dealage

Treasure Day!

The coffee table was $10; the two chairs on the left were $5 each; the rocking chair (which is in the best condition ever because the previous owner kept it slipcovered) was $75; the washboard above the rocker was $15.

LEFT: The frames were $1 each; the weirdo papier-mâché hot-air balloon was $5. RIGHT: The old fashioned school desk and chair were $10 for both.

These Marüshka prints were $10 for the set.

The globe was totally overpriced ($10 and it had the USSR on it, so ...), but I used chalkboard paint to turn it into a fun thing that we don't use at all. Go team. The weird wooden cat was $8. It's a glasses holder, but for it now it keeps bow-ties safe.

The big, floraly canvas? Trash-picked it from the curb after a seller tossed their unsold goods instead of putting them back in the garage. WINNING.

I love a good yardsale. Mostly because I love stuff. Art, trinkets, furniture, books — I know a lot of it is junk, but I can't help myself. I've rescued lots of odds and ends from curbs on trash day, and the only time I regretted it was when I found out the hard way that that one chair was thrown out for structural integrity and not aesthetics. 

Which is why my absolute favorite day of the year is Treasure Day in Riverton, NJ. Riverton is like if Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls was a real place, except now with Philly accents ("Djeet? Youse wanna going to Luke's?"). Families throughout the town host yardsales; some even sell soft pretzels and hot dogs, and there's almost always a few kid-run lemonade and cookie stands. The Presbyterian church on the corner of 4th and Lippincott always has a huge selection of stuff for sale.

Click through the slideshow to see some of my favorite Treasure Day scores. (Sorry the photos are dark. Also, I'm not sure why I included the prices like you could just go buy the same stuff. It's like bargain hunter's tourettes — I can't look at any of these things without wanting to shout the price. ) If you want to go, it's May 10 (THIS SATURDAY, OMG, SO EXCITED) from 8am - 3pm; here's the "map" of participating houses. 

My best tip: Most of the people having yardsales are not interested in hauling unsold crap back into their houses at the end of the day so a lot of them will just put stuff out on the curb. FOR FREE. For hoarders like you and me.