Lots of Smalls

It's still a long way off till next August and our trip to the WLYS but already planning this trip has taken our minds off the fact that we are each rounding the half century mark next year.  Instead we are having fun looking ahead to all the great stuff that we are hoping to find on route.

Our friend Vintage Sue wrote that she is having a giggle over the thought of Beth driving all the way to Tennessee in pursuit of plastic birthday candle holders.   Maybe that purchase won't get us on HGTV, but if we fill up the trunk with hundreds of tiny "smalls" (that's antique dealer lingo for little crap) and then show you the fabulous creations that it all becomes, maybe one other person would find that, um, interesting.

I can tell you right now it's going to be all about the smalls. 

Neither Beth or I have room in our houses for one more stick of furniture.

(We absolutely won't be bringing home any crappy neon signs either.)

That is unless I stumble across this:

Then there might be a trailer rental involved or a lot of bungee cords.

I am certain, without out a doubt that we will be finding lots of these items. 

I think there will be a lot of ziplock baggies needed for this trip so we don't lose any good stuff between the seats, better put that on the list of things to bring.

My WLYS Wish List, Item #2

Hello, My Friends!~~~

I would like to share number 2 on my wish list for the World's Longest Yard Sale. It is one of those things that if I actually found one for a reasonable price, I would collapse! Here is my wish list so far, and today I'm highlighting item #2...
Yes, Holt Howard Pixieware is one of my passions. However, I have only 7 pieces of these incredibly cute condiment holders. Here is a part of my collection:

I am looking for some of the rarer pieces, and if I found one that didn't have a price the same as my mortgage, I would be thrilled! Sigh...a girl can dream, can't she?~~~XXOO, Beth

What's On My List?

Beth and I are starting our shopping lists for the big event and I know they will be loooong ones.

First on my list and I shop year round for this is vintage christmas. That is more of a category, because it can be almost anything. I collect vintage christmas items, the kitschy the better and I also acquire vintage christmas items that I use to repurpose into creations.

So I'm on the lookout for just about anything that's christmas related and old.

I'm really hoping to find alot of christmas items, especially some really old and cool ornaments.

The most special ones will make it onto one of my 9 christmas trees that I put up each year or they will become wreath creations for my etsy shop.  This year I collected enough vintage ornaments to make 8 wreaths for my shop. 

That's a lot of ornaments! 

Starting Our Wish List

Hello!~~~

Suzy and I are starting our World's Longest Yard Sale WISH LISTs! We will periodically post items that we plan to search for during this August 2010 treasure hunt! We use these goodies in our crafts and collections.

Here is the first item on my list:


I love these flower-shaped birthday candle holders! And I have quite a stash of candle holders, but I always need MORE!




Sometime I find candle holders in other fun shapes too. I have used the flower holders and along with pink Scotty holders for this corsage:


I need lots of these plastic goodies because I make big creations like this festive, kitschy wreath, which is currently in my etsy shop:

So, here's to your wish list and hoping you find goodies on it! I'll be back later with more on my list to share!~~~XXOO, Beth

Beginnings and the HGTV Special

While this little ol' blog is still in it's infancy I'd like to give credit where credit is due.  Neither Beth or I have the computer skills to put together a blog banner much less one as fabulous as the one at the top of this blog!  Our banner and button are the genius of the creative guru that is Katie Runnels.  If you have never been over to Katie's blog, The Constant Gatherer, then it's your lucky day because I am pointing you in the right direction. 

One of the things that Beth and I are hoping to do when we get over to Tennessee next August to begin shopping at the WLYS, is to hook up with HGTV.   At the very least we hope to come across where they are filming for their annual special about the yard sale.  In our wildest dreams we want to star in the 2010 Endless Yard Sale Special!!!

This year HGTV picked out 3 teams of shoppers and gave each team $500 to shop for a room makeover.  HGTV calls their special "The Endless Yard Sale" and this year's installment airs this Sunday at 8pm EST.
You can bet that Beth and I will be watching and taking notes.

If you follow the link over to the Endless Yard Sale page on HGTV you will find several articles with lots of pictures.  You can be sure that I looked at every one of those and read all the captions.  One of the pictures mentions that it was taken in Clarkrange, TN.  So over to mapquest I go.

Clarkrange is north of Crossville, TN where we are starting and south of Jamestown, TN (official home of the WLYS) so YES, Beth and I will be traveling through Clarkrange, TN.

Also, I want to thank everyone that has stopped by and anyone that has left a comment.  Beth and I love to reply to your comments but we can only do so if you have an email link in your blogger profile.   You can email Beth or I anytime just by following the links over in the sidebar. 

Enjoy the show!

What is The World's Longest Yard Sale?

The World’s Longest Yard Sale (WLYS) is 654 miles long. It stretches south from Gadsen, Alabama up north to West Unity, Ohio. The WLYS follows Route 127 through Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio. It was begun by the Fentress County Chamber of Commerce in Jamestown, TN to stimulate tourism along this scenic highway. The sale always starts on the first Thursday of August through Sunday. During this weekend, traffic is congested as thousands of vendors rent spaces in fields, yards, and parking lots along the route. The lure of find that perfect treasure around the bend brings in yard salers from all over the country. Restaurants are packed and hotel/motel rooms along the route are fully booked several months prior to the sale. So book early!

Suzy and I have already booked our rooms and have planned which section of the WLYS we are going to tackle. We chose the section which is geographically closer to where we live, if 9 hours is considered close! It is also the section which has the official WLYS headquarters, Jamestown, TN. We are hitting Route 127 at Crossville, TN and will travel 175 miles over two days north to either Danville, KY or Lawrenceburg, KY (depending on our mood on day three). That is our plan. Part of the fun is, of course, not knowing what treasures lie beyond the next bend. It may take hours to go several dozen miles, but so be it! We expect that.

As this blog unfolds, we will share with you the minutiae of planning for this event. We are going to research as much as we can, share what we find with you, and we will share our personal travel tips. Between the two of us we have lots of road trip and yard sale experience. The WLYS will challenge us like never before! Can’t wait, and glad you are taking the journey virtually with us!

What's Up???

Suzy: We’re celebrating our half century birthdays in 2010. How do we want to honor this milestone?

Beth: By doing something together that we really love!

Suzy: I know what that is!

Beth: Me too!

Suzy/Beth: Antique/flea market shopping!

Beth: But where would be the BEST place?

Suzy: There’s ONLY one place, and we’ve been saying we should go for years!

Suzy/Beth: The World’s Longest Yard Sale!

Suzy: Hey, I’ve got an idea?

Beth: Oh yeah…?

Suzy: Let’s start a blog to chronicle all of our arrangements and plans leading up to the World’s Longest Yard Sale.

Beth: And we can blog while we are at the sale from the road! The grand finale!

Suzy: Hey, and maybe we can hook up with HGTV and be featured yard salers in their show.

Beth: I’m only going along with that as long as I keep off all of the weight I have lost this year.

Suzy: And it could be a novel too!

Beth: Like “Julie & Julia”!

Suzy: And then it’ll be a movie!

Beth: Like “Thelma and Louise” !!???

Suzy: No! We’re more like Lucy and Ethel, but Michelle Pfeiffer can play my part.

Beth: And Helen Hunt can play me. Or Jodie Foster if Helen isn’t available.

Suzy: And George Clooney can play my husband!

Beth: And Tom Hanks can play MY husband!

Suzy: Those roles will be just be cameos anyway, because this is not about them it’s about US!

Beth: OK, I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Suzy: You’re right. Let’s get the blog and the yard sale done first, then we’ll worry about the book and movie rights.

Beth: You are so right, my friend. Let’s get this party started!