Great Tool to Teach Kids the States

My dad found these quarter collecting boards at a yard sale. He got them in a box of stuff. I was going through it and came up with a great idea! Each of the states has a circle punch out that you take out and replace with that state's quarter. On this particular board, the name of the state in written on the punch out. I immediately saw a game/learning activity for my kids! Pop out all the state's names and then have the kids learn where the states are and put them all back in the right place! What a great learning tool!!! We will be starting this one very soon!

My New Projects - Furniture Face Lifts!

Here are a few pieces that have been waiting for me to bring them to life! Now that the school year is starting, I will have some time to work on these. I am really excited!

I bought this table for $1 at a yard sale. The bottom shelf was broken, but my husband just fixed it by putting a piece right across the bottom of the shelf. The weathered, red look is pretty cute, but I think I want to try something else. I started on the top of it, but am still working on it. I will take final pictures when I am done.

I bought this piece from an antique place that saved some of its stuff from a flood. It was $20. It was all painted white. I have removed the hardware and started painting it a brown color (of course I forgot to take a before picture). I love all the drawers in this. Ample storage piece!!!

I bought this for $10 from my neighbor who is moving out of state. I have not touched it at all yet and remembered to take the before picture! YEAH! I would really like to put a chevron pattern on the front of this so we will see!

Here are the outcomes of these furniture face lifts!

 

 

For the small table, I used some mismatched paint I got at Menards for 50 cents. It was a mustard yellow which I didn't like so I took some dark brown (more mismatched paint) and dry brushed that over the edges and all over it. I love the way it looks now!

 

For the eight drawer chest, I painted it a robin's egg blue and took that same dark brown paint and dry brushed this one. This one came out looking more "old" then the yellow one which looked more like a paint technique.

 

For the three drawer chest, I painted it the robin's egg blue and then I sanded the entire thing to make it look old and worn. I am so happy with how all of these came out! They will make someones space look extra special!

 

Kids Yard Sale - Fun Learning Activity

I thought this would be a great activity that incorporated both a "fun" factor and learning money values and names as well!! I had each child bring three things they would like to sell at our sale (I asked for cheap toys - nothing worth money). I also asked that they bring in a bag with a mixture of different coins. I laid out all of our items and then talked to them about recycling unused toys and making extra money with things we aren't using anymore, etc. To start the sale, I pulled names out of a hat to keep it fair with who went first and last. At their turn, each child picked up the item they wanted. For the younger kids, I would tell them which coins I needed from their pile so they could "buy" it  (I kept track of who sold what and for how much on the side). For example, I would tell them, "I need a dime, nickel and penny for that item" (and they would have to find those coins). For the older kids, I would say, "I need 48 cents for that item", which made them work on their "counting money" skills. We did this for three "rounds" and the kids really enjoyed it. By the end, they were all getting the hang of the coins without any help from me! They each got three new toys to play with and earned some money as well ;0)!!

I was thinking this would be a great activity to do with the entire neighborhood! Get all the kids involved before school starts. Make it a "Back to School Bash" and include school supplies or do a bake sale theme and sell homemade goodies. Make it a crafty theme and only bring things that are handmade. The possibilities are endless!!!! Have fun with this. I would love to hear how your "Yard Sale" turned out!

Upcycled Flag



I found this flag at a yard sale for $3. I loved it so much, I wanted to hang it in the house.

My husband made a frame out of wood we had in the garage to fit the size of the flag.

 

I love the patriotic addition to our family room!!!

Old Garage Door and Some $1 Finds, Makes Cute Lemonade Stand!

This post gives new meaning to the saying, "If you have lemons, make lemonade!" 


Got an old door you aren't using?? Make a lemonade stand!!!

I took my "message center" that I made with my old garage door (previous posting) and thought it would make a great base for a lemonade stand!!! My husband did all the "labor" just by using what wood we had in the garage.  

The blue window covering I found at a yard sale for $1!!! I also found the chalkboard for $1. I painted the whole thing yellow (it was miss matched paint at our local Menards for $1!!!)




We were using this at our yard sale and so many people loved it and wanted to buy it, but my friend came to the sale early and really wanted it so I sold it to her. Again..... I just love what you can do with things that would otherwise be thrown out!!!! 

DIY Scrabble Ornaments and Name Tags

I have been picking up Scrabble games at yards sales for awhile now. I thought the letters would make cute ornaments on a tree. I spelled out some Christmas words. The kids helped me with this and they loved it! It turned into a great spelling activity for them. I glued the letters on the wooden blocks. My husband then cut them to size. I hang them with ribbon (the last picture shows you what we use to hang the ornaments) on the trees.

I thought this would be a great idea for name tags as well! It is a name tag and an ornament in one! The recipient can hang their "name tag" on their tree after they open their gift.

Tips on Having a Successful Yard Sale

We have a yard sale every spring and my friends always ask me how we do it and have it turn out successful each time.



Here are some of the tips I give them:

1. Make sure that you have enough stuff. If you don't have a lot of "stuff" for people to look through, people are less likely to stop at your sale. If your inventory looks a little slim, collaborate with a neighbor, friend or family member and do a sale together. Try and organize a neighborhood sale. The more you have, the better sale you will have.

2. Make sure everything is clearly priced.

3. ADVERTISE! You need to get the word out that you are having a sale! Advertise in your local paper and on Craigslist.


4. Make your signs nice, neat and colorful. Put them at every major intersection near your house. You need to post a sign at every turning point with arrows that will lead people to your sale.

5. Have a sign in your front yard so people can see it clearly from the street.

6. Be prepared to negotiate your prices. People are coming to find a deal. Be willing to come down in prices - you want to get rid of the stuff, right?

7. Keep prices reasonable! It is a yard sale, not a department store.

8. Make sure that everything you are selling works and there are no missing or broken pieces.


9. Have enough change. Your early customers will bring bigger bills so make sure you have enough change to accommodate them.

1o. Organize your merchandise to have like things with like. All clothes should be separated by gender and sizes. You want your sale to look neat and organized. Make it easy for your customers to browse and see everything you have to sell.


11. Choose a day/weekend when there aren't any major local events going on.

12. Try and hold the sale at the beginning of the "yard sale season". We have ours each year in the middle of April. People are eager to get out to find some bargains after a long winter.

13. Have boxes and bags for people to carry their treasures home in.

14. You need a "checkout table". Make sure you have an empty table for you to sit at and check people out at.

15. Donate the unsold goods to a charity or Goodwill. Do this immediately after closing your sale so it doesn't end up taking up space in your house or garage.

16. Don't be fooled. A yard sale is a lot of work. It takes a couple weeks of preparation and you need to be organized. But, in the end, when you have sold all your unwanted "stuff" and made some extra cash in the process, it is well worth it!