The Garage Sale Lady shares bargain-hunting tips

The Orlando Sentinel (MCT) - Shelley Kincaid digs three objects out of a canvas tote bag _ a slightly dented plain lampshade, the sleeve of an old stretch-lace T-shirt and a crocheted scrunchie.

She slides the lacy sleeve over the shade, securing it with the scrunchie.

Voila! She has created a pretty new lampshade from throwaway items purchased for pennies at garage sales.

Kincaid _ better known to her many DIY fans as the Garage Sale Lady _ was a headliner at the Southern Women's Show in Orlando, Fla., recently. During her twice-daily presentations, she transformed bargain-rack blouses into gift bags, cast-off jewelry into candelabra, and created a tuffet (Think Little Miss Muffet.) from salvaged chair legs and old curtain fabric.

"None of these things started out beautiful," Kincaid said. "You've got to mix and match, fix and patch, screw and glue."

Considering the dire state of the economy, there is no better time than now to catch garage-sale fever, Kincaid said.

Want to make a little extra cash? Hold a garage sale, she said.

Need to save money? Become a garage-sale shopper.

Kincaid has been doing both for more than a decade. As a result, she has made more than a little money and saved a great deal. Almost everything in her house was once someone else's throwaway _ from furniture to bedsheets, towels and tools.

It was a "nightmare move" from Kansas City to her present home in Denver that sparked her passion for garage sales.

"The movers destroyed everything," she said. "My dishes were pulverized. There was all kinds of water damage. My wood furniture was buckled, my sofas were moldy."

And after the insurance claim was settled, "The insurance company took everything."

"That's when I went to my first garage sale. I started finding old things and fixing them up. I'm a designer with an engineering background. Fixing things really got my creative juices flowing," she said.

"People admired my stuff. They wanted to know how to do it. I wrote down instructions, which eventually became a book."

Kincaid's "The Garage Sale Decorator's Bible," first published in 1997, is now in its fifth edition. It is available on her Web site, garagesalelady.com, from amazon.com and at Barnes & Noble stores.

"Then out of the blue, I got a call from a Denver TV station to do a show, "Trash to Treasures." I've been on the air for 10 years," said Kincaid, who also is a frequent guest on HGTV, the Discovery Channel and DIY Network.

It is a myth that you only find junk at garage sales, she said.

"In reality, I often find brand-new things selling for a few pennies on the dollar, she said. "Clothes people buy then never wear. Wedding gifts. Christmas gifts. Birthday presents they don't like," she said.

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But it's the gently worn and even totally trashed items she treasures most. The antique china and vintage fabrics, the wonky chairs and battered jewelry, the fringe on old drapes and appliques on worn T-shirts. Things she can mix and match, fix and patch, screw and glue.

"I'm saving money. I'm creating something unique. And best of all, I'm recycling throwaways," she said. "And that's good for the planet."

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SHELLEY KINCAID'S GARAGE-SALE TIPS

For sellers:

Most garage sales are on Friday and Saturday. Get a jump on the competition and hold yours on Thursday.

If most sales in your neighborhood begin at 8 a.m., start yours an hour earlier.

Advertise in newspapers, online and with neighborhood signs.

Post easy-to-read directional signs. Bright paper plates with bold arrows are inexpensive and eye-catching. Your sale is only as good as your signs, Kincaid says.

Wear your money. Keep cash close in a fanny pack for speedy transactions and to discourage theft.

For the convenience of shoppers, keep a tape measure and extension cord handy.

To entice shoppers to linger and buy, merchandise should be clean, clearly priced and attractively displayed.

Have a toy box to keep kids amused while adults shop.

Position large items out front. Dealers and people in need always want furniture.

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For buyers:

Shop early on the first day of the sale for the best bargains. Shop toward the end of the sale for rock-bottom prices.

Plan your route carefully.

Make a list of items you need.

Before leaving home, jot down measurements for window treatments, mirrors and furniture.

Bring a tape measure, magnifying glass and extension cord.

Stock up on small change.

If you don't see the items you're looking for, ask. You might get lucky.

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© 2008, The Orlando Sentinel (Fla.).