beauties is now filled – For a little while, at least…
P.S. Don’t forget, you only have until Wednesday to enter your name in the drawing for a free celebration banner of your choice! Get the details here.
