Garage Sale Haul

I’ve lived in my city for three summers now, and this year was the first time I realized there were neighborhood garage sales nearby.

The weather was beautiful, one of those Michigan summer days where it was in the high 70s and mercifully the humidity was relatively low too, so it felt somewhere around low 80s. A blessing for early June. It made walking the five-block circuit of sales enjoyable instead of a sweat soaked struggle. And they were those awesome kind of garage sales filled with old antique sewing machines and fine china. Even if I have no use for such things, they were cool to look at.

One particular house was selling a host of wingback chairs, seemingly a yard designed to lure me in (I’ve been looking for that type of chair for my office since forever). At first, I fell in love with a white, jacquard patterned set with matching footstool, but they were obviously new, and the seller wanted $150 for them. I was working with $20, so I had to walk away. But I circled the yard hopeful, and hidden off to the side next to the books table was this beauty:

It’s old and stained and not my style in the least, but it was … wait for it … $3. My first thought was that someone must’ve died in it. There was nothing wrong with it aside from the stains, the bottom held, and the wooden legs were in tact. Why so cheap? Me and my worst-case-scenario mind were thinking I was going to be lured in by its cheapness and bring a haunted chair into my home.

Luckily, it’s been in my house for two weeks now, and there’s been no uptick in the supernatural. My fears seemed to be unfounded. Now, my only concern is how successful my first attempt at upholstery is going to be. I want the chair to be my statement piece in my office. Right now my room is of the black and white variety with my inspiration wall and book spines the only bits of color. I was thinking this fabric, maybe: 

Click pic for Amazon link

Speaking of books, I found these for $1.25. 

Yes, I picked up a Norton Anthology as a throwback to my academic days. The other two are a gift for my grandma—who doesn’t love Agatha Christie?

Bonus pic of Punkin on her throne. 

Anyone hit any garage sales or have any valuable re-upholstery tips?