How to Use Your IRS Rebate Check
I received an interesting email from a friend on how the rebate check should be spent to further invigorate the American economy. It goes like this: As you may have heard, the Bush Administration said each of us would get a rebate check to stimulate the economy. If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China. If we spend it on gasoline it will go to the Arabs, if we purchase a computer it will go to India, if we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala, if we purchase a good car it will go to Japan, if we purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy.
We need to keep that money here in America. The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it at yard sales, since those are the only businesses still in the US.
May 13, 2008 09:30 AM - Comments: 1
trash or treasure?
People often ask whether they should keep something or get rid of it. And then they want to know whether something they are willing to let go of is worth buckaroos. My answer is really simple: there is someone who will buy anything, so value is the fair price of an item to both buyer and seller. Th(...) Read more...
April 14, 2008 08:00 AM - Comments: 2
making money off your discards
As you go about your spring cleaning, Jay Blotcher, collector of 1966 Batman merchandise and Mary Wickes memorabilia, has an article in HUDSON VALLEY LIFE magazine on making money off your discards. He quotes me with this economy's sage advice: "Drag it to the lawn and people will pay for the privilege of carting it off."
March 31, 2008 10:00 PM - Comments: 1
SPRING CLEANUP… HOW TO CLEAN OUT YOUR JUNK
It’s time people! Like a car needs a tune-up, your house needs a spring cleaning. So, I thought I’d give you a little encouragement to GET THE JUNK OUT of the house. This means everything in a box. Everything shoved underneath your bed. Everything in the attic. Come clean, people!Here’s my RULE OF(...) Read more...
March 25, 2008 02:18 AM - Comments: 4
Tibet: end the violence
I just signed an urgent petition calling on the Chinese government to respect human rights in Tibet and engage in meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama. This is really important, and I wanted to bring it to your attention:After nearly 50 years of Chinese rule, the Tibetans are sending out a global(...) Read more...
March 19, 2008 11:48 AM - Comments: 1
SIGNS OF SPRING
This past weekend a fresh dusting of snow was on the ground when in a move only an addict would make, I rolled out of bed and jumped in the car in order to be the first to arrive at the season’s one and only “Moving Sale.”I had seen the sign announcing the momentous event in a fleeting drive by the (...) Read more...
March 12, 2008 09:21 AM - Comments: 0
HAPPY VALENTINE'S WEEK!
Westminster, his rubber chicken, and I send you love and fun wishes!
Westminster has entered WeTV.com's search for America's Picture Perfect Pet Contest!
Please show your support by voting 10 on Westminster here.
February 17, 2008 04:33 AM - Comments: 3
COOLEST KITCHEN IN AMERICA!
My garage sale kitchen has been listed as one of Rachael Ray's "Coolest Kitchens in America"!!!
Check it out!
And don't forget to check out my valentines fun on the Today Show!
(Saturday, Feb. 9th, 8:30ish am - live from Rockefeller plaza.)
February 4, 2008 05:20 AM - Comments: 2
happy valentines!
Happy valentines to you and yours!
Wanted to let you know that in the spirit of the holiday i am getting to have some fun on the following shows and sites!
This coming Monday, Feb. 4th, Rachael Ray is featuring me and my vintage garage sale kitchen as one of the coolest kitchens in America... (check your local listings).
For more details go to: www.rachaelrayshow.com
I'll be on the Today Show Saturday, Feb. 9th with valentines fun live from Rockefeller plaza.
And, howdini.com will put up my 5 new webisodes next week on valentines fun... I am officially their guru of fun.
www.howdini.com
If you can watch, that'd be great. If not, thats ok too... just know I'm wishing you fun.
www.brucelittlefield.com
www.garagesaleamerica.com
www.myspace.com/brucelittlefield
brucelittlefield.gather.com
brucelittlefield.tumblr.com
February 3, 2008 06:17 AM - Comments: 0
NATURE MOMS BLOG
NATURE MOMS BLOG names GARAGE SALE AMERICA one of her favorite of the year!
"One of the first pages in Garage Sale America made me want to kiss Bruce Littlefield. It was a whole page photo of Littlefield’s Pyrex collection! Did I mention that I adore Pyrex? They are the best for storing leftovers so that plastic bags and tupperware need not enter the house. Although we have some of the same pieces, his collection does put mine to shame so it has spurred some garage sale plans for me over the next few weeks.
Garage Sale America follows Littlefield across the country going from one garage sale to the next, meeting new people, and adding to his various collections. It is a very funny read too. I adored all of the stories he collected and all the people he met."
Read NATURE MOMS full review HERE.
January 10, 2008 11:02 AM - Comments: 0
Happy New Year!
January 3, 2008 07:21 AM - Comments: 1
BRUCE JOINS HOWDINI.COM AS THE FUN LIFESTYLE EXPERT!
Introducing HOWDINI, the site that tells you HOW TO do everything!
Take a look at my tips, are there any that can help you?
How to FInd Flea Market Gifts that Dazzle
Clever Ways to Top Your Gift Packages
How to Start a Family Holiday Tradition
December 28, 2007 12:52 PM - Comments: 0
3 BOOK FAMILIES CONTEST FINALISTS
Go to Kentucky Fried Chicken and VOTE for the best decorated house in America.
Pay special attention to the Andersons in Arizona, the Hudgins in Richmond, and the Liquoris on Long Island!
Do your civic duty and VOTE!!!!
December 20, 2007 08:10 AM - Comments: 0
WESTMINSTER PROTESTS
Westminster asks that all his fans still call him Westminster, even though the New York Times has given him the stage name Winchester. "I'm named after the dog show", he barked. A rescued mutt named after the foo-foo dog show. Get it? He then accepted a treat when called "Winchester".
December 9, 2007 04:29 AM - Comments: 5
'Merry Christmas America' featured in the NY Times and USA Today
Check out these great Christmas features in the New York Times and in USA Today
December 9, 2007 04:17 AM - Comments: 1
MERRY CHRISTMAS AMERICA GOES MODERN GIRL STYLING!
Check out MODERN GIRL STYLE'S review of my latest book, Merry Christmas America. Kamela writes: "There are some things in life that just make you smile, know what I mean? And, for some reason, Bruce Littlefield, author of Garage Sale America and Airstream Living, is just the guy who is constantly making me smile! His latest installment is Merry Christmas, America! A book dedicated to the thousands of zany Americans that build, every year, megawatt displays in their front yard dedicated to, you guessed it, Christmas."
December 9, 2007 04:01 AM - Comments: 1
CONTESTS!
there are two contests going on to win a free copy of my latest
book merry christmas america! megawatt displays across
the usa!
one is featured by the tacky light tour! the other is featured by blonde blogger!
please give them a visit!
ho! ho! ho!
December 5, 2007 07:47 AM - Comments: 0
BLONDE BLOGGER BINGO
As many of you know, I adore blonde blogger dawn. She's got a contest giveaway for a copy of MERRY CHRISTMAS, AMERICA! and a gift from me. My favorite pickle ornament. First one to find it christmas morning, gets the first present!
December 5, 2007 07:42 AM - Comments: 2
Decking the Halls with Bruce Littlefield on Today Show
December 3, 2007 07:16 AM - Comments: 1
TODAY SHOW'S DECKING THE HALLS WITH BRUCE LITTLEFIELD
Amy and I had so much fun we forgot to mention the title of my book! So, drumroll... flashy graphics... its MERRY CHRISTMAS, AMERICA! but no big whoop... the segment is fun fun fun, just like the book... WATCH IT! here:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/22044024/
December 2, 2007 08:52 AM - Comments: 0
CHRISTMAS 101: BIG GLASS BALLS
Some of you have asked where I got my big glass balls... and i want you to know that i got them at the dollar store, more specifically the DOLLAR TREE. I love me some good dollar tree shopping. And several of you have emailed to ask more specifically how to make them.Photo ornaments — nothing create(...) Read more...
December 2, 2007 08:42 AM - Comments: 3
USA TODAY NAMES MERRY CHRISTMAS AMERICA THE "CRITIC'S PICK" FOR GIFT BOOKS!!!
USA Today names MERRY CHRISTMAS AMERICA the Critics Pick for gift books:
November 30, 2007 07:42 AM - Comments: 0
OH, CHRISTMAS TREE! - The Photos
Get some tips on how to decorate your own christmas tree on the post below. And don't forget to check out my latest book, MERRY CHRISTMAS AMERICA...
November 30, 2007 07:12 AM - Comments: 2
OH, CHRISTMAS TREE!
The Christmas tree was popularized in England in the nineteenth century, by Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's consort. Having grown up in Germany where there is a strong tradition of decorating trees, Albert brought along the custom when he married Victoria.In 1848, an engraving appeared in the London(...) Read more...
November 30, 2007 07:03 AM - Comments: 0
MERRY CHRISTMAS, AMERICA!
MERRY CHRISTMAS, AMERICA!
Dateline: Tacky Lights Tour, Richmond, Virginia
November 21, 2007 02:27 AM - Comments: 0
THANKSGIVING - GARAGE SALE STYLE
The holidays shouldn’t send you over the edge. We need to grab hold of them and make the adventure easy, breezy, and fun. For the next few weeks, I’ll be offering how to put the “celebrate” back into the celebration… as well as other tips and tidbits from MERRY CHRISTMAS AMERICA, my eye-poppin(...) Read more...
November 14, 2007 07:11 AM - Comments: 0
CHRISTMAS CONTEST!
Be sure to enter our favorite Blonde Blogger's prize draw to win a copy of my brand new book "Merry Christmas America!". Enter here. Dawn writes: "(...) Merry Christmas, America! is filled with gorgeous photos of Christmas displays across America, and the stories behind them. Bruce captures the who, what and why behind the most spectacular Christmas displays across America. Want to know who lives in that house with the yard covered in elves, snowmen, reindeer and lights? You'll find out in Merry Christmas, America!.(...)"
October 30, 2007 12:00 AM - Comments: 1
Fortune cookie philosophy - 1
October 9, 2007 03:51 AM - Comments: 1
THREE MONTHS TO CHRISTMAS!
All the economic data is suggesting we're going to have to pinch our pennies this Christmas and be careful about spending... I have two ideas for you, America:
First, do some late season garage sale shopping... I've found great gifts for my friends this year. Things they collect (like Melmac and yellow ware) and things that will make them laugh (like a giant stuffed penguin.)
Second, here's the first look at my new Christmas book MERRY CHRISTMAS AMERICA... an eye-popping, full-frontal romp through yards across America. Every town has one... just follow the lights for the brightest, merriest, happiest Christmas ever! And if your town has something special, let me know. Im going to be bringing the TV cameras!
October 1, 2007 09:53 AM - Comments: 3
BARBIE UNITES!
Natalie Johnson, a girl I met while on the Worlds Longest Yard Sale, was thrilled to be included in my book GARAGE SALE AMERICA. Her found treasure a bag of Barbie clothes for $1 which included the original black and white bathing suit was the start of an amazing collection. Bev Sapanaro, my garage sale companion and owner of Cat House Antiques, touched Natalie by sending her own childhood Barbie collection to her in Tennessee... a collection she had saved to give to her own daughter.
In her note, Bev wrote: “I have kept my Barbie case all these years in hopes of giving it to my daughter one day. I was never able to have children so I would like for you to have it.” Read the happy story
September 24, 2007 11:09 AM - Comments: 1
Life 101
Just returned from a magical vacation swimming with wild dolphin. If YOU ever have a chance to go swim with them in the open ocean... it’s highly recommended. Really helps bring life into perspective! The organization I always swim with is www.wildquest.com... very kind souls. Once on tiny Bimini Island in the Bahamas, you climb aboard a catamaran each day and go out looking for dolphin. Once discovered, if they stay around and invite you in the water... you hop in and have “an encounter.” It is as exhilarating an experience imaginable, similar to being in space and meeting an alien that you realize is as smart as you and as cognizant. An alien that is checking the inside of you out with a full sonar scan! Did you know dolphin use 95% of their brain, which is the largest in ratio to body size of any animal on earth?
September 23, 2007 08:30 AM - Comments: 1
Bruce Littlefield in the Boston Globe
Christopher Muther writes:
"Just a few moments into my inaugural trip to the Brimfield Antique Show in May, I managed to commit a faux pas that would make the most seasoned garage-sale lover wince: I paid asking price."
August 31, 2007 08:30 AM - Comments: 1
MODERN GIRL STYLE
Check out Modern Girl Style writer/designer Kamela Cody's fabulous website for women of all ages. She dispenses daily inspiration on fashion, books, celebrity culture, interior design, health & fitness, beauty products and more. Modern Girl inspires women to reach for their dreams!
She's got a great feature about my book AIRSTREAM LIVING. Check it out...
You'll become a Modern Girl Style addict, even if you're not a girl!
August 14, 2007 08:51 AM - Comments: 0
LATEST TODAY SHOW APPEARANCE OF AMERICA’S CULTURE EXPERT...
Amy Robach and I had a great time talking about American Pack Rats. (And, of course, once again, her shoes. She’s a shoe hoarder it was revealed.)
August 2, 2007 12:07 PM - Comments: 3
AMAZING REVIEW ON GATHER.COM
Garage Saler Patrick M. has put up a very kind review on gather.com. He’s not only a top-notch bargain hunter, he’s also a great writer himself. Go check it out. And check out gather... it’s a great community.
August 2, 2007 10:09 AM - Comments: 0
Dear Blonde Blogger Dawn!
dear blonde blogger dawn! hey it’s me Bruce Littlefield at www.garagesaleamerica.com back to my computer... after a week of adventure. I started out the week at the Brimfield flea market near Boston on a HUNT for a treasure for my favorite blonde blogger! (truthfully i was there because the Boston G(...) Read more...
July 23, 2007 05:28 AM - Comments: 7
Book talk and signing at Barnes & Noble in NYC
Hey everybody... I did a book talk and signing the other night at Barnes & Noble in New York city. Had a great turn out and we had LOTS of fun. Yes, for a while i wigged out in one of my garage sale “costume” purchases. Always guaranteed to get a laugh.
On the last photo over that’s me, Lis Wiehl (Bill O’Reilly’s sparring partner), tv host Rita Cosby, singer/songwriter Tomaczek Bednarek, Corcoran Group senior VP Scott Stewart, agent Todd Shuster, and legal eagle Mickey Sherman.
more soon... until then, happy hunting.
And thanks to Jamie Sherman at superduperphoto.com for taking these fabulous photos. Check out their site... amazing photos and fun people.
July 15, 2007 12:48 PM - Comments: 3
THE STORY HARPER COLLINS WOULDN’T LET ME TELL…
The last night of my 450 mile trip with Bev at the World’s Longest Yard Sale found us ensconced in a hotel that shall remain nameless in a state that shall remain nameless, but what we overheard there was enough to rattle us to the core and send us packing our Penske and rushing back to New York(...) Read more...
July 12, 2007 10:47 AM - Comments: 6
FONDUE FOR THE FOURTH
Fabulous Fifteen-Minute Fondue
I’m not a big cook, but after finding a few fondue pots at garage sales, I decided to revive a childhood favorite, adding a splash of Bailey’s Liqueur to my mom’s chocolate fondue recipe.
Serves 6 (double or triple if you
e having a bigger bash)
INGREDIENTS:
•12 oz package of milk chocolate morsels
•1/4 cup Bailey’s
•1 tablespoon butter
•Milk
•An assortment of pound cake chunks, marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, orange sections, apple slices, pear slices
DIRECTIONS:
1. Use In the top of a double boiler
Fondue Etiquette
Makes 5 (1/4-cup) servings
Start to Finish: 15 minutes (Im taking that to Rachael Ray!)
June 29, 2007 01:45 AM - Comments: 5
EVERYTHING I EVER NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE, I LEARNED AT A GARAGE SALE
•Everybody’s looking for something.
•Just because it’s old, doesn’t mean it’s gold.
•One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. And vise versa.
•When you give, you get.
•Life can be perfect, even in its imperfections.
•There’s nothing worse than the one that got away.
•Even “free” comes with a price.
•A bargain is something you didn’t know you needed at a price you couldn’t resist.
•Greed isn’t pretty.
•Know when to cut bait.
•Nothing is yours forever.
June 28, 2007 05:05 AM - Comments: 191
SO A BLONDE WALKS INTO A BLOG
Another fun one for you folks... here's a hottie 35-year-old mom with 3 home-schooled kids... great writer... writes about life and stuff... check out the review of garage sale america! and i also love that she says: Oh, and don't let me forget to tell you how I had dinner next to who I SWEAR was Larry Birkhead, even though he said he wasn't. (I even said to him, You probably ARE Larry Birhead but are lying so we won't bother you!) The entire restaurant staff was trying to sneak a peek at this guy he looked so much like him. If it wasn't him, it had to be his long, lost twin. I just wrote her to tell her Larry does have a twin! His name is Lewis.
June 25, 2007 05:36 AM - Comments: 3
MUBAR, MOTHERED UP BEYOND ALL RECOGNITION
Okay, mothers LOVE my book! this one (who created a travel guide on how to survive toronto as a mother) says she wants to live vicariously through me because she can't go to garage sales because she is a germ-phobic. I desperately racked my brains trying to help her get over her germ-phobia to get to a garage sale. The only thing I could think to tell her probably grossed her out so much she'll NEVER go to a sale! Or maybe she will for just a taste. Story is... I once saw a kid picking up and licking items on a table at a church sale. I pointed this out to his mother who promptly replied, he does that all the time. He likes to taste the chemical composition of different surfaces. I ALMOST DIED!!!! (but my point is, he didn't... going to a sale probably won't kill her.) LOL...
June 21, 2007 09:18 AM - Comments: 2
MamasInk - enough dishes, already!
Hey everybody! Check out MamasInk. Motto: enough dishes, already.
MamasInk is/are (depending on how you look at it) a bunch of writers who are also mamas. They often take motherhood as their subject matter, but not always. They blog as a group to support each other in our adventures in writing. You'll love it.
June 19, 2007 05:27 AM - Comments: 1
Elizabeth Holcombe's Words and Whimsies
Check out Elizabeth Holcombe's words and whimsies... she's fun and her site is sweet. She's a saler and a crafty sort.
June 18, 2007 03:34 AM - Comments: 0
Big, crafty geekfest
If you're a crafty sort, check out www.craftypod.com a great site all about making stuff. It's a "big, crafty geekfest" from Portland, Oregon. Sister Diane (aka Diane Gilleland) hosts podcasts, zines, and a great blog about crafting from the "Church of Craft." Really fun and informative. Check it out! And look what she wrote about GARAGE SALE AMERICA!
June 5, 2007 09:18 AM - Comments: 0
USA TODAY SAYS HEED MY ADVICE (AND BUY MY BOOK!)
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/
2007-05-31-garage-sale_N.htm
June 3, 2007 09:56 AM - Comments: 0
More Hip Than Hippie #101
More Hip Than Hippie #101 - A Chat With Bruce Littlefield
Bruce Littlefield, author of Garage Sale America, calls in for a chat.
A little hilarity with Dori and Val...
www.morehipthanhippie.com
For a direct link to the podcast, click here.
June 2, 2007 09:49 AM - Comments: 0
Moo Crew
I'm getting fun things from all over the country... this was sent from
people in milwaukee... who listen in on FM106.1 continuous country
favorites. Had a great time with them this week, and I'm going to be
dropping in on their hilarious "Moo Crew" this summer with som garage sale
guru reports.... seems they think i'm a spitting image for Joe Don of
Rascal Flatts. What do you think? Go to their site and see:
http://www.themoocrew.com/pages/MooCrew.html
(look on the right side of their web page... hilarious!)
June 1, 2007 09:38 AM - Comments: 1
Garage Sale America on the Today show
May 31, 2007 02:49 PM - Comments: 0
Book signing at Cat House antiques
Had a great book signing at Cat House antiques... my favorite store. We
sold out of books! Saw lots of nice people. And scored some treasures
before I walked out of there!
Photographer Rochelle Riservato's photos from my signing adventure:
Signing actress Ann Osmond's book. She just snuck off and got married to
longtime boyfriend, artist Greg Arnett. Congrats!
The Cat House Madame, Bev Saponaro, who accompanied me on my 450 mile
World's Longest Yard Sale Adventure. Meow, I love her store!
Wini Williams, the World's Oldest Garage Saler. She's 91 years old and
still going saling every weekend. Her first look at herself in the book!
May 30, 2007 11:41 AM - Comments: 11
Secrets
We garage sale in droves. Every 15 seconds in the United States a garage saler puts out his arrowed sign, and conservative numbers put lookers, pickers and choosers making around 500 million stop-and-shops a year. The mostly off-the-book industry is estimated to be around $3 billion a year, but shhh, let’s keep that our little secret. \r\nThis is the site to find out how to spot a treasure, how to steal a deal, and how to find your unique American style and then use garage sale finds to decorate cheap chic. Look around and tell us what you know.
May 17, 2007 10:46 AM - Comments: 3
Cheap Chic
I’ve had amazing fun and great success decorating in vintage garage sale finds. Gorgeous, inexpensive, and easy. It’s imperfectly perfect. Cheap chic. With every new purchase, I’m buying things that make me happy and make my home feel comfortable. There’s no “get your feet off that coffee table” in my house as it was in my father’s. My coffee table is a 1904 Lipton Coffee shipping box I got for five dollars from the basement of an estate sale and you’re welcome to put your feet on it. I have it filled with toys and party games so when kids come over (or my cocktail friends) I can quickly lay my hands on some fun. What are your best “cheap chic” tips?
May 17, 2007 10:43 AM - Comments: 0
The one that got away
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY There’s nothing worse than the one that got away. It haunts you for weeks like a bad dream, eats away at your psyche like a termite on softened wood. I recently found myself attracted to a delicately aged pair of Bert and Ernie puppets sitting on the lawn of an otherwise innocuous sale of miscellany. My brother and I had them growing up. Ernie slept on the bottom bunk with Brian, Bert slept up top with me. I didn’t buy them, leaving them to be taken by some other more thoughtful brother, and I’ve regretted it ever since. Wouldn’t it have been fun for me to send Brian an Ernie with a mysterious note? Wouldn’t that have been worth the ten bucks? It’s a real missed opportunity, and I try not to let those happen too often. Tell me about something you passed up and have regretted ever since...
May 17, 2007 10:43 AM - Comments: 6
Call it what you want
Garage Sale. Yard Sale. Tag Sale. Barn Sale. Rummage Sale. Estate Sale. Stoop sale. Call it what you want sale; it describes one thing—the best deal in America. There’s hidden treasure out there if you’re willing to go hunting, track down the prize, and drag it home. Certainly, if you’re looking to make money and have a good eye, you can do it by pawing around at garage sales—many an eBay multi-power seller has been born at a garage sale. But for me, it’s not about making money. It’s about the adventure, the discovery of something I didn’t know, and finding treasures I can use. Let’s go saling. What is it you’re looking for?
May 17, 2007 10:39 AM - Comments: 2
Bragging rights
Garage saling is a hope-based adventure. A modern day gold rush. I can’t wait to brag about the bargain I got on a mid-century lamp or the five dollars I paid for an entire set of Bakelite flatware. Even if I come back empty handed, I am filled with stories of junk; of oddities so freakish they b(...) Read more...
May 17, 2007 10:39 AM - Comments: 3
