Back In The Saddle. The Thrifting Saddle.

Life has gotten a little too heavy on my brain lately. Bills, duties, more snow, frigid temperatures, vehicle repairs, yadda yadda. I needed a ME day. Not a spa day or a mall day or a pamper me day, because that is not me. I needed a thrifting day!

Yesterday, I dropped the boys off to see "Avatar" and I set out to visit every thrift store I could find. I managed to go to three thrifts, a flea market and make another trip back to Target while they were at the movies. Even though I was needing some time to myself, four hours seemed like an eternity to fill. I still ended up sitting in the parking lot for thirty minutes waiting for them, but that did give me time to play with my new "slider" cell phone and download my first "App." Man, I feel so hip! Except that I still use the word "hip"!

Here's the thrifty rundown:

First stop - The Attic Thrift Store. One of my favorites due to the nice ladies that work here and treat me like family.

Great old candy tin chock full of old button cards for $2.50.

A sweet spring-y vintage tablecloth with roses and butterflies for $1.00. A much needed hint of Spring on a 15 degree day.

On to the Peace At Home Thrift - a thrift I used to avoid, but is now under new management with low prices. Yes!

A set of 8 Seasons of Midwest Cannon Falls Bunny and Chick ornaments for $2.00.

I love this stuff, but i would never pay retail for it. So, finding it at the thrift was a definite thrift-Score!

Thrift Store #3 netted only a "Where's Waldo" book and a 4-H rubber stamp, neither worth photographing, yet worth purchasing at only 50¢ each.

With time still left to blow, I decided to stop at a new Flea Market in town. I was curious as to what sort of a Flea market it is because I am wanting to get a Booth. It turned out to be a very nice place with a good selection of items both old and new, so I put my name on a waiting list. Hopefully, I will get a call one of these days.

My very first find was in Booth W-4. When I spotted it, my eyes glazed over, not believing what I had just found. But! It wasn't priced. Oh, crap. I took it to the register and said it wasn't priced. I know you can't buy non-priced things, and I was sick to think it wouldn't be mine. I HAD TO HAVE IT. They said that the booth owner had just left so they would give her a quick call for a price. Luckily, they managed to get her on the phone and she quoted a lovely price of $2.00 for my much loved item.

Oh, did you want to know what it was? Sorry!

Here it is - a pink vintage Shiny Brite. What? Big deal! Why did I nearly croak when I spotted a pink Shiny Brite? (Besides the obvious...Vintage......Pink....Shiny...Brite...)

Because it is HUGE! The one on the right is a regular Shiny Brite - about 8" around. The one on the left that I bought yesterday is 18" around. I have never seen such a huge Shiny Brite! It is marked SHINY BRITE USA on the top. I would have bought it no matter what color it was, but finding a PINK one was simply dee-vine.

More pink - this old Almond Roca tin was $2.00. More than I normally pay for a tin, but it was a really sweetie. "Confectioners to the Elect" Ooo-la-la. It even has the key opener attached to the bottom.

I found this sweet little book reading gnome for $1.00. He matches the gnome planter I already had at home perfectly.

At one booth way in the back, I spotted a pile of linens and tablecloths. As I dove in I knew the prices might be high since it was a flea market and not a thrift store, so not to get too excited if I found a good one.

First, I found this fun one with clovers all over it. Perfect for March and St. Patrick' Day.

Then I found this fabulous pastel striped tablecloth. I held my breath as I checked the prices. I read the tags and they said, "OLD SHEET $2.00". An old sheet???? I think NOT! Two pristine vintage tablecloths for $2.00 each - OH YEA! *Note to self: Check Booth B-5 for "Old Sheets" more often!

It felt good to be out like a grown up, hitting the thrifts and finding a few good deals. But, it felt even better to get my boys and come back to my snug house before the negative temperatures hit again. When it ever warms up again, I plan on going out again for another thrifty adventure.