Lara Zielin

When I was a kid, my parents would drag me to yard sales, flea markets, swap meets, antique stores — you name it — and the whole time, I’d be miserable. I’d pout, roll my eyes, fume, and vow never, never to do this when I had a choice in the matter.

(For the record, I also vowed to serve only the blueberry muffin batter when I was old enough to host my own Thanksgiving, because the batter was oh-so-much better than the baked version.)

Little did I know in both cases that my tastes would change. Dramatically.

Now, other people’s junk is my treasure. Things I love to find at a yard sale include:

Art and art-related stuffs. We have an old frame we found at a sale last summer and hung it on the wall with a decal (acquired on Etsy) behind it. LOVE.

Things I can rehab. This candelabra was a junky mess that I got for $4. I polished up the wood and painted the metal gold, then added some hanging crystals. Booyah.

Little things. I love little things. Tiny bowls. Bitty animals. The littler the better. Here is a tiny Noritake salt bowl, a little hand-painted plate, and a wee iron pig — all from garage sales or Treasure Mart. Cuuuute!

Lord knows Rob and I don’t need more stuff, but a good, old find is a treasure indeed.