The Longest Yard Sale - Day 1

Well, Well Ladies...

How do I even begin to write about my first experience at the Longest Yard Sale in America??!!! What....What....incredible!!!

To begin....Me and my vintage junkin' lovin' bestie (Ashley Burke) headed out from Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon and began the road trip to our first destination and also the beginning of The Longest Yard Sale in America - Gadsden, Alabama.

We stopped a few times on the way up to North Alabama, but the drive was pretty much interstate the entire way, so total drive time was about 8 hours (only due to a major rain storm right before we got into Gadsden, Alabama.

Gadsden is known as the officially starting place of The Longest Yard Sale and we started the sale off at 7am at the very first stop in Gadsden - Noccalula Falls Park at the top of Lookout Mountain! It was beautiful and to kick off the morning of our first day right....we met an incredible little man named Paul (from Kentucky)....as we were getting out our truck...he yells "Ya'll ready Ladies!" and we are like "Of Course!" and he states "I collect Vintage Pyrex!" and we say "Oh yeah...well we do too!" Well by this point Paul was pumped!! He next takes out an organized binder from his truck with pictures of every single Pyrex dish every made!! He has an organized system for keeping up with which pieces he has and which ones he doesn't have...but he is quite the collector and has been collecting since the early 70s! He is currently the owner of over 1,100 pieces of vintage Pyrex!! I would say that he is considered an expert in the field of Vintage Pyrex to say the least!!

To say we knew what to expect is completely wrong...although I was the obsessed researcher (that I usually am before a trip...especially a junkin trip!) we really didn't know what we were walking into...we could only imagine and hope the junkin' God would pour out vintage treasures from the sky!!

Well let me just tell you....that is pretty much what happened...and don't think me and Ash didn't pray on the way...and I tell you...God didn't let us down!!

Here are the cities that we covered on Day #1...(there is an official highway that The Longest Yard Sale is on...through Alabama it is Hwy 176 or also known as Lookout Mountain Parkway...Once you cross into Georgia it is Hwy 157...and then into Tennessee it is Hwy 127 all the way into Michigan!

We covered a ton of ground and went through hundreds of yard sales, antique deals, and my fave...estate sales!!

Here are some of my favorite memories from today and some beautiful sites that we saw!

Junk, Junk, and more junk! For all your picking' needs!!

The beautiful Desoto State Park on Hwy 176! Be prepared for curvy roads for miles!

I love the tiny city of Mentone, AL...beautiful and also home of many famous girls/boys summer camps!

Wildflower Cafe is amazing and located right on the route of the Longest Yard Sale in Mentone, AL (just 6 miles from the Georgia State Line).

So for the final question....what did we find today? Me and Ashley definitely walked away with some steals! Here are the things I found today (sorry for the bad pic...I am posting this from my iPhone and hotel rooms lighting/tacky carpet can just about kill any picture!)

Here is a break down of what I got!! Can I say cheap??

Longest Yard Sale Finds...Day #1:

1. Metal wire basket $10
2. White distressed shelf for wall or can be free standing $10
3. (2) Wire Metal Baskets $2
4. Bama Vintage  Tin Can $2
5. Large wooden Spool $5
6. Vintage Pillow $1
7. Large Chalk Board $2
8. Large Tin Water Pale $12
9. Crochet White Sweater $1
10. Large Tomato Basket $3
11. Glass jar with red top $1
12. Small Bama Apple butter jar $1
13. Spool of Lace Ribbon $2
14. Clutch Purse $1
15. Large wooden Frame $15
16. Baby bed spring $15
17. Bag of Lace Trim $1
18. Bag of Vintage Lace $.50
19. Bag of Vintage Papers $1
20. Vintage Material $.50
Total for  Day #1: $86.00

Ash had a great junkin' day too and only spent $86 bucks...you can check out her finds here.
She found some great things and even snagged some precious vintage Christmas decor for way too cheap!

Well tomorrow we will both post recaps of Day #2...we are starting in Chattanooga (where we are laying to rest tonight!)

Happy junkie' to all!

Vera

My upcoming Craft / Garage Sale...

Hey Blogger Friends-

Just wanted to share that I will be having a craft / garage sale Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012 @ my home beginning @ 7:00 am - 12:00 noon!

<<< Here are the details >>>

1. Between owning a scrapbook store in the past, being obsessed with paper and everything else that goes along with it, teaching scrap classes, and antiquing/flea marketing often....I have acquired alot of stuff!! So, I have cleaned out...got organized...and have been planning on having a little sale...because I want to see my goodies in other scrappers hands! Alot of the stuff I really like, but the reality that I will use it...is very small...because I continue to buy the latest scrapbook lines or for scrappers "the new stuff" and never really get around to using the "old stuff"!!!

2. This garage sale will not just be crafty / scrapbook items....I will also have vintage papers and embellishments (lace, dollies, hankies, stamps, etc)

3. I will also have other items for sale besides the crafty / vintage things...our little family moved into our new house last nov. 2011....so I have stuff that I haven't used since moving into the new house....so that stuff is being sold too!

4. I will have free coffee for all the shoppers and a little open house! So, feel free to grab a cup of coffee and walk around my house if you would like...I will have it decorated for fall time...and maybe something will inspire you.

5. Really hope to see you Saturday, Sept. 22nd!!

<<< My House >>>

Address: 300 Ridgefield Rd.
              Thibodaux, LA 70301

(the corner of Ridgefield Rd. & West 7th)
You will see signs....I plan on posting some!

(This was our house last Nov. before any landscaping!)

<<< Garage Sales in the area >>>

If you want to make it a day of garage sales...here are few things to check out that might help you!

First...if you are a garage sale lover then you need to make sure to download the app Garage Sale Rover....it will map out a route for you...and connect to your GPS on your iphone...really cool!!

Second...check the local newspaper....or check it online...Daily Comet or Houma Courier

Third....come prepared...large vehicle!!!

Hope to see ya'll!! If you have any questions please feel free to email me @
veraholloway@gmail.com

Also one more thing...to kick off Fall... since it is my favorite season and time of the year...found this on pinterest....hope you emjoy!

A Vintage Wedding + A Hurricane!

Hey bloggers!

Hope you all enjoyed your long Labor Day weekend (and if you are from my neck of the woods...south Louisiana....that is...you have been off for probably more than just an extended weekend!!) Can we say...Hurricane Isaac....you sucked (even though they only called you a CAT 1) .... many South Louisiana residents are still with out power and our children have been out of school for well over a week!

Thank you Jesus...my family was safe and we fared pretty well in Thibodaux, LA....our little city popped up on the map quite a few times....because the eye of the storm came straight through good ole Thibodaux! Which if you haven't been through a hurricane before...when the eye comes through....the sun comes out, the wind stops, the rain stops, and you get a little calmness for a few hours...in our case...we were blessed....the eye stalled...yeah stalled....I mean practically STOP....and it was beautiful weather at my house for almost 6 hours! Hurricanes usually move pretty fast, so for the eye to stay over us for that long was pretty crazy! I am counting my blessings this week because so many people very near to us...were not so lucky...levees breaching, homes flooding, roof damages, buildings and schools with lots of damages....my prayers go out to them!

Look directly at the center of the storm...you will see how Thibodaux is in the middle of the eye...as Isaac was blowing over Louisiana.

This was me and the kiddos during the eye of the storm...standing in our front yard...despite all the strong wind...our house stood strong and we were safe...thank you Jesus!

So before the storm blew in...I tackled a big project....decorating/crafting/floral design for a friends wedding!! The entire wedding was vintage through and through and of course I love nothing more than that...so I was in my element and I never considered it work at all!! It was just plain fun!! Don't get me wrong...a DIY wedding is a lot of hard work, but a lot of fun to say the least!

So I wanted to share with my fellow bloggers a few sneak peaks of the wedding decor...the pictures from the photographer haven't come in yet, but these pictures are taken by one of my friends who is a photographer and some of them are taken by me. Hope you enjoy and leave inspired!

The cake!! Ahhhh I loved the way the cake turned out!! First, things first...the cake was made by Little Cakes with Big Attitudes which is located in Alexandria, LA. Isn't this just adorable? The entire wedding was full of sweets...not just wedding cake! Every kind of sweet you can imagine...so Little Cakes did her wedding cake below plus lots of cupcakes!!!

 The burlap flower was super easy to make...you can click here for a great tutorial from the House of Smiths Blog. 

The Flowers....awwwhhhhh.....quite a task....a labor of love....but they came out great! I will forever love working with flowers...it is just something that I never get tired of...and each time I do it...I learn more and more! So what kind of flowers did we use...well first and foremost...lots of garden roses (which came all the way from Ecuador!! Yeah...that's right...all the beautiful pink roses you see are a specialized garden rose straight from Ecuador!  All of the other flowers were bought in the US....actually alot of the roses, carnations, and baby's breath were ordered from Sam's...yup...that's right...you can order large quantities from them for a great price and it will ship straight to you!!

This is a picture of some of the bridesmaids bouquets.  

The wedding took place in Washington, Louisiana...have you guys ever been there? Well, well, well if you haven't take a little day trip...it is worth it!! It is about a 30 min drive from Lafayette and I can say I know I will be going back again!! From Thibodaux it is at least a 2 hour drive, but really worth it! I mean while you are in the area you can visit some other great places (maybe...Breaux Bridge too...one of my favs!)

Washington is that kind of town that allows you to step into another time in history...so much of the little town has been preserved and one of the most popular sites there is the the Old School House Antique Mall....which is over 40,000 square feet of antique shopping!! I was so busy doing the wedding that I didn't get to stop by...but I am planning on going by soon!

 Here were some flowers right when you walked into the entrance of the building. The wedding venue was awesome to say the least! It was at an old building that had been completely restored....wood floods, exposed bricks, large wood beams running across the ceilings....you get my drift!!?

 Display set up right by the flower arrangement when you walk into the entrance.

 I used tin cans to also decorate and put flowers or greenery in...the mother of the bride...began saving large tin cans for me a few months prior to the wedding and that worked out really well...besides using vintage bottles and vases we were able to have another type of vase!

 This picture is of me holding one of the bridal bouquets...I just fell in love with those garden roses...plus...they are the best smelling roses you will ever smell!!

 Here is a picture of the bridesmaids...the bride let them all pick out there own dresses...as long as they stayed within the pale pink/blush colors she had picked out! Sad... but I don't have a picture of the bride yet....as soon as I do...I will post Ms. Kira Davidson!!

 I set up a table in which the guest could leave the bride and groom a personalized note...I cut down some vintage file cards that someone recently gave to me.

 Leave a note and then file it back into the drawer!! 

 This table was set up to give away the wedding favors....Vintage Hankies!!

 The sign reads: "Take a hankie to dry a happy tear"

 Through the mirror you can see a little of beautiful building! 

I know that was alot of pictures, but there will be more coming...so I will post a part 2 of this lovely vintage wedding!! 

Vera