Thrifting No Matter WHAT

Sometimes I check on a blog and they haven't posted for awhile and I think, "Gee, I hope they are okay!". Well, Miss Chatty here hasn't posted in a few days, so I thought I would check in. I seem to have a nasty bout of the stomach flu or stomach eew or something like that. I hope someone will leave a comment that says, "Oh, we've had that too" or "That stuff is everywhere!". Because, frankly, when you are bowing to the throne for the fifth time, you start thinking that maybe you are dying. We don't get out much, so I've lost that person to person contact where I hear about illnesses and bugs making the rounds. So, please, somebody - it's not just me, right?

Despite the stomach issues, life goes on and I even managed to squeeze in a bit of thrifting today. I told DH and The Bean that there was a picnic basket somewhere waiting for me. And, there was!

I found this nice older oak picnic basket at the Salvation Army - I never find anything old and cool there. And, it was only $3.00, so that made me happy. The Apron was from a different thrift. It is my first crocheted apron. The hanky was free and the neat old basket on top looks like a Longaberger. It feels like a Longaberger and it is signed like a Longaberger, but it doesn't have the Longaberger name burned into it. It is dated 1989, so I will research it a bit. Either way, it's a nice basket for $1.00.

Here's the apron. See that pocket up there? It wasn't there when I bought it.

It had this big old hole in it, but I just loved it so I had to grab it. I found this crocheted potholder in my linen stash, tacked it on and wah-lah, a matching pocket. The colors are a perfect match.

I found this old Scrabble Game dated 1949. The tiles aren't wooden, they are sort of a hard rubbery material. Not plastic like the ones today either. I just wanted it for the letters, so I asked how much. My Thrift friend found the price on the bottom - $10.00. She rolled her eyes, said, "Puhlease, how about $3.00." And, even though I was hoping it was $1.00, I paid it, but as usual, she threw some things in and knocked some more prices down, so I ended up paying about $1.50 for it. She's the director of the Thrift, but different people work there every day and price things very differently. One person will price a baggie of old rick rack 25¢, the next person writes OLD VINTAGE RICK RACK $5.00 on the same sort of baggie. If you take the 25¢ bag up to to pay the $5.00 pricers, they will argue it should be more and if you take the $5.00 bag to the 25¢ pricers, they knock the price down. I go on the 25¢ pricer day, of course.

I found this sweet little baby book for 50¢. It has the sweetest graphics and is entirely unused. What is even more interesting to me, are letters from different prominent businesses in Northwest Arkansas in the 1950's offering free gifts to the newborn. The letters are signed by prominent names in our area. There are defunct companies like Ward Ice Cream, Quaker Drugstores and a big lumberyard that once set on the edge of Historic Dickson Street. I bought this to sell, but as usual, I will probably keep it or sell it locally since it's a piece of history.

This weekend is huge in the junking world in my area. There's a big craft fair in the next town over, so there will be a ton of garage sales along the highway and in my town and the town with the craft fair. There is one plae where this guy sets up a huge tent full of crap and prices it high. BUT! Out in the back, he throws up tables and tarps and everything is 25¢ or 50¢. I have found some gems back there, including my Steiff Turket last year for 25¢ that I sold for $127.00. I love it when you find a hidden treasure at a sale where thery "really know their stuff". I better feel good by this weekend, darn it! Junk calls!