out & about // yard sales

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Today I did something I've never done before: I had a yard sale! I expected it to be a lot of work, I just didn't think I'd be this tired. Mama's going to bed early tonight, kiddos (& by kiddos, I mean the cat & the dog. Keep it down you two, I'm trying to sleep in here). 

My to-do list is slowly whittling itself down. Making lists is satisfying, but scratching things off - that's the good stuff.

Organize & de-clutter the sunroom // Right now I'm too tired to take proper pictures of my lovely, spacious, CLEAN sunroom, but I will say I've hung a bunch of stuff on the wall. Why wasn't I doing this before?

Look at that. Just look at it & tell me that's not genius. 

• Decorate the fireplace mantel // This one I cannot scratch off just yet. I've made a good stab at the decorating process by brightening the place up with some DIY fabric flowers, but the whole space is still lackluster & mismatched. My problem is our walls - they're wood laminate. Don't even get me started on how much this frustrates me - who in their right mind would use wood laminate? Oh that's right - absolutely everyone in the 70s. Oh the trials of being a renter.

• Decorate the Mom's living room // This is a big project, so I'm okay with it not being done yet. But we do have tables! Here's a sneak peek at a furniture revamp that I'll be turning into a tutorial later on. 

Ehh?? You should've seen them before! 

• Decorate refrigerator // Done & done. It's a small adjustment, but the color just brightens my day (& my kitchen's color scheme!). Check out the full tutorial here (Also, shout out to Apartment Therapy for including this tutorial in their Renters Solutions Article).

& last but not least…

• Have a yard sale // Done & done forever, or at least until I forget how gruesome it was & decide to have another one. It was fun, but it was definitely hard work. In spite of having done our research, we definitely learned a few things. 

First, we should have advertised more. Craigslist, Facebook, & a handful of signs alone were not enough. It's all about SIGNAGE, SIGNAGE, SIGNAGE! 

Second, we were being all too naive & hopeful that our precious belongings would sell for the prices we thought they deserved. Halfway through the day we realized we were going to be SOL unless we slashed prices. This meant more scrambling, more signage, & regretfully seeing a perfectly good nightstand walk away for $1. 

But now we know, & now it's time for a nap. Either that or a nice cup o' joe. Or both.

xoxo, 

-m.e.


Related // See the finished tables!