2013- The Year in Review

It's time for my Year in Review.  This year I will combine what happened and my thrifitng in the same post.  I really found out this year that I NEED to go thrifting to get a mental break.

This year in our lives - The Breadman began his new job with Saralee/Bimbo.  Same thing he was doing before, just a new company.  He actually is paid through a temporary service, but the job is with Saralee.  (We recently found out that his job may not be there there in April.  Either that or he might get a nice high paying route.  I suppose you can guess which one we are holding our breath on??:?)

My Mom was in her two Rehab hospitals after her fall and several hospital visits.  January through March are kind of a blur to me and she really can't remember anything specific over that time.

The Booth kept on chugging all year long even if I had no time to devote to it some months.  I did the Barn Sale and had success and the Holiday Bazaar which I had suck-cess.  :D  I learned that I do enjoy the selling venue and I plan to do more this year.  I will just do a bit of research before I do another one.

On to the thrifted goodies of the year.

A larger wicker market basket for $12.99.  It is still sitting in the garage waiting fro inspiration to strike.  Or the urge to sell  it.  

Ninety peepholes for $5.00 total.  I had NO idea why I bought them, but knew I would regret it if I left them behind.  I sell them as "Pocket Telescopes" and have sold 42 so far at $3.00 each.  Nice!

Lovely piece of pottery for the collection.

Nice set of old flashcards from the thrift.  I have sold many of them and have many more to sell.  Of course, I kept a few!

Vintage Gurley Cowboy candles for my collection. 

A day of thrifiting all by myself produced all these German candy container eggs.  

And this awesome tin dollhouse for $4.00.

One of the hottest days on record and I found an unadvertised sale that was SO HOT.  I scored this fantastic old house thing for $5.00.  I love it.  

At a sale right around the corner from me and kind of late in the day I found this pile of vintage feedsacks.  An awesome find, for sure.  But, even better - this is where Lara and I met the first time.  A very good day!

Several strands of mercury glass beads (touted as "Very Old Mardi Gras beads" for $1.50) for a sale of a local antiques dealer.  It's nice to know that not everyone knows everything and you can still find a deal.   

A gorgeous tablecloth.  This year was light on tablecloths.  But, the ones I did find were perfectly gorgeous.  (I didn't find one single picnic basket this year.  Woe is me....)

A fantastic little yellow school chair that I have no use for but I LOVE IT with all my heart.

Steiff chipmunk for 25¢.

Set of pool balls from the thrift - one was missing, but I found it the next time I was there and they gave it to me.  I sold all of these at the Barn Sale (except Lucky #11) for $3.00 each.  

Chippy croquet set - been on my wishlist for a long time.  Bought it from The Duggars - so that made it even more special to me.  

One lonely kneehugger - 25¢.  

Not a lot in the world of vintage Christmas this year.  Well, nothing stellar anyway.  

Lots of bits and bobs and pieces and such.

Best sales of the year:

Day one of a clean out of a house.  Paid $20.00 for everything pictured.

Day two paid $20.00 for all this.  A great sale with a nice lady that wanted her Mother's things to go to people that appreciated it.  

I went the last day of a two weekend long estate Sale and still managed to find some great stuff.  Things were half off and I spent about three hours there digging and looking at everything.  I paid about $30.00 for everything I bought - there was lots more than what was in this photo.  I sold three tiny things for a total of $55.00, so it's all gravy from here.

The VERY best sale of the year was the Duggar's sale!  It was HUGE and I was completely overwhelmed by the shear volume of STUFF, plus the camera crews, the massive crowds and all the Duggar's milling about.  

There was SO much stuff it was crazy - they had collected donations, plus they sold a lot of their own things they had purchased at auctions and consignment sales.  I bought a few things - the croquet set being my favorite find.  The best part was getting to talk with Michele about our upcoming high school reunion and seeing all the Duggar's out working hard to earn money for The Arkansas Children's Hospital.  

The camera crews were there for the full day filming all the customers and the Duggar's doing different things.   I snapped this photo of them interviewing a lady about the sale.   

When the show finally aired, I saw them interviewing that same lady and then THERE IT WAS - MY TELEVISION DEBUT.  I saw ME walk onto the screen.  ME!  Over there in the pink with my trusty Joann's bag on my arm.  Who would have thought I would be on National TV buying junk at a yard sale this year?  Not me!  (I know it was silly and only a flash of me on the screen, but by golly it was fun!)

Best Day of Picking:

The day my Dad said, "Let's see if there's anything up in the attic".  I had no memories of ever putting anything in the attic, so I knew it would be empty. But, SURPRISE!  I found my old skates that I used in the driveway.  An old orange crate we found in my Dad's childhood home in KS, giant glass Coke bottles, my old skateboards and a few other surprises.  

The BEST surprise of ALL being my Hoppity Horse!  I always remembered my Hoppity Horse with a lot of affection.  So, to find my ACTUAL Hoppity Horse was kind of a neat thing.  I also see it sitting in a picnic basket I swatted down from the rafters.  I guess I did "find" a picnic basket this year!

So, that's my year in review.  Junk, journeys, TV appearances and family updates.  I can't believe that 2013 is over already.  I hope they don't all keep going this fast.  

Happy New Year you guys!  Be safe!

A Little Saturday Thrifting

Today I went out to straighten the booth.  I was missing a ton of stuff and I got super excited but then I found it all in the back of the sore being used as props.  I don't really mind my things being used, but they need to be displayed in a way that you can see it is FOR SALE and not just a display.  There was about $125.00 worth of my things back there out of the way where no one goes.  That kind of bummed me out.  I might have sold some of that stuff.  I put it all back in the booth and will leave it for about another week at 25% off.  It was pretty busy today, but I think the Christmas shopping is done.  Now people are shopping for themselves.  

On the way, I stopped at the Super Cheap Thrift.  When I checked out, the lady was super rude to me.  They are the nicest people at that thrift - that's half the reason I love to go there.  I think I will report her to the lady that is in charge.  I think she would like to know that someone was being rude.  ANYWAY on to the goods.  

Well, not yet - these actually came from a different thrift this week.  They are Dr. Peepers glasses - they are HUGE - they cover nearly my whole face, but they are sparkly and pink they only cost 25¢.  So, of course, I HAD to have them.  

Today's finds.

This is a tree topper and it is Rowe Pottery.  It is a beautiful cobalt blue. It weighs a ton, I cannot imagine it actually being on top of a tree.  I think I will put it in my pottery display.  I have a lot of stars in the living room and pottery too, so a pottery star - okay.  It cost 25¢.

A nice heavy milkglass ashtray.  

A cast iron hanger of curled up cats tails.  It-s newer, probably from Hobby Lobby or somewhere similar, but it was 25¢ and we need a hook by the door to hold our hoodies wear to go get the paper and mail every day.  

Two gingham lidded jars that I covet, a couple bottle brush wreaths and four bottle brush trees, a little cottage and a vintage Santa in a spaceship ornament.  The glittered ribbon was actually a Dollar General find at 25¢ a roll, but GLITTERED ribbon - COME ON!  The plan is to make snow globes out of the jars (there is a Christmas tree shaped jar on the bottom shelf you can't see) and bottle brush trees.  

I spotted the blue cabinet at a sidewalk sale in town.  I thought it was an old grocery store rack, but once I picked it up, I could tell it was an old bathroom medicine cabinet sans the door.  

I pretty much paint everything white, but the blue is kind of growing on me.

Also, can I just say that this is a pretty good photo - I think.  

That red cart that everything is sitting on is something I found at a garage sale a couple weeks ago.  I bought a lot of things at that sale, but they were all for my parents - a handmade Native American drum, beading looms, beading books. beads, Native American pottery and some other Native american things.  The cart is bright red and all chippy just like I like things.

I heard that on a commercial today that the week between Christmas and New Years is a 

Week of Wonderful.  

They meant it for sales and shopping, but I like to think it's the week of wonderful things like enjoying your home, your family, treats and fun.  So, I hope you are doing just THAT!

Oh, Little Town

I know Christmas is technically over, but we keep it going through New Year's over here.   I love the house this time of year with the twinkling lights, the fun things, the tasty treats (scored at bargain prices on Dec. 26th), the holiday movies and the relaxed atmosphere.  So, HO HO HO it's still Christmas!

I wanted to blog about my Village since I did it a little different this year and I like to be able to look back next year and see if I want to to do it the same or mix it up again.  I liked it, so I will probably do it again.

I used to collect only Grocery Stores since The Breadman and I met working in a grocery store.  But, then I got out of the grocery business and he did too - sort of - to work for Wonder Bread/Hostess Cakes.  So, I started picking up bakeries if I found them. So, there are no houses in my village - only businesses.  

I keep that big old chalkboard on top of the cabinet all year long and I didn't want to have to move it, so I incorporated it into the scene with the letter cards.  I was going to make them spell out "Merry Christmas" but then, "Oh, Little town" popped into my head.  That was perfect!  Next year I will make a better banner - I did it on a whim and in a hurry and I had to stand on a ladder IN FRONT of the TV which the men of the household frowned upon.  I will also add some stars or snowflakes on the chalkboard.

The top shelf is all my glittery churches along with a Chick-fil-A (closed on Sundays!) and a Krispy Kreme.   We LOVE us some Chick-fil-A at this house and the few times we have had the pleasure of a Krispy Kreme it was delicious - plus it IS a Bakery.  I found the tractor at Dollar Tree and set it up there by the woodpile.  Those big Mercury Glass trees were an after Christmas find at Wal-Mart a few years ago.  I love them.  

This is the Walton Five and Dime which is located in Bentonville.  It was the original Wal-Mart.  The Little Debbie plant is not far from here and it is a Bakery, so it fits in.  The little General Store in the front is one of my original stores.

The used Car dealership isn't a store or a bakery, but I LIKE IT so it stays.  Love the old cars.  The red pick up truck is for Sam Walton and his old red pick up truck.  And, yes, I put a tree in it - I don't care if everyone else is doing it too - trees + trucks = awesome.

Another General Store, (or three), a S&C AG Service truck full of wreaths (S&C = Shara, Curtis/Christopher).  The giant chicken is my homage to the giant chicken statue located in the next won over.

Another Walmart (I do live in Wal-Mart country, you know), a red car with a tree (red car + tree= awesomesauce) plus a miniature tinsel tree I made.  I plan on making more of those to sell next year.

The UBC truck is from the old Wonderbread Company, more churches and lots of bottle brush trees.

Hey!  Santa's even up there!  On a church!  Oh well!

That's it for the Christmas posts this year.  

I hope you all had a nice Christmas!

From Me to You

Merry Christmas!

I know everyone is busy with their holiday, but I wanted to pop in and wish you a very Merry Christmas from me to you.  I appreciate all of you - to the ones that comment on every post to the ones that read and never comment to the ones that email me and send me Happy Mail to the ones of you I have never met and to those that I have - I just appreciate you all SO MUCH!  I love junking and blogging about it.  My life is really quite ordinary, but when I come write a post about something silly I found that makes me happy or something we've done lately and people read it and respond and are SO NICE about it, well, that just makes my heart swell.  Some of the nicest people I will ever have to pleasure to meet - well, I'll never even meet most of you.  But, you are my friends.  To you and your family - have a blessed day and a safe day.  

Love, 

Shara, The Breadman and The Bean

One Last Thrift Run (Again)

Oops, I did it again.  I hit the thrift ONE MORE TIME.  I swear, it is an actual medical sickness.  As long as I KNOW there might be something vintage Christmas in there - I MUST GO.  I had to go buy groceries today, so I needed a little thrift therapy to get me through it.  I chose the Salvation Army due to it's distance away from any other retail shopping and crowds.  I was rewarded with a CHRISTMAS 75% OFF sign in the window.  Yes!  I found many things being used as displays and as decorations, but I asked if it was for sale and was given a "yes" and a price most times of $3.00.  But, that made it 75¢ in the end, so no sweat. After the clerk rang it all up he asked me to guess my total.  I told him I only had $10.00, so I hoped it was about that.  It was $10.20.  (I had some change).  When I paid, the man at the counter asked me if I was happy and I said yes.  He said, "That's what I love about working here - making people happy!"  After I left, I met a lady for a quick special order I did and she handed me $10.00.  So, I was out 20¢ for everything.  

The photos are pure crap.  Bad lighting, bad camera.  My New Year's Resolution for the blog is BETTER PHOTOS!

Until then -

I did pretty well in the Kitsch department today.  Almost all of this will be resold next year.  Noma three candle thingy, felt boot you put a jar in for candy canes. an old flocked boot candy container, big burlap sack with a kitschy snowman on it, handful of old candy canes, a pair of Santa slippers and one Santa Slipper ornament.

The Santa head - well, now that is something alright.  The kind of "well, isn't that something" that you say when you say an ugly baby.  There is a cord under his beard and when you pull it, music plays.  Thank you lord for not making his eyes rotate or something as similar scary.

The little Santa slippers were in the glass case of the Antique Corner.  I have been eyeballing them for about a month, but they were $5.00.  I am way to cheap for THAT!  But, that made them $1.25 today and that was an okay price for me.  

The stockings.  I had about a dozen of those knitted stockings in my booth and they all sold.  So, I am trying to find more for next year.  My luck they won't sell at all next year, but you never know.  The felt "Merry Christmas" stocking is a keeper for me.  

This is the tag on the inside.  Kay Kadel - Designer in Felt.  Ooo-la-la.

A few sequined ornaments, a three candle light ornament, a hot air balloon ornament, an old roll of wreath ribbon from my Dime Store decor display and a fun cardboard sleigh with Dresden decorations.  

An old Christmas tree candle and a Santa face mug.  I don't think either are really, really old  but they aren't new either.  

Snowman salt and pepper shaker set, pine cone pick, old bells and a neat of red buckle that was in a big jar of weird red and green miscellaneous junk.  Most of it went in the trash, but the buckle was a keeper.  (The whole jar cost 25¢ - so I took a chance on it).

This Merry Christmas banner is made of pressed tin and I LOVE it.  It was stapled to an Dollar Store village scene.  I asked if it was for sale and once again, I was told $3.00 which made it 75¢.  I want to incorporate it into the porch next year with the Santa blowmolds.  

Here's the funny snowman on the burlap bag.  I thought about cutting him out,but the sack is kind of useful for storage.

Yesterday I went to Lara's house for her wonderful twin's birthday party.  Her house is lovely, her twins are fabulous, her family is SO nice, she gave me an Annalee mouse and bought me a delicious salad to eat and we had Birthday cake with loads of Buttercreme icing on it - it was just a nice afternoon.  When I left she asked where I was going and I told her the Dollar Tree and Walgreen's.  She said, "A thrift store?  You are going to a thrift store, aren't you?"  So, because she MADE ME - I went to Goodwill.  (As if I wouldn't have gone anyway!)  

Pickings were slim, but I did find this tin with handles - its an odd shape since it's not very deep. The other tin is either a recipe box or a Christmas Card list tin.

The big tin has all these different Christmas icons on it.  

Now that I see the design on the tin, I suppose it might be a recipe tin and not a Christmas card list tin. I saw the red and green and just assumed it was Christmas.  Anyway, it's cute, so whatever it is, it is.

I also found a Lee Ward ornament kit for 50¢.  I looked it up and saw that it sells for about $35.00, so I listed it last night and it had a bid almost immediately.  Choo Choo Train Ornament.  So, thank you Lara.  I owe you!

When I walked into the Grocery store - this met me:

PANIC!

Are YOU ready?