Thrifty Thursday

This morning I had a feeling that I needed to go to the Super Cheap Thrift.  It's only open a few hours a week, so when it is open, I do like to go.  Thursdays are preferred day to shop as the Volunteer ladies are very nice and seem to like me and the fact that I bring in my own bag for my purchases.   When I got there, the pickings were slim and the store was pretty bare.  I did find a few things as usual, and decided to buy a few other things just because I couldn't find a real treasure.  When I checked out, my total came to only $3.55.  "Why so little?" I asked.  "Everything is half off today."  "Oh", I said.  Then it hit me.  Did I miss anything?  Did I buy everything I wanted?  I couldn't go back because the CLOSED sign was already up and I couldn't go back to look.  I think I got everything I would have bought regardless of price.  But, sheesh.  You just never know what I might have missed! 

Some of the following things are from the Super Cheap Thrift, others are from a hurried thrift trip yesterday after I fluffed the Booth.  (Full report on that next Wednesday when I get my first check!)  The Breadman can't seem to understand why I take a carload of stuff to the Flea market, then still have to go to the Thrift looking more yet MORE junk.  It's a vicious cycle! 

These three things are from the thrift on Wednesday.  They have really odd pricing.  The little shoe was 27¢, the single shaker was 34¢.  More on the Match Holder down below.

The little shoe says "Here's a Birthday slipper filled with love and happiness for you."  Too cute and perfect for my Vintage Birthday Collection/Display.

This white pottery match holder was in the markdown section for 50¢.  It is old and in perfect condition.  This particular thrift has a markdown policy coded by colors.  Once a certain color (yesterday it was Green) has been on the floor for one week, it starts being marked down 25% the first week, 50% the second week and 75% the third week.  The fourth week it goes to the 50¢ area - not matter what it is - I have seen desks and beds in there for 50¢.  Anyway, I don't how this great old Match Holder sat there all that time and no one noticed it, but I am glad that I did!  And for only 50¢!

This paper maiche Halloween cat mask was 55¢.  I don't think it is especially old or especially new - maybe 1970's?  Great for my Halloween decor.

This plate was found at a different thrift yesterday (where I donated more stuff before I took stuff to sell before I bought more stuff to sell.  A vicious, vicious circle, I tell ya!)  Anyway - this plate was made in Austria about 1910.  I assumed it was some royal building or something, buy upon closer inspection, it is the Courthouse in Topeka, Kansas - Birthplace of ME.  I've been to that Courthouse many times.  I thought this was an excellent find for $1.00.  (That flyer is for a 160 mile yard sale coming up close to me in two weeks.  It is about an hour to the beginning of it, down a huge mountain.  I really, really, really want to go and it is on my birthday weekend, so I really should get to go.  But, not sure if I will go.  But, can you imagine???  160 miles!  WOW!)

Another old star Colander.  This one is smaller than the huge one I got last week.  I have tons of Garden tomatoes in both of them right now.  Scrumptious!

From the Super Cheap Thrift - Dragon Dominoes.  Great old Dominoes with a neat old box.  Darn those ladies and their masking tape - the box got a bit scuffed up.  They ended up only costing 25¢, so I can overlook the damage.  Besides, I already have another box just like it.  (Surprise)

A sweet baby Planter.  it's a sickness, I cannot pass up a vintage Baby Planter.  They are just too ding dang cute.  I have most of them in the Booth, but they haven't sold yet.  We'll see.  Also, two brand new books - 50¢ each. 

A nice heavy white pottery bowl.   I put it with my white pottery collection.  I think it will look great full of pink Shiny Brites.  Or wooden blocks.

Not really why I, a mother of a nearly 15 (COUGH COUGH) year old needed to buy these two big bags of old wooden blocks.  But, I always looked for them when The Bean was little and rarely ever found them.  I did end up with a nice collection of them for him when he was little.  I suppose I can add these to them for the....................grandkids.  Eh gads. 

So, there you have it - nothing completely fabulous, but good finds none the less.  I'd rather have found some vintage Christmas or a stash of tablecloths.  But, they can't all be gems. 

Hope you find some good JUNK this weekend!

Ho Ho Ho HOT - Christmas in July

Our family is still knee deep in Grandma Drama and lots of other things.  Fun is something we have all been in short demand of and very much needed.  I was trying to think of something fun for the family - something cool, something fun, something cheap and something silly.  I looked at the calendar to see what was happening this month and my eyes landed on July 25th.  That's when I remembered Sarah's Christmas in July post from last year.

Christmas in July - just what we needed! I sent my Mom a Christmas Card and invited her and my Step-father over for a day of pure fun and silliness. We agreed that there would be gifts, but they had to come from inside our house - random things, things we don't want or need anymore, silly things, etc. We filled up a gift bag full of randomness and swapped them. I personally received a turkey baster, turquoise earrings, a melon baller, a teak box, a blanket and many, many other things. I gave toothbrushes, enchilada sauce, dental floss, plastic cups, books, Scotch tape, note pads, pencils, etc.

We had traditional Christmas Dinner. Turkey, bread, potatoes, vegetables, corn and cranberries. Well, actually, we had turkey hot dogs, potato chips, corn chips and salsa, relish tray and cranberry sauce. I couldn't think of a summer-y cranberry idea, so a can of jellied cranberries had to do. For dessert - full on Banana Splits. Delish!

I kept the decorations simple, summer and Christmas theme combined.  When I spotted this WARM WISHES sign in last year's 90% Target finds, I knew it was the perfect theme.  It was nearly 100 degrees on July 25th!

What do you see?  Mittens and snow pails?  Hmmmm...are you sure you don't actually see BBQ Mitts and Sand pails?  I do. 

Hot dog, hamburger, french fry and popcorn blown glass ornaments along with floral leis (that I scooped up at a yard sale the day before for 25¢) round out the tree decorations.

My Shiny Brite Wreath with the addition of drink umbrellas, another lei and one more "WARM WISHES" sign. 

No Christmas (in July or otherwise) is complete without a Blow Mold Santa.  This one wears a lei and is cooking out on the Barbecue.  I found that little BBQ a few years ago (another 90% off Target find) and never knew what to do with it.  It was worth it just for Christmas in July!  (The BBQ holds a mini ketchup and mustard bottle, S& P shakers and a Basting brush).

We had a lot of fun.  And, we really needed some fun.  I strongly recommend Christmas in July.  I know it won't be our last one!

Gnome Sweet Gnome

If you asked me if I collect Gnomes, I would say, "No, I do not collect Gnomes!"  But, if you searched and hunted around my house, you might think differently.   It's the time of the year when I don't have anything seasonal to put in my display shelf, so I hunt up a collection.  This time it is Gnomes. 

The majority of the vintage gnomes came to me all from one sale for 25¢ each.  I was digging in a trash bag (yes, a trash bag!) and kept pulling out one after the other.  They were happy finds, I must say.

"Gnome Sweet Gnome"

(I love my PROBE card banners)

I made that big toadstool in the middle.  The random plastic toadstools were purchased in amongst the fugliest flower arrangement ev-ah.  I plucked out the toadstools and gave the greasy plastic flowers the old heave-ho.

Most of my favorites are on this shelf.  Gerald there on the far right travels in the car with us and goes on trips with us.  We have photos of him traveling around on Facebook.

I adore that little guy reading on top of the giant toadstool.  I found the two wood sprites at different sales one summer.  I've never seen any more, but if and when I do, they will be coming home with me.

The big toadstool.  The base is a three pound margarine tub, so it's pretty big.

Some of my favorites.  Love the red and white toadstool salt and pepper shakers.  The little wooden mushroom is carved out of a branch.  The little gnome playing the harmonica is pretty darned cute too.

One summer I went to a yard sale that looked pretty sad from the road.  But, it turned out that she had one giant box chock full of vintage spun cotton toadstools, still on the card.  There were hundreds of them!  And, they were 10¢ each!  I think in the end, the lady chose to sell them to me for $5.00 rather than count them all.  I have gifted them, sold them and used them and I still have a lot of them.   

I had one square of pink polka-dotted felt and wondered what I would ever do with it.  I realized the other day it looked like a toadstool - so there you see it.  There's the little guy reading.  He's so sweet.

This one is different - I don't really know what it is for - there is the hole in the front, the basket and a hole in the toadstool.  It's really different. 

The toadstool in the front, is a pot scrubber holder, I think.  Weird, right?  I found the big glass jar full of vintage Christmas ornaments for 25¢ this summer. 

I especially love this old gnome planter with the crystals and old German glass glitter.  It is marked as a souvenir of Joplin, Missouri.  Sort of an odd souvenir from Joplin, but pretty dadgum adorable. 

So, as  you can see, I do not collect gnomes!*

*Can you imagine how many I would have if I did collect gnomes?   

Head's Up!

In the past week, I have had 200 spun heads come into my life! 

TWO HUNDRED!!!!

Exhibit A:

Wee winking spun heads

Blonde flirty girl heads.

Funny Eggheaded Boy Scout heads.

Triple cuteness!

All of these were found on ebay while searching for mis-catagorized and misspelled auction searches.   The boy and girl picks were all in one lot - 120 of them and listed only under Party Pick.  And, I got them for a steal.  Lucky, me!

Friday's Finds

Today was another scorcher.  I thought about skipping the sales, but you know me better than that!  I went anyway and forged on - heatstroke or not - JUNK was to be had!

I found three sales on one street.  I parked at the end of the block and walked the block up to the cul-de-sac and back.  Of course, since I had so far to walk and it was a thousand degrees, I found a lot of good stuff at the sale the farthest away. 

All the loot.  I only had smalls until the slat sale of the day where I bought the small milking stool, the tall old metal stool and the rusty thing in the center.

 

My first purchase of the day (at the end of the cul-de-sac) was this picnic basket.  It's beginning to be a sickness, I tell you, me and these picnic baskets.  I sat in the living room and counted how many picnic baskets I could see.  Would you believe I could see a total of 15 picnic baskets between the living room and kitchen?  Crazy, huh?  Also pictured is a really nice and very old letter box, two Enesco Swan planters, one lonely signed Quilt Block (a lady had already bought the rest - &^%#% -  but missed this one) and a single Cow Salt Shaker. 

 

Loved this old milking stool - not sure how anyone could actually sit on it and maintain any sort of balance or dignity. 

I don't even know what this old metal chippy things is or was, but it was cool looking and only $1.00, so I snagged it.  I will throw it in the booth and see what happens. 

A sweet little creamer, vintage Arkansas Razorback pocket hankies (I do really well selling vintage Razorback items),  a lovely cherry plate and a nice book of Native American Art.

I love old games and especially old word games.  I've never seen this game - love the unusual letter cards and the fun puppy/cat graphic.

Vintage box of Crayons, two old rusty stars and two fun old chalk rabbits.

I must have had the Breadman on my mind when I grabbed these.  Ha.  The box at the bottom is 1000 cellophane frill picks.  Did I need 1,000 of those?  Well, no, but for 50¢, I had to grab them.

Lastly, all these vintage bags of weaving loom loops headed for my Etsy Store. 

Unless we decide to get crafty and sell these instead....

Yea, probably not.

Hope you find some good junk this weekend.  I think I'll be taking tomorrow off , but there are two big fundraiser sales side by side up the street and I have zero willpower.  The darn heat just about wipes me out.  But those bargains call to me.....Shara....Shara....Shara......

Vintage Vacation Swap

I recently participated in a Vintage Vacation Swap.  I was partnered with the lovely Sophie in the United Kingdom.  It's always fun to get mail from overseas. 

I especially love these labels:

ROYAL MAIL

I feel like the Queen!

Sophie sent me TWO vintage vacation destinations.

First, the seaside.

An wee suitcase filled with vintage postcards, envelopes and stamps, seashells, a dainty soap, a piece of candy, a sweet handmade Beach Hut Pincushion and some Cath Kidson tissues.  I adore that teeny little bucket of sand tools and lollipops. 

Second destination: LONDON.

A fun tote bag with a Double Decker Bus on it, Transit tissues, English Afternoon Tea and an actual Double Decker Bus.  Well, not an actual one, but a wee cute one. 

I (Heart) this bus.

All the loot.

Thanks Sophie!

As usual, I forgot to take photos of what I sent Sophie. 

I made her a Vintage "Across the USA" Vacation package that included this little gal, vintage souvenirs from across the USA, various Patriotic themed decorations and a packet of my favorite summertime drink..... Kool-Aid.  Sophie said she was excited to try the Kool-Aid. I didn't think I was being too clever sending the Kool-Aid, so I was happy to hear that she had never tried it.  Thinking of a sweet treat to send across the pond in this heat was a feat within itself.

(Am I the only one that gets photos like this when I am trying to take pictures of my swaps and finds????)