# Garage Sale Items to Look for??



## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

Our town is having it's annual town-wide garage sale tomorrow. Over 100 homes participate. Since I become Completely Numb after the 5th house, I want to make a list of things to look for, for halloween. Every year I make a list AFTER the sale and realize what gems I overlooked.

What would YOU Look for at an event like this??

Here's my list so far:

Sheets, Fabric or cool cloaths
Motors of any kind
Hinges or other hardware (Door knobs)
Computer speakers
Pully's or linkages
Tools (that I don't already have)
Wigs, wig-heads, or Hair of any kind

I would LOVE to go Armed with a list this time since I have this tendancey to Just "Glaze over" with sooo much to look at.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Buckies, too. Don't forget buckies 'cause someone might, you know, have one they don't want Spooky1 picked up a plastic leg bone at a yard sale once.

Look for small lanterns - we found one at a yard sale for like two bucks. Made a nice addition to our yard haunt.


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## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

shiatsu massagers - that might be under the heading of "motors of any kind"

clothing/costumes/masks - great for pvc figures


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## Bethene (Jan 19, 2008)

deer that the heads move, deer motors are always good!!


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

For props: Dolls, jack in the box, stuffed animals (dogs), look through any christmas ornaments for angels or crosses, cheap frames to attach to tombstones, pantyhose or tights for corpsing, eyeglasses, costume jewelry, gloves, scarves, silk flowers or greenery of any kind can be dirtied up or bleached, mens or women's boots, cheap brass candlesticks... 


And for "supplies" or work area: coffee cans, tupperware, buckets, extension cords, garage work lights, towels, wooden spoons, stencils, rulers or french curves, yard sticks, rebar, landscape fabric, sandpaper, rope or twine, raffia...

And basically I would end with: spend the night before thinking of things that you NEED this year... I first thought of my own haunt and remembered how much I hate our candy dish. Then you could spend all day tomorrow with "candy dish" in the back of your mind, in case you come upon some crazy plaster hollow tree stump or something!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I think Dixie must do a lot of yard sale shopping


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## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

RoxyBlue said:


> I think Dixie must do a lot of yard sale shopping


I agree... and that was the kind of answer I was looking for... Rather thorough don't ya think?? Thanks Dixie.... I'll check again in the morning to see what other responses come in... BUT this thread could be a cool resourse for others. So keep em comming.

I just don't have imagination while I'm shopping... I get my inspiration when I'm amongst my "junk" and just start to create. I like to have valuable resources "In stock" to create with.


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

RoxyBlue said:


> I think Dixie must do a lot of yard sale shopping


That I do, lol. Jaybo and I LOVE going to yard sales for prop stuff. And the best part is, he heads straight for the speakers, tools, lights, etc. and I head for the paint, clothes, household goods. He does the techie, I do the details. There is just so dang much that can be Halloween-ified.


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## Sinister Sid (Aug 27, 2010)

I want everything that has been listed so far.


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## Sinister Sid (Aug 27, 2010)

Actually two of everything would be better.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Mine are more Curbies suggestions: I picked up the most run down, old, paint splattered BIG workbench/desk at curbies..perfect for apothecary desk and who cares if I paint on it? Already looks like crap.

I try to find things I can de-construct or out-of-the-box them. I found a hideous hanging chandelier with and amazing long heavy brass chain..used part of chain on cemetery fence & other dropped or dragged on porch for ambiance.
Sometimes, I will find a great apothecary jar, but it has no lid..I will pick thru and find a candy dish lid or another lid that fits.
Take your time! Sometimes you need to LOOK to figure out how to bastardize something to fit your needs. Can never go wrong with fabric ..especially polyester yardage.Sheets become mummy wrappings, babushkas, capes, ghosts...a tattered "curtain" fluttering out of the window..

Rolled fencing or chicken wire...stakes to hold up fencing (or dummies)...perfectly weathered wood (or old wooden chair seat) for signage..old weathered chair for a prop dummy. Old wooden boxes for small blucky coffins or long dresser drawers for same...old wooden sewing machine desk drawers for apothecary table (or to hold Cd's). Veneer carefully sliced off of drawers (use wide putty spatula) for weathered signage. Chair & table legs for coffin edging, handles or to make pic frames. ..or your own pegleg. It's time to Curb i-fy your car..keep various screwdrivers, gloves, pliers, saw, pry bar & putty knife in car..LOL... I DO! And a blanket to line the car seat in case all your crap wont fit in the trunk . 

** do not forget to ask "Do you have any Halloween stuff?" I did that once and some lady took me around back to a storage shed & showed me how her deceased dad had an entire haunt in storage! I bought some tombstone pieces, but they wanted to keep the rest for a few more years! I drive past every year, and nothing is displayed...I don't have the guts to knock on the door. 

If you have indoor parties look to garden supplies...multi-tiered metal patio pot /plant holders can hold bowls of candy..even the grossest thing looks great with matte black spray paint.

Working baby monitors can be used to throw your voice behind a tombstone (make sure to ask to plug them in to check to make sure tehy work 1st...!). Old tape boom boxes can play looped effects. Old crockpot to keep your mache base warm..LOL.


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

Ohhhh, I love the baby monitor idea!!!!! Lots of great ideas, debbie!


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## Jaybo (Mar 2, 2009)

Painter's Tape, duct tape, cardboard, boom boxes, computer speakers, rope, wire, wood screws, nails, hackable toys, paint, liquid nails, glue, hot glue gun and glue sticks.

If you have an indoor haunt or a walk through with rooms, then look for old furniture, paintings, lamps, wallpaper.

Lawn lights (malibu, etc), outdoor lighting fixtures for columns, gas lamps, chandeliers, candelabra, candle sticks, candles (hollow out a place for a tealight).

Fishing line, fishing weights, clamp lights, pvc pipe, electrical conduit. Old window frames and doors. Glass panes from old doors (good for peppers ghost effects)

Garden gnomes, any garden statues (I'm thinking killer mutant squirrels here)

Rusty shovels, pickaxes, axes, pitch forks, scythe ( I wish!)

Oh, and this guy:









Can you see him guarding the candy bowl?


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

What Jaybo didn't tell you in the post above is that he actually FOUND one of those clapping monkeys for a dollar at a garage sale, and bought it, and it IS creepy, in a monkey-kinda-way!

I also wanted to add: Lazy Susan (great for painting without constantly moving an object) wooden skewers, electric hand mixers (for mixing paper mache paste) pots or crock pots for hot glue (to make glue pots to dip items in) 

Think kitchen items that you always want to use while building props, but don't want to ruin. Pots, pans, cookie sheets, blenders, mixers, serrated knives, tongs, etc.

This is fun. LOL


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## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'm off. If I find anything cool I'll post it.


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## Screaming Demons (Jul 12, 2009)

I haven't been able to get this question out of my mind since I first saw this thread: What are you going to do with door knobs?


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## CreeepyCathy (Mar 28, 2009)

can't wait to see what you got!!!  

btw- i love yard sales... and thrift stores.


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## Bascombe (May 18, 2010)

I don't get to garage sales very often but I visit the local thrift shop almost daily because in addition to halloween I'm a sucker for vintage glass.

I am always on the lookout for beauty school heads. We have two beauty colleges around here and when the students graduate they often donate the heads to the thrift shop. Cool thing about the heads is that they are rubberized plastic on the outside and foam on the inside.

I cut part of the flesh off the lower jaw of one and cut up a part of a bucky jawbone and inserted. Another one I cut one of the eyes out and replaced it with a cheesy prosthetic popped out eye that I got at the clearance bin at Waldemort. Another one I cut a flap out of her scalp and carved the foam to look like a brain (anatomically correct by the way) I had a bunch of these heads so I decided to see what would happen if I took a heat gun to it. The rubberized skin blisters in a very sick way.

I'll post pics one of these days.


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## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

The annual Great american Junk swap is over and I did score a few good Items.

I found 3 pairs of computer speakers all $1 each
A few cool gate hinges for $2
A small "Crate" brand guitar amp in Excellent condition for $10
A BRAND new large Shop vac in the box for $35
Some ceramic skulls at $2 each
Motion Sensor spotlight for $2
A bag of interesting very thin tassel like threads that could be used for hair.
Several tools including 2 pipe wrenches at $3 each
Extra Dewalt 18v battery (new) for my tools at $45 
Bag of cloathing that looked great for corpsing/Dressing characters $3
Power Scroll saw for $10

I didn't see ANY motors of ANY kind including shiatsu massagers, which was very unusual this year. The Chatchky stuff really didn't catch my eye this year. No cool candle holders, or potion type jars/bottles.

All in all it was a lot of fun and I think I did pretty good.



Screaming Demons said:


> I haven't been able to get this question out of my mind since I first saw this thread: What are you going to do with door knobs?


I have an animated coffin and was looking for some round brass doorknobs to assist in dressing it up. THe doorknobs would have been attached to the end of hand rails I was thinking of making for it.


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## halloween71 (Aug 9, 2007)

you got alot of great items.


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## halloween71 (Aug 9, 2007)

Candle holders-chandlier are a couple of things to keep a eye out for.


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## Halloween Cats (Jan 30, 2011)

Meow, 

Foam heads... (woman use them for wig holds) 
Clothes.. (You'd be amazing what can be altered to work for Halloween)
Jewelry.. (Great prop accessorizes)
Kids Toys.. (Toy swords and guns and be modified, 'See my gallery' for ideas)


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

I forgot to mention: many people don't realize, but at garage/estate sales, things can get quite competitive...so I usually do a quick "scan & grab"...
I take a big look around grab anything that jumps out at me that has potential & that I **might** need. If I can't hold it all, I ask to pile it at the money-taker's feet while I keep browsing. Once I have a basic pile, I go thru and scan for the little crap I may have missed. I then take all that back to the main "grab" pile and then sort thru what I really can use. Seeing as I have earmarked this as "my" pile with the seller, I'm safe from crazy grabby old ladies. I have missed out buying too many things by not just immediately picking up what I wanted..while I was contemplating buying the item, someone else picked it up & bought it!

And church rummage sales are THE best. Prices are usually so cheap and stuff sells so fast, that by the time the bag sales start, all the good stuff is gone.


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

Don't forget to look for old computers for their power supplies. They have enough amperage to keep things running without overheating like some smaller ones do.


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## VampyTink (May 19, 2011)

*I have four old computers I've been trying to figure out how to dispose of, but with personal info on them I worry about just throwing them out, and would have no Idea how to incorporate them into a haunt.*


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

VampyTink said:


> *I have four old computers I've been trying to figure out how to dispose of, but with personal info on them I worry about just throwing them out, and would have no Idea how to incorporate them into a haunt.*


Computer power supplies are great for running animated props that use wiper motors such as a "Leering" prop, a "Peek-a-boo" prop or perhaps Scarey Terry's "Kicking Legs". I built them all.

A computer power supply has 3, 5 & 12 DC volt leads that are great for changing the speed of a DC motorized prop. It also is rated for something like 5 amps where a cheaper power supply is 0.5-1.0 amps. My kicking legs over heated a couple times using a low amp supply...but not with a PC power supply.

You could pull the hard drive along with the power supply and get rid of the rest of the computer. You can then destroy the hard drives with your personal info on it or have them cleaned by formatting them.


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

Debbie, sounds like you're well on your way to becoming a crazy grabby old lady.


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## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

debbie5 said:


> I forgot to mention: many people don't realize, but at garage/estate sales, things can get quite competitive...so I usually do a quick "scan & grab"...
> I take a big look around grab anything that jumps out at me that has potential & that I **might** need. If I can't hold it all, I ask to pile it at the money-taker's feet while I keep browsing. Once I have a basic pile, I go thru and scan for the little crap I may have missed. I then take all that back to the main "grab" pile and then sort thru what I really can use. Seeing as I have earmarked this as "my" pile with the seller, I'm safe from crazy grabby old ladies. I have missed out buying too many things by not just immediately picking up what I wanted..while I was contemplating buying the item, someone else picked it up & bought it!
> 
> And church rummage sales are THE best. Prices are usually so cheap and stuff sells so fast, that by the time the bag sales start, all the good stuff is gone.


That's too funny, At one stop at my maniacal garage sale haunting.... Oops, I meant Hunting, I made a Pile at the owners feet. cause he had SOO Much cool stuff... and Low and behold someone asked him as I was going around looking for more.... "Is that stuff for sale?" Glad I did it...


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Spooky1 said:


> Debbie, sounds like you're well on your way to becoming a crazy grabby old lady.


Thank you!  I gotta be good at SOMEthing!

No, really...I have had nutsy ladies rip stuff out of my hands. Damn, if ya need it THAT BADLY...I don't say that, I just think it..


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## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

I tend to look at things they have around the yard that is not included in the sale. I've gotten some great candelabras and other stuff that way.


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## ScreamingScarecrow (Oct 1, 2008)

I like to keep an eye out for 
- pool noodles because they make great bendable prop arms and legs
- old beat up shoulder pads because they mak instant body shapes
- old hlmets because they are great to stuff into masks
and lots of other stuff!


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## hauntedkimmy (May 31, 2011)

I love a good yard sale. I always looks for pillar candles too. They are sometimes have birnt out, but that is all the better. I hollow them out with a large drill bit to allow for a LED tea light to fit in there and instant candle without a fire hazard!


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## Lady Nyxie (Aug 30, 2006)

The true answer to the question is buy anything and everything cause even if you can't immediately come up with a use for it, someone on this site can!


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