"Is this Bakelite?"
"I don't know, rub it. Does it smell like burning hair?"
"Wha? Rub it and what?"
I thought she was kidding, really and truly. I had filed the incident away in the "My Best Friend Is NUTS" folder until I came across this tip in Bruce Littlefield's book Garage Sale America. Upon finding the helpful hints for identifying Bakelite, I had to pick up the phone and let her know she wasn't so crazy after all.
When The Parent Bloggers Network asked if I was interested in reviewing Garage Sale America, my heart skipped a beat. A FREE book about bargains? YES! SCORE! *insert victory dance here* I'm no stranger to the hunt and the high of finding just want you need at an insanely outstanding price (I paid $3 for my son's take along swing, thank you very much).
The book is chocked full of pictures, pictures of items I yearn for (like littlefield's china, I LOVE LOVE LOVE his pattern). It takes you through Littlefield's home, his adventures garage-saling and the people he meets along the way. There are helpful tips and hints sprinkled through out the book, along with spotlights on garage salers, artists, and collectors. I enjoyed not only seeing what Littlefield scored at the worlds largest garage sale, but also how he blended the items into his home decor.
Reading this book, for me, was like sitting down in a small town diner with a huge slice of pie and endless cup of coffee, comfortable. I savored the stories and worked on memorizing the hints for separating out the real treasure from the fakes. I've never had a garage sale of my own. I tend to hoard stuff and then in a fit of panic donate everything. Garage Sale America has inspired me to have a sale of my own, one where I might just let go of that strange German poster art, the one with the 300 drunk lewd pigs, for a song.
