by Amy | Sep 11, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Projects, the house
Nope. I’m not talking about that classic Jodie Foster flick from the early 00’s.
I’m talking about what lies beneath all of the surfaces in my house. In preparation to paint the living room and dining room I needed to do a little removal. Which led to quite a few unsightly discoveries.
All clues about the history of my home. The transitions it’s gone through. The fads and trends that have graced its walls. On second thought, I don’t know if “graced” is the right word for pea green carpet, striped wall paper and thick wood paneling.
As with most home improvement projects, this excavation job began with a simple, “Well, before I paint, I need to remove this chair rail.” Under the railing…I found
Believe it or not…we are leaving the paneling. Just adding a little class in the form of white paint and a sweet chair rail.
After this discovery, I moved to the stairs. You may remember my strong disdain for my carpeting. In case you don’t…I hate the carpet in my house. All of it. It’s in nearly every room, wall to wall shag in a variety of browns. So to paint the walls, I needed to remove the carpet hanging over the wall. Starting with this weird furry block.
Once the carpet was off the block, I decided that I needed to pull it off the bottom of the stairs as well.
So I kept pulling.
You know what was under all the brown carpet? Brown paint. Once I got to the bottom, it just kind of wrapped around the first tread.
And then I just kept pulling. Until my stairs were bald.
Along the way I discovered that the wall on the other side of the stairs was papered with brown stripes. Under the brown paint is mustard yellow. Under the brown carpet I found remnants of pea green runner. Woof.
It seems like my house is just begging to be pretty again. Not trendy pretty, but classic and simple. I can only imagine what I’ll find next. As soon as my hands recover from pulling all the staples out of the stairs…
Amy
by Amy | Sep 7, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Projects
Well…next week I dive into major house project number 2. I’ve been crazy busy this week and it seems like all of it will come to a screeching halt after this weekend. So, I decided that this is the perfect opportunity to do a little painting.
My living room. My dining room. My built in hutches. My front room. The ceilings. Some wood paneling.
The goal is to get all most of it done by the end of the week. Mind you…I’ll still some other obligations as well. Like feeding my husband and Panda Kitty, editing a super cute photo session, teaching fitness classes, maybe contacting a few nonprofits about doing some work…you know…the usual. Nothing super busy.
But here is the dilemma. I’m a color-commitment-a-phobe. I know it’s just paint, but paint is expensive. And I am very cheap. And I make very little money. And I have this complex about making little money and spending buckets of the dollars Derek earns by having a real job. So, while I know if I hate it I can always redo it…I’d rather get it right the first time.
So, I’ve started a Pinterest board of pretty paint colors. You should totally go over there and check it out. Seriously, they are pretty.
Then I started thinking about creating my own pallets from things that naturally appeal to me. Like my favorite photographs. Here’s what I came up with.
There are two bonus pallets over on the Facebook page. You should check those out too. And while you’re there…go ahead and like the page. *Insert corny smiley face here____*
After I had made my own pallets…I thought maybe you would like to make some of your own. So here’s the skinny on how I made it happen. (more…)
by Amy | Aug 28, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Design, The Art of Projects
So. The garage sale was a huge success. Since I have no other garage sales to compare it to…I guess that doesn’t mean too much. But we got a lot of traffic, we sold a lot of stuff, and we made some money.
I owe the success mostly to the great articles I read and the great guest post from Kuzak’s closet.
1. And you wanna know what the biggest, best piece of advice I received was? Make your sale stand out. As people came up to our garage a lot had seen the craigslist ad. They said they came to check us out because they just had to see who the loon was behind those ads. Look here to see the graphics that I ran. Here is what my ads said:
Ad #1
I’m not officially a hoarder…but if things continue at this rate I will be. I’m 25 and I’ve got enough stuff to fill an estate sale. I inherited lots of awesome stuff from grandparents…and I love vintage finds. But alas, my house is not large enough to accommodate all my treasures. So I’m selling them.
Come by Saturday August 25 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. or Sunday the 26th 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Please don’t be an early bird. I can assure you, you won’t be getting the worm that is my awesome stuff. It’ll just be awkward for both of us. I’ll be getting my stuff out into the drive way {feeling like I need to make small talk with you} and you’ll just be watching me. Creepily. So please. Remove this awkward moment for both of us and just don’t show up before 8 a.m. If you are early…wait in your car.
I’ll have home made muffins and lemonade…to keep you energized through your shopping adventures. Oh and I should mention that prices are NOT FIRM. Yes, you read that right. I love a good bargain as much as you do. I’ll price to sell, but I love a good haggle.
Some of the highlight items are: Vintage linens, a retro office chair, a big media cabinet, vintage poker table, glass ware, 2 digital cameras, curtains…oh my…just listing it all makes me feel like an old woman who is planning a sale before she moves to a retirement home.
Come by. It won’t be lame.
Ad #2
Tomorrow is the day. My sign on Burdick and 3rd got nabbed tonight…but the show must go on. In case you missed my first post, here’s the skinny.
I’m too young to have so much stuff. My trove of treasures is over flowing, so in order to maintain my sanity, I must get rid of some things. That’s where you come in. Come tomorrow {Saturday 8/25} or Sunday {8/26} and buy some awesome stuff from me. I promise, my sale is full of wondrous treasures. Not lame things.
We open Saturday 8/25 at 8 a.m. and run until 3 p.m. Please don’t come early. It’ll just be awkward for you and me. But mostly me. And I don’t do well with awkward moments. So please, if you are here early, just wait in your car.
Sunday 8/26 we’ll be open from 1-5 p.m. I have to go to church. And you should too. Don’t waste the Sabbath morning on shopping second hand goods. My trinkets will be readily available after praising our Maker.
I was going to have muffins for you to munch while you shop, but I messed up the recipe. So you’ll just have to settle for a glass of lemonade instead.
See you there. Remember, it won’t be lame.
Oh yeah, and I want these things gone. So no prices are firm. Yes that is right. Prices are like Jello.
2. Now, those that didn’t see the ads had seen my street signs. I used a GIANT paint marker to create signs on old boxes. Then I staked them into high traffic corners. And I made sure that the address was the biggest and most prominent.
3. Once we got people to stroll up to our sale, I enticed them to buy with even more quirky signs. As the day went on, I continued to make more signs throughout the day to highlight items that we really wanted gone.
a. “This is a head scarf from Iraq. Seriously? Sweet!” Yeah…that was a gift from an ex-boyfriend/soldier. Sweet…but never used.
b. Nearly every vase and votive sold.
c. I gave all my shoppers a coupon for my photography services. Hey, it’s shameless self promotion.
d. The sale.
4. We constantly shifted prices. If several people walked away from an item after considering it I dropped the price a bit.
5. As things sold we rearranged and scooted things closer to the curb. No one likes a picked over sale…so I tried really hard to make it look full, even as our “inventory” thinned out. Even when the sale was over, I thought it looked full…but really, we just had one box to haul to the donation box.
a. “Sweet Frames. $1 $0.50″
b. Some work benches left in the garage. They all sold.
c. Those garden statues I was telling you about…
I’ve got just one more thing to add. We marked some things free…mostly because we wanted them gone. One was a set of 3 Care Bears place mats circa 1991 {they were left in the house when we moved in.} Those got taken after some coaxing. But we had a set of 2 Christmas teddy bear place mats that were seriously ugly. No amount of coaxing, no free sticker could make those puppies move.
On the flipside, we did sell some wildly hideous garden statues {also left behind} and a handicap parking sign {also left behind.}
Just proof that what they say about “One man’s trash…” still holds true.
Amy
by Amy | Aug 24, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Projects
Thanks again to Amanda of Kuzak’s Closet for the awesome guest post yesterday. Today I’m sharing my very own Top 10 list.
As an experienced garage sale-er I’ve learned a thing or two about getting a deal. To be honest, I’m much more experienced at shopping the sales than hosting them. So here’s my advice:
1. Go with a plan. If you go into yard-sale mayhem without objectives you’ll either come home with something you don’t want/need or spend the day loitering around, trying to decide if you want anything you see. Save yourself the stress and make some objectives before you go out. Which leads me to the next point…once you decide what you want it’s all about…
2. LOCATION. Yep. That’s all capital letters. I yelled that one at you. Location is key. Now, I’m not one to preach that you should only garage sale in the fancy subdivisions. But think about what you’re after, then match the location to it. If you shop the fancy subdivisions…you’re gonna find fancy subdivision cast offs. Lots of baby things, stuff that is on the expensive side, and usually toys.
If you are in the market for something quirkier, shop the older neighborhoods. These city blocks usually house a variety of folks, so your likely to score more than a onsie here.
3. Read the ads. Look at Craigslist and your local paper to find sales going on. These are good words to look for: Moving, Neighborhood, Multi-Family, and Estate. These are usually the best kinds of sales….offering the most goodies.
4. The Rule of Gerry’s. Gerry’s, as in geriatrics. As in old people. My rule is…the older the host the better the finds. Gerry hosts are looking to downsize a life time of hoarded treasures. They have the quirkiest, most random things. And they usually just want it gone. I love pieces with history and this is where I find them.
5. A Word on Estates. As you read in rule 4…the older the host the better the finds. Well…estate sales {or auctions} are the king poppa of old hosts. Their hosts are so old they have actually passed on. Estate sales are the bomb-digity for nabbing furniture and vintage pieces. Just remember to be polite, the family hosting has recently lost a loved one!
6. Do a Drive-By. Make a list of sales you want to hit. Map them out in logical order by location…then start the drive by process. It’s easy really. Drive past the house really slow, and a little awkward. Crane your neck to assess the goods. Then park on the other side of the driveway. Drive-bys will save you loads of time. If it looks lame, it probably is. Just keep going.
7. See Potential. It’s a garage sale, not Macy’s. The items may not be perfect. Especially when it comes to furniture. Be willing to see potential in items that you love.
8. Singles Please. This is sneaky, I know…but here’s how I haggle sometimes. It’s omission of truth, which seems dishonest…but gloves come off at garage sales. Let’s say there is an item you love. It’s $20. You feel like it is a bit over priced, so you make an offer. {$10} The host counters says the price is firm. You give a sigh, say you “Really want it.” Then grab your wallet out. Look through, pull out a $10 and a few ones. Make it a random number, like $14 or $16 total. Then ask if they’ll take that.
This gives the impression that you are literally giving your last dollar for the item. Give them sad eyes, and they will most likely take your offer. See? Omission.
9. Come Late. If you are doing some leisurely garage shopping, it may be worth your time to come late on the last day. By now, the objective of the sale has changed from profiting to getting rid of things. Your offers will probably be accepted, even if you low-ball.
Once I went to a sale just as it was closing. The woman running the sale came out and told me that “Everything’s a quarter.” I bought a chair, three vintage food containers {now canisters in my kitchen} and a frightfully ugly couch that I put in my sister’s room as a prank–all for $1.25. Amazing.
10. Take a friend. It’s always more fun to oogle through strangers possessions in pairs.
Wish me luck on my sale tomorrow!
Amy
by Amy | Aug 23, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Living, The Art of Projects
Hey! Today is a great day…Amanda is here from Kuzak’s Closet with a crazy informative and entertaining post. It’s so awesome…Read on!
Hey Everyone! My name is Amanda Kuzak from Kuzak’s Closet and I am so excited that Amy asked me to guest blog today! I own a Professional Organizing and Estate Sale business in Northern California. Today I want to share my top 10 tips for holding a successful garage sale and give you a fun description of the types of customers you might see at your sale.
Top 10 Tips for a Successful Sale
1.) Clean Up: Clear out a space in your garage for you to hold the sale. By starting here you will be able to prep for your sale little by little.
2.) Set Up Tables: Most people do this last but and then become overwhelmed with the mess that has been acquiring in the garage and end up canceling their sale. By setting up your tables first you will have a good infrastructure to start setting up your sale.
3.) Clear Your Clutter: Go room by room with a laundry basket or box and fill it with items that you no longer need or want to keep.
4.) Organize Your Items: Group items by like and type. If you are having your sale in your garage remember to move large items like furniture out into the driveway or lawn so buyers can get a good look at them.
5.) Price Your Items: It is important to have a price tag on every item in your sale so buyers know what you are selling and what your expectations are. Try pricing your items a touch higher than you think they should sell for. This will leave some room to negotiate, something shoppers love to do!
6.) Pre-Sell: I always list the big ticket items from my sales on Craigslist individually a few days before the sale. Craigslist buyers are typically willing to spend a little more than the average garage sale shopper.
7.) Advertise: List your sale in the local paper and/or on Craigslist: Die-hard garage sale shoppers will plan out their shopping day ahead of time. Also remember to place a few signs on major streets guiding shoppers to your house. Keep the signs simple: date, time, and address.
8.) Open On Time: Early birds are willing to pay more for items so be sure to open your doors on time. The majority of the profits from my large estate sales come within the first 3 hours of the sale (typically from 8:30am-11:30am).
9: SELL: Remember you have two goals for your sale. First you want to make some cash and second you want your unwanted stuff to go to good homes and get out of yours. Be friendly to your customers and keep rearranging the merchandise as the day goes on.
10.) Follow Through: If you have items left over from your sale follow through with your original intention and get rid of them! Donate them to your local church, charity organization, or neighbor but DON’T let them sit around and clutter up your garage until your next sale comes around!
Types of Customers
I love the variety of people that I meet at my estate sales. There are all types; the dealers, the nosy neighbors, the collectors, the lingerers, and the jerks. If you have never had a sale I will leave you with a description and visual aid for each type, enjoy!
The Dealer: These types of buyers show up hours early to a sale. They always pretend that they are not dealers but they can’t hide from me! Usually one quick look at their car when they load up their purchases reveals it because it is typically still filled up from a previous sale. Some dealers are nice and some are not. The typically work in teams, and take turns standing by their pile of goodies while the other one shops. The are experts at packing their cars and from time to time they can assist in creating a sale by oohing and aaahing over items.
At a recent sale I had a couple that arrived bright and early, they were eager to help us set up the sale and were oohing and ahhing at all of the treasures being pulled out of the garage. This couple was really nice and pleasant to deal with so I opened it up early. They power shopped for 45 minutes and ended up spending over $700 on 2 car loads of little items.
The Lingerer: This type of buyer could stay all day if you let them. They usually show up later in the afternoon and shop for several items. They like to negotiate the prices as they shop and pay as they go. I don’t understand this method because it is hard for them to keep track of how much they have spent.
At a recent sale a woman who arrived on the second day around noon and she left at 4pm. If the price tag said $40 she would offer $5 which I wouldn’t take. I did end up selling her several items over the course of her visit and she probably ended up spending $80-$100 over time.
The Nosy Neighbor: This type of buyer comes to snoop at what is available, sometimes they call their friends and other neighbors from the sale on their cell phones to gossip about what is being sold. They usually don’t appreciate antiques and are loud and obnoxious.
At a recent sale there was a neighbor who drove all of us nuts, even my client. She picked up everything and asked “what is this? how does this work?” for about 2 hours. She ended up buying an antique cherry picker and when she cashed out she asked me what is was and how much is was. I had it priced at $15 so I told her it was a cherry picker and that it was $15. She looked at me and said, “this is $15, it looks like a piece of junk!” I responded by tell her that it wasn’t junk, that is was a neat collectible and that someone who came to my sale who remembered picking cherries with her Grandma with a similar item would be thrilled to find it. She looked at me with the strangest look and ended up trying to get it for $10, I said I was firm on the price and then she handed me a crisp $100 bill and asked for change. So annoying!
The Jerk: This type of buyer thinks that they can win me over with their less than friendly personality. They put together a pile and they want to know the price, I always add up the price tags and then give them their total and they start to yell at me saying that I am ripping them off. Sometimes I kick them out of the sale and other time, depending on what they buy I will cut them a deal just so that I can get rid of them.
At a recent sale I had a big jerk shopped both days, he yelled at me about all of the prices and I couldn’t stand him. He didn’t speak English very well so it was hard to negotiate. He ended up buying several items that were missing parts and were not in working condition. This type of buyer drives me nuts.
The Collector: This type of buyer is usually eclectic and probably drives a vintage car. They also arrive to the sale early and the suspense over what is inside the sale kills them. They love the hunt and often only purchase one or two things.
At a recent sale there was a man in his mid 50s, he was the first to arrive and drove up in a vintage mustang. He was wearing bell bottoms and had his hair slicked back. He shopped for over an hour and ended up purchasing one item, an old Buick light bulb. On his way down the drive way back to his car he dropped the light bulb but luckily it didn’t break. I always look forward to meeting this type of buyer
The Young Collector: This type of buyer will either contact you before the sale starts looking for particular items or they casually show up on the second day. They are always nice and fun to work with. In most cases that I have experienced they are male and they enjoy shopping for old tools, guns, and books.
At a recent sale I had both types, an early bird collector and a casual young collector. The early bird was looking for tools and I let him come for a preview, he looked around the sale for 2 hours and ended up purchasing a few tools, an old medical lamp, and some maps. The casual collector arrived on day two with his friend, he shopped for a while and chatted with me and my crew. He ended up purchasing an antique gun case and 2 steamer trunks (I cut him a deal, buy one get one free).
by Amy | Aug 22, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Design, The Art of Projects, the house
So you may have heard me mention my first ever garage sale this weekend. Up until now, I’ve had no reason to sell anything. Our house has always had room for our things, it always seemed like we were on the verge of another move. So I always used the excuse, “Well…maybe we’ll have room for this in the next place.”
But alas…here I am settling in to life in Minot for four years. In a house that refuses to accommodate all my goods. So, I’m having an intervention of sorts, before my hoarding collecting gets out of hand.
I’ve read some really great posts from fellow bloggers and done quite a bit of research on the art of the yard sale. And here on the blog I’ll be having a mini series about the topic. So be sure to come back tomorrow for a great guest post from estate sale guru: Amanda Kuzak from Kuzak’s Closet!
But for today I’ll share what I’ve learned. And I’ll share my yard sale signage and a tip for Craigslisit-ng your sale!
I read two articles that I adored. One came from Vintage Revivals. {Which is an amazing blog if you’ve never visited before.} Author, Mandi stresses the importance of standing out from the crowd. When there is a yard sale sign on every corner how will you make your signs stand out? She gives some insight on how she did it.
Here’s what I’m doing. Minot has two online yard sale Facebook Pages. So I created some graphics and posted them to those walls. Then I made a Craigslist ad and included one graphic there. I’ll update the listing Friday and Saturday leading up to the sale.
Here are my signs.
You can get a blank copy of my signs here: This is the Gadgets & Gizmos flyer…and this is the Awesome Stuff flyer.
Just download the file, insert it into a Word document and use a text box to fill in your information. I get my fonts from DaFont.com. The font that the word “awesome” is typed in was downloaded from there. It’s called “Budmo.
Now that you’ve got a cool flyer, advertise your sale. Post your flyers on community boards and the all important craigslist! To make your flyer stand out on Craigslist, post your version of the flyer to a free photo hosting site…like Flikr or Photobucket. Then use this tiny snippet of code in your ad: <img src=”put your picture URL link here”>
Simply copy and paste the URL of your image {in this case your flyer} between the quotation marks. Do this in the screen that you type your text. Don’t add it as an “image.” It’s just that easy.
The other article I loved came from Better Homes & Gardens. If you are planning a sale you should definitely give this one a read too.
I hope these tips were a little bit helpful to you. Be sure to come back tomorrow and read Amanda’s awesome post!
Amy
by Amy | Aug 21, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Projects, the house
When I first saw our house I thought “Whoa…there’s a deck.” Immediately I knew that I wanted to pretty up the front porch and make the back deck look more like it is part of the house. Instead of something just slapped on the back. I wanted things to flow.
To me my front porch looked kind of hap hazard. When I visualize the words “front porch” I see something cute and inviting. When I looked at my own porch I saw something that fit neither description. With a small budget and we added a whole lot of curb appeal to our home. And we didn’t even have to uproot any posts, pour new cement, or rebuild.
In the front we removed the square spindles and replaced them with more shapely ones. We painted the new spindles {before attaching them} and the rails with a white deck stain. Then we coated the floor and steps with a cedar colored stain.
Now…it’s not quite done. I still want to add some post caps to the rails. Maybe like these. They are only about $3 from the local Menard’s. Pretty sweet deal. I’ll add them to the back deck too. Speaking of which…take a look at that!
Back here we didn’t bother removing the original spindles. Instead we just added new brackets to straighten up the existing railing and painted it all white. We used the same stain on the floor here as the front porch.
It’s definitely not perfect. There are a few white drips on the floor. I moved our giant grill off the deck solo…which left a huge gouge in the steps. I may have even spilled some stain on the cement surrounding the deck. But I really love the way it turned out. And I think it’s quite lovely.
Now I’m looking to further improve the curb appeal by adding a cuter storm door, maybe painting our house door…and adding pots of mums and pumpkins just in time for fall. Oh, and I’ll be whipping up some back deck seating {hopefully in time to enjoy the rest of the nice warm weather.}
To help me pull it together I’ve started a couple pin boards! One for the front entry…one for transforming my back deck into a lovely outdoor room. So go over and check those out. And if you like, you can follow me over there.
Let’s look one more time.
Oh yeah, and here’s a cost break down. We used Weatherscreen deck stain in white and natural cedar. Our decks took 2 gallons of each. {2 Coats of white, 1 coat of cedar stain.} They were on sale for $20 per gallon. The new spindles for the front were $1.19 each, we used 15. Leaving the whole project under $100 to complete. Awesome!
Amy
by Amy | Aug 15, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Design, The Art of Projects
Hey all. So I know, I’m a little late to the finish here…but I’ve got a great back to school project for you. This is simple and cheap and fast…and sure to get any little one {or bigger ones} off to a great year.
I created s simple card-stock envelopes then filled them with some pretty pencils. I finished things off by adding some cool scrapbook paper and catchy graphics.
To make this craft you’ll need:
Card-stock | Double Stick Tape | Scrapbook Paper | One of the graphics below | Pencils
Here are the three graphics I worked with. Pirates for the boys. Back to school rhyme for the girls. And a “Billy Madison” quote for my older recipients.
I thought that pirate play on words was pretty clever.
Here’s how I did the envelope.
1. I looked for fun pencils. Target’s selection was a bit disappointing. I ended up buying Smencils from Barnes & Noble and getting the others from a party supply store. I was just at Walmart and they seemed to have some cool ones though.
2. Start with a sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 white card-stock. Make a tri-fold length wise. So your folded paper is 11″ across.
3. Cut a scrap of card-stock to fit along the back side of your tri-fold. Fold the scrap in half and double-stick-tape it in place. Repeat on the other end.
4. Now put a piece of double stick tape on the bottom flap of your tri-fold. Fold it up to complete your envelope. Write a note to your student and tuck the pencils, stickers, etc inside. Then fold the top down and secure with tape.
1. To save paper I cut strips of scrapbook paper and wrapped them around, then secured with tape.
2. Then I wrapped a thicker piece around the center to overlap the strips a bit. Finally I added my back to school graphic.
3. This is what the back of the envelope will look like.
And that’s all there is to it. I got all my paper from Hobby Lobby. For 6 packets I used less than 4 sheets of 12″x12″ paper. Happy back to school!
Here are the links for the graphics:
Pirate | Rhyme | Billy Madison
I recommend inserting the images into a word document so you can fit multiple graphics on one page! Share this with your friends…just remember to tell them where you got it!
Amy
PS–This post is entered in the CSI {Create Something Inspiring} Weekly Challenge. Go here to see where else I link up.
