Host: Yard Sale

To this day my mother refuses to have another garage sale. Partly because it was so much work and it took up an entire Saturday to conduct. But I enjoy a good purge and jump on the opportunity to unload useless items with the hope of a slight financial return. 95% of the year I donate my unused items to friends, Goodwill, and repurpose via crafting. But this weekend, we had our very first garage sale in our new home. Here are my 2¢ on having one of your very own.

The Prep

I spent a cumulative 5-8 hours organizing my sale. I had friends and family bring over their contributions as well - so I had to take time to unload, organize and price their stuff too. Allocate an evening or two to get all of your items corralled and priced.

Do. Not. Skimp. On. The. Marketing.

People need to know about your sale. Make yard signs and put them out one full week in advance. We live in an area with high church and school traffic so you'd better believe we want every mom in a 10 mile radius to know of our sale and put it on their calendars. Additionally, repetition is key. The more they see the sign the more likely they'll be to remember it.

Here is my Craigslist ad

Then, get your neighbors on board and gain hyperlocal support. The more the merrier! Besides, more sales in your area means more interest. Once you have a band of supporters, divvy up the advertising tasks. Put an ad in your local newspaper, drop an ad on Craigslist(repost it a few times), put a blurb out on the most relevant Facebook group for your area (county garage sale sites) and pass out flyers to other neighborhood mailboxes.

Know How to Haggle

I covered this in How To Haggle a few months ago, but seriously, negotiate. Before your sale even starts there will likely be men who show up early looking to snatch up good tools. Know how to speak their language and make a deal. For instance, when you're receptive to their offer come down another $5-$10. When you're not ready to come down you can move just $1-$2 or stay firm on your asking price.

Don't Be Afraid to Bundle

If someone is picking up lots of items to buy you can bundle their items and give them a better deal. For instance, if someone came up during my sale with $20 worth of Christmas items and $30 worth of clothing I may say: "I can do everything for $40." That way, they feel like they're getting a deal and I'm still making money.

Organize!

Gather Best Practices

Before my sale I grilled my friends on their garage sale experiences. The best advice I received was the coding for a multi-person sale. Instead of trying to remember what items belonged to who, the price tags were color coded for easy identification. Additionally, we pulled tags off as items sold and put them onto a giant notepad to tally up later. Talk about easy!

Market

One of my favorite product marketers is Target. That company could sell a box of toothpicks for $10 because of the way they present the product. Be sure that your sale is organized well and things look neat, clean, and are easy to find. For instance, I had sections for Christmas decor, tools, clothing, furniture, games, kitchen items, and formal wear. When someone approaches your sale and sees organization, they know that you know what you have. They also know that they better be prepared to haggle hard because you probably know what it's worth too.

Remember: market! 

Answer Only What You're Asked

NEVER tell the seller why you're getting rid of an item. We had some rocking chairs at our sale. The selling party told the interested buyer that the vintage rockers weren't conducive to over weight guests and they didn't rock well on a porch with wooden boards. Do you think the buyer left with the chairs? She certainly didn't. When you wait all day for the perfect person to show interest in an item so specific, you don't want to let them get away!

The End Result

This year we was the most profitable yet and I hardly have anything left to take to Goodwill. One of our shoppers also told us about a phenomenal group at our local high school that collects dresses for students with disabilities. Did I forget to mention it's a great way to get to know those in your community, have unique conversations, and learn what buyers are looking for? Invaluable information for the next sale!

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back!

Cara

DIY Edition: Home Decor

Home décor has really taken a fancy to big, bold letters and phrases. Trends have encouraged us to decorate our dwellings with large vintage metal letters, monograms, and artistic photo montages spelling out our last names. My caveat with this trend is the repetitiveness of certain phrases and words, such as ‘live, laugh, love’ and ‘home sweet home.’ Understand that this is entirely my personal preference and by no means do I detest those who display said inspiration in their homes. As the Brits would say, "It's not my cup of tea, dearie."

I had all but removed myself from this trend when my roommate gave me a letter ‘H’ that she had randomly acquired. Being that my last name begins with an ‘H’ I accepted her gift and pondered what I’d do with it. Doing a monogram seemed a bit cheesy and truth be told, my last name is about to change. How silly would an obsolete monogram be at that? So I decided I’d hop on the bandwagon and create a 3-d word montage and display it as home décor.

Here are the materials I used and the approximate price of each:

• Leftover craft paint + brushes = $0
• Three 8" paper mache letters from Hobby Lobby = $3.99
• White floating wall shelf = gift [follow the link below to buy your own]
• Ceramic birds = $5.00 at a craft fair
• TOTAL COST: $8.99

With that, I challenge you to do it for less by using odds and ends from your house!

After swinging by the local Hobby Lobby and grabbing three more letters of 8" paper mache for $1.33 each after coupons and specials, I jetted home to paint them. [Remember to use the App from the post Deal or No Deal called Coupon Sherpa.] Although Pinterest would likely have provided a quick design idea for this endeavor, I forced myself to come up with a design independently. Stripes have been catching my eye lately and it just so happens that the letter ‘E’ is a perfect letter for three big stripes. With that, I free handed the stripes on two of the letters.

After glazing the letter 'M' with some dull golden paint, I knew that my décor was complete. I threw the letters up on a shelf that I received for Christmas from Wayfair and added some little ceramic birds from a local craft fair and ‘VIOLA!,’ a completed 3-d word montage was born. By the way, the shelf referenced above is hands down, the best floating shelf I've come across. SUPER easy to hang, very sturdy, and matches the molding throughout our house. I'm smitten with it :)

And here you have it, the finished product. 

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back! 

Cara

Finding DIY Inspiration

How do I do it; you ask? How do I know what will go with the rest of my decor? Truth be told, sometimes I don't. If I fall in love with a piece and have to have it but it doesn't go with anything else I have, then I may use it for a gift or start a new space. Here are some images I've snapped over time and the vintage finds they have later inspired. Mind you, these were phases and not violet womanly mood swings that I endured over a weekend [not that you were thinking that...].

Over the summer there was a little festival on the Monument downtown Indianapolis. I snapped this inspiring shot one afternoon and later stumbled across a quaint tin a week or two later. I was obsessed with the Ferris wheel and the symmetry that the monument created behind it. Pretty strange how my subconscious was also drawn to this [now] hair-tie holder, right?

This tin was a $5 find at the Southport Antique Mall.

On my way to a photo shoot one morning I stopped in a small town outside of Terre Haute, IN and caught a frame of this stunning door. A few weeks later I picked up another trending item, the old wooden framed window. I printed some photos on 8.5x11 photo paper and taped them on for the time being. Once I tire of that look I'll add some wall decals that also work on a trillion other things [I'll have another post about that at some point]. I found this window for $15 but talked the antique store down to $10 as I bundled items together at the check out. Bundling is a 'picker trick' that requires negotiating. If I buy a big item and some smaller items for instance, I can haggle the price down a bit since I'm buying more. If the store is comprised of lots of vendors they may not do this, but in my instance the owner of the window happened to be the cashier and cut me a deal. Similar windows sell for an arm and a leg as Pinterest users well know.

Wooden barn window from Peru, IN for $10.

While walking to the post office one afternoon I snapped this cozy shot of one of the coolest buildings in Indianapolis; The Blacherne. I love the sleek black lines mixed with the floral landscaping and the brick. That led me to pop the glass and backing out of an old frame and use just the frame to string some jute [baler twine works great too]. I then added some of my favorite Instagram shots by hole punching the printed photo and hanging with a safety pin. A pretty easy craft [no really].

Recycled frame + photos that cost nothing.

Now this may be the most far-fetched yet! This photo was captured in French Lick, IN on my drive home. I loved the color of the bricks against the sky, and beyond that the shapes of the window frames. I harnessed that shape into this potpourri holder [turned tooth brush holder] and put it into my bathroom. I love the crackled glass look and the imperial look of the holder's top. Such an easy find and it can always go back to holding potpourri. I bought this gem at an antique store that's no longer in business. It wasn't an antique [it was a reproduction] but it still satiated my itch.

Potpourri holder turned toothbrush holder for $5.

This isn't how I find every piece, but it's a great way to find what inspires. Once an item looses it's pizzaz I pass it on. Hoarding is one of my biggest fears so I don't keep things forever. Once I've gotten my joy out of them I help them find another home.

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back!

Cara

Vintage Finds

Welcome to the HumbleHammock! To begin, this blog will be categorized as: craft focused and home-project directed with a family and inspirational influence. In an effort to challenge myself I've opted to expose some of my crafty talents and grow in the process. With that, let's get started!

'Thrifting' recently picked up some steam in 2013 with the hit by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Thrift Shop. But for those who grew up in a home with a single parent or who understood the idea of stretching a dollar, thrifting is a way of life. I began scouring the local goodwill for name brand items that would help me blend in with my so called 'friends' in middle school. I quickly learned that it was easier to find one-of-a-kind items there instead and repurposed my efforts to finding those by high school. By college I frequented antique stores and began making my apartment and wardrobe something my mother referred to as 'early attic.'

Ingredient tins from Village Market in French Lick, IN. I paid $20 for this mixed set.

Above is one of my favorite finds. After I bought these these ingredient tins they had to be cleaned. Aluminum circa 1950 looks nothing short of grungy but it wasn't anything Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser couldn't handle. Beyond that, they're durable. So much of what you buy today looks like it was made in Jakk's Creepy Crawler Oven and breaks after a few uses. If this stuff's been around since 1950 I'm putting my money on it.

Birdcage found in a small shop in Peru, IN. Paid $10.

Birdcages got pretty hot a year or two ago. Personally, I'm not into birds, but I was drawn to this cage and knew if I hated it I'd have no trouble flipping it in a garage sale. Keeping it handy to collect cards or decorating for parties didn't sound half bad and it went pretty well with my vintage decor. Similar cages are pricey to come by and they are reproductions [which means they don't have nearly the history]. I liked having to put a little elbow grease into reviving this old piece. Initially I thought I'd repaint it but the imperfections grew on me.

1 of 2 vintage bedside lamps. Paid $15 for the pair . Added new shades and wiring.

One of my first projects before college was rewiring these handsome lamps. I found these while thrifting at a local [now nonexistent] shop near my hometown. The set was pretty filthy, but I pulled out the wiring, submerged them in some Dawn and hot water and started scrubbing. At a flea market in Evansville I picked up these fitting shades [by guessing the size] and paid the vendor $5 each for them. The wiring and shade caps came from a local hardware and the final product came together in about half an hour [wiring wasn't hard, but I was a first-timer]. My step-dad is an electric-guru and shed some knowledge for this one, but here's a tutorial on DIY rewiring. All in all I put close to $30 in the pair, but they look like they were made for my 1940's bedroom suite.

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around. Comment below with any questions on the above projects and do come back!

Cara