Saturday Score!

The big score, and more!

Garage sales can run the gamut from dismal (piles of soiled-looking clothes tossed out on a dead lawn), to cloying (crocheted spare toilet paper roll covers and cutesy scented candles) to uber macho (tools and equipment I’m not manly enough to use, or even identify). So, when I find one that actually has stuff I would like to buy it’s really exciting! That’s what happened on Saturday while Paul and I were driving to Lowes for supplies for other projects. Scooting down Arlington Avenue, scanning the tons of yard/gargae sale signs posted, I caught sight of a good one. Large, easy-to-read letters proclaimed: YARD GARDEN SALE. Making a u-turn we made our way there and found garage sale nirvana. Not only was there good stuff, there was tons of it, and it was organized (unbelievable!), well-displayed (who does that?!), well tended (friendly associates stood by to help) and there was even a taco/drinks bar set up for the hungry shoppers who’d skipped breakfast.

Rustic big birdhouse, awesome path, and stuff, stuff stuff, indoors and out!

As you can see from the pictures above, there was truly something for everyone. Loved the big, rustic birdhouse, and the meandering brick path the homeowner had installed herself. The yard was really large and there were stations set up to sell everything from garden ornaments to jewelry. There were even several rooms set up with antiques and shabby chic-style displays. Really an amazing effort. The homeowner explained that she holds the sale twice a year, once in the Fall and in the Spring, and that if we signed in she’d send a flier alerting us before the upcoming Spring sale. I asked her to provide me with her details so I could post them here and I hope she does, as she deserves a mention for organizing this excellent sale.

Garden geometry: square, meet circle

Okay, the stuff. Here’s what I got (see first photo): An interesting wood/metal floor lamp (a future planter?); a Mexican terra cotta fish planter (perfect for undersea-look succulents); two pliable red rubber tire treads (hmmm….); a footed wire plant cage and wire hanging planter; two amazingly large metal tire rims, painted white, but now-rusted gorgeously (small tables? pedestals?); and my favorite score: a circular 3.5-foot-in-diameter rusted metal hanging planter with a wide shallow metal basket suspended inside. This last piece was not really for sale but the owner consented to sell it to me for $50. Her husband removed it from the tree it had been hanging from and I noticed the basket held yellow silk flowers and this gave me the idea to plant it with some great lime green sedums I’d seen recently. The photo above shows the planter in its new home, sharing space with the blackened steel planters containing my cool-colored collection of echeverias. I love the contrast of angular black/blue coolness against the bold circle/triangle and yellow-green interest provided by this new addition. Score!

Sunny Rancho mixer

The other items will take a little more time to find their places in the Rancho’s overall scheme. For now, the footed wire cage is being used as a stand for the vintage lard can that contains my martillo (hammer) cactus and the alarmed-looking terra cotta fish is keeping company with a earthenware goat pitcher my nephew, José, gave me. As you can see I love a mix: cool metallics with earthy terra cotta, rusty with shiny, soft with hard — everything works together under the Rancho sun!

PS: If you’re the homeowner who held this amazing sale please provide me with further information on the history of your sale, details for the upcoming sale, etc. I’d still love to post it here for all to see. Thanks!