Thrifty

Early last week I snuck off to my favorite local thrift store. Not expecting much I was again sweetly surprised. Wish I knew if it was my "never get a basket rule" or "don't expect much law"? Either way I had an hour of fun for pennies in my pocket.

Just a small lot but pretty none the less.

Vintage cards and game pieces. Whitman checkers...never used.

Buttons on cards. I have this need to save every last one.

Hello, my name is Renee and I am addicted to vintage embroidery transfers.

Vintage books oh how I love their covers.

Just a few more treasures. Some to keep some to send away.

Hidden on a shelf in a plastic zip lock I found these amazing sewing books. 

(My second copy of the blue Dressmaker book.)

Folded up in the middle of the lot was this January edition of Needlewoman.

1927

Super cute (never used) Baby Book and a yard of this cute juvenile print.

Poor Santa. He needs to be "Magpied" but I love his face.

Geometric print tablecloth in bright red.

I always pick up these old tool boxes. They hold anything from cards to tape, tags to trim. Most of the time they are cheaper than the plastic ones.

How nifty to bring it all home in my new old picnic basket. 

Tomorrow I have a very long overdue mail post of all the recent postman packages. Come back and see what's new.

Fisher Pricing

After a month or so of avoiding the thrift stores, it has finally paid off. My friend Kathy of Klueless said  my bad luck was gone and out of the way. She was right! I followed my rule of not getting a cart for fear it would not fill up. Yes, I must look like a fool juggling all my goods to the register...but I was a happy fool!

Not the plethora of Magpie Ethel, nor the distinction of Oodles and Oodles but the pleasure was all mine.

I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to find all the Whitman card packs tucked in a Tupperware bin. The Fuzzy Wuzzy Puzzle made Miss Claire smile. Price for those dear Whitman's...a cool .25 cents. 

I have never seen the Uno Phonics Game before. The graphics are delightful.

Alright...I am not a Pyrex girl couldn't tell you why? But really who could pass this shade of blue? I will spare you the price. I make snowflake cookies at Christmas that will look great in this. A real glass baster mint in the can. Say no more.

This is what made the day. You all might remember my Christmas ornament. Now I have my very own real life house. Worse for the wear but it is circa 1969.

I swear this is Mrs. Brady.

She is wooden.

Sure there is a little bit of water damage but this is a memory that is tangible. I remember the ting of the bell. Snoopy's dog house on the back. The vine of roses on the fireplace. Always wondering what went in the door under the stairs? It brought a smile to my face seeing all the resemblances to my own home of today. Maybe it is okay for little girls to dream!

Divine fail...

Claire and I skipped out to the big antique mall this Monday. We haven't seen much at the thrift and estate sales have been too far out of the way. I knew better than to think big because this mall loves to store their goods rather than sell them. Two things made it home with us before our hunger made us cave.

Darling vintage tin shelf. Which incidentally was filled quickly!

The tag stated mint? I found a few dents but at 30% off and I was sold. Detailed with the NBC, ABC and CBS microphones this can sing a tune all day long to me.

Oh and the scrolling...too cute.

Claire just about talked me out of this but my heart was taken.

I probably paid ten dollars too much but it is chippy and scrolly and well its a plant stand.

Who doesn't want to see this loaded up with colorful vines or a collection of pastel McCoy pots?

I promised her I would paint it...it remains in the kitchen for now.

Alright, now back to the divine part. I wait all year for this Church sale. It always has great stuff. I even pay to get in early. Wait in line in the sun for this!  For this?  One indent ornament!

A feed sack doll dress and that's it! I paid more to get in than I spent in the Church.

Well, Lincoln scored a soccer ball so he is happy. He pops them faster than we can buy them. 

Yep, there's more...remember I failed.  Once I managed to make it back to my car with my dismal treasure trove I hefted it into the back...bag and all. My car doesn't need a key to turn it on you just have to have it on you. Well, as soon as I saw the trunk going down I knew I was in for it my keys were in the bag and I was locked out. Good times... Yes, God I hear you. I walked the short mile home and asked my newly driving son to give me a ride back to my car...all he could say was "fail"...

Total fail...

Rubbish

A drive out of town to pick up something necessary. In the shadow of the rain flashing thrift store sign.  OPEN

Jammed in a bin. Tossed in a zip bag like leftovers. 

Audible sighs when the long sought canister peeked from the bag.

A dutch winter scene.

 Wolverine 

A few feet away another blue...peeking from the toy bin. 

For fear that I might draw more attention I silently plucked it from certain solitude.

An apron is donned and the tea is whistling...

Tiny fingers hooked through the cups. Baby dolls and teddy bears tucked in behind the table. Saddle shoes and ankle socks keep the sweet hostess on her toes. This was a tea set from Christmas morning. What might be rubbish to some is pure pleasure to me.

Staples

It dawned on me last night while everyone was sleeping soundly, with my frequent thrifts and sales I might appear to some as a bit of a shop-a-holic. Hmm...do I dare burst that bubble. I abhor shopping. Retail therapy is far from relaxing for me. I am more of a staples kind of gal.

For instance, last week at my husbands dinner party a fellow guest explained how excited she was to have her new three hundred dollar jeans. Immediately I began to compute how many vintage finds I could possess with that amount. Seriously, that is nearly my six month budget for flea marketing.

I would call my fashion style Granimals. Remember those? Solid color t-shirt, cardigan and jeans. If I need to spiff it up I'll add a vintage brooch.

Vintage "thrifting, sales, markets" that is not shopping. It is treasure hunting.

Saving the past. Reusing, recycling, budgeting....

My day spent thrifting is always budgeted (unless there is piece I must have and it hasn't happened yet). 

Usually only going once or twice a week.

Constantly sorting and sending items in and out.

While I have no plans to ever purchase a pair of ridiculously priced jeans...and yes I stood there thinking my goodness that is price of an amazing piece of antique furniture that you could pass down from generation to generation.

I assure you the one thing I have no problem buying and paying full price for is great fabric.  Don't even get me started on why it is okay to do that! 

My total for today...$24.57 

Uncle Wiggly was a gift from the dealer.